The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-11-03
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SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

A paper has been established In
China In which articles in Chinese are
printed with translations In Volapuk.
A Grain of ink" lately fell over quite
a wide area near the Cape of Good
Hope. The blackness of the water is
supposed to have been due to volcanic
or meteoric dust-probably to the
latter.
A case of deafness as a result of gaz-
ing for few seconds at a powerful
electric arc has been reported to the
French Academy of Sciences. The
symptoms disappeared after about an
hour and half, but returned on q
repetition of the experiment.
TYPHOID VS.. PHTHIsIs.-A French
biologist is seeking bacillus that will
kill that of consumption, or disease
that can be inoculated without risk
to the patient and will give protec-
ton against consumption. He is con-
fident of ultimate success, although
his experiments with typhoid bacilli
have seemed to hasten the progress Of
the disease he wished to check.
METALLIzED WooD.-This method
of giving brilliant metallic surface to
wood has been brought out in Ger
many. The wood is first treated in q
bath of caustic aikali, then in q bath
of hyposulphite of calcium to which
sulphur has been added, and finally in
bath of acetate of lead. In each of
these baths the wood remains for sew
eral hours. 1t is then dried and may
be given very high polish.
A FIELD FOR INvEsTIGAToRs.-It
was stated thirty years ago that an
ordinary battery would impart to
perfect electric motor only one horse
power Of energy from a consumption
of two pounds of zinc per hour, while
a good steam engine would give an
equal power from two pounds per
hour OF the much cheaper coal. Prof.
Ayrton now asserts, however, that
zinc batteries may yet be made an i'm
portant and economical source of me-
chanical energy, and that they may
furnish solution of the problem Of
the energy of coal into
electric energy without the wasteful
steam engine. Before this can be &C.
complished it will be necessary to find
q process of unburning the oxidized
zinc at cost comparable with the
cost of an equal weight of coal, so that
the metal may be cheaply used over
and over.
A MODERN FoRT.-One of the new
forts of Belgium, accord
ing to Colonel Hennebert, of the Bel
gian army, measures about 100 feet in
length by 100 to 1870 feet in breadth,
and extends forty feet below the sur
face of the ground, with a maximum
height above the surface of not more
than ten to fifteen feet. 1t is built of
has the external appearance
Of an elliptical cap placed on the
ground, and is scarcely visible at lit
tie distance. 1t is provided with three
armored towers in the center, each
with two heavy guns; and has also
four small forts, which can be pulled
in or run out at pleasure, each armed
with two rapid firing guns. There
are three armored look outs, from two
IF which electric lights can be flashed
upon the enemy. The interior of the
fort is a huge armored we'll, with
heavily -armored sections in which are
Kept provisions and ammunition, and
the machinery-which includes appa.
-atus for electric lighting, for work
ing the turrets and sending them am
nunition, and for ventilation. En-
rance is affected by an armored and
strongly closed gallery. Orders are
given and reports made by telephone
IF telegraph. The forts garrison con-
lists Of thirty or forty mechanics and
'pecialists only.
FACTS ABOUT CLIMArE.-Climate.
avs Dana, while depending largely on
he latitude, is modified by the at
nospheric and oceanic movement and
he distribution of land and water.
The land takes up heat rapidly in sum-
ner, and, in the north, becomes frozen
md snow. clad in winter. Land winds
nay, consequently, be intensely hot or
cold and hence lands have q
to produce extremes of cli-
nate. The waters of the oceans re-
main unfrozen even far toward the
pole, unless crowded with lands, their
perpetual movements tending to pro-
luce q uniformity of temperature
,ver the globe; and hence winds from
he oceans, or any large body of water
re moderating, and never very cold.
They produce what is called an insu-
ar climate. Absence of lands from
high ATTITUDES is equivalent to an alb
ence of the source of extreme cold;
md from tropical ATTITUDES, that of
extreme heat; and the sinking of all
ands would diminish greatly both ex-
remes. But sinking high latitude lands
Ilso diminishes the extreme Of heat.
ince the lands become very much
leated in summer, and this heat is diff
used by the winds. The mean tenn