St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-08-25
m the ELEcralcAL WORLD!

1T is stated that the trolley Il being
substituted for horsepower in the
street railway system Of Norfolk, Va
1t is reported that . Russian chem-
ist has found . simple means to check
the progress of gangrene without re-
sorting to amputation, consisting OF .
simple application Of m electric cur.
rent.
Electric currents in plants are due,
says Kunchel. to the movements OF
water in the tissues, and not TO differ.
ences of potential, existing independ.
emily. It was considered probable that
vegetable electricity was due to bi0-
logical processes, especially respiration
and the consequent chemical changes
The interesting though not COM
mercially important feat Of obtaining
electricity from the light of the stars
has been accomplished by Prof Min
chin. BY telescope of the observ.to-
~ at Westmeath. Ireland, the rays
from the planet Venus were concen-
trated upon . delicate photo -elsctric
cell. when q measurable current was
excited.
"A French electrician, NJ. Treuve,
catches fish by sinking in the water .
net with an incandescent lamp at-
tached. The curious fish collect around
the light, when = pneumatic tire
around the edge of the net is silently
inflated and rises to the surface, en-
trapping them without frightening
them and, hence, without destroying
the spawn.
Attention has been called to the
| fact that several Of the ancient Egyp
| tian temples were provided with truo
| lightning rods. One is mentioned ~
Dendrsk. which is provided with sev-
| ersl pointed wooden poles, covered
| with copper, the purpose of which
| were found recorded in inscriptions on
stone. Another, at Medinet Ahu, built
| by Rameses Ill, about 1,30O years be-
| fore the Christian era, is also mentions
ed, in which the points Of the rods were
gilded.
An interesting experiment in the
adaptability of electric force to trac-
ton ON railways was made on the
Western Of France railway. The elec-
trio locomotive invented by NJ. He'll
mann drew . special train from the st.
Laxare Terminus, in Paris, to this sta
ton, . distance of thirty-three miles,
performing the journey in dfty-iye
minutes. The train was composed Of
1--WE coaches and dynamometric brake
van. and at certain portions OF the line
. speed Of sixty-five miles an hour was
attained
| 1t is understood, says the Electrical
Engineer, that the Metropolitan Tele-
graph and Telephone Co., of New York.
is about to introduce new system OF
telephone tolls, somewhat similar to
that which has been in use 1T Buffsl0.
and which in Europe is known gener-
ally rs the Swiss system. The company
proposes to maintain the present rate
of $40 per annum for unlimited service
with the best apparatus, hut it an
nexes TO this nat rate service toll
scheme, which will certainly be more
equitable to small users, and give
everybody who needs the telephone Z
chance to use it. This second scale in
cludes instruments at $50 . year, and
the subscriber can have 1000 talks fof
that amount If he exceeds that num-
ber, the first 100 will cost him els, and
so ON. Besides this, il two men go
on one line, the rate on the second
scale will only be 500 each for nearly
the same amount Of service, or zoo mes
sages-
Recent experiments in France, it ID
claimed, show interesting facts con-
cerning the magnetizatiOn Of rails and
the effect of the direction of travel
upon their polarity. Experiments upon
q piece Of track between Bordeaux and
Cette, which extends in an east and
west direction, show that the north
pole is at the end of the rail that is in
the direction of travel. Where the road
was double tracked, il was found that
the polarity of the rails differed in the
two tracks, and that the north end was
invariably in the direction that the
trains moved. This condition is sup
posed to be due to the shocks of trains
in coming upon the rails. which give
the end receiving the shock . south
polarity. The shocks are due to relar
tive elevations and depressions of the
ends of abutting rails, and to the
spaces always left for expansion Of the
metal. The report does not explain
why these conclusions should develop
q south polarity rather than . north