The citizen., 1897-11-26
written for the Citlzen.)

written for the Citlzen.)
After careful study of most of the
self-propelled carriages from the earli-
est times to the present day, Sir David
Salomon concludes that steam is much
the most suitable ami advantageous
motive power. In England electric
energy for carriages cannot be calcu-
lated at less than 4d. per horsepower
hour, and accummulators must be fire.
quently recharged with considerable
luss in useless travel unless charging
stations are to be found throughout
the locality. The cost of heuzine gas
would be about fourth as great for
the same power, steam, from petroleum
fuel at Cd. per gallon, costing about the
same as the gaS1 The best existing mo
tor the world has yet seen for its power
method of fuelling, suspension springs,
and travelling long distances before
recharging, is one Which is likely to
remain with us for many long year
to come, whatever may tie the future
developement OF motor traffic. 1t is
known and loved by all under the
name of the horse.
The actual effects of deforestation
upon climate aIe not definitely known,
although trees are be i..ved t. exert "a
marked influence. In his recent lect-
ure on Kimberly, DR.. VIM. Crookes
mentioned that over million trees
have been cut down to supply the dia-
mond mines, and the country within
radius of 100 miles has been denuded
OF wood. The frequent dust storms
of summer are among the injurious eff
tects supposed to have been thus
caused.
Anthropologists have ascertained
that the Andaman Islanders, the
smallest race of people in the world,
average less than four feet in height,
while few OF them weigh more than IS
pounds.
A new speaking tube for steamers
has the pipe insulated hy waterproof
textile covering, which makes it easy
to hear speech in the engine room from
a distance of 800 feet
Extraordinary expectations seem to
have been built upon new variety of
/ l. GG l.
which was not long ago found IN large
quantities in Barbadoes. 1t exists near
Ge surface of the ground, in seams
from one to two feet thick. 1t is sup
posed to have been formed by the dry
ing up and consolidation of petroleum,
which occurs with it, and, while its
composition is very similar to that of
Trinidad pitch, the Utah uintawhite
or gilsOnite and the Canadian albertie,
it is claimed to be superior to these in
quality. dt even rivals the Egyptian
asphaitum. The material has been
successfully used for electric insulation,
for fire varnishes, for paving concrete,
for fuel with peat or other organic
matter, and for enriching coal gas.
The prediction is made that it will
even supplant rubber in all water
proof work.
The investigations of M. Meguin
have now made it possible to deter
mine with great precision the time of
death of person by noting the bac-
terra present in the body. He has con-
clusively proven that the successive
forms always arrive in the same order
from the time of death to tha. of cOm-
plete disintegration of the body-a taci
that has been shown by several inter-
esting examples to be of great practical
value.
The director of the gas-works of AK
les-Bains, France, has perfected sim
pie system of automatically lighting
and extinguishing gas-jers from any
distance. The burner is closed by
staeI plate, which is magnslized aud
drawn aside while an electric current
is passing through it, the escaping gas
being ignted either by spark from
the plate or the eincandescence of suit
able material. The plate falls back
over the burner on being demag-
netiZed.
From records extending back to 1889,
M. Camille Flammariom finds that the
rainfall of Paris has gradually increas-
ed about 3 inches, being now little
more than % inches year. The
amount of difference seems to indicate
that the increase is real aud not due to
greater accuracy of observation.
Evidence of the complexIty of Ca
thode rays is found by M. III. Deslan-
dres in the fact that when ray is
turned aside by neighboring body 1t
is divided into several unequally devl-
ated rays.
Nansen's discovery of a deep Ariic
basin has suggested to NJ. de Lappar-
ent that the real shape of the earth
may be that of top, with the South
Pole as its spinning point. This theory
results from considering that the area
We may now assign to the Arctic
Ocean Is almost the same as that given
by Murray to the Antartic Continent
(about 1,750,0O0 square miles,, while
the depths observed by Nansen cores
pond in order of magnitude to the
heights observed by Ross. Such SUP
position, it is added, would tend to
recoUcile the slight differences of as
tronomers aud geodesists as To the ra-