Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-25
Science.

Satisfactory experiments have been
made in Germany in the way of photo
graphing moving bullets fired from a
gun. These photographs are said to
show very clearly the waves set in the
air by the motion of the bullet.
As a wood preservative naphthaline is
now largely used in Scotland, its action
being to destroy all albuminoid COM
pounds in the wood, leaving it dry and
clean to handle, and with only faint
aromatic smell. The naphthaline is
melted in vessel capable of being tight
w sealed, and in this the wood is satu-
rated.
An artificial ivory Of creamy wilderness
aud great hardness is now made from
good potatoes washed in diluted sui
phuric acid, then boiled in the same So
luton until they become solid and
dense they are finally washed free from
the acid and slowly dried, and may be
dyed, turned, and made useful in many
ways.
The greatest elevation which has been
attained by man is $1,000 feet-ahout
seven miles-this height having been
reached during balloon ascension made
by Glaisher At this tremendous dis
lance above the earth's surface physical
exertion is found to be almost impossi-
BILE, owing to the great rarefaction Of
the atmosphere.
Variations in the size of raindrops
are dependent upon the differences IN
the height from which they have fallen
and to the amount of atmospheric dis
turbance present at the time. If fallen
from a great height, the drops suffer
gradual division into smaller and smaller
parts, until they are converted into a
mist. In calm weather, with the clouds
near the earth's surface, the drops are
large and heavy.
Observations on the part of large
number of scientists prove that earth
quakes are more frequent at the time of
full moon and change of the moon than at
other times, and also more frequent when
the moon is nearest the earth or when
she is on the meridian. The cause to
which this fact has been assigned is the
action of those forces which produce the
tides of the ocean their similar in
fuence upon the solid land strata leads
to their disturbance in the shape OF
earthquakes.
Rosmos announces a singular adapta-
ton of photography. 1t is well known
that under the microscope steel is found
to be an agglomeration of crystals, and
that upon the difference in these crystals
the quality of steel can be more or less
determined. NJ. Wedding, to make the
observation more complete, heated steel
to whiteness, and as the use OF the
microscope under such circumstances
was impossible, he photographed the
metal and subjected the negative to
microscopic examination.
Botanists assign various dates to the
birth OF the giant trees OF California, or
seouoias. as they are called. 1t has
been claimed that the yew lives thou
sand wears, and even this age was
thought TO be incredibly great; but to
the colossal patriachs OF the Californian
forests must be assigned an age far ex-
ceedin0 thousand years. Among the
various estimates OF their age the least
is 1900 years, and the probability is
that even this figure is much too small,
some placing ii at 5000 years.
By means Of recent improvements
made in the manufacture OF rifles, as
many as 1870 barrels can now be rolled in
an hour by one machine. They are
cold and bored with CORE
spending speed, and even the rifing is
done automatically, so that one man
tending six machines can turn out sixty
or seventy barrels per day. With the
old riHing machine twenty barrels was
about the limit OF days work. but the
improved machines attend to everything
after being once started, aud, when the
riding is completed, ring bell to call
the attention Of the workman.
During the sinking Of large pits and
wells In Neyads stratss OF rock and salt