Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-01-19


Although the first attempts to manu-
facture paper from peat were made in
Ireland some years ago, it required
the Intervention of American mechan-
ical ingenuity to render the process in
dustrially successful. Peat papt.f is now
made at Capac, Michigan, at from one
half TO one-third OF the cost of wood
pulp paper. Because OF the oily sub
stances which it contains, peat paper
is impermeable 20 moisture, and is not
attacked by insects. 1t is of dark
brown color, but It is hoped that pro-
cess will be found for making it white.
The great boys of Ireland would form
almost inexhaustible supplies of mate
rial for this paper
A native OF Seryia named Merchep
has devised what he terms "a boat in
kuapsack," for army purposes. The
boat is composed of linen. rendered i'm
rermeable by coating of rubber, and
is provided with oars, which fold into
each other to the size of an ordinary
walking stick, and a cork seat. which
also serves to keep 1t taut when open.
The model can accommodate one person
oily, but larger ones may be made on
the same plan for The conveyance of
troops and baggage when crossing riv-
ers. The invention has been tried on
the Seine by French naval experts and
by the Russian attache. who speaks of
1t IN high terms and hopes to have it
introduced into the Russian army.
w. de Fonvielle announces that a
committee, appointed by the Scientific
Commission of the Aero Club OF
France, Is about to institute expert
nents to determine who among its
members Is best fitted physically to re-
sist the effects Of high attitudes, and
that then a systematic effort will be
made to penetrate into the zone OF
atmosphere lying 10000 meters-32, 900
to $4,000 feet-above the earth's sur
face. The ascensions concerned with
this attempt have been called ''physio-
logical" because their principal object
is to study the vital phenomena of the
upper air. Apparatus for the inhala-
ton of oxygen as "a gaseous cordial"
will play an important part in the
scheme.
Recent experiments at Sheffield, Eng
land, suggest The possibility that in
this century shields may once more
form an important part of the equip
ment of sn army, says Harper's Week
~. Steel shields, three millimeters in
thickness and about $50 square inches
In area. have been devised, which afford
complete protection against bullets fired
from the service rife at range of 400
yards. The small size of the shield.
which weighs only pounds, requires
that the soldier shall lie prone on the
ground in order to be sheltered. Each
shield has a loophole for the rifle and
them can be linked into a continuous
screen. The idea Is that by the use of
such shields the necessity of digging
trenches may be avoided.
The industrial value Of dogwood is
probably but little appreciated except
by manufacturers and users of bobbins,
shuttles and splndles employed in cot
ton and wooden mills. These are made
of dogwood or persimmon wood, and
hitherto the supply has come from the
Southern States. The Forest Service
now calls attention to the fact that the
supply in that part of the country is
neatly exhausted. Fortunately dogwood
abounds In Oregon, Washington and
California, and large plants for the
manufacture Of spindles have recently
been erected in the Cascades in Oregon.
In the East an attempt has been made
to substitute the wood of the mesquit
and the tupelo for dogwood. The mes
quit is very hard. heavy and close
grained the tupelo Is heavy, but less
hard 1t has the valuable property of
wearing smooth by friction.