The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-11-10
Complied for The Ark0ss0sO Traveller.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

ONoE u AAuc Two A1keb long, the V6lOc-
ity being little greater than with
horses.
Evidence has been collected which
tends strongly to show that the fire.
quency and severity of thunder storms
vary in period corresponding with
that of the sums rotation.
In some experiments in which car
bon under great pressure was heated
by the electric current, MIR. G. A. Par
sons has obtained a grayish powder
which seems to be diamond-dust.
A four-foot model ofan electric SUBJ
marine boat has been built by a Fin
nish engineer. It can be steered &C.
curately in horizontal directions, az
well as up and down, and is called q
success.
From Partisan temperature records
for about 100 years, French meteor
ologist gets evidence of the existence
of "a years cycle of periodicity in
the oscillations of temperature on the
surface of the globe.
Compressed carbonic acid gas is
now prepared at no less than ten fac
tories. The daily consumption of
Berlin alone is said to be about 100, 900
pounds. Bottles holding III pounds
sell at about 81 .50,-less than one third
Of the former price.
Support in the work of improving
and cheapening the food of the people
is asked by the Swiss Society tor the
Promotion of Public Good. An ex-
tension Of the use of milk and cheese
is urged by the society as an import
ant advance; while DR.. Woltering, of
Munster, recommends a greater use as
an article Of diet of the Inexpensive
and extremely nutritive gluten.
The smoke cloud which daily hangs
over London liz estimated by Prof.
Chandler Roberts to contain about so
tons of solid carbon and $50 tons of
carbon in gaseous combinations. The
expense OF this waste of coal Is calcu-
lated at $13,000,00O year, while the
smoky atmosphere causes damage to
property which Mr.. Edwin Chad
wick places at $40, 100000 year.
The African elephant, according to
Herr j. Mengis, is quite as docile as
the Indian elephant, and much strong
er. No modern attempt to tame the
animal has been made, though it seems
to have been put to work in ancient
times, and would, If properly trained,
be of immense service in the opening
up of Africa. 1t must be projected,
however, or 1t will soon be quite ex-
tinct.
A striking improvement in clocks
was exhibited and described to the
British Association for the Advance
ment of Science by Mr.. w. II. Doug
lass. The new feature consists in the
use of a torsion pendulum, which,
with lever and escapement, may be
applied to ordinary works, and by its
slow rate of vibration makes it prac-
ticable to convert an eight-day clock
into one requiring winding only once
3 year.
A pure flying machine is impossi-
BILE, asserts Prof. Joseph LeConte. All
that we can expct-all that true scien-
lists do expects, by skillful COM
bination of the balloon principle with
the true flying principle, to make aers-
al navigation possible in moderately
favorable weather-in other words, to
make locomotive balloon, or aerial
ssoimmiag machine. That something
really useful Of this kind will even
tually be made there can be no reason
able doubt.
JACK FROST IMITAT1oN.-A. new
Partisan industry is the manufacture
Of hoar-frost glass, which is covered
with feathery patterns resembling
those naturally produced upon window
panes in cold weather. The glass Is
first given ground surface, either by
the sand- blast or the ordinary method,
and Is then coated with q soft varnish.
The varnish contracts strongly in dry
ing, taking with it the particles Of
glass to which 1t adheres, and this re- |
produces very accurately the branch
ing crystals of frostwork. A single
coat gives delicate effect, and several |
coats yield bold design.
Do WE KNOW OURsELvEs7-The |
invention of the photograph and |
yraphophone has brought out the sim |
yular fact that few persons, If any. I
know their own voice. When several
persons in succession have spoken into
,ne of these machines, each may reco9-
nize in Its reproductions the voice of
friend or acquaintance, but not iden-
lily his own. An analogous phenom. |
mon has been observed In the matter
If sight by photographers, who often
'atisfy In Likeness everyone but the
original. Thus It seems that we NOT |
,nly do not see ourselves as Others see
ls, but we do not hear ourselves az
others hear us.
MUSCLE CONSUMED IN ExKRcrsE.-I
The animal body may be less like the
team engine in It's operation than we
ira accustomed IN THAI NJ VIZ