The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-09
POPULAR SCIENCE.

The Imperial University of Toxic hss
13S professors and teachers, all but six.
teen being japanese. This years stu.
dents number 7SS.
Two new minor planets were recently
discovered, the one, No. 2s5, by Herr
Palisa at Vienna, the other, No. 2S6, by
NJ. Charlois at Nice.
The United States is supplying electri-
cal machinery to Japan in large quanti-
ties. The light is growing in popularity
throughout the Empire.
An Austrian railway official has in.
vented a portable telephone for speaking
from railway train at any point stop
ping to the nearest station.
DR.. George Nasez, chief botanist Of
the National Department of Agriculture,
is making collection of California plants
for the Washington Herbbarium.
Experiments have demonstrated the
practicability of handling large masses OF
iron in rolling mills by means of electro
magnets suspended from hydraulic
cranes.
Excellent results are reported from the
most recent experiments with the Italian
smokelcss powder, which enables the
men to hit the target twice as often as
with ordinary powder.
The total value of the mineral produc-
ton of the United States in the year
1856, as near as can be ascertained, was
more than $3.50, ,OO0,0 900, the largest
amount yet recorded in any country.
The manufacture of terra-cotta lumber
seems likely to become really important
industry, factories having already been
established in Europe, Canada and Aus
tralia, in addition to the considerable
number in the United States.
The antiseptic properties of saccharine
make it an effective wash for the mouth
and teeth when dissolved in water, ac-
cording to French writer. A six per
cent. solution is used, but strength of
only one in 500 is said to prevent fer
mentation or spelling of mucilage, etc.
Three years hence the planet Mars will
be nearer to the earth than it has been for
SIS years CA. D. 1879. Astrologers and
lovers of the marvellous will be disap-
pointed to hear that nothing of import
ance took place when Mars came few
million miles nearer us than is his wont.
According to a recent writer, there
need be no anxiety as to the failure Of
sources of energy when the supplies OF
coal give out. Roughly speaking, he
say Us, either lump of hard coal weighing
two and one-half pounds, or 453 gallons
of water which can be made to fall ten
feet, will produce commercially ont
horse power of work.
Professor Kedzie emphatically points
out the danger of leaving on the old
paper when repapering room. No
room with such wall accumulations of
paste and paper can remain in a good
sanitary condition, and disease germs are
likely to be developed. His advice is:
"Peel your walls of old paper before ap-
plying new paper"
"Among the various uses Of celfuioid. !"
says London exchange, sit would ap-
pear to be suitable sheathing for ships,
in place of copper. In experiments by
NJ. Butaine, plates of celluloid applied to
various vessels in January last were re-
moved five or six months after, and
found intact and free from marine
vegetation, which was abundant on parts
uncovered"
A process of engraving on glass and
crystal by electricity has been communi-
Gated to the French Academy Of Science
by NJ. Plante. The plate to be engraved
is covered with concentrated solution
of nitrate of potash and put in connec-
tion with one of the poles of the battery,
and the design is traced out with fine
platinum point connected to the other
pole. The results are SAID to be OF
marvellous delicacy.
"Volt" means the inducing caused by
an electrical current, bearing the same re-
lation to electricity that "pounds pressure
per inch" do to steam or ''head" does to
water. One cell of gravity or Daniell's
battery gives about 10y volt potential.
"Ohm" is the unit of resistance offered
by a wire or other conductor to the
passage of an electric current; one
thousand feet No. 10 pure copper wire
represent a little over one ohm.