Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-12-29
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The hypothesis that magnetic storm,
aurorae, etc, are due to the passage
of the earth through denser portions
Of matter elected by the sun Is favored
by Professor Schaeberle, the German
astronomer. He finds that the irregu-
larity of period is what should be ex-
pected, and the phenomena of comets
sustain this view.
In the two new electric fire engines
Of the Vienna fire brigade, the accumu-
lators are designed to propel the car
about % miles at 1914 miles an hour.
They are placed in front Of the drivers
seat over the front wheels. The wheels
are 2% feet in diameter, with 5-inch
rubber tires, and each front wheel has
35-horse power Lohner-Porsche hub
motor. Five speeds-from SO to pa
per hour-are available.
The final report of the explorations
made In 1908 by the Geological Survey
Of the petroleum and coalfields of Alas
ka encourages the hope that the re-
glons round Controller Bay, Cooke In
let and Coal Bay may become an i'm
portant source of Illuminating OIL The
petroleum is described as. refining
oil of the same general nature as Penn
sylvania petroleum. The Boring Riv-
er coal is said to be the best that has
yet been found on the Pacific coast Of
North America. 1t resembles the hard
er kinds of bituminous coal rather than
anthracite.
One of the principal agricultural in
dustries of the Philippines, which is
expected to be greatly promoted by the
Introduction of American methods and
energy, is based upon a plant not Of
native but of American origin-tobac-
co. The tobacco plant was introduced
into the Philippines from Mexico by
Spanish missionaries. 1t is grown
principally in the Island of Luzon, and
although the methods of cultivation
and curing are primitive, Philippine
tobacco has a high reputation in the
East With scientific treatment it is
believed it may be made to rank
among the finest tobaccos known.
The duration of sunshine in German
and other European cities has been
compared by Professor Eichhorn, a
meteorologist of Jena. Jena and Wies-
baden are the highest places in Ger
many, the former averaging 4.8 hours
Of sunshine daily, and the gloomiest
places are Aix-la- Chapelle and Ham
burg, the latter having daily average
Of only 3.5 hours. In England and
Denmark the average sinks to 3.9
hours. The Swiss average is Al hours,
in Padua it is &c. in Rome nearly 7,
In Pola and Abazzia 1t Is re. Madrid,
with an average of hours of sunshine
daily, is the cheeriest city in Europe.
In order to increase the resolving
power of the microscope, Doctor Koh-
Ter Of Jena employs for Illuminating
the object to be examined the ultra
violet rays of the spectrum, which, al
though very effective in photography,
are totally invisible to the human eye.
For focusing and adjusting the image
kind Of artificial eye is employed,
which consists of an eyelens of crystal
glass and a ''retina" of fluorescent
glass. The image formed on this retina
by the ultraviolet rays can be examin-
ed usually through an ordinary lens.
The fluorescent light, however, is in
furious to the eye, and this method Of
examination is sparingly used.
The comparatively rare instances in
which the motions of plants. such as
the opening of buds into blossoms, oc-
cur with sufficient rapidity to be OBJ
served during a single brief period OF
watching, always cause much pleasure
to the onlooker. Mrs. Henry Cooper
Eggar, in her description of an In
dian garden, tells of a species Of lily,
Crinum augustum, which opens with
uncommon swlftness, so that she thinks
1t would be an admirable subject for
representation by microscopic photog-
raphy. Just after shower of rain, in
the evening, she saw the plnk-striped
buds of one of these lilies, each about
four inches long, on the point of open
ing. Passing the plant shortly after
ward, she was surprised to find the
blossoms wide open, and in twenty
minutes more the petals had curved
themselves backward ike rams horns.
In an hour the points of the petals
had swept over an are of at least eight
or nine inches.