The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-18
NUMBER 295.
fWritteR for the Pasatka Nesnx l
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

snycer's system of throwing high ex-
plosives from ordinary guns, have been
sustained III some important tests made
by the Turkish Government. A target
weighing over twenty tons, and con-
sistlng OF twelve one-inch steel plates
welded together and backed with a mas
slVe oaken frame, was set up, and was
completely demolished by the explosion
of single '.nitro7gelatine" shell from a
six-inch rified howitzer $50 feet distant.
Ten shells were discharged without the
slightest injury TO the gun. Each shell
was charged with ten pounds or mix
ture of ninety-four per cent. of nitro
glycerine and six per cent. of a COM
pound of collodion, gun cotton, cam
phor and ether. This explosive is said
to be much less liable to accidents and
much more powerful than ordinary dy-
namite, whose nitro-glycerine is only
about seventy five per cent.
AVIAN LONGEVITY has been OBJ
served that many birds, such IS the
eagle, the swan and the raven, live more
than a century. The parrot, the heron.
the goose and the pelican have been
known to reach sixty years: the peacock.
twenty-five; the pigeon, twenty; the
crane, twenty; the goldfnch, fifteen; the
lark, thirteen; the blaekbird. twelve; the
canary, twenty -four; the pheasant. fif-
teen; the thrush, ten; the cock, ten; the
robin, twelve; the wren, only three.
1 Two feIo nh xx,ireS aaol, oI...,,s
miles long, are to be laid in Spain, ex-
pressly for studying earth currents and
atmospheric electricity. The lines will
cross each other at the astronomical OBJ
servatory of San Fernando, one running
due east and west, the other due north
and south.
The magnetic properties of iron have
been found by NJ. p Ledeboer to be un-
affected up TO temperature of 1,10O'
F., beyond which they are rapidly lost,
becoming scarcely perceptible at 300.
and entirely disappearing at 1 ,350e. They
return in the same way when the metal
| cools.
IHE ENDLESS RAILwAY.-A success
full application of an old idea has lately
been made by Mr.. William Fender. of
Buenos Ayres. By means of certain
improvements, he claims to have over
| come the difficulties experienced. in
using an endless railway to embrace the
wheels of vehicles having to traverse
| soft soil. The railway consists of a
| chain of flat slabs of hard wood, which
are riveted between thin steel plates, and
| are linked together, the chain encircIing
| the wheels, SO that, as they turn, the
| blocks form themselves into a broad
track in front. The system has proven
very effective in carting heavy loads
| across roadless tracts in South America
| and over swampy grounds near Berlin;
| and it is believed that the device would
be valuable for steam engines for plow-
| ing
| ARTIFICIAL VARIETIES OF BEETLES
| \ Belgian entomologist has produced
the numerous color varieties of certain
col@ptera by chemical means, though he
| does not claim that his process is that of
nature. Alkaiies and acids gives colors
varying from brown through red to vel
low, and calcic chloride and heat Weld
all the tints from green to violet.
A French biologist, NJ. Levan, offers
the theory that obesity is nervous dis
order, to be treated by avoidance of men,
tai and physical fatigue, with diet Of
eggs, soup, milk, rice and potatoes.
| The channel of the Congo can be
traced for hundred miles out to sea.
as remarkable submarine valley, hav-
ing depth of 1 ,432 feet, just at the
rivers mouth.
A late plan for treating sewage with
electricity, has brought out the fact that
such schemes have been quite numerous
-one patent involving eight electrical
methods, dating back to 1858.
German foot soldiers are deriving bene-
fit from discarding stockings and keep
ing the feet well oiled.
A NEW BIRD CATcHER.-The public
monuments of Vienna are being not
only disfigured, but actually destroyed,
by the guano deposited by pigeons. Wire
trellises have proved unavailing for the
protection of the statues and buildings,
and as last resort NJ. TRICKY, the engi-
neer having charge of the monuments,
urges war of determination upon the
birds. He recommends the novel plan
OF Intoxicating the pigeons by feeding
them with alcohol-soaked peas, which
would render slaughter easy, while the
volatile intoxicant would not impair the
value of the flesh as food.
The AsTERoIDs.-An interesting prob
lem to astronomer and philosopher is the
remarkable ring of minor planets trav-
cling in orbits between those of Mars
and Jupiter-interesting still, whether
considered as an unexploded world or in
the modern light of nebulous ring
from the sun, broken up in condensing.
Over 270 of these little objects have been
discovered, and Prof. Daniel Kirkwood
now gives the encouraging assurance
that the number unknown is practi-
caily unlimited. He shows that Jupiter
is probably tending to reduce the num-
Der by increasing the eccentricities of
their orbits until their perihelion dis
tances fall within the sun itself. He be-
iieves that several of our periodic COM
cts may have been asteroids. drawn from
their orbits in this way.
Tigers have lately been reported from
two extremes of Siberia-W Wladivcstock.
upon the Japan Sea, and point to the
north of the Caspian. They have long
been known in the Chinese forests near
Wladivostock, but their appearance in