The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-03-04
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

because the exposed surface 0fies lasIof
than the inside. II mnriatic acid be
saturated with lime aud applied to the
ends like whitewash, the chloride OF
calcium formed attract. moisture and
prevents splitting.
A novel application Of the electric
light is intended to diminish the risk Ut
collision Mt sea- The light, with reflec-
tor, is placed on movable arm IN such
position as to move with tho rudder,
thus indicating by the direction OF Its
beam the course stored by the vessel.
Herr Kepner, at salzburg, in the Tyroi,
has observed that heating earths and
rocks causes them to become magnetic.
With various specimens Of baked and
unbaked bricks he has tested the ac-
curacy of the observation, which is still
further confirmed by experiments with
several minerals by two other scientists.
The magnetism Of newly heated rocks
appears TO diminish so,dewhat il time,
but some specimens of Stag, perhaps
thousands of years old, were found to be
still ma ghetto.
According to tie recent calculations Of
Mr.. G. II. Darwin, the earth and the
moon must have formed only one body
some fifty -four million years or more
ago. aud ut time when this body was
rotating at the rate of about one revolu-
ton in five hours the mass now forming
the moon became separated IRON 1T.
Thus WAS the moon born; and Prof.
Ball, in his exposition ofDarwin's views,
concludes that in time tho wound on the
earth became entirely healed, leaving no
scar to testify to the mighty catastrophe.
To this final conclusion Mr.. .. Fisher
now offers an amendment He believes
that the scars vet exist, and that those
scars are the ocean basins. When the
moons mass was thrown from the earth,
the liquid interior must have risen to
till.the hole, and portions Of tho granite
crust must have been borne toward the
cavity. The hole only partially filled
M, and the crust became broken into the
fragments which now form the conti-
neuts.
A Silesian physician, DIR. George
Guttman, has published the results of
his experience with pilocarrin, u newly
introduced medicinal principle, i'll the
treatment Of diphthcria. While study
ing the effects of this drug he found that
it produced q greatly increased flow OF
saliva without Inflammation of the
salivary glands; and he was led to
believe that the increased secretion of
saliva. would tend to dissolve and remove
tho false membrane Of diphtl,eria. He
therefore concluded to try the remedy III
cases Of that diseases and has met with
such remarkable success that he pro
nounces pilocarpin u specific for 'liph-
iberia. In eighteen mouths he treated
eighty-one cases Of tho disease with the
DCSV 1CSuit0 Ill CSCA SASOs Nv sNAssa ~
the cases must have proved fatal under
the old treatment, while i'll about one
half there was considerable development
of false membrane. Tho patients have
invariably recovered in 1. very short
period. With but two or three excep-
tions, cnnvaescence has followed the
most critical cases in from two to five
DAYS, and the milder ones in one or two
| days,
| AS the use Of electricity becomes more
and more general, the great Importance
of some method Of storing the current
for future use becomes more widely
appreciated. Since the announcement
Of Faure's electrical accumulation some
months ago, this subject has been much
studied, and several storage batteries
have been produced by eminent electri-
clans. The most promising apparatus OF
this kind is said to be one just described
by Mr.. Henry Sutton Of Australia to the
British Royal Society. 1t appears, FROM
information now at hand, that Mr.. Sutton
obtained the best results with Il negative
elcctrode of copper and positive OF
anlalgamated lead-tliat is, lead coated
with mercury. These two elements arr
placed in Il solution Of sulphate o
copper. When g current of electricit,
is passed through this cell the solution Ii
decomposed and metallic copper depos
) tied on the negative clcctrode, while thu
} positive is peroxi.lizet. When the bat
terry is being discharged the action il
reversed, the copper. element being oxi
died, and the oxide combining with TIN
acid again forms sulphate Of copper. A
! the copper is deposited in charging, TIL
solution gradually loses its blue color
. being converted into sui phuric acid. /
is stated that Mr.. Sutton will not paten
3 his discovery.
Learned men have written much .
tho 1almaa, an old work of the Hebre,
laws, traditions aud commentaries. TIL
Encyclopedia britannica thus renders til
Ta'muIs history of Adam with its lcgei
Diary adornments "He was made rs
mail-woman out Of dust collected froi
every part of the earth, his head rcaclle
to heaven, and the splendor Of his fac
surpassed the sun. The very ange
: feared him, and all creatures fastened I
: pay him DEVOTION. The Lord, i'll ord,
\ to display his power before the angel
caused Il deep sleep to fall upon hin
. tn,k awav s.m.th HING fra,,n all his men