New-York tribune., 1879-02-01
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.


inc Permanent Exhibition Building at Philadephia
goes his rounds, according to The scientific American
at the rate twelve miles an hour lie traves on ma
chnes not unlike roller skates, which are called pedo
motors according TO the inventor, MI j. H. HopoS an
architect on WaInut-st. above Fifth. The pedomotor
consists OF four tough. light, wooden whceis, suppcu
with an outer rim of tough india rubber These whres
are secured TO frame the shape OF the foot, when Ii
srapped 10 the pedal extremies in the usual manner
Unlike roller skates. the wheels OF these tte veheies
under but placed on each side oil the loo'
thus giving the a good standing as wen as
solid footing The rear wheels three inches In diam
eter while those in front but two and hall lnches
This gives the foot q slight incline, ana when III
motion has much 20 do In mpelling the pedestrian
forward. Extending from the toe with slight cu'i
toward the ground, s piece OF casting tcrmeu .no
pusher when Ia simply used In mounting an elevation
or steep incline. From the centre OF the heel shan
brass wheel extends backward, serving as guide "S
we'll as brake The whole scarcely turns the scale at
a pound weight In using them no moro effort Is re-
onired than in ordinary walking. The wearer steps
with his regular strde ana is amazed to find himse
skmnng the ground so rapidly with so niue mus
cuar effort. MT. Hobbs explains the mystery OF the
rapid movement In this manner: man whose strde
is 80 inches viii traverse AZ inches or one half inr'her
with the pedomotor TINS Is because te D3'y Is III c1n
slant motion. For instance, says me- the uaHentI
starts, and while he raises one Ioot ~ sp o th
rapidly onward until that foOt Is sea uo"n an" ni ,no
other raised make another step. rms riyts nm
in the same time to accomplish mile with The feet No
effort of body required for their USE as IN ska,Gs
The traveller simply puts one 1901 DeloIe tue o'ho' III"
finds himself whizzed along at lively rate.
BRILLIANT GAs-LIGHTING.-The brilliant ell
ecs produced by the various electric lights now IN the
have stirred up tie gas companies Abroad anu
they are beginning the table upon the electric
light COMPANIES by ryalling their displays. In London
for example, the road from Waterloo Bridge to the
Southwestern Railway station has been brilliantly lHu-
minated by Cas-at least Of the burners being oq"
to goo candles The cost OF course, is CONSIDERABLE Du
falls said below thar of the Jabochkoh candles
on the Viaduc for an equal amount OF lichthus leav
ing the steam engine and the dynamO-eecrlc machine
including the OF working them, out OF the lues
ton Similar expcrments'a about TO be tried In other
parts OF LOnqon-e. o., from NalcHO9piace 10 ni,rd
Circus in Pccadv. The ordinary lamps VIII pe lch't,u
with burners of eighty caDde-pOwer, ana o'sideS o
glass OF he lamps will be OF such nature ana oe -
ranged qs to throw the Hight where IT Is wanted lnsau
OF wasting il on the clouds. a new Illuminating gas
also according to TIE LrcrEo0t f0Si uHujt '1timu 15
lion by the BRUSH Lighthouse Board (lrnity housel
IL is declared 10 be only cheaper than ordinary gas
but far more effective. IT is capable OF 50 huGh CON
has snnlied light burning for twentycigh days with
sufficient bIihancy to show The position Oi the OuoS ~
passing ships.
PLANETARY RINGS AND NEW STARs.-PrOfes-
sor Daniel Vaughan is an astronomer whose writ
ing are always suggestive, and his recently published
views on planetary rings and stars VIII be read
with interest Mr. Vaughan argues that whether planet
arv rings are merely collections Of detached solid
masses as suppose, are principally composedot
water as Thought by Others they must equally end III
being broken up and ptatcd on the planet He holds
that the rings Saturn the remains OF two former
satellites and that their origin and present condition
must be regarded tie ultimate consequence of rare
medium disseminated through space" Assuming the
existence of this rare medium, he draws VIVID picture
of the brilliant display Of celestial pyr0echnics Wnch
will happen when the satellites are swallowed up by
their primaries, and these primaries in their turn ara
engulfed IN the The paroxysmal manifestations OF
n.ht which planet could scarcely fail to call forth In
thus passing through its final stages Of exist
ence corresponds, he claims, In every feature
to the mysterious efrulgence Of temporary stars
According Mr. vaughans theory these new stars are
nothing but the sudden blaze OF light produced by the
dsmemberment of planet IN distant system and the
falling Of the fragments INTO Its central sun-naJ tney
are caastrophes and Indicate tne aWtuy grand ehuns
Of distant world These views are OF course very
largely speculative since Is by no means certain tat
there Is any resisting H!eduhl 10 mater now raiuj
filling all space: Bat they are ingenious ana
like Saturn was originally surrounded by ring Of
water It would be easy to see how the disruption OF TINS
ring might general deluge. and how, millions OF
T"dnce snch cata.tropno that the heavens shall
pass away with n great noise, and the elements shall
melt with eryent heat the earth also, and the works
that therein. shall be burned up"
A New AUToMATON.-In a recent number of
TheJoundi Of the Franklin Institute is description OF
n remarkable machine designed and constru ed last
Summer by q student the University OF Penn Yania
Frank T. Frecland Glass OF 1879 1t Is called an Auto
matte Tit-tat-to Machine" and with any pay
that game as If II person. The principle upon
upOn which 10 works is this There IL In II mechanical
table Of all the possible games and two hands having
nine fingers each, When the opponent makes move
the machine with its left hand In the table for that
move Opposite II Is set down the proper answering
move BY pushing lever the right hand discovers that
md frlu I'M IFS ID
exhibited the Franklin Institute. 1t j. now at the
University OF Pennsy yana, where it has played large
number Of games without losing single ole.
SMALL ELECTRIC LIGHTS.-PrOfcsSOrs ThOm-
son and Houston Of Philadelphia stll experiment.
ing Oh their small electric lights and speak confidently
OF ultimate success There details yet TO be
perfected. The lamp shown at the last meeting Of
the Franklin Institute aud worked very we'll Professor
ThonsoD IN a recent lecture electric lights in general,
showed n3w light devised by Professor Houston and
himself intended 10 light large The improve
ment claimed lies In the uniform consumption OF the
carbon points. In electric lights the flame nckcrs,
burninr steadily 10" few minutes and then being al
most oxtinguished. The lamp shown by Professor
Thomson however burned steadily and gave brilliant
white light The carbOns incloscd opal glass
shade, ard The light while very powerful, not
nOylg eyes Although the problem OF the day is
the production OF small electric lights for in dwell
ncs the large light Professors Houston and Thomson
is said TO be decided improvement on those hitherto
hbited. The uniform consumption OF the carbons ID
secured by the OF eectrO-maguet i'll the lower
part the lamp This plan is also used IN other ecc-
tc lights but Professors Thomson and Houston appear
to have attained better results.
CENTRALPARKFA FALLING INTO DECAY