Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-02
POPULAR SCIENCE NOTES

POPULAR SCIENCE NOTES
The HELlOeRAPH IN THE WEsr.-The
West is the true home of the heliOgraph.
The Department of Arizona, during the
recent troubles over the late lamented
Geronimo. made what might have been
termed a photographic survey Of the seat
of the Indian troubles and located ON
the maps the available points of observa-
ton, with the direction and compass
bearing of the other visible stations. In
this way the country was covered with
network of Photograph posts. and the Oh
servers at each station kept flash.
ing into headquarters the latest news
Of the movements of the hostiles.
The Indians. under this cross fire OF
mysterious sun signals. decided that the
devil was in league with the troopers.
and their superstitious fears. added to
the constant marrying from the widely
scattered parties of cavalry, brought
them to terms. as never would have been
done but for the use IF the flash signals.
The distances covered by some of the
heliograph stations were remarkable.
l. Va liiSo was NOusluClCu uOtu-
ing unusual, and on one ''reach" 1876
ing station.
New THEORY OF SLEEP some dis
cussion has been going on con-
corning Herr Rosenbaum's recently
proposed theory of sleep, namely, that
the anGmic condition of the brain is due
to an excess of water in the brain cells of
that body. The superstition, as stated,
is that sleep is essentially matter Of
nervous action, and the direct cause is
thought to be fatigue Of the nerve cells
which communicate with the heart and
bring about some change in the circnla-
ton; the nerve cells are thus supposed
to be full of water when sleep comes on,
and this water during sleep passes into
the venous blood as waste and the nerve
cells then receive nourishmen: rom fresh
arterial blood-thcn, when the process is
entirely over, the sleeper awakes. Ac-
cording to this theory, sleep is not solely
healthy because it rests the body and
brain. but also because it invigorates
them. 1t is also to be inferred from
Rosenbaum's theory that the nerve cells
and brain OF infants who sleep so much
must contain more water than is to be
found in those of adults, and that the
effectiveness Of brain cells is in inverse
ratio to the water contents. Of not in
ferlor interest is the theory of DR.. James
Cappe, of Edinburgh, and also held by
some other eminent scientists, namely,
that the veins of the piamater, the inner
membrane of the skull, are capable of
and dispensing comparatively
large quantities of blood--that conncs
ton produces vertigo and senselessness
or stupor-and that the dispersion of
blood from the brain cells produces a
slight compression on the surface Of the
brain and thus brings about sleep
SUB-ArLANTIC TELErnoNy.-Therei in
general impression abroad that te!e-
graphing through the Atlantic cables is
conducted much as is teleoraphing over
any ordinary wire; that the telegraph
operator sits by an ordinary ticking in.
'trument and hears words spelled off by
The simple dot and dash system. The
;abie of 1893 is not much better than
t was when Cyrus Field first saw i: in
working order 1t can only transmit
about eight words minute, and these
words are not indicated by ticker. but
BY faint flashes of light between the
poles OF the cable instrument. The dis
inguished British electrician. Silyanus
:. Thompson, before the Worlds Fair
Electrical Congress last week explained
nat Instead OF eight words a minute, it
Souid De possible to send through the
'aDie 400 words in the same time through
line OF the same resistance but desti-
ute of capacity. The British electrician
believes compensated cables of a new
ype to be practicable, and that means
or attaining ocean telephony is within
he grasp Of electricians of this date.
many prominent electricians to the con,
rary notwithstanding. He saws: ut
nay be needful to begin with some shorter
me than an Atlantic cable in order to gain
experience. But an Atlantic cable con.
tructed on the new plan will not cost
much more, when laid, than one of the
I'D type, and whether or not it is sue.
essfui IN conveying telephone speech
Will certainly transmit telegraphic
messages at greatly accelerated speed
i signaling. If one Atlantic cable can
re constructed to do the work now re-
u'rlng eight cables, that cable will be
INSTRUCTED. Acceleration of the ocean
geographic service is in itself desirable
tep In advance; but the advance will
OF De complete until telephone speech
transmitted from shore to shore" II
this tremendous resistance and lack Of
apaclty, which difficulty electricians
ave thus far been unable to overcome.
lat has made telegraphy under the
cean very slow, and telephony seem i'm
ossible. With the compensated cable
,hich Prof. Thompson recommends. the
istance between the Old and New
'orids Will be annihllated. Europe and
'merica, before another decade has
'iied around, will be saying, not writ
y, Good morning" to each other ina
Oxen different languages.