Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1874 — The Earth Revolves. [ARTICLE]

The Earth Revolves.

What is known to astronomers as “boticault’s pendulum experiment” will be made this afternoon at the Exposition building, before the Academy of Sciences, the Board of Education, and members, of the press, guests of the Academy. The experiment will be repeated on Saturday for the benefit of advanced-classes in the public schools, and on some early day, not yet announced, for the inspection of the public generally. The Object of-the expeiument is-to give ocular demonstration of the earth’s revolution on its axis. For this purpose a ball of lead weighing 121 pounds will be suspended from the southern dome of the building by a fiaewirj, the distance from the point of suspension to' the center of the ball being 120 feet 0 iiiches.— In Hie bottom of the pendulum isset a needle point, which, when the pendulum is at rest, comes within about two inches of thq floor.—

! Around a circle Of feet in diamater, the center of which is the point where the needle is poised when : the pendulum is at rest, is poured I a ridge of sand. This in raised ’just enough for the needle point on the pendulum when in motion to cut through the sand ridge, showing the course of the pendulum stroke on each~side. By a loop of silk thread around the needle point !in the ball the pendulum will be i drawn eleven feet from the perpendicular—that is, eleven feet to one side. When all is ready a lighted match will be touched to the thread, which when burned will leave the ball to fall in obedience to the law of gravitation without ahy impetus being communicated to it from any other source. Thus the pendulum will be started in its vibrations ' from north to south, having been ' drawn to the north when the loop was burned. Now, if the earth were without motion, the movement of the pendulum would continue in i a direct line from north to south till its motion ceased. That is, if i the earth were motionless the needle of the pendulum would mark precisely the same points on the ring , of Rand at each stroke, till the moi tion closed. But instead ot swing- ! ing from north to south, on the line in which it started, the pendulum as will be shown by the mark of the ; needle in the ring of sand will, in going from north to south, swing ■ gradually to the westward; and In ! going from south to north, toward | the east, till in this latitude, in nine j hours after the motion was com- ; ; menced, vibrat+on w ill be from | ■ cast to west instead of from north j ! toTsoutli. The daviation in the motion is such that the pendulum tends to swing in the same plane as the sun and the fixed stars. — The fact is that the vibration of the j pendulum is strictly according to ■ the invariable laws of -gravitation. | The motion of the earth’s surface ' south of the pendulum is more ' rapid thaiiiiorthof iL ‘ i the earth moves under the point of ■ suspension, the pendulum, in its j southward stroke, will deviate to I J the west, and in its stroke to the north it will deviate toward the east. — Inter Ocean.

A pike, which measured three feet and three inches m length, i was taken in out of the wet by a j Warsaw fisherman the other day. ' The Democrat learns that a move- : ment is in contemplation to improve ; the water-power of the Tippecanoe j river at Winamac, at no distant ■ day. —; » --.- The Northern Indianian says the past week has been most excellent [eugar weather in Kosciusko county, ' and a number of camps we*e opened therein. ■ : = Up at Francesville the other day a little boy got his head fastened in a fence, and came iieSr-strangling to death before he was discovered ’ and extricated. ■>- *►- I Theie are 57 ice houses; in the ; vicinity of Laporte, which have an aggregate capacity of over 33,000 cords or 100,000 tons. It requires about 209 acres six inches thick to ; fill them. News has been received at Lowell of the most cheering character, regal ding the proposed Chicago and South Atlantic Railroad. We are assured that work will commence on this route soon—in April, if possible/’TEvery thing is in our favor if we work like men. Plans are being matured to raise the necessary funds,- and secure the road. We i can raise the funds.-— Lowell Star. i The declaration of principles put forth-by the National Grange, at I St. Louis, is certainly a striking and I able document. The aims and objects of the Patrons of Husbandry ' as therein stated, are designed to 1 harmonize capital and labor; pro- . mote the greatest good of the greatest number, and clothe the j brotherhood with all the -elements of the highest mailhood and citizenship. If the Grangers will live up to this admirable declaration, they will confer a lasting benefit on the whole country. —AC Y. American Commercial Tinies. , The South Bend corr„qspondent of the Elkhart Observer says “A successful protracted meeting is in —operation al.. the Second M. E. church. Up-to this time forty-four persons have united with the church, and th 6 work has just commenced. Fourteen were at the alter last Saturday evening? eight on Sunday evening and the samfe ’ number last evening. - The man to : whom more than any one else, m.uch of the success of these meetings is due, is Elder Cissei, who ranks as 1 e ■ ■ , ore of the ablest preachers in the 1 Northwestern Indiana Conference.”

A review, published recently by the South Bend daily Tribune, shows there are 2,500 workmen employed in the various manufactories in that city, and during the past year they produced nearly five million dollars’ worth of manufactured articles.— There were 361 buildings erected in the city during the year. The population is nop' J.-1,000. The value of lots and improvements is about §2,830,000; and the personal prop erty amounts to $2,771,060 more. The greatest herdsman in the world is the title claimed for Sam’l W. Allen of Texas, who owns 225,000 cattle. He has one ranche eighty miles long and forty wide between the Nevada and Colorado rivers, the largest on the continent, which pastures 120,000. Two others accommodate respectively 70,000 and 35,000. These cattle all subsist on the native grasses of a part of Texas. His herds require the attention of at least 400 herders and brauders, and the use of 3,000 horses. He brands 60,000 calves every year to keep up the supply. The value of Ins stock, exclusive of his land, exceeds five millions and a half. The Philadelphia physicians, if they ever thought of keeping the result of the autopsy afthc Siame-e twins secret, have abandoned the idea, and have given the result of . . fhei-r examination to the public.— The autopsy disclosed the fact thatthe seperation of the twins could not have been accomplished withoutfatal results The band unit—ingahem wxs not merely a cartilig--1 noua substantsepbut was- a pan qF their physfcafffbrnfation, which was to the life ot both. The fact was developed that a line passing down the center of the band would sever certai n po cafs de sac, -closely connected with the heart and liver; and therefore, if the proposed separation had been attempted, deat 1 r would, have .instantly ensued.

j The owners of wet lands Mm Jasper county, have just organized j_a draining company, and propose to reclaim the wet lands of two townships on the bead ot the Iroquois river. We have heard that they hay i it under advisement to run the hi-a-l waters ofyfTnrTrir ' qiiois south west, down what is known as Channel slough, just along the iineoftbis county, and discharge the waters into the Iroquois riv'er at the county' line. This would shorten the present course of the j \ water from the head of the river ; near forty miles, and the fall being | much greater, in consequence would I the more certainly and rapidly -reel aim the large tracts of Wet lands I in the north part of that county. —- Kentland Gias'dte.