New-York tribune., 1879-05-24
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

EpIsoNs ELECTRIC CANDLE.-According to
the English patent specifications, Mr. Edisons electric
candle is in the form of a slightly taperng hollow oyl
der divided vertically except at the upper end. by
this rangement he claims that uniformity and COM
pete are secured the electric current
passes up one side and down the other AT the base Oh
the cylinder which enlarged for the purpose the cleo
tic conductors are connected thermal circuit fe2u
lator which described in earlier patent re-
Gently published s attached nj the bottom OF the can
de and is so arranged that the current becomes ex
cessye the regulator becomes heated and consequently
expands so as to prlng movable spring into contact
with the adjusting of the Illuminating apparatus
and thereby dvers the current and lessons It's action OH
the light Mr. Edison specifies the materials or compo
sition and method Of manufacturing the ngh-giVing
substance the essential condition OF which necessa
riy its power to resist fusion by the heat developed IN
the passage OF the currents Metals, oxides OF met
ais are made use or which produce In comparatively
large candle sufficient resistance to render the whoe III
candescent Fineydvidcd metal or PARTICLES OF metal
having high melting point are caused 10 adhere py
earthly materials such magnesium, Zrcon OXides
magnetic oxide OF iron. or other substances ta are
with difficulty fused Toe oxides OF metals may De % OBJ
tanned by chemical precipitation or OtherWlse ana inc
candle s moulded either IN dry or moist condition Dy
pressure. The fine particles OF metal may be platinum
melted at high temperature. The earthly materials are
infusble such oxide of magnesia zirconium, nme'
silica, boron, or other suitable Iatefla.
RECOL OF GUNs.-An apparatus for ascer-
tanning the of reco of guns during the first IN
stants after the charge is fred has lately been brought
before the Society for the Encouragement of Ma
tiona Industry by NJ. sebert. Ii is termed yeoci-
meter and consists essentially OF strip Of flexible
Steel soOtbackened its surface, and capable
OF being pulled in horizontal slide. by steel wire con
neced with the the carriage. Above 1t Is tun-
ngfork with parallel ia horizontal drection) kept
vibrating electrically This be depressed so that
all oI vi on nouco NJ
with the strip and the strrp pulled along In the
motion OF recO the style produces wavy trace from
which the velocity of reco at each moment can be ac
curaely deduced (hc rate OF vibration o the FORK beng
knOwn NJ 5ebert adds to the apparatus certain pieces
whereby the duration cf course OF prolectes either III
the bore or in the air. can be exactly measured al the
same tme
MAN IN THE INTER-GLAUAL AGE.-Mr. sgd
ney T. j. skcttchly, of the British Geological Society,"
has been contributing series OF interesting articles to
The English Ntchanic the ever fresh topic OF the al
tquity OF man. His closing essay he sums up as fol-
lows: The question whether man was or was not III
existence during the cycle Of the glacial period Is
settled in the affirmative. The evidence is clear and
obtained in such widely separated areas, that
it would be astonishing is not universally accepted
did know that such has been the history OF all
scientific discovery. In the year 1888 the evidence OF
mans eontemp mpOraneity with extinct mammals was as
complete to-day, but for thirty years 1t was dis
regarded Can we wondcg then chat the belief in the
Following Lubbock's Prehistoric Man" Mr.. Skertchy
has these great divisions: Q) Historic Period, (2l The
Iron Age CD The Bronze Age ) The NeOlthc or Stone
Age and 5) The Paeolithic Drift Age, the most
Client of all The first periods. Mr. skertchy classi
hes as post glacial the last he believes to be glacial
This glacial age subdvides into four periods of
cessive cold and ice, represented respectively
by the Lower Boulder Clay, the Chalky Boll-
der Clay, the Purple Boulder Clay and the
Hcssle Boulder Clay-the hist-naned being the
earliest Between these formations Mr.. sacrtchly
places three nerglacia periods, the Early, Interme-
diate and Late Pal2Oihic Accepting Cros theory OF
the origin Of climatic changes the glacial period began
ago. This would make the OF the early Pal9othc
period about 100000 years ana To this period Mr..
Skerchy believes the rst recognized traces " man
clearly belong
A NEW NEBULA AND A LOST PLANET.-Dr.
Temple OF the observatory of Arcetr, Florence an
nounces his discovery, March ii, OF nebula,
which he al rst misto0k for faint comet It's position
for 1879 is r. A. 11h. 1smin 6sec. N. f. d. s6o "a Dr.
Temple describes as a double nebula with two small
but distinct nuclei from 20 apart, and he adds
that nebula Hersche H. 32, which is in the vicinity, is
much smaller and fainter than the Just discovered
It occasionally happens that celestial bodies lost
well as found. This has occurred several
times in the case OF the small planets
between Mars and Jupiter which now number
nearly 200. There Is of these, however.
which, according Mr. Proctor, astronomers would
gret to lose Planet Hilda which travels in
much wider orbit any OF the Others and can give
more information respecting the OF Jupiter
than any other member OF the solar system, coming
much more fully certain times under his Influence.
Unfortunately, Hlda has been searched for IN vain az
its first return opposon and astronomers begin to
fear that the planet Is Tor the time beng, lost.
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