Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-03-29
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


is suggested by a California miner. The
light secured in this way is very bril-
liant, and all risk of explosion is avoided.
Commander r. E. Harris recounts a
strange experience off the Malabar coast.
On a clear, starlit evening a bank of
light was observed upon the horizon,
which gradually approached until the
vessel became completely enveloped in a
great mass of luminous matter. The
light appeared to advance in waves many
degrees above the waters surface, like
highly luminous mist, and obscured by
its intensity the distant horizon. ''If
the sea could be converted into huge
mirror" says Mr.. Harris. "and thousands
of powerful electric lights were made to
throw their rays across it, it would con-
vey no adequate idea of this strange yet
grand phenomenon The singular
spectacle gradually faded, although quite
brilliant after half an hour had elapsed.
Mr.. Harris believes the light to have
been due to the exciting influence of
electromagnetic currents upon some or
ganic animal or vegetable substance in
the atmosphere. 1t seems to have borne
strong resemblance to the aurora of
polar latitudes.
In Germany large quantities of glucose
or "grape-sugar" are made from old lin
en- rags, The rags are converted into
dextrine by treatment with sulphuric
acid. This is washed with lime solu-
ton, when the addition of stronger sui
phuric acid changes the dextrine into
glucose. The process is economical, but
popular taste revolts against the use of
sweets from old rags, even though the
product is chemically identical with the
best grape sugar. Asa consequence the
interference of the German government
with this industry is anticipated.
A Munich professor thinks it probable
that the molecules of marsh-gas may at
tain sufficient velocity to carry them be-
yond the sphere of the earth's attraction,
and that the exhalations of our marshes
may thus contribute to form cometary
bodies.
The chaetodon, a beautiful fish of
Japan, is endowed with a sort of gun to
aid it in securing its prey. Seeing fly
lighted near the surface of the water,
the fish gently approaches. and, aiming
its beak, forcibly blows a drop of water
at the unsuspectiDg insect, knocking it
from its perch into the water, where it
is easily seized.
The Amazon river is said to be de-
creasing in volume from some unknown
cause. giving rise to some anxiety among
inhabitants along its banks.
A physician of the French Navy
claims to have discovered that coffee
produces remarkable curative effect in
early stages of typhoid fever. He gives
adults two or three tablespoonfuls of
strong, black coffee every two hours, al
tcrnating with one or two teaspoonfuls
of claret or Burgundy wine. A little
lemonade or citrate of magnesia is ad-
ministered daily, and quinine after a
time.
A London engineer has called atten-
tion to source of danger on the loco
motive which he thinks may be even
more important than that arising from
color blindness. This is the dazzling
effect produced by the glowing white
light of the engine fire. brief glance
into which renders the eyes for time
unable to recognize the colors Of the
signal lamps.
Two German brothers, according to
the late George Henry Lewes, always
had sensations of color excited by sound J;
and both were accustomed to designate
particular tones by colors. The shrill
womanly tone of some mems voices they
called yellow; the rasping voices of 9TH
ers were to them brown. A German
scientist investigated the singular case,
and found that each tone had corre-
spending color to each of the brothers.
Thus to one the tone i'd appeared a
mingling of dark-blue with brownish
violet; to the other, chestnut-brown
with bright streaks. When they heard
the tone "e' they conceived respectively
dark-blue and peculiar yellow while
"g" was orange and orange yellow
slightly tinged with blue.
A remarkable occurrence is reported
to have taken place recently in the grand
duchy of Nassau. A fsh-pond was
struck by lightning one night during a
thunder storm. The next morning the
fish were found dead on the surface Of
the water. Their appearance was exact
ly that of cooked fish. No mark of in
jury could be seen. and their swimming
bladders were full of air. The water
was disturbed and muddy at the time,
as if it had just been stirred up.
Since the Turco-Russian war Russia