The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-12-22
POPULAR scIENcE.

+ uOuUl, OE ChE OOIAC uCl0, UlSCOf6f6O
by Mitscherlich in 1884, being one of
the most powerful antiseptics and dis
infectants, puriies the atmosphere
from noxious gases and destroys the
infectious germs of disease. It's valu-
able antiseptic properties have been
introduced into surgery with great
success by the present Lord Lister,
President of the Royal Society. From
carbolic acid is obtained valuable
series of coloring matters, ranging
from beautiful yellow, i. e., picric
acid, to reds, oranges, browns and
many other colors.
DIR. R. Hauthal, an Argentine savant,
has put forward startling theory con-
corning the remains Of gigantic sloths,
related to the great megatherium and
the mylodon, recently found in Pata-
gonia. In his opinion, thse animals,
whose race is now extinct, was kept
in domesticated state by the prehis-
toric inhabitants of Patagonia. A
cave at Ultima Esperanto. where many
indications of the former presence of
the huge sloths have been found, is
regarded by Doctor Hauthal as having
been used by the ancient Patagonians
as stable for the beasts.
Lake Superior appears to exercise
greater effect upon the annual amount
of precipitation OF rain and snow near
its shores than any other of the great
lakes. The average precipitation in
year is about eight inches greater on
the southern than on the northern
side of Lake Superior. Lakes Erie
and Ontario also show more precipita-
ton on their southern than on their
northern shores, but the difference is
only three inches annually. In the
case of Lakes Huron and Michigan, it
is the eastern shores as compared with
the western which get the largest pre-
cipitation, but the difference is not
great.
On July 18th last the city of Rome
undulated with the waves of an earth
quake for nearly half minute. The
famous monuments of antiquity scat
tered in and about the city were
strongly shaken, but fortunately no
SCI lOQo QulAdSC W do 6uAOI GU Oy tAOL4
The great columns in the Forum
rocked visibly, and a large stone
crashed down from the Colosseum.
A strange atmospheric effect, which
has before been observed during great
earthquakes, was very noticeable on
this occasion. People who rushed in
alarm from their houses were drenched
with torrent of rain that poured
from light grey clouds which almost
instantaneously gathered in a per-
fectly clear sky as soon as the earth
began to quake.
From London has been reported
the possibility of foretelling rain
storm by photography. The Hertz
waves, those bearers of electricity on
wireless telegraphs, produce marked
effect on the sensitive Photographic
plates. F. G.. Glen demonstrated in
the rooms of the Royal Photograph
Company, of London, that these cleo
trio waves could be utilized to show
the approach of storm. From ex-
periments it is seen that lightning is
not one continuous shaft of light, but
is composed of numberless rows of
sparks, that follow one another in the
same track. This lightning is the
cause Of electric waves that ais spread
out from all sides by each spark. IF
we use coherer with the same rela-
ton to the electrical waves that i has
in wireless telegraphy, but of diff
ferent shape, and brought before
Photographic plate by his arrangement,
then the waves of far distant, ap-
preaching storm operate so positively
on this film that the impending storm
can be foretold with certainty.