St. Landry democrat., 1881-10-29
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

electricity was proposed. By this plan
the electric current reduces the body to
ashes without the introduction of for
eign substances.
M. Toussaint finds that the virus of
tuberculosis retains its power under
conditions which completely destroy
the germs of other contagious maladies.
At the Royal Aquarium, Westminster,
the experiment Of lighting the tanks
by incandescent electric lamps has
been successfully tried. The lights are
submerged in the tanks, and do not
appear to disturb the fishes in the least,
while the water is lighted up with a
brilliancy which could be attained in
no other way.
"A London nautical journal has
found that sixty three per cent of the
storms starting in this country across
the Atlantic reach Great Britain, from
which it appears that the proposed in
VI "CIUlCA SiS~
nails would be a great benefit to the
English people. Storms seldom cross to
this country from Great Britain, SO that
the chief advantage of the interchange
to the American weather service would
be found in the additions made to the
worlds knowledge of meteorological
science.
Mr.. Swan, the inventor of the Eng
lish rival of Edison's lamp, recently
exhibited a two-candle power lamp
detached from any wire and portable.
1t could be kept lighted for six hours
by small Faure secondary battery not
exceeding ten pounds in weight.
NJ. CASTOR Tisandier's little balloon
at the Paris Electrical Exhibition has
attracted much attention. The balloon
is Of az elongated egg-shape, with conf
cal ends, measures eleven and One-half
feet in length and four and one-quarter
feet in diameter, and has a lifting power
of little more than four pounds. 1t
is driven to and fro across the Palais de
rIndustrie by a Trouve electric motor
weighing less than half pound, which
is operated by current from Plante
battery Of a little less than three pounds
in weight. NJ. islander has made
some interesting calculations from the
results of experiments with this tiny
aerostat. He finds that an electric
motor developing six horse power could
be made with weight of $50 pounds,
with 1880 pounds of battery. It would
be easy to raise this by an elongated
balloon of 100000 cubic feet capacity
filed with hydrogen. Such balloon
would be 131 feet long and A feet in
the middle, and would have an ascen-
sional force of 200 pounds. Deducting
weight Of ballon, motor and battery,
1900 pounds would be left for passen-
gers and ballast. In calm weather such
an air-ship should have speed of
twelve to fifteen miles an hour, and in
currents it's direction could be directed
to some extent. The battery power,
however, would last but a short time,
so that balloon constructed on this
plan would evidently be valuable only
for purposes of experiment, while this
estimate makes it quite apparent that
the motor described would, in the
somewhat improbable event Of the
practical application Of power to bal
looms, be found much less economical
than steam.
AS an illustration of the present
widespread interest in electrical mat
tiers it may be stated that six papers
devoted to electricity and it's applica-
tons are now published regularly in
Paris.
M. Jules GODDARD and NJ. de Tonvielle,
the distinguished aeronauts, have in
vented an electrical stationary bal
LOOM" The balloon contains apparatus,
driven by the electric current, which, it
is claimed, will keep the balloon sus-
pended at any level so that it can
neither ascend or descend.
Reports from more than one hundred
lighthouses and ightships have shown
that the migrations of birds of one
species or another are almost contin-
ually going on, although the great mi
grations occur in the spring and fall.
Vast numbers of birds are killed by
flying at night against the glass pro-
tecting the lights of lighthouses, being,
while in migration, attracted by the
bright glare of the lamps. Noless than
six hundred were destroyed in this
.a,annor In q 81 q olo month ut one li0lt- /