The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-26
WITH SCIENTISTS

MN AL/EN 1851
| curious sample of seventeenth CEN
| fury manufacture in the shape of a large
geographical copper globe has recently
| been placed in the building of the Acad-
envy OF Sciences at Tsarskoe-Selo. 1t Is
| III Feet in diameter and weighs yIs tons
! IT'S construction was commenced in 1854
but 1t was not completed until ten years
later' IN the reign of Duke Frederick OF
| Hoistein. 1t was presented TO the Acad-
envy of Sciences In 1725, but until now has
stood in the Geological Museum at rsar-
skoeSelo. The outside represents the
| earth and the Interior the celestial
| spheres of the world. There is a door
i giving access to the Interior where a
table which will accommodate twelve
| people Is placed. By means of an in
genious mechanism the globe can be
made to revoive on its axis.
Representatives of eight nations met
| at Christiania early this summer to con-
slider methods of systematic information
al oceanic research. Sweden. Germany.
Great Britain. Denmark. Belgium, Nor
way, Russia. and Holland were the ma
lions represented. Thu scheme provision
ally adopted divides the eastern North
Atlantic and its estuaries into spheres
each of which is looked after by one of
the nations. 1t is expected that each
country VIII build and equip special
ship for its work. There is to be GEN.
trail International laboratory, possibly at
Christiania. where the work OF the vari-
ouS ships Will be cOIlated and combined
and the general results of the work made
ready for the public. The work OF the
association win be of n practical as well
as scientific character. The study of the
distribution of fish. fish food, deposits.
etc, viii be one of the first items in the
present plan.
The remarkable discovery of large SUBJ
terranean beds of ice, of undoubted gIa-
cial origin. was made some time ago by
1i':--ee., Toll. and the last issue volume
s2) of the Bulletin of the Russian Geo
graphical Society contains a memoir by
him describing these old fossils and CIV
ing several Photographic reproductions
of their appearance. He found them on
the great Lyakhoff Island of New 81
IBERIA in "a degrees north latitude. These
beds Of ice undoubtedly date from the
glacial period and contain branches. roots.
and other remains of trees which do not
now grow above 10 degrees OF north iati-
tude- They are covered with several lay
ers of sell: The ice has apparently been
preserved by the permanent and perhaps
increasing cold of this region.
A preliminary announcement by NJ
D'Arsonval to the French Academy states
an interesting theory regarding the means
by which various minute animals and
vegetable cells. seeds, bacteria, etc, are
able to resist long exposure to such tenn
peratures as those of liquid air and hy-
drogen- According to VI. DArsonval it is
fair to conclude that the liquid contained
in these cells has not been solidified if
they retain their vitality. He accounts
n axt oil
low temperatures by the enormous os-
motto pressure which exists in the little
cells. 1t has been shown by NJ Ii. de
Vries that these pressures reach and
sometimes surpass 100 atnnospheres Ca
600 pounds in the cells of Aspergillus nj |
ger and Pendulum glaucum- Even this |
great pressure would be enormously in
creased as the diameter of the cell dimn- |
ished, and according to VI. DArsonval |
might reach in the interior of micro or |
gantsms thousands of atmospheres.
In the case of beer yeast, NJ D'Arson-
diminishing the osmotic pressure he can
very much lower the resistance of the |
yeast to low temperatures. A further |
study OF these questions may lead to in I
formation of great practical Importance |
in connection with sanitation and bac- |
teriology.
Profs. Hartley and Ramage have re-
Gently made number of analyses of dust |
from various sources by means of the |
Dust from the clouds col
lected either by itself or in hail, snow
sleet or rain, exhibits regularity in COM
position not seen in other varieties of |
dust 1t contains. apparently the same
of iron, nickel, calcium cop |
per, potassium and sodium. Nordenskiold
collected and described three different |
kinds of dust. One consisted of diatoms
and another of silicons. and apparently
felspathic Sand; both being obtained from
he surface of the ice in Greenland The
.hird variety was composed of sooty look
ng particles, containing elements invari-
ably associated with iron meteorites, me- !
allie cobalt, nickel, carbon, silicon and
phosphorus. He therefore concluded that
[ was meteoric matter showered down
lpon the earth. and that cosmic dust is
alling fmperceptibly and continually
Volcanic dust contains lime and ma gnesia
ind shows the spectra of the alkali me-
ais tlue dust contains larger proper
ions of lead, silver and copper than or
linary dust, or coal ashes. In it are also
ound nickel and manganese as well as
lots-ble quantities of the rare metals rubi- |
liuhi. gallium, indium and thallium.
The old Grecian quarries of green Clip ;
'olino marble in the southern portion OF |
he island of Euboea. which were redis-
overed after a rest of nearly 1000 years, ,
re now being actively worked by an Eng
ish firm There is a steady demand for I
he marble. The Pentelikon quarries are l
l5o in the hands of an English company
It present the Greek market takes most I
f the output. But already several trial I
hiploads have been sent to America and q
Their countries The new statue of Won
Ioltke in Berlin is to be made from a
lock of marble recently taken from one
t the Grecian quarrieS. The block weighs
tons at present bat owing to
he high freight rates and other expenses
will probably be roughly shaped DOWN
efore shipment. to about thirty-five tons 1
POLITICAL COMMENT It