Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-08-19
Books, Bookish People and Things
We get good by being unsenerous to book.
E. B. Browning.

Thomas, beryl; Thaddeus, chrysoprose;
James the Less, topaz; Simeon, bya.
cinth Bartholomew, comedian; Mat.
thlas, amethyst"
Now follow elaborate descriptions Of
all the well-known gems as well as
| others not SO familiar. and some. to
the reviewer at least, entirely strange.
Jade. which the Chinese like so well,
Jet. alabaster. amber, an interesting
chapter on pearls and one on Precious
Coral.
There is a good index adding to tho
usefulness of the book.
II seems that besides his work and
studies in mineralogy the Professor
has spent some time in the exploration
of caves In Indiana. where he obtained
specimens of carbon that have helped
him to establish an estimate of the
earth's age. Mother Earth is too old
to resent such enquiry: she is no lon.
ger a Spring chicken" or prudish
old maid. and while she does not car.
ry a label with her age on 1t (being,
after all, modest, she keeps evidences
Of the years she has seen stored away
Tor scientists like the Professor to dis.
cover.
The following account taken from
Chicago paper will interest our read.
ers:
Il 1t Is a generally accepted belief that
the carboniferous stratum, which Is
about midway In the twenty miles of
sedimentary deposits, was 100000
years in forming. Professor Earring.
tons principal purpose in making the
present experiment is to determine
whether or not this is right. He will
at least establish figure upon this
point, and later, taking II as a basis.
compute by means of comparison the
time required for the entire deposit,
or. in short, the age of the earth.
Basis Of His Computations.
The specimen which furnishes key
} to the computation was taken from
the Wyandotte cave. A stalactite
which was broken OFF in 1850 has in
the fifty years since then enlarged
thrce.fifths Of an inch in length and
the size of goose quill. This CORE.
spends well with an Australian stalac.
; tite that enlarged three-quarters OF an
inch in thirty-fve years. BY having
this ratio of deposit Professor Farrinp.
/, ton will apply II in determining how
! long II has taken the pillar Of the
Constitution" to form. The pillar Is
an accumulation of st. Louis lime.
stone, twenty-five feet high and seven.
ty feet in circumference found In the
Wyandotte cave. With this accom-.
pllshed the Chicago scientist believes
idea Of how many years 1t took the
whole carboniferous or limestone stra.
tum to accumulate. A stalactlte six
feet In height and one foot In diane
ter, together with other interesting
specimens, was brought back to Chi.
cago by Professor Harrington and will
be placed on exhibition at the mu-
scum. Lectures on the exploring trip
will be delivered at the university
this fall.
The work was attended with con.
slant difficulties and much danger.
The Wyandotte being the oldest and
most interesting OF the Indiana caves,
more time was spent there and more
thorough investigations made. The
Marengo, anbther OF the large caves,
the Shiloh and the COIN caves were
also visited.
Had a Tight Squeeze.
1t was necessary for the Professor
to penetrate the Wyandotte cave 70,
two miles and then crawl sixty feet
through passage only sixteen inches
wide. As the explorer is man of
good proportions, he found 1t tight
squeeze. To turn was out OF the ques-
ton. Through this little passage he
removed his specimens.
The Wyandotte cave proved Of great
interest because of the many indica-
tons that IL was once inhabited by In
dians. Poles had been twisted of,
there were parts of partly burned
torches, portions of instruments part
ly completed, and to Professor Far.
rington II seemed that the Indians had
worked the "Pillar OF the Constitu.
ttion". There were the prints Of moe
casins In the sand and followed out
places In the walls which evidently
served as seats. The cave has been
known to whites since 1912 and must
have been familiar to the Indians long
before that. The entrance first used
is yet. mystery. an opening having
been made by drilling. The Chicagoan
. believes that there are many under
. ground passages yet unexplored.
! An experience In the Coin cave was
accompanied by no little peril, The
J explorer was lowered forty feet by
means OF rope into a cavity about the
size OF well. In order to get the de-
sired specimens some blasting was