The Van Buren press., 1895-07-27
IN THE ELECTRICAL WORLD.

Gold leaf OF any thickness down
to one four-millionth of an inch is now
being made by electrolysis, and, &C.
cording to Invention, at such rates as
threatens to extinguish the gold beat
er's art.
The velocity Of wind Is constantly
changing. It varies every second and,
while the average velocity may be
twenty-three miles an hour, in the
course of one minute II will be altered
several times a
The Anglo.Americsh Telegraph
Cable Co. Of London has completed the
laying Of d cable from Mozambique,
east coast OF Africa, to Majunza, Oh
the island of Madagascar, which is
now open for business. The rate per
word from London to Majunga (which
is the only office) is $9.72. All tele.
grams must be written In either Eng:
lish, French or Portuguese. MessageS
will be subject to censorship at Ma.
junga.
The electrical candle, says the Sci.
entific American, is in great request in
England for the lighting and decora:
tion of dining and other tables. An in.
genious device for lighting the candles
is provided by placing small pads un.
der the tablecloth, and taking the cur.
rent from them by means Of two pin
points in the base of the candlestich.
The candles, OF course, are extinguished
on being taken from the table, and are
rslighted when they are replaced in
the proper position. They are SO ar
ranged that the bulb and the glass imi.
tation of a wax candle can be removed;
when the candlestick can be used for
an ordinary candle. When used with
shades of colored silk the electric can
die makes one of the prettiest additions
to dinner table that it is possible to
imagine.
An electric gun has been invented
by A. S. Krotz, electrician of the
Springfield street railway. 1t is simply
brass tube, open at both ends, around
which is wrapped insulated wire, in a
series of helices from one end to the
other acting upon iron balls put in at
one end of the tube, and passing
through with ever.increasing impetus.
The special advantages claimed for the
gun are that it may be made very light
in proportion to its capacity for throw'
ing balls; that it can not possibly ex-
plode; that it is economical in opera.
tion, and that the limit of the mum Der
of balls it will throw within given
time is the number of balls that can be
put into its breech. For field service
1t is claimed it will far surpass any.
thing now in use. The inventor esti-
mates that from 700 to 1000 shots per
minute can be fred. Tests have al
ready been made that are said to have
been highly satisfactory.
Chicago has an hotel in which elec-
tricity seems to have run amuck" in
the most remarkable manner. Though
the scietists of America can not ac.
count for it in any way, the hotel
seems to have been converted into d
colossal Leyden jar, charged to the
brim with the electric fluid. People
can not move about the house without
running the risk of receiving severe
shock-when they walk across the floor
spark will leap up from it to the shoe,
distance of two inches or more. A
guest in the hotel began to shave
himself one morning, when spark
leaped from his face to the razor-a
phenomenon which SO startled him that
he cut his throat badly. Another man
stepped into a bath and Immediately
began to shout for assistance. Thou
sands of needles seemed to be running
into him, but he could not move to gel
out of his bath. At last people in the
hotel broke in the door and pulled him
out. They received severe shock dur
| ing the process, but the involuntary
electric bath did not affect the takel
of it with anything but momentary in
convenience.