Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-09-20
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
MICA FACE MASKS,


ers, stone masons, and other workmen
exposed to heat, dust, and noxious va
pors. is found to be quite serviceable.
These masks allow the eyes to be turned
in any direction, and admit of the wear
ing of glasses.
AN EXPANSIVE CARGO.
Surgeons know the value of the expan-
sive power Of peas and other grain in
making anatomical preparations. No
one has any Idea of the force exerted un-
til test of it is made. An italian YES
sci, laden with rice, put into East Lon
don leaking badly. A strenuous effort
was made to pump out the water and un-
load the cargo. But the rice continued
to swell, and finally the vessel was vio-
lently burst asunder.
NOVEL LIBRARY.
A curious collection of books is con-
tanned in the library of Warstenstein,
near Cassils, in Germany. These books
appear at first sight to be logs of wood,
but each volume is really a complete
history OF the tree it represents. The
back shows the bark in which a small
piece is cut to write the scientific and
the common name as title. One side
shows the tree trunk in its natural state.
and the other is polished and vanished.
Inside are shown the leaves, fruit, fiber
and insect parasites, to which is added a
full description Of the tree and it's pro-
ducts.
HISTORY OF THE FORK.
The fork has been made the subject of
an interesting monogram published in
Italy by Prof. Giovanni LumbrosO. In
the ancient world this aid to eating was
unknown, and the fashionable and we'll
bred sought to display as much delicacy
as possible III the operation of convey
ing food to the mouth win the fingers.
1t was thousand years ago when the
first mention of the forchett0 was made
In Italian literature, and it was then
spoken of as an instrument introduced
into Venice by Byzantine princess. It
was at first not favorably received, and
for two centuries came little into use,
either in Italy or the rest of Europe.
No mention of fork was made in the
catalogue of table furniture at the we'd
ding of Maria Sforza Visconti, as late as
1893. Still the fifteenth century saw it's
use spreading in France, and the six
teenth saw it in Germany. It was not
until the seventeenth that it was adopted
in England.
MARINE BRAKES AND DRAGGs.
Two devices for overcoming the perils
of the deep, steamship brake and drag,
have just been tested in Boston harbor.
The brake consists of two large steel
stern of a steamship and worked by chains
running to the pilot house. By opening
these fins the resistance of forty square
feet of steel is brought to bear on the
momentum of the boat, and the tests
showed that the checking force was sud-
den and irresistible. A steamer going at
full speed was stopped within space of
ten feet. The bragg is intended both 10
soothe troubled waters and to hold q
ships head against the wind during a
gale. 1t is umbrel la-shaped and made
of strong canvas on oak ribs. During a
blow this drag is dropped from the bows
of ship by rope fastened to it's centre.
1t is claimed that this will keep the ship
steady with her head to the wind, while
bag of oil at the apex of the contriv-
ance is to take the danger out of the
pillows.
INVISIBLE NEIGHBORS.
Sir John Lubbock's opinion confirms
or endorses the conclusion long since put
forth by some of the most eminent as
tronomers, namely, that there are now in
the solar system, or armament, many
dark bodies-that is, bodies which now
emit no light, or comparatively little.
He points out, for example, that in the
case of Procyon the existence of an in
visible body is demonstrated by the
movement of the visible star. Another
illustration which he cites relates to the
notable phenomenon presented by
Algow, the bright star in the head of
Medusa. This star shines without
change for two days and thirteen hours;
then, in three hours and half, dwindles
from star of the second to one of the
fourth magnitude; and then, in another
three and half hours, reassumes it's
original brilliancy. According to the
view entertained by Prof. Lubbock,
these changes must be regarded as indi-
eating the presence of an opaque body,
which intercepts at regular intervals a
part of the light emitted by Algow.
MECHANICAL CALCULATOR.
One of the most remarkable self-cor-
recting machines lately invented has
been described before the Royal Society
of England, the details showing, it
would seem, the construction of prac-
tically useful machine for calculating as
many as eight or tenor even more-of
unknowns, from the same number of
linear equations, is neither a very diff
cult nor over-elaborate matter. A fair
approximation being found by first ap-
plication of the machine, very moder-
ate amount of straightforward arithme-
tical work sufices to calculate the
residual errors and to allow the machine
to be reapplied to calculate the cor
rections; there can, Of course, be no
limit to the accuracy thus obtainable oy
successive approximations It is as
serted by Professor Thomson and other
experts, who have operated this machine,
that the exceeding easiness of each appli-
cation, promises well for it's real useful
ness, whether for cases in which single
application is adequate or for others in
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