The herald., 1896-02-13
(To be Continued.)
NOTES or THE DAY.

An automatic electrical semaphore
has been perfected for trolley road
crossings 1t is so arranged that O. car
approaching from either direction will
cause danger signals to be displayed
at the point of intersection of the two
roads while the car is still some dis
tance from the crossing.
Some excellent marble is being taken
from a new quarry at Washington, VT.
1t is very dark, almost blue, and takes
a beautiful polish. 1t is harder than
marble usually is and will not crack If
water is thrown on it when it is hot
This feature will make it especially de-
sirable for buildings where there is H.
able to be fires near. The supply is in
eXhaustible.
In Japan the nose is the only feature
which attracts attention. The nose de-
Il termines the beauty or ugliness of the
face, according as it is big or small
This is probably due to the fact that
differences in noses constitute about the
only distinction between one Japanese
face and another. In Japan lady who
has a huge proboscis is always great
beauty and reigning belle.
A Pittsburg astronomer undertakes
to explain the fact that comet, wheth-
er advancing or receding, points it's tail
away from the sun by the theory that
the tail is caused by the negative cleo
trical force of the sun. The ultra violet
rays of light are known to be negative
ly electrifying. Some comets have no
tail Of minute particles called a tail,
but when they exist they invariably
keep their distance from the majestic
orb of day.
1t Is better to key up an engine in the
morning than at night If it is done at
night what proof does the engineer
have that he will be there to attend to It
the next morning? An engine may ap-
pear to be keyed up all right, and vet
when it Is started up the crank pin or
some other part may heat because the
key was driven too far; therefore all
of the parts should be closely watched
until it is known that they will run
cool.
in glass has been invented which, it is
prophesied, will doom forever the old
fashioned and extremely obnoxious
tins. All the deleterious gases generat-
ed in cooking the fruit, and even the
u,
so that fermentation is reduced to
minimum. No solder is used and each
jar is opened by making q puncture
with penknife, after which the cover
can be lifted off entirely.
| A new apparatus for bleaching cotton
cloth has recently been introduced in
foreign cotton mill. The cloth, after be-
ing soaked in brine, is passed between
two rollers, one of iron, the other Of car
bon, serving as electrodes and being
properly connected to q source Of suf-
fcient electrical energy. The salt is de-
composed by the current into chlorine,
the bleaching agent, and caustic soda.
The latter is absorbed by a wet blanket
running over the iron roller.
A monument to Edgar Allan Poe is
proposed in Baltimore, where he is
buried. One suggestion is stone can
opy, under which the poet will be seen
in marble, seated in an arm chair, with
an antique lamp overhead, and vol
umeS Of foreign lore' leaning against
the chair. Near at hand, with the poets
dreamy gaze fixed upon it, will be the
raven perched on bust Of Pallas. The
citizens have been invited to form an
art commission to carry out the striking
idea.
A Philadelphia woman wrote last
week to one Of the local papers, COM
planning of the unutterable vileness of
Schuylkill water, which the people of
that city are expected to drink. What
makes her letter notable among the
many hundreds that have been written
on the same subject is the fact that
this particular objector had the ingeni-
ous idea Of using, instead of ordinary
ink, the water itself as it flowed through
a faucet in her house. Her epistle was
perfectly legible.
A Hungarian hygienist has been col
lecting statistics in regard to the life
of dwellers on various levels He finds
that those whose occupations or power
ty require them to live in cellars die
first, as might readily be supposed;
next comes those who live on the third
or fourth floors; next those on the
ground floor, while the tenants of the
first or second floor enjoy the longest
period of existence. The purer air of the
upper stories is overbalanced by the
exertion of climbing the stairs, the av-
erage being little over two years ear
lier death.
A French antiquarian has brought to
light some interesting dressmaker's
bills of the ladies of Napolen's court.
They are from the account books of Le-
roy the Worth of his time in matters
of dress and a bad fellow generally.
but an undisputed arbiter of taste in
feminine raiment. 1t appears that .Jo-
sephines yearly bill was about $4,000
and this was a greater amount than
Marie Louise Or Queen Hortense dared
or desired to spend. Napoleon's mother
: was not patron of Leroy, which is
explained by the fact that she prefer
red to receive her dresses from her
daughters rather than purchase them
!! herself
J New York is to enjoy novelty in the
shape of truant school, The officials
are making a study of the non-attend-
: ants with view of separating the care
, less or intermittent truants from the
: habitual or incorrgible. The latter will
be consigned to the truant school for a
length of time dependent upon previous
record and, behavior in the school. The
, appointments of the school will include
dormitories with beds and bedding: a
Kitchen, with the necessary appoint
! ments; bath rooms, stationary sinks.
towels, dishes and the fitting of pri-
, vate dining room for the use of superin-
tendent and teachers, with accommodate