The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-08-20
POPULAR SCIENCE.


DR.. Charles Hose, of Sarawak, az
ter many experiments has formed
the theory that the disease beri beri
arises in tropical regions from the
consumption of mouldy rice. DIR.
Strangeways Pigg. of Cambridge. has
expounded the theory In England.
Professor Goss, the English ento-
mologist, says that the cockroach, the
progenitor of the whole tribe OF black
beetles. is the oldest bug so far known.
Remains OF them have recently been
found in the lower Silurian rocks in
Sweden, carrying their origin back to
very primitive period in the life OK
the planet
Dr. Gersuny, n prominent Vienna
surgeon, says that in cases where the
flesh OF patients has sunken away ia
parts. as. for instance. after the re-
moval OF teeth or a part of the jaw
bone or an injury to the nose. he finds
that melted parafine can be injected
under the skin, and that Il will be
permanently retained there. without
absorption, so as TO restore the normal
contour. The discovery has aroused
wide interest among the profession.
II locating the line OF the Virginia
ana Southwestern Railroad over the
Alleghenies, from Virginia into Ten
nessee, advantage was taken OF nat
ural tunnel through the rocks which
deserves to be called one OF the won
ders Of the world. The entire distance
through the tunnel is almost 1000 feet,
ald so nearly perfect was the tunnel
that only sixty feet OF blasting was
necessary. The region is one Of lime
stone formation, as is nearly always
the case where there are extensive
caves. The cliffs at each end of the
tunnel are fully 400 feet high. and the
scenery in the locality is of remarka-
BILE interest.
All the coral reefs are not found out
In the ocean, as most persons suppose.
Some are found within the boundaries
OF n continent. These, of course. be-
long to a past age of the earth's his
tory, but they are no less interesting
on that account. Within the last two
years several remarkable reefs of fos-
sill coral have been discovered near
cambridge, on the Flint River, in
Georgia. One reef so found consisted
Of coral heads, some of them more
than a foot IL diameter. Between
twenty-five and thirty species have
been recognized in these Georgia reefs.
Biologists say that they belong to the
tertiary age.
Or. Oliver ]. Lodge, in an address
to electrical engineers in Birmingham
recently, thus defined an electron, that
new term of science which has re-
Gently assumed so much Importance.
An atom is ordinarily associated with
a charge, and force is required to sep
arate the charge from the atom. The
atomic charge, when separated, is
called an clcctron. In an electrolytc.
T. e., substance decomposed by an
electric current, there is a bodily
transfer Of atoms with their charges;
Ia n metallic conductor the charge9
are handed on, as clectrons, from
atom TO atom. In the discharge
through highly rarcfied gases the cleo
tric current is in its most simple
form, for here there is q flow Of cleo
troas travelling by themselves, of dis
embodied charges or electric ghosts"
Elections, DR.. Lodge added, are tho
fastest moving of all known terres-
trial objects, their speed being one
tenth that Of light, which is $4,000
miles Der cecond.