Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/37

OLDHAM ies, roperies, silk factories, bleach works, etc. Pop. (1917) 133,721. OLDHAM, JOHN, an English au- thor; box'n in Shipton, in August, 1653; was educated at the school of Tetbury, and then at Oxford. He had many pa- trons, the last being the Earl of Kings- ton, in whose house he died. His works have been published in three volumes. He died in 1683. OLD RED SANDSTONE. The old red sandstone, or Devonian system, may be considered as embracing the whole series of strata which lies between the Silurian and Carboniferous systems. Certain portions of the formation were first distinguished in Devonshire, from which it derives its second name. The lower margin of the system is character- ized by strata containing the fossil re- mains of fishes, and forming a line of separation between it and the Silurian system. On its upper margin it is dis- tinguished by the rarity of the vegetation which so remarkably distinguishes the over-lying carboniferous rocks. The Devonian formation is nowhere found so largely developed as in the United States. In the New York system of rocks it in- cludes the following rocks: Approximate thickness Names. in New York. Catskill group, or old red sandstone. . .2,000 feet. Chemung 1,500 " Portage, and Genesee 1,000 " Hamilton 1,000 " Marcellas 50 " Upper Helderberg 50 " Schoharie, and Cauda-galli 10 " Oriskany sandstone 5 to 30 feet. OLD TOWN, a town in Penobscot co., Me., near the W. bank of the Penobscot river, and on the Maine Central and Bangor and Aroostook railroads; 12 miles N. N. E. of Bangor. It has exten- sive water power, and is a center of the lumber industry, having one of the larg- est lumber mills in the world. Pop. (1920) 6,956. OLD WORLD, the Eastern Hemis- phere, so named in popular parlance subsequent to the discovery of the New World, in 1492. OLE AN, a city in Cattaraugus co., N. Y., on the Alleghany river and on the Pennsylvania, the Erie, and the Pitts- burgh, Shawmut and Northern rail- roads; 70 miles E. of Buffalo. It con- tains a large supply of natural gas, both for fuel and lighting; the Forman Pub- lic Library, several educational institu- tions, electric street railroads, electric lights, National banks, and daily and weekly newspapers. It has extensive pe- ll OLfeRON troleum, lumber, and tanning interests* Pop. (1910) 14,743; (1920) 20,506. OLEANDER, in botany, Nerium ole- ander, the common, and A^. odorosum, the sweet-scented oleander. They have lan- ceola coriaceous leaves, with parallel veins and fine roseate flowers. The for- mer is a native of India, now naturalized in many warm countries. A decoction of its leaves forms a wash used in the S. of Europe to destroy cutaneous vermin; the powdered wood and bark are used at Nice OLEANDER as the basis of a rat poison. Sweet scented oleander is wild in Central India, Scinde, Afghanistan, and the outer Him- alayas to 5,500 ft. Often cultivated in India, etc. All parts of the plant, es- pecially the root, are poisonous. OLENEK, a river of Northern Siberia which rises under the polar circle, and enters the Arctic Ocean to the W. of the Lena delta; length, about 1,200 miles. OLEOGRAPH, a name given to an ordinary chromo lithograph which has been "roughed" after printing, mounted on canvas, and varnished so as to imitate an oil painting. OLEpMARGARINE, in chemistry the more oily part of beef fat, prepared ex- tensively in this country by allowing the melted fat to cool slowly to 30°, when most of the stearin crystallizes out and is removed by pressure. Another brand of oleomargarine is prepared by adding nut oil to suet fat in such proportion as to reduce the melting point to that of Isutter fat. Both kinds are largely used in making up artificial butter and cheese. OLERON, an island lying from 2 to 10 miles off the W. coast of France, and forming part of the department of Char- ente-Inferieure. It is 19 miles long by