The Indianapolis journal., 1896-04-26
SCIENTIFIC.


Horseless sleighs, driven by electricity,
are ST. Petersburg novelty.
Pumice stone life-boats, which have been
satisfactorily tried in England, support a
considerable load when full of water.
Unbreakable mirrors are made in Germany
from transparent coluloid. The silvering is
backed by a second celluloid plate. giving
thus mirror surface on both sides, or form
ing a double mirror.
The snout of the walrus is provided with
stiff whiskers three or four inches long. Ma
tives Of Alaska collect the hairs, dry them
and export them in neat packages to China,
where the wealthy prize them highly as
toothpicks.
The most powerful battle ships in the Brit
ish navy, the Magnificent and the Majestic,
have each $50 compartments, with 20S doors.
Lord Charles Beresford recommends closing
up 10 of the doors and modifying 23 others,
to lessen the risk of sinking in case OF acci-
dent.
A rapid speaker utters $50 to 200 words
minute. which few stenographers are able
to take down. For single minutes the type
writer has been operated at about 175
words. Compare these results with the
speed of DeianeyS machine telegraphy, by
which eight thousand words per minute
have been transmitted and legibly recorded
on the receiving tape.
Badness is found to affect about II per
cent. of the male population. according 10 an
English physician. The same observer has
made the singular discovery that, while mu-
age, pianists and violinists have fine heads
of hair until late In hfe but performers on
brass instruments, especially the trombone.
become bald very early.
1t is now proven that the cowbird does
the farmer little harm and much good.
From the stomachs of 366 specimens, col
-
of the year. F. E. L. Beal has found that
e per cent. Of the food of this bird con-
ssts of animal matter almost exclusively
harmful insects and spiders, and az per
cent. or vegetable. of which one-f1fth is
corn and oats more than half seeds Of
weeds, and the balance various substances.
An official report on diphtheria at the Lon
don hospitals last year presents the striking
conclusion that $50 lives were saved in those
institutions alone by the use OF antitoxin.
In 1894 there were 9O2 deaths in 3,042 cases.
or a mortality of 29.6 per cent; in 1885, wien
he eee Sere 7 deaths
or a mortality Of 22.5 per cent. The essential
conditions were the same in the two years,
with q somewhat larger proportion of juven-
lie, or unfavorable, patients, in 1880.
The standard Crookes tube proposed by
Prof. Elihu Thomson consists of a glass
bulb containing two concave aluminium
discs mounted at opposite sides on wires
sealed in the glass, with v-shaped sheet
of platinum supported in the center of the
bu.b by third terminal. that can. If de-
sired, be used as an anode. Such tube
can be used with any of the various sources
Of electric currents employed for generat-
ing Roentgen rays. 1t Is maintained by Dr.
Pupin that all substances under the infiu-
secondary radiators of these rays, and this,
1t is pointed out, may explain the apparent
reflection some experimenters have OBJ
served mp In pictures o Obtained Nv with ss, sm,agnetic
simply laid on the film OF a sensitive plate
between the magnet and its armature. Both
permanent magnets and electromagnetic.
capable OF lifting one to one hundred
poands, were successfully tried, and sill
houettes were obtained with exposures as
co Conductor aS W of electricity proving GO most nT
opaque to the magnetic radiations.
A pet theory Of the day is that warfare IN
the future would be attended by such an ap-
paIling loss of life that all nations will re-
frain from 1t. Captain F. y. MauGe. Brit
ish military engineer, declares. however. that
the records of the last three centuries prove
such an idea to be utterly unjustified. The
losses in battle have depended primarily on
the quality of the troops. and have been
small untii-as at Waterloo or In the closing
engagements Of the great reoellion-the men men
worlds armies have to-day no war-seasoned
veterans TO spread destruction greater than
has hitherto been known Improvement in
weapons, moreover mas actually tended 10
diminish the risk. as hghttng must now be
done at greatly increased range, and the
perfection OF the modern ride makes neces-
sary great precision of aim. whereas the in
accuracy Of me old musket-at 200 yards In
stead of 500 or 1.o00-corrected the error In
aim in large proportion OF the shots dred.
one thousand times - many rounds would
be necessary now to produce the eject Of the
leaden storm that devastated the old Brit1ah
only Ave t'nss e. = ss:t ss''' snotssr i:s'e.