The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-08-11
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS,
FEW DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUS
TRIAL CIRCLES.
sx ,J-~sGtEIes..ss - p
A Notable ~owerr Transmfssion
Scheme-The Electrical Theory of
Vts1on-The Typcwriter on the
Battlefield.


were in progress all sorts of engineer
ing schemes and sensational ideas were
put forward. Of all these the Ferris
wheel only was a pronounced SUCCESS.
Already Frenchmen are considering
how best to signalize the huge exposi-
ton that will be held in their capital
in 1900. Among the plans for Paris is
a proposition Of merit from M. Armen-
| gand, Jr., that in 1900 prizes of value
be offered for three things, viz: O
Seeing at distence; (2 photography in
colors on paper; (3) electric light with
out heat. The practical accomplish
| ment of these three things would make
| any occasion memorable, and what has
already been done in the direction of
each greatly encourages the belief that
NJ. Armengand's idea may be success
| fully carried out. Another idea is the
| suggestion of M. Trouve, the eminent
French electrician, that gigantic elec-
trio light fountain shall fall from the
third platform of the Eiffel Tower
Americans are not likely to be back
ward in the devising of plans for such
an important celebra ton, and already
a remarkable proposal has been made
! by L. Cummerford Martin of New York
OF scheme which interests not only
all classes of engineers, but all con-
cerned in railways and the public at
large. One of the most pressing prob
lens of the day is that Of the electrical
transmission of energy, and great ad-
Vances are being made along this line
So far, however, the energy transmitted
| has been that of waterfalls, and all
the plants under consideration, such as
that for Niagara, deal with water pow
er. Some time ago it was proposed as
an effective and direct method of re-
moving from the city of London its
well deserved reproa1h Of being the
| murkiest dwelling place in the world
| to turn all the coal mined at the Welsh,
| Midland and Northern coal fields into
! gas on the spot, and to conduct this gas
in pipes to the metropolis. Naturally
| this led up to the idea of burning coal
| at the mine and transmitting it's ener-
| gy electrically instead Of the fuel itself,
| aud two we'll known English engineers
| have just worked out the details Of
an electrical transmission to London of
the. energy Of the coal fields of the
Midlands and Yorkshire Mr.. Martins
I idea is that the Paris exposition shall,
| in like manner, have all it's power
/ generated at coal mines now supplying
Paris, and that this power shall be
transmitted electrically. In any case
! the exposition will have to be furnished
| with power in some way, and if the
| ordinary methods were adopted there
would be required for the possible 90
| sldings, boilers, engines, shafting, ma
| chlnery rooms, etc. Although it is more
! than probable that by 1900 such prac-
tice will be barely tolerated, there is
still the alternative plan Of dividing the
| power plant into two contrasting 10000
horsepower units, one long distance
transmission and the other that of gen
GRAFTON en- stu. The longer and bolder
plan would, however, be the more likely
to appeal to the progressive instincts
Of the times, and would receive the
hearty cooperation of engineers of all
natiOnalitieS. But if it be resolved to
stick to water-power, as Mr.. Martin
says, "possibly the exposition might be
run by energy from the little sister
republic of the Alps, although by 1900
we shall all know a good deal about
the working Of such plan from the
results obtained with Niagara
The Electric Theory of Vision.
Prof Oliver J. Lodge, in speaking be-
fore the British Royal Institution on
the susceptibility of the eye to light
waves, said that the light merely
cluses a diminution of electric resist
ance of badly conducting material in
terposed between the source Of elec-
tricity and the sensitive nerves of the
eye He explained the sense of dark
ness that accompanies certain disturb
ances of the nerves of the eye in the
return of the interposed body to it's
original state, produced by an auto
matte tapping back on the part of the
tissues. Prof. E. Obach now confirms
this view, and tells Of an illustrative
instance in his own experience One
eveIing, after having watched the
famous Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen
for considerable time in the full glare
of the sun, which produced a dazzling
whiteness of the spray, he felt intense
pains in the head and eyes, which con-
tinued even after he retired to bed in
a perfectly dark room. He then re-
sorted to remedy which had previ-
ously given him relief from eye-strain,
i. e., he placed the thumb and forefin-
ger on the eyes over the closed eyelids
and impaired gentle vibration to the
eyeballs. After two or three vibrations
he was compelled to desist, as the rem
edy was not only extremely painful,
but also produced the sensation of a
blush white light of dazzling bright
ness Qike an electric arc) being brought
almost into contact with the eyes.
After a few minutes the luminous phe-
nomenon subsided, and the vibrations
of the eyeballs were resumed, and were
now bearable longer than before. The {
operation was repeated, with intervals
of rest, eight or ten times until finally
the vibrations were almost painless and
produced no longer any luminosity. The
pains in the eyes and head had then
nearly disappeared, and the professor
slept soundly the whole night. Prof.
Obach's explanation of the phenome-
non is that the intense brightness Of the