The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1893-06-02
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The S,mplon tunnel from Brieg
in xi,zerland, to Isella in italy,
will be twelve and one half miles
long.
The dry weather in Europe has
led M. Afraid to prove that the
foliage of many trees may be safely
fed farm stock in pasture famine.
A German substitute for German
silver, having great tensile strength,
contains rather more than two.thirds
copper, with certain proportions of
aluminium, silicon, link and man.
ganese.
A sensitive paint has been invent.
ed which should prove useful for
detecting hot bearings in machine
ry. 1t is always bright yellow
when cold, but gradually changes
color on being heated, and at 23O
degrees becomes bright red.
A study of cancer death rates
communicated to the Royal Society
points to the conclusion that the
apparent increase in the prev alence
of the disease is due simply to i'm.
proved diagnosis and more careful
certitication of the cause oil death.
Crohamurst, on the western slope
of Mont Blanc in Southeastern
Queenland challenges the world to
equal its record for "a hours fall
of rain. For "a hours ending 9 a.
M, February /, the fall was l0.775
inches; ditto February 2, 20 o5G
inches; ditto February 3, 35.7l4
inches O.; ditto February 4, lo.76o
inches.
An extraordinary snowballing
was experienced by Glashutte, Sax.
ony, on December 4th last. Dr.
Paul Schneider states that the balls
of snow, which were light aud
measured from four to five inches,
fell during sudden calm in the
midst Of what seemed to be a thun-
der storm. The balls, five TO twelve
to square yard, lay on this ground
until the next day.
A NEW FooD-A proposed sub
stitute for cod-liver oil is being
manufactured in London under the
name of ''Nirol," and is highly ap.
proved by the London Lancet. II
is highly concentrated, compile
food, prepared from the proteids,
fats and salts of beef and eggs,
combined with extract of malt in
carefully ad listed proportions. 1t
resembles honey in appearance and
consistence, and has a taffy-like
taste.
AN UNEXPLAINED EFFEcr-A
curious experiment, having as yet
no satisfactory explanation, has
been performed by NJ. Hu.muz escu
before the French Physical Society
A metallic wire was stretched
horizontally in glass tube con
tanning gas either at ordinary
pressure or raretied. When the
wire was heated to redness by g
continuous current, it began to
vibrate in a vertical plane, and the
tube became much hotter at the
bottom than at the sides.
PETROLEUM FOR ARCTIC HEAT
1NG.-A new "safety stove" in
which two oil lamps can be made to
cook for twenty persons, has been
made by London firm for Doctor
Nansen's polar expedition. The
stove is of copper, packed with as
bestos to retard the loss of heat in
the cold regions, and it occupies
less than a square yard of floor
space. For use in this and similar
stoves for heating and cooking, d.
Nansen's vessel IL to be supplied
with twenty tons Of petroleum oil
having a flashing point of about 3 o(
degrees Fair.
THE GAS GUN.-A gun operated
by the expansion of liqaefied car
bonic acid was produced abou
three years ago by NJ. Paul Clifford
whose name has been long known il
connection with the injector TO
stea boilers. Improvements hav,
followed, and as now made the gun
is As inches long, weighs about
pounds ard has hex gonal barre
with a bore of .295 inch. TIL