Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1884-03-13
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

over coil of wire and the wire is heated
by the electric current. a thermometer
automatically regulates the temperature
by cutting the wire coil out Of circuit
when the heat becomes too great.
In view Of the liability of steamships
to collision with icebergs on crossing the
Atlantic, Mr., r. A. Proctor suggests the
use Of the sensitive heat measucrs of Ed
ison or Langley for giving warning of the
proximity of ice at night or in foss. One
Of these instruments in the bow of YES
eel would indicate change Of tempera-
ture with the iceberg quarter of mile
or more away, and might be made to at
tract attention to the presence Of invisible
danger by causing fog horn to be sound
ed-or otherwise, as might be necessary.
The keen perception of science, Mr.. Proc
tor thinks, may thus be put on guard
over our safety when our natural senses
fail.
Lieut.. Julius Won Payer, one of the
DISCOVERIES of Franz josef Land, has
given up Arctic exploration for art, and
has just completed series of four paint
ings illustrating the last polar expedition
Of Sir John Franklin.
A recent calculation shows that man
weighing l4O pounds and running mile
in six minutes performs work about equal
TO that Of a half-horse engine; while a
walker sustaining five miles an hour for
long day does work equal to that Of a
quarter horse engine, and consumes only
ore-twentieth of the weight Of food or
fuel.
The relative efficiency of electricity,
GO and oil for lighthouses is to be thor
oughly tested in England.
Changes have been observed in the
spectrum Of Sirius which indicate that
the star is moving away from the earth
much less rapidly than formerly, and that
it must therefore be travelling in closed
and comparatively small orbit. Forty
Ave stars were studied with the spectre
scope last year at the Greenwich Obscr-
vatory, for the purpose Of detecting any
changes which may occur in their appar-
ent rates Of movement.
Well may We doubt the success of the
alchemists of old in their search for the
"clixir Of life" but, if the views published
in England by Mr.. W. 0. Dawson are
correct, modern scit nce at least appears
70 be able to retard the progress Of old
age. Mr. Dawson tells US that the changes
which produce old age are due to an ex-
eessivc action of the oxygen We breathe
and to the accumulation of lime salts in
the body. He does not state whether
the oxygen effects may be in any degree
sounteracted, but he believes that life
nay be prolonged by reducing the calcar-
sous deposits to minimum. This he
would accomplish by plan suggested by
Mr.: de Lacy Evans. The plan is to
avoid food containing large proportion
II earth salts--such a. the meat from old
animals-and to use daily, after middle
lite, several glasses Of distilled water con-
taiaing few drops Of phosphoric acid.
Distilled water is necessary on account
Of its solvent power.
The number Of volcanic vents in exist
encs on the globe was placed by Hum
bsldt At 4O7, Of which 225 had been ac-
tive within a century The Asiatic islands
were supposed to contain about half Of
the latter. More recent estimates allow
ever 900 volcanoes to the Indian Archi-
pehgo alone.
Or. KONG has attempted to show that
the first real observation Of case Of color
blindness was made by Goethe.
Several accurate photographs Of light
ming flashes have been secured by Mons.
Robert Haensel, Of Reichenberg, Bohe-
mia. The flashes are shown as long,
continuous sparks, and in one of the pic
lures the point where the spark met the
earth may be seen. The landscape is
clearly defined in the photographs, afford
ing means for calculating the length
Of the ligbtnings path through the air,
which, in one instance, was estimated at
more than mile.
A British scientific expedition is about
to undertake the exploration Of New
Guinea, which, although the largest isl
and on the globe except Australia and
possibly Borneo, is one Of the earth's
little known regions. A route Of 1000
or 200 miles across the island has been
mapped out by the party, and it is expect