Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-22

- LkJIslt IL l. ~ E4N u ~ -
mand of Captain Swerdrup fioated
westward and northward as far as IS
degrees north. and eastward to the
10th degree in 1896. The captain then
made for the south as best he could by
using dynamite and other explosives,
and finally reached the open water In
the sOth parallel--neer Danes Island in
Spltzbergcn-thence homeward In
about the same time as Nansen ar
rived.
1.-THE king and people OF Norway
were overjoyed to learn OF their safe re-
turn Not one soul had been lost and
the greatest Arctic exploration triumph
Of the century was recorded in their
favor. The full details are worth read
Ing by ALL At the present time DIR.
hansen IL being lionized by this nation,
and receives. wherever he goes, the
warmest welcome. His trip has demon
strated that there is no land In sight
north of their track; that the ocean
Is yeiy deep, as much as 1000 yards
being measured; that life Is found
everywhere. In many places the seals
and w;tlrus swarm. that the Fran Is
the proper kind of vessel for work in
the ice; that the temperature of the
water is little below freezing Just
below, or about ninety yards from the
surface, while in the greater depths 1t
Is warmer, being about thirty-one de-
grees. just one below freezing point.
Doubtless the whole region near the
pole is water.
THUS little by little we learn what
what the globe upon which we live Is
like. The mystery of the Nile was
solved by Staney--the farthest north
was reached by Nansen."
when" said Mr. Chamberlin. "the
datoms were first discovered. now over
a hundred years ago, they were rightly
regarded as plants; and were placed
among the Algae. But later. at the
time Ehrenberg wrote, most observers
considered that they belonged to the
knowledge. however, there Is little we'll
grounded doubt that they are plants.
Although one ought not to condemn too
severely view founded largely upon
the truly remarkable powers Of move
ment possessed by some species.
1.-THE single cell OF which a diatom
consists, known as a frustule, Is so
small as to be invisible to the naked
eye. and when an average sized one is
magnified four hundred diameters, 1t
appears only one-fourth of an inch in
length. The diatoms Is readily recog-
nzed by It's brown color. But its chief
characteristic is the silicious cell which
1t secretes about itself. This shell is
made up of two similar halves. or
valves, fitting together like the cover
x.
valve is called the hoop zone OF CON
Meeting membrane The view in which
the observer sees the hoop, Is the
zonal view; that In which he sees the
valve itself is the valval view.
''The form structure and markings
OF the diatom valves are exceedingly
complex and beautiful. and are also of
great Importance. the classification of
their organisms being based entirely
upon these features The sculpturings
of the valves may be lines, areolations.
or bosses. The patterns made by these
are of endless variety and beauty. In
no other objects in nature do natural
lines represent mathematical curves
with such exactness and perfection as
they do in the diatoms.
las convenience we may arrange
the diatoms with regard to shape, I'M
der two great heads; the first embraces
those forms more or less linear or
bacillar In outline; and includes most
fresh water species; the second en-
braces those having more or less dis
cold shape, and includes marine species
almost exclusively. This division is not
n scientific one. but 1t Is great con-
venience. and as n practical division
holds good; although many bacillar
forms are marine and some discoid
forms occur in fresh water.
One of the most remarkable things
connected with the dlatoms is the
them possess, The boat shaped Navi-
sula moves forward in straight line
with considerable rapldity. Others
move with swagging motion. One
| form progresses by turning end over
end. attaching first one extremity and
then the other When united side by
side into chains, contiguous diatoms
often slide back and forth on each
other.
THE commonest method of multiple
| cation among diatoms Is a simple d.
vision of the cell into two. The valves
| separate. the living contents divide In
two, and two new valves are formed,
| each fitting within one OF the old ones.
| BY this process the diatoms continually
decrease in size. Consequently re-
generation or rejuvenescence becomes
necessary. The frustular contents es-
cape from the valves. Increase by
| growth to the normal size and then
| form entirely new valves about them,
selves. Sometimes the contents of two
different individuals unite before this
process occurs. According to the first
| method, supposing diatoms to divide
once in twenty-four hours, the progeny
OF a single Individual in one month
| would amount to 10000 900. 900.
| Dlatoms have an exceedingly wide
distribution. They are found In all
parts of the ocean In great abundance.
| And upon the land. they are found in
even the tiniest streams OF water. They
have lived In great numbers in all re-
corded geological times; and immense
deposits OF their accumulated shells
have been discovered, the marine de-
posits OF virginia and of the Redouds
beach in California and the fresh
water deposits underlying the great
plains of Texas. being the best known
| American examples. Tripoli powder.
which is composed of diatoms frustules
Is obtained from these deposits