The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-01-23
SCIENCE ANp PROGREss.
,NsTRUcTsvRANDr NTRREsTINS
IF READING FOR ALL. M
Curious Jpvsrtions--T ravsIs o. .
S0tar-- Autosnatio Delivery Of
q a Letters - photos Sent by
Wire--Rain Making q
Curious Inventions.

....ssfs. -. SottOoS INV ~UStSUSs 49, ~
The history and growth OF inven
tions arc the subjects in which we arr
interested. eia
The styloRraph pen brought in f4o.
900 year; the Indian rubber tips tc
pencils f20, 900; metal plates for pro
tecting the soles and heels OF boots
brought in 1850, 900 in all; the roller
skates 100000. Y.
A clergyman realized $500 week
by the invention OF toy; another
toy, the return ball, brought in an in.
come Of 10000; the Dancing Jim
Crow" $4,000. The inventor OF a
copper cap for children's boots was
able to leave his heirs f4Oo, 900; while
Singer, OF sewing machine fame, left at
his death nearly f3,O0O,O0O.
There are other and wonderful
things which people have thought 1t
worth while to patent, strong in the
hope Of making a big fortune in the
near future, only to find in 30 many
cases that their inventions were inn
practicable and very often perfectly
ridiculous.
Among such may be mentioned a
child''s bib with trough attached, the
whole formed of some waterprc OF
material; pocket which cannot be
picked; muf and boa filed with air
to save you from watery grave; cuffs
and collars made of steel, painted and
enameled white; trousers with double
legs-on the outer legs getting soiled
or despatched you tuck them up, and
behold clean pair. This arrange
ment would be suitable. should say,
when worn with an overcoat.
Under the head OF umbrellas and
walking sticks we find some marvel
GUS inventions. One Is an umbrella
which in some wonderful way is con-
verified into a walking-s stick, and 80
formed that a spear can be attached,
when it 10 used as a weapon OF offense
and defense. recommend it to elder
ly ladies in the dog days, as q pro-
lection against the sun and mad
dogs. The next invention is q rain
absorber, to prevent rain from run
ming down from hats and umbrel-
las.
The absorber is formed either OF un-
covered sponges or covered
sponges by fabric. We are
told that the absorber can be
readily removed from the article
which the inventor has named, take a
long breath and shut your eyes, the
neutrality-suspicious." This is an
umbrella which can be taken apart;
the silk and ribs being hidden within
the stick; it is thus transformed into
stout walking-stick. %. !.
Travels or a Star.
A communication from M. Camille
Flammarion, the French astronomer,
in the New York Herald of the 3rd
inst. mentions his discovery at Juvisy
Observatory OF the movement OF a
star by the naked eye. This is the
first time in the history OF astronomy,
he says, that the displacement OF a
star has been settled without instru-
aid.
The star to which he refers shines
beneath the brilliant star Cluster" in
The constellation OF the Virgo. It is
numbered 81 and is of the fifth maqni-
tude. Hipparchus described it 1000
years ago as a double star. 1t was
then OFFICIALLY double, only not
connected with another
star. But it is no longer double even
IN appearance. 1t was in the attempt
20 ascertain the stellar parallax by
The study of double stars that the
alder Herschel found evidences of the
.reat law that the dominion of CRAWL
,ation extends beyond the limits OF
he solar system to the most remote
.eeions OF space.
Star aliases constructed by M.
and others show that
lot infrequently many stars in the
Iame region of the heavens travel in
company, or exhibit, as one says, q
'gregarious tendency" 1t is not Oft
N, therefore, that any change in tho
'elative positions OF stars can be de-
,ected. But when the star is in line
If sight observations with the spectre.
cope make it possible to determine
is rate OF approach or recession. More
han twenty years ago Higgins found
~ this means that Arcturus was APP
preaching us at speed of sixty miles
i second, while Sirius WIS increasing
lis distance by nearly third as much
DER second.
Star 81 in the constellation of the
Virgo Was once near star 50, forming
Nth it, apparently, . double star.
Tow il IL separated, says M. Flam-
marion, ''by 3 distance exceeding by
ar that OF the full moon, and It is fy-
ng with rapid course to the south
vest and preparing itself to abandon
he Virgo, its .arlns and its sGluster,
% 20 and lose itself in the, folds Of
Hydra, which unveil themselves in the
louth. ~
The Metrie System.
Several British consuls havs recent
ywarnsd .thsir country nsn thsy were
osine considsrabls trade IN Foreign
owing to their persistent
use Of English weights and measures
q thsir circulars And pric&liste, which
wsfe frequently unintslliB ible 20 most
of the foreiRn dealers. whereas their