Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-01-03
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From 1898 to the present year the
number of steam boilers In the Trans
vaal has increased from 1.O71 to 2.2S2,
three of the gold fields alone employ
ing no fewer than $50 dynamos. sup
plying ], 400 motors and $4,000 lamps.
The Kashmir railway is to be con
structed over 1856 miles in the most
mountainous part of India. 1t Will be
operated by electricity. water power
being used. This permits of much
lighter motor for drawing the same
load and also permits of grades which
a steam engine could not climb withoL'
recourse to the rack system.
Recent studies of the Kaders, race
Of short, dark-skinned. curly haired
natives living IN the Anamalai hills OF
southern India, show that they pos
sess q remarkable custom not else
where known in India. viz, the sharp
eging n .he lrcIser teeth. This they
ACCOMPLISH uy chipping rfe rGetn 10
point. giving them the form of cones.
The deep sea is in total darkness, and
plant life, according to Sir John Muir
ray, is quite absent over 90 per cent of
tebrates, however, are scattered over
the floor Of the ocean at all depths.
The ma ajority of these deep sea animals
live by eating the mud, clay or ooze,
or by catching the particles of organic
matter falling from the surface. 1t Is
proba BILE that threefourths of the de-
posits now covering the floor of the
ocean have passed through the alimen-
tary canals of marine animals.
A surprising history is presented in
Bulletin No. 81 Of the Department of
Agriculture, of one of Americas great
est contributions to the food supply of
the world, Indian corn. Under the eff
fects of cultivation, the recognized va
rieties have increased from the few
known by the early explorers to more
than FIVE hundred. The variations in
size are interesting. especially as re-
CARDS the height of the stalk. This
runs from a foot and half for some
kinds of popcorn to twenty-five feet for
Tennessee variety, and thirty feet or
more for varieties grown in the West
Indies.
Prof Mansfield Merriman, studying
thS United States census reports since
1850, has discovered a marked and
steady increase in the length of human
life in our country during the last half
century. His statistics. which We're
presented at the recent meeting of the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science, show that in 1870 the
median age of the entire population
was 1873 years, while in 1890 it had
risen to 21.4 years. In 1900, he antici-
pates, it will be 22.4 years. BY me
dian age" is meant that which divides
the population equally, one-half being
above and the other half below the me,
| dian.
The records of the photographic bu
reau at Washington show that the ter
rible hurricane which wrought whole
sale destruction in Porto Rico in Au
gust last was longer lived than any
storm hitherto reported to the bureau.
! 1t lasted from Aug. 3 until Aug. II.
within which time 1t Travelled between
1000 and 5000 miles. 1t also began its
career farther east than any tropica
| storm vet on record. 1t was first no
| ticed on Aug. 3, about half way be
| tween the coasts of Africa and South
! America, q little below north latitude
| u degrees. On the Sth its center raw,
| aged Porto Rico, then it turned W
the coast of the United States. and was
last noticed. fast dying out. about so
| miles directly east of New York.