St. Landry democrat., 1883-03-03

places his thumb over the top OF the
barrel, when an assistant pulls the trig-
ger. The thumb remains in place,
while the ball is heard to fall back ID
the tube. When the gun is reloaded
in the same manner, the same ball Is
discharged with sufficient force to pass
pine boad about a halt lncn
thick. Prof. Colladon has frequently
tried this experiment successfully, but
as any clumsiness in closing the tube
firmly with the thumb may result IN Sc
rions injury it is not an experiment. 20
be recommended.
Analyses by NJ. E. Reyer indicate
that the bronzes used by the anclents
contained neither lead nor zinc, but
we're alloys Of copper and tin, with
small quantities of nickel. iron, phos-
phorus and occasionally cobalt.
"A disastrous fire in Sicily sulphur
mine had very curious origin. A
rope broke when drawing a heavy
loaded wagon up an incline, and the
rapid motion of the wagon as it rnshed
back into the mine developed heat
enough to infame the highly combusti-
BILE ore. The fire spread SO quickly
through the mine that thirteen work
men were unable to escape, and many
others were injured.
Mr.. w. H. Preece. the electrician OF
the British Post Office, has tried the IN
teresting experiment of telegraphlng
across the channel separating the Isle
Of Wright from England. Large metal
plates were immersed in the sea at op
posite ends Of the Solent-namely, at
Portsmouth and Ryde, separated by SIX
miles of water, and at Hurst Castle and
Sconce Point, with one mile OF
channel separation. The Ports
mouth and Hurst Castle plates
were connected by a wire pass
ing through Southampton, and the
Ryde and Sconce Point plates by q
wire passing through Newport, the cir
|cuit being completed BY the sea. Sig
Inals were readily passed by the Morse
system, but telephone speech was i'm
practicable. .z
Al picture representing the judgment
of Solomon has been unearthed at
Pompeii. Archaologists will doubtless
regard this relic with peculiar interest
as it is reported to be the first picture
on a sacred subject that has been dis
covered in the buried cities.
The estimate of the suns tempera-
| tnre now most generally received il
4 that OF Prof. Lysetti, Of Padua, who
places it at about $4,000 degrees Fan
renheit.
, In an experiment described to tht
{ French Academy by Mons Bergeron
miniature imitation OF the craters L
, the moon is produced by sendinga cur
| rent of hot air through a brass tube IN
i to masss Of melted but gradual.
! cooling metallic alloy. Mons. Bergerol
!, looks upon the experiment as sug
gestion upon the manner in which tn
: lunar craters may have been formed.
/ "A cast iron containing twelve pc
! cent Of silicon has been adopted by
d German inventor for the manufactur
] of bottles. etc, that compound oeln
! capable, it is said, Of resisting the ac
ton of the strongest acids.
/ Concerning electro-horticulture, d.
q G. w. Siemens, in his address as Presl
]. dent Of the British Association for th
{ Advancement of Science, stated that b
9 had only to add to his previously re
q corded observations that wheat, barle,
= oats and other cereals soWn in the ope
! air had shown marked acceleratlon {
i growth under the influence of the elet
i trio light. This was not very appareI
Q until towards the end of Februar.
when with the first appearance of mil
{ weather the plants under the inf1uene
o of an electric lamp of 1000 candle pov
d er, placed about sixteen fe'
n above the surface, developed with e.
treme rapidity, SO that by the end
Il May they stood four feet high, with Il
j ears in full bloom, when those not VI
4 der the influence of the lamp were le
: than two feet in height, and showed |
t sign of the ear.
III The observations upon tree-grow1
It in Mexico made by Mons. Charnt
+, tend to show that in damp tropical cl
g mates the concentric rings, from whit
4 the trees age is usually calculated, m;
. form at the rate of one month inste.