The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-06-19
SCIENCE AND INVENTION.

the experiments we're exceedingly sue
cessful. Not the least arerit of air-gas
is the very moderate price at which it
can be obtained. The company viii
supply any quantity of it at SIS. per
1000 cubic feet. Air-gas gives a remar-
kably pure white light, unexcelled for
brightness, and it may safely be pre-
dicted that ere long it viii be largely
used
Flame Sensitive to Sound. Some
curious experiments were made, a few
years ago, by Prof. TyndaIl, ON '' sensi-
tive flames" He observed that IN a
drawing-room the gas-lights kept time
with the music by their flames becoming
longer or shorter, according to the vari-
GUS notes produced on the piano. This
is Justly attributed to the vibrations
caused In the air, and he soon, by direct
experiment, confirmed this view. This
experiment was applied to the measure
of explosive substances in the following
way. At distance of five meters from
| fame he placed an anvil, on which he
alternately laid illuminate of mercury
and iodide of nitrogen, and then caused
their explosion by the stroke of ham,
mer. In this way he ascertained that
the latter substance produced no effect
on the fame, while the illuminate caused
1T to vlbrate according to the notes Ia,
do, mi, ia, sol. Hence he concluded,
not only that the vibrations affected by
the iOdide were different from those of
the illuminate, but also that those of the
latter only effected certain notes, ex-
cluding the intermediate ones. These
experiments he repeated with different
| explosive substances and with similar
results confirming his theory.
-Deep-Sea Currents. -Theprinciples
involved in the circulation of the waters
of the sea were beautifully shown be-
fore the Royal Geographical society by
a simple experiment. A trough with
| plate-glass sides, about six feet long,
and foot deep, but not more than an
inch wide, was filled with water. At
one end a piece Of ice was wedged In
between the sides to represent the po-
| lar cold while the tropic heat was rep
resented at the other end by a bar of
metal laid across the surface of the wa
| ter, the projecting end of which was
heated by a spirit-lamp. Red coloring
matter was then put In at the warm end,
so that the currents could be traced.
| The blue water, chilled BY contact with
| the ice, Immediately fell down to the
| bottom, crept slowly along, and gradu-
| equatorial end, after which it gradually
returned along the surface to the start
ing point. The red water crept first
| along the surface to the polar end, then
| fell to the bottom just as the blue had
! done, and formed another stratum,
creeping back again along the bottom
and coming to the surface. Each color
made distinct circulation during the
| half hour in which the audience viewed
the xperiment.-BoStOn Journal Of
| C75enaistrV.
-Borax and Niter in Colds.-Dr. J.
! W. Corson states, in the Medical Re
| cord, that by the use of these two rem
edies he has had the pleasure, within
/ the last few years, of restoring TO a
| number Cf clergymen and lecturers the
lost gift of speech, within twenty-four
hours. The paper contains a statement
| of several cases. He sums up the re-
suits of his experience in the following
conclusions That In sudden hoarse-
ness or loss of voice In public speakers
or singers from colds" relief for an
hour or so, as if by magic, may be Of
ten obtained by slowly dissolviDg and
partially swallowing a lump of borax
| the size of garden-pea, or about three
| or four grains, held in the mouth for
| ten minutes before speaking or singing.
! This produces free secretion of saliva,
or watering of the mouth and throat.
| It probably restores the voice or tone
| to the dried vocal cords, Just as wet
| ting" brings back the missing notes to
! flute when it is too dry. Such {" colds"
may be frequently IS broken up" at the
very commencement, and this restora-
tive action of borax to the voice may be
materially aided by promptly taking,
the evening previous to a public effort,
dissolved III a glass of sweetened water,
a piece of nitrate of potassa, or " salt
peter, little larger than garden-pea,
or about five grains, on going TO bed,
and covering with an extra blanket. The
patient should keep warm, next day
| This both moistens the dry throat and
| furtherrelieves the symptoms of cold "
and slight biood-poisoning from sup
pressed perspiFation, by reopening the
millions of pores of the skin more or
less closed by cold.-Joa,T" ofhemiCstyy
Portable Railways. An English en-
| gineer has brought forward a system of
| portable rails, which, is claimed, secures
| to every carriage its own tramway, and
which may be used with equal facility
| upon any ordinary road, whether mac
adamized, paved or asphalated. A We
hicle constructed for this purpose by
the inventor. with the portable rails at
| tached, appears, on experimental trials
maze, TO have exhibited satisfactory
| results. The carriage-wheels employed
/ for this purpose, which are only about
| q inches IN diameter, and fixed to the
| axle beneath the springs IN The ordina-
/ ry way, run upon what may be termed
the insides of the tires and the naves Of
the large ones. This large tire, which
| forms the portable railway, is made up
| of a series of long and short segments,
each carefully shod with India-rubber.
| which may be constructed of steel,
formed into band chain, one or anoth-
er portion Of which is, of course, always
in position ready to receive the running
wheel the portion which has served the
! purpose of q tramway as constantly
/ passing round the periphery of the
large wheel TO regain its position IN
front OF the running-wheel. One pecu-
liar advantage characterizing this inven-
ton is stated to be that the external
| appearance of the carriage is not at all
altered. an objection which has done
much to prevent the introduction of
! endless railways generally; and il is
| believed that the arrangement here de-
/ scribed viii meet an important desiter-
atum IN those instances, 50 frequent,
| where the traffic is insufficient for q
permanent railway.
-Fecundity of Fishes.-Tt is said
| that probably about &C, 00G, 600 or 20,
600, 600 Goldfish are taken from the sea
annually around the shores OF New
foundland But even that quantity
seems small when We consider That the
| cod Yields something like 2, 500, 900 eggs
each season, and that even 5000, 900
/ have been found in the roe Of a single
cod Other fish, though not eqTIaling
| tho cod, are also wonderfully produe-
| tive A herring six or seven ounces in
weight is provided with about 30, 200
oya. After making ali reasonable al
lowances Cor the destruction Of eggs
and of the young, It has been eaieu-
! lated that IN three years a single pair Of
herrings would pro iuce 100, 900, 600.
Button said that If q pair Of herrings
/ were left To breed and multiply undis-
turbed for a period Of twenty years,
| they vouId WELD a fish bulk equal %