New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-05
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.
FDIsoN's SPEAKING TELEPHoNE.-1he Eng
nsh scientific papers abound with praise OF Mt
Edi.nn's new speaking telephone. Two OF these
tnstrtmeut, have been tried with such success
that one writer enthusiastically describes theni
IA speaking witnesses to the WONDERFUL sA'"
and ingenuity Of their inventor lbo sPe"Ai"s
telephone is on adaptation Of previous Invention OF
Mr. Edisons which he called the eectro-m0tograph' anu
which was based upon the discovery that when sup oi
paper moistencd with a chemical solution Is Drawn
between two metallic surfaces slightly pressed toward
one another extraordinary difference In the ricu"n
il experienced when an electric current 10 passeu
through the circuit. The construction OF the ne"
telephone receiver ia "a follows: cylinder or roier
composed Of chalk acetate Of mercury, and caustic
soda is mounted a spindle, and driven elmer Dy
clockwork or "A crank This cylinder is kept moist on
the surface by occasionally bringing piece OF damp
cloth IN contact with IT, the cloth taking its water sup
ply from small troug' in the bottom OF the case Inc
vocal organ is diaphragm Of mica' about lhcheS
in dlamce en- held In suitable frame. Attached TO the
inner face OF this diaphragm il metal bar the free ehd
OF which carries platinum stylus. which il presseh
upon the chalk cylinder by spring. The cylinder
forms the terminal OF wire, and the metal
bar the other The action OF the instrument
will now be understood. The cylinder contain
ing In Itself the chemical solution whose decomposi-
revOlyed away rom the platinum point on the meta i
bar The friction thus generated tenus 10 uraw ,no
mica diaphragm inward, but the moment electric
waves are through the circuit the friction yaishes
less, and the stylus slipping, tbe dlaphla Sm
that II takes the torn OF vibrations, and consequently
sounds are produced which correspond In pitch ana
volume with those uttered into the mouth OF the
trausmitter. Tho extreme dencrcy aud great
power Of the photograph enable larger diarhrasm 10
be used than BE- successfully employed IN those tel
ephoacs whose action depends upon electr3nagnets;
I ctfrrt. ltf the r. be
wall Of an Office and the words neaId IN any part Oh h'
p"n ere rimary sncrc.sfn Mr. Edison has
undoubtedly made great step forward If he has nor
IN fact comp etey solved the problem Of telephone
communication.
TIE COMPANION TO SRrUs.-Mr ;. w.
Burnham. Of CHICAGO, gives, in The American Jondt0
Science list Of double discovered by Mr. AyanG
Clark of The w,lknown firm OF Avian Clark d sons
tlc famous telescope MAKERS OF Cambrdgeport, Mass
They are nearly all din pairs, and for the most part
prominent and interesting objects, to which the aten-
ton of astronomers been little directed these as
covcres, that of the companion 10 SIRIUS mas DrOusht
the greatest fame its finder and its history IS briefly
gwen: From periodical irregularities IN the observed
proper motion Of Sirius Bcsse, the great German as
tronomer and mathematician more than thirty years
ago. suspected the steuce Of satellite revolving
with the large sr around their common centre OF gray
ity The theoretical orbit of the disturbing BODY was
calculated 10y Peters and period OF fifty years round
! I ID
was looked for by many observers without success In
January 1862, Mr. Clark placed the ls2-nch object
glass now at the Dearborn Observatory. Chicago then
the largest obiecslass in the world, in temporary
stand and turned upon small star was at
once detected almost exactly IN the place assigned py
theory Once discovered 1t was readily seen ana meas
ured with the same instruments with which 1t had been
vany looked for before. For this discovery Mr. Clarke
was awarded the Ialande gold medal The companion
has been measured every year since 1862 and during
the latter portion OF the time the obervatons are very
The last orbit OF tho theoretical satellite
cOInuuted Auwers based upon all the available data
gives period OF 1910 years. But observation has
shown that the angular motion OF the real star Is more
rapid than that of theoretical one and with less
change IN distance indicating longer period lhah my
ycJrs The existence OF a second companion has thus
been suspected, but II has never been discovered.
ORNA MENTAL GLAss.-A novel mode Of pro-
ducng glass objects OF great beauty was lately described
before the French Academy where samples Of the art
were shown and attracted much admiration. The new
procedure has been devised by NJ. Mouot, French
Manufacturer and consists essentially in submitting
the glass objects red heat TO the action
OF coal gas The gass should be promised contains
metallic oxide which by the reducing action OF the gas
is separated in the body Of the glass, IN the metallic
state. Thus the metals silver and copper have been
separated IA Mo mass OF tae vitIeous suDstance sei
and remarkably brilliant effects are affirmed 20 De thus
brought about Among the novel products Oh iIis to
cess beautiful imitation OF aventurine was exhibited
UTAH MINERAL WAX.-lt seems That the
peculiar substance known ozOcerite, zietrislrte or
mineral wax in Utah in the large guam
iii rs first reported Professor Clayton writes TO The
Eng,neering and Mining Journal that the shacbed out
Of which the exudes extensye-probably 40 to
60 long by 20 vide, the sae being from 20 to 40
feet thick-5ut that the quantity OF wax is small He
adds such nhlmmable material would be destroyed
by the annual fires that sweep over the mountains In
the dry TIC shale-beds are rich in gas and
naraflne oils Thin pieces be lighted with match.
There occasional Of coal bu workable beds;
the thckes is not han II inches. In following out
this zone shae, searching for coal traced ont
crop distance Of ten miles. The general features
Austria. Digging and boring may develop Ike deposits
here but there are only Iew places where the wax Is
found the surface 81 far as now know the CONNER
cia value lies IN the snae Whether II rich enough
bear di.tinton Is vet to be proved" Vienna firm is
now supplying pencils made Of mineral wa for marking
aud writing on all Ands OF wood. also linen, cloth and
paper and az substitute for chalk for the blackboard.
The marks produced with these pencils Obllt
Grated moisture, " acid or friction. The pencils are
made IN different sizes and with various colors.
A POLLEN SHowLR.-A shower of fine yell
low dust fell the other day at Allentown, Penn,
which was at first supposed be sulphur Examination,
however showod to be pine pollen, which had probably
been carried by Southern winds from the forests Of
North Carolina or the extreme south Of Virginia.
a NEW THEORY OF DEw-Professor Stock
bridge OF the Amherst Agricultural College, has been
making experiments TO the origin of dew, and
has arrived at conclusions somewhat different from
those generally accepted II ia usually held that dew is
the moisture Of the air condensed through
objects of lower temperature, and that 1t does
form til radiation has reduced the temperature OF the
earth. Professor stockbrldce asserts, however that
dew is the result Of condensation by the air OF
vapor which rises from the so and he embodes the
result Of his experiments IN these propositions: The
vapor % the soil much warmer at night than rho air.
and word he condensed by it, 2 Vapor from the soil is