The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-20
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

AS the north-north-east wind blows
quite constantly over the central Sahara
from october to April, a French aeron-
2ut, M. Les Desbureaux, believes that it
should be easy to cross the desert by
balloon from Tunis to Niger. He pro-
poses trying the experiment with a small
unma.nled balloon of about 1900 cubic
yards This would carry guide rope
OF considerable weight, and an automatic
discharger of water ballast, and VIII
BE- expected to keep afloat for twelve
days. In case of wreck on the way, the
ORANGES favor the recovery of the regis
teT1ng apparatus, with very valuable sci
critic data.
An astonishing decrease in the tensile
strength and ductility of bronze at tenn
peratures above 500 degrees fahrenheit
has been reported by Prof. G. Bach. Of
stuttgart With an alloy of 81 per cert
OF copper, 4 of zinc, and of tin, these
properties were reduced about per cent
at 400 degrees, but about 50 per cent al
500 degrees. This discovery suggests
caution in the use of bronze for engine
parts IN contact with superheated steam
Porous white paper immersed in a So
tuition of ore part OXalic acid in foul.
parts of alcohol and subsequently dried
forms new blotting paper for dried ink
The ink to be removed is moistened with
water and the paper is used in the usual
manner.
Many steampipe explosions are due to
water hammer action. In late paper,
Mr. c. e. Stronger showed that a plug
OF water only six inches long propelled
only TWO feet under a pressure of fifteen
pounds, would exert a pressure of 6. loo
pounds on being suddenly stopped
Records for thirty years show that 43
Fer cent OF the storms of the British isles
approach from some point between south
and southwest Not l per cent move
westward.
Various electrical devices, including
Iommasina's electro radiophone and
Fenyi's coherer have been used for STUDY
ing distant thunderstorms. The row an
>paFatuS OF j. ]. Landerer consists of a.
telegraph line of 3G0 yards, running rorth-
northeast, which is put to earth through
the water pipes of Tortosa and Joined
TO very sensitive galvanometer
great advantage is the showing Of the
direction of the discharge A lightning
nash IN the distance gives a slight shock
followed by greater one and the small
deviations are always in the same direc-
ton during the same storm, the discharge
proceeding from north to south in storms
taxing place east of the meridian and
from south to north in storms in the
west One storm recorded was as far
away as Majorca, a distance of $50 miles
The pollen theory of hay fever has
been proven by two German investigators
to be untenabde. The number of pollen
particles in the air during the hay fever
season is very small, an average of IS
to each cubic meter, and the nasal and
throat secretions of hay fever patients
show less pollen than those of healthy
persons, Very few cro-organisms APP
pear in the pollen. AS to the bacteria
that may excite hay fever little or moth
ing was learned and it is still uncertain
now such germs may be transmitted.
A touching bit of Alpine history tells of
a guide who fell into a crack in a glacier,
and whose perfectly preserved body
| emerged so long afterward that It was
recognized only by an old woman who
had been his youthful sweetheart Even
| more striking was the late discovery of
DR.. Herr in Eastern Siberia. 1t was the
perfect body of mammoth which, while
quietly feeding some 1000 years ago, had
fallen down decIivity and been instant
ly killed. It's mouth still held the last
tuft of grass. its thick red-brown hair
was still unchanged
A half-acre near Scarborough Eng
land, is planted with trees and shrubs
for raising moths and butterflies. In
their season the stock of caterpillars Is
200G0 and from $1,000 to 10000 preserved
| insects are kept in reserve.
Smallpox infection appears to have been