New-York tribune., 1877-08-04
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

A martial eclipse of the sun will take place
,ugusts II will be invisible here. Almost the only
people who get fair view OF 1t VIII ps 'he n"ao
itants Of Alaska the middle of the eclipse occurring near
sunset at sitka The shadow starts on the earth hish
up on the eastern coast Of Greenland and cros'ing
that ueuinsula goes westward thence somewhat IN the
track of what polar avigaors have designated as the
Northwest Passage" After Alaska is reached, the
sweep is southerly, and the shadow ends ia tue
Pacific Ocean. OF COURSE the dark side of the moon
being presented toward the earth during solar ecpse
the moon is then practically invisible her apparent
position to spectator in this latitude the Sth inst
would be Just above the suu's edge. II the spectator
then transported sufficiently far north, he would
find the dark tapping the upper part OF the sun
about one-hird. An Interesting feature about this
eclipse is it's relation to eclipses that shortly follow
When the goes subsequently, half way around in
her orbit, she must come squaIely into the earths
shadow, and consequently thera Will he total eclipse
OF the visible herc) August % When she comeies
her revolution round the earth she VIII again eclipse me
sun but her apparent posftien 10 spectator VI ,his n
tle would then he just below tho san; though az pc
FORE tho dark side OF the moon being turned 70 s sne
would be invisible But the moon beins thch % p9ow III ~
stead OF above the the partial SOAR ecpse oI
September g. will be visible only on the part Oh tnc
south American coast, ana ~ oou'n loiaf ISsUns s
much anyeoly has right 10 expect; there VIII DC
none afterward til mex; February
The Government Weather Service in Great
Britain Is perforned under the management OF Me
teorological Council The members OF the Council arc
nominated by the Royal Society, and the mountainous
are finally confirmed by the Government Strange 70
saw no one OF the five six members OF the new Coun
Gil which has Just been organized is meteorological
This was also true year Of the body which preceded
the Council in Office then called the Meteorological Com
mtee In these matters The United State, are certainly
more Fortunate and the Of Signal Service IS
principally due tho fact that he officers OF tha Bureau
make the study of the science OF the weather inc Dus
Of their lives.
Valuable shells, coIalS, cTustacean skeletons,
and the like are often received in damaged condition
by collectors OF natural history specimens 1t s quite
practicable to repair these eecually that the rac
will be almost mpercephbie II no fragments are
missing method Of repair that has proved most sue
ccssfu deserves to be generally known as 1t IL simple
and not very costly and it be applied TO broken man
tel ornaments toilet articles, etc The cement is 10 be
made at the time Of using by simply mixing prepared
chalk and soluble glass as 10 form paste THIS ce-
ment and hardons quickly or course only httie
need he mixed at tine; few drops of tine lquid are
usually sufficient The proportion Of chalk to be used IL
at most small aud depends chiefly upon the thick or tina
condition of the soluble glass il the paste is made too
stiT becomes unmauagcabc. Mixing can Je performed
with kniie spatula, plate orusil eau he used
when there is considerable broken surface 10 which the
cement il to be applied but in majority Of cases the
knlfc epuoyed in mixing will also spread the
cement upon the fracture The EsteAis can he p0usht
az drug stores. The soluble glass when pur-
chased should preferably hc o syrupy conSisiencc
Undesirable, the mcnded articles can Afterwards he not
ished, and mat proceeding Should render tir IcptiIs
almost Invisible IL is not however, claimed tli"t i!s
cement would for articles that have 10 be washed
frequently, or in hot water.
The difficulty Of the streei-car companies in
getting full returns from both conductors and passengers
confined TO TINS country, although 1t has probably
produced grtater variety bel punches, clock 1nUn
tors and patent deposit boxes here than abroad The
London General Omnibus Company was 80 much exer-
csed the subject two three months as TO offer
reward of 900 for invention scheme for efectu
ally checking passengers fares aud is not known yet
ingenuity. Some oi the devceS used IN New-loIk and
Plsdghia baye aitcady yleSe conidSrabls leyenmes
is said % have paid T21,OO0
Some statistics regarding the condition of the
German merchant navy nave recently been published 1t
appears the number OF ships over 1863 rcgisRo.
ton, has increased between 1871 aud 1876. from .s
to 4745, nearly hye per cent or s0ou 3S ships year
The mean tonnage 224 L. The entire cargospace has
increased than 10 per cent This, compared with
number OF ships, indicates tendency to make ships
continually larger which Is explained by the multiplied
ZION OF steamers. The number OF sailors is 42,362 and
has increased annually abort 4Sl, or 7i9 per cent
about half more than the number OF ships and third
les than the size o tne Snips Among other facts ec-
itcd the number o. scaneH ia sail!ngyessels has de
crease from 3l730 20 33,2l5 C.. about 2J4 annually
or ,er cent an economy tcs;ifying at one 10 inn
pac.ty ci sang-yesscis hardly increased al ALL and
their number ha. increased rapidly than the ton
maze. thdt saine-Vessci, are sn.tllcl. Inc mum
bcr Of steamers has increased from la 10 9iS-l e..
about y vessels nearly III cent. about %
Their tonnage has increased III per een, l6|z9 tons
year Tine ounage Is J2e, or about lines tca
OF sang-yessAis wlicI is 24 There has been slight
increase OF The number Of men has increased about
93 per cent 4.l36 10 9ii1l Wme thc steamer H. on an
avt.asc only 2a times the sailgship II re-
qu!fCs uealy 3l2 times ID many men,
JLo CJcbo of Toudou is rpsDOnSible for a
.rvc Ions story about thunderstorm that occurred in
that city July D. According the account, BridgeSt,
Kburn was visited by electric discharge which FOR Il
mcmcnt seemed to II the street witn fame, and mean
whle cmkcrs " were dropped on the ground which are
described as to six or seven inches IN creum-
terence Child was struck AMI had her head burned
500 yaI' Of telegraph wire were fused; Windows were
brok,n: FOR ten minutes anerward there Il thick
bluo aud yellow fog 1t i about time tla there should
lee some scientific report on tie "cScs ~ II Is sad
hat many of them were picked up by persons III the
ueglbor ioOd Possibly Kbarn had neleoIic shower.
Hermit crabs are the most invariably enter
tanning crea res 10 found the seaSore. The fierce
moss with which they quarrel with each other for the pes
session OF snail smell, and the cruelty with which they
treat an unfortunate brother who mas not found shell
IN which to eusconce soft hinder paris have often been
commented upon. correspondent Of F1esf Gid Stec6
rIs;cs au incident which gives new notion of The for
uilc c,uactics Of tins cgb. ~ the Aquarium in this
cit, q Lafayette Hsh noticed 0ae day a. behaving
strangely hermit crab, scarcely tenth ltc size Of
/ a.. ash had s,izeo by tic giis After eosplns aud
s,rueia awaic, tlo n. at last died o. exlniuatlon
f. w f,ueG taai the crab lad killed ihe f.h ly pinch
u- IT, cii.-o,cr- 80 10 CLOSE ti.ul 40 ile l,a cllt
not o, it, ai.is, il Wa >ui,citsL o. coase tLc Gig
cllu, luce tiat crab Iaale lie seizure ai so 10
sit , l-covors. iaay have been az accident: hD Il
mus. DC admitted ha. tie hernnl crab has Developed
/ splendid ingenuity IA lts methods OF "l'ack