The Opelousas courier., 1890-08-23
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

Electric cabs are now being III the
streets of London, England.
A new preseryative OF iron and steel
appears to have been found IN a modif-
cation Of the well-knoWn gum lacquer, OF
the East.
Fusible metal, which liQuifes at the
same temperature as boiling water, is a
compound of eight parts of bismuth, five
Of lead and three Of tin.
The Westinghouse Electric Company
has been chartered by N English corpo-
ration, and will be independent OF the
company in this country.
The length of North America is nearly
5000 miles, its greateat breadth about
1900 miles and its area about one-sixth OF
The land surface of the globe.
Greenland, more than 1400 miles long,
IS probably the largest island in the
world. Some geographers think it is a
cluster of islands frozen together.
Experts in London declare that cleo
sricity, although being rapidly pushed
forward, win not, in that city at least,
interfere to the detriment of gas compa-
MES.
The manufacture of luminous paint has
been begun in Austria on a large scale, al
about a sixth of the cost hitherto. 4
special paper is supplied for use when the
paint is applied to walls.
DR.. T. Bilroth, of Vienna, states that
insignificant injuries are frequently made
serious by the uncalled for application OF
carbolic acid, which skillful surgeons are
using much less than formerly. 1t may
cause not only inflammation, but even ia
tai blood poisoning.
! A Corsican doctor, NJ. de Susini, has
made a sulphuric-ether engine of twenty
horse power, which is expected to realize
q saving of sixty-fve per cent. IN full
Scientific men in Paris who have wit
uessed its working are said to have re.
served their opinion as to its merits unit
further tests have been made.
In recent tests on forty persons, one par
of salicine was tasted in 10000 parts O
water; of morphine, one in Ia, 600; qul-
nine, one in rs, 900; cuisine, n in 80,
/ 900; picrotoxine, one in 1917, 600; aIbine
one in 30, 900, aud strychnine, n II
826. 900. Twelve tasters detected ont
part of strychnine in 1880, 600.
The use of nitro glycerine is cases Q
emergency, instead Of alcohol, is recon-
mended by an English physician.
drop on the tongue rouses q faintlng man
and it may restore life in the case of APP
parent death, as from drowning. 1t ha
quickly relieved headache, heart pail
and asthma, and strengthened weak pulls
IN fevers.
1t is found that ~cocoanut oil is not onl
an excellent lubricant, but it is of grea
value for lighting purposes. A French
man in Cuba has justfestablished a fac
tory for the manufacture Of this oil. Il
has imported the mosSperfect machiner
in order that the oil produced may be a
pure as possible. The oil is very fluid
oxidizes slowly and is said to keep lon
without turning rancid.
The American Association for the Ad
g-ancenent Of Science has grown SO larg
that it is almost impossible to get a satii
factory report of its proceedings as the
take place. One must wait for the pull
lication Of the papers read to learn whs
they contain beyond the title. AT tf
meeting in Toronto 221 papers were ser
in. and the briefest abstracts Of thef
would occupy 50 much space as to put
report Of the proceedings out of the reae
of the daily pess.