The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-04-15

The EFFECT OF ELECTRICITY upon
BLooD.-Pro!essor Newman, OF Konigs-
borg, in studying the action Of electricity
upon the animal organism, has recently
found that under the infunce Of powerfully
induced currents the white blood corpuscles
of the frog swell up. Between their walls
which become very smooth, anu the interior
! granular nucleus a tree space IS left, and
the granules Of the nucleus manifest rapid
movements
The Scientific AmericdR says it il now
" Impossible to construct a burglar-prooi
safe, Tor the thief, with his cylinders of
compressed hydrogen and oxygen, can in
few seconds burn holes Of any size 10
the hardest metal-hls 6re.dril enabling
him 10 few minutes to work bis way in
to the strongest safe that was ever con !
structed"
FAILURES LAST IEAR-It seems from
Just published circular that the mercan-
tile failures in the | nIted States during
1870 were 3, sol il number, and involved
losses to the amount Of $88, 242 900. This
is an immense sun, cons ierably exceeding
the aggregate loss by mercantile failures
during 1859 In that year The losses amoun,-
cd to SIS ,054 900, Or over $4,000, 900
less than those Of last year This does not
speak well or the manner in winch mercan
tile business was conduc ed in 1870 II
tells the story ct extended credit aud over
trading Of undue expenses Of living, and
of incautlous ventures.
Yet the exhibit Of 1870 is not bad one,
as compared with those of 1858 AMI 1867,
leaving out Of view such exceptional years
as 1857 aud 1861, wnen the business OF
The country was broken up In 1853 the
losses by failures were 800, 40 999, and
in 1867 they were $50 666,OU0 The
proportion Of failures last year was about
one TO every l49 engaged il business.
An f. ECrRIC JoKE-Some weeks ago
one of those illeg timat Sons OF Science, a
vasrant iectrlc man, opened at at Fourth
aud Market streets, with his dial for les ny
hrw much torture biz voluntary victims
could stand. 10 stimulate trace be kept
standing offer t pay IS 60 whomevtr
could stand as much Of the electric fluid
as his machine would furnish. One day
boy presented himself and announced at
be had come to win that So. Tie man
handed him the "h andes" aud started the
machine. The boy stood it wonderfully.
The operator turned the crank faster aud
asked the boy how it felt. The boy said
It did not feel at all The man thought
something must be the matter, and COM
menced and elaborate tightening up Of the
s-rews, and then commenced another series
Of swift revolutions, which ought to have
produced a current sufficient TO Kill the boy,
still be aughlngly assured the fellow that
he did not experience the slightest sensa-
ton. Our Of patience the man demanded
to zee his hands, and then the secret was ex-
planned. The boy belonged at the telegraph
office aud had picked up one Of the pieces
OF insulated wiz now being put up inside
the office, and had passed it up one sleeve
Of bis coat, abound his shoulders and down
the other sleeve, and then uncovered the
end Of the wires in each hand. Thus armed
be mad gone 30 the electric man, of course
The uncovered ends Of the wire pressed
against the metallic handles presented a
better medium than the boys body, and The
current simply passed to them aud along
the Insulated wire around the bov's BODY
without touching him. That Electrician"
was very mad, and all the more so as the
c.owd drawn together thought it a good
joke and took the boys part. The man was
90 laughed at that he lie to n.