Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-08-12
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

H"nNSVihc ihith Oh very great
height enter the company of miscella.
neous lot of men, such as one will find
at club sometimes, or dinner partv
where the guests are cOnversing and not
yet at table, or under other circumstances
where the newly arrived giant will natu-
rally pass from one to another. convers-
ing. 1t is the invariable rule. so far as
The Listener has observed, that the men
of middle size treat the big man with
Difference and admiration, while the
little men shy away from him. or affect
not to see him. The little men naturally
avoid the contrast, from which they will
suffer, or else they fancy that by showing
admiration they will be thought to be
toadyng to big man because he is big.
The men of average height, on the other
hand, are acting perfectly instinctively
for it is still as natural for men to admire
a man of great and noble stature as it is
| for animals to show Difference toward q
giant of their kind. A spectacle of this
sort takes us through civilization, in
which pygmy is exactly rs we'll off rs
giant, directly back to barbarous times
or the cave dwellings. In way the
thing is impressive; in another it is very
funny. Mems ways ere after all so ex-
tremely amusing"
A CURIOUS method was recently used
In Illinois to take the foul air out of a
well. The we'll was to be cleaned but
the man that took the job was afraid to
go down until be had ascertaincd the
quality of the air at the bottom. He let
down lighted candle, and when it de-
scended to about six feet of the bottom
it went out as suddenly as though ex-
tinguished by Whit of air That was
all he wanted To know. He was then
sure that the well had poisonous gas in
it, and took Il small umbrella, tied e
string to the handle and lowered it open
into the well. Having let it 90 nearly
to the bottom, he drew it up, carried it
a few feet from the we'll and upset it.
He repeated this operation twenty or
thirty times, with all the bystanders
laughing at him, then again lowered the
light, which burned clear and bright
even at the bottom. He then conde-
scended to explain that the gas in the
well was carbonic acid gas, which is
heavier than air, and therefore could be
brought in an umbrella Just AS though
it were so much water. 1t was simple
trick, yet perfectly effective.
A PHILADELPHIA war veteran has
patented a device for protecting soldiers
to considerable extent from an enemy's
fire. 1t is folding shield of bullet
proof material, circular in form, which
can be fixed to the barrel of rifle. Its
diameter is eighteen inches, and the sur
face is corrugated for the purpose of de-
fiecting bullets The inventor does not
pretend that il furnishes complete pro
lection, but he believes that it would be
found indispensable by skirmishers, and
in general engagement would be the
means of greatly reducing tho casualties.
When not in use. it can be folded into
portable compass and worn at the side
like a bayonct When expanded and
fastened 10 the rifle barrel, an aperture
on the line of sight is shown, which en-
ables the soldier to take aim and use his
piece effectively The idea of the in
vention is already applied to large rifcd
EuuS oh NCoSClo VI WdI. nc inventor
has brought his device to the attention
of military experts, and they have en-
dorsed it as practicable in operation.
THAT the earth's motion has an appe-
ciable effect upon artillery fire, defect
ling the projeetile from a straight course.
may be news to many, and as such would
probably seem a novel notion. 1t has,
and the exact nature and extent OF the
effect is an important point of study
with artillery experts. An English army
expert told of the results of many in
teresting experiments along this line in
a paper read before the Royal Artillery
Institution the other day. Firing from
north to south there is divergence of
proectiles to the left due to the earth's
rotation, and firing due north the diver
gence is to the right. The extent of the
''pull' varies at different points on the
earth's surface, and with projectiles fired
at different speeds aad elevations. In
England a detection of five inches is
found to occur with the proiectile Of
12-pounder in 4 600 yard range.
QNE of the few novel ideas that have
come to light as the result Of the recent
advertisement for plans for n submarine
naval boat involves the construction of a
craft that can be sunk by admitting
limited quantity of water, and will then
run around on the bottom OF the ocean
on wheels. The inventor thinks that his
boat can move more directly in straight
path than boat subject to detection
by currents and waves. and therefore
claims for her the ability to pick her
position with accuracy beneath the iron
clad she wishes to destroy. He has made
provision for reaching the surface when
desired by means of set of pumps TO
expel the water admitted to the hull
IN Indiana man named Dobbins has |
invented a voting machine which is said .
10 be more simple and accurate than any |
similar machine. "Thc indianapolis |
News" thus describes il. "rhe tickets /
are printed on one continuous roll, which /
is locked in the machine. Beneath u |
glass covered sble the ticket pisse, from /
this roll to another roll fitted into u
ballotboX. The glass cover is divided 7
into four sections, aud between ench .
section Is row OF keys similar 20 lh0 ,
typewriter Tho upper Key ia larger /
1 Al 40