The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, July 14, 1908, Image 2

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    ERfiTH HOT IT CORE
MOLTEN MAS8 FORTY OR FIFTY
MILES BELOW THE CRUST
OF THE GLOBE.
HEAT MAY BE UTILIZED
From Planets Interior Supplies of
Warmth Pooelbly May Take the
Place of Coal and Oil Nota
ble Eruptions Are Told Of.
BY GEORGE FREDERICK WRIGHT,
A. M., LL. D.
(Aullior of "The Icp Ak' In North Antr
im," "Man arid the Ulticlfil Pe
riod." Ktc.)
(CopyrlRlit, by Jonuph H. Howlw.)
It In perfectly propor to Bponk of
tho "crust" of tho oarth. Tlio exist
onco of volcanoos and tho fact that the
tcmpornturo regularly Increases ns
you ponotrnte the rockH by borings
or mining shafts prove Unit tho in
terior of tho earth In hot enough to
melt all known mineral substances.
In borlnR for gas or oil or water nnil
In descending nlong tho line of min
eral volna or to roach doop-Hontud
coal dopoHltH It Is found that the torn
peraturo IncrcaBos about ono dogroo
for ovory fifty or 75 feet, bo that It Ih
a serious quostlon with inlnerH how
far tlioy can follow a vein Into tho
oarth before reaching n point wlioro
tho heat will bo ho great that It would
bo Impossible for workmen to on
duro It.
Taking tho hvorago IncroaHo of heat
to bo ono dogreo In CO foet, wo should
roacli a point where water would boll
nt a dlstanco of about 8,000 foot or
n llttlo over a mile and u half. It,
thorcforo, would bo n feasible plan to
horo a holo to that depth, and by lot
ting cold water Into It by ono pipe
bring it up hot In another, Uiiih mak
ing tiflo of tho heat of the Interior of
tho earth to wnrm our houses. Vory
likely beforo tho coal nnd oil uro ex
hausted this may bo tho source
through which to dispel in our homes
tho rigors of winter ovon In arctic
clltnntcs.
At tho saino rnto of Increaso we
should have to descend only .10 or 10
miles to rind a degree of heat which
would melt any known substnnco nnd
produco a molten Interior. Tho only
escape from tho conclusion that tho
earth consists of this thin crtiBt of
Part of tho Rlm and Floor
consolidated material arlson from tho
fact that tho melting point of metals
rlsos under pressure. For example,
Iron when subjected to vory great
pressure will remain solid long after
reaching tho temperature nt which it
ordinarily molts, so It is supposed that
tho prcHsuro toward tho center of tho
earth is ho great thr.t no amount of
lieat, or, at any rate, tho intense
licat in tho Interior of tho earth, can
mnko it. nssumo a liquid form. This
ill bo ngrcos with tho calculations of
physicists, who a (linn tha tho earth
ljohavcB llko u solid, nnd thoroforo
cannot have a liquid interior, as was
formerly supposod.
Hut tho many othor posltlvo Indica
tions of tho existence of molten mat
ter In tho lntorlor of tho earth have
led to a conclusion which satisfies nil
parties, namely, that after descending
10 or 50 miles froiu tho surfneo tho
lient Is bo groat and tho pressure bo
limited that nil substances aro moiled,
no that there Is a sogmeut, probably
many hundred miles In thickness, con
sisting of molten matter, while tho ln
torlor nuclous rcmnlns, both Intensely
.hot nnd at tho mime tlmo solid.
Ono of tho most striking positive
indications that thoro Ih such n molten
mass nt no great distance holow tho
tturfaco of tho oarth is to bo found in
tho volcunooa of tho world, which nro
Lost oxplnluod as vent liolos through
which this molten mnttor escapes to
tho surfaco in responso to tho varying
dogrceB of pressure from the crust of
tho enrth over different nroaH. Whon,
for oxnmple, through long-continued
deposition of earthy mntorlnl about
tho mouths of tho great rivers, ono
portion of tho earth's crust becomes
overloaded, bo that it presses with un
due weight over a limited nrea, it
would squeczo a portion of tho molten
material to tho surfneo, Just ns If you
press with your thumb upon tho rind
of an orange In ono place it will
crack tho rind in another place nnd
force tho Julco out through It. Tho
Hlow contraction of tho dlamotor of
tho oarth, also, through its loss of
heat by radiation, may result in the
wrinkling up of tho crust In such n
manner that tho molten mnttor will
bo forced out along tho linos of great
est weakness.
Jorulio In Mexico Ib one of the most
rcmnrkable instance of intermittent
volcanic nctlon. t'p to 17."0 tho slto
where tho volcnnlc cone now stnnds
was occupied by a fertllo plain, Bur
roundBd by hills composed of vory an
cient rocks. In that year, amid oarth
qunko shocks, n chasm opened in tho
plain, from which flames Issued, nnd
nshos and lava were ejected In stifll
clont quantities to form In n short
time fi mountain 1,000 feet high.
Since then' there have been no erup
tions, nnd tho lower Hanks of tho
mountain nro now covered with trees
nnd tho surrounding country Is culti
vated as formerly.
Ono of tho Inrgost volcanoes and
ono which has been most carefully
studied, Is Kllatien, on the Island of
Hnwnll, tho crater of which Is 13.G75
foot above tho sea. Tho crater Is
nearly three miles In diameter, and
Is filled with boiling lava, which varies
greatly In height at different Union,'
When visited by Prof. Dana In 1889
It lacked only 100 feet of being lull,
so ns to run over from tho top, In
1840 the lava had subsided, bo that It
was 1,000 feet below tho rlm. No ro
cont eruptions have projected tho lava
over tho rim, but nt various times
slnco tho dlscovory of tho Island great
streams of lava have burst out from
tho side of tho mountain, 2,000 foot or
moro below tho summit.
COST $500 AN OUNCE.
Some of the More Rare Flower Seeds
Are Expensive.
"Just as good as gold," remarked a
young Ilostou suburbanite who thinks
himself Eoniethlng of nn amateur gar
dener, ns ho ran his hand through a
Bamplo bag of lino spring seed whent
in n Koutli Market street seed store.
"Yes," said tho Heodsman to whom
tho lomark was addressed, "but unlike
tho seed of some other farm and gar
den products we have In horo it Isn't
worth its weight In gold.
"Every year thoro Is a groat variety
of now llowors. Tho growers nro con
tinually nt work hybridizing to produco
flno ntralns of llowors. It requires con
uldernblo time nnd labor to do it, and
this makes them very expensive
"Tnko tho petunia grnndlflora, for
instance, as a sample. It Ib an exceed
ingly beautiful (lower, Tho packages
of Its seeds contain between 1100 nnd
100 seeds each, but the seed Ih so flno
nn to bo an almost impalpable powdor.
Tho packago retails at 75 cento, but
by the ounco tho seed Is worth $000,
"An ounco will mnko about 5,000
of the Crater of Kllauea.
packages. You can cnBlIy sco, thon,
how tho Hoed in worth ovon moro than
its weight In gold.
"An ounce of lilgh-prlcod need may
ropraiont tho ontlro p.roduct of a sea
nun's work by I ho grower on pno par
ticular varloty. Wo huvo frequently
paid u French hybridist us high as $00
nn ounco for n special variety of pansy
seed, Hint retails for u great deal moro
thnn that nn ounco. l'ackota of It boH
for CO conta each.
"In tho matter of vogot'ablo and
gram seeds, tho market gurdoner or
tho farmer must pay prices for theso
that somotlmoH glvos him a shock.
Take ono of those mammoth squashes,
say, that weighs 200 pounds or ovor.
Tho seeds obtained from a big squash
llko that actually sell for four centB
apiece, or four dollai;s an ounco. Thon
there Is tho seed of a now variety of
lettuce that Holla for throe dollars an
ounco, while sonio kinds of beet seed
bring at retail from $2.50 to throo dol
lars a pound. Even u now varloty of
parsley Is high-priced, tho Buod of ono
kind selling nt two dollars n pound.
"Not long ngo a Vermont man
brought' In to ub n new variety of oats
that he had boon working to produco
for three or four years. It was a very
lino, product, nnd It retails nt seven
dollars a bushel for seed. Thoro uro
some othor kinds of oats that Bull for
five dollars a bushol, and the enter
prising farmer pays that price for his
seed, as ho knows that It will doublo
tho market value of tho output of an
cat Hold.
"Somo varieties of colory seed aro
also high priced. Ilostou mnrknt cel
ery is the king of all tho cclorles raised
in this country. It boIIb at bIx dollars
a pound."
Whon the South Mnrkot streot seeds
mini had Mulshed with his talk on high
priced seeds, tho amateur gardener
bought ii fow llvo and ten-cent pack
ugoti of ordinary Ilower seeds and loft
tho Htoro with a thoughtful counto-nance.-
Boston Olobo.
Shrewd Anna,
"Has Anna many friends?"
"Yea, but shu's only calling on
thoso who own .automobiles or sum
mer cottagus, now.'V-Dotrolt Froo
Press, ,
REMARKABLE NEW YORK - CMICAGO RELAY
RACE BY Yr7.CA.BOYo.
Ono of tho most Interesting and
nnlquo nthlotlc events of tho summer
will be tho 1,000-mllo cross-country re
lay raco which Is to bo pulled off by
tho Y. M. C. A. boyH betweon Now
York city In tho- east and Chicago In
tho west. Two thousand trained, fleet
footed runners eacli In turn catching
on tho fly tho message sent by Mnyor
McClollan of the eastern city and
speeding It on ItH westward Journey.
Tho entrants for tho rnco havo been
carefully selected from tho fleetest
symnuslunifl of tho Young Mon'it Chris
tian associations of Now York nnd
Chicago, nnd by thoso of tho numerous
other branches of tho association
which lino tho 1,000-mllo route.
It will be n race against time, a con
test between the flying feet of tho
young nthlotoB nnd tho fugitive hours,
lint although tho raco Is against time
thoro will bo tho zest of keen rivalry
to spur the racers on. An nutomobllo
?urrylng ofllclal tlmokeperB will follow
he racers ovor tho ontlro route, mak
ing enroful record of tho speed of each
rolay. Besides this Individual rivalry
horo Is tho rivalry of tho numerous
iBRoclntlons, each hoping that ns a
oody its champions will show a higher
average than tho others.
Tho direct mall route to Chicago is
)00 miles. Tho moro winding highways
.hat tho boys will travorso is estimated
it 1,000 mllos. Thoro will bo nearly
,000 boys in tho race, and it Is expect
ed that it will bo run well within llvo
jnya.
Tho Btart will bo mode from tho city
tmll of Now York at nlno o'clock on
ho morning of July 15. Thoro tho
moodiest runner of tho Twenty-third
Ureot branch of tho Young Men's
Christian association will rccclvo from
Mayor McClollan a messago nddrcssed
co Mnyor Husno of Chicago. Tho mes
sago will bo Inclosed in a silver tube.
l'ho starter will glvo tho signal, and
ho youth will sprint up llroadway, fol
lowed by tho nutomobllo which la to
lecompany tho racers to Chicago.
The routo will bo up llroadway, and
it n half-mllo from tho starting point
ho hearer of tho silver tube will toss
t to tho fleet-footed youngster await
ing him thoro, ami ho in turn will set
i flying pneo to tho next half-mllo
oolnt whore anothor eager youth will
mntch tho tube and after Ills half-mllo
-ace will pass it to tho next in tho re
lay lino. So it will go day and night
until tho tube, which by tho tlmo It
ans reached Chicago will havo passed
through nearly 2,000 hands, Is dellv
orcd to tho mnyor of that city.
"Owing to tho contlnuoiiB course of
training which our boys undergo," said
Mr. A. A. Jameson, boya' work director
of tho Twenty-third street branch of
tho Young Men's Christian association,
Now York city, "It would bo quite pos-
slblo for us to pull this raco off In n
weok. Wo havo oxtended tho tlmo of
tho Btart, however, becauso of neces
ury road arrangmeuts and tho ap
pointment of district superintendents.
Our tryoutB havo rovoaled tho fact
that tho boyB avorago speed is about
2.18 for ovory half nillo. Mnklng al
lowances for possible bad weather and
poor roads, It is oxpectod that tho av
orago speed of tho raco of 1,000 miles
or moro will bo about a mllo In olght
minutes. When you como to consider
that tho ngo limit of tho contestants Is
18 years, and as tho majority of
thoso will not bo over 15 years old, tho
plan becomes a significant test in ath
letics. Tho time 1 hnvo mentioned will
undoubtedly bo Improved, nnd by
rough calculation wo assumo that tho
raco will bo run In llvo days. Tho
first part of tho race will ho from city
hnll, New York city, to city hall, Yonk
ors, a boy being stationed at that dls
tanco for ovory half mllo. Wo avorago
a dlstanco from Now York to Yonkers
at 18 miles, which will bo covered by
25 or 30 of our New York city boys.
"Tho sehodulo of our courso from
Now York to Uuffnlo will bo as fol
lows: Now York to Yonkors, Osslntng,
Nowburg, Poughkoopslo, Hhlnoboek,
Cataklll, Hudson, Albany, Troy, Schon
ootndy, Johnstown, l.lttlo Fulls, Utlcn,
Itoino, Syracuse, Auburn, Oenovn, Cn
nandalgun, Rochester, Hatavln, Huffa
lo. Tho wostorn division of tho Yaeo
will bo In chargo of Mr. M". IX C'rackol.
director of tho West Sldo hoys' club of
tho Young Men s Christian association
of Cloveland, O., who will direct tho
courso from IiIb town to tho city hall
In Chicago. Mr. Crackol doserves tho
crodlt of bolng tho orlglnutor of this
plan, ns tho outcomo of tho cross-coun
try raco ho organized among his boyH
from Clovolnml to Erlo. Each boy
will wear tno ntnlotlo dross of tho
Young Men's Christina association,
nnd will stand rondy at his post to
tnko tho messago from tho hand of tho
boy who has Just finished his halt mllo
and dart off with It at full speed. An
nutomobllo will accompany each run
nor with an ofllclal tlmekoopor, who
will roglBter his time. In this iiutomo
bile thoro will also he a relief ruuuor,
who in ensoof accident will lump nut
ONX Ot.rjm TWO THOUSAND.
and carry tho messago nt top speed.
wo havo tried to figure out all ob
stacles that might prevent a complete
success of this raco us a test trial of
speed against time. We chooso tho
weok of July 15 In tho hopo that wo
shall havo moonlight nights to help
tho boys along on their night runs, nnd
every boy's department of tho Young
Mens Christlnn association which la
on tho routo of tho relay raco from
Now York to Chicago is training ovory
dny for tho contest."
Dr. Ocorgo D. Fisher, tho senior sec-
rotary of (ho physical department of
tho IntornntlonnI committee of tho
Young Men's Christian association, will
bo tho ofllclal starter of tho race. Ho
said that nearly 2,000 boyB would tako
part In It. Ench of Uiesc, ho explained,
will bo n representative American b'oy
nnd a representative association mem
berthat is, ho will not bo selected bo
causo of physical fltnessnlono, but bo-
cuuso ne quniuics rrom a rourroiu
standpoint of fitness. In othor wordn,
ho will bo ft representative boy in
mental equipment, in moral nttaln-
mont, and in charactor; thus it will
bo truly a raco by roprcscntatlvo
American boys.
'1 upprovo of this raco for adoles
cents," Mr. Fisher added, "becauso
each boy will run only tho dlstanco
of n half mile. Ench will bo subject
ed to a physical examination, and to
avoid unduo exposuro tho boys will bo
taken enro of bofore and after the
raco In automobiles.
"Tho rnco represents a test of
achievement. It Is n schemo which
requires cooperation; each boy will
havo to obsorvo tho rules to tho lot
tor or tho wholo schemo Is ft' failure.
It will demand pluck; ench boy will
havo to flnlBh his own rnco, and will
havo Intrusted to him tho responsibil
ity of carrying n messago noblo In
Bontlment from n high official of ono
grent city to anothor. It will creato
Interest In wholesomo, clean sport in
which tho only nlm Is noblo achieve
ment, tho eligibility rules llko thoso of
tho Olympnld, and tho service void of
porsonnl gain or individual prestige."
HEALTH FADS NOT NEW.
Dietetic Vagaries Were Practiced by
our Grandfathers.
What's tho uso of trying to bo origi
nal? What man docB to-day, IiIb no
tions, his fndB, woro practiced yester
day, In tho dim past, and If they vnry
a llttlo, tho samo Idea anlmatos thorn
all. For liiHtanco, tho "now" fnd.
Flotchorlsm and the ono meal a day,
woro preached centuries ngo. hooks
on hygleno woro concocted In tho
tlmo of Shukc8penre. Havo you over
road "Tho Uroviary of Heullh," com
piled by "Androwo Iloorde. Doctor of
English Phlflckclnn Engllah man."
pi luted at London, 1587? IlecaiiBo, In
thlB quaint, black letter volume, ore
found many of tho ailments which still
afflict ub, with tho samo ndvlco that
tho spoclnllst and tho faddist bestow
to-day upon a sufforing world. This
"ono mcnl a day" is advised by Dr.
Androwo lioorde, but ho calls it "ab
stinence," and aleo cautions tho gentlo
readers to eat with slowness! Ho falls
to mention, nevertheless, tho advan
tage of going without ono's breakfast,
and would never approve of tho well
known wostorn lawyer, who goes to
his Important lnborB dally without
breaking Ida fast and Is, nevortholoss.
a model of physical and intolloctual
vigor. "Tho Uroviary of Health" must
bo numbered among tho curiosities of
literature, but It will not bo found on
tho shelves of tho lloston public li
brary. This is tho only copy In Amor
lea as far as known, and wns tho prop
orty of a rcvorend country doctor in
Plymouth county. It doubtless sorved
to preserve tho henlth of our pilgrim
fathers, nnd to holp tho mothors bring
up their families. lloston Hernld.
Millions of Matches Used.
The civilized uatlona of tho world
strlko 2,000,000 matchos ovory minute
of tho 21 liourB. Americans use up
700.000,000.000 a year. Somo of tho
mntch plants nro vory largo, ono on
tho Pacific coast covering 210 acres,
with 32 miles of railroad which supply
tho match machines with 200,000 feet
of sugar pine and yellow nlno, logs
n day.
POSSIBILITY
Hero is a picture of a twentieth
century farm house whon electricity
will havo como to its own ns a power
factor on tho farm: It has a cool, clean
kltchon, a laundry where all tho hard
work is dono by nn electlrc motor;
good lights, with no lamps to fill; and
n small vacuum cleaner run by elec
tricity replaces tho broom. A cleaner
houso mid better food in half the time!
Tho Bowing mnchlno Is run by elec
tricity and tho Incubator in tho cellar
Is heated nt nn ovon temperature in
tho samo way. Tho tank on tho top
of tho house is filled by nn electrically
run pump nnd there Is running water
In tho houso. Tho woman who lives
In this hquso has not tho dull, tired
look which wo sco so often now.
This la ns Arthur W. Pago, who
writes of tho "Ago of Electric Ser
vants," In tho World's Work, boos it,
and ho proceeds to explain how tho
farmer Is to procuro his electricity
to do tlicuo things. Down In North and
South Carolina a company has been
organized which utilizes tho water
powers of a district to produco elec
tricity. Tho extent of tho company's
servico covers moro torritory than
many h state and tho compnny stands
prepared to sell power to farmers,
mills nnd factories. It charges $20 per
horse-power a year, which Is about
tho samo as 8.10 of a cent per kilowatt
hour, ft rate which, If doubled, would
still bo as cheap a3 wood, coal or gas.
Tho region operated by this com
pany is not exceptionally well sup
plied as to water power; and what is
being dono there may bo done in many
n part of Canada. Thoro aro indeed,
fow farming regions in this country
that aro beyond tho reach of elec
tricity generated by running wntor.
Even in tho arid and seml-arld regions
the Bamo water that is used for irri
gation could often bo mndo to genor-
nto power.
Hut electricity can bo mado to help
tho farmer as well as his wife. It is
to mako farming moro profitable An
electric motor would savo farm labor,
and labor Is now hard to get. It would
supply energy to draw water, to run
tho milking machines, to thresh whent,
and to do a hundred other things. On
a fnrm In Germany, near Derlln, Is nn
Pi
VENTILATE YOUR HOUSE BARN
Proper Placing of Intake and Outflow Fluos Important.
' 1 T' z':,
I II I 1 I J I
j . ' ' 1
5y6tem of Ventilating Horse Barn.
Ventilation Is a mnttor that should
rocelvo nttentlon'ln propnrlng plans
for Btnblcs and barns. The health of
animals depends upon the supply of
puro air they got whon confined In
doors, hi tho nbovo illustration Is
shown tho system adopted In a horse
barn erected nt tho Michigan Agricul
tural collogo. For tho removal of air
thoro aro four fluos 12 Inches by 21
InchtiB, built of aheot-Iron. Thoso nro
sot Into tho walls, two on a sldo and
run up In pnlrs, each flue pairing with
tho ono opposlto It. The linos of n
pair aftor passing up into tho mow
follow up Just midor tho roof and meet
under a cupola, unlto nnd extend up
Into tho cupola half way to its top.
OF
THE FUTURE
electric plow. It runs by a trolley wlro
which it automatically moves over
threo rows on overy trip; it plows
threo furrows nt a time and docs tho
work of 15 horscB. When tho farm
ers sco tho uses they can mako of
electricity, if companies do not sup
ply thorn with powor tlioy will build
tholr own plantu, as they havo built
tholr own telophono linos. A farmer
living In an "electric" houso, efllcient
ly working IUb fnrm by oloctric powor,
loading hlo produco on tho freight
cars of n trolley llilc, and Bottling its
prlco with a purchaser a hundred
miles uway by telephone perhaps by
n wireless telephone, for thoro is al
ready such a tiling In oxlstonc(j may
Boom n Utopian dream, but it is com
ing. Ho can send his photograph, if
he wish, or sign a check ovor a wlro.
Ho may sit in his homo and listen to
music from n tel-hnrmonium in a
neighbo'rlng city.' All theso things nro
posslblo with apparatus already mado.
And these aro comnionplaco achieve
ments compared with tho possibilities
of electric development. Tho otorago
battery that electricians are working
toward will eliminate tho worst fea
tures of automobiles, tako tho trolloy
wires from tho streets, and mnko most
farm machinery electric. Sir Hugh
hell lias predicted that a century
hence, with llttlo or no machinery
aboard and scarcely any crow, ships
will he Bped on their voyages by elec
tricity generated at Niagara Falls and
transmitted wirolcssly over tho Atlan
tic. Either tho invention of tho sto
rage battery or tho discovery of wire
less power transmission would' bo al
most enough to insuro a commercial
flying machine Yet, Bhould no now
electrical invention bo made, wo havo
already enough to mnko us fnr moro
comfortable and to enablo us to savo
much time nnd lost motion.
Increase Grain Production. If tho
farmers of this country could
Increaso their production of grain only
ten per cent, they would Increaso tho
nation's wealth $214,000,000. In most
sections of tho country It is possiblo
to Increaso tho production fully 100
per cent. Aro you doing your pnrt to
assist in tho increaso?
Thoso fluos tako tho air from Just
above tho foundation wall, but aro
provided with registers 18 Inches by 18
iuchos Just below tho colling which
cun bo oponod whon it Is doslred to
removo tho warm air from near tho
colling. Ten Intakes nro provided for
admitting frosh air. Thoso aro six
inches by 23 inches;- nro lined with
sheot-Iron and ench occupies tho spaco
botwoon tho inner nnd outer walls and
two ndjacont studs. Each opens to
tho outsldo nt tho bottom nnd to tho
lnsido nt tho top as nhown In tho
small diagram to tho rlaht of Mm m
tratlon. Tho oponlngs should bo fixed
I A.
io pormii or inoir Doing closed partlv
or wholly on windy days.