Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-18
SPARKS OF SCIENCE

From the Belgian Academy comes an
offer OF 5000 francs for the best essay on
the destruction of fishes by the pollution
of rivers.
Paper is coming into use in a variety of
forms never dreamed of. Inventors might.
however, benefit by some quiet attention
to what the Japanese have done with pulp.
Prof. Baden Powell says that the dangers
OF ballooning have been exaggerated. In
England there have been only six deaths
In tome 6,O00 ascents, and four OF these
were due to jumping from the car.
Last year there Were 7,177 applications
for patents IN Germany 1889 vera
granted. This is the largest number
granted IN any year save one, 1879, when
the number OF patents issued was 4, 4l0.
A very simple and efficient remedy for
mosquitoes is tincture of Persian powder.
Ii the powder Ia pure a few drops of the
tincture on the neck and hands will repel
the most blood. thirsty mosquito from the
thinnest skinned.
In the process for preparing so-called
chamois feathers considerable amount of
fatty matter, NJ. f, Jean says, remains az
by product, and is sold under the name
of degras to curriers', who use it for rem.
dering ordinary feathers supple or pliable.
In order to secure the greater purity in
the atmosphere of the St. Gothard tunnel.
an attempt is to be made to propsl the loco.
motives by electricity. Experiments. for
which the sum Of $50, 600 francs ia set
apart, are now being made at Bernie with
this object.
M. Chauveau says that heating accord.
ing to certain rules blood infected with bac.
terra makes it a vaccinating liquid q,lite as
sure as that of NJ. Pasteur. The temperature
43' AZ snffices. In an hour enough vaccine
matter for 500 sheep can be prepared from
one guinea pig.
1t is estimated that no less than $40,
tons OF tin plate are annually used in the
United States in the MANUFACTURED of tin
boxes and cans for oysters, and the multi
tude of various things knows to Gamers.
a single New York firm uses twenty tons
of tin plate per day.
In examining tallow in Paris the sample
is dissolved in chi-raform, when geltinous
matters. fragments OIL ssS.:Ps,- calcium, phos-
phate of lime, and other non.fa4sy listers
remain undissolved. The French s;earins.
makers take "A as the lowest possible
melting point for tallow.
The scales for weighing gold in th, assay
Office at New York are 90 delicst, that.
when brought to balance with two pieces
OF paper of equal size in the pans, the mere
writing of = name ON one OF the pieces of
paper will add enough weight in the paper
to turn the scales in its favor.
To destroy barcelli, DIR. R. Kock has
found that chlorine, bromine and mercuric
chloride give the best results, phenol. thy.
mol and salicylic acid being comparatively
inert. Solutions of mercuric chloride, nj.
trate or sulpburate diluted to one part in
1000 destroy spores in ten minutes in pre-.
pared solutions.
A blowppe has been patented in Ger.
many by Schlag & Berend, of Berlin, in
which the air blown into the mouthpieee
passes through a valve into caoutchouc
bag, which is inclosed in the tube, and
serves az regulator OF the issuing air, in
the case of intermittent blowing. The
valve prevents return Of the air forced in,
Soon the work of reclaiming the Zuyder
Zee will begin. A dixie twenty-four and
half miles is to be made of sand, faced
with clay, and so high that Il will be six
and half feet above the greatest tide level.
The time for the completion Of this under.
taking is estimated at from seven to ten
years, and the cost about SAG, DOC, 600.