The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-12-17
For the CARBON ADvooATE:
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

M. Paul Bert has mvde some interest
ing investigations into the effects of anes-
thetics. Among other results, he finds tina.
the fatal dose is just about double that which
is sufficient to produce insensibility, and a
dose aboat midway between these two ex-
tremes will very readily produce ap@sthe-
sia. OF the an@sthstics in common use he
fnds chloroform. the most dangerous, ether
ranking next, and protoxide of nitrogen be-
ing.safer than any other tried by him.
In lecture upon the "great comet of
1885," the Astronomer Royal for Ireland,
Prof. R. s. Ball, states that collisions of the
earth with comets haye often occurred, and
others will doubtless occur in the future,
The last of these collisions was in June,
1861, when the earth passed through the
tail of large comet. Had the earth passed
through the densest part Of the nucleus he
did not know what the result would haye
been, but thinks the consequences would
not have been serious. On the occasion
mentioned the only indication that col
iison had taken place was the peculiar ap-
pearance of the sky as observed at what was
probably The very time when the earth was
enclosed in the tail of the comet.
1t has been discovered by M. Tomasi
that surrounding the electric arc by tubes
filled with cold water produces great effect
upon it, the luminous power being much
weakened, and the arc itself so much affect
ed that slight puff would extinguish it.
"A Vienna chemist has made a new
glass, containing no silica or other ingredi-
ent o: ordinary glass. Its most importsnt
property is that it may be used TO glaze iron
and other metals.
In recent address 10 the Balloon So
ciety of Great Britain, Mr. W B. Woodbury.
predicted that photographers will be able at
II" distant day TO obtain from balloons
birds eye views ofany city or town, photo-
graphed true to nature and show ing every
/ detail with sufficient clearness to serve many
purposes. The motion to which the camera
must he subjected is tue chief obstacle To the
successful practice Of balloon photography,
but he believed that the extremely sensitive
plates now prepared must serve in a con-
siderable degree to overcome this difficulty.
He hoped that another year would show
some advance in this particular branch Of
science.
Some time during the coming year, an
exhibition is 10 be held at Berlin of articles
pertaining to the "science and Technology oi
health, and the saving Of life" It would
seem that such exhibitions ought to become
epidemic.
The principles Of the new rapid ship
no" being constructed at Geneva from NJ
haoul Pictets plans, were lately described
to the French Academy. The vessel is to be
broad and quite fat, and so built that the
bottom will constantly receive an upward
thrust, tendingt to lit it from the water. This
VIII lessen the draught Of tho vessel, and
consequently diminish the resistance OF the
water To It's passage. NJ. Pictet calculates
that he will be able IN obtain speed equal
I" about three times the present average. A
practical test Of the new ships capabilities
Is awaited with much interest.
Experiment has shown NJ. Maiche that
sounds of different characters produced from
two separate sources can be sent simuitane
ously on one wire and received separately
At the receiving station he used two tele-
phones Of different ressts nces, and at the
transmitting end caused music box TO op,
crate upon a microphone while an Undue
tion telephone trsnsmitter was spoken int
at the same time. The musical sounds were
reproduced in the telephone of least resis-
tanee, and the vocal sounds in the other, SC
that with the two telephones to the ears the
listener could hear the music by one eal
and the speech by the other.
An electrical elevator, worked by 4
Sisnens machine, has been one ofthe many
novelties of the Paris Electrical Exbibition