NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3523, 20 September 1921, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to be received not later than SATURDAY night. Questions will NOT be replied to through the post. Five Rivers. —The collection of rocks you sent for identification were submitted to Professor Park, who has reported that the rocks marked No. 1 are slaty argillites, mostly red or green in colour, the intensity of colour depending on the amount of iron present. Sample No. 2 is a compact claystone, and No. 3 a clay stone containing a small percentage of manganese oxide, which imparts a bluish-purple colour to the s?one. Health. —The address is Wiremu Katana,-. Rat ana, Wanganui. Sufferer.—So far as we can ascertain vapour baths are not procurable in Dunedin Argument.—The teacher pays his own expenses. Digger.—We have made search of our file, but can find no reference to the book you name. If you write to a leading bookseller in any of the principal centres you could got all information, as most of them receive publishers' circulars. If the book is not in stock any one of them would order it for you and inform you ot what the cost would be. Wager wants to know how many points should be counted for a hand at cribbuge containing two aces, two 2’s, and! a 9. —— six points—fiifteen 2; pair of aoet3, 2; pair of 2’s, 2. Ah the sinking of the Austral in Sydney harbour was not attended by loss of life, and os the steamer was refloated, we have no record of the event in our reference books. Cashmere Hills. —The matter will receive careful consideration. A glance at the files appears io indicate that the dates you give are not the correct dates. Relative Humidity.—Wo submitted vour question to Professor Park, of the Otago University, who ha<s kindly supplied the following information: —(1) The methods of determining relative humidity are explained in text books on heat. Any elementary text book will do. Glaister’s hydrometric table 3 should be procurable in New Zealand. They might be obtained from importers of hydrometers, such as Geo. W. Wilton (Did.), scientific instrument importers, Wellington. (2) The more common types of hydrometers could bo obtained from the above firm or from Hugh Neill, optician, 249 George street, Dunedin. The Mitbof spiral consists of a strip of metal one side of which is coated with a hygroscopic substance embedded in a glue to make it adhere to the metal. This is wound in a spiral ar.d a pointer attached. The changes in the amount of moisture in this coating cause the spiral to unwind or wind up more tightly. A hygroscope working on this principle could be had from A. and \Y. MX'urtLy, 144 Stuart Street, Dunedin. If. J. B. asks hov to prepare groeiihide. A good method of preserving a hide so as to make it tough and pliable is to take it from the animal, fold it up in tho ordina;y way, an l bury it in sand for about three days, by which the roots the hair will be decomposed. Then spread it out on a floor, and pour a couple of bottles of siiong vinegar over it. Give it a rub with a brush or broom occasionally until all the vinegar is absorbed, when the hide may be removed and hung in the shade to bo used as required. As it ii»le the hair will be found on tho floor on the removal of the hide. The fleshy substance can be removed as tho hi die is cut for me, when after a few minutes’ rubbing it vs ill be found tough end pliable.

G. A. M. asks: (1) Which is the 'ongest river? (2) Which river has the greatest output of water? (3) llow does the output of the Molyneux River rank with the rivers of the world? The Missouri-M'ississippi, 4221 miles, is the longest river, and the Amazon (3800 miles). Nile (3780 miles), Congo, and Yang-tsc-kiang (3000 miles) rank nc-xt. (2) It is not possible* to give tho output of these rivers. (3) We are unable to state the position of the Molyneux in comparison with the largest rivers so far as concerns its output. Before this could be decided some common basis for measuring the discharge must be arrived at. The mean annual discharge of the Amazon, Congo, Mississippi, La Plata, "Yang-tsc-kiang, Ganges, Irrawaddy, Orinoco is greater than that of the**Molyneux. Kara Point asks (1) the dates of the wrecks of (a) Ada, (b) South Australia, (c) Tairoa, (d) Lady of the Lake. (2) The date the Nuggets Lighthouse was first used. (3) The names of the first keepers. (4) The name of the contractor who made the road ■and built the lighthouse. (5) Did tho stones for the tower come from the Home Country or Port Chalmers? Ada was wrecked at the Clutha Bar, January 12, 1861; (b) South Australia wrecked at Taieri Mouth, April 2, ISG7; (c) Tairoa wrecked at Waipapa Point, April 12, 1886, Captain Thompson in charge; (d) The Lady of the Lake wrecked at Port Molyneux, December 29, 1875. The first officer was in command, the captain being detained on shore. The cutter Endeavour was wrecked Molyneux Bar, January 17, 1857. To go through the numerous list of wrecks entails more time than we have to spare. (2) The lighthouse at Nuggets Point was opened on July 4, 1870. (3) Other details are not available.