The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-05-26
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIEN
TIFIC.

writer in the Boston Transcript explains
to his own satisfaction how the glass eaters
chew and swallow glass. He thinks they ed
ucate their Threats as does the sword swal-
lower, and then introduce tube which
receives the glass and holds it until it can be
removed without detection.
Said Professor Pritchett to st. Louis re-
porter: Yes, the days are getting longer
almost imperceptible, however, the extern
sion being at the rate of two seconds in a CEN
fury. This 'slOw-up on the part OF the earth
in its daily rotation is caused by the tides
which act as friction brakes upon the earth's
axes, and thus decrease the earth's velocity.
Two seconds in a hundred years is not much,
but in the impenetrable future their effect
will be felt"
Professor Barrett, in lecture, at Doublin,
on Fluid Jets and their Vibrations"
showed that jet of water emitted in water
would shorten up and fare in response to a
musical note of proper pitch; and Jet of
smoke In air would be similarly affected by
a musical note; and that a musical note is
produced when a small flame is brought
underneath long Jar. This phenomenon
has been applied to the explanation of the
dark lines in the solar spectrum.
Tobacco blindness is becoming a common
affection At present there are several per-
sons under treatment for it at one London
hospital. 1t first takes the form of color
blindness, the sufferers who have smoked
themselves into this condition being quite
unable to distinguish the color Of piece Of
red CLOTH held up before them. Sometimes
the victim loses his eyesight altogether. Al
though smoking is to a large extent the
cause Of the malady, and so gives it its name,
heavy drinking is also partly responsible.
Deafness appears to be exceptionally prev
alent in Kennebec county, Maine and in
Martha's Vineyard. A recent scientific in
vestigatiOn of the matter shows that in both
districts there is abundant evidence of her.
edity and especially of atavism. In the fam
lilies affected there were also found blindness
insanity. idiOcy, and deformity. and in some
cases a long history of consanguineal mar
riages. In Martha's Vineyard the distribu-
ton Of deafness comedies with that of GER
tain soils, and its eastern boundary is also
the typhoid fever line.
According to French paper the Count de
LeSseps was foretOld by an ancient Egyptian
oracle. 1t says: "Herodotus relates that
when Neco King of Egypt, undertook the
work of uniting the waters Of the Mediter-
ranean and Red Seas, by means of a canal,
100000 men persisted in the work. He then
caused the work to be stopped and consulted
an oracle, receiving the reply, "a barbarian
will finish thy work The gentleman who
alighted upon that bit of history copied upon
a sheet of paper the paragraph from Herodo-
tus and carried it to de Lesseps, who, having
read it, took his pen and appended. The
barbarian prophesied by the oracle-F de
LesSeps'"
Mr.. Thomas Stevens chances of complet-
ing his bicycle tour around the world appear
| by the latest advices to be exceedingly small.
Bis belief when he left Teheran that he
would be permitted to pass through Russian
Central Asia seems to have been ill-founded.
At the last moment he and his iron horse
have been forbidden to traverse the cOmpar-
atively safe route through Turkestan and
Siberia TO the Pacific There is hardly one
chance in hundred that he will carry out
| the scheme he now announces of reaching
India through Afghanistan. The order Of
| the British Government is still in force for
bidding Englishmen to enter Afghanistan al
all, except by command of the Government.
| The Ameers of that country have been noted
for their antipathy to white tourists, and to
avoid complications Great Britain has done
its best to keep unauthorized persons out OF
Afghanistan. Col. Valentine Baker in 1873,
and Col. MacGregor in 1875, set out to travel
through the Ameer's dominions. They had
| to give il up before they crossed the bound
airy, and Mr.. Stevens viii be remarkably for.
tUnate if he has any better success.