The mirror., 1920-10-21


the fury of the waves. Whales and
sharks have been cast ashore and killed.
The current is estimated to run at thirty
miles an hour.
The tar sands along the Athabasca
River in Alberta could be utilized to pro-
vide sufficient oil and gasoline to supply
the entire world for centuries, it is claimed
by experts. The country in which the
sands are situated has recently been with
drawn from the privilege of sale, settle
ment or other disposal, leaving the land
free to development.
Artic Canada, the land that is popular
ly supposed to be frozen desert is, in
summer, one great flower garden, gorgeous
with goldenrod, popies, bluebells, dande-
lions and bluegrass If one were inclined
to speculate, one might conjecture that
Kentucky received its bluegrass from these
Artic meadows millions of years ago in
the ice age says Vilihjalmur Stefansson.
The silk stockings that one sees in the
shop windows are expensive enough now
adays surely. Perhaps it is to reconcile
buyers to the extravagant prices asked
and never more of them sold than today
that manufacturers are telling of more ex-
pensive silk stockings than those ordinarily
sold. They are made from silk which is
not the product of the silkworm, but a spe-
cies of shellish called puma. The puma
makes its home in the warm waters of the
Mediterranean around Sicily. 1t has an
odd little tube, spider fashion, or silkworm
fashion, it spins silk thread with which
it wishes to adhere. When the puma moves
on to fresh feeding grounds its silken cable
is left behind. This cable, which is called
byssus, the Sicilian fishermen gather.
Byssus weaves into the softest, finest,
sheeniest of fabrics; but it is very rare,
and the stockings woven from it conse-
quently are as has been said, exceedingly
expensive.
Winner of "The Shorthand Writers
Cup" and the title champion Shorthand
Writer of the World" in 1911, 1912, and
1913, and of the Worlds Shorthand Cham
pionship Gold medal in 191+similar con-
tests were not held during the war-Mr.
Nathan Behrin, Pitman writer, recently
created worlds record in an open COM
petition held under the auspices of the
Society of Certified Shorthand Reporters
of New York by writing at the rate of
322 words minute. This remarkable
achievement was made in the presence of
many of the worlds most prominent short
hand writers, and Mr.. Behrin was the on
ly writer to qualify in the final test. In
all the history of shorthand this is the first
time that over 800 words minute on
Court testimony have been written and
transcribed publicly before an officially
organized shorthand body.
Some remarkable results were obtained
in recent borings in the asphalt lake on the
Island of Trinidad, where a new low
level record of $50 feet was reached. The
previous record made in 1893 was 153
feet. On both occasions the asphalt was
found to be of uniform character through
out. Great difficulties attend any attempt
to sound the lake, as it is in constant, al
though almost imperceptible, motion. The
pressure of the mass of asphalt against the
drilling apparatus caused it to bend, and
the DETECTION makes further boring i'm
possible. After completion of the test, the
hole was observed to shift at the surface
IS feet in six weeks. The movement was
shown to exist to depth of 100 feet and