The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1901-05-30
EkASSCienCe
s!ei f n


Water expands by freezing, because
1t Is converted into solid crystals,
which do not fit so closely as particles
of water do. Hence when ice Is re-
duced again to water 1t will occupy
less space than 1t occupied before.
Hereafter a certain railroad COM
pany will not engage engineers weigh
ing 200 pounds or over, although those
now In the employ of the company Will
not be dismissed for this cause. The
reason for the rule Is said to be the
narrowing of the space for the engineer
caused by the extension Of the boiler
through the cab of the newer types OF
engine, and large engineers might not
be able to move rapidly enough In
emergencies.
remarkable discovery by Capt. Il.
2. Deasy In the Kuenlun Mountains Is
that of species of marine plant, called
grasswrack, at an elevation OF 1880
feet, more than 10000 feet higher than
the summit of Mt. Washington. The
plants were not growing, but were
found, with their leaves and fruit, de-
posted In a bed 10 or II feet thick,
which was covered and interspersed
with strata of blue clay. The explana-
ton offered is that the deposit once
formed part of the bottom of a salt
lake.
The researches of G. ]. Gahan show
that while the structure of the musical
or stimulating organs of beetles Is
extremely simple, they sometimes pos
sess contrivances for varying the pitch.
The general structure Of such an organ
Is hard surface covered with stria-
tons, over which some other member
of the body furnished with a rasping
edge or area Is rubbed. When the
striated surface Is divided into parts
with finer and coarser markings, varla-
lions of pitch can be produced. The
organs occur In various species on the
head, the legs, the wing-cases and the
hind body. The katydid and the
cricket, which produce musical tones In
the same way, do not belong to the
beetle family.
River Moskwa a few years ago was
useless waterway, but steamer
trading company built a series Of locks
and dams, and has since developed
vast traffic, amounting to about 17.0O0.-
900 pools per anhum, between Moscow
and Kolomna- Above the latter point
to Rjasan, where commences the navi-
gable portion of the River Okla, which
flows TO Mini Novgorod, the passage
of the river Ia INSTRUCTED by sand 1t
Is proposed to remove this sand as
much as possible and to erect dams
and locks so that a sufficient depth of
water may be obtained throughout the
whole of this section Of the river. By
this means a continuous waterway
will extend from Moscow to Mini
Noygorod. The cost Of the scheme will
amount to about $3,25O,OOO.
One OF the most remarkable inven-
tons marking the opening Of the
twentieth century is the method de-
yised by Prof. Michael l. Pupin, of
Columbia University, for sending tele-
phonic messages through ocean cables.
The chief reason why telephoning
through submarine cables has not here
tofore been successful Is because cleo
tricity is retarded In passing through
them. The retardation is variable,
and Its effect upon telephone mes
sage sent through cable Is to produce
tumble of the sounds which renders
them unintelligible. Professor Pupin's
invention consists in attaching to the
cable, at Intervals Of about an eighth
of mile, little coils Of wire, which
have the effect of preventing the retar-
dalton of the current. 1t is believed
that an Atlantic cable can now be con-
structed which will render converse
ton possible between the opposite
shores of the ocean