Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1916 — SCIENCE-INDUSTRY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SCIENCE-INDUSTRY.

Great Prehistoric Lake. The large prehistoric lake which flooded a number of the valleys of northwestern Nevada at a very recent geological date but has now passed away was named Lake La bon tan, in honor of Baron La Hontan, one of the early explorers of the headwaters of the Mississippi. The lake covered approximately 8.400 square miles at its greatest expansion, and in its deepest part, the present site of Pyramid lake. It was at least 880 feet deep—that is, its surface stood approximately 500 feet above the present water surface of Pyramid lake. The ancient lake .had no outlet except the one that led straight up, its waters being dissipated entirely by evaporation. A large area a few miles north of Winnemucca is covered with sand dunes formed since the disappearance of Lake Lahontan. The dunes are fully seventy-five feet thick, and their steeper slopes are on the east side, thus indicating that the whole vast field of sand is slowly traveling eastward. This progress has necessitated a number of changes in the roads in the southern part of Little Humboldt valley daring recent years.—U. S. Geological Survey.

Criminal Waste of Gas. American natural gas is already far in its decline. Criminal —insanely criminal —is the only characterization of the former waste of this resource. Street lights burned all day because it was ‘‘cheaper” to let them burn than to shut them off. Towers of flame often advertised new oil fields, as it cost too much to market the gas. Factories and residences used it with a now almost unthinkable lavishness. The middle west’s glass makers and zinc smelters repent too late in asheff—ashes of the once despised coal—Kansas and Oklahoma already struggle over interstate gas traffic, while I think in some degree the remarkable drop in the ground water level of the Mississippi basin must be ascribed to the emptying of the billions of cubic feet of space once occupied by this gas.—D. M. Liddell in Engineering Magazine. Heater For Stored Liquids. A simple heating apparatus has been brought out in France for heating liquids that are stored in barrels or other containers and are likely to freeze or become too stiff from the cold to flow readily, says Popular Me-

chanlcs. The apparatus consists of a small water filled tank heated by a spirit lamp, with a U shaped pipe extending down into the container and having both ends connected with the tank. When the water In the tank is heated it flows down one leg of thfe pipe and back to the tank through the other leg, maintaining a constant circulation of hot water.

Effects of Alkali on Drain Tile. .As the result of a series of experiments conducted by the United States bureau of standards it has been found that the alkaline soils found in some sections of the west are destructive to cement drain tile unless the tile is of the best material and has been made with the greatest care, says Popular Mechanics. Well made tile of a mixture as rich as one part' 1 cement to three parts sand and stone combined is apparently not affected by the alkali, but tile made of a leaner mixture than this is likely to disintegrate within a short time when placed in a soil having a strong alkaline content. These conclusions are based .on tests extending over a period of one year. Automobile Notes. Never change a single ball in a bearing. Remove them all. Clean the mica in your hood by dampening it carefully with vinegar and then rinsing off with clean cold water. Gasoline should only be put in a car through chamois, which will remove moisture or particles of dirt, either of which will clog the carburetor. If a funnel becomes absolutely necessary on the road, disconnect your horn and take out the reed, after which it will serve the purpose very well. Soft Iron Wire For Belt Lace. Ordinary stovepipe wire, or any soft iron wire about eighteen or twenty gauge, makes good belt lacing. Punch small holes about one-half inch apart and one-half an inch from the ends of the belt, lace with a double row of wire and twist the ends together. Place the joint on an anvil or a pulley and pound the lace into the belt. You can lace large belts in this way, and they will be practically noiseless and last a long time. —R. A. Bradley, Colorado Agricultural College. * Soil Washed Into Ocean. An average of ninety-five tons of soil Kind loose rock is washed into the ocean every year from every square mile of the United States, according to the geological survey. This estimate does not include the Great Basin. The Immensity of thia contribution may be better comprehended when It is realized that the surface of the United States covers square miles.

LIQUID IN BARREL IS HEATED BY CIRCULATION OF HOT WATER PIPES.