St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-11-05
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Proctor reports that the total lunar eclipse Of
Oct 4th presented to him a very unusual ap-
pearance. At the time of greatest obscura-
ton the moon was barely visible as an Ill |
defined ring Of sickly green hue, while its |
ordinary appearance at such time is that of |
a huge glowing coppery-red ball hung up in
the sky. He thinks it probable that the |
earth's atmosphere was laden with something |
which acted as dense screen to, the SUMS
rays, which are pretty certainly known TO be
refracted through our atmosphere into the
shadow cone to such degree as to produce
the usual rudy tinge Of the moon when to-
tally eelipsed. He asks whether we are here
once more brought face to face with the cause
of the persistent haze in the SUMS neighbOr-
hood, and of the late wonderful sunrises and
sunsets.
French SaVdnt, Mons. Forel, affirms that
during the months Of July and August last =
red halo or corona surrounded the sun, which
though difficult to see at low attitudes, be-
came quite brilliant at 9, 900 feet above the
sea. He witnessed the phenomenon several
times from heights ranging from 1900 TO
10 900 feet.
A CURIOUS FACT.-One of the remarkable
things which botsnsts tell US is that we have
more plants of the Japanese fora than Eu-
rope has, and that even the Pacific coast Of
America has fewer than are found on the At
lantic slope A few American plants may
have reached Europe by natural means; but
In the main the course of plant migration
has been from the Old World to us-from
west TO east.
Mons. Trouvelot, the eminent astronomer
Mendon Observatory, has suggested that the
brilliant light of the faeulae, and possibly
the entire light of the sun, is generated at
| the solar surface, the coronal atmosphere
being perhaps necessary for its production.
WORLDS BUREAU.-The International
Com mittee of Weights and Measures, whose
work is chiefly to test the standards Of mea-
surement used in the different countries, was
established at Paris in 1875 by convention
of nations. but has only just received the adj
| hesiou OF England. With the further Access
sion of Roumania and Servia the committee
now represents an aggregate population of
421 44O, 1876. distributed over Germany, Eng
land, Austria, Hungary, Belgium the Argen
| tine Republic, Denmark, Spain, the United
States, France, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Rou
mania, Russia, Servie, Sweden, Norway
| Switzerland, Turkey and Venezuela.
A BETTER CALENDER.-The French as
tronomer, Mons. c. Flammarlon, has re-
ceived anonymously the sum of 5000 francs
to be given as a prize to the author of the
best project for the reform of the Calender.
Papers must be sent in by Oct. /, 1856. A
committee will make the award, and propose
the reform to an international congress.
A bridge at Lyons, France, has a stone
parapet, pierced at intervals for light, form
ing passage which plays the part Of gigan
tic flute The rush of the air-currents through
the openings causes the bridge to emit such
sounds of music at different parts of its
course that lone might believe it haunted by
legions of invisible naiads pursuing the pas
sengers with their plaintive melodies"
In this and other countries there are said
to be ], 900 scientific societies. The two great
and leading bodies of such character as 10
embrace all the scientific men of a nation are
the British and American Associations for
the Advancement of Science, both of which
have met this year on American soil. The
British Association is 81 years old, the
American 33,
Experiments with the electric light In
forcing plant-growth are showing less effect
than was expected.
SANITARY CLoTHINe.-The clothing re-
form proposed by DR.. Gustav Jaeger, of
Stuttgart, is said TO have been already APP
proved and carried out by thousands of Ger
mans, not few Russians and some Eng
lishmen. DR.. Jaeger contends that clothing
made exclusively from wool, natural COW
ering for animal bodies, is the safest and
most healthful for mankind to wear and he
urges it's use for all purposes Of men and wo-
men. Not only would he exclude every
article made from cotton, or other vegetable
fiber from the apparel In use by day, but he
would also reject them from the beds on
which we sleep at night. He advocates gar
ments of such form that draughts of cold air
under them are prevented. while he doubly
protects the throat and chest by an extra
thickness of cloth, and keeps the feet clean
and dry by the use of boots OF porous leather
or felt, and porous inner-soles. The adyan-
tages of wool over vegetable fbers are claim
ed to be very great as the latter impede the
circulation of the air, retain the noxious
carnations of the body, and expose the sur
face of the skin TO sudden change Of temper
AZURE, while wool is free from those objee-
tions.
A species Of ant observed in the island OF
st. Thomas has been described to the French
Academy of Sciences. A large fire having
been kindled at certain distance from the
ant-hil, the ants were seen to preeipitate
themselves into it by thousands until it was
completely extinguished. 1t is proposed tc
call the species Fornsiod igriUOrd.
A new motor driven by the explosion OF
small charges of gun-cottOn has been pro
duced in England and is said to be appliea-
BILE wherever small powers are required.
According to French authority, the vibra.
tons caused by moving railway train mile
distant may make the use of delicate astron-
omical instruments impossible for the time
being.