NATURE 



{Oct. lo, 1878 



other than local causes of the meteorological disturbances 

 which produce famines. Indeed, the inference that most 

 of the unusual variations of weather in tropical climates 

 are induced by corresponding variations in the absolute 

 heating power of the sun, in the same tnanner that the 

 seasonal variations are induced by those changes of 

 heating power which depend on the relative motions of 

 that body, seems almost irresistible, if it may not be re- 

 garded as already partly proved. The importance of this 

 conclusion, if true, will be readily admitted, for it will be 

 at once apparent, that if the absolute variations of the 

 sun's. heat are fitful in their occurrence, and do not obey 

 definite periodical laws, it will perhaps never be possible 

 to predict by more than a few days, in advance the un- 

 seasonal variations of weather induced by them, while if 

 such laws can only be discovered, the possibility of our 

 being able ta. predict .^their consequences -is. equally 

 certain^' .q.^^L; tirji;,.i;A ^'-iut.\ . . . Vi,' 



OCCURRENCE OF FOSSILIFEROUS TER- 

 TIARY ROCKS ON THE GRAND BANK 

 . AND GEORGE'S BANK r 



AMONG the most important results- of the investiga- 

 ■' tions made by the party connected with the United 

 States Fish Commission, stationed at Gloucester, Mass/, 

 during the present season, is the discovery of fragments 

 ^f a, hitherto unknown geological formation, apparently 

 'of gfeat extent, belonging probably to the miocene or 

 "iate"r tertiary. The "evideiice consists of numerous large 

 fragments of eroded, "but hard, comipact, calcareous 

 sandstone and arenaceous limestone, usually perforated 

 l>y the burrows of- Saxicava ntgosa, and containing in 

 more or less abundance fossil sIkIIs,. fragments of lignite, 

 and in one case a spatangoid sea-urchin. Probably 

 nearly one-half of the species are northern forms, still 

 living on the New England coast, while many others are 

 unknown upon our coasts, and are apparently, for the 

 most part, extinct. From George's Bank about a dozen 

 fossiliferous fragments have been obtained, containing 

 more than twenty-five distinct species of shells. Among 

 these one of the most abundant is a large thick bivalve 

 (Jsocardid) much resembling Cyprina islandica in form, 

 but differing in the structure of the hinge. This is not 

 known living. Mya iruncata, Ensatella Americana, and 

 the genuine Cyprina are also common, together with a 

 large Natica, a. Cyclocardia {or Venericardia) a.]l\ed to 

 C.doreaiis {Con..), but with smaller ribs, Cardiutn islaU' 

 idicum, and also various other less common fonns. These 

 fragments came from various parts-of the bank, including 

 the central part, in depths varying firon^ 35 to ^o fathoms, 

 or more. 



From BanquereaUjN. S., we received one specimen of 

 similar rock, containing abundant fragments of a large 

 bivalve, and about a dozen other species, among which 

 are Fusus {Chrysodotnus) decemcostatus, Latiriis alius, 

 Jeff. (?), unknown st^&cx&s oi Turritella, Sec From the 

 Grand Bank two similar specimens were received. One 

 of these, from thirty-five fathoms, lat. 44° 30', long. 

 50** 15', contained numerous specimens of Cyprina 

 islandica in good preservation. 



In gathering these specimens from the fishermen and 

 working out the specimens Mr. W. Upham has been 

 very active. It will probably be possible hereafter, when 

 these specimens shall hav« been more fully examined, 

 and more obtained, to give a pre tty. long list. jof species, 

 especially from George' s Bank. ... 



At present it appears probable that these fragments 

 have been detached from a very extensive submerged 

 tertiary formation, at least several hvmdreds- of miles in 

 length, extending along the outer banks, from off New- 

 foundland nearly to Cape Cod, and perhaps constituting, 

 in large part, the solid foundations of these remarkable 

 submarine elevations. . A. E. Verrill 



THE BALLOON EXPERIMENTS AT 

 WOOLWICH 

 'X* HE military balloon experiments at Woolwich have 

 ■■■ been so far successful, that last week an- aeronaut 

 was lifted some 700 feet, to a height, therefore, suf- 

 ficient for reconnoitring purposes. There is nothing 

 of novelty in this, as a matter of aerial navigation,, 

 although it is the first instance, we believe, of any 

 one in this country being raised from the earth by 

 the agency of pure hydrogen, but it is, nevertheless, 

 something to have achieved in the circumstances under 

 which Capt. Templar has been working. Everybody 

 knows that hydrogen is gifted with extraordinary lift- 

 ing power, just as every chemist is aware that the 

 gas may be produced in the way Capt. Templar pro- 

 duced it, namely, by passing a jet of steam over iron 

 tui'nings. • But the problem under solution was not to- 

 send up a hydrogen balloon so much as to discover 

 whether the thing could be done in a haphazard fashion^ 

 and with such simple means as an army in the field 

 wotild be provided with. It is one thing to make hydro- 

 gen in the laboratory, and another to make a sufficient 

 supply of it just whenever the commander of an army-may 

 order a balloon reconnaissance to be made. 



Capt. Templar has practically proved that this can.be 

 done. He requires a supply of steam, an improvised fur- 

 nace of some sort, and a tube filled with iron turnings ; 

 given these, he can provide hydrogen sufficient to lift a 

 scout high into the air. The tube at present employed 

 by Capt. Templar is six or eight inches in diameter, and 

 some half-dozen feet long ; it is filled loosely with iront 

 turnings and placed in a furnace where it becomes red 

 hot. Steam is now passed through the tube, and hydros 

 gen issues forth, the oxygen from the decomposed steam 

 going to form ferrous oxide. So completely do the iron 

 turnings do their work under these circumstances, that 

 not only is the surface of the metal acted upon, but it is 

 oxidised well-nigh throughout. 



Naturally enough, the hydrogeft comes away with a 

 good deal of vapour, and, if pure gas is desired, some 

 desiccating arrangement will have to be employed ; but 

 so far Capt. Templar has used none. His balloon, which, 

 is of lawn, dressed with boiled oil and glue, will contain 

 about 10,000 cubic feet, but last week not more than 

 9,000 feet of hydrogen was introduced. The gas was 

 generated from the tube at the rate of something like 

 1,000 cubic feet per hour, and there can be little doubt 

 that, during the long period of filling, a large quantity of 

 the vapour that was mixed with the hydrogen condensed,, 

 and ran out of the balloon in the form of water. Pure 

 hydrogen should have a lifting power of 70 lb. per 1,000 

 feet, or perhaps a little more, but it is hardly likely that 

 gas produced in a rough-and-ready fashion in the field 

 will possess this degree of buoyancy. Still, Capt. Templar 

 was successful in lifting balloon, aeronaut, ballast, and 

 700 feet of rope— for the ascent was a captive one — by 

 means of 9,000 cubic feet of hydrogen, prepared in the 

 way we have mentioned. 



Another point is worthy of note in connection with the 

 experiment. The fabric of the balloon kept the hydrogen 

 imprisoned for a much longer period than had been anti- 

 cipated. A dozen hours scarcely impaired the buoyancy 

 of the balloon, and by adding yet another waterproof 

 coating it is anticipated that the balloon will remain 

 inflated for four-and-twenty hours.- 



The next step Avill be to discover how far it is possible 

 to compress hydrogen so manufactured into cylinders for 

 conveyance in transport waggons, so that a supply of 

 hydrogen may be at hand whenever an ascent is .deter- 

 mined upon in the field, Capt. Templar is sanguine of 

 compressing the gas to a fourth of its volume, and thus 

 decreasing its bulk considerably, when' jhe balloon-train 

 is on the march. How far this is practicable experiment 

 only can prove. 



