Amador ledger., 1907-06-07

in Tunnels. Africa's Newest
Mammals An Even Temperature
Bottle. = Electric Sharpening Of
Files. Alcohol Made UsabIe.-A
Singular Substance. Greatest Rain.
In a series of exhaustive expert
ments, two Germans, NJ. Otto and H.
0. Neumann, have tested about
thirty reputed preventives of mos
quito bites. including the essential
oils. Only Glove oil, caraway oil,
cassla oil and oil of Spanish hops
proved effective in keeping away the
insects, and these only for a short
time. 1t is concluded that the
repelient effect is not due to the
penetrating odor but to temporary
irritation of the insects breathing
organs. Glove Gil seems to be the
most suitable substance to use, and
this will do good service III most
cases, but it has the disad vantage of
irritating delicate skins.
The highest fall of water used for
power seems to be that of Lake Brusio.
in Switzerland, where is located the
most powerful electricity generating
station in Europe. The water of the
Poshiavino, in the PoschIavo Valley.
is led through a great conduit, three
miles long, to the reservoir, from
which five sets Of enormous pipes
conduct it to the power station at
Ievel 1850 feet lower. Electric
energy of Sc, 600 horse power is dis
tributed from the generators to points
along the shores of Lakes Como AMI
and as far as the great
plain of Milan.
An excess of radium in the rocks
of the Simplon Tunnel has been
found by Pro. j. Jolly OF Dublin, and
be concludes that this may account
for the unusually high temperature.
He suggests further that high tenn
perature from radium may have play
ed part in mountain building. A
great excess of radium in clay and
ooZe from the North and South Allan
tic tends to confirm Sir John Mur-
rays theory that these deep sea de-
posits are cosmic dust, and hints that
much of our radium has come from
space.
The new Zebra discovered by j. E.
Spears in Portuguese, East Africa,
resembles the ordinary type in shape,
but the bead, neck, fore-Iegs ard
forehalf of the body are dark brown
in color, the hind part of the body
including the legs, having the usual
stripes. The natives report that the
animal is becoming very scarce,
whole herd was seen. The
creature is very timid, and its agility
enabled 1t to elude the hunter, whose
long pursuit resulted in failure to
obtain a specimen. The new antelope
seen in the same region has the size
and shape of the Boer roebuck Cor
impaIa, the chief difference being a
black line down the back and on each
hind leg. The species is exceedingly
wild and active, lives in herds of ten
to fifty, and presents a strange ap-
pearance as the group starts in flight
with wild leap of ten feet or more.
The remarkable heat Insulating
effect of vacuum is strIkingIy
brought out in the claims made for a
new sportsmen's bottle. The vessel
has double walls, being really one
bottle within another, with sealed
up Intervening space from which the
air has been withdrawn.
Itis asserted that liquids in this
bottle can be kept hot forty eight
hours in the coldest weather and that
iced beverages will retain their
delicious GOODNESS for weeks in the
hottest summer.
In an electroIytic method of sharpen
ing files, the tool is connected with
the positive pole of battery of
twelve Bunsen cells, and then placed
in bath of 40 parts of suIphuric
acid in 10O0 of water. 1he negative
eIectrode is spiral of copper wire
encircling the file without touching
it. The process requires ten minutes,
and the renovated files are declared
to be as satisfactory as when first
made.
"AIkoethine, the new motor gas,
is mixture of air, aclohol vapor and
acetylene, resulting from the spray
ing of dilute alcohol over calcium
carbide. 1t proves to be a cheaper
fuel than gasoleCe, and the necessary
apparatus for producing it can be
adapted to any high speed gasolene
motor.
a singular property of platinum
amalgam was discovered by Prof.
Moissan Just before his death. After
mercury and water are shaken to-
gether they speedily separate into
distinct layers, but if the mercury
contains platinum in solution the
mass swelIs to about five times its
original volumne. forming an emuI-
sion that gives no sign of change
after twelve months. .Ihe microscope