Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-05-27
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Suez canal has proved to be one of
the most profitable commercial under
takings in the history Of the world,
and the Manchester ship canal is nov
accomplishing all and more thar was
promised at first.
Engineers and scientists are making
exhaustive studies of the recent floods
in Paris, to devise a system which will
prevent a repetition of the disaster.
1t is planned to keep the Seine within
it's channel either by constructing
higher entertainments or by carrying
the surplus waters around the city in
a bypass channel.
That the steel car is of great value
as a protection to passengers IN the
event of collision was demonstrated in
a recent clash of two trains in the
Hudson TUNNEL, New York City. There
was no telescoping, as would prop
ably have occurred with wooden cars,
and the injuries We're merely such as
resulted from the passengers being
thrown down by the shock of the col
lision.
The latest report Of the Geological
SuINc Slo"o lCt LIN N"lut VI 'AiS AN
tallic products of the United States for
1908 was $549, 923,116, as against $685.
SO2, 244 for 1907. The only increase
was in the case of gold-$94, $50, 900,
against S9O,435,7OO. Yet in the case of
copper the quantity was greater in
1908 than in 1907-942,570,721 pounds,
against S6S, 996.491 pounds. The value
of the non-metallic products also
showed a falling off from 81, 161, 105,-
72O in 1907 to 81 ,045,49 ,070 in 1908
The unspecified mineral products, how
ever, increased from 500, 900 to $3.50
600. Petroleum showed an increase in
both quantity and value-179, 572,479
barrels, against 166, 095 1856 barrels, and
$129, 7O6, 25S, against $12O.1O6,7 49.
A new petroleum field is being de-
veloped on the northern slopes of the
Caucasus, about fifty miles from the
seaport of Touapse, on the Black sea,
in the district of Maikop, South Rus
STA. 1t is reported hat the thickness
of the oil series indicates that the
district will take a prominent place
among the worlds oil regions. TIL Oil
is found in Oligocene beds of Tertiary
HSts anu IL lItll u Iva L ID lIitl
the oil beds are everywhere associated
with a vast abundance of fish and veg
etable remains. In one cliff no trace
of petroleum is found except in a layer
of sandy clay, which alone is full of
ancient fish remains. This is regarded
as making the inorganic theory Of the
origin of petroleum inadmissible so
| far, at least, as the Maikop district Is
concerned.
At least two Brazilian travellers have
described an extraordinary phenom-
enon connected with the nests of white
| ants, or termites. DR.. J. S. da Fonseca,
who saw the exhibition on the head
| waters of the Rio Verde, describes the
| appearance as that of tiny stars. giving
| the nest the look of a miniature tower
| brilliantly Illuminated. When the nest
was struck with a stick the lights went
out, only to reappear. again little by
little. C%astelnau, in the middle of the
last century, beheld a similar specta-
Gle near the city of Goyaz. He says
that the lights were produced by an
immense number Of small phosphores-
cent larvn, which withdrew into the
galleries of the mound when an at
tempt was made to capture them. Prof.
J.. G. Branner of Stanford University
remarks that this exhibition is prob
ably confined to some particular 80