LOESS 



3483 



LOGAN 



All his experiments tend to prove his thesis 

 that "all life in all of its aspects is mechanis- 

 tic;" in other words, that life may be reduced 

 to or explained by chemical or physical prin- 

 ciples or by a combination of these. All hu- 

 man conduct, in morals, aesthetics, religion and 

 science is, according to his view, mechanistic. 

 The value of his biological experiments is uni- 

 versally recognized, but opinion differs as to 

 their interpretation. 



Loeb has written extensively, both for maga- 

 zines and in book form, about his experiments 

 and his theories of life. Artificial Partheno- 

 genesis and Fertilization, Chemical Fertilization 

 of the Animal Egg and The Mechanistic Con- 

 ception oj Life are three books which created 

 a vast amount of discussion. 



LOESS, lo' es, the name given a rock which 

 in structure is between the finest sand and clay. 

 It was doubtless deposited in the form of silt 

 and contained a good proportion of soil, in 

 which hard, round lumps, or nodules, of lime- 

 stone were imbedded. In some localities it 

 also contains nodules of iron, which' are usually 

 hollow. When broken open they have the ap- 

 pearance of rusty iron. 



In the United States loess is found along the 

 Mississippi River, where it forms most of the 

 bluffs on the east bank, also in Kansas and in 

 a few other localities. It is of a light brown 

 color, and where it comes to the surface forms 

 bluff or vertical banks. In some sections it 

 contains many small tubes in a vertical posi- 

 tion, which are supposed to have been formed 

 by the silt hardening around the small roots of 

 plants. When well watered, loess forms excel- 

 lent soil for crops. The largest deposits occur 

 in China. 



The origin of loess is not well understood. 

 In some places it lies above the drift formed 

 during the Glacial Period and in others it seems 

 to have been formed at the same time as the 

 drift. It is closely associated with the Glacial 

 Period and was probably formed by running 

 wat or or as silt deposited on the beds of lakes. 

 See GLACIAL PERIOD. 



LOFOTEN, lojo'ten, or LOFODEN, lofo' 

 den, ISLANDS , an archipelago consisting of 

 several large islands and many islets off the 

 northwest coast of Norway, famous for the fin- 

 est fisheries in the world. The principal islands 

 are Ost-Vaago, Gimso, Vest-Vaago, Flakstado, 

 Moskenaeso, Mosken, Viiro and Host. A line 

 of coastwise steamers runs from Christiansand, 

 calling at nearly all the islands on the coast. 

 Moskenaeso is about forty-five miles from the 



mainland. The chief source of wealth is the 

 cod fishing, carried on along the east of the 

 islands in spring, when thousands of fishermen 

 come from all parts of Northern Europe, 

 doubling the usual population of about 42,900, 

 and being accommodated in temporary huts 

 and tents. The islands produce a little grain, 

 barley being the principal crop, maturing in 

 ninety days. 



Between the islands of Moskenaeso and Mos- 

 ken is the famous whirlpool, the Maelstrom, 

 and navigation is dangerous in all the channels 

 between the islands. Storms are severe, with 

 frequent loss of life. 



For particulars of the fisheries of Norway, with 

 whose statistics Lofoten Islands are included, see 

 NORWAY. 



LOG, an apparatus by which a ship's rate of 

 progress in the water is measured. The com- 

 mon log consists of a 'piece of board, about 

 half an inch thick, cut in the shape of a quad- 

 rant of a circle of about six inches radius. A 

 groove along its curved edges is filled with lead 

 as a ballast, and it is so balanced as to float 

 perpendicularly in the water with the greater 

 part of .it immersed. One end of the log line 

 is fastened to the log by means of two legs. 

 The log is thrown into the water and the length 

 of line unwound from the reel gives the speed 

 of the ship's sailing. The log line is divided 

 into certain lengths by means of knots of col- 

 ored cloth, which are proportionately equal to 

 the number of geographical miles as a quarter 

 or half minute is to an hour. 



Log Book, a book that contains the official 

 record of a ship on each voyage. In addition 

 to the weather, there is transcribed daily every 

 circumstance on board deserving of notice, such 

 as mileage covered, offenses, deaths, births, mar- 

 riages and conduct of seamen. The log book 

 must be signed by the captain or officer on 

 duty, and when the book is filled it is placed 

 among the records of the ship's owners. 



LO'GAN, JOHN ALEXANDER (1826-1886), an 

 illustrious American military and political 

 leader. James G. Elaine said of him that no 

 other man in the history of the country had 

 combined the elements of successful military 

 and legislative leadership in such an eminent 

 degree. His courage was of the highest order, 

 and his will was indomitable, but he failed to 

 crown his career with the honor so dear to 

 American leaders, that of becoming the Presi- 

 dent of the United States. He was defeated 

 for the nomination by Blaine in 1884, was nomi- 

 nated by acclamation for the Vice-Presidency, 



