Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1900-01-12
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More steel is used in the manufacture
of pens than In all the sword and gun
factories in the world.
teen parts of the flesh of fish have
about the same nutritive value as
twelve parts Of boneless beef.
The principa! Ingredients in the COM
position Of smokeless powder are gun
cotton and nitro-glycerine. Some other
substances are added, however. In small
quantities.
An object. Ike an iron anchor. that
Is thrown into the ocean and Is free to
sink, will go to the. very bottom. no
matter how deep the sea may be. The
notion that at certain depth the dem
sity of the water increases to q point
exceeding tha. OF iron, and that the OBJ
4 Ject would there be suspended, is err
roneous.
Prof. Dewar has at length succeeded
in solidifying hydrogen. In It's COM
pact form. solid hydrogen Is a trans
parent Ice, but owing to rapid ebulli-
ton 1t usually appears as a foamy white
mass. Its mean temperature Is 16 de-
grees centigrade above absolute zero.
Prof. Dewar says. with reference to his
latest achievement: 'The last doubt MS
to the possibility of solid hydrogen hav-
ing a metallic character has been re-
moved, and for the future hydrogen
must be classed among the non metallic
elements"
Before the Biological Society of
Washington o.. F. Cook described his
studies of the African termites, or
white ants. Certain individuals In ev-
cry nest have no other apparent func-
ton except that of fighters or soldiers.
Some have a long beak from which they
eject an acrid, corrosive fluid; others In
spire terror by making loud clicking
noise with their mandibles, but they
neither shoot nor bite. One singular
observation Of Mr.. Cook was that the
soldier ants which rush out to defend
an attacked nest 'do not return to the
nest, but wander about and soon per-
ish from exposure to the outside air."
It Is said that there is not stream
rising in the mountains of Luzon-and
the same is true of other islands of the
Philippine group-which has not it's
gold bearing sands. The alluvial depos-
its Of the precious metal have been gar
nered for many years, but no thorough
exploration for gold at its sources In the
mountains has ever been made, because
the Spaniards were unable to conquer
the tribes inhabiting the interior re-
gions. Some Of these tribes are said to
look upon the digging up Of the earth as
q sacrilege, and they will not seek gold
in that way, nor permit others to do 1t,
lest the wrath of the gods should grow
hot against them.
During a violent thunder storm at
Ithaca, N. Y, last summer writer for
the Companion was surprised to OBJ
serve, several times in succession, a
short luminous streak which appeared
at a particular point in the clouds, and
remained visible about two seconds at
time. 1t was probably an example Of
the rare phenomenon called bead light
ming, described by .rof. Elihu Thomson
at the recent meeting of the American
association. When seen to advantage
it resembles string of luminous beads
hung In a cloud, ''the beads being some
what elliptical and the ends of their
axes in the line Of their discharge being
colored red and purple respectively"
AS seen at Ithaca the line was viewed
nearly end on, and there was only q !
suggestion Of color visible.