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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1924-10-2, Page 3VALUE OF. PRECISE LEVELLING kids in Opening Up Cosntr y-andEstablishing Industries tries and Means of Communication The carrying, of mean sea level Fisheries, at such points as Vancouver datum t th i terior' of a country wet l and Prince Rupert ou the tlPacific a stat o e n coast and Halifax, yarmpu , an *the determination of • the exact Father Point an the Atlantic. Starting height above mean sea level :]?Y means lin from the, eeaoaast the levelling en - of a.precise levelling instilment, ea a gineer, with his spirit level incorpor- • work of • the utmost imnportance..e In 1 ated in a modern instrument called a .Canada the precise control of the precis level, proceeds inland by Geodetic Survey is used as a basis for meant, of a 'myriad of consecutive neaa•,iyy.ali they other surveys that are sighting stations, determining as he carried on in the Dominion, and by 1 goes along just how far above sea this means great saving to the pec -1 level each new station is. To retain for all future use the re- sult of his levelling, at points sufficient into ne4W territory, important develop- in•number for public service, he seta meats such as •the constellation' of in ealid rock or inasonrY, or in con - railways, dams, water=power` plants, creta piers erected.fyr: this purpose, pie of Can jection is effected. By'the pro- *iese accurate lines oflbvels drainage and irrigation, systema;• and ,the opening up of mines, may be.carried. forward to completion,,* -withbut *the same necessity of running complete j[cpdividual surveys far each new' work ° and at the same time without the pos- sibilities' of errors which these lade - a series of copper bolts or tablets to bear•a chisel mark, the elevation of which he has determined, and which is included in published tables of ele- vation. The reoords thus established are technically known as bench -marks. Thus the precise levelling .goes for- pendent surveys would involve. Thus ward and the result is an ocean to if the state did not undertake this work development would be greatly re- tarded and the added expense when works were completed would neces- sarily mean a heavier burden to all the people. The necessity: for exact surveys. is everywhere recognized and it is the aim of the -different organizations en- trusted with Canadian surveys to at- tain ttain as nearly as economically feasible to absolute gocuracy. Mean sea level is determined by means of gauges oceau net of accurate data, placed at the oonveuient command of the pub- 11c. Since the inauguration of precise levelling by the Geodetic Survey some eighteenyeara ago• good progress has been made and approximately 17,000 miles of levelling has been run. In the permanent-reoording of this work some 5,500 bench-inarks have been es- tablished, thereby bringing many iso- lated levelling projects to an accurate sea level datum .and paving the way maintained by the Tidal and Current for the inauguration of future pro - Survey, Department of Marine and jests. Guideposts and Milestones. 4Travelers along the roads of Eng- land, even as late as the reign of George I., had few guideposts and mile- stones to direct them to their jour- ney's end. In fact, they were far less familiar objects than road -side cross or memorials. Guideposts were scattered about the roads before the milestones made their appearance. The earliest type was a wayside cross bearing a direct- ing arm. Probably one of these old guideposts gave its name to Rand Cross, on the Brighton road, England, In Stuart times there were very tew guideposts• and no milestones. One traveler, about this period, states that in some parts of the country, where there are crossroads, there is some- times found a post with a hand to di- rect people the right way, but no dis- tanctts,,ara shown. ,?.qt of Parliament was passed in 1698, ordering justices to erect .guide- pcete at all crossroads, but in 1713% complaints were made that its provi- sions were disregarded. Travelers complained of the lack of guidance, one man stating that on one occasion he arrived at a crossroad which "fronted nine ways at once with. - out a single directing post," Many of the early guide posts were set up by private individuals. One of these is at Teddington, and known as Teddington Hands. It is a. five -armed post and was first set up by Edmund Attwood, of the Vine Farm, and repair- ed by successive generations of his family, when it came to Alice Att- wood, ttwood, of the tenth generation. This lady repaired the post in 1876, being 5]}e last of the family. Another pri- Mate guidepost 1s near Bicton, in Dev- onshire; on its sides are directions, followed by Scriptural texts. Milestones are still of more recent origin than guideposts, although the Romans, during their occupations, set up many distance stones ontheir roads. One of these Roman milestones can be seen in Leicester Museum, On the Great North road, in Eng- ....AND THE WORST IS YET TO COME What Do You Think of Him, Girls? Wise—"Oh, how sweet it was of you to remember. my birthday with those beautiful roses. But there were only twenty-five of them when there should have been thirty." Hubby -"My, my,. did I make a mis- take? There's a mirror just opposite you—can you blame me, dear?" The Earliest Pen. Among the recent dis�ooveries at Kish is a great treasure in the shape of the oldest known pen. Professor Langdon, director of the Weld -Blun- dell and Field Museum Archaeological Expedition, who was delighted at find- ing this bone stylus for writing cunei- form, says that many scholars had vainly tried to reconstruct the instru- ment. This stylus is a triumph of simplici- ty. It is a bone, six•inches tong, with a triangular cross-section and pared ends. After a little practice Professor Langdon was able to make cuneiform inscriptions on clay with fair rapidity, Professor Langdon ,considers that the mound twenty miles south-east of Nippur may be identified as the site of the city of Isin. Isin was the capi- tal of a dynasty whicb ruled over a great part of Babylonia after that of Ur from. about 2280 B.C. to about 2050 B.C. 1. Solving the Problem. Ten -year-old Jimmy finally reached what threatened to be his limit of ex - 111111 4.1 114,40. • mcia Melancholy, But the King Approves. Though little is said or done when the British sovereign opens Parlia- ment in person, the custom is well worth retaining if only for the mag- nificent spectacle that it offers. But when it comes to the simulacre,—that is, the opening of Parliament by royal commission, the grand pageant is re- placed by a pitiable mockery, and as dicates enemies. Doves are supposed for the proroguing by royal commis- to be lucky, and so are stars, the cres- IRRIGATION IN WESTERN CANADA The Lrlghteenth Annual Convention results obtained under natural rain - oflimier it ria, secured g of the vV'estern. Canada Irrigation As- fall with results. a sociation was held in Ca1gerY, Alberta, tion, the .Dominion Government Ex• perienental Fath at Lethbridge isanes. on the last three days of July. It Is a , the following figures, the percentage remarkable thing that whenever an of increase. being ; set opposite each: irrigation meeting is held in one of Al- Potatoes, 260%; turnips, 200%; sugar berta's cities,rain invariably comes. beets, 184%; carrots, 141%; corn, Following a period of drought, two 128%; mangolde, 102%; field peas, inches of rain fell the day preceding 74%; barley (two rowed), 69%; (sire the convention, while a heavy shower rowed), 45%; sring wheat, 33%. on the last day prevented the dele- The Lieut, -Governer, Senator Sir gates from participation inan automo- James Lougheed, the Mayor and the bile tour' of the irrigated land west of Minister of Alberta all showedthey the city. were appreciative of the immense po- In the period of thirteen years, since tentialities of the irrigated areas. the last convention took place in Cal- while other speakers brought out facts gory, great strides have been made in and figures to show what the proper irrigation develgpment in Western Canada. One large area, the Western Section of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way's Irrigation Block, adjacent to the city, has been peopled by industrious settlers who have prospered and have attractive homes, surrounded by trees, ning factories as well as in the finish - on what was, at the time of the last , ing of all kinds of livestock, etc. They convention, bare prairie. In no part demonstrated that the areas are oap- of the West has there been: any de- able of supporting hundreds of thoua- velopment comparable to it in a simi- ands of people in prosperity and corn lar period. Further east of Calgary, fort, which, in, turn, would add mated - around Brooks, thousands of acres are ally to the welfare of the people in the I producing crops of high value where cities, formerly nothing at all was produced Considerable interest was taken by at the time.,the 1911 convention was +tire public in the .proceedings, . • the : hold In Calgary. Rotary, Kiwani and Gyro Clubs ex - I In other parts of the province and I tending invitations to several of the in South-western. Saskatchewan, irri- I speakers to address their members, gation is bringing about wonderful Undoubtedly, the public will, from now �. transformations leading to prosperity I on, take a greater interest in irriga- - and better living conditions, and while tion development; the better they be - only the fringe of possibilities have come acquainted with its possibilities been -realized, the development of irri- I and with the obstacles that have been gation has now reached a stage worthy and yet are impending it, the sooner of the attention of business men and will irrigation come to be realized as others not directly engaged in farm- one of the greatest assets the Weat Mg under irrigation. Comparing the possesses. farming of the irrigated lands would mean in the establishment oe com- munities of satisfied and prosperous settlers, in the making of attractive homes, in making possible the estate lishment,• of sugar factories and can - Telling Teacup Fortunes. The custom of telling fortunes from tea -leaves left in the cup is by no means on the wane. It is a simple matter to memorize most of the signs, and a good imagination is also of great assistance! Leaves in the form of a train are said to mean either a journey or the arrival or departure of some one in whom you are interested. A snake in - sten, that is—so we learn from Sir Henry Lucy in Lards and Commoners —an even more melancholy spectacle. The five commissioners, he writes, are received with elaborate ceremony that takes up a deal of time that might indicate a meeting with strangers, well be spared at the end of a busy while stocking's usually foreshadow what fol land, in the seventeenth century, many pansion, when. dessert was served. milestones were set up. These were Jimmy stared but found the solution. not only milestones, but mounting ; He reached for his belt buckle and on blocks as well, designed- for the con- i the tide of a long -drawn sigh exclaim- veaience of horse riders. ed: "Guess I'll have to move the deci- Early in tine eighteenth century a 1 mal point. two places." number of milestones were set up on _._._e_asee_- the high road at Cambridge. This was Needn't Walt. done at the instance of Trinity Hall, The tenor, with wide-open mouth, one of the oldest colleges comprising ' had just emitted his first nate, when Cambridge University. t the sweet young thing who had volun- The college held £1600, which had been left in 1586 by two former mem- teered to act as accompanist suddenly discovered that her back hair needed hers, the interest to be used to repair patting. the road between Cambridge and ,'Just go right on," she -directed. Barkway. In 1725 part of this money "I'Il play fast and catch up with you." was expended in providing milestones ___-._.._, _..... . on this atretch of road. The eighteenth century was well ad- vanced before official milestones were placed on the highway. A standard. pattern was soon introduced. At first they were • square, but" after a few years the now double-faced variety was found to be more convenient and was soon adopted all over the country. Round the World in Seven- teen `Days. People were vastly entertained Juleswhen Verne caused his fictional hero, ` Phinoas Fogg; to make a circuit of the earth in eighty.ays. Now a commercial concern 'an- nounces Round the World Trips by airship ,and aeroplane in.seventeen days, and causes no astonishment.A company has been formed in Lon- don to conduct these tours according to the following itinerary: London to Paris and Constantinople by aeroplane, to Australia by airship, to San Fran- cisco by airship, to New York by aero- plane, to London by airship. In the crypt chapel under the Brit- ish House of Comrnoes is preserved an altar cloth reputed to have been made LY Queen Elizabeth. cent moon and horseshoes. News from abroad is often fore- shadowed by a tent. Shoes mean a journey. It the eup is clear all round it is Bald to be a good sign. Gloves session, but it is nothing to - presents. lows. There is a mighty pile of bills, Chairs mean visitors; keys new un - that, having passed both houses of dertakings. Initials are usually deem - Parliament, now await the royal as- ed to be lucky. Black clusters of sent. The clerk on the right-hand side trees mean gatherings, but may also of the table, taking up the bills one be taken to mean a cluster of worries, by one, first bows low to the cloaked j figures of the commissioners, ducking as if a sustaining bolt had been sud-I Words That Work Hard. dimly withdrawn from the region of There are words it is almost impos- the small' of the back. He reads out aible to avoid using, however careful - the title of the bill. Thereupon com- ly we may try to do so. menses the task of the clerk on the It is said that a quarter of the task. left. If it be a money bill, the clerk, of expressing oneself in the English first bowing low to the commission- language is borne by nine words—and, ers, turns his head slightly to the left be, have, it, of, the, to will, and you. and -over his shoulder throws at the It is also asserted that these nine with Speaker and the assembled Commons thirty-four other words, form halt the the phrase: "Le rot remercie see words the average talker uses in ar- bons sujets, accepts leur benevolence, dinary conversation. et sting le veult." (The king thanks The additional thirty-four are as his good subjects, accepts their bounty and proves it.) If it be an ordinary measure, he says with the same melan- choly gesture: "Le roi le veuit." (The king approves). Whether there are ten bills or two hundred, the process is the same. First, the clerk on the right-hand side bows. to the commissioners; second, Ire recites the name et the bill; third, he bows again; fourth, the clerk on the left-hand side bows to the. commis- sioners; fifth, with scornful gesture of disregard he throws over his shoulder to the awed Commons the assurance of the royal assent; sixth, he heaves a little sigh of sympathy with the com- missioners for having to meet the Commons; seventh, he bows again, and his colleague takes up the next bill; and the whole process is gone over again, the phrase "Le roi le vault" rising and falling over the deserted House like the cry of the curfew on a distant desolate rock. a Nobody knows the age of the world, but we all agree that it's old enough to know better. • A specialist in nervous diseases says that women ,.should sleep nine hours at night and one hour in ,the daytime. • follows: about, all, as, at, but, can, come, day, dear, for, get, go, hear, if, in, me, march, not, on, • say, she, so, that, these, they, this, though, time, we, with, write, your, her, and one. It would be an interesting and in- etructive occupation for readers to underline on any one page of this paper the words included in this list of forty-three, and see how near the total number •comes to being half of the whole. Awful' Stuff. Bug—"Goodness, Mr. Skeet, you're intoxicated!" Skeet—Yesh. Never bite a fellow Chic) again that's been drinking home brew!" "Kittle is already showing lines in her face." ' "Yes, but her other lines offset 'em." Unsolved Problems of the Sky. . Scientists have weighed the planets, the sun, the moon; we know the dis- tance of stars whose light takes cen- turies to reach us, and we even mea- sure accurately the minute amount of heat given by distant ,stars. • . For all that, the sky is stili full of puzzles which astronomers are attempting to solve. Take, for instance, the problem of dark stars. Possibly it has never oc- curred to you that there are such bodies, yet for every bright star you can see on a clear night there must be thousands which have gone cold and are therefore invisible. Yet, dead as they are, they are still plunging through space at appalling speed. On February 2nd, 1901, there blazed out in the constellation of Perseus a star of amazing brilliance. It was not, of course, a new star. What had really happened was that one of these dark stare had either hit another, or, per- haps, struck one of the big gas clouds whieh hang in space. The result was an explosion on a scale we cannot even imagine. These dark stars and gas clouds are among the greatest of sky puzzles. I is only three years ago that a Dutch scientist discovered a mystery cloud 140,000,000,000,000 males in length and twice that distance from the solar spa tem. It may be gas ,it may be dust We do not know and probably neve shall. A Poem You Ought to Know. "What the Chimney Sang." Bret Harte wrote of the pathos and humor of the gold -diggings of Cali- fornia. in "The Luck of Roaring Camp." He made his name known the world over by a humorous poem enti'.led "The Heathen Chinee," but that he was a poet of pathos as well as humor is shown by the following verses:— Over the chimney the night -wind sang And chanted a melody DO one k:aew; And the woman stopped, as her babe she tossed, And thought of the one she had long since lost, And said, as her tear -drops back she forced, "I hate the wind in the chimney," Over the chimney the night -wind sang And chanted a melody no one knew; And the children said, as they closer drew, "'Tis some witch that is cleaving the black night through— 'Tis a fairy trumpet that just then blew, And we fear the wind in the chimney." Over the chimney the night -wind sang, And chanted a melody no one knew; And the man, as he sat on his hearth below, Said to himself, "It will surely snow, And fuel ie dear and wages low, And I'll stop the leak in the chimney." Over the chimney the night -wind sang And chanted a melody no one knew; But the poet listened and smiled, for he Was man, and woman, and child, all three, And said, "It is God's own harmony; This wind• we hear in the chimney." Winds of Romance. What romantic names are given to some winds, which are anything but romantic in character. There is the Mistral, for example, the dry, cold wind that blows with wil- 1 siderable strength on the Mediterran- ean coast of France. Another violent, cold wind is the Bora, which those t who have been much on the northern ebores of the Adriatic have experi- enced, greatly to their discomfort. Then there is the Simoon, which is as scorchingly hot as the Mistral and Bora are cold. The Cimon, in fact, is r like a violent succession of gusts from a hot oven. It has proved a terrific enemy to travellers in the Sahara. The Sirocco is much the same kind of searching wind. A naval officer, describing an experience with this wind in the Mediterranean, says: "We soon felt a sultry breeze, which conveyed innumerablel insects into every crevice, and became so trouble- some ou deck that we were glad to re- treat below, but: in vain, for wherever the air reached, there they teemed in countless .numbers and our dinner was presently covered with them." Romantic -sounding enough is the name Khamsin, but those who. have encountered this hot, dry wind in. the Egyptian plain do not have very pleas- ant memories of it. The Harmattan is similarly enpopu- + lar among the inhabitants of Western Africa and those travellers who have ;been unfortunate enough to encounter ! this desert, dust -laden wind. Folin is the name of another dry, hot wind, which has an enervating effect 1 upon the valley dwellers on the north- ern side of the Alps. The warns of the Pambero has a glamour about it Which Inches it in reality. This fearful 'tom Ii bination of vlel ont • wind, rain, *in- t dor aril lightning is owl:" too famili.]•ar Cto the residents of the Argentine gnd Uruguay. During excavations at Christ's Hospital, Folkestone, England, ruins the background is oneof the famous Martello towers. • of the Roman eccupatiop and settlement of the island wore uncoverec]. In