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MASS OF THE EARTH.
It la About Twico aa Rigid aa if Com
poaed of 8taal.
From refined researches in the
transmission of earthquake waves
through the earth’s strata, from
computations made by high mathe
maticians upon data secured by
swinging delicate pendulums in
north and south and east and west
planes and from the motions of
horizontal pendulums in subter
ranean chambers it has been de
duced that all these movements can
be explained by the properties of
the earth’s mass if it, as a whole, is
about twice as rigid as if composed
of steel.
The little sgratchings made by
man on the surface reveal rocks,
but none approach steel in rigidity.
The specific gravity of the earth is
5.6G—that is, it is that many times
denser than if composed of water.
Pendulum experiments and rec
ondite studies of variation of lati
tudes and of tides in the solid ma
terials of the earth all indicate
that-the globe as a whole is very
rigid. But the material within is
unknown.
It is not absolutely rigid, how
ever, because the pendulums were
deflected only two-thirds the amount
they would be with an earth whose
rigidity is absolute.
Changes in latitude of places
show that the equator moves, but
this cannot move unless the axis
moves slightly in reference to the
principal axis of rotation. Thus the
earth actually wabbles like a peg
top. And from this fact it appears
that its rigidity is greater than that
of steel.
We have no clew as to what the
materials of the earth’s center may
be to have this great rigidity. But
tides in the globe, as revealed by
pendulums, wave velocities that are
propagated by earthquakes and real
changes in latitudes agree that the
earth is more rigid than if the in
terior were made of steel.
Nothin? is known as to the ther
mal state of the central regions.
White hot lava certainly pours forth,
hut we do not know from what
depths. Heat increases with depth
of mines, but we do not know if this
increase continues. If it does, then
any substance known would he
melted.
If the center is'melted, then the
crust, to be so rigid, must be com
posed of materials whose nature is
unknown. If absolutely rigid, then
no attraction of the moon nor any
other body or combination of bodies
could cause the earth to bend. But
it does rise and fall in minute tides,
and these are about the same as
they would be in a sphere of nearly
double the rigidity of steel.—New
York American.
Up to the Deer.
The colonel was boasting of his
native south.
“Wonderful country down in Tex
as, seh, and pow’ful fertile too. Yes,
I know many a spot daown theh
where the trees grow so close to
gether that you all couldn’t shove
youah hand between theh trunks.
And as for game, seh, why, I’ve seen
deah with antlers eight feet spread!
Yes, seh!”
“But colonel, how can such deer
manage to get their antlers between
such tree trunks ?”
The colonel drew himself up with
gTeat dignity.
“Thet, seh,” he replied, “is theh
business.”—Portland Press.
Moneymaking.
Your dog will chase his thou
sandth and even his millionth rab
bit just as though it were the first
he had ever seen. He’ll strive and
strain in pursuit of it to the point
of heartbreak. One might suppose
his soul’s life depended upon its
capture. And yet should he over
take it he will cast it aside when
killed and will begin quartering the
ground to start another. To the
last gasp of his breath that dog will
chase his rabbit. When you tell me
why that dog wants another rabbit
I will tell you why I want more
money.—James R. Keene.
The Decay of Glass.
Few persons who admire the iri
descence of ancient glassware know
that the prismatic hues displayed
are a result of the decay of glass.
When disintegration sets in, the
substance of the glass splits into ex
ceedingly thin laminae, which, as
the sunlight traverses them, give
rise to a splendid play of colors.
Like the leaves of a forest, these
delicate glasses signalize their ap
proaching dissolution by becoming
more beautiful.—Harper’s Weekly.
Shifting the Blame.
The colonel came down to break
fast with a bandaged hand.
“Why, colonel, what’s the mat
ter?” they asked.
“Confound it all!” the colonel an
swered, “we had a little party lam
night and one of the younger men
got intoxicated and stepped on my
hand.”—Exchange.
~ RAMMED BY WHALES. ,
Vessels That Were Disabled by the
Force of the Collision.
While cruising in the south teas
the whaler Essex on Nov. 20, 1820,
was furiously attacked by a cow
sperm whale supposed to have been
the mother of a calf which had just
been harpooned. The whale had
not been wounded herself, and her
attack was very determined. At her
first rush 6hc passed under the Es
sex and carried away a great length
of her false keel. Then, coming to
the surface a considerable distance
away, she appeared to take bearings
and deliberately charged the vessel
again, ramming her with such vio
lence that she stove in the bows,
while the ship rolled so heavily
that the captain thought she must
be dismantled. The case is mem
orable because the crew had to
abandon the vessel, and one boat
was never heard of again.
A more singular instance of a
whale attacking a vessel occurred in
1895. The singularity lies in the
fact that in the case of the Handa
Isle the attack was entirely unpro
voked. This vessel, a brigantine of
260 tons, was on her way to Sydney
with a cargo of timber. On Aug.
24, about noon, a couple of sperm
whales rose very close to the vessel,
and while the crew watched them
“sporting” across her bows the pair
suddenly slued around and came
straight for her. One thought bet
ter of it and dived below the Handa
Isle. The other struck her fair
and square on the beam, crushing
in her timbers. Having rammed
the ship in this resolute fashion, it
sheered off. terribly damaged about
the head, and presently sank tail
first.
Fortunately there were some
packages of rawhides on board, and
the crew were able to keep the ves
sel afloat with the pumps until a
rough and ready collision mat had
been fashioned out of these and
drawn over the leak.
Reward of Boaating.
‘Tather,” boasted the farmer’s
son, home from college for over the
holidays, “I’m the strongest man in
our college this year.”
“You don’t mean to tell me!”
“Yes; they tested me with differ
ent kinds of strength testing ma
chines in the gymnasium, and my
record shows that I’m the strongest
student enrolled there this year.
The physical director says I’m a
‘modern Hercules.’ ”
“My son, I’m glad to hear the
good news. Instead of going back
to college you can stay home here
and help me lift the mortgage off
the farm.” — St. Louis Post Dis
patch.
The Various Alphabets.
The alphabets of different nations
vary in the number of their letters.
Arabic has twenty-eight letters,
Armenian thirty-eight, Coptic thir
ty-two, Dutch, German and English
twenty-six; French twenty-five,
Georgian (Transcaucasian) thirty
nine, Greek twenty-four, Hebrew
twenty-two, Italian twenty-one, Lat
in twenty-three, Persian (Parsee or
Zend) forty-five, Russian thirty
three, Sanskrit forty-nine, Slavonic
forty, Spanish twenty-seven and
Syriac twenty-two. The Chinese
have no alphabet, but they have
20,000 syllabic signs—their pho
netic alphabet.
The Golden Gate.
The center gateway in the Bran
Henburger Tor in Berlin is reserved
for the exclusive use of the kaiser.
An American visitor drove through
the sacred space in his automobile
and was promptly arrested.
“The fine is 200 marks,” said the
policeman.
The American handed the police
man 400 marks.
“Sir,” protested the policeman,
“I said only 200.”
“I know,” replied the American,
“but I am coming back again.”—
Saturday Evening Post.
His Bust.
Daniel C. French, the sculptor,
who was commissioned to make the
bust of Ralph Waldo Emerson,
which is now in Memorial hall, Har
vard university, told this story:
At one of the sittings Mr. Emer
son rose suddenly and walked over
tovwhere the sculptor was working.
He looked long and earnestly at the
bust, and then, with an inimitably
droll expression, he said:
“The trouble is the more it re
sembles me the worse it looks.”
Natural Query.
A little slum child was enjoying
his first glimpse of country life.
The setting sun was gilding the
(■pass and roses of the old fashioned
garden, and on a little stool he sat
beside the farmer’s wife, who waB
plucking a chicken. He watched
the operation gravely for some
time. Then he spoke:
"Do yer take off their clothes
•very night, lady ?"—Youth’s Com
panion. __
A. M. Dieringer
Valdez Transfer
Company
General Trucking and Freight
ing to all interior points
LIVERY ard FEED STABLE
.STORAGE
Teaming of all kinds
Positively no coal delivered
onless paid for in advanoe
PROFESSIONAL
Dr. a COCKERILLE
Graduate of National University
Washington,“D. C.J
DENTIST
Phone 92 ■ Feurteenfyears' in
Office in Whaling building VALDEZ
Next to cable office
DR. GERMAN
■ THE DENTIST
Office rooms over Uwl Drug store. Office hours
9 a. m., to 6 p. m., 7 p. m.. to 9 p. m. Sundays
by appointment All work guaranteed
E. E. RITCHIE
LA WYER
phone 136 Valdez, Alaska
C. E. BUNNELL
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Offices Wall Street
Phone 31 VALDEZ i
MINING ENGINEER
f. butterworth;
Civil Engineer and
U. S. Deputy Land and
' Mineral Surveyor
I Blue Printing Res. Phone. 189
!
L. W. STORM. E. M.
Valdez, alaska i
Reports on Mines
RatentSurveys
General Mining Engineering
Rhone No. ios
Geo. f. white
The Assayer
Assaying and Ore Testing '
CORRECT RESULTS
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VALDEZ, ALASKA
CAMP VALDEZ No. 10
Meet every Tuesday evening at 8 o'clock In
Eagle! Hall. All members are requested to
ttend. <v> S. McNIECE. Arctic Chief
VALDEZ LODGE NO. 6,1. O.JO. F.
Meets cverylMonday at K'p. m. in
ODD FELLOWS HALL
Visiting Brothers especially invited
Wm.Thomas, n. g. P. S. Hi nt, p. g.. Sec
Valdes Lodge
No 168.
Free and Accepted Masons
Regular Communications tirst Wednesday in
each month in McKinley Hall Visitors always
welcome*
James H Patterson,,W. M
O. C. Reynolds, Sec*
FOE
VALDEZ AERIE Vo. 1971
Meet every Friday. 8 p. m. Eaulc Ha)
PIONEERS OF ALASKA
IGLOO NO. 7.
Meets every first and third Mon
day,ot each month. All visit
ing Brothers welcome.
E. G. AMES, Secretary.