New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-29
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

nocc of 535 ncres on summit of the mountain mas
beeu SET apart for the observatory Inc exact sho VI
he telescope TO be used has not yet peeh "e'ei
and will depend extent upon the sucoeSs vi ~
glass now being made for NJ. Otto struve' OF husSi III
order 70 observe the transit of Venus In 1882 the trus
tees nurpose TO secure 12nch reiractor WHICH
wi, hccome n pornanent fixture Of the observatory.
The buildings necessary to the complete equipment VI
the observatory follows, though Oh eouise, "o
definite plan has been decided upon the ooser'a'o.S
,roner which Will consist OF single building, exerory
connected with which will be a library STUDY. e''
putng-room and slccpingroom As cssen'i" "'J"'.'
ia the chief observatory buildings Will he house TOT tue
as,ropomor In charge another for his assistants sta
bes and various outbuildiDgs and large oudihS io
the accommodation of the general pubic WHICH iaS'
building will doubtless he rented ms hotel lhe iorha
ton of the summit OF Mount Hamilton Is trap rock ana
porphyry with groupings of meamorphic Stare nl'eu ny
later uphea.als At the summit OF Observatory Peak
spaee of 1o0xo6O feet will be graded 10 depth OF 20
feet This will afford ample room Tor lhe I %
TO advantage on q shelf Of the bill lower love W.
main observatory buildings vii be about 40 ieet ~
diameter The foundation VIII be- stone ana 'n1
walls iron and steel The walls will be 80 feet gh am
the dome 30 feet additional There remains hlnch !"
done before The design of the donor can Or p
the trustees have their work well III mana, ana II J.
hopcd that next year will see Its active piosecuuon
begun.
A NEW VARNIsH.-SOme few years ago IL
was discovered Natal, south Africa that knives sen
In cutting down plants belonging to the ha'urai oruer
EuplorDiacee protected from rustng by the gum
which adhered 10 them. THIS led to further expert
ments being made with a view of utilizing TIC gum as
preseryatye material. Iron plates were coated win
IT, and subjected immersion III tine waters OF south
Africa which are stated 10 be proveral Tor their lou
ness and for the rapity OF the growth OF vegetation"
The euphoibia Natal grows IN close congui'S 10 'he
sea shore so that there ample opportunity ior -
yerey testing its value as protecting covering for iron
IMAM
proving successful, IL then sought to put the us
covery into practical form To this end the gum was
dissolved In preparation Of spirits aud this was fouhu
to be "a ready means of applying II "a COATING ioi
ships bottoms aud FOR irOn-wOTk generally requiring
sucn protection, the spirits evapOratinF, ana the gum
being left on the surface OF the metal sheet OF IRON
coated with this preparation was placed IN the wate
i'm The Naval Backyard 1T Chatham, where any nlne
Immersed becomes rapidly fonied At the ehu Oh W."
wears the plato WIS taken ont aIC was IOuhu 10
he quite clean and tree from foung ana c"ito5lo lc
composition has also been su,cessiniy 'seu c A.s
against the ravhgcs OF tue while AM. hGcne
nave led TO rs adoption ~ ra;iie9
CALIFORNIA SALMON IN EURorE.-Apout
100 900 California salmon ove the gt o Professor 0peh
Ger f. Baird Uuited states FISH Commi-si 'ner l" tue
German Fishery Club have safely arrived ~ bremen Win
Il loss of less than per cent The greater portion
of the ova have been immediately dispatched for Lac'-
ing purposes to the various artificial hshhaicng e.
Establishments ut Radcl'zcl Bcsaeuchen, Luhlncheh'
Cracow Prague and other places. The oNa h"u "cc"
packed IN three provided with Zee ihc mVehuoh
of Mr.. Mathcr. who personally supcrnten",u an" IL
ranged The packing. The German f.shrry Society is
making arrangements for transmitting 100000 young
charnsn to New-YorE return rrc'ent t. Professor
Rird Al TIE last meeting OF the sOcctyit was stated
that the Young Californian salmon now nearly Two years
old the result Of previous consignment oi oVa "'Ie
developing themselves rapidly, having reached Length
oi ~ cen metres no mchesl already. ana presenting
firm and nsdy fOrnatlon az ihc h"uy. l.c tno.is W
IN % dirrcon Professor Baird is dong COED
but &c is hoped success viii yet crown iure eNpermts
m tnis special Heidi aud has already been insruncla
IN Immensely deNeiOphg te supS w a., bcr r nf he
well as III Introducing scNcra Europeans niel"'IS o NJ
family which promise 10 Dc Nhluipic "uull'V"S l" '
food resources
THE AURORA BoREALIs.-lIerr Esmark, who
has spent mary years surveying the northern lights,
says: The aurora never seen during extreme co'd
or northcry winds, appears when M ordinary arctic
temperature Is raised by sSutIcry M" westerly "uS'
and - generally followed by snow. In the southeastern
part OF Norway it seems TO be especially caused Dy
southeastery winds. which are there very MOST ana
rather warm. IT'S appearance is always accompanied
by railing barometer. la my opnioh' the pHenom--
ron i due to tue following causes: When wind laden
with warmth moisture electricity comes In contact
with body of cold air, the moisture Is converter mo
snow the warmth aud electricity are thereby released
and the aurora the result OF tine disturbances Tie
uorLern lights cannot IN very high ATTITUDES, be
reaches them" In this way Herr E,marA would ac-
count for the splendid appearance OF the eurora in
Northern Norway where the Winds bringing
warmth. moisture and electricity from tue orean are
ret Nv cold land winds from the interior Mtssrs Lot
lin Bravais aud Siiierairom. who spent II WINTER az
Bosekog. IN Aten tHt 40 drs. ~, saw tne n"ttnrr1
the chemical elements involved ny means oi spectrum
a. by no means the least of the numerous scen
iifc results TO be derived from arctic exploration.
EMBALMING THE DEAD.-Mr. Kreisman, Uni
ted states Con~ul-General a Berlin. IN his dispatch 10
the Department State. dated October 80, 1879
municatcs a description of newly discovered prrcess
for the preservation of dead bodies. The inventor,
dcoyerer had secured paen tor the process hut
German Government, attaching great Importance 10
the invention, induced the paentee TO abanion his
patent Thci enpon the Government made public through
the press full description OF the process. The liquid
uscd ia prepared rs follows In 5000 granmes of boil
ing water are dissolved 100 grammes of alum. %
eramlnes of cooking salt II grammes saltpetrc 90
grammes potash and 10 rrammes arsenic acid. The
solution allowed 10 cool and filter To 10 rcs
or This neutral, eooress 3doriess dud tr,s siyee
Inc and tire meiry ic alcohol are To be added. The
process or preserving Tor embalming dead bodies by
means OF this Quld consists, rule Ia snratng aud
nnpreguang those bodies with IL. From y TO tes
OF the liquid used for body, according 10 It's
Tue bodies prepared by this process are said 10 retain
their FORM coior and nexlbny Even after period OF
years such dead bodies may be dsected Zoe purposes
OF science aud criminal jurisprudence; decay aud the
offensive smell OF decay are completely prevented
Tuon ncsion muscular flesh shows the appear
arce as III Of fresh dead body Preparations
made OF the several paris such natural skeletons
lungs enras etc retain their sOftness and pability
THE HELIoTROPE IN GEODETIC SURVEYS
At recent meeting OF the San Francisco Academy Of
Sciences Professor George Davidson interesting
sketch OF the value OF the heotrope In the United
states Coast and Gcodotic Surveys In trianguating
across the continent, the Professor. longer dis
tances have been jumped than ever done In Europe
base line In Yoo County eleven miles IN length was the
longest IN the world From his station Mount Lola
Professor Davidson had signal ed by the helorope or
mirror lGO miles and the signals had been observed
we'll Ms those made seventy miles away The signals
TOO had showed through smoke dense that Lassen