The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-07-05

A Polar expedition is projected in
under the auspices of the
the Royal Geographical Society.
In Rome they have q perambulating
steam kitchen for cooking for the poor.
1t will cook for fi.,een hppd red persons
a dinner in loss than an hour and q
half, and a. very modest price of a
sou plate.
The Smithsonian Iustilute has just
received valuable curiosity rom an
Ecudorian gentleman. 1t is q battle
trophy OF race of natives living near
the headwateIs of the Amazon River,
and is the head of a captive, condensed
by some unknown process to size not
more thai three inches in diameter,
the original proportions of the features
being preserved.
THE FORCE OF SEA-WAvES.-F. om
some experiment made by Mr.. Steven
son on the west coast of Scotland,
which is exposed to the fury of the At
lantic Ocean, it appears that the aver
age pressure Ofthe waves during the
summer months is 600 pounds on the
square foot, while during winter months
it is 2,0S6 pounds,-or more than three
times as much. During one tremen-
dous storm in March, 1915, the pr sure
rose as high as 6,OlO pounds OH the
square foot.
In the storm which rocked the Royal
Charter, such was the power of the sea
that masses of rock of IA tons weight
were torn from their beds and bnwled
along the sands, and the noble vessel
of 1000 tons burden, and one rigid me- IS
of the toughest iron, when struck 10y
two opposing seas, was snapeu 9suu-
der, just as the engineer remarked, c
che could snap stick across his
knee.n
In the JeitschrJG fur RdtiOnelle Med
icip, the idea is promulgated by DIR.
Sommer that sleep is nothing else than
the result Of a deoxygenation of the or
ganism. According to this theory, the
blood and the tissues possess the prop
erty of storing no the oxygen inhaled
and then supplying it in proportion to
the requirements of the economy.
When this store of oxygen is exhaust
ed, or becomes too small, it no longer
suffices to sustain the Vital activity OF
the organs, the brain, nervous system,
muscles, ETC., and the body falls into
that particular state called sleep. Du-
ring the continuance of this state fresh
quantities of oxygen are stored up in
the blood to subsequently use as sup
ply to the awakened vital prOwers.
Magnesium burns with great rapici-
ty, and the solid product Of combustion
solid incandescent magnesia-emi's
very intense light; 1t partly rises i'm
the air in the form of white smoke, and
partly falls a white powder to the
ground. Though the Luminous power
of the sun is 524 greater than that OF
magnesium light, the activity of its
chemical rays is only about five times
as great This light is therefore pecu-
liarly adapted for the Photographic re-
presentations of objects which are badly
lighted, or works of art i'm dark places
or churches. of underground buildings
and Of small landscape pictures, such
as representations of moonlight, etc.
1t is well known that the Roman cata-
combs, and the dark tomb-chambers in
the interior OF the pyramids have af-
forded fine Photographic pictures by
the aid of the magnesium light.
A writer in the English Mechanic ad-
vises its readers to put implicit faith in
carbolic acid as disinfectant as he be-
lieves its merits to have been overrated
As deodoriZer it is far superior to
chloride of lime, the effect lasting only
a short time. lie finds that the vapOr
OF chloride is very much superior for the
purpose, as it always destroys the vi
taiity of infectious and diseased germs,
which carbolic acid does not. To COM
nletely disinfect all apartment that has
been occupied by a patient suffering
under smallpox, typhus fever, or
other disease, 1t is only necessary 10
vacate the apartment after stopping
up The openings, and placing i'm differ
ent parts of the room several plates
containing a quantity of common salt
OH which little vitrOl has been pour
ed. The vapor of the chloride will be
instantly evolved: and will annihiIate
all infection with which it comes in
contact. 1t may be used even in rooms
containing sick persons, if the quanti-
ties evolved be so slight not TO incon-
venience the lungs of the patient.
SPECTRUM OF THE ZoDIACAL LIGHT.
M. Liais,, at Rio Janciro, has Sue
coed in observing the spectrum of the
zodiacal light. 1t will be remembered
that the eminent Swedish spectroscop-
ist, AnSstrom, had announced that
the Zodiacal is monochromatic, its
spectrum being the same yellOw-green
light which appears in the spectrum
OF the aurora borealis. 1t would ap-
pear that ADgstrom was misled by re al
surOral light, not recognizable as such;
for it war noticed, during the aurora
of February last, that parts OF the say
where no auroral light could be rec0g-
nized gave the strongly marked green
line referred to. In any case, ADg-
strom's observation had never been
confirmed, and had come to he regard
ed Oh that account with certain de-
gree of suspicion. 1t now appears that
the zodiacal light gives a contin-
uous spectrum, exceedingly faint-so
faint, indeed, that the solar dark lines
could not be expected to be discernible
even though they lay be pr It in
the spectaum. The inference IL, that
the zodiacal light is simply faint re-
Elected sunlight, as had been always
supposed until Angstrom's remarkable
observation threw doubt Oh the mat
ter.