Republican news item. [volume], March 17, 1898, Image 3

About Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??

Image provided by: Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA

                
BUTTERFLIES MADE QUEER TO ORDEB.
(nenry E. Crampton, Jr., instructor iu biobgy in Columbia University, in his labora-
tory grafting butterilies and moths.)
years of nge. He stumbled upon the
grafting idea a year ago while examin
ing the phenomenon of cellular life—
that is, the life of certain insects in
the pupae stage. He never made
much of his discoveries, and they
would not be known now were it not
that Professor J. B. Smith, who has
charge of the biological department of
the New Jersey State Experiment
Station at New Brunswick, N. J., in
au address! before the New Jersey
MicroscopiclSociety at New Brunswick
referred briefly to them.
On December 28 last the American
Society of Naturalists held its annual
convention nt Ithaca, N. Y. One of
the speakers at the convention was
Mr. Crampton. Jle had with him
twenty-five which were pre
served in alcohoflwit number of spec
imens of mybhs /mtl butterflies with
their . anatomies completely mixed.
These created a profound sensation.
Mr. Crampton modestly explaiued
how he had achieved the wonder.
Jn his laboratory at New Brunjwick
Professor Smith demonstrated to a re
porter for the New York World how
the grafting was done. From his col
lection he took two caterpillars, in the
pup® or third stage of the caterpillar's
life, when it is developing into a moth
or butterfly.
In the pupa) stage the caterpillar
rests in a cell somewhat like the shell
' but two and a half times
™pg and half again as large in di-
When this cell is cut open
•ting inmate is found to be a
okiug object about an inch
half an inch in diameter,
•ply at one end and round
the other.
exhibited by Profes
'""'wn in color.
' "*i the
i
ji
up
eien
ifting
Higher
mot be
us have
the skin
- of coarse
latter com
one by Mr.
is. No man
iscoveries may
on the Klondike.
to the Klondike"
.e Century by John
The author says:
.Bonanza Creek and the
i£l Dorado Creek are very
/ every-day creeks in ap
. little less civilized, per
creeks to be met with in;
There are men living iiJ
>-day who have hunted moostj
jse creeks dozen of times; but,l
as <ho old miners say, there were no
surface indications to lead any one to
suppose that gold might bo found in
them, so hundreds of miners passed
by in their boats, going to Forty Mile
and Circle City. The finding of such
gold is always an accident, and the
old hands are usually the last to real
ize the truth. "Stick George" Cor
mack and his squaw's relatives camped
on the creek for dinnor one day, and
somehow got to digging, and washed
out some gold. He went to Forty
Mile and made a claim for discovery,
nnd soon the news spread like wild
fire.
Found a Fossil Cypress Swamp.
During a recent excursion to Bodkin
Point, at the mouth of the Patapsco,
under the auspices of the Maryland
Geological Survey and the Woman's
College Museum, a fossil cypress
swamp deposit was found buried
twelve feet beneath the surface, it
having been exposed to view by the
action of the waves in wearing away
the bay cliffs. Numerous cypress
stumps were seen in upright position,
with their roots in place, and exhibit
ing the peculiar "knees" characteristic
of these trees. Some of the stumps
were of gigantic dimensions, the larg
est measuring about ten feet in diam
eter at the top. The stumps, roots
and trees are in a surprising state of
preservation as soft brown lignite.
Baltimore Sun.
Oldest Tvi Ins in the World.
Hugh and Hector McLean, of Dick
inson, Harnett County, N. C., cel
ebrated their eighty-eighth birthday
K M LEAN. HECTOR M'LKAN.
Their grandfather came to
•y from Scotland after the
jf 1745. I
SCRAPS.
jow hold that abort
J, 000 feet from th«
mperature decreases
je for every rise of 350
iting pure food, fresh out
reutlied,the blood will show
rease in red corpuscles, but
ng stimulants, the red disk?
eased in serious proportions.
ain Parry speaks of the great
•ice that sounds can be heard
.ng intense cold. "We often," he
s, "in the Arctic regions heard peo
.e converse in a common voice at the
.listance of a mile."
Bourrier, after a series of experi
ments, bus come to the conclusion
that fresh meat iu a room tilled witb
smoke of tobacco absorbs nicotine
readily, and may under circumstances
become so tainted as to lead to digas
tive disorders.
The temperature of the sun's sur
face has been measured and determined
to be between 12,000 degrees and 20,-
000 degrees. The most accurate de
terminations of the sun's temperature,
made by Wilson and Gray, in Ireland,
place it as 14,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
A celebrated family of lion tamers
are reported to use electricity. A live
wire is stretched across the cage and
serves as an impassable yet invisible
barrier which protects the performer.
It is said that one touch of the wire
gives a lasting lesson to the tiercest
lion.
Foreign orders for aluminium are
constantly being received by the Pitts
burg Reduction company of Pittsburg,
with works at New Kensington, Pa.,
and Niagara Falls, N. Y. Shipments
have recently been made to Japan, Ger
many, Italy, Austria, Sweden, and
other foreign countries.
Greenwich observatory claims that
it has little clear weather, sun and
stars are wholly invisible every other
day in winter, one day ,'n four iu fall,
Due in eight in spring and one in six
teen in summer. In the twenty years
ending with 1896, there were only
aight instances of sunlight for four
teen continuous hours.
Carbolic acid has been effectively
used for tempering steel tools by M.
Levat, a French engineer. Two cast
steel gravers of tine quality were
heated to a cherry red, and one was
dipped into water and the other into u
solution of commercial carbolic acid.
They were then tried on chiselled iron
and on extra hard white cast iron.
The water-tempered graver, was
notched in several places, while the
ather resisted perfectly.
Moving » Big Bu Iding.
A new and interesting experiment
is to be tried at the stock yards by a
local tirm of house movers. The 1*25
xlso foot two-story brick boarding
stable owned by the stock yards com
pany, located at 17tli and Bell streets,
is being raised and will bo moved one
block north on the site where the old
Colorado hotel was torn down during
the last few days. To raise the struc
ture required the use of 400 jack
screws and to move it 500 rollers will
be used. The movers are to receive
S3OOO if they successfully locate the
building ou the new site and they
have given a bond to protect the yard
company against damage to the build
ing. The barn is a substantial stable,
and originally cost $22,000. It will
require nearly four weeks to complete
the work.
The moving of the huge stable in
tact at the stock yards is the biggest
job of its kind undertaken in this city.
It is made all the more difficult, the
contractors say,because of the numer
ous double doors and windows, but
the meu in charge are coulident that
the work can be done iu the time set
without accident.—Kansas City Star.
Boring for Steam.
The deepest well in the world will
soou be completed near Pittsburg. It
is now more than one mile deep, and
when iiiiisned it may reach down two
miles into the earth. It is being bored
in the interest of science. The
object in penetrating so deeply is to
determine just what the interior of the
human footstool is like. It is the in
tention to continue the boring until
something entirely new is developed.
It has been the theory that if it is
possible togo deep enough some new
geologic condition or economic feature
would be found to exist. As the tem
perature increases the notion grows
that the "natural steam" will be en
countered or the bottom will be so hot
that cold water may be pumped down
and superheated steam pumped up.
But if the auger should melt?— Law
Digest.
A ltabbit Hunter's Ingenuity.
As everyone knows, Marshall Young
is a great rabbit-hunter. Last wintei
he was known to have bagged as many
as seventy in a single three hours.
He has been at his old trick again this
season. The other day he went and
got so many that a committee was sent
to investigate and report what method
had been used. After tramping about
three miles they discovered the secret.
Being unable to shoot tho frisky ani
mals, and having nothing but a bird
dog, he had resorted to stratagem. He
had blackened the end of a log so that
it appeared to be hollow. Then he
had chased the rabbits toward the log,
and they, mistaking the black spot for
a hole, had knocked their brains out.
His method is commended to any who
wish to try the experiment.—For'.
Dodge (Kan.) Messenger.
The Light of tho Houae.
Mr. Komanz—l tell you what, a
baby biigliteus up the house, and
that's a fact.
Mr. Practikel—Yes; we've had to
keep the gas burning all night ever
si— h) ours was born.— Philadelphia
Re L ~'d.
STEER WITH A WOODEN LEG.
XIo Manages to Got Around Briskly Wltk
tlii) Artificial Member,
Contentedly chewing the cud on th«
farm of Charles E. Wright, near Bowl
ing Green. Ky., is a wooden-leggei!
steer which manages to get around
THE STEEB WITH A WOODEN LEG.
briskly, and shows his displeasuro
when tormented by launching out his
wooden leg at the offender with a force
and precision that makes his new
member a more deadly means of
offense than his horns.
Dr. John E. Gray cut off the broken
leg and made and fitted the wooden
stump. The doctor says:
"A tree blew down on this steer,
and, one of the large branches striking
the right hind leg below the hock,
shivered it into minute pieces. His
body and side were badly bruised, but
as the weather was extremely warm he
could not be used for beef. So hi 3
owner, J. W. Sturgeon, of Piano, Ky.,
called upon me to see what I could do.
"I amputated the leg the same as I
would that of a human being. After
the operation J left him lying in the
shade of several large forest trees
near.
"I called again on the ninth day to
dress the leg und found him in a cheer
ful mood. I found that the leg had
healed more rapidly than I had ex
pected. I returned on the twenty
lirst day, when, as wound had entirely
healed, I set to work to make for him
a wooden leg. The artificial peg was
adjusted easily and is a success.
"My friend, Mr. Wright, and I
bought the steer and walked it twelve
miles into town. The animal covered
the distance as easily as if it had all
of the legs which nature gave it. H«
limps less than a man with an artificial
leg.
"'This ox is two and a half years old,
j weighs about 900 pounds and is about
seven-eighths shorthorn. He is tak
ing on fat at the rate of a pound and a
half a day, and will weigh at maturity
1400 to 1600 pounds. We ) trained
him to kick at people witli'liis wooden
leg, and he never kicks with the other
leg. He was seen to kick an oak
plauk off his stall the other day. Wo
have just begun to break him to work,
and think he can pull as much as any
ox."
STRANCEST OF ALL CHURCHES.
Queer Structure Dlicorercil b.v an Ex
plorer tn Africa.
Occidentals are apt, when a Moor
ish mosque is mentioned, to picture a
magnificent structure, with alabaster
walls, inlaid with jewels, and with
tapering minarets, from whose bal
conies the muezzin calls the natives to
their prayers countless times a day.
Bingen, the French explorer, has
written extensively of the mud
mosques built by the poor villagers of
lower Africa. But even Bingen
never saw so queer a house of wor
ship as the unsymmetrical structure
recently photographed in the interior
A BUILDING UNIQUE AMONG CHURCHES.
of Somali by the German explorer,
Grutzner.
The building, though lavishly decor
ated within, resembles the work of
some industrious animal like the
beaver in its outward appearance.
Without a particle of design, thrown
together hodge-podge, this strange
church seemed impossible to inspire
any kind of thoughts but those of
physical and mental discomfort.
Smallest Republic in the World.
Gaust is the smallest republic in the
world. It has r.n area of one mile anil
a population of 140. It has existed
since 1648, and is recognized by both
Spain and France. It is located on
the fiat top of a mountain in the
Pyrenees and has a president, who is
elected by the council of twelve. The
president is tax collector, assessor au<l
judge. The republic has no church
or clergy. The people worship inn
church beyond their country, and
when one dies he is slid down the
mountain to a cemetery in the valley
below.
A Pioneer Interview.
It is said of the Aberdeen Journal,
which has recently celebrated its one
hundred and fiftieth birthday, that
in one of its earliest numbers, cow
unhappily lost from the files, a partici
pant in the battle of Culloden was
interviewed two days after that his
toric combat. It was about the
earliest newspaper interview on re- i
cord.
Chicago now has a public billiard
parlor for women players. ,
Kuaaian Juwelry a Crme.
Russian jewelry is becoming as much
of a craze here as it has been and is
in Paris. It is quite the "go"for chate
laines, belts, collars, clasps, buckles
and the many ornaments worn by
smart women of the day. India gold
work is also much to the fore for per
sonal adornment, and beautiful as it is
in its elaborateness, it is still moie so
when exquisitely jeweled.
A Nurse Decorated.
A woman whose name has been
recently placed upon the Legion of
Honor of the French Academy is Mile.
Botard, known for many years as Mme.
Botard to the patients and physicians
in the Salpetrierf spital, where,since
she was a girl * , she has looked,
after the is in the women's*
wards. \ id demented pa
tients were 9 ua \ , and her success
with them V\ eS . result of gentle
treatment ai v e . oring them as much
as possible.
ICed for Women.
Heretofore the red ribbon of the
Legion of Honor has been awarded to
comparatively few women, but of late
the stringency of the principle gov
erning the admission of women seems
to be somewhat relaxed. Now it is
said women who spend large sums of
money in philanthropic work will be
considered as eligible for the decora
tion. Among the few women who
have been prominent in the Legion of
Honor roll have been Rosa Bonheur,
the artist; Mme. Dieulafoy, the ex
plorer; a number of Sisters of Charity
and some women who have shone in
hospital work.
Representative Native Women.
The American woman is to be per
petuated in lasting stone and in a
place where all the world may look
upon her and marvel. She will be a
part of the superb capitol building iu
Albany and will add much to the in
terior decoration of that structure.
In all the artistic work of the New
York capitol the part which woman
has taken iu history has been over
'oohed, for not one face of a woman
.ooks down upon the visitor. Super
intendent of Public Works Aldridge
has announced that he has selected
four women as types representing
women iu four different spheres, and
has given directions that their por
traits shall be carved in the stairway
caps. These four women are "Cap
tain" Molly Pitcher, Harriet Beecher
Stowe, Clara Barton aud Susan B.
Anthony.—New York Journal.
The Women of Turkey Domestic.
"Women in Turkey," says a recent
traveler, "are not so sadly lacking iu
domestic virtues as the American
housewife thinks, and it must be con
fessed that in some things they can
even give points to their sisters of the
complex civilization. If it is washing
day, the hanum, however high her
rank, attends personally to all the
rinsiug of her husband's garments,
though it must be confessed that this
is not so much from a fear that his
flannels may shrink as from a belief
that a spell could be cast upon them
by any desiguiug slave who wishes to
supplant her in his affections. Al
though every Turkish family, however
huinbie, has at least one black slave,
to do the ordinary washing, cooking
aud scrubbing, every mistress, even
to the highest in rank, prefers to give
her individual attention to all delicate
and special culinary ventures."
Feminine Diplomacy.
"I expect you bad an awful time at
the election last night," said the girl
who hadn't attended the annual meet
ing, "for I heard that nearly all the
girls wanted to be president, and that
there was going to be a terrible
tight."
"There wasn't,"explained the presi
dent, sweetly; "not a bit of trouble,
and all the old officers were re-elected,
too. You see, I wanted to be presi
dent myself this year,and Alicia Smith
wanted to stay in office, too, so we
fixed up a little plan between us, and
it was a famous success."
"What did you do? Hurry up and
tell me!" the other girl exhorted her
excitedly; "how on earth did you
inauage it?"
The president smiled happily.
"Oh, Alicia and I talked it over be
forehand," she said, "aud just as soon
as the meeting was called to order aud
before the girls had got through talk
ing she made a motion that the oldest
girl iu the club be made president al
ways, aud Lucille Hicks seconded it.
She wanted to be secretary again, you
see. So I put the motion, or the
question, whatever it was, and Alicia
and Lucille soid 'yes' very loud, and
all the other girls did the same, with
out understanding what it was all
about in the least. My ! but s.,me of
them were mad afterward, though."
"What happened then?" asked the
other girl; "did they all tell their ages
under protest?"
"No, indeed; not a bit of it," re
sponded the president, smiling again.
"I just knew they wouldn't. When
they found out what it meant, they
wouldn't say a word, so Alicia got up
again and moved all the oldofHesrs be
elected over again unanimously, and
every girl in the room shouted 'Yes.'
They were glad of any way out of th«
difficulty."—Chicago Times-Herald.
A Gown In Colonial Times.
The "all-wool goods a yard wide'
which we so easily purchase todaj
meant to the colonial dame or daugh
ter the work of months from the time
when the freshly sheered fleeces were
first given to her deft bands. The
flsects had to be opened with care,and
nave all pitched or tarred locks,
brands, "dag-locks" and "feltings' 1
cut out. These were spun into coarse
yarn, to be used as twine. The white
locks were carefully tossed, separated
and cleaned and tied into net bags
. with tallies to be dyed. Another
homely saying, "dyed in the wool,"
demanded a process of much skill.
Indigo furnished the blue shades, and
cochineal, madder and logwood beau
tiful reds. Domestic dyes of brown
and yellow, from the bark of the red
oak and the hickory nut, were univer
sal. Copperas and sassafras also dyed
yellow; the flower of the goldenrod,
"set" with alum, was the foundation,
combined with indigo, of a beautiful
green. Pokeberry juice and violet
dye from the petals of the flower-de
luce were other home made colorings.
After the wools were dyed the house
wife spread them in layers, if a mixed
color was desired, and carded them
again and again. The wool was slight
ly greased with rape oil or melted
"swine's grease" to be carded—a try
ing process. At last the wool was
carded into small, light, loose rolls,
ahout as large around as the little fin
ger, which were then spun into yarn.
The yarn was wound as it was
spun upon a broaeh, which was
usually simply a stiff roll of paper or
corn husk. When the ball was as
large as the broach would hold, the
spinner placed pegs in the spokes of
the spinning wheel and tied the end
of the yarn to a peg. Then she held
the ball of yarn in her hand and
whirred the big wheel round, winding
the yarn on the pegs into hanks or
clews. If the yarn was to be woven,
the hank was placed on the reel or
swift. A quill made from a piece of
reed was then placed on the spindle,
the wheel again set in motion, and the
yarn wound oft' on the quill, cut the
exact length of the loom shuttle, by
which the yarn was to be woven into
woolen cloth. When wound full the
quill was placed in the shuttle and
was then ready for the loom. The
home spun yarn was woven in hand
looms into heavy cloth, which was
washed, dyed, shrunken, dressed,
fulled, and then clot had the house
hold.—The Chautauquan.
Fashion Notes.
Corsets of plaid ribbon are one of
the novelties.
Moonlight gray is a beautiful opal
ine tint of that very fashionable color.
Black gowns in cloth and various
other new black materials are very
fashionable.
Heliotrope, in all the shades imagin
able, is in evidence among the new
colors for spring.
Petunia continues to be a very fash
ionable color, the pinkish rather than
the purple red of the flower being fa
vored.
Among the latest embroideries are
zouave aud bolero fronts, with long
pauels reaching almost to the hem of
the skirt.
A novel trimming for a velvet gown
is Valenciennes lace insertion over
white satin, outlined on either side
with imitation pearls.
A summer uovelty in. jewelry will be
studs and buttons aud pins of' carved
pink and mother-of-pearl, set in sil
ver, or with skeleton silver patterns
<ut out over the pearl.
Something very fetching among the
new embroideries 011 net and chiffon
is a combination of raised flowers in
lace and jet on steel sequins, which
form the stems and leaves.
Fichus aud sashes of net and chiffon
made to match and covered with
ruches and frills are displayed among
the new fancies. Bebe ribbon edging
the frills gives a pretty effect.
The new uun's veiling is the dainti
est sort of summer fabric made of silk
and wool luixe 1. It is very thin and
sheer, aud cornea in lively soft colors
with a striped border on the edge.
One of the shapes in spring wraps
is made like a half handkerchief of
velvet and covered with Venetian lace.
It is edged with fur in a frill of chif
fon, and supplied with the fashionable
high collar.
Tulles and gauzes woven with fili
gree gold, silver or steel are used for
making toques. Plain tulle and gauze
will be used for trimming all sorts of
spring and summer hats, and closely
spangled tulle will be used more for
the puffed borderiugs of straw toques.
A unique costume for a bridesmaid
is built of white corded silk, with a
piuk velvet zouave turned back in
front in draped levers. The back is
made sack fashion, falling from a yoke
outlined with fur, in two box plaits.
The velvet capulettes and the revers
are also edged with fur.