Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-11-23
FACTS OUT OF THE ORDINARY
But Highly Interesting Just ~.
Same

it's great cantilever bridge across ~
Niagara river at Niagara falls, and IN
order to get at the facts of the rivar'.
depth beneath the bridge Assisted
Engineer w. C. Duncan and F. c Sbo1
chan, United States engineer in charyo
of the Niagara river and of the la,a
survey at Buffalo, recently mada
soundings from the bridge Those IA.
miliar with the Niagara locality know
that the cantilever bridge is situated
just above the whirlpool rapids ana
that beneath 1t the current is varr
swift. This rapid current made necas.
sary the use of unusual methods tn ay
certain the depth. In the tests referred
to heavy weights were used. These
weights were made of cast iron and
were shaped something like an egg
supporting a long fin in the rear This
fin was to keep the sinkers or weights
from twisting when in the rapid cUr.
rent, and thus breaking the wire. Thu
wire attached to the weights was NJ
the finest tempered steel, and although
! it was only about an eighth of an inch
| in diameter it was warranted to sun.
port weight of 2,400 pounds One Of
the weights used weighed 600 pounds
and the other $50 pounds. They vera
| lowered from the bridge at mdstream
and, striking bottom, it was ascer.
tanned that the depth of the water was
seventy-eight feet The weights were
4
they we're lost, making in all four such
weights at the bottom of the river for
others had been lost in previous tests
! in former years Another weight was
attached to the wire and lowered about
100 feet out from the shore, when il
was found that the depth of water
there is forty-three feet. By means Of
such soundings the Michigan Central is
able to make accurate maps of the
river at the point of crossing, and in
this case it is especially valuable be-
cause Of the fact that the cantilever
bridge abutments are located close to
the waters edge on both sides OF the
stream.
Bacteriology has shown how human
ity may count alike upon friends and
foes among the myriads of bacteria
known to us Now it has been found
chat bacteria serve even as engineers
who can perform stupendous work
when associated in myriads so long as
they are placed under a favorable en-
yironment. The disposal of sewage by
purely bacterial agencies which under
suitable conditions convert an often
5ive material into simpler and innocu-
Gus materials, is perhaps the best case
in point But the disintegrating action
of bacteria, though perhaps an indirect
one, must, according TO recent obser-
vations. be reckoned with as a source
of mischief. At first sight it would
seem hardly possible for bacteria to be
concerned in the breaking down OF a
stone wall yet this is the case, accord
ing to observations made Ia studying
the cause of the decay of cement The
gradual disintegration of the cement
mortar used in water-supply reservoirs
is one of the serious troubles met with
by water engineers, and a trouble
which so far they have not been able
to avoid with any measure of practical
success. Hitherto this action was sup
posed to be the result OF the solvent
property of carbonic acid and other
mineral substances commonly present
in water supply. The cement grad
ually disintegrates and becomes a kind
of mud, which slowly detaches Itself
But now il has been found this strange
process is due to the action of none
other than that bacterium known as
the nitrifying organism. An eXamina-
ton of the mud shows it to be teem-
ing with these organisms.
Emperor William of Germany will
have a stable for his horses which will
cost So, 600, COO 1t will be the finest In
the world Its length along the Spree
river will be three short blocks Ia
New York 1t will have room for 21O
horses room for 300 vehicles and two
great tanbark riding rings. The sta
bles will be two stories high, with eli
eyators and inclined planes. The car
riage room, of equal height, has q bal
cony for visitors at the level OF the
second story 1t will take three years
TO build the stable and it will be finer
than that of any other reigning mon
arch. If the car of Russia wanted TO
surpass his dear brother william he
would only need to spend a quarter
of his income for one year-$l2O 100000
TO do it.
BY counting the number OF SECONDS
in the interval between lightning ana
thunder it is possible to figure approx
imately how far from the observer Is
the scene Of the storm. Sound travels
200 feet a second, so multiply me
number Of seconds by 200, which wall
give the distance in feet from the point
wher the lightning flashed, For eA-
ample. If ten seconds have elapsed ils
distance away will be 10000 feet, or
little over two miles 1t might oH
added that, as light and lightnlhs
travel SO much faster than sound
nup gurvfyns "a flor hearing the crashing