Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-02
SPARKS CT SCIENCE.


All the principal lighthouses in France
are soon to be provided with electric light
ing apparatus. The contracts have been
already awarded.
The piercing of another of the spherical
tunnels of the ST. Gothard Railway
at Wattingen, LOCO meters long-has just
been completed. 1t is confidently antici-
pated that within few months all the
minor tunnels on the lines OF access will be
completed.
At Cape Mendocino two ribs of some
marine animal have been dug out of a bank,
far above the modern tide mark. TIE ribs
are Is feet long and 20 inches in diameter
at the end where they connect with the
vertebre column, and the estimated weight
of each is 500 pounds.
1t has generally been supposed that when
carbolic acid is mixed with chloride OF lime
the former is liable to be destroyed by the
latter, with loss of activity on the part of
both, when applied for disinfecting pur-
poses. DAMN finds, however, that mix
ture of these two substances possesses nota-
bly, greater antiseptic energy than either of
them has separately.
Among the interesting discoveries made
by the French Transsaharsn Commission
is that of large city called Cedrada, the
ruins OF which are covered with the sand
Of the desert 1t is situated in the valley
of the Wed Wya, and near it in former
times was number of springs which af
forded water for very large groves of palm
trees. 1t is expected that W tn some labor
the wells can be reopened.
4 curious cause is assigned for the spread
of smallpox in Sullivan county, New
York. Physicians there express the opin-
ion that the disease was carried from one
house to another by cat, and owners of
cats have accordingly been notified to keep
them from roaming about. Ii there be
anything in this theory, Brooklyn is one of
the best-equipped cities in the world for
propagating small pox.
There is a new instrument going into use
in England for the purpose of receiving
Greenwich time signals at telegraph sta
tions, etc. Hitherto the passage of the
time signal current along the lines gave no
other indication of its presence than de-
Fiction of the needles of ordinary instru-
ments and corresponding movement OF
the armature of the Morse ink-writer and
a.
kept constantly on the instrument to learn
the exact time. In the new instrument
there is an arrangement which rings bell
and at once arrests attention when the tirst
part OF the time signal is transmitted.
Some French physicists contend that the
musical notes produced by Professor Bell
in disks of mica, India rubber, metal and
wood, by holding them in the path of
rapidly interrupted beam of light, are really
due to heat and not to light. Nj. Merca-
der has obtained like sounds from ordinary
gas lamps, without employing lenses to
concentrate the interrupted beam, by
simply bringing the receiving disk near the
source of light. Even a plate of copper
heated to bright red produced very dis
tinct musical notes, which died gradually
away as the plate cooled. to a dull red.
Disks coated with silver on the side ex-
posed to the ray gave very feeble sounds,
but when coated with lampblack the sounds
were strong.
DR.. Cornelius Herr, of Paris, has at
tanned an important step in telephony, by
which the principle of magnetism has been
entirely discarded and the magnetic re-
ceiver abolished. A long series OF experi.
ments have been successfully conducted
under the patronage of the French Govern
ment on the telegraph lines of the State;
concluding trials were witnessed by M.
Coshery. Minister of Postal Telegraphy
NJ. Jules Ferry, Prime Minister; M. Leon
Saw, President of the Senate; NJ. Bee
ouerel. and other members of the Aacad-
emy of Sciences, and by Senators, Depu-
ties, and great number of engineers.
One of the most extraordinary experiments
was the transmission of speech on single
wire from Tours to Brest, the length of
which exceeded 800 miles. One single
Leblanches element was the sole battery
IN use.