New-York tribune., 1879-03-15
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.


IMPROVED TELEPHONES.-A new Telephone
has been recently exhibited before the Academic oeS
sc,ences said to give remarkably good effects It's 'he
,,,.or,,o, ~ Mr. Cover an American. He uses very
st,ong aVnet bent into semcirce. with It's enus vi
no,es projecting inward and having each small oo-
long piece Of iron, which is mounted con OF ""o
These parts are inclosed shallow cylindrical oraSs
case the cover OF which carries the vibrating mem
hrane--raher thicker than usua-separated from II ny
nm excessively thin chamber ard attached by means OF
brass mug and sorews-whch latter do not touch 'c
membrane at any point. The old form OF telephone
monthpiece is abandoned and flexible acoustic tuoe'
with mouthpece is attached 10 the middle OF the cover
.Thus one may speak sitting at table Whe the tc'o
phone Is attached to the wall Anovel featue' al'''
the use OF a telephone CALL consisting OF s'hai '"u''
bept at right angle and containing vibrating rceu
this tube is fixed on side Of the membrane ou
hIvin into the acoustic tube tins reed is vbraedanu'
conseouen;Iy also the membrane. which then moves III
excursions large enough 10 be felt with the nngci
corresponding strong sound Is produced In mo receV
ing teephone through vibration OF its membrane which
sound NAV be perceived in hall OF anv size, ana even
when other sounds present The tube with the reeu
IN does not njure rather improves the distinct
ness Of transmitted speech. Simple phrases spoken
with loud voice into the transmtter are heard as
far as sixteen twenty feet from the recelVer-Ah-
mother Improved telephone is that invented by Pro-
fessor A. Righ OF Bologna. In this instrument the
fran a membrane
metal or wood, IA yibrated by inc soubu S "tVSs n
piece metal is fixed III tue centre o1 thls emDIue'
inc lower end of w1cb has the form or nat piston,
and rest upon o mixture OF finely pulverzed carbon or
plumbagO and silver, contained In niue thlIhDie OF
short cylinder. This thnbe Is attached TO the IIee
end Of fat spring whose force is regulated DS scIt"
underneath small battery is used III the circuit inc
results are said to be very satisfactory. over hne
three or four miles long the vOc OF person at one emo
OF the wire may be heard at distance or from sA 20
mnsIcal instruments at from twenty-five TO thlry-nVe
f9et''"' faet. 'D''' D'
GETTING RID OF Snow IN CITEs.-More than
eight wears ago the city authorities OF London Onefeu
prze for any invention which would enable them 10 get
rid Of snow in the streets Seventeen schemes were SUD
nitted The successful apparatus was at once etceo
and has operation every year since II consists
.rnply OF an inclined plate OF iron fixed below man
hole leading 10 the main sewer. Und this plate are
ranged gas burners. The snow csted from the adJon
Ing thoroughfares shOy eled down the manhoe graf
Ing ia Is on the heated plate is reduced to water ana
passes away down the The consumption OF gas
Is very moderate and the cost Is said 10 be much less
than that incurred by cartng away the on the old
system The apparatus The En0tneer, mas pfoVSo
extremely successful ana the invention deserves 10 DC
widely adopted
ESTIMATING METALS IN OREs.-At the late
meeting OF the philadelphia Academy Of Sciences Pro
lessor g. A. Koenig exhibited his recently invented
Hchromometnr" an instrument designed for the pur-
nose OF making delicate determinations Of the presence
bf certain metals in IL is based upon the Optcal
fact that complementary oOlOrs eXncuish each oher
mingled in proper proportions; for instance 10
green solution red solution be added the liquid II the
proper conditions compiled with will become color
less Professor Kocng has applied this principle to the
roors which certain metals, iron, manganese, "copper"
ETC. produce when fused with borax which IS the only
slemica used in this method OF analysis He prepares
glasses or beads containing known quantities OF O
metal in one hundred parts and observes how thick
glass OF the complementary color must be to produce
hi 41,o fV,ufr apf il IT
nishcd with glass wedge of green red color cut at
an angle OF about one degree. BY moving this wedge
before the glass bead with the help of suitable rack
movement scale moves at the same time. and when
the point extinction of color - rived at, the feaa-
Ing of the scale refers To Ciolc Suo"..S r M &C.
of metal contained M the examined substance BV thls
method oi aualvsis correct determination OF lnauEa-
nese IN an iron ore be made In fifteen minutes, or
copper estimation in thirty minutes
FREEZING RAIy.-Some interesting informa
ton comes from France concerning the disastrous ef-
fects upon Of freezing rain storm According to
NJ Godefroy writing from place III Loiret ram fell
continuously for three successive days (the 22d, 23d
and Oath OF january and yet the thermometer re-
mained at q and degrees below freezing point
When the rain was scanty each drop at once sohdhed
oven ON warm objects 1t took the form small, fat
tened and irregular pastles. The phenomenon was
especially remarkable on wOolen stulS Ihe drops Dad
evidently been brought to state OF suHuson III their
passage through cold air, 80 that they Immediately
sodfed on meeting solid bodies. When the ram was
nlenifnI ON the other hand part of it was at once
changed to lcc hut part flowed down on solid boies,
forming new LAYER Of ice and producing stalacttes.
The cecovercd branches Of trees broke more and more
undcr the weight, and tho evening Of the second day
the pheuomenon assumed frShtful proportions Crack
succeeded crack with growing rapidy. In the morn
Ing the ground strcwed with branches whole trees
Law prosrated and uprooted and others were split III
two from top to base. The majority were entirely
cleared Of their branches and fla some parts the forest
looked Ike ono of masts such effects viii not excite
surprise If figures like the following be considered:
tvlc from a hme was weighed and the balance showed
60 rrammcs per dccimctrc Of length. The same twig
deprived Of ice, weighed only O5 gramme. A leaf Of
lanrcI carried carapacc of ice weighing 20 grammes
All objects exposed were alike covered with zee NJ
Piebourg. writing from Fontanebleau' mentions that
slruhs win ucrs>tent leaves. such rhododcnd
and alaeIns became one block Ol zee, through WINCH
leaves ana branches could be distinguished pretty well
Flr trees and the he had the appearance OF hugh
pyraud OF lee each group OF branches being weighed
down the one below, and the lowest on lhe ground
Tc.e trees and cversrccn shrubs broke up mostly dur
ing the thaw, which commenced on inI [obn, Ill.,, Inc
CURED earlier the ice accumulated on their branches
How THE WEB, N OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS
ARE OBTAINED-iIr NJ Mathew Williams, III a recent
lecture before the London society of Arts thus described
the method o. procuring The webs or fine hair-lines
used in telescopes In the Autumn the mathcmat cal
iustrument-1naker goes on ms splder-hunting exped
tioD generally on Sundays He carries some pll-NOxcs
I'm ms pocket selects well-fcd, full grown specimens
md puts each in a separate box, knowing the savage
habits Of his sx-eggcd friends; for. If two or more
were nut together the same box, only collection OF
omput,ted limbs and mangcd bodies would he found on
returning home. The webs are secured for use and
storage by making fork OF iron wire, four or
five inches long, and and half TO two
incnes between the bfurcatOns. The spider is held
n the left hand aud allowed to drop. which lie readily
does when dissatisfied with his quarters but before fall
ing he gues an end Of cord the finger and then lets
himself down easily by gradually spinning ii out ana
hanging by II as II leugthens. The nsrument-inakor
catches this cord across his fork, and by turning
attaches it to one side; then lie goes on turn