The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-09-18
kNssSCience
NsiiveSStion

Replying to the more or less popular
theory that comets are simply swarms
of meteoric stones, Fellow of the
Royal Astronomical Society recalls the
brilliancy-almost increased-of Arc
turus as II was seen in 1853 through
thousands of miles of the very nucleus
Of DOnati's comet. The mist from a
frog pond would have blotted out the
star altogether.
Capt F. C. Ishoy. a Dane, has invent
ed a new form of steamship, which he
thinks will be both speedier and stead
Ter than the existing type. He makes
the hull considerably more fiat than In
the ordinary model. thus decreasing
the draft. But his most novel device
is placing the screw under the bottom
Of the vessel instead of at the stern.
Not only will such ship be particular
ly seawOrthy, says the inventor, but,
with the same speed, 1t will save ~
per cent in consumption of coal.
A trouble Of the artist is the tendency
Of paints to mix or run together. This
is especially annoying in portrait paint
ing, on account Of the delay for clean
ing oil from palette and brushes. and
has led to the limited use Of the pastel.
Work with the latter, however. lacks
durability. BY his plan Of forming oil
colors into crayon-like sticks. M. J. j.
Raffaelli the French genre painter.
claims to have secured both durabil-
ity and freedom from Inconvenience.
and have effected a genuine revolu-
ton.
The fact that certain substances adj
here so tenaciously to glass that on be-
ing detached they tear away scales was
observed long ago by Professor Call
letet. For etching the glass he applies
two coats of thin glue, and after TWEEN
ty-four hours places the article on
kitchen range for few hours al tenn
perature not greater than 1O5 deg. f.
The glue will detach itself with num-
erous fakes of glass. The designs
may be varied by adding various salts
to the glue, and he gets his best results
from glue with little alum.
Sir Harry Johnston, whose discovery
of new species of, animal in the
Uganda ProtectOrate has excited much
interest among naturalists, brought
back to London and exhibited there
specimen of gigantic species Of earth
worm which, when alive, was about
three feet long and as thick as two
fingers. Even larger species of earth
worms than this exist. CeylOn has
some giants, of "a blue color, that at
tain as great size. In Cape Colony
and Natal there Is a species, parti-
colOred. green above and yellOwfsh be-
meath, which, 1t is averred, sometimes
attains length of six feet. Giant
earthworms are also found In Austria
liza and in South America.
Steel alleged with SO per cent of
nickel is said to have the smallest CO.
efficient of expansion Of any known
metal, amounting to only one two-mil-
liOnth for one degree Fahrenheit For
ly adopted for the material of pendu-
lum-rods in high-grade clocks. The
change of length with rise or fall of
temperature Is so nearly imperceptible
that the counterbalancing change in
the brass bob suffices to compensate
for 1t. Nickel-steel also possesses a
remarkable power Of resisting rust.
If nickel should ever be discovered In
sufficient quantities greatly to reduce
it's cost, says writer in Machinery. it
would have an important influence on
future steel construction, for nickel
steel would generally be used. 1t Is an
interesting fact that nickel combined
with iron is frequently found In mete-
nrifaS