The Red Cloud chief., 1877-10-25
THE WORLD OF SCIENCE
A New AuRsthetic.

tuition products obtained with pyridine
and chinOline. The latter Of these bases
is extracted from quinine by means OF
caustic potash. but may also be procur
ed by some of the coal tar series Of sub.
situations. Three grains of the chloride
of chinOline introduced into the circu.
latiOn Of a rabbit rendt red the animal
unconscious in eight minutes. but the
%pulsatiOn of the heart continued and the
breathing was vigorous. The rabbit
recovered after two or three hours. and
the experiment is deemed highly sue
cessfal. Some Of the other derivatives
from these bases proved to be very pow
erful pOisons, having specific action
upon the vital c~enters. aud likely to be
of use in the materia-medica-
A valusble Discovery to Steel Worker.
d.. H.. Tierney, of Forestville, has hit
upon certain mixtures of chemicals
which seem likely to prove a regular
bonanza for him. One of his prepare
tons is for hardening steel. He eXhib-
tied to us the other day a file into whose
fiat surfaces various figures had been
Clipped with a cold chisel hardened by
his process. the work having been done
as if the file had been made of soft iron.
Another preparation is for shrinking
steel. Dies which have expanded in
the process of hardening. or which have
become worn too large. can. as he claims.
be shrupk back as much as desired, and
this can be done repeatedly. Dies
shrunken in this way work as we'll as
new ones. These preparations are not
patented, but The one for hardening is
sold by the inventor, and the recipe for
the other. Mr.. Tierney will not dis.
close his secret for hardening. not even
to secure a patent. Bristol Conn.,
Journal.
Electric Waves.
A new method for measuring the
speed of waves. and at the same time
their exact contours, has lately been
invented by Mr.. Robert Sabine, and
tried with excellent results upon lengths
of the Red Sea cable at present in course
of mandatory at Enderby's wharf.
Greenwich, England. Mr.. Sabine's
method consists in sending currents
into one end of the cable the other end
being the earth). and at regular inter
walls testing the potential or some given
point in the conductor. This is done
by means Of a mica condenser, which
is kept in connection with the point in
question until the right interval has
elapsed, when it is discharged through
a galvanOmeter. A rotating time appa-
ratus is arranged to close the circuit of
the battery at the end, and after q given
interval to separate the conductor and
discharge it. The interval may be va
ried from O.O0l to 2 seconds. A similar
reading is taken for each interval from
oOS1 second upward until the maxi
mum of the potential due to the posi-
ton of the point tested Is attained. This
gives a curve of the exact contour of
the wave. The speed Is measured by
sending two waves of opposite size into
the cable, and noticing the intervals at
which their neutral point passes two
given points in the cable. The diffel-
ence of the intervals and the distance
between the points give the speed.
sebastin-A New and safer Dynamite.
An improved nitrO-glycerine COM
pound has been invented by Mr.. Gustaf
Fahnehjelm, of Stockholm. the chief
being that the second main
ingredient is charcoal produced from a
wood. and selected and prepared
in such a manner as to be able 10 alb
sOrb and sOlidify the greatest possible
quantity of nitro-glycerine. In order to
the combustion more complete.
and to augment the rapidity of the ex-
plOsiOn, a small quantity of nitrate Of
pOtass, or other suitable salt, is added
to the mixture of the two ingredients
above named.
The composition Of the new sebastin
depends upon the objects for which it
is TO be used. and the effects intended to
be produced. Tie strongest compound,
and even in this there is stated to be no
risk of the separation OF the nitrO-glyc-
crime, is composed of 70 parts. by weight,
of nitrO-glycerine. IA of the wood char
900, nnl o 80 -strnko ~ tna. .v.
when less power is required. the proper
tons are varied, the second quality con-
Of SO per cent. by weight. Of nj
.trO-glycerine. 20 Of the charcoal, and ~
Of the nitrate Of potass.-Lendon Min
Journal.