The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-05
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.


NJ. Ssbille, French architect, injects bricks
with tar and finds them impermeable to hu-
nudity.
For truing an ordinary oilstone for sharp
ening planes, take sheet of glass paper NO.
2, and place it on the bench. Rub the stone
over it. In this way the stone can be trued
in one quarter the time required by the ordl-
nary process.
The British Admiralty having decided upon
the construction of two dispatch vessels to be
made entirely OF STEEL the order for the plates
and bars for the same has been given to the
Landore Siemens Steel Company, OF Swansea,
who undertake to supply very mild steel OF
high quality.
Herr Krupp, the famous cannon founder OF
Germany, has just astonlshed the BRUSH
Government by positive refusal to sell Q one
of his great guns to England, remarking that
he was willing to contract for the arming OF
as many forts and ships as England wanted,
but he must decline to part with specimens
for experimental purposes. "Considerlng
that Herr Krupp has, in great measure
learnt the art of big gun making from Eng
land, we do not see, says the Tonm0n9er
"why he should be SO krp when asked, out
of com pliment, to send one Of his big imita-
tons to US"
OccULrAr1oNs.- the 10th of December
! of the Pleiades, and it will pass over or oc-
cult some of them by coming between us and
II their light. As the moon will not be full and
the stars will disappear behind the dark limb
l of our satellite, the phenomenon is easily
seen, can be watched with an opera glass,
and affords to the young student an excellent
opportunity for learning the moons rate OF
motion IN orbit. The first occultatlon occurs
about midnight.
THE GRAMnIE ELECTRIC MACHINE
Gramme magneto-electric machine has for
some time been employed for supplying light
at the Houses of Parliament in l. ondon, and
i idea of its power may be gathered from the
tact that it is worked by steam engine at a
distance of $50 feet from the point at which
the light is produced, the current being con-
#ducted thither by copper wires 1-l6 OF an
inch in diameter. The magnets in the ma
chine are arranged upon there massive rec
z tangular blocks, and make 3S9 revolutions per
minute, at an expense of q horse power, and
give light equal to over 1900 of the English
Standard candles.
CARE OF THE EAR-Iu his treatise on
physiology, Hinton gives us to understand
til At the passage of the ear does not require
cleaning by US; nature undertakes that task,
and in the healthy state fultiils 1t perfectly.
Her means for cleansing the ear is the wax,
which dries up into thin scales and peels on
and falls away imperceptibly. In health the
passage of the ear is never dirty, but an at
tempt to clean it will infallibly make it so.
Washing the ear out with soap and water is
bad; it keeps the wax moist when it ought
to become dry and scaly, and makes 1t alb
sorb dust But the most hurtful thing IS the
introduction of the corner OF towel screwed
up aud twisted around. This proceeding
irritates the passage and presses down the
wax and flakes Of skin upon the mem orane
Of the tympanum, producing pain, lntlamma'
ton and deafness The washing should only
extend to the outer surface, as Tar as the ing
er5 can reach
THE TERMINATION OF SEEDs.-Some inter
esting experiments on the growth OF seed:
have been conducted by nj. Uloth. These
were undertaken with view to determine
whether seeds could be made to germInate II
ice, and the process may be described as foi
lows: Seeds of various species were placed II
grooves made in ice cakes. and over the
grooved surface other plates OF ice were laid
and the whole removed to a cool cellar II
January, and there they remained till the iol
lowing May. An examination then made dis
closed the fact that many Of the seeds had &C
tuallv terminated, the roots penetrating init
the ice.
It is but natural, says Appleton's journal
that facts of this startling character shoul'
give rise to controversy, and so we are no
surprised to learn that opposite views are en-
tertained as to whence the heat needed 10
the process of growth was obtained In III
opinion Of the experimentor, 1t was obtained
or rather liberated in the growth OF the root
while forcing themselves into the ice.
DEEP SEA SOUNDING BY PHOTOGRAPHY
Eeumayer has presented to the Biographies
Society of Berlin remarkable photograph
apparatus for determining the temperatur
and current. direction at any particular dept
in the ocean. 1t consists OF brass oox, mel
metically closed, and having attached to 1t
apparatus resembling vane or fudde
Within this box thermometer and a mas
netic needle are contained. behind each
which is placed sensitive photograph
PAPER and in front of each of which
small nitrogen vacuum tube. The DC
contains also q small induction coil. VINE
the apparatus is lowered to the required dep'i
the rudder causes it to take direction para
lei to the current there existing, and hence
definite direction with reference to the needl
within. The Thermometer soon acquires IL
temperature of the water outside, and become
stationary. At this instant an electric currei
is sent to the box, which by means Of the il
duction coil inside, lights up the little nltr'
GEN tube, the violet light Of which, pilot
graphically very intense, prints, in abo1
three minutes, the position o. the needle an
the hight of the mercury column upon Il
prepared paper The current is then int
mitted, the apparatus raised, the photograph
tracing fixed, examined and placed upon r
cord
SHORT SEA SkETcH.-Vessel: entering ha
Dor. pretty well jammed up from collisit
with another vessel. Stranger politely
"Could you please inform me, SIR, what's Il
,,,ottar with that vessel?" Captain (gruffiy)
"D-n it, you land lubber, can't you see h
all stove in?" Stranger (seriously)-" We
Captain, she's right; It's getting cold enou,l
now in November for her to be getting b
hall stove in" exit captain IN MI
dudgeon.)