The record-union., 1899-09-30

Science, Invention
and Discovery.
It will surprise many to learn that
ear diseases We're studied some 3,40O
years ago.
The giant bees of India build combs
ten feet in hight.
Milkweed, commonly believed to be
poisonous, is used as food in some parts
of Tyrol.
There are three varieties of the dog
that never bark-the Australian dog.
the Egyptian shepherd dog, and 'licn-
headed" dog of Thibet.
In Launceston, Tasmania, a mother
of so years brought her son of II to
the Benevolent Asylum to be looked
after.
Science meets occasionally with hui
norous rebuffs. Professor Helen Camp
bell, who until a year ago occupied the
chair of Domestic Economics in the
Kansas University. lectured one even
ing before a literary society in an out
of-the-way town. At the end of the
address one of the committee, tall,
gaunt woman, said aloud: We'll, l
thought Was going to learn something,
but it was just a lot Of ordinary house
keeping mixed up with long words
nobody could understand"
A horse can draw on the worst kind
of earth about four times as much as
he can carry on his back. On good
macadamized road he can pull ten
times as much, on a wooden road tWen-
ty-five times as much and on a street
railway fifty-eight times as much.
A Russian physician announces that
he has discovered microbe fatal TO
rats. An epidemic having broken out
among rats kept for experimental pur-
purposes in the Government agriculture
laboratory, bacilli were isolated from
the liver and spleen of the affected ami
mails, and they proved very effective In
killing off rats and mice.
The so-called "Mineraline," now COM
ing into use as an adulterant OF houf
and the various articles made OF nour,
is powdered soapstone. Those who use
it claim that it makes the -four whittier
Application has been made for a pat
ent for the use of liquified air for cool
ing or refrigerating purposes.
Norway is coming to the front as
manufacturer Of calcium carbide, the
material from which acetylene gas i
made. Three more big factories have
recently been started in that country
The waterfalls that abound in Norway
are used to generate the necessary
electricity and furnish it at SO low
cost that no other European country
can compete with Norway in this par
! ticular branch of manufacture.
On the Mersey there is a boat pro-
pelled by storage batteries Its propeil'
ing mechanism is two 40 horse power
! electric motors, taking each lo'
amperes, at 200 volts, and each oper'
ating it's own screw. 1t has 1ve oe-
grees of speed, each controlled by
| lever. The batteries and motors, de-
/ spite weight and bulk, do not take uI
as much space as a steam engine, ano
It is said the vessel distances all steam
boats of the same size and character
|
A steel harness trace is one OF tne
| latest productions of Sheffield. A mar
row strip of steel about an inch wlde
| is encased in leather and used IN the
ordinary way: the steel is of the oest
| quality and so pliable that 1t can pe
| twisted.
| Chicag go Chronicles: WindmillS can
be put to other uses than that OF draw
| ing water on stock raiserS' farms
throughout Illinois for the cattle 10
drink. This has been demonstrated py
an ingenious boatman on the lake
front. who has attached a mill to his
toy yacht. The fans of the mill re-
yolve fastest when the wind Is high,
and the craft is one of the swiftest be-
tween Michigan City and Waukegan.
The owner of the boat accepted a wag-
er that he could not construct a boat
which would be able to make progres SIS
in the teeth of the wind. The bet was
made early in the spring. The boat
man began to think all day long. Last
Sunday he announced that he had con-
st1ucted a boat according to spec1aca-
| tions and was ready to try 1t in order
that his point might be proved and his
money won.
The craft when in the water proved
to be a skiff like boat three feet long.
Directly under the bow was deep keel.
From the stern rose a long vane, like
those seen on country barns, to show
the direction of the wind. Right above
the bow there was shaft with a wind
mill ten inches in diameter on the end.
The shaft inclined aft and ran through
what would have been the sternpost