Blackfoot news., November 14, 1891, Image 2

About Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902

Image provided by: Idaho State Historical Society

                
HUMOROUS DRIFT-WOOD.
CLEANED FROM OUR 3TTY EX
CHANGES.
Dlnny and the Sucker—I ternal Im
provements—Why He Went to St.
Joe—All Under one Manage
ments—Better Than
Azure Blood.
Dinny and the Sucker.
Dan Graball, catching up with Mr.
Clover as the bunco man hail finished
with him—Aha, mepoorty —it'sgamb
ling yez have been, is it!
Mr. Clover, with sinking heart—E-er
well, yes. But it was against my will.
Dan Graball, with show of humor,
Ah, come off. Against th' "bunc," ye
mean. But ye can rest aisy friend. I
know all about it. Ye can jest be get
ting ready to come down to Head
quarters along wid me.
Mr. Clover in despair—Oh, please
don't. Please spare me kind sir. I
have a family to look after; and I
must—yes, really must—be getting
home.
Dan Graball, seemingly touched—
Well, well, my man, I don't fwant to
be hard on ye. But as ye know, I am
a detective. And being wan, l have a
jooty to perfor-rm.
Mr. Clover, utterly at loss, Oh me,
oh me!
Dan Graball, continuing—still softer
—My avocation is my bread and but
ter.
Mr. Clover—Oh, dear, oh dear!
Dan Graball, in a reproachful whis
per—And I, too, have a family to
support.
Mr. Clover, as a kindly ? providence
lets him grasp the hidden purport—
eagerly—W- would twenty dollars
answer? It's all they left me.
Dan Grabali. having first vouch
safed a look of untold gratitude for
Mr. Clover's ready wit—which obviat
ed any possibility of his having to
commit himself too plainly—Twenty
dollars? W-well, twenty cases isn't
much. But if it's all ye've got. I guess
I can—on wan condition, though.
Mr. Clover—Name it! Name it!
Dan Graball—That ye boord th'
first train out of town—and never
breathe to any man, a wor-rd of th'
favor I perfor-rmed for ye on this
day.
Mr. Clover, weeping tears of joy and
gratitude—and counting out' the
twenty dollars—I promise. I prom
ise. And may God bless you for a
kind-hearted man!—Prison Mirror.
Rather Fresh on First Acquaintance.
"Will you be kind enough to open the
car window for us?" asked one of two
pretty girls who were making a trip by
rail. They both looked at the man in
the seat behind theirs.
"Certainly," answered the traveler,
pWasantly, and he took the skin off one
pair of knuckles getting the window
open.
There was a moment's silence, when
pretty girl No. 2 said:
"Its too cold; will you please close
the window again?"
"Don't mention it," said the man,
and he closed it.
There was a silence for five minutes.
The man was reading a book. Then
one of the girls asked:
"Have you the time, sir?"
"Yes; it is just 4:30 o'clock."
"Tbankvou. Iwonderif thereisany
water on the train?"
He went into the next car and soon
returned with a tin cup t attached to a
clanking chain.
"Oh, how nice. Susie, you drink
first."
"Nellie, you first."
"No, you first."
He patiently held the cup with a
"drink-pretty-creature-drink" expres
sion on his face. When they had
quenched their thirst he returned the
clip to its pedestal.
Then he resumed his book and was
deep in its contents when a small,
sweet voice smote his ear.
"Could you tell us how far it is to
Pinktown?"
He could and did. Then they asked
him the rate of speed at which t.he
train was running, where ho was going
and where he came from. By that
time they wanted another drink and
he brought it, opened the window
again and was just giving the genesis
of his family when they both jumped
Pinktown," called the brakeman,
and they began a wild scramble to
find their traps.
"We've reached our station. It's
too bad. You'll be lonesome. Would
you mind helping us off with our
traps?"
He did not mind—indeed was very
glad to see them off. As he boarded
his train he iieard one sweet girl say
to Lite other:
"Rather fresh on first acquaintance,
wasn't lie?—Detroit Free Press.
Why He Went to St. Joe.
A short man with red whiskers,
shambling gait and the remorse of a
jag wandered into tiie Auditorium last
evening and asked for the typewriters'
studio, lie lives in Indiana, not a
million miles from Chicago, and has
been here attending the i aces. Luck
had walked on the same side of the
street with him and he wanted to stay
another week. But his wife expected
him home, so he was in search of a
typewriter to spnd home a letter to
serve as an apology for his non-ap
pearance.
"Chicago, this date, ninety-one," he
muttered to the typewritist.
"I have that."
"My dear wife."
"Yea."
"Very important business will re
up.
quire my presence in Cheboygan for a
few days-"
"Let's see," interrupted the artist,
"how do you spell that Sheboygan?"
"Spell it yourself. It's your own
typewriter." - —
"I can't.'
"Can't spell Cheboygan?" he asked,
with disgust.
"No."
"Then I'll go to St. Joe."—Chicago
Herald.
All Under One Management.
Judge McWhorter is president of the
shortest railroad system in the world.
It is something more than three miles
in length, between Crawford and Lex
ington.
Of this road Larry Gantt tells a
good story on the judge.
"Hamp was in New York a few
months ago," said Larry, "and while
in Col. John Inman's office he met
Jay Gould. He was introduced to
the wizard as the president of the
Lexington Terminal.
"Yes,' said Mr. Gould, T am glad to
meej you. You have a nice road. By
the way, Mr. McWhorter, how many
miles are there in your system?"
'"Nearly five,' replied Hamp.
" 'All under one management ?'
asked Mr. Gould, from force of habit.
"And the little wizard darted under
the table to save himself from being
hurled out the sixth story window—
Atlanta Constitution.
Internal Improvements.
One of the Schaumburg girls, Rebec
ca, while in New York recently, be
came acquainted with, and married
without her father's knowledgeorcon
sent, a miserable looking, spindle
shanked, impecunious little Israelite
named Max Rosenberg. When the
happy couple arrived at Austin, and
Mose Schamburg saw his new son-in
law, he raved and went on like a pi
rate, but he had to accept the situa
tion. He, however, never lost an op
portunity of telling Rebecca what a
miserable little cuss her husband real
ly was.
"Fadder," replied Rebecca, tearful
ly, laying her hand on her bosom,
"Max vash not beautiful outside, but
inside he vash choost handsome,"
meaning that Max had a kind heart.
"Rebecca, you say that Max vash
handsome inside?" asked Mose.
"Yes, fadder."
"Den why don't you turn him inside
out? He vould look so much better."
She Was Poetic.
A year or two ago there was among
the boarders at a mountain summer
hotel a celebrated botanist and a
certain pretentious woman who
liked to appear to the guests that
she was very well informed on all
subjects. The pretentious woman
affected to take an interest in the re
searches of the botanist among the
flora of the mountain.
"I suppose, Mr. Caylix," said the
lady, "you find almost all the mount
ain flowers around here?"
"I have found a great many,
ma'am," said the botanist.
"Well there's one kind of flower
that I've read a great deal of as be
ing always on the hills, and I've al
ways wanted to see it. Perhaps you
could pick me some."
"What is it?"
"The 'purple gloaming' you know!"
Chicago News.
Setting It Right,
A country doctor arrived in town
the other day, accompanied by his
groom, and went to purchase a horse.
The dealer however, failed to persuade
him to buy theammal. As he return
ed home the doctor said:
"Ah, Thomas, that man tried to
take me in; but lam not such a fool
as I look, eh?"
"No, sir," replied the groom, "that
you are not."
The doctor looking round rather
suspiciously, Thomas felt he had said
something not quite right, and, touch
ing his hat, added:
"Beg pardon, sir, I mean you hadn't
need to be."
The Last Stage,
Mrs. De Fashion.—"My dear, late
hours, late suppers, and general so
cial dissipation, have ruined your con
stitution."
Miss De Fashion, belle of six sea
sons—"I know it, ma."
"And your health is miserable.
"Yes, ma."
"And you are losing your beauty."
"It's all gone, ma."
"It really is. And so is your plump
ness."
'
"I'm nothing but skin and bones."
"There's no denying it, my dear.
You area mere wreck of your form
er self."
"Too true."
"What are you going to do about
it?"
"Get married."—New York Weekly.
Better Than Azure Blood.
Pater—So you don't like Mr. Falir
weste?
Daughter—I don't. He's too coarse.
I don't believe there's a drop of blue
blood in his veins.
Pater—Never mind that. He's a
mine owner, and the contents of his
veins are ores that assays twenty
thousand to the ton.
Daughter—I'll wed him.—Pittsburg
Bulletin.
Modesty Shocked Again.
"My! There's another awful row at
Asbury Park."
"What is the trouble now?"
"Some people has been sailing a
boat with a leg-of-mutton sail right in
in plain view of the people on the
beach."—Indianapolis Journal.
OUR YOUTHFUL READERS.
MATTERS OF PARTICULAR IN
TEREST TO THE YOUNG.
Tricks With Toothpicks—A Camp
Bed—Not Butter—A Little Nan
ny-Goat—Tackled the
Ghost.
Tricks With Toothpicks.
Tricks with toothpicks? Why, cer
tainly, and good ones, too. And, bet
ter still, anybody can do them—after
learning how. Here is one that will
puzzle old heads ns well as young.
Take the picks and form them into
P ' nine squares, when they
willlooklike theannex
—r- ed diagram. Then ask
your triend to remove
—I—_ eight picks and leave
; only two squares in
L I I stead of the original
If the trick is correctly donethe
eight picks bordering on the big out
side square will be taken away and
the solution will be seen in the second
diagram, which is here given.
THE THREE SQUARES. 1
Another little puzzle
in known as "the three i i
squares." First form
the picks in the aeeom- -
panying diagram and
then request your _
friend to remove three
picks and leave but
three squares. He will
undoubtedly ponder
over the problem for a
—! long time before he hits
upon the proper combination. It can
only be done m one way, and that is
to take up the central pick in the lower
row and then remove the two picks in
the upper left hand corner. Then the
squares will appear ns in tiie fourth
diagram.
TRIO OF DIAMONDS.
Another pretty but _
mystifying trick is >
styled "the trio of dia- j
monds." It is rather
unfortunate in name,
j as it gives a slight cue as
i to the manner in which
the puzzle is done. The
problem is to make four
I squares, as in the fifth
diagram, and to change
the positions of lour
picks, leaving three
squares instead of four. I-1
These must all be
joined together as at j
first, and be of the
same shape and size. -j-1
Although this appears
easy to solve, yet many !_'
people will find it to be a perplexing
proposition. The fifth diagram, how
ever, shows all you have to'do:
Take the two toothpicks from the
upper left hand corner and place them
in thesameposition at the upper right
hand corner; then remove the two
picks from the lower right hand
ner and place, them with the two oth
ers at tiie upper right hand corner.
I <M
A Camp Bed.
My latest, device, suitable for all
service, has been made up as follows:
A mattress body, made up of a piece
of "hair boiler felting," 5-8 to 3-4in.
thick, 6ft. long and 2ft.
care being taken to procure felt
ing not odorous with common glue,
or else the odor is very lasting. This
is cased in ticking of good quality, to
prevent any stiff hair from working
through, tied 5in. apart, mattress
iashion, and inclosed in removable
slip and washable calico.
If preferred, the mattress can be
in two parts 3 to 3*. 2 ft. long, as it is
the shoulders and hips that require
protection, and one piece will answer
when portability is an object, or a
friend can be accommodated. The
lengths of mattresses, of course, are
to be proportioned to the persons
using them, but don't get them too
wide, and more, I do not advise
double widths, as usually a person is
more comfortable sleeping alone,
while two mattresses can be joined if
desired. A pair of narrow, long,
double blankets and a small thin
pillow complete the bed proper.
Some way my ears could never be
induced to fit properly in the seat of a
saddle or the inequalities of a folded
overcoat, and a sun-burned neck does
not rest comfortably in a coil of rope
or block of wood, as I have used and
seen used on many occasions.
Next have made, or rather have it
made first, as it is indispensable, a
sheet 7J.j to 8ft. square of light water
roof duck, the same as is used in the
est canvass hunting suits, and also
a sack of the same material 18in. long
and 12in. wide, the latter to act as a
receptacle for extra clothing, toiletar
ticlesand the cetera« al ways requisite,
to be used as a supplemental pillow
also.
In packing the articles, the canvass
is spread out and matress thrown in
the middle, blankets folded in quar
ters and placed at the head of mat
tress, with pillow and sack on top.
Then fold tiie canvass sheet carefully
and roll the package, commencing at
head, into a neat and compact, a bun
dle as possible, securing it with two
straps made up in shawl-strap man
ner. A light dog chain around the
whole, with padlock, passes it as
chekable baggage on all railroads with
which i have had dealings.
Thus you have all your belonging in
one bulk, free from rain, mud, dust
wide,
~-,-from rain, mud, dust
and burrs, and ready for boat, wagon
or pack, excellent as a substitute for
a stool, and with partial opening of
the roll it gives a comfortable place
for a siesta. At night place the mat
tress near one end of tiie canvas, so
the loose part can be drawn over in
case it is needed to keep off dew, rain
or wind, for it will have to rain very
hard indeed to run the sleeper
out, MHÉttfMli
place for a bed Has been chosen,
slightly elevated
a
so water will not run under it,
and the canvass is properly tucked at
foot and side.
Give your bedding all the air and
sunshine possible, and if you
section where ticks, bedbugs t
pests of a biting nature abound,
sprinkle a quantity of insect powder
over your bedding when rolling it, and
you will not be troubled at night.
Of the many uses that can be made
of the canvass sheets it is needless to
speak, as they will at once be ap
parent, so I will finish with one word
of advise: As you have a place for all
your tricks and traps, keep them in it
and don't disturb your mates by al
ways looking for something.—Forest
and Stream.
are m a
or other
Not Butter.
A bright woman, who makes it a
point to find out in what subject the
person to whom she is introduced is
interested, and to lead the conversa
tion speedily to it, had an amusing
experience, which she relates with
great glee. A dinner was given by an
intimate friend, and she whispered
hurriedly to her hostess, who hail in
troduced lier to a pretermituraliy
grave man who was to take lier in to
dinner. "What does he like to talk
about best :
"Butter!" said the hostess' lips,
with a meaning smile.
It seemed a strange subject, but the
tactful guest brought the conversa
tion around to it, and as she after
ward said, "talked ns f to know good
butter when one saw and tasted it
was one of the most important things
in the world!"
Her companion did not seem inter
ested, and the conversation first
dragged and then came to a stop. An
other effort, and then the lady give
up the task, and devoted herself to
her neighbor on the other side.
Tiie "butter" man was obliged to
leave, pleading another engagement,
the moment the dinner was over,
much to tiie evident regret of his host
ess.
"It's too had lie could not stay
longer, and talk to us," lamented the
hostess to her friend. "He's such a
charming man. 1 knew you'd be just
the one to get him in a good mood for
talking, and then 1 thought we could
all reap the benefit."
"Charming! That man!" repeated
the guest. "Why, he scarcely opened
his mouth though I racked my brains
to make the 'butter' question attract
ive!"
"Butter!" ejaculated her hostess in
dismay. "I said 'Buddha!' I supposed
of course you knew lie was a high au
thority on the subject? What must
lie have thought?"
"I fancy," replied her friend, dryly,
"that he thought he iiad hold of an
advance agent for some agricultural
show."—Youth's Companion.
A Little Nanny-Coat.
A small girl—a very small one—who
did not shine particularly in the way
of goodness, was attended by a nurse
maid who was a simple, honest,
religious girl, always mindful of her
duty; and this duty, she felt quite
sure, pointed to the reforming of the
littlq heathen committed to her
charge.
On Sunday afternoons she often
took Miss Nellie to a meeting that was
held in the basement of some place of
worship, and the surroundings were
very plain and doleful, but the preach
er was an earnest inan, and, to
Hnnnah's great delight, her young
lady listened to him with much
attention. The words, "Now, my
hearers, I will give you a little anec
dote," were frequently used, and then
would follow some incident by wayof il
lust ration. Nellie always looked so ex
pectant at this announcement, and lis
tened with such eager attention to
what followed, that Hannah's heart
bounded for joy
troublesome child
to lind that the
was so seriously im
pressed. Her eyes filled with tears, and
site failed to notice the look ol disa
pointmeut that spread itself over the
small maiden's face after each anec
dote.
Finally the pent-up feelings came to
the surface; and one afternoon
they were walking home, Nellie indig
nantly exclaimed, "That man's an
awful story-teller, and I sha'n't go
there any more!"
"Tut, tut!" Baid the horrified Han
nah; that's very wicked, Miss Nellie.
What ever makes you talk so?"
"Cause he is. He's been
ns
saying
ever so many times. 'Now my hearers,
I'll give you a little nanny-goat'; and
he never gave anybody
b'lieve he sgot any."—He
People.
ono! I don't
arper's Young
Tackled the Ohost.
A young man who was a servant
at a farmhouse in a very wild district
in Sussex, was sent one night with a
message to Burwnsh. He was warned
before he started that a ghost was
very often seen near a stile which he
had to cross. He accordingly took
with him a middling sized thick stick,
and said that if any ghost interrupt
ed him he would, by the help of his
"bat," try and find out what a ghost
was made of. As he got near the
stile, he duly caught sight of the
ghost in front of him, glaring fiercely
out of the hedge. lie put down his
basket, walked boldly up to the place,
and with his "bat" struck out boldly.
He owned that be then felt a good
deal frightened, for no sooner iiad lie
struck than flames on all sides came
flying past his head. However he
held his ground, and then discovered
that he hail smashed into a hundred
pieces an old rotten tree stump, which
had dried up into touchwood, and tiie
phosphorous in wiiich »bone with such
mysterious brightness in the dark.
SCIENCE AND PROGRESS.
USEFUL DISCOVERIES BY MEN
OF GENIUS
Changes In the Sun—A New Light
house-Preparation of Blue
Prints—Watoh Making In
Franoe —The Boomer
rang Myth.
Changes In the Sun.
But we cannot rest with the as
sumption that, since the sun is evi
dently no Mira and no Sirius, there
fore it is practically an unchanging
radiator which for an indefinite period
will continue to cause the earth to
bloom in tiie beneficent effulgence of
its life-inspiring rays. A sun may ef
fect the welfare of its planets either
through the gradual mutations which
it undergoes in the course of its evolu
tion, or through the more rapid and
violent changes that characterize ttie
stars that ure ranked as variable.
Wo have seen that most of these hitter
belong to the third and fourth classes,
but there is reason to suspect that
the majority of all the stars are vari
able to a slight degree, and evidence
of variability in the case of the sun is
furnished by the phenomena of sun
spots. A spectator, viewing the sun
from a distant point in space, would
perceive that its brilliancy was
slightly increased once m about
every eleven years. These se
cessions of light should correspond,
not with the periods of fewest spots,
but with those of most spots, because
the energy of the sun's radition is
greatest during the maxima. At pres
ent a sun-spot maximum »approach
ing, and since last winter the face of
tiie sun lias frequently exhibited
startling indications of the tremend
ous disturbances now affecting the
solar globe. Our imaginary observer
in space would probably behold at
the present time a very slight increase
in the sun's brilliancy, and this in
crease may go on for three or four
years to come. White we. dwelling up
on a globe that is bathed in the sums
rays, may be unable to perceive
these variations directly, yet their
effects have long been recognized by
the changes that thev produce in ter
restrial magnetism. It is also highly
probnble that a perceptible influence
upon the weather is exercised by
variations in solar radiation corres
ponding with the presence or absence
of sun-spots.—The Popular Science
Monthly.
A Now Lighthouse.
Mariners on the Pacific coast
are re
joicing over the rapid progress of work
on St. George lighthouse and fog-sig
nal station on Seal Rock, about eight
miles from the shore of fiel Norte
County, Cal.
This point is one of extreme danger.
The deep channel between the reef and
mainland is filled with treacherous
rocks, submerged beneath rapid and
powerful currents. In winter the
shores are lashed with huge
making the scenery the grandest
the coast. It was here that the ill
fated Brother Jonathan went down a
few years ago with its freight of hu
man beings and gold and greenbacks.
The lighthouse was begun ten years
ago, but, owing to the difficulties en
countered and the
which Congress made
proceei
n cutting off the top of the
rock for the foundations several lives
were lost, and in the rude winter
storms the fruits of a summer's
hard
several
blocks used in
haveto be brought from Mud River,
near Trinidad. In their originnl form
they are huge boulders, which have to
he blasted. These are taken to Trini
dad, cut to the desired size and form,
and transported by the schooner
ffimol to the lighthouse. 8he anchors
off the rock in 120 fathoms of water,
being made fast by four huge rabies
on each side. 'Fliese are anchored to
the rock and to sunken anchors. A
derrick is raised ainidship, the granite
blocks hoisted in strong nets to the
top of th n masts, enrried to the rock
on a line attached to n derrirk on the
pier, and placed in position,
one is marked, and so carefully has it
been cut that there is not an eighth
of an inch between it and its neigh
bors. Although the tower now is forty
feet above the water, the workmen
constantly drenched. The fifty-three
men now employed will have the stone
and brick work done by September.
Hie number will then be reduced
ten, and t hey will complete the iron
work, which is being made in Trenton,
N. J. When finished the lighthouse
will lie 1 40 lent above sea level and
cost $750,000.—New York Evening
Post.
near the Oregon line.
waves,
on
slowness with
iriat ions,
ast as it
approt
d ns I
work did not
ougnt.
toil
swept
'Hie
the construction
were
t i mes.
away
granite
Each
M 1
to
The Boomerang Mvth.
amusing to people
know Australia and the aborigines,
says an old Australian in theHt. Lou
is Globe-Democrat, to read in maga
zines and newspapers scientific disser
tations on the construction anil pe
culiarities of the boomerang, based, I
suppose, on the tales of travelers.
None of the t.lieorizers seem to have
found the most obvious explanation—
that tiie travelers are simply romanc
ing. Tiie fact is thnt the boomerang
is the black fellow's tomahawk.
Sharpened on the outer edge and
made of iron-bark wood, it is indeed
a dangerous weapon as a club or a
hatchet.
I have lived for twenty years in
Australia, and have hunted for days
in the bush with parties guided liy ab
original blacks. Not oven the all-po
tent inducement of brandy or rum will
persuade u black fellow to give an ex
it is
who
hibition of bin skill with tha boome
rung, for tha plain and sufficient reason
that there is no skill about it. The
popular belief that the boomerang in
an expert's baud may be made to
«trike an object with unfailing precis
ion, traveling in a curveand returning
by a circuitous (light to tile throwers
feet, is pure nonsense.
When a traveler says lie has seen a
boomerang thrown so as to circle
about a tree and strike an object be
hind it, he lies; that is all there is to
it. At dose range the boomerang
can be thrown with effect, but
more accurately than a stone. 1
have seen a black fellow administer
the coup de grace to a wounded kan
garoo with his bomerang, using it as a
club.
In certain Australian tribes the
form of the boomerang is stu b that it
could not possibly tat made to describe
a complete curve, being aeurve on the
inner side and a sharp-edged perfect
right angle ou the outer. When the
black fellow is at war or on the chase
his killing wea(>ons are his spears— «
long,heavy shaft, with a jagged point
for war. and a light, throwing javelin
for hunting purposes.
lx ■
Watch Maklns In Franca,
It apjiears from a report muile by
the Besancon Chamber of Commerce
on the operations of t lie French w atch
industry, that the anticipations form
ell in 1880 of an improving course of
business were fully realized in 1800.
Gut of 401,cm watches of French
manufacture delivered for consump
tion in l MOO—of which about BO per
cent, were gold and 70 percent, silver
—no fewer than 401,400 were passed
by the Besancon Control Office. For
eign watches to the number of 40,
011 were passed, as follows: At Hon
tarlier, 32,557; Montbéliard. 10,080;
Betlegarde, 3.850; Paris 2.031 ; Besan
con, 002; and all other offices, 570.
Of the total foreign watches, 8,515
were gold and 32,300 silver. As
2,050 out of the 2,743 gold watches
passed by the Parts Control Office
were of Besancon origin,! t thus appears
that the extraordinary number of
404,080 out of 404,430 watches,
partly consisting of precious metals
manufactured in France last year,
stand to the credit of Besancon. A
comparison of the French watches
with tiie foreign article shows that
Besancon supplied 00.70 |ier cent, of
the general consumption in 1800.
against 80.51 per cent, in 1880, ami
85.45 per cent, in 1888.—IaiiuIou
Times.
Testing Diamonds In the Dark
Btories of diamonds shining in the
dark have always Iwen familiar, but
few (lersons have ever seen this mys
terious light of the king of gems.
Irately Mr, George F. Kunze, the New
York expert in precious stones, nas
discovered not only that diamonds
really do shine in the dark, but that
this pro|>erty may lie used as a test to
the genuineness of a diamond.
In order to make the gem shine it
must Ik* rubbed on wood cloth or
metal. Home diamonds exhibit light
after having lwen exposed in the sun
shine, or to a strong electric illumina
tion, and sin -e all are not thus affect
ed, it was formerly supposed that
property belonged oniy to particular
diamonds.
Mr. Kim/, however, finds that nil
diamonds, of every grade a« to color,
possess this phosphorescent power,
while other kinds of precious stones
lack it.
It is accordingly possible to tell
whether n gem is really n diamond or
not by observing whether it can b*
made to emit light in the dark. The
cause of the phosphorescence of the
diamond remains to be explained.
the
Tha Spend of Blcyolns
Tha Kölnische Zeitung gives an ac
count of some interesting experiments
which were tried by Major Bris, tiie
comrtwinder of the Militnr-Tunian
stult in Berlin, in order to test the
speed of bicycles as compared with
that of horses, for the purpose of con
veying dispatches to Berlin and Weis»
sensee. 'File distances attempted
were, from Btrassburg to Weisseneee.
a distance of just under 24 miles, and
from Eborswalbe to Weissensee, 52
miles. In the latter journey two cav
alry officers rode against two infantry
officors mounted on bicycles. Thu
latter accomplistied the journey in
215 minutes and 210 minutes re
spectively, while the two lieutenants
on horseback arrived at their destin
ation seven minutes before the first
bicycle rider. In the shorter distance
the same result was obtained, the
riders arriving a few minutes in ad
vance of the bicyclists. In both cases
the cavalry officers only rode at a gal
lop for the first 15 minutes of the
jourooy while the bicyclists went at
full speed all the way.
Preparation of Blue Prints.
In a communication to the Engi
neering News, F. H. Latimer states
that, he has found thnt lidding oxalic
acid to the ordinary blue print mix
ture materially lessened the necessary
time of exposure. Tho solutions used
were: (I) Ammonia citrate of iron,
120 grains; water, ono fluid ounce, to
which are added a few drops of strong
ammonia solution till the odor is
quite perceptible. (2) Potassium
ferricyanide, 105 grains; water, one
fluid ounce. (8) Saturated solution
of oxalic acid. Equal quantities of
the first two solutions wore mixed to
gether, and to ten parts of this mix
ture from one to three parts of the
oxalic solution are added just before
use, with tho result that In cloudy
weather tho solution containing three
parts of oxalic acid prints about ten
times as quickly as the pure solution.
For ordinary purposes, however, it is
better not to add more than 20 per
cent, of the oxalic acid solution, or
difficulty will be found in getting the
lines to wash white.