The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-03-02


Eastern woodworkers ara using
naphthaline as a wood preventative.
1t Is said to be very effective. leaving
the wood dry and with. only a faint
aromatic smell.
The Austrians are constructing
portable electric'.ight plants to be
used In entraiD.ing and detraining
troops at night, and the Germans are
going 10 nave similar portable plant
attached Is their siege trains.
Inc saving which will result in
suostit' ting electricity for horsehesh
on the street railways of this country
Is MI tied at BY the fact that the opera
.io'A OF one street railway in England
8 electricity will result in saving $780,
eco per annum over and above the
present host of operating it by horses
"A Swedish scientist claims to
have discovered the secret of petrify-
ing wood by artificial processes. He
thinks it will be possible ere long to
. construct edifices OF wood and convert
sthem into stone. As it takes three
months and costs about $500 to petrify
block of wood of the dimensions of
one cubic inch. it will probably be
some time before his process will be
generally adopted.
The curious fact has been demon
sstrated by Sir John Lubbock that
certain kinds of ants are unable to
exist without keeping other ants as
slaves, though why this is SO he has
not too nd out On removing the slaves
from '. nest of fifty slave-hoiding ants
he found that the latter Immediately
com nenced to die off, and were speedily
red uced in number to'six. When the
sls YES were returned the mortality
&c ased.
"A new Partisan industry is the
manufacture of hoar-frost glass, which
is covered with feathery patterns re-
'sembling those naturally produced
upon window-panes in cold weather.
The glass is first given a ground sur
face, either by the sand-blast or the
ordinary method, and is then coated
with soft varnish. The varnish con-
tracts strongly in drying, taking with
it the particles of glass to which it
adheres, and this reproduces very
accurately the branching crystal of
frostwork. A single coat gives deli
cate effect, and several coats yield q
bold design.
"A lecturer in the Royal Institution,
Lon don, attempts to ''define poison ac-
eur ately" as follows: ANY substance
Walsh otherwise than by the agency OF
Jacat or electricity is capable of destroy
bng life either by chemical action on
the tissues of the living body, or by
physiological action after absorption
into the living system" The fact
would seem to be that ''poison" is a
question of quantity, not quality. Very
small quantities of aconite, hydro
cyanic acid, ETC., suffice to destroy life,
but used in limited quantities they are
valuable drugs. One well-known
definition of poisons is substances
which derange the vital functions and
produce death by an action not me.
chanical."
"A curious Photographic apparatus
lin which c:smera is raised by a rocket
and lowered by a parachute. is being
developed by a French inventor. M
Amedee Denisse. In its experiments
form the cylindrical camera has twelve
lenses round its circumference with ;
sensitive plate in its center, and Is pro
vided with shutter which opens ant
Instantly closes as the apparatus com
mences to fall. The descent is easet
by the opening of the attached para
chute, which is drawn back to tn
operator by cord attached before tn
firing of the rocket. For securing
bird's-eye views the photo-rocket offer
several important advantages owe
balloon photography, such as compare
tive cheapness in operating and free
dom from risk In case OF use for mil