The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-01-26
CURIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC.

lish telegraphist, has invented .
which has proved that 5
light penetrates to depth of one
hundred fathoms below the surface ,
of the sea. Hitherto it has been sup :
posed that 80 fathoms was the far
thest depth to which the suns rays
could reach, but an apparatus, of
which the main feature is chemically
prepared paper, has proved that the
sun is mQrethan three times as pow
erful as was supposed.
A writer of the Scientific american
says that to succeed in growing plants
in dwellings, it is necessary to keep
the air around the plants of moder-
ate temperature, say from fifty to six
ty degrees, and as moist as possible,
by having the plants stand on damp
moss, or other material that will at all |
times be giving off moisture among |
the leaves. Plants with large leaves |
like the Camelia, India rubber plant, |
Century, ETC., may be greatly bene-
fitted by occasionally sponging the
leaves with water, by hieh means
the dust that accumulates on them is
removed. Small leaved plants may
be syringed with good effect.
A correspondent of the Scientific
american has discovered chow to see
under water" He had occasion to
examine the bottom of mill-pond,
for which purpose be constructed a
| float out of an inch plank, sufficient
to buoy him up. Through the centre
of this float he cut hole and placed
a blanket over it, when he was en-
abled to clearly discover objects on
the bottom, and several lost tools
were discovered and picked up. He
is satisfied that, where the water is
sufficiently clear, the method could
be successfully used in searching for
lost bodies and articles, and suggests
! that it be tried on the sea. with a
craft like the Great Eastern" he
adds, "where an observatory could
be placed at the bottom, with sufii-
cient darkness, by the aid of glasses
we could gaze down into the depths
of the sea, the same as we can survey
the starry heavens at midnight"
A new kind of stove, invented
by Prof. Medinger and successfully
used by the last German Arctic eX-
petition, is attracting considerable
attention abroad. 1t is of iron, hav-
ing double wall, with a space about
two inches wide between the outer
: and inner walls, to which the air has
free access above and below. The
cold air being always at the bottom,
and the warm ascending, it follows
that all the air in the room is being
constantly forced through the space
between the outer and inner cover
ing of the stove, or, what is the same,
, is being constantly heated. The coal
/ is put in at the top, and fills the
1 whole inside of the stove, which is
about six feet high, more or less. 1t
is then lighted at the top and kept
, burning by the draft created by valves
: inserts ed both into the side walls
and at the bottom of the stove. The
: valves opened, the greater the heat,
80 that the temperature can be easily
regulated. The expense is a third
t less than that of an ordinary German
3 stove, and the new invention, in an
elegant shape, is rapidly finding its
e way into dwelling houses.
: A very interesting discovery has
Just been made at All Souls College,
Oxford, England. The college is I'M
dergoing renovation and a few days
5 ago while the workmen were rcmOv.
e ing the beautifully painted canvass
: from the roof of the chapel, no less
8 than fifteen paintings were discover
g ed attached to the rafters. Each
painting is on wood, about three
; quarters of an inch in thickness,
about nine feet in length, and vary
ing in width from five feet upward.
What some of them are intended to
! represent it is difficult to decide, and
: how long they have been in the roof
is unknown. Two or three of the
paintings evidently represent angels
! sounding trumpets, while the Others
1 are figures of men and women of very
i large size and in remarkable postures;
some Of the former are represented as
1 bent up in most unnatural mann er.
One of the strangest natural phen-
omena says the Japan Mail is now
to be witnessed at the excavations
being carried on at Noge. 1t will be
remembered of those who have been
along the line of railroad towards
Kanagawa, that just outside the sta
ton yard large excavations are being
made in the side of the hill. A near
inspection of these will show that at
one spot where the earth is being
thrown down from the brow of the
hill, the soil appears to be smoking.
Large stones appear as if shoulder
ing, and the loose rubble as it rolls
down the face of the cliff emits a
thick mist. On ascending the hill,
the place where the hot earth is being
dug can be seen. A small semi-ciTcie
has been excavated "A few feet deep.
aud although the earth when I'M
touched presents no extraordinary
appearance, the moment the pick en-
tiers, the smoke arises in every direc-
ton, emitting a strong sulphurous
smell, not sufficiently powerful, how
ever, to have any effect on the coolies
at work. The earth, which is warm
when dug out, is thrown down the
hill, whence it is taken away in light
ers.
A NEW METHOD OF WARNING
RAILWAY CARS has lately been in
troduced on some of the French and
German lines, with gratifying success.
A preparation of wood charcoal, nit
rate of potash and starch is employed.
At first the charcoal was burnt in
perforated boxes two feet long, four
and one-half in ches wide, and two
and three-fourths inches deep. 1t
was soon found, however, that this
combustion caused violent headaches,
and the charcoal was therefore put
| into close iron boxes placed under the
seats, double top being employed to
prevent the seats of the ears from be-
coming too hot. The prepared char
coal is packed in the boxes in pieces
four inches long, three inches wide,
and two inches thick. On the line
between Aix-la Chapelle and Berlin, =
eight pieces of charcoal were used for !
heating a compartment. This guam
tity efficiently warmed the car during |
sixteen hours, and at the end of the !
journey the fuel was still red hot |
This prepared charcoal costs 80 shill- |
ings per hundred weight, and the eX-
pense of heating one compartment is !
said to be much less than that requir- |
ed by any of the ordinary methods |
employed, being less than penny an
hour.
Telegraphing has taken a sudden !
and important stride towards perfec- |
ton within the last few days. En- |
periments with newly invented |
mode have been conducted, and with /
wonderful success. Yesterday mes !
sage vas sent from Washington to /,
an operator in Philadelphia, who re-
BY the new mode it is claimed that /
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