The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-09-19
INSECT ENGINEERING
FEArs or THE CARPENTER Hss AND
THE ruMslssue.

Gravedigaer - Wonderful skin q
the spider and the Great strai
That Hts Eiastic Web WIN Bear.
ii Long before man had thought OF tn
saw the saw hy had used the sam
tool made after the same fashion an,
used In the same way. for the purpos
OF making slits In the branches Of tree
30 that she might have secure plac
to deposit her eggs, The carpenter bee
with only the tools which nature hai
given her. cuts round hole. the ful
diameter OF her body, through thlcl
boards and so makes tunnel by whicl
she can have a safe retreat In which 4
rear her young. The tumbiehuE, with
out derrick or machinery, rolls over
large masses Of dirt many times her
own weight, and the sexton beetle will
In few hours bury beneath the ground
the carcass OF comparatively large
animal. All these feats require de-
gree OF instinct which In a reasoning
creature would be called engineering
skill. but none OF them Is as wonder.
ful as the feats performed by the spl.
der. This extraordinary little animal
has the faculty OF propeillng her
threads directly against the wind, and
BY means OF her slender cords she can
haul up and suspend bodies which are
many times her own weight.
Some years ago paragraph went the
rounds OF the papers In which II was
said that spider had suspended an
unfortunate mouse, raising II from the
ground and leaving II to perish mlsera.
bly, between heaven and earth. Would
be philosophers made great fun OF the
statement and ridiculed Il unmerclful.
y. l know not how true II was, but
know that Il might have been true.
Some years ago In the village OF Ha.
vana In the state Of New York a spider
entangled a milk snake In her threads
and actually raised II some distance
from the ground. and this, too. In spite
of the struggles OF the reptile. which
was alive.
BY what process OF engineering did
this comparatively small and feeble In.
sect succeed In overcoming and lifting
up By mechanical means the mouse or
the snake? The solutloh is easy
enough II we only give the question Il
little thought.
The spider IL furnished with one OF
Inc most efficient mechanical imple.
ments known to engineers a
strong elastic thread That the thread
. strong Is well known. Indeed, there
ire few substances that win support
greater strain than the silk OF the silk.
worm or the spider, careful expert
nent having shown that for equal sizes
be strength Of these tibers exceeds that
u common iron. But Notwithstanding
Is strength the spiders thread would
'e useless as a mechanical power IL 1t
we're not for Its elasticity. The spider
as no blocks or pulleys. and therefore
cannot cause the thread to divide up
u run In different directions, but the
OF the thread more than
lakes up for this and renders possible
le lifting OF an animal much heavier
ian mouse or snake. This may
,quire little explanation.
Let US suppose that q child can lift 4
six pound weight one foot high and
this twenty times a minute. Fur.
SD him with $50 rubber bands, each
Ipable Of pulling six pounds through
le foot when stretched. Let these X
lnds be attached to a wooden plat.
rm on which stands n pair OF horses \
eighing 2,l00 pounds, or rather more
an ton. If now the child will go to
ork and stretch these rubber bands
ngly, hooking each one up as 1t Ia
retched, In less than twenty minutes
will have raised the pair Of horses
le foot.
We thus see that the elasticity of the
bber bands enables the child to d.
de the weight Of horses into $50
eces Of six pounds each. and, at the
te OF little less than one every
rec seconds, he lifts all these sepa.
tie pieces one foot, so that the child
silly lifts this enormous weight.
Each spiders thread acts like one Of
e elastic rubber bands. Let us sup
Sc that the mouse or snake weighed
II an ounce and that each thread 10
pable Of supporting grain and a
II. The spider would have to connect
Q mouse with the point from which
was to be suspended with $50
reads, and IL the little quadruped
IS once swung Off his feet he would
powerless. BY pulling successfully
each thread, and shortening It 1T I
, the mouse or snake might be raised
any height within the capacity of
} building or structure In which the
,rk was done. So that to those who
We ridiculed the story we may Justly
?, There are more things In heaven
d earth than are dreamed Of In your
Ilosophy."
What object the spider could have
d In his work / am unable to see. II
" have been a dread Of the harm
lich the mouse or snake might work
1t may have been the hope that the
,aying carcass would attract flies,
Iich would furnish food for the engi.
sr. ! can vouch for the truth of the
Ike story, however, AMI the object
this article is to explain and render
dible a very extraordinary feat cf
ect engineering -Folies of Science
Ern OF ACfir.t,