The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-01
ITEMS or INTEREST.

ADF LldIktl Is 5DoHfl ny the SldlCAlCIl
in the report of the Girard estate, that
nearly so per cent. of the coal shipped
last year from the collieries on the
estate was of the small or steam sizes,
says the Engineering and Mining
Journal. Only a few years ago this
small coal went into the culm piles;
and, indeed, very considerable quanti-
ties of small coal are now sent to mar
ket from the working over and wash
ing out of these old waste heaps. The
figures given in the Girard report
moreover, are corroborated by those of
such other anthracite reports as are
accessible at present. The value of an
thracite and the limited extent of the
supply are beginning TO be realized.
Waste in mining and preparation is
being reduced, though much still re-
mains to be done.
According to a report from the De-
partment of Highways in California,
there are IS miles of oiled country
roads in San Bernardino county, that
state, in addition to about the same
mileage of oiled streets in towns and
cities. The oil has proved effective on
several different kinds of soils, includ-
ing sandy roads with red clay base.
The first experience was with heated
oil, but the results of heating were Of
doubtful value and cold oil is now gen.
orally used. Oil containing the largest
percentage OF asphalt has been found
the most effective, and that used in
San BernardinO county has cost rs
cents to Sill per barrel delivered at
the nearest railway station. On ordi-
nary country roads the oiled strip
varies from II to IS feet in width,
while in city and town streets the
highway is oiled it's whole width. The
number of barrels necessary for one
application depends entirely on the
amount of loose material composing
the surface of the road. If a surface
has say, 2 inches loose sand or dust
to be absorbed, it requires about $50
barrels on a mile strip IL feet wide for
the first application, which ordinarily
would be sufficient for that year.
Not all copper ores are green. nor
are all green ores copper, although in
the greater number of cases this is
true, says an exchange. The most COM
mon ore of copper is the green carbon
ate. Blue carbonate is not so COM
mon, and the red oxide is even rarer.
The black oxide is common, but is apt
to be found with other common miner
ais. Malachite, the green carbonate,
occurs in massive radiated starlike
crystal groups. The presence of
small percentage of this mineral gives
the ore a decidedly green color, but an
idea of it's value may be judged from
the weight. Azurite, the blue carbon
ate, resembles the green in it's physical
properties. Another common copper
ore is a silicate having a green or blu
ish green color. The red oxide, cuprite,
is the richest copper ore, containing.
when free from impurities, over So per
cent. of metallic copper. The black
oxide also contains high percentage of
the metal There are two sulphide ores
not uncommon. One, chalcopyrite, is
| the principal sulphide ore of copper.
1t resembles pyrite or sulphide of iron,
but is more yellow. Bornite is sui
phide of iron and copper, usually con-
tanning upward of 30 per cent. copper
and sometimes considerably more.
In NJ Quinton's view sea water is
the natural source from which, as
Haeckel believes, those elementary
bodies have their rise, which in turn
develop into every other species, hui
man beings included, says an exchange.
The environment in which the anato-
| mical elements of living creatures eX-
| list is neither more nor less than a ma
| rine one. Our tissues and cells con-
| tinue to exert their functions in a fluid
| the composition of which presents the
| closest resemblance to that of sea wa
| ter, Hitherto the number of elements
/ entering into the composition of a liv-
| ing body has been considered to be
about Is. But the researches of M.
! Quinton have shown the existence of
traces of at least IA other elements
which are also found in sea water,
| such as copper, lead, silver, gold, and
| others. Further, if an animal be bled
| to exhaustion and the place of the
blood be supplied by sea water on the
morrow the animal will have regained
| it's strength, and at the end of five
days it's recovery is complete. NJ.
| Qunton has injected into animals a
! quantity of sea water greater than
| their own body weight without any
| toxic effects, whereas an injection of
pure water rapidly brings about death.
| Sea water then appears to be the true
nutrient fluid of animals, their natural
| plasma, in fact.
THE adjustment of railroad mems
watches is a science all by itself" said
j. S. Coy of Chicago recently, accord
| ing to the Louisville Courier Journal.
| The variation of only thirty seconds
1 week is allowed in the watches.
which have to be adjusted to tempera-
ture isochronism and Ave positions.
| The watches must run equally well
with either face or back up, or with
/ the q, OF at lH6 top. Inc
standard watch has II jewels and is
a model of the watchmaker's craft in
the early days Of railroading five min
| utes were allowed for the variation of
watches. If a trainman were ordered
lto wait at a certain station until 1920
TO meet another train he would wait
until 1926. The time has now been
reduced to such a fine division that the
| engineers steam out of the station at
the moment called for by their orders.
] Between the original allowance Of five
minutes and the present system there
| was only one step which was three
minutes. The strict rules which are
observed in regard to the timepieces
! of railroad men were originated from
| a disastrous wreck that occurred in the
East number of years ago-I should
not. like to say on what road. When
| the fact became known that the acci-
| dent was due to the variation of
watches almost every road in the coun-
! try began to make stricter require
ments, and now all good railroads look
| after the watches of their men with
| the same care that they attend to
rolling stock and motive power"
Says an automobillst in the Iron
Age: con a 4,OOO-mile trip I made last
summer the average consumption Of
! gasoline was about / gallon to Is miles.
or 266 gallons in all. The price varied
! from 30 cents to II cents gallon, aver
aging, perhaps. % cents making the
total expense for gasoline $66.67. Six
| pneumatic tires were used up and a
/ al Wf