The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-01-19
MaisteIlaneons. g
FoR THE HERALD.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Many coffee drinkers have un-
deubtedly been disturbed by the
widely-publisbed theories of DR..
Book, Of Leipsic, who pronounces
coffee and tea TO be the chief causes
of nervousness and peevishness
so common in our time. Upon
this point, however, doctors disa-
gree, and we find Dr.. Henry Se-
CUR arguing that the effects of
these beverages are far from in
furious. As remedial agent he
believes coffee to be Of great value,
while its use promotes digestion,
and otherwise excrts a healtbful
influence upon the system. 10
confirm this belief he points to
the facts that habilual coffee
drinkers are generally healthy,
and live to good old age.
Balloonists have unique meth
Cd of taking 'soundings' to learn
their distance from the earth
when travelling in the air al
night. A loud shout is given and
the seconds are counted until the
echo from the ground is heard.
From the time required for the
return Of the sound it is easy to
compute the height Of the bal.
loon.
A Russian sav0nt offers the nov
el but absurd hypothesis that hail
is Of eosmical origin, and is cap
tured by our world in it's journey
through space in the same way
that meteorites are attracted to
this planet.
A new celluloid, made by treat
ing potatoes with sulphuric acid,
is said to make pipes equal to
meerscbaum, and is employed for
that purpose in France. Under
heavy pressure the material be-
comes so hard that billiard balls
may be manufactured from it.
A captive balloon Is to be used
at the Paris Observatory for max
ing meteorological observations at
a height Of a mile and a half
above the surface Of the earth.
In arecent address, Or. Siemens
commended the open fireplace
for its saL:Gary ~117antages. Un-
like radiatiug stoves, it warns
the walls and furniture of a room
more than the air. If the air
within a room is hotter than the
walls moisture condenses on the
latter causing mildew and fermen-
tation, with resulting liability to
disease on the part of the occu-
pants of the room.
A curious application of elec-
tricity is now employed in the
Spanish army. Conscripts wish
ing to escape military service
have, it seems, often resorted to
the trick of bending the body
while being measured 80 as to
bring their stature below the limit
prescribed for the service. To
prevent fraud Of this kind is the
object of the new device. When
the man is standing perfectly
erect the backs Of the legs at the
knees press against electric con-
facts, causing two bells to ring;
while a third bell is similarly
ruDg by pressure of the head. Fer
a correct measurement the three
bells should ring simultaneously.
The ringing ceases when there is
the least bending.
When, a drop Of nitric acid is
allowed to remain few moments
upon the surface of a piece of
metal, filed until bright and clean,
a pale ashY-gray spot is left if the
metal is wrought iron, browDish
black it steel, deep black If iron.
The carbon present IN various
proportions produces the differ
ences in color. This is therefore
considered a sure test.
The curious phenomenon OF
phosphorescent ice, observed in
the Arctic regions, has been de-
scribed by Mr.. J. Allen. When
ever the observer saw a lump of
ice shattered at night by the ves-
sci carrying him, be perceived a
peculiar light emitted by the
frozen fragments. The light is
very like that produced by break
ing a piece of sugar in the dark.
Mr.. E. B. Fish has noticed that
many birds seem to possess pow
ers of ventriloquism. From a
distance of a few feet, the cuckoo