The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-02-12
fWritten for the Citizen

the metal thOrlum, ana Its oxide tnO-
ria. BerZeiins, the discoverer, sue
ceeded with difficulty in extracting "a
minute quantity of the metal in pow
der from the Norwegian rocks. Aside
from burning at "a red heat with greater
brilliancy than even magnesium, thor
ium seemed TO have no striking prop
critics, aud its oxide resemhled conf
mon lime, but the ight-giving prop
erty is just bringing this rare metal
from the complete obi ion in which
it has lain for more than seventy years,
OF all the metallic oxides that have
been tried for the "hoods" or imam
ties" of incandescent burners which
are making street gas rival OF the
more exp, nsive electric light, none
has proven equal TO thoria. The con
sequtn nee is brisk demand for thi'
substance 80 long believed to be useless
and at various times during the last
two or three years pound weight o
thoria has been freely sold at 45 &c
go pounds sterling. The mine rails thor
tie, organize and pylochlore, which
contain large amount of thoiia, are
still very care. A more promising
source of supply Is monazlte, which
contains Is per cent. aud forms one to
seven or eight per cent. of the so call
ed munaZite sands that have been re-
Gently found in some quantity i'm
North Carolina, Brazil aud Que bee.
Several hundred tons of the sand is
now shipped annually from Brazil To
England or Hamburg, while IA ton OF
the Norway thorite and orangeite sup
plies $1,000 of thorla at the same time.
From study of the infection of ami
mails with the bubunc plague, DIR.
James Camille concludes hat the rat is
the most likely to be attacked, that
diseased rats may infect other animals
such as snakes and jackals-that con-
sumo them, that rats are always effect
ed wi en- man has the plague, aud that
the rat may infect mans IN some un-
known way. The great mortality OBJ
served among the rats before the az
pearance of the plague IN man may
not really be due To earlier infection,
but possibly to shorter incubation
period.
An educational model railway, copy
ing accurately The working details Of
the London and NOrihwes tern Rail-
way, has been built in London tor Mr..
Percy H. Leigh, of Worsley, Manches-
ter, who intends mounting it on tres
ties in 81 ecially-bUi nall in his
home. The main line has Il double
track 90 ieet long. with sidiugs of 80
feet, also double. The track is of inch
gauge, with double headed steel rails,
iron chairs, and couple of turntables;
aud the sidlngs are fitted with
switches, points, locking-bArs, signals,
etc Three Signal-t oXes have IA, 7 and
levers respectively. There are two
stations, with the usual waiting-r0Ons,
ticket offices, etc; a foot bridge for as
seneers, and bridge carrying a road
over the line; and even cutting, and
tunnel. The rolling stock, made TO
scale, consists of passenger ana a
freight tram, each with the difft rent
styIes of cars now in use. Brakes, buf-
fers, couplings, grease boxes, etc, are
ali exact models, and even bolts,
springs, etc, are perfectly represented,
while the curves of the road have the
outer rails at the correct elevations,
with extra rails where they would be
considered necessary. The locomc-
tive, modern four-coupled engine
with a leading bogle, has reversing
gear, whistle, water gauge, etc, precise
lyas in the original.
The long-guarded secret of numt Ell
of japanese alloys, as stated by the
Sion Industry Gazette" has now been
revealed by workmen. 'Shadko" is
an alloy of copper and l to 10 per cent.
of gold, and is given the coppered OF
blue-black hue of sword-sheaths and
decorative articles by b,ing placed in q
mordant of sulphate of copper, alum
and verdigris. "Ghi-shi bu-ichi,n OF
the well kl own grey color, is a copper
alloy with 80 TO so per cent. of silver
"Mokume" is mixture of several al.
Toys. About 30 sheets of gold, "shad.
ko," copper, silver and the last men.
toned alloy are soldert d together, ham.
mered out and put in the mordant
"Sinchu," the finest japanese brass
consists of 10 parts of copper and 5 Of
zinc. "Karakaue,n or bell-melals, are
made of ten parts of copper, of tin,
of iron and II of zlrc, the copper being
melted first, and the Others added in
the above order.
The prehistoric Monuments OF
France, England and Germany have
been carefully recorded The first Amer.
lean archaeological mapi that of Ohio,
on which, in three years the Cura, OF
of The Ohio, Archaeological and His
torical Society has locate d more hau
5000 village-sites, mounds, fuItlIica-
tons and graves, while prubably
10000 remain to be put down.
The degree of danger that may exist
in eating tile flesh OF poisoned animals
has been in' eSligated by Levin. whose
experiment, have bee II described t. the
Medical Soriety of Berlin. The flesh
of fowl that had been killed by three
grains OF str, chime was led to deg,
which became I'll on eating half il
pound, and was seized with tetanic
convulsiDns and died after consuming
a 81 cond portion. Some amin. ais are
net reality afle, ted by certain poisons.
For example, fowls proved very tOler-
att of strychuine, goats Of heml' ok
paftridges of arsenic, rabl its of nico-
tine. 1t is concluded that, even where
the animals tllat have swallowed poison
do not seem t. have suffered iuconve-
nience, the flesh may be unsafe food
To- man.
An impressive feature of Fee, the
capital of Morocco, is said to be the
number of blind II. This is a result,
accg6ding to DR.. Snailken, of the ex-
!. ces {.;, use of coffee. The Moors are in
ooretEite coffee dlinkers, and II e mer-
I &sIs may be seen in their bazaars
..r a .NIng coffee continually during the
A ,,rtt fixy4a heA