Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1907-11-08

Investigating the mysterious noises
common in Italy, where they are
known as brontidi," Prof. L.
Alippi, of the Urhine observatory.
has sent inquiries to 217 persons, of
| whom 135-in various parts of Italy
and its African coIonies-bave MOTTO
ed the phenomenon. The sounds
which resemble the rumble of distant
explosions, are popularity explained
as echoes from strong tides at sea.
They occur usually in the afternoon,
both summer and winter, with a
bright sky and calm air, but are sup
posed to give warning of bad weather.
Prof Aiippi finds no evidence that
they are due to mine explosions or
gun firing. They occur chiefly in
central mountainous regions, but do
not seem to be caused by wind OF
thunder, and the Investigator is still
in doubt as to whether they result
from chronological or earthquake
causes.
In his new iron-making process, DR..
&. z. Layal, of Stockholm. finely
pulverizes the ore, coal and other
materials, and causes them to be
drawn by current of air or carbonic
oxide in continuous stream from
the hopper through a delivery pipe
into the furnace. The furnace is
vertical cylinder, with tap-hole for
the iron and an escape-hole for the
gas near the base. The coal is burned
to cabonic uxide in the upper part
of the furnace, aud the Stag and
reduced iron collect on the furnace
wall and flow down to the lower end.
The magnetic crane or derrick for
hosting glass, patented by e. T.
Dodds, has a suitable ectromagnet,
with a plate or pieces of iron forming
an armature The armature is placed
under the glass, and raises and tran
sports it through the attraction of the
magnet.
That genius is usually inherited
from parents of middle age and
seldom by eldest children is the view
that DR.. Louise q. Rabinovitch, of
New York, sought to prove at the
recent International Congress on
Psychiatry at Amsterdam. From the
biographies of AZ great writer's and
poets, she found that only were the
eldest children; of II painters, only
was the first born of his mother
and of 10 musicians, but we're first
born. The men and women of genius,
moreover, have been almost always
the youngest or next to the youngest
of the family. Coleridge, Washington
Irving, Daniel Webster, Rem brandt,
Rubens, Richard Wagner, and Mozart
we're each the last of six to thirteen
children; Benjamin Franklin, the
last of seventeen and last-bor of the
last-born for several generations
Schumann, the last of five; George
Eliot, the last of four; BaIzac, the
last of three; Napoleon, the eighth
and probably the last; Joshua Rey'
nolds, the seventh; Edwin Landseer,
the fifth of seven; j. Kenmore
Cooper, the eleventh of twelve; Schu.
bert, the thirteenth of fourteen.
Forest building offers opportunitie:
to the wealthy philanthropist seeking
change from the endowment OIL
colleges and libraries. The creation
of new forests to replace those that
have vanished is two slow and costly
! to be undertaken by many owners Of
private lands, and only government
aid or donations from capitalists are
likely to make effective any plan fol-
an adequate future timber supply
Much might be done by bounties fol-
tree planting, with the siudicious
offer of prizes for the best results
The Intelligent competition that
would result would not only increase
the forest area, but would lead tc
greater production per acre. and
doubtless to Improvement in the tree
varieties grown 1or IimLer duu Specla
: purposes.
A new black paint for protect
ing iron-V ork Is obtained from add
ing ammonia to the waste chloride o.
iron solution obtained in preparing
iron and [steel for wire-drawing
galvanizing and Timing. The oxide
of iron precipitated proves a valuable
pigment, while the chloride O.
ammonia produced is likewise useful
The apparatus for making blacl
: diamonds lately patented in France
NV Al ~ -