Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-08-30
~ Science
|NsssI1lvefltiOn|
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Another mountain observatory is pro-
jected. 1t is to stand at an elevation
of 6.000 feet near Semmering, in the
Austrian Alps. The neighboring val
leys are frequently filed with clouds,
while the chosen peak towers clear In
the starlight.
1t has been supposed that the Hert-
zian waves, on which the wireless tele-
graph depends for its operation, went
through the ground as well as IN the
air, for mountains offer no obstacle to
them. But NJ. La Grange reports to
the Paris Academy of Sciences that
the Hertzzian waves simply follow
along the ground, being directed by its
surface, and that tests show that they
do not penetrate the earth to distance
of eighteen inches. The conclusion from
this is that there is little hope OF Sc
curing underground wireless tele-
graphy.
T. ]. ]. See Of the Naval Observatory
has announced the results Of new meas
urements Of Saturn and its rings. which
differ somewhat from older determine
ions. He makes the exterior diameter
of the rings about 1925 miles, the
equatorial diameter of Saturn 74,990
miles, and the polar diameter 81 1896,
the difference between the two dame
ters being 1896 miles, almost equal to
the entire diameter of the earth. Mr..
! Sees measures make the diameter of
Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons,
1902 miles. 1t had previously been
estimated as high as $500 miles.
r. II. Yapp. an English naturalist
who has recently explored the noun
tain ranges of the Malay peninsula, re
ports the hitherto little known fact that
in several species of bamboo the hol-
low internodes-the parts of the stems
between the joints-are stored with
large quantities of naturally filtered
water. The knowledge Of this fact
might be of great service in an emer-
gency. Mr.. Yapp also discovered two
| species of ferns, growing on trees,
whose thick, feshy stems are filled
with galleries tunneled by ants, the
ferns thus forming living nests for the
/ ants.
A light electric railway for passen-
gers and goods traffic in Russian Po-
land, connecting the towns of LODI,
Zgierz and Pabianice, is now open. The
building Of this railway has been grant
ed by the Russian government on the
condition that after twenty-eight years
| the whole line and plant Is to be hand
ed over to the government without any
] compensation, and that after twenty
years it has the option of purchase.
Furthermore, the company has agreed
to pay certain portion of the profits
to the government. This line is inter-
esting, as it is the first electric railway
established in Russia.
In the constellation Gemini is we'll
known variable star, Zeta, of less than
which, according to an estimate recent
" set forth IN the Observatory by Miss
Agnes NJ Clerke, may be ranked among
the giants of starry space. The COM
parative insignifcance of Zeta Gemino-
rum among the visible stars appears to
be due to its enormous distance. If re-
moved equally far away, our sun would
be only one-thirty seventh as bright as
Zeta Geminorum when at its maximum
brightness, and Miss Clerke computes
the grayitative power of the star al
225 times that of the sun.
A French writer, Henri Coupin, says
that the fact that. notwithstanding
their simplicity, the songs of the birds
cannot be Initiated with musical in
struments arises from the impossibility
of reproducing their peculiar timbre
The notes of birds, while corresponding
with our musical SCALE also include
vibrations occupying the intervals be
tween our notes. The duration of birds
songs is usually very short, two OIL
three seconds for thrushes and chat
finches, four or five seconds for black
caps, but from two to five minutes fol
the lark. Monsieur Coupin remarks
that while one in every ten species Of
European birds Is tuneful, the proper
tion diminishes to only one in thou
sand among the gorgeously clad birds
Of the tropics.
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