The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-04
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL,

A paper recently read before the
Linnean Society in London describes
a species of seal, attaining enormous
dimensions, to which the name of sea-
elephant has been given on account of
a trunklike appendage on the fore
part of the head. A specimen killed
in the Falkland Islands was nearly
pineteen feet in length. The trunk
Is only foot long. These seals are
peculiar to the Southern Hemisphere.
On account of the very large guam
tity of inferior foreign cement which
is being sent to the United Kingdom,
English manufacturers have asked
that the authorities should forbid the
importation of cement until the bags
bear mark that will enable the con.
sumers to know that the cement is
made abroad. English cement bear
ing the name of PORTLAND" is often
sold without knowing where it was
made.
During the eight years ended with
1880 the coal consumption, as an aver
age for all classes of service, showed
decrease of 9.6S pounds per train
mile, or about 17.2 por cent. This
was effected, Notwithstanding the in
creased loads and speeds, by revising
the design of the engine, and by build
ing locomotives of greater power, and
therefore better capable of dealing
with the heavier trains,
Dyspepsia is cause of eye troubles
too little considered, in the view OF
M. Grandelmont, of Lyons. To faulty
assimilation of food may often be
traced, for example, diffused pain in
the eyeball, darkness, half sight,
double vision, and the moving objects.
Such disturbances may be cured or
lessened by attention to diet and
hygiene, and by the use of moderate
doses of saline laxatives and alkalies.
The production of artificial sponges
by the process of DIR. Gustav Pun,
of Graz, depends chiefly on the action
| of zinc chloride solution on pure eel
lulose. This product swells up with
water but turns hard and horny after
drying; and to retain the property Of
absorbing water readily treatment
with some such salt as sodium chic
ride is included, and the plastic mass
is made porous by compr sssion in ,
press mould lined with perforatins
pins. The excess of salts ID after
ward removed by washing day Of
two in alcohol and water. These arti
fetal sponges not only serve all TIL
ordinary purposes, but are especial,
recommended for sanitary and indi
vidual altering, filling life preservers
making anchor buoys and in surger,
for absorbing secretions.
An interesting and significant fac
is that the average hourly number o
meteors is only half as great in tn
evening as in the morning, and in tn
evening their velocity is lower, say
Professor G. G. Young. The reasol
is that at sunset we have before Il
the point in the heavens from whicl
weare moving in our orbital iourne
around the sun, while in the mornin
We face the point toward which W
are advancing; in the evening we ar
in the rear of the earth, at sunrise i
front. This increase in the humble
and speed OF the morning meteors
just what ought to happen if they al
bodies moving indiscriminately in a
directions under the suns attraction
and with the velocity (abcut twenty
six miles q second) which a bod
would acquire in falling toward tn
sur from distance very great 6
coDapared with our planetary orbits