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ä`x³î`Dxß`D³Í` ̧êDDą³xêäDSEPTEMBERduction, other species had to be
subst ituted. The U.S. Forest Prod-
ucts Laboratory at Madison, Wis.,
was able to suggest several native
woods which ap peared suitable
for pro pellers. Quarter-sawn white
oak combat propellers were put
into produc tion and other native
spe cies, such as birch and maple,
were used on training planes, but
not for combat propellers. At the
present time almost all propellers
are made up with hide glue. It
is not water proof, and under ex -
treme conditions of humidity the
joints may open.”1869
A Fair Fare
“An invention has
been produced in Paris for settling
disputes between cab hirers and
cab drivers, which seems to de -
serve attention. According to the
account of it, the ‘compteur mé -
chan ique,’ or calculating machine,
not only reckons the distance tra-
versed, but indicates as well the
exact sum of money due to the
driver. Two dials are fixed on the
back of the driving seat; one con-
tains a clock, while on the other
the distance traveled.”Heaven Found
“Theological writers have always
been puzzled to fix upon any very
definite idea in regard to the geo-
graphical—so to speak—location
of heaven. But at last we have a
philosopher sufficiently bold who
undertakes to remove our perplex-
ity, D. Mortimer, M.D. According
to his theory, ‘there is a vast globe
or world far within the surround-
ing photosphere of ethereal fire,
the sun.’ Dr. Mortimer states that
he has brought divine revelation
to bear on this vast central globe,
and is plainly convinced ‘that the
globe thus discerned is the Heav-
enly Empire wherein the righteous
from this earth find their future
home,’ for all of which information,
doubting and believing souls will
forever thank the learned doctor.”structed in 1907–1909 by the Unit-
ed States Reclamation Service, and
has been carrying irrigation water
for the past eight years. After 8,000
acres were added to the irri gation
district, it was necessary to in -
crease the water-carrying capacity
of the canal. To enlarge the canal,
a new top segment was cast in
place on each side, after re moving
the cross-braces. The outstanding
problem was the delivery of con-
struction material to the local
working points. It was neces sary
to employ the canal itself as a
high way for further distribution
of material to the workmen. Mules
hauled good loads in very satis-
factory time [see illustration].”Hi-Tech Aviation
“During the war, black walnut and
mahogany were practically the
only species used for propellers.
Since the available supply of these
species in the U.S. was not suffi-
cient to keep up the necessary pro-SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN,
V L. C I, N . 13 SEPTE BER 2 , 1919
1969
Restless
Moon
“The seismometer package left on
the moon by the astronauts began
reporting tremors as soon as it was
installed. The first signals were
produced by Armstrong and Aldrin
as they walked about completing
their tasks. The takeoff of the lunar
module Eagle was also recorded
clearly. The first group of high-fre-
quency events seemed mys terious,
but they were finally attributed to
various venting processes. ‘We had
no idea [the module] would be
such a living, breathing monster,’
said Gary Latham of the Lamont-
Doherty Observatory, the de sign er
of the seismometer. The second
group of events evidently repre-
sent rock sliding down the steep
sides of craters. The most reveal-
ing class of events, more than 20 in
all, are thought to be genuinely
tectonic, meaning events caused by
activity below the moon’s surface.”“Polywater”
“The existence of a stable polymer-
ic form of water with properties
very different from those of ordi-
nary water has been verified by
a joint research group from the
National Bureau of Standards and
the University of Maryland. The
‘new’ sub stance, which has been
given the name polywater, had first
been reported in the early 1960s
by Russian chemists. The new find-
ings indi cate that polywater is a
stable polymer chain based on
ordinary water molecules. In con-
trast to normal water, polywater
main tains its molecular structure
up to about 500 degrees Celsius.
But if poly water is so stable, why
has it never been found in nature?”
Polywater proved to be ordi nary water
contaminated by organic compounds
(possibly including sweat).1919
Mules Bring
the Goods
“The Tieton Irrigation Canal, in
the State of Washington, was con-1919: A mule hauls supplies up the bed of an old irrigation
canal undergoing renovation.196919191869köć¿ ́3`x³î
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