Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-11-10
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

SCIENTIFIC NOTES.
As result Of a chemical and BAG
THEOLOGICAL examination OF the soil
of gravyards, made by DR.. James B.
Young Edinburgh Royal Society. it
was found that soil used for bur-
rial does not materially differ. as re-
CARDS the amount Of organic matter it
contains, from ordinary soil.
In new process for coloring leather
by electrical action. the hide is stretch
ed upon a metallic table and covered,
except at the edges, with the coloring
liquid. A difference of potential is
established between the liquid and
the metallic table. The effect of the
electric current is to cause the pores
Of the skin to open, whereby the col
oring is enabled to penetrate deeply
into its tissue.
The Navy Department has just COM
pleted test of aluminium as material
for ship boats. The claim that bar
nacles would not adhere to the metal
was not substantiated. In the opin-
ion Of naval experts the use of alumni
mum cannot be recommended near salt
water under any circumstances.
According to recent determination
of Professor Richarz, the possible
quantity of electricity, which may
be termed an atom of electricity, is
such that 43o multiplied by million
three times, that is, by the cube OF a
million, will give the number of these
atoms contained in coulomp. That
such thing as an atom of electricity
exists is the opinion of no less author
ity than professor Won Helmholtz.
Electrical World.
The calculations of the various OBJ
servations of the transit Of Venus are
not yet completed. Professor Hardness
of the National Observatory, Wash
ington. D. c., about three years ago
gave the results Of as many as had then
been worked out. They gave S.Sooo5<
as the solar parallax, with probable
error of o.oo567". This makes the
mean distance from the earth to the
sun as 92,77o,o5o miles. with proba-
bic error of 5o,7Is iniles.-Popular
Science News.
Photography does not receive any
official encouragement in Russia. 1t
seems there are no Photographic So
cieties in that country, nor are Rus
sian contributions usually found in
the international exhibitions To be-
come an amateur photographer in
Russia it is necessary to communicate
with the police and obtain a license.
If the photographer is not discreet in
what he takes" the authorities take
him and keep him. 1t IS no wonder
that under such conditions, the art
does not flourish there.
The new Tower Bridge of London
is paved with the wood Of the eucalyp-
tus tree from Australia. The blocks
are about the size of building bricks,
and their top surface has beveled edg-
es, thus affording horses foothold.
They are fastened together by means
of pegs put through them and fitted
into corresponding holes in the adjoin-
ing blocks. This wood is a dark, ma
hogany color, is very expensive, but
heavy and durable. 1t was laid ac-
cording to the duffy patent system
with special machinery. Wood is re-
placing stone pavement in many OF
the London streets.
The transit OF the planet Mercury
across the face of the sun will take
place today, and will be visible in
North America, South America, Eu-
rope and other quarters. 1t will be
visible from about 10 a. III. to ) p. IN.
1t will take the planet about 6s4 hours
to move across the suns disc. The
path of the transit is little above the
suns center. The diameter of the
suns disc is estimated at 800, 900
miles. OF the family of planets visi-
Bile to the naked eye, Mercury is the
smallest and the nearest to the sun.
His diameter is. in round numbers,
5000 miles, and his distance from the
sun $3.50, 900 miles.