Frederick citizen., 1895-01-25
Prepared Weekly for the Citizen.

having the usual steel tires ii and is
inches in diameter, and the other hav-
ing pneumatic tired wheels, 81 and "a
inches in diameter. The first vehicle
weighed 354 pounds and the other hut
232, but weight equal to the differ
ence was placed on the lighter. On a
new hard pine floor, lengthwise Of the
boards, the pneumatic tires required Il
pull of pounds to start from stand
still and 81 pounds to keep in motion
at slow walk; while the steel tires
were started with pounds and drawn
by IT to pounds. Over instructions
of SIG inch and upwards, however,
the pneumatic tires gave much the b t.
ter results When loaded with 500
pounds, the rubbar-tired vehicle, start
ed with pail of s pounds, and Ike. t
In motion with about the same, the
steel tired requiring II pounds to start
aud pounds to keep in motion. On
a good gravel road, the vehicles with
the same load were hauled by an aver
age of 20 and 10 pounds respectively,
and maximum of % aud 70 pounds.
With load of l50 pounds on a sandy
road, the steel tire required 81 and
an average of 40; aud the rubt er an eX-
treme of 3S aud an average of l6. 1t Is
predicted that the elastic tires, doub-
ling the loads horses may draw, will
soon revoutiouiZe the building not
only of pleasure carriages but of heavy
wagons for truckmen and eXpressmen.
The projected Simpson tunnel is to
run from the LETT bank of the Rhoue,
near the Swiss village of Breg, south
east through the Monte Leone to the
left bank of the Diveria, a little below
the Italian village of Isele. Its length
will be 64,7lS feet, or l2f miles, which
is three miles greater than the length
of the ST. Gothard, the longest existing
tunnel. Two singIe-track tunnels, IS
feet between centres, are contemplated,
the ii irst to be constructed in 81 years,
and the second in an additional 1
years.
What is known of amusia, the loss
of the musical faculty, has been puu-
listed within the last lew years, and
has now been oviewed by Prot. Ell
gren, Of Stockholm The disease
proves to be strictly analogous to apha-
sia, the loss OF speech, which may or
forms are recoguiZed-the Sens0ry
form b.
ated by the ear, or notes read by the
eye, and the motor FORM in when the
patient cannot sing, play, or write
notes. Ballet places the expression of
music between the emotional aud the
artificial or verbal language Music
is less complicated and earlier apprC-
ciated than speech Many children
sing before they speak, and Reyer has
tlld of a child of nine months, who
could repeat the notes exactly as play
ed or the piano, while Dvorak, the
musical composer, is said to have had
u son who sang the Fatinitza March
with his nurse at the age of one year
A Bavarian work advances the som
what startling discovery of the long
sought "missing link between man
and the higher apes. The link is the
Pithecda'hrOpus erectuS, of which
three fragments of three skeletons have
been found in the early pleistoceut
strata Of Java. This hitheto unkuowu
species representing also a new geuu,
aud family of the primates, the high.
est order of mammals. The skull ia.
about twO-thlrds of the capacity of that
of man. II is distinctly dolichoophalic,
or long headed, aud the forehead strik-
ingly resembles that of the famous Ne
anderthal skull The teeth are some
what advanced from those of other
apes. The femora are siugularly hui
man, proving that this creature habit
ually walked on two legs, its height be-
ing that of the average man. Regard
ing this ape as mans ancestor, the au-
thor of this book finds the southern
slopes of the Himalayas to have been
mans early home.
An English naval en- ,ineer finds
that electricity has been applied as mo-
tive power to winches, cranes, steering
gear, capstans and fans. for use spec
tally on shipboard. Electric latnes,
drills, refrigerators, pumps, ash hoists,
etc, have been succeeded on land, and
these also may be readily adapted for
the use of ships.
A normal heart aud normal kidneys
are rare among the adult residents of
Munich, according to DIR. Bollinger.
The excessive use of beer accounts for
the kidney disease, and the cardiac
hypertrophy and degeneration are
mostly secondary lessons.
Snakes IN captivity are fairly hearty
though by no means "A lOng-Iived race,
says DR.. Arthur Stradling in KnoWt.
edge. The oldest and largest and old
est specimen in the London geological
Gardens is the great reticulated pv-
thon, measuring about 26 feet, which
has been in the C lection since 1875.
or the life duration Of serpents in the
natural state, as Of other animals.
nothing j. known. But snakes are
comparatively defrncele--. exceedingly
popular rs food with vast number uf
creatures. and but for their ahuniant
fe .undify-brmals of ynnng aryng
from 30 IL 100 in nuinbpr- would
doubt es- soOn be -Xitrninated. Their
dsngrrous diseases in cap ivlty are fe
They have common c Ids hatu ent
d, spepsia. and something akin Io mus
cular r'l-umatisin, hut of their serious
cs"np al Is he deadly on--resenblrg
Tea ,ker," whicn ap-
pears t originate from cnld. in certain
st ,ges Is cnntagi ,us, anh is ,lnnst inev-
iian v fatal. Yet. IN ugh quite free
frnm disease, npi n II tieth Of.rhe spec
ittpl,s ranttlr.d stlrvlvp The anakp 1.