The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-08-05
SCIENCE NOTES.


A London correspondent at yelling
ton, N. a., points out that unless the
next season should prove more favor
able than the last the Discovery will
remain fast in the ice, and her ulti-
mate abandonment in the Antarctic
regions is possible. 1t is imperative
therefore that the relief ship should
return.
This year, said Prof. ]. E. Rey.
nolds in an address before the British
Chemical society, "is the centenary Of
the announcement, in a tentative form
of probably the most fruitful and val
liable of all scientific hypotheses-Dal-
ton atomic theory. On Oct. 21, 1903,
Daitcn read a paper on the absorption
of gases by water and other liquids
before select audience OF nine mem.
bers of the Literary and Philosophers
society of Manchester, and appended
to this was statement which, accord
ing to Sir Henry Roscoe and DR.. Har-
den. is the first published indication
~ nv oNOhiC thCOiys nlb tNtHt was
celebrated in Manchester during the
last week in May"
The recent landslide in Alberta, by
which the town of Frank was partially
destroyed, was due, according to ex.
perts OF the Canadian geological sur
vey. entirely to geological causes.
Turtle mountain. from which the slip
took place, is very badly fractured,
and large masses of rock are continu-
ally falling. The mountain sides are
steep, and there is danger Of another
large slide. There will always be
more or less risk in living in Frank,
and "the people should move as soon
as possible" The recent slide, esti-
mated at 100000 tons, consisted OF
mass Of rock, half a mile wide, 1000
feet in height and from 400 to 500 feet
In thickness. The debris covers two
square miles Of territory.
The difficulties connected with the
exploration of the greater depths OF
the sea arise principally from the fact
that, In the majority of cases, the OBJ
servations are necessarily indirect AT
the surface OF the ocean direct OBJ.
servation is possible, but our knowl.
edge of the conditions prevailing in
deep water, and of all that is there
taking place, is almost wholly depend
ent upon the correct working of in.
struments, the action of which at the
critical moment is hidden from sight.
1t was the desire to establish tele-
graphic communication between Eu.
rope and America that gave the first
direct impulse to the scientific explo-
ration Of the great ocean basins, and
at the present day the survey of new
cable routes still yields each year
large amount of accurate knowledge
regarding the floor of the ocean.
At a recent meeting of the Academy
of Sciences of Vienna Prof. Molisch OF
Prague, communicated a paper upon
bacteria. He has been
able to photograph the colonies of
phosphorescent micrococcus by means
of its own light. BY inoculating large
glass TASKS of onehalf litre capacity,
containing suitable culture medium,
with the organisms, bacterial lamp"
Is obtained with which 1t is possible
for an observer at distance of one or
two metres to read thermometer or
to see the time of a watch. On dark
night the bacterial lamp" is visible at
a distance of more than 60 PAGES. II
Is suggested that such cultures of
phosphcrescent bacteria might be EN-.
ployed in powder magazines or for at
tracing fish. as the flask might be
sealed and lowered into the water.
Under suitable conditions the phos.
phorescent properties OF the cultures
last for two or three weeks.