The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-20
SCIENCE AND INVENTION

sons lately assembled at the CRYSTAL
Palace, near London, to witness tbe
illumination of portion of the buiId-
ing by air-gas. The Post states that
the experiments were exceedingly suc-
cessful. Not the least merit of air-oas
is the very moderate price at which II
can be obtained. The company will
supply any quantity of it at IS. per
4,00O cubic feet. Air-gas gives a renlar-
kably pure white light, unexcelled for
brightness, and it may safely be pre-
dlcted that ere long it will be largely
used .
-Fecundity of Fishes.-It is said
that probably about 10000, 600 or TO-
OOO,O 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 3, 800, 600 eggs
each season, and that even 5000. 900
have been found in the roe of a single
cod! Other fish, though not equaliag
the cod, are also wonderfully produc-
1--we. a herring six or seven ounces in
weight is provided with about &c. 600
Ova. After making all reasonable al
1owances Cor the destruction of eggs
and of the young, it has been calcu-
lated that In three years a single pair of
behring's would produce 80, 900, 900.
Button said that if a pair of behring's
were left to breed and multiply undis-
turbed for period of twenty years.
they would yield a fish bulk equal to
the globe on which we live. The cod
far surpasses the herring in fecundity.
Were 1T not that vast numbers of the
eggs are destroyed, fish would SO null
tiply as to fill the waters completely.
Plane Sensitive to Sound. -Some
curious experiments were made. a few
years ago, by Prof. Tyndall, 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 a distance of five meters from
flame 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 flame, while the illuminate caused
1t to vlbrate according to the notes la.
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-
Guiding the intermediate ones. These
experiments he repeated with different
explosive substances and with similar
results confirming his theory.
-Deep-Sea Currents. principles
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 piece of ice was wedged in
between the sides to represent the DO
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 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-
ally rose toward the surface at the
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
Tell 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 experiment. Journal of
Chemistry.
-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
number Ct 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 dissolving and
partially swallowing 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,
inns produces free secretion of saliva,
or watering of the mouth and throat
1t probably restores the voice or tone
to the dried vocal cords, just as "wet-
ting brings back the missing notes to
hute when it IS too dry. Such "colds"
may be frequently " 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 public effort,
dissolved In glass of sweetened water.
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.
Tins both moistens the dry throat and
further relieves the symptoms of "cold "
and slight blood-poisoning from sup
pressed persplratlon, by reopening the
millions of pores of the skin more or
lessclosed by cold.-Joetr Of Chemistry.
Portable Railways. An English en-
SAneeE mas DfOuSnG forward q 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
mace, to have exhibited satisfactory
results, The carriage-wheels employed
for this purpose, which are only about
81 inches in diameter, and fixed to the
axle beneath the springs in the ordina-
ny way, run upon what may be termed
the lnsldes 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 anotb-
er portion of which is, of course. always
In position ready to receive the running
wheel; the portion which has served the
purpose of a tramwav rs constantIx