New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-13
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

PANS ASTRONOMICAL Observation-Disclosures
progrcss has heen made With the new hnse"" NO"
forming nc the Paris Observatory Among other o'yo0
Of historic interest II will contain PAIR OF Mero"
Globes dating from the middle OF the sixteen'n ""''
That figuring the earth IL the first on whcn nVi '
~ ope,tude and parallels Of latitude were laid down.
The great ecu ltoia lakes Of Africa, II Is repore"
nil 10 he found upOn IT, The glass eases contain "e "
variable meridian circle constructed on A"'"ii"i
N,ehy,. plan: the penduums OF nvariaole dimension
emnloyed hy Captains FraiSSinet and Dhp'FIe III ho'
xvaes aronnd the world for the determination OF the
value OF the Intensity OF the cenrpetal force
and Of gravity az different points OF the earihs surface
and the apparatus used 10y W. Coinu, OF tue institute
with view determine the velocity OF hsht Ar'in oo
servaiions made between the Observatory ana the
Tower Of Montlhery. Another glass case. adds the
Journal dcs Dtais contains the standard metre OF the
FIRST Republic; the toise used in 1873 In Peru ior
measuring degree at the equator the toise Il ca III
Iapiand some short aterward for measuring the
polar DECREE and the platinum klogramme made by the
,lerublican Commission OF weights and Measures
Trsnes len; the first graduated. IS also deposited
Ia the new and the O!jec,-gass Of the kIei'
fcrminng tho existence Of Jupiter's satellites sannr
double ring, the abnormal hhuess OF Jul''rS p"r
aud the vast velocity his rotation, rs wei IS tat W
Mars In another OF cases are to be seen the douoy
roirac;ng prisms with the help oi Wnlca Hx"sv q
u,cd The diameter OF the great panelS' Neptune ca
ccpted
GLASS SLEEPERs.--0n some of the English
horse railroads they are experimenting with glass
sccpers These are made nv process patented by f.
Sienens. Of Dresden. Unlike the De la basue glass
when broken the Siemens's product does not ny mo
fragments. The sleepcrs are feet long, inchcs wue
by inches deep and nou dcd 10 III accurately the
ri Bearing plates placed under the JOINTS and inc
rsls are attached to them. sleeper resting on sup
pori 30 apart breaSs I'll weight 4 I'VE tons.
CLASS, unlike pine Is practically indestructioiv %
The glass seepers cost about The same rs Iron onea
"A "A
Ing example II the - Elmo was seen recently
IN France I'm the Jnra above ST. Cereues The SKY wa-
dark ana stormy The air tnick with clouds o"' OF
whsh duted 81 intervals bright flashes OF lightning
At length one clouds, seeming TO break loose
from the mountains between Nyon and tho Dole al
yanccd In the direction storm which had, NEAL
while. broken out over Morges. The sun was hioueh
and the country covered with thick darkness Al this
moment the pine forest round ST. Cergues was suddenly
Illuminated. and shoue with light bearing Striking
resemblance the phosphorescence OF the sea as seen
H. the tropics The light disappeared with every cap
Of thunder but only resprear with increased inten
eiiy until the suhsidenCe Of the tempest NJ ka"ul
P.,tci the eminent chemist. who was one Of the Wit
ne-ses OF the scene. thus explains the pbenomenoni
Before the appearance Of this fire of 81 Elmo, which
covered The whole If The forest had ranei several
minutes during first part Of the storm. The rain
had converted the into conductors OF electricity
Then when the cloud strongly charged with the electric
fiid passed over this multitude Of points. the dis
charges we're sufficiently vivid to give rise to the lumn
Gus appearance Tho ef ct produced bv the action
az The electricity ~ the atmosphere on the electricity
az the earth an ecct which, TIC occasion In CUES
non was considerably scd by the height Of the To-
t,rv The proximity OF storm cloud, and the action OF
Tie rn which turned AL tue trees VI the forest into
conductors"
A MONSTER TELEsCOPE.-The new refract-
in telescope ordered 10y NJ strive, The Director OF the
Russian Observatory al Pu.kowp. FROM AVIAN C.aIk
Sons Cambridge port VIII have tho largest object glass
in abe world. The aperture 81 the great telescope at
Washington is 20 inches That of the instrument for
Vienna now being made by Messrs Grubb. OF Dublin
will 2s inches. The object glass OF n new telescope
i1I lJsss is have clear aperture Of 30 inches. The
foca length D. rot Hscd. bar viii probably BE- about
feel. The irctVc is 10 me- finished within eighteen
nnnlns aller the Inusn discs hlNe been Ohtanod ~