The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-14
BACTERIA. THE MOST ANCIENT
OF THE EARTH'S INHABITANTS.

Il L
OF THE EARTH'S INHABITANTS.
The universally of bacteria is at the
present time so generally recognized,
and the significant part which they
play in the economy of nature so well
understood. that, despite their lowly
organization and exceedingly minute
form, they are considered to rank as
among the most important members
OF the organic chain. Putrefaction and
the destruction of tissues are mainly
If not almost entirely, dependent upon
the presence and action of these
mlcro-organisms, and to their life,
labor and development are now gem
orally attributed many of those
malaria of the human structure, such
as the. various tubercular diseases,
whose germs lie in the progressive
humiliation of tissue. Following the
law of nature. that the simplest organ
lsms are, as rule, those which have
had the longest existence in time, it
is but natural to assume that the bac-
terra are among the most ancient of
the earth's inhabitants; that such is
the case has, however, only recently
! been demonstrated. DR.. Bernard
Renault announces the very interest
ing discoveries: l. That the bones.
shells and teeth of animals in primary
times-i.e., millions of years ago, even
according to a most conservative esti-
mate of time-were infested and de-
stroyed by bacteria, analogous in their
form and size to those which, at the
present time. produce carries. ,. That
formerly, as today, the remains of
plants were invaded by hosts of bac-
terra, some of them attacking the
membranous cellular tissues, and others
the wood and generally thicker por-
cd in hnf
progress. the bacteria would success
fully cause the disappearance of every
part of every plant. 4. That coal con-
tains considerable quantities of 'Dac-
terra. In the course of his interesting
researches DR.. Renault actually de-
termined the presence of bacteria in
French and Belgian Goals, in the coal
of Pennsylvania, and in various other
carbon rocks. The determination in
coal of organisms OF so low a grade of
organization was hardly to be ex
pected, and is testimony to the highly
advanced condition of microscopic
technology of today.
ENGLAND SANCTIONS "PEARY
LAND" = PRESIDENT MARK
HAMS TRIBUTE TO THE
AMERICAN EXPLORER.
Under this name of Peary Land, the
geographical societies of Europe and
America have determined shall in flu
ture be known the most northerly
tracts of Greenland, which have been
so completely associated with the ex
plorations of Civil Engineer Robert E.
Peary, United States navy. The. land
mass so designated lies entirely north
of the S0th parallel of north latitude,
and, with a somewhat ill-defined
southern boundary, occupies almost
the entire tract that is included be-
tween Hall Land, or the Sherard Os-
born Fjord, on the southwest; Nor
denskjold inlet and Peary channel $50
named by the Italian geographer. Pro-
fessor Cora) on the north; and the
region of independence bay, on the
oceanic side of Greenland on the east.
No more appropriate naming could
have been found, for Mr.. Peary re-
mains practically the sole explorer of
famous white journey" of 1892. and
again. under hardships which will for
all time stand out prominently in the
annals of arctic exploration, in 1895.
The region. with an elevation of from
5000 to 5000 feet, sees the termination
of the great Greenland ice cap, from
which descend. nOrthward and north
eastward, glaciers of various degrees
and magnitude. A portion of it is, at
tirely devoid of snow-despite its high
latitude-and musk oxen find sufficient
nourishment in the scattered Vegeta-
ton which there still exists. North
of the region lie the tracts of land
which have already been named Eazen
Land, Heilprin Land and Melville
Land. the exact composition and ex-
tent of which have not yet been clear
~ defined and await further explora-
ton.
The suggestion of the name Peary
Land originated with the Geographical
club of Philadelphia, the youngest of
the active geographical societies of the
world, and its recommendation was al
most Immediately seconded and
adopted by the presidents of the Amer
lean Geographical and National socie-
ties of this country. the president of
the Royal Geographical society OF Lon
don, and the editors of Pctermann'S
Mitteilungen of Gotha, Germany. Sir
Clement r. Markham, president of the
Royal Geographical club, pays the fol-
lowing tribute 20 the work OF the
American explorer: "Peary's discov-
cries and his gallant march over the
glaciers o. Greenland which enabled
him 20 discover its northern termina-
ton, ought undoubtedly to be COM
memOrated permanently on the map of
the world. 1 do not think that this
could be more suitably done than by
giving the rame of Peary Land to the
region YOU have indicated in your let
ter the proposal mas my hearty aD-
proval and support ever 1t is gener-
ally understood, despite the statements
that have been made to tho contrary,
that Mr.. Pear-1 has still in mind a
further exploration of the great north
and with little doubt the land that
bears his name Will be the base of his
future operations.
ERRATIC GEOGRAPHY AND THE
PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY.
Among the anomalous results that
geographical exploration is constantly
calling to the front is the humiliation
of land marks" which have been con-
sidered to be firmly established. Less
than three years ago it was discovered
that Mount 1Seran, peak of the Ora
clan Alps, which figured on all de-
tailed maps of the Alpine regions with
the very respectable elevation of up
wards of 1900 feet. had no existence
in fact. and the assumed mountain has
since been consigned to Oblivion. A
somewhat less complete effacement was
announced in the early part of the past
year in the removal of 1000 feet from
the height of Mount Brown, in British
America-generally credited with an
altitude of 5000 feet in place of the
5000 feet which is now given to it by
Professor Coleman-a condition some
what similar to the experience of
Mount Hood. in Oregon. which. when
being gradually reduced from it's as
sumed height of 5000 feet TO IL 900 feet,
brought ont the facptiOuS rpmarlx that