The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-07-25


Cowper-Coles electrolytie process direct from
the ore at a cost of $12 per ton for power, were
late interesting exhibits at a Royal Society con-
versazione.
The mapping Of the United Estates by the
Geological Survey has been in progress since
1879 and so far somewhat more than third OF
the country has been surveyed, or about 1,O5OOOO
SQUARE miles, exclusive of parts of Alaska. The
atlas is In sheets representing areas, called
ouadraneles, bounded by meridians of longitude
and parallels of latitude. Maps have been made
of about 200 quadraugles, and have been pub
lished in sheets of the nearly uniform size of II
by 20 inches, but on three different scales. The
maps of mile to the inch average about 23O
SQUARE miles, those of 2 miles to the inch show
geo square miles, and those of miles to the inch
represent 37O0 square miles. The large scale Is
used for densely populated and otherwise i'm
portant areas; the second, for thinly settled,
mountainous or desert regions, and the smallest
for areas covered by reconnaissance surveys.
A special larger scale is used for some particu-
larly important areas. The maps show the i'm
portant natural features, all political bounda-
ries routes of travel, cities and towns. with the
names of the various features, and also indicate
permanent survey monuments, bench marks
that have been accurately fixed, and boundaries
established in public land surveys. Of the three
coors black is used for the chief features, brown
for elevation and blue for water.
IA
The latest large animal to become extinct, the
California sea elephant (Macrorhinus angustiros-
tris). is a species belonging to the seal family,
and the male had a tubular proboscis that could
be elongated and dilated. Specimens taken to
England a few months ago by Walter Roths-
child's collectors are the last They were taken
on the island of Guadaloupe, Off the coast Of
Southern California. and will be preserved in
the London Natural History Museum and else
where. Until now no museum has had an adult
male specimen.
Bird whistles are curious Picking product.
Bamboo whistles of two to five tubes and gourd
whistles of two to thirteen apertures are wired
to the tails of the pigeons, and emit a peculiar
and pleasing aerial music as the birds fly through
the air.
The first practical use of submarine fog signals
seems to have been made on the vessels of the
Zealand line running between Flessingue, Hol-
land, and Queensborough. England. The ordi-
nary signals on the two jetties of Flessingue had
proven ineffective in directing vessels in fog to
the entry of the port, and the difficulty was
overcome by mounting a bell under water so
that the sound sent outward should be strong in
veil Wear the forward end of the efipfDelow
the water line, a sound receiver in awater-tight
iron box is placed at each side and each receiver
is connected to a telephone the captains
BRIDGE By means of a switch the sound of the
two receivers can be brought to the ear alter
nately. The relative intensity indicates the di-
rection of the shore-bell, and shows how to steer
to keep in the center of the channel.
-
Ocean observations, connected to the CONT
nents, have been suggested as a need in fore
casting European weather, but more econom-
ical plan is proposed by N. Bgourdan, a French
meteorological, who would have regular weather
reports furnished by steamships equipped with
wireless telegraph apparatus. How essentials are
the observations at sea is seen from the fact that
weather changes are generally associated with
the passage of atmospheric depressions from the
westward in the Atlantic north of $50 north lati-
tude. About half of these depressions seem to
come from North America and the others form
in the open ocean. Wireless weather reports
are already made by British naval vessels.
-.
Acting on the theory that the preservation of
eggs depends upon absolutely preventing the
interchange of air between the outside and in
the shells with lard and packed with no point of
contact on bed of dry tow or fine odorless
shavings. By this simple plan the weight, color
and flavor of the eggs were perfectly retained
at the end of year.