New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-15
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

conversation could be carried easily between the
officers OF the two vessels II they had been seated in
the same cabin. The next step was to apply the tel
ephone TO the work of the diver. One OF the
glasses of the helmet is replaced by
copper plate, in which is inserted tel
ephOne so that the has only slight
movement Of the head make in order TO receive com
munleatons report observations. Tho advantages OF
such an arrangement obvious. Frequently at sea
tho necessity arises Of examining the keel or bottom OF
ship The diver descends and able TO give an account
Of all he sees and does and receive instructions without
having to be brought the surface to give explanations
rs has hitherto the case. By the use OF the ee
phone man at the bottom OF the sea can remain III
constant verbal communication with those at the sur
face But the most singular application Of the telephone
comes from New South Wales, where Mr. Severn, an
enthusiastic expermenter claims that he mas made te
deaf 10 hear with IT, After describing very snble
telephone which he constructed out Of tin pot, the
closed end Of which he opened and tied over ~ piece
OF parchment passing hRe stEng 51i sag 'e ate
loop the string some three feet long put ths loop over
the forehead of the listener he deaf mani, cause hn
20 place the palms OF his hands Hat and hard against the
ears, let the loop pass over the nahus ana now ,nl
listener will hear the smallest whisper let MIN be de
or NOT This fact may appear extraordinary 1t is never
theess true that deaf man may thus be made to hear
the voice, music, etc.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.-The experiments with
the new modes of using the electric light have not
proved altogether satisfactory Many encouraging trials
have been made in France, but the recent attempt to
light up the space IN lfonl OF Dduh VI EhbAilui
London, was failure. and there have as yet been no
marked successes in this country The inventors how
ever, are by no means discouraged. new electric
lamp with ncandecence acting in free air. has been de-
1eribed to the French Academy by NJ. Regner. thin
rod OF carbon pressed lateraly by an electric contact
and forced in the direction of its axis, on fixed con-
tact Is traversed between these two contacts by
Drettv powerfu current and becomes ncandescent in
this part burning and thinning toward the extremity
As the end gets used up the rod continually pushed on
alps in the elastic contact ana Is thus KEEP UP sgs
current in the rod is greatly increased by the coOHs
uon OF the carbon An apPa1SS nd1 tb on en- , R,psn
eple is said 70 give clear white ght Win our bunse1
elements. With more powerful battery It's CLAIMED
that several lamps on this system may be IT.
THE Missouri MOUND BUnDERs-Twenty-
Ave members of the Kansas City Academy of Science
recently made exploration Of the ancient mounds in
Clay County Missouri Three mounds were selected and
opened Two Of them contained vaults seven TO eight
feet square with stone walls three feet and half high
In one instance only was an entire skeleton found
regularly lying the back at the bottom of the vault
Most OF the bodies had occupied sitting pastures One
skeleton measured five feet eight inches and the bones
Of another indicated height Of six feet two inches
Eleven skulls were found, which indicated type Of
much superior intellectually to the present race OF
Indians. No pottery found. and the only weapon
discovered was a flint spear-head six inches long,
Professor Nudge, OF Topeka, who accompanied the ex-
ploring party of opinion that the mound builders be-
onged to a very numerous race Of people which once
occupied the country between the Allegheny Mountains
and the Missouri river and the Lakes and Northern
Georgia and Alabama. He thinks that the TOltec race
which afterwards discovered with the Aztecs in Old
Mexico once occupied the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri
Valleys, and that they reached advanced state OF
civilization before they migrated to Mexico. He has
npon the Kansas prairies least two hundred miles
OF the Missouri River but he has discovered
mounds or remains OF mounds west OF that point.
DRAWING A MERIDIAN LINE.-0f the various
ways Of drawing meridian, true north and south line
the simplest perhaps, where no great accuracy is re-
Qured is that which involves double attitudes OF the
SUM- The plan is as follOws Take level board and de-
scribe upon 1t number Of cOncentric circles In the
centre OF these circles slender metal rod wire,
three four inches long, and exactly perpendicular to
the surface Of the board. Place the board window
ledge, pillar other suitable place with southern
aspect make it perfectly horizontal, and fasten firmly
Between and 10 in the forenoon mark the point where
the Of shadow Of the rod touches OF the cir
ces. In the afternoon make similar mark where the
point of the shadow again touches the circle and
draw lines from these two points to the centre Then
auired The best times FOR this method at the
Summer and Winter sOlsces when the SUMS deelinaon
is practically constant The most suitable days this
year therefore, June 90 81 and %, and December
81 and %.
MICROPHONE AND MAGNoPHoNE.-There is
evidently much activity among expeIimenters in the
wide field opened by the telephone. Mr. W. L. Scott
English investigator has just devised an instrument
which he calls the manOphone In his fret experiments
Mr. Scott found that to increase the volume OF sound
from the telephone only necessary to increase the
weight Of metal in the diaphragm but instead Of in
ereasng thickness Of the plate he discovered that
was better TO use several lamnB perforating all but
that nearest the magnet Iron filings formed the next
STEP with results promising that other substances IN
q fney-divded state tried-preclptated silver,
pure iron mercury and platinumthe last named being
most sensitive to sound. Mercury all purposes,
but Instead Of charcoal as the porous holder Of the
the phOnophoric tablets, spheres. or cylinders Tho
results are identical with those obtained by Professor
Hughes in the construction OF the mieroph0ne'
REVIVAL OF FALCONRY. attemptin Eng
land to revive the old sport Of acOnry promises to DO
moderately successful. Six trained peregrne falcons
were publicly tried at rock hawking few weeks ago, at
ThruxtOn, near Andover. In spite OF high wind and
occasional heavy showers several good flights OBJ
tanned, and in most cases the quarry killed The
perfect training of the birds shown by their
10 the falconer after MISS the distance traversed in
instance being fully threequarters OF mile Itis
generally exhibited few years would see the revival OF
falconry In England ON accomplished TACT
DANGERS OF ToUGHENED GLAss.-Here is a
little incident related by Professor Rcard which
Gently occurred in Bohemia. and which may give
full hint TO heads of fames "a childs drinking glass
was bought one day saaz and during six months IL
sustained its character of tOughened glass. But
evening IN the seventh month"; after having been used
for drinking sugared water it was placed with silver
spoon in it. on large oak table. Suddenly heard from
my room violent explosion, like pistol shot and
metallic sound. FASTENED in and saw, scattered all
over the floor needles and fragments Of glass; and not
only the floor but the bed the table, the curtains etc.
were covered with them The empty glass had burst
without apparent cause, without the approach OF light
ana with force extraordinary that all the nhabi
tants Of the house were frightened such an explosion
s doubtless caused by change In the extreme ten
sion Of the hbres OF hardened glass"
FYeu CrrrTrrpP IN VIRGTNTA-FOr fOur wears