The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-08-22
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Over one-half the population of
Rhode Island and nearly one-half that
If Connecticut is employed in the
mills.
In 1890 the United States took the
lead in iron production over Great
Britain, in that year producing 9,202,-
1903 long tons of Fig iron, while Great
Britain pr oduced only 1904, PA.
Last year the world produced 553. :
100000 tons of coal. To this total
Great Britain contributed ls5, 600, 900
tons; the United States, 10000, 900;
Germany, "A, 900, 900; France. %, $50, 000;
Belgium, 10, 500, 900, and Australia
gary, 10, $50, 600 tons Five million tons
were raised in Australia, 1000, 900 in
Canada and 1900, 900 in British India.
The dangers of watching solar
phenomena, even with the partial pro-
lection of colored glasses, have been
pointed out by DR.. George Mackay, of
Edinburgh. Calico lost his vision in
this manner. Sir Isaac Newton's retina
was perman emily injured and DR..
Mackay has himself met with not less
than seventeen cases of impaired sight
as a result of viewing with unprotected
eye the eclipses of 1890 and 1891.
Sir John Herschel has pointed out
that the so-called running uphill" of
the gulf stream is strange perver-
sion of language" The warm water
Of the gulf stream is more buoyant
than the cold water of the North At
la MI nd 70
spreads out as it moves northward
and necessarily forms layer, becom-
ing thinner and thinner. Some portion
nf it, it is true, rises to higher level,
but this is not motion against gravity.
The following simple formula will
purify ordinary water, especially in
reservoirs and tiltering basins: Cal
cium permanganate, one part; alumni
mum sulphate, ten parts; fine clay,
thirty parts These are thoroughly
mixed and one part is added to about
10000 parts of water. 1t is said that
even sewer drainage is almost com
pletely purified by this mixture. 1t
precipitates all of the impurities and
living organisms. and the clear portion
may be drawn off and used with per-
feet safety.
Arsenic has been known from very
early times as a deadly poison. 1t is
believed to have been the means en-
ployed by Nero to remove his enemies,
and there is little doubt that it was
also known to and employed by Mesa.
lima and Agrippina. During the middle
ages it was extensively used as a
secret poison, being sold by alchemists
and prisoners of Italy under the name
of widows powders" or succession
powders. Its properties were def
initely ascertained and made public by
Brandt in 1873.
The remarkable change for the
better in the iron trade is shown in the
official statistics for the first half OF
1895. The production of pig iron in
the United States for the period named
reached total of 4,OS7, sos gross tons,
against 2,717, 9S3 tons in the first hall
and 1899, 40j tons in the second half of
1894. According to the present outlook
it is safe to estimate that the produc-
ton in the last six months of 1895
will be over 5000, 900 tons and that the
output for the year will equal that OF
1890, which was the banner year in the
history of the trade. The stocks OF
pig iron on hand June 30 showed re-
duction for the six months of 15S, 39S
tons, which affords another evidence of
the increased activity in this industry.