The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1893-05-08
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

An duL-It-4r.AL- iNDScf-S - - : a
telegraph cable was buried for six
months in damp soil in Calcutta
when it vas found to be perforated
by grass roo.
In the Pima process Of electric
tanning, the hides are submitted to
the action Of alternating currents
while immersed in the tanning
liquor Ii Is claimed that the skins
are perfectly tanned By his method
in the short period Ct 10 70 go
hours.
\ French physician states that n
fifty consecutive cases Of typhoid
fever Ia children under fifteen years
Of age, he had oniy three deaths.
In childhood there e Les. pfostra-
ton than n adult life, less dullness
and seldom maeh diarrtas or pneu
monia.
Ii mas been estimated that the
firing q 4 smail pistol sets free
about 500 foot pounds q energy,
while watch cor -umes only about
81, 100000 Of a horsepower. The
energY Of the bullet would be suli
Gent; therefore. to keep the time
for two years.
The new German explosive, the
invention OF Dr. Weiss, i said TO
be composed chiefly OF atty sub
stance Of brovni-h color and the
consistency OF frozen olive oil. The
explosion j. not Of .cted by bloH
or spark, but ~ the Introduction Of
some other substance, and j. attend
ed by vely little smoke and very
little noise.
Creosotal is the name given by VI L.
Brissonet, a French medic al man TO
q material that i. conf ien,ally ex.
pected to result IN considerable
advance III the treatment Of con
sumption. 1t is prepared from
creosote which has been considered
the most active medlcament against
tuberculosis, but which can rend ST
only limited service on account Of
lie caustic properties.
SWISS Bricks Glass il now be
ing used in zherland for a
brown building block, eight inches
long, six inches wide and two and a
half inches thick, with short neck
at each end and an air cham ber
through the center. The edges OF
the bricks are covered recessed, OF
ribbed and grooved to receive q
suitable cement. The bricks are
moulded in pleasing patterns, and
should prove a very useful and or
namental building material.
A New INsuLAToR-The steady
diminution of the gutta perchs
supply is giving prominence tc
every possible substitute, A neH
compound of great tena ,ity ha.
been brought forward by al
English inventor, who prepares this
substance in the following manner
Ten parts of pa,ain and one of ia,
are kept at temperature of 200 >
to go . till they are intimately
mixed. The temperature is ther
allowed to fall 10 100 . and two
parts of caoutchou: are added, thu
temperature being kept up till ;
homogeneous mixture is obtained.
BEES AND RHEUMATISM Som,
two years ago an Austrian physi
clan advanced the remarkable theol
that persons who have been stuns
by bees enjoy an immunity from thu
effects of bee stings for varyin:
periods, and that, moreover, tn
virus of the bee sting is an infalli
BILE remedy for acute rheumatism
The latter part of the theory, &C
cording to the MEDIrgRRANEAl
NATURALIST, has received most un
questionable conf alton from
custom Of the country people il
Malta. Bees are plenty in TIN
Islands, and bee stings are in such
repute as a cure for rheumatisn
that resort 10 this primitive methot
Of incubation has been a commo
practice in severe cases Tor genera
tion-, the results having been mos
satisfactory to the patients.
PETROLEUM TmEoRIEs.-Few IN
solved chemical problems have
greater interest than that of III