The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-03

II BAKING POWDER CO., 100 WILLIAM ST, HEwY
by the coherer. and the electro-mag-
netic waves from the flash may open
path Ger the current through the air as
in the cOherer.
Those who speculate upon the inhab-
itants OF other planets usually forget
how slight change of present condi-
lions on earth would suffice to extln-
guish the forms of life we know Mr..
Lowell has suggested that the canals
Of Mars may be the stupendous works
Of beings akin to the human race, but
an English astronomer points out that
the force Of gravity is only about n
tenth as great as on earth, and that a
consequence Of this must be failure
to retain the lighter gases and prob
ably even water. In a waterless
world. under an atmosphere of nitro
gen. argon and carbonic acid. life must
be very different from anything we
can imagine.
Bnttlk, an ornamental product of
natives of the Dutch East Indies, is
made IN Europe only by firm of The
Hague. Designs are outlined with a
penicl on linen, silk, velvet. or leather,
the ornamental parts are covered with
stifFening liquid. and the rest Of the
fabric IF then dyed as desired. The
protecting substance is finally remov-
ed by boiling.
Some years ago vanadlum was de-
tected in coal ash from the Argentine
Republic, and has since been found In
Peruvian coal. II common in coal, this
metal might be put to use.
The ordinary camel. which vii! never
hurry under any circumstances. has
been transformed in southern Algeria
into nm animal so different in size,
temper and appearance that 1t may al
most be looked upon as of different
race. This animal. the racing camel. is
priced for It's speed. 1t is the result OF
many generations Of careful breeding,
which has been encouraged by valu
able prizes, and It can be depended
upon for nine or ten miles an hour,
which It can keep up for sixteen or sew
cnteen hours almost without stop. Its
value Is i've or ten times that of the
beast Of burden. The camel races are
popular sport, and are made exciting
by the evident interest Of the creatures
themselves in winning.
One Of the most beautiful Of sympa-
thetlc or secret inks seems to be that
lately brought to notice in Germany.
Writing done with weak solution of
phenolphthaleIn in dilute alcohol is
scarcely visible, but is brought out in
intense red when a piece Of cotton,
soaked in soda or other alkaline solu-
ton, Is passed over 1t. This ink, how
ever. Is not suitable for important doc
uments, as Il is readily efraced by acid
vapors and rvcn By the carbonlc acid
OF the air
AS the proportions OF nicotine do not
satisfactorily explain the poisonous eff
fects Of tobacco, II. Thomas assumes
that the toxic substance is n new oil he
has detected in tobacco smoke. This
oil produces violent headache, trem-
bling. glddlness, etc, and by treatment
With per cent potash solution yields
phcnol-like body wlthan odor like
creOsotc.
A remarkable investigation by Prof.
Dewar and others has thrnwn doubt on
the common idea that disease cpIdemlcs
may DO checked by freezing weather. A
great number of disease germs were
cooled by liquid air to 100 degrees be-
low sero. but the microbes survived
twenty hours of even this great cold
and were afterwards as active as ever.
Statistics collected in Bavaria and
Sweden prove that hard water tends to