Amador ledger., 1908-03-06

The urgent need of greater accuracy
III the indications of the average
clock gives Importance to the sugges.
ton of j. Jorgensen, Lundoner,
that both public and private clocks
can be synchronized at slight expense
through either the gas or electric
mains of the town. The gasworks.
for instance, may have the regulator
clock, which is connected 90 the gas
main by simple attachment chat
has been invented. A simple me-
chanism is attached to each clock
entered in the system. and is con-
nected by small tube to the nearest
gas pipe. AT any convenient time of
day or night, lever at the regulat-
ing station is pulled for fraction of
a second. This slightly reduces tie
pressure in the mains, and causes
every connected clock throughout
the town to be set at precisely the
same time. With electric mains and
connections, the clocks are similarly
set at uniform time once daily by
breaking the circuit or reducing
voltage.
| The famous ape man, Pithecane-
chropus erectus, was found about
sixteen years ago, by DR.. Eugene
Dubois, in the gravel beds of the
,,iu in low
The recent explorations IN the same
locality by DR.. j. Eiberts, the Ger
man geologist, seem to indicate that
Java had still earlier inhabitants, who
built fires, cooked deer, pigs and
ancient buttalos and elephants, and
had pottery and stone arrow heads.
These people, whose bones are not re-
ported among the remains found, are
supposed to have lived 10000 years
ago.
Some tall mercury columns are
used in measuring great pressures.
One in we'll at Butte aux Cables,
France is 1860 feet high, and records
up to 660 atmospheres; one at st.
Etienne, in mine, is 1880 feet, re-
cording $50 atmoapheres, and that on
Eiffel tower is 1000 feet, recording
440 atmosphere, England's highest, at
the Technical college, Manchester, is
lis feet.
A burning cliff which recently
aroused fears of volcanic explosion
at Lyme Regis, England, has called
renewed attention to kind of earth
fire not connected with volcanoes,
of which few earlier examples have
been known. The phenomenon was
observed nearly twenty years ago in
another cliff of shale about three
miles from the same spot, and still
earlier the smoldering fires in cliff
Of dark blue clay on the eastern side
of Weymouth bay attracted much at
tention. The primary cause of such
outbursts seems TO be the oxidation
of iron pyrites, which is often abund
ant in shales and dark clays. Ihe
heat generated may become sufficient
to set fireSto some of the sulphur dis
titled out, yielding smoke and sui
phurous fumes, aud the bitumen of
some shales may add other intiamm-
able material. A British geologist
suggests that spontaneous combustion
in the latest case has been directly
due to the effect on the decomposing
changes, the heavy rains that have
followed fairly hot summer, or
possibly 70 the action of the sea.
Comparing the IecIprocating steam
engine with the new power generators
especially with the Parsons turbine
and gas explosion motors, which are
itsSonly real competitors-A. Berthier,
a leading French engineer, finds little
to choose from the standpoint of cost
and safety. The motor using gas from
poor fuel or refuse, though infer ior
in some respects, is very satisfactory
in requiring only a gas generator,
with pipe system of low spressure
and low temperature, and no auxiliary
apparatus. The steam turbine, with
reduced friction and absence of alter
mating motion and delicate mechan-
ism, is doubtless less exposed to de-
riolation, tut, like a piston motor,
it requires boilers, high pressure
pipes aud auxiliary apparatus-super-
heaters. oondensers, eoonomizers, etc.
increasing repairs and accident
risk.
Alfalfa grass, of which 100000 tons
yearly is already exported from AL