Prof. Lankester
Talks On Science
At tlu‘ seventy-fifth annual meeting of
the British Association, at York, writes
the London correspondent of the New
York Sun, Prof. Lankester in Ins presi
dential address reviewed the remarkable
progress made in science in the last
quarter of a century. It would, he said,
stand out forever in human history as
the period in which new chemical ele
ments of astounding properties were re
vealed with extraordinary rapidity.
The discovery of radio-activity and
radium so far exceeded all others in
importance that it might be accounted
supreme. It was a privilege to have
lived when the discovery was made.
Dr. Lankester summarized the won
derful properties of radium as revealed
by the late Prof. Curl and others, lie
dwelt particularly upon the apparent
facts that a small quantity of radium
diffused through the eat tli will maintain
its temperature against all loss by radia
tion, while if the sun consists of a frac
tion of 1 per cent, of radium this would
make good the heat annually lost by
the sun.
These, he said, were tremendous facts
and upset all the calculations of physi
cists concerning the duration in the
past and in the future of the sun’s heat
and the earth’s surface, and the esti
mate of geological time based on the
assumption that the material of the
earth is self cooling. Within five years
it had become evident that the material
was not self cooling. On the contrary it
was self heating, and away went the re
strictions imposed by geologists and
biologists, who are now willing to give,
not merely a thousand million years,
but as many more as are wanted.
Retelling to psychology, Dr. Lankes
ter said the most important general
advance seemed to be the realization
that the mind of the human adult is a
social product, and lie paid a tribute to
the important work on this subject by
Prof. Baldwin of Princeton I'niversity.
A review of twenty-five years led him to
the conviction that Darwin’s conclvsions
as to the origin of sjiecies were more
firmly established than ever despite the
attempt to controvert them.
Pealing witli human health, the speak
er urged that limre public encourage
ment should U* given to the study of
preventable diseases. Far more money
than is spent now ought to be expended
in this study. Taking <treat Britain
alone, it was necessary to sjteiul £1,IHH>
of public money where £1 is s|H-nt now.
It would be reasonable and wise to lay
out £10,000,000 of the public revenue
yearly in investigating and combating
disease. For want of such a jMilicy
thousands were dying of preventable
disease.
Political administrator*, as well as
}iermaneiit officials, were as unaware
tiMlay as they were twenty-five years
ago of tlie vital importance of science.
Whole departments in which scientific
knowledge was the »»ne tiling needful
were carried on by ministers, secretaries
ami clerks who were tint only ignorant
cf science, but disliked it leiuilw in
many cases it was a condemnation of
tbeir official employ incut, hr. lainkc**
ter added;
Tl»c reason ts to U huud in the de
tective educate»l», hotll lit tfte school and
the university, of mtr governing class, os
well as in tin* racial dislike «•< alt» la**% -
for the establishment and support by
public funds of posts which the average
man may not expect, by popular clamor
or class privilege, to gain for himself.
The only remedy is improved education
for the upper classes and a continued
effort to spread knowledge of the results
of science and love of it among all mem
bers of the community.
Local and General Notes
Fresh ranch eggs and broilers.—S K.
lleeter.
The Keystone drill is putting down
two or three holes a day on lower Eureka.
tlaetz and Kaulhaeh are doing explo
ration work on their famous Skookuin
]>roperty.
Major Cluin has ,1,000 names on the
“forwarding” list at the Fairbanks post
ottiee.
Henry Roden has been given the right
to praetiee law, having been admitted to
the bar.— Fairbanks Northern Eight.
II. A. Voting is in from the other side.
Himself, H. F. Thumm and Jas. Climie
have extensive prospect work laid out
for the winter.
doe Hush, Walter Sundborg and Nel
son are on pay on Joe Hush creek. Well
posted people believe they will have a
very profitable winter.
The 2-year-old child of Joe Roberts, a
native, died at Tanana Oct. 13 from
burns sustained while playing around a
fire on the beach a few days before.
(leorge Stockstead and Messrs. Frank
and (iraham, of Little Miliook, are pre
paring for a bunting excursion in the
Troublesome country, where caribou
abound.
Spicer and others are thinking of run
ning a drainage tunnel into upjier
Skookum, where the water frustrated
prospecting last winter, after a mighty
good showing on the rim.
The quartermaster at Fort Gibbon is
advertising for proposals for furnishing
275,000 feet of saw logs to be gotten out
this winter and delivered after ojiening
of navigaiton. Rids are desired about
Nov. 1.
Sevier & Crockett last Monday struck
pay at a depth of HO feet in their lirst
hole on 10 Little Minook. They esti
mated that the dirt will go 50 cents to
the bucket and bedrock was not yet
reached.
Henry Johnson and Jack Timmins,
while hauling wood, accidentally received
part of a charge of shot from a shotgun
strapped on the sled. Johnson’s lingers
were injured and some of the shot en
tered Timmins's hack.—Northern Light.
tiny 15. Krvvin has been appointed
1'nited States commissioner at Fair
banks, to succeed • ieneral t 'arr, resigned.
The Northern Light says Mr. Frwin is
well known and there is every reason to
Isdieve he will make a good commis
sioner.
John \V. Carpenter committed suicide
in Fairbanks Oct. ti by sh>s>ting himself
in the head. He was well known in
skagwrav, Atlin and the Klondike, and
conducted the I’arpcnlcr cold storage
business at Fairbanks. Tacoma was ids
former home.
William Si|»ary not long ago set m
small wire rat trap in an outhouse near
the V t\Co.'s store. One «lav last week
he went to the trap ami found it to con
tain tell tats, alsait all that could get
into the rear compartment. They were
UUUUUUUUUUUtJUUUUUUUUUUUUU
S. E. HEETER, j
Freighter and Packer j
Good Equipments and
Service Unexcelled c
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
F. M. SMITH
HARRY BURRUSS
SMITH & BURRUSS
Freighters
and Packers
Rampart, Alaska
BOSTON STORE
Fresh Meat
Beef, Mutton, Pork Loins,
Pork Sausages, Poultry
Corn Fed. Killed in Dawson
None Better Anywhere
Complete Stoek of
CHOICE GROCERIES
and GENERAL MERCHANDISE
boston^torF
all huddled up, dead, and were evidently
an old mother rat and her ratlets, nine
of them being not cpiite grown. They
were the regular long-tailed kind found
outside, whieli have only been seen here
for a few years.
EXPERIMENTING
WITH BLACK SAND
1‘anl Hopkins, in ehurge of the assay
office of the Fairbanks Hanking Com
pany, is e\|ierimeiitiitg with a view to
save the gold values of the Mark sand in
that great district.'
The Fairbanks Northern Light says
there is noticeable in the bank's melting
risnii a huge grinding machine, made
solely tor the purfsise of handling the
black sand. Mr. Hopkins's study of the
minerals of the district has led him to
Is'lieve that a great deal of gold is se
creted in the black sand which cannot
lie saved by the miller Using the ordi
nary methods. In grinding and polish
ing this sand minute |iarticte* of gold
are discovered w hu h the ipiieksilver is
F. M. A. L.
SMITH & COLLINS,
Proprietors
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and
Cigars.
CASE GOODS
A Specialty
JULIUS RAHMSTORF,
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE
FULL LINE
£ Tin, Granite and Crockeryware
unable to reach, owing to a coating of
iron. The hank lias on hand a great
deal of this sand, secured from the op
erators on the different creeks, and this
winter it is their intention to thoroughly
experiment with a view of ascertaining
its value per ton. Most of the sand
after being amalgamated is thrown away
l>y the miners, and if a device can Is
had to save the gold contained therein
it will certainly be worth a great deal to
them. Mr. Hopkins thinks he has such
a device in this machine.
Five |ieople lost their lives as a result
of the explosion and tire w Inch destroyed
the White I'ass steamer t'ohimhian
a lime Tantalus Sept. Jit. They were:
Joe Welch, mate: K. Morgan, ttreiuan;
I’aul Murray, deckhand; W, T. Smith,
deckhand, and S. Wissls, tlrcman.