DO YOU KNOW?

Auckland Star, Volume 198, Issue LVII, 21 August 1926, Page 25

DO YOU KNOW?

When sulphur, a yellow mineral substance which occurs chiefly in volcanic legions,is mixed or combined with indiarubber, a highly inflammable substance known as vulcanite is the product. The chief source of sulphur in cr around New Zealand is White Island. The main uses of vulcanite are: Fountain pens, combs, buttons, gramophone records, etc. An iceberg (ice mountain) is a huge mass of ice, originally part oi a glacier (frozen river) consisting of frozen fresh ■water. When the iceberg breaks off from the glacier (which it does when the latter reaches the sea), being lighter than salt water on which it floats the, iceberg keeps above the surface, although nearly nine-tenths of it are submerged. It follows then that if 100 feet of an iceberg is visible then the actual height of the whole is really 1000 feet. From this you can understand what a menace to shipping such a floating "reef" is. What do you know of the St. Bernard dogs? They are large dogs, which are carefully trained by the good monks of the St. Bernard Hospice, in the Alps of Switzerland, to discover travellers lost in the snow of the Alpine regions. They are sent out on their search with rugs across their backs and flasks of brandy round their necks. On discovering anyone overcome by the cold they endeavour to restore him to consciousness by licking his hands and face, at the same time barking furiously to obtain the assistance of the monks.