Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-07-12
rl8sScieflce
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Aluminium and magnesium have re-
Gently been combined in Germany to
produce an alloy which does not rust.
and which is as light and tenacious as
pure aluminium, while it can be worked
with the file and the lathe. tits named
magnaHum.
Dr. Ludwig Mond has discovered a
method for producing Illuminating gas
and coal gas at an expense of cents
thousand feet. It Is thought that this
VIII effect revolution by cheapening
electric power and 1t will also have an
Important bearing on the production of
open-hearth steel.
The suns surface is known to be sub
ject to greatly increased disturbances
every eleven years, known as the sun
spot period. AuroraI displays and dis
turbances of the earth's magnetism
have similar period, and the pictures
OF the corona which have been obtained
show markedly characteristic varieties
OF form dependent also upon the sun
spot period. So one of the principal
efforts of scientists of late years has
been to obtain pictures of the corona
with as much detail as possible.
A remarkable discovery by Captain
ID. T. Deasy, in the Kuenlun Noun
tains, is that of a species of marine
plant, called grasswrack, at an eleva-
ton Of 16,5O0 feet, more than 1000 feet
higher than the summit of Mount
Washington. The plants were not
growing, but were found, with their
leaves and fruit, deposited in bed ten
or twelve feet thick, which was cov-
cred and interspersed with strata of
blue clay. The explanation offered is
that the deposit once formed part of the
bottom Of salt lake.
Mr.. Beddard, of the London Zoologi-
cal Society, calls attention to peculiar
ity of the ears Of tigers which he thinks
may be classed under the head of .'pro-
tectiye markings" On the back of
each ear is very bright white spot,
ana when the ears are directed for
ward these spots are conspicuous from
the front. Mr.. Beddard suggests that
when the tiger is sleeping in the dim
light of a cave or thicket the spots on
Its ears may appear to an enemy, look
ing In, as the gleam of its watchfui
eyes, and thus save the sleeper from
an unexpected attack.
The earthquake waves due to the JAP
anese shock of June Is, 1896, were re-
corded on the self-registering tide
gauges at Honolulu and at SauceHto. In
the bay Of San Francisco. DR.. Charles
Dawson has recently compared the cal
culated velocity Of the earthquake
waves with the velocity formerly cal
culated from the usual formula. He
found that at Saucelito,. for example.
the first crest Of the waves reached the
tlde gauge ten hours and thirty-four
minutes after the shock, having trAy-
ersed in this time the distance of 1877
miles at an average velocity of 664 feet
a second.
1t has been observed that on account
OF the absence of an atmosphere on the
moon, and the consequent lack of grada-
tion in shadows, the eye of the observer
is seriously misled in judging the actu-
al relief of objects forming the lunar
landscapes. Professor Prinz, of Brus-
sells, has recently developed method
OF avoiding this difficulty, and of seeing
the craters and other details on the
moon in their natural proportions. TAX
ing advantage of the fact that as the |
moon travels around the earth the &C.
centricity of ifs orbit produces the eff
feet of a slow hbration. or balancing to
and fro. which causes its face to be
inclined now little one way and now
little the other way. Professor Prinz
makes two photographs of the lunar
object to be studied. al opposite points In
the libration, and then combines them
In a stereoscope, whereupon the object
stands forth in full relief. This prin- |
ciple has hitherto been applied only to |
photographs of the moon as whole. |
and not to particular craters or regions.