The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1873-01-11
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

ARTIFICIAL VOLCANOES HOch-
steller has made, at Vienna, an expert
ment which initiates on small scale
the eruption of volcanoes. 1t is based
on the property possessed by sulphur
when melted under the vapOr of water
having a pressure of three atmospheres,
to absorb certain quantity of water,
which afterward escapes in the form OF
vapors during the cooling. In opera
ting on qrintal of sulphur, a super
fetal crust formed, an opening being
made in which pieces of sulphur emer-
ged, accompanied by explosions and
puffs of vapor At the end of an hour
it formed cone, having diameter of
| from 80 to 80 centimeters at the base,
] and abo1lt2s rasstimeters III height, ex-
actly resembling the volcanic cone re
sulting from the successive accumula-
tions of lava streams.
Curious PHENOMENON n Morocco
1t is well known that there exist no vol
canoes on the continent of Africa, al
though many are found in the adjacent
| islands of Ascension, Teneriffe, Lam
zerote, etc. That fact gives additional
interest to a discovery just made of a
| burning cave in Morocco, not far from
the town of Fez The pit IN question
| is designated under the name of BENZ
guazeval. It's orifce is about ten feet
above the ground, and twelve feet wide;
the sheets of fame issue Internationally,
but what is remarkable, always in a
horizontal direction, as if driven by a
bellows through n retort. There is no
eruption of stone or lava, but the fire Is
driven with such force to the orifce
that it is accompanied with loud hiss
| ing noise. while the current i sufficient
" strong to blow away anything placed
near the opening. The researches made
to discover the origin of the pheno-
menon have led to no result; but the
hypothesis generally admitted is that
there exists beds of ceRl III the noun
tain, on the side of which this cavern
is situated. and that the fuel having be
come ignited, the combustion is main
tanned by the draft of air, and viii
continue SO long rs the flames shall
find any thing to feed on.
SWIMMING APPARATUS. - Frederick
Barnett, of Paris, has Just patented q
novel yet simple apparatus for swim
mers. The invensf9n consists of supply
ing to man an imitation of the appara
tus peculiar to the frog. For the hands
he has a large membranous fin, which
is held to its place by loops passing
over his fingers and strap around the
waist. The surface presented to thu
water by these fins is so large as TO ado
greatly to the effectiveness of the stroke
of the arm, but not so large as to ex
haust the muscular power. Their effec
- 60 -~Ev .s4aASsI. 1sosl-tct- t11e effort usual
ly required in swimming. But tn
greatest ingenuity is displayed in tn
form and fitness of the fins for the legs
which are attached to the ankles, ant
are so formed that they act upon tn
water, both in the movement of bring
ing the legs and throwing them back
They act so finely in treading water, a
swimmers call it, that one can walk. j
not on the water; at least in it. Tn,
difference betweenf swimming with TIM
apparatus and without it is very mucl
like the difference between rowing
boat with the handle and blade of al
oar. The old swimmer has no troubl,
in using the fins at first trial, and i
surprised to find with what strength ht
could swim without exhaustion. H,
easily swims twice as fast with the ap
paratus as without it and with it h,
can sustain himself for hours upon the
water, or swim for many miles.
PRoGREss OF THE HoosAo TUNNEL
The great railway tunnel through the
Hoosac Mountain, near North Adams
Massachusetts,, is progressing very eff
fectively, and it is probable that the
bore viii be completed in October, 1873.
The boring for the past year or more
has been carried ON at four headings.
one at each side of the mountain. and
two, In opposite directions, from the
bottom of vertical shaft which is sunk
near the middle of the mountain. The
| 18th of December was an eventful dav
| among the workmen After some IN
usually heavy hastings, a junction of
the two headings between the east end
| of the tunnel and the central shaft was
then effected. greatly relieving tn
contractors by the immediate drainag
of water from the central shaft. The
central shaft is l, 900 feet in depth, and.
since the junction was made, it is found
TO operate like an immense chimney.
| producing a strong draft through the
whole length of the eastern section of
! the tunnel, a distance of nearly two and
half milf milesS 1t has not yet been
ascertained wha~. if any, difference ex-
lists between the lines of the two Dor
! ings which have juss been united: but
| it is believed that there can be only a
| trifiing variation. The working of the
pumping machinery, previously re
quired to keep the shaft free, was a
difficult and expensive operation. The
water will now flow down grade into
the Deerfield River and the pumps
may be removed. A distance of about
order to complete the bore. The total
length of the tunnel will be almost five
miles. 1t is the second longest tunnel
in the world, the Mont Gents bore,
through the Alps, being nearly eight
miles in length. But the st. Gotthard
tunnel, through the Swiss Alps, which
was commenced during the present year
will beat both of the above, as it viii
be thirteen and half miles in length.
Poison OF SERPENTs. When Major
Noah, an ancient editor of New York
was Consul of this Government at
Tunis, he collected many interesting
facts in natural history. DESTROYS of
ascertaining just how far a scorpion
could be trusted in a gentle1an's bed,
where they often secrete themselves in
that part of Africa, he relates the fol-
lowing experiment: A fully grown
was placed in a box with a
glass cover, into which were also intro |
duced two mice. Through the top the I
spectator saw what at once transpired. /
The scorpion struck one of the mice