Morris tribune., 1890-01-08
Scientific Miscellany.
For the TRIBUNE, by f. r. CHADBoURN.

PASSENGER BALLOONS. - Since the
great captive balloon of Henri Clifford,
with a capacity of $4,000 cubic meters,
astonished the visitors to the Paris Ex-
position of 1878, number of smaller
balloons have been successfully oper-
ated to carry passengers to limited
height. \ captive balloon, made by
Gabriel Yon and Louis GODDARD, was in
continuous use at Barcelona from Sept
10, 1888, to Jan. %, 1884 period of
125 consecutive days. 1t made 1,142
ascensions, carrying total Of 20,9O4
passengers. The balloon was made
from single piece of pongee silk, has
capacity of 4,200 cubic meters, and
was operated to height Of about 800
feet by % horse power steam engine.
1t was inflated with illumination gas,
of which the loss was about five per
cent. in "a hours. A similar balloon
was tried earlier in the summer of 1888,
but was struck by lightning and burned
after about q fortnight of use.
tt
SUCCESS OF STORAGE BATTERIEs.-Mr.
W. H. Preece, of the British Post office,
states that the telegraph lines under his
control have made extensive and ad-
vantageous use of electric Accumulate
ors, and believes that in time they will
entirely replace the ordinary cells. The
strange want of confidence in accumu-
lators existing among those who have
not tried them has arisen from failures
due to over-charging and over working.
The present cost of maintenance is
about 16 per cent but it will soon be
reduced to 10, or even y, per cent.
It
THE UNKSowN.-"1 IS" says Sir
John Lubbock, "as true now as in the
time of Newton that the great ocean of
truth lies undiscovered before us. ]
often wish that some President of the
Royal Society, or of the British Associa-
ton, would take for the theme of his
annual address The things we do not
know Who can say on the verge OF
what discoveries we are perhaps even
now standing! 1t is extraordinary how
slight margin may stand for years be.
tween man and some important i'm
provement.
tt
ELECTRIC POWER. - The utilization
and distribution of electric power, ac,
cording to Mr.. F. L. Pope, have reached
by far the greatest development in
Switzerland aud the United States. In
the former country, electricity is trans
mitted to considerable distances for
large motors. At Solothurn a manu-.
factory of machine screws is driven by
an electric motor of so horse power,
which derives its energy from turbine
wheel more than five miles away on q
mountain stream, the curreut being con
veyed on wires not large than an ordi
nary lead pencil The motor has rur
eleven hours a day for two years with
out accident or repairs. At Derending
en-, delaine mill of $4,000 spindles is
driven by pair of electric motors of 2S(
horse power, the source of energy being
turbine wheel twelve miles from the
factory. The total cost of this installa
ton was about s54 per horse power, and
the running expense is slight. At sever
al other places in Switzerland consider
able power is similarly conveyed, al
Lucerne 120 horse power being carried
half a mile, and $50 horse power 8
quarter of mile. In the United States
no electric motor of more than 80 horse
power is known to Mr.. Pope, but there
are as many as 6,0O0 small electric mo
tors in use, favorlte size being 10 horse
power. 1t is predicted that in cite:
electric motors will soon almost com
pletely supplant steam engines of les'
than so horse power,