The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-04-02
Eak0RUUREARga
Es 3 :

ical survey Of the United States. Be-
sides the topographic sheets, there
are sheets for land classification, geol-
ogy, etc. The atlas sheets are sixteen
and one-half by twenty inches, en-
graved on copper and printed in three
colors. The cultural features, such as
roads, railways, cities, ETC., as well as
all letterings are black, all water fea-
lures are blue and the hill features are
shown by brown contours. The sheets
can be bought for FIVE cents, or in
quantities for two cents per sheet.
During the last fiscal year, 1928
square miles were surveyed in thirty
two States and Territories, 12,407
miles Of levels were run, 1888 perma-
nent benchmarks esta blished, etc. In
Alaska $500 square miles were mapped.
Up to the present time, S6G,S47 square
miles of the area of the United States
have been surveyed-about twenty
nine per cent. of it's surface.
The problem Of piercing a glacier by
means of boring has at last been solved
with results Of real scientific interest
In experiments made last August on
a glacier near Vent, in the Tyrol. At
distance of about one and a quarter
miles from the tip Of the glacier where
it's breadth is 2130 feet and the height
Of it's surface above sea level, $3.50 feet,
boring in the middle reached rock
at depth Of 500 feet. Taken along
with measurements Of rate of move
ment, surface melting and tempera-
ture, the experiment enabled the fol-
lowing conclusions to be drawn: First
The temperature Of the ice is at the
melting point throughout the whole
mass on the tongue of the glacier.
Second-The bed Of the glacier is
trough-shaped. Third-Thc ice moves
more slowly at the bottom than at the
surface. The bore holes were filed up
with pieces of wood, which will serve
for many years to come as indexes of
the rate CT movement and OF surface
melting.
! In order to calculate the linear veloc-
| ity of the earth in it's orbit we must
first know its distance from the sun.
If we can measure the earths velocity
the suns distance can be computed.
If the velocity can be determined with
great accuracy the resulting value Of
the suns distance is proportionately
precise. The methods of spectroscopy
have been so far improved that we are
within measurable distance of deter
mining the solar parallax by spectre
scopic observations. If any star near
the Zodiac be observed with the spec
troscope at the two seasons when its
| longitude differs from that OF the sun
| by ninety degrees, we can deduce not
only the velocity of the star along the
line joining star and earth, but also
the mean velocity CT the earth in its
orbit. Spectroscope observations of
stellar velocity in the line of sight are
now so good that the value of the solar
distance which may be had on the prin-
ciple described is at least Of the same
order of accuracy as values derived
from older methods.
The physical geography Of the Red
River region has lately been studied
by DR.. Bowling, who finds that part
OF Manitoba has been twice submer I'd
beneath the sea, and finally ele--e5a0u
before the glacial period. The ice then
travelled southwark until it completely
filed the Red River Valley and even
extended over Minnesota. AS the ice
melted large lake was formed along
its southern margin, which increased
in extent as the ice retreated north
ward, and beaches were formed along
its shores. The lake first drained south
ward to the Mississippi, but later the
water found other outlets, probably
toward Hudson's Bay, and a gradual
contraction of the lake ensued, in
which successive beaches mark the
separate stages. The present lakes
of Manitoba are the remains of this
great lake of former times, through
whose waters the bowlder clay and
other sediment were constantly sifted
and distributed over the whole region
thus causing the wonderful fertility
that ehara cterizes most Of tue Red
River Valley.
| Mr.. Henry Gannett has recently pub
lished a report on the place names Of
the United States from which a few
instances are given below. Chicago is
an Indian word meaning wild onion or
skunk weed; Chesapeake is also Indian
and is variously interpreted as highly
salted water, great waters, or country
on a great river. Chautauqua is also
an Indian word, and has several in
terpretations, as foggy place, bag
tied in the middle referring to the
shape Of the lake,, a place where a
child was washed away, where the fish
are taken out, place of easy death, or,
finally, place where one was lost. Des
Moines is usually supposed to refer
only to the Trappist monks, but it is
also connected with an Indian word
meaning the road. Niagara is an In
dian word signifying across the strait,
| nr at the neck Shenandoah is Indian