Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-09-12
SCIENTIFIC NIscELLANEY.

/ The instantaneous photographs secured by
/ Mr. Muy bridge, of San Francisco represent
/ horses in the most ungainly attitudes, some
| of them appearing 50 absurd as to excite
many expressions of doubt as to their
accuracy An English gentleman has. how
ever, 50 applied the pictures by taking
/ advantage of the principles of II newly
improved toy, called the proXlnoscopc, as 10
| form n very interesting experiment, and at
| the same time set at rest all doubts as to
I their faithful portraiiurc. Twelve plane
mirrors were arranged vertically in IA circle
with their rejecting surfaces outward.
| Twelve instantaneous photographs, repre-
/ scnting the twelve successive attitudes Of IA
galloping horse, were then Fastened upon
the inside of metal ring SO arranged that
each picture faced one of the twelve plane
mirrors Upon revolving this apparatus
rapidly the reflections from the mirrors ex-
| actly reproduced all the motions of gallop-
ing horse, every separate movement of the
head tail and legs, and the alternate con-
traction and expansion of the various mus
clcs, with the up and down motion of the
rider, being described as absolutely true
to nature.
W. Scbillot, French engineer, has a plan
of alternate ship railway and canal, for
crossing the lsthmus of Panama, the cost of
which he estimates at S50,0O000O. His
proposed railway consists Of rails fifteen
times rs heavy as the ordinary rail, laid
about thirty-iivc feet apart over which
vessels up TO seven thousand tons burden
may he transported in immense docks or cars
supported hv wheels foot thick. Friends
of this scheme claim that a speed of from
nine to eleven miles an hour can he attained,
the whole distance from ocean to ocean
being iravcrscd in five hours. The length
Of the railway would he about twenty
miles. with twenty five miles of canal 1t is
stated that as long ago as 1873 the Colombian
government granted VI. Sebilot permission
10 construct ship railway over the noun
tans of the lSthmus.
The climate of the Indian plains produces
peculiar effects one of the first experienced
by Europeans being diminution of the
intensity with which visual images are I'M
pressed upon the brain. The natives of
India are said to be quite inscnsihc 10 the
beauties of landscape, and Europeans seldom
speak of it. On rcvisiting his native country
OTTER some years soiuurn in India, the
European is surprised at the apparent cX-
traOrdinary brilliancy OF natural tints, so
great is the contrast presented 10 his mind.
An electrical alarm compass has been in
vented, for Use on shiphoard. The instru-
ment may he adjusted to any limit of varia-
ton in the ships course desired. the autOm-
atIc ringing of II bell promptly announcin"
the passage of the prescribed limit 10y the
compass needle.
An international congress under the aus
pieces of the King Of Belgium and Court Of
Flanders is to meet in brussels in Septcm-
her, 10 discuss all questions relating to the
ethuology, phylology. geology and history Of
America.
\ Partisan claims to have discovered Il
process 10y which an absolutely perfect imi-
taiinn of silk may he produced from flax
fibcrs, and it is reported that Lyons manu-
faclurcrs have purchased the process for
5000 900 francs
Experiments with the electric light On
board Hamburg steamer have proved very
satisfactory. The light was tested rs
means of illuminating the decks and for
lighting the ships course in narrow channels.
Herr Bungr. of Hamburg. has constructed
standard kilogram, which hns occupied
him eight months and is oi such dclicacy
that the person using it musi not approach
within two yards, as the warmth from his
body might affect its action,
\ hill is pending before the French Senate
for inslluling an inquiry into the means OF
increasing the fish production OF French
rivers.
The Loo Choo islands are t" he connected
with Japan hy submarine cable.