Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-02-16
Science Notes.

Curious experiments are being car
ried out by Capt Simpson of the
steamship "MOravian' to test the
course and speed of ocean currents.
For the past fifteen years. during the
passage of this liner between Ply
mouth. South Africa and Australia the
captain has every day thrown over
board tightly corked beer bottle con-
tanning scroll bearing the latitude,
longitude, and date when cast adrift.
together with request to the finder
to forward the bottle to him at the
London offices of the steamship line.
The captain, who is member of the
British Meteorological Society. keeps
a careful record of his daily opera
lions. The number of bottles return
ed to him. however. is very small the
average being less than one per year.
The second law of thermO-dynamics
may be formulated in different ways.
1t limits the possibility of natural pro-
cesses to the occurrence of those in
which difference of intensity is di-
minished. Ii there is difference of
pressure in two parts of a gas, a
movement will occur producing equal
ity; if there is difference of tenn
perature, heat will be transported so
as TO produce equality once more. It
is curious that such simple necessities
which We all feel as such. can be con-
verified into far-reaching sharply form
ulated equations. as was done by Car
not and Clausius. These principles
were first applied in chemistry by
Horstmann. Then. by successive ap-
pllcation to chemical problems by
Massieu. Gibbs. Helmholtz and others,
was won a system of relations touch
ing the problem of affinity
The bacteria and other microscopic
forms of plant and animal life. all of
which are conveniently included under
the term microbes, have so lately be-
gun to be understood and appreciat-
ed that We must still emphasize their
extreme Importance The discoveries
of the botanists and biologists and
revelations if the microscopists in this
domain are incompatible. in their inn
portance to public health science, with
nothing less than the revelations of
the telescope to astronomy. Astron-
omy had indeed existed long before
the invention of the telescope. and
public health science had it's begin
nings nearly century before any con-
siderable progress had been made in
micro biology But it is not too much
to say that the developments in micro.
biology since Pasteur began his work
have not only revolutionized our ideas
of the nature of the infectious dis.
eases. but have also placed in our
hands the key of their complete con-
troll
Arrangements have been complet
| od hv itch oprpnro fin,, for tho do
velopment of the extensive Australian
shale fields, which are among the larg
est yet discovered in the world. and
the manufacture of lubricating and il
Eliminating oils, ETC. The fields are 10
Gated about one hundred miles from
| Sydney. the capital of New South
Wales. in the fertile and well-wateret
valleys of Wolgan and Capertee. Il
is estimated that the fields contain
many million tons of the richest shale
dered by the government to promote
the success of the enterprise. A rail
road about q miles in length of the
existing government gage is beins
laid. connecting the fields with tn,
government trunk system. Electrical
ore-cutting machinery is now in op
cl dtIOIl, DOlluS JuhuCI HlCC IAAlO
in length through the heart of I
mountain, which throughout its length
is rich with shale deposits. By mean
of this tunnel the shale will be brough
into direct communication with tn
extensive retorts and refineries tina
are in course of erection, the govern
ment railroad, and the port of Sydney
The Australian government, in thei
latest financial report, describe tn
industry as one of the largest that ha
ever been established in Australia an
which will ultimately eclipse all tn
others in size and value. Arrange
ments have been concluded for tn
expectation annually of hundreds G
thousands of tons of shale to Europ
and other parts of the world in COZ
nection with the manufacture of gas
According to the leading authorize
on coal gas who have examined tn
shale, it gives the greatest quantit
of gas and the highest illuminatin
nj MI