St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-09-10
POPULAR SCIENCE NOTES.


valuable practical device is that which
has lately been brought to notice by
French inventor, designed to facilitate
rope climbing, while at the same time per-
hitting the climber to have free use OF his
hands. The apparatus consists of two
boards, joined by hinge, with a hole
passing through both the hinge and the
boards, and the extremities of the latter
provided with straps which can be fast
ened to the feet of the man using the ap-
paratus. The method of climbing involved
in this arrangement is simple. When
the feet attached to the boards are lifted
the rope IS free, but the moment the feet
are pressed down on the two boards the
rope is firmly gripped. 1t is only neces-
safy, therefore, to lift the body by both
hands as far as possible, and it can then
be held by the hinged clamps until an
other lift is made BY the use of belt
to hold the body close to the rope the
hands may be left free. The device,
which is claimed to fulfil its purpose ad-
mirably, is designed especially for the use
of fireman and painters, also to serve as q
fire escape.
How IT FEELS TO FALL-The expert,
ences of many persons who have unders
gone all the sensations of death by fall
have been collected by Prof. Helm, Of
Berlin, who finds that the feelings are BY
no means such as the witnesses of the ac-
cidents imagine. The victim retains his
knowledge of what is going on, suffers
no pain or paralyzing terror, but has his
mental faculties aroused to marvellous
activity. In few brief moments his
past life passes before him. The thoughts,
the purposes, the deeds, of years-long
forgotten, many of them-are compressed
into the seconds of his rush through the
air to the earth Then gentle ringing
fills his ears. He hears his body strike,
but does not feel it, and the rapid visions
of the seemingly long time of his fall
fade away into Inconsistencies. The
testimony of all, even of those who have
retained consciousness. Is that no pain is
felt. In fall In the Alps, at the end OF
which he was still perfectly conscious,
Mr.. Whymper bounded from rock to rock
with absolutely no pain; and those who
have had limbs broken by falls, or on tina
battlefield, have been unable to tell the
limbs affected until after trying to Use
them.
PREDICTING THUNDERsTORMs The
chief of the Weather Bureau, being de-
sirous of increasing the efficiency of the
service, has arranged to cover the terri
tory from the Ohio Valley to the coast
during the summer months with a sup
Elementary service predicting thunder
storms, for the benefit of the general
public but particularly for farmers dur.
ing harvest, when such information is in
valuable. For this purpose eight special
forecasting stations for thunderstorms
have been designated as follows: Albany,
New York, Buffalo, Pittsburg, New
Brunswick, n. j., Cincinnati, Chicago
and Detroit The observers at Buffalo
and Ithaca to the westward have been
directed to report the occurrence of a
thunderstorm and the direction in which
it is travelling to the Albany station
When thunderstorm strikes New York
and is passing to the northwsrd the OBJ
servers there are also directed to report
the fact to Albany. In case a thunder
storm is reported from Buffalo, and later
from Ithaca the Observers in this city
can calculate from the difference in the
line of the two reports and the distance
between the two cities, and compute
very closely the rate at which the
storm is travelling, and thus predict with
considerable accuracy when it will reach
this city Or vicinity Thunderstorms de-
pend upon temperature, humidity and
the condition of the ground over which
the storm is passing. They move as q
rule, from west to east, or from south
west to northeast, across this State.
When thunderstorm is reported from
Buffalo, and later from Ithaca, it can be
pretty generally relied upon to reach this
vicinity if the temperature and con-
ditions of the atmosphere are favorable.
If not, we get rain anyhow, so that the
report is valuable to supplement the reg
ular service A case of this sort occurred
recently A thunderstorm was reported
from Sandusky, Ohio. The same eve
ming it was reported at Buffalo, and later
at Ithaca, but the temperature in this
section was too low for a thunderstorm
The rain, however, arrived on time,
Albany next morning. Albany
is an excellent point from which to dis
tribute information of this character, on
account of the excellent telephone and
telegraph communication with the sur
country. It is already being
sent to the nearest suburban towns, and
the field will be widened as fast 90 pos
sible. The predictions will Also be sent
to some of the larger towns in Eastern
New York, and from them disseminated
throughout the rural districts, where h
is expected they will be of inestimsbls
value to farming people.
How the Continents Attract 8A@a.