Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1901-04-17
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The number of known explosives is
stated to have increased from twenty
five to LOO In thirty years.
Cold Is not fatal to mlcro-organsms.
DR.. Macfayden and Mr.. Rowland find
that an exposure for ten hours to n
temperature of 250 degrees c. has no
appreciable effect on the vitality of mi
cro-organisms.
Prof. Fleming of London University
Is now conducting Important expert
ments in connection with the transmits
sion of electrical energy 1t Is said that
the professor has discovered means by
which power can be distributed with
out wires by utilizing ether
Caterpillars occasionally crawl from
their hiding places on warm days in
winter. The most common of these Is
a thick furred worm with red coat
banded with black, which has the APP
pearance Of chenille. OF the caterpil-
lars that live through the winter large
number belong to species that require
more than one season to develop from
the egg to the perfect insect.
Moscow is probably the worst-paved
city in the world. Great cobblestones
driven by hand into loose bed of sand
form roadway which Is always dusty
in summer and muddy in autumn and
In many of the roads there Is no at
tempt at roadway of any kind. The
streets are badly watered and cleaned.
The yearly expenditure for these two
operations Is only about $155,000.
Every traveller In France has been
struck by the sight Of multitudes of
slender poplar trees growing by the
roadsides and brooksides. Two or three
times In twenty years the branches of
these poplars are trimmed, and the
light wood thus obtained Is dried and
sold to bakers, whose practical science
has taught them that the quick, Intense
heat produced by burning poplar Is ex.
cellent for giving thick crust to their
bread.
A gutta-percha substitute has recent
ly been patented. 1t consists Of mix
ture of pulverized peat and resin oil
The peat Is dried thoroughly and Is
then pulverized and sifted until 1t Ii
about the flneness Of -four. 1t Is ther
mixed with equal parts by weight OF
resin oil and Q per cent Of amyl acetate
1t is then stirred and worked until Il
forms smooth, dough-like mixture. L
can be worked into shape and is semi
hard like gutta-percha.
In Central Africa are found districts
which impress the beholder with thu
belief that the hand of man has shapet
their features, although there Is nov
no population capable of producing
such effects. These districts, near LAX,
Tanganyika, are called park lands,
and their origin was recently explained
before the Linnean Society In London
by Mr.. Moore, as being due to th
spread of vegetation over a light sur
face soil gradually deposited above tn
salt steppes left by former lakes. Il
some places these districts are covere'
with natural plantations that have
quite homelike look"
The balloon races and contests con
Quoted in connection with the Pari
Exposition were productive Of som
very interesting results. Every Sur
day the spectacle was witnessed of
large number of balloons starting O
their journey. Zone afternoon" say
A. Lawrence Rotch, "17 balloons ros
successfully, each aeronaut endeavol
ing to land as near as possible to som
point that he had fixed beforehand.
By taking advantage of the variou
air-currents and skillfully manlpulatin
the guideropes, surprising results wer
obtained One aeronaut, after trave
ing 30 miles, landed within half mil
of the goal he had set out for. Th
greatest height attained by any Of tn
aeronauts was $1,000 feet. In the loni
distance race six balloons started, an
three of them landed In Russia. Abol
400 miles were travelled in 81 hours.