The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-06-04
lon;olosonoillt Cb6lcf.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A monograph Of an improved con
structiou is to be tried ut Paris for teach
ing pupils the pronunciation of difficult
words in foreign languages.
ALI ordinary fruit acids are said to
act upon tin, and one case is reported i'll
which persons were made violently sick
from eating fruit preserved III TN cans,
no foreign substance except tin being
found in the fruit.
Sir Wyville Thompson has estimated
that the pressure upon mans body at
depth Of 10000 feet beneath the sur
face Of the sea wonll be equal to 9
weight Of twenty locomotives, each with
i good train loaded with pig iron.
Observations commenced short dis
lance from Pompci, with q view OF as
certaining the nature Of the surround
ings of the city, have led TO the discov-
cry, within an area Of a few square
yards, Of thirty skeletons, ten of which
were l,uddlcd together in one room of a
small suburban villa. Bracelets, neck
laces, earrings and other objects were
fund upon the bones.
"A writer i'll the Jewish Uod points
ont that, contrary to the received idea,
tile elder Rabbins Of the Tan,ud taught
h hat the world was round. This is shown
Nv u passage in which, in discussing
idolatry, the figures welding in the hand
= I.qton, or a bird, or IL globe were pro
1.ibited, because tlie baton symbolizcd
the dominion of the world, the bird that
is forbidden because it resembles the
form of The world itself.
Ascending to the studies of NJ. IItbcrt,
the storms which reach the European
coast from the American originate for the
most part in Mexico, Central America
and the northern partsof South America
but they 40 not generally strike the
Atlantic until after they have traversed
4 more or less extended part Of the length
of he North American CONTINENT The
storms which originate in the United
States reach Greenland, or pass in the
neiShLorhood of Iceland or he FARGO
Islands, too far away to affect Europe.
a curious experiment in heat is per
formed with an instrument devised by
Dr. Grass. Tie apparatus consists of
three conccntric vessels separated by an
nular spaces Of about three fnurths Of an
inch. The outer space is filled with oil,
t!lr inner with water. The oil Is heated
70 i point zig Fahrenheit. when tie
water begins to boil OIL heated to BOO
is then introduced into the central YES
81, and falls rapidly to IL Temperatures
ahnnt HAT Of hoiIn" water. Dir. GraSs
finds that tbs central oil coolS the more
quickly the greater the heat Gt I.r enter
ring of oil. result seemingly very par
ldoNlcal
D The handling of petroleum in any
quantity is, asis we'll known, attended hv
much danger, on account of its explosive
2,css aud the rapidity with which fire is
spread thereby. N. Ichlumbcycr, whose
mind has for some time been occupied
with this subject, has finally proposed a
plan by which he believes all fire follow
ing an rNpl2snu May be prevented. His
method is the placing of moderately
large bottle of aqua ammonia upon
every barrel or eg of petroleum. Should
hntNpl"Sl"n ncrilr, the shock will Sllattrr
the bottle, spread the fumes of the am
m"na i'll he atmosphere, aud produce an
automatic and intalIible extinction of
the flames. NJ. lclIumber.rr is very con
!ldrnt of the efficacy of this plan, and
believes it would also prove valuable for
rNt1n%nlShinG lie fire pccasioncd hy OK
pluSl"n> il mines.
Probably 40 mar has more thorough
j. cEriorcd Or more carefully studied tile
ancient caves of Great Britain and their
contents than Prof. ". Boyd Dawkins,
+. X. s, who recently lcctrltd in London
upon the carly Inhabitants whose traces
are found in these cayclns. Anon" the
Interesting results of his Investigations
he mentioned that tic horse was used for
TODD among these primitive people, and
probably, also, the dog. The dog of
Eh"sr times appears to have been 4 mnc!i
Larger animal than I'll. average doc OF
nc present day. Fire MAS obtained IN
Striking 4 light from tic familiar min
rral, non pNritrS. The rotter's wheel
tt"tS hot seem 10 have been known, but
pottery Mas made hy hand The cave
implements Show that he pre- hist ORC
inhabitants ground corn. and engaged 10
some extent ia mining operations.
Tho death was recently announced of
MI +, \. Nohert, whose fine rulings on
glass have given him a world wide CO
lchlty. IS test plates .or Tie power &c
microscopes he ruled bands of lines of
:#rA ims tinrness tiom ii 900 to 1l2.ono to
the English inch. 1t was tormrrl, lis
opinion that lines 50 inc rs the 1-l12.-
nH0th Of Ill incIl would never be seen IL
solved III he microscope. This feat was
accomplished, however, ~ pr. Weed
ward, whcr Mr.. Nobrr; immediately pro
lnr>d urw plate having one band OF
lines OF 4 fucnrSS nt ,e,2t geo t. the Enc
li~l inch. Whether 81 not these minnie
lines VIII ever be seen cannot now he
sal, ~ predicted. MI Nohctt has always
h"r?i Very lrticrHt in ra4al, to his
methods, and II Is 'ho:,-ils probable