The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-01-17
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
The telephone newspaper, which has
been IN successful operation over two
years at Budapest, has become almost
indispensable to its 5000 subscribers.
The service has a main wire Of l6e
miles, which is connected to private
houses and various public resorts.
Between 1880 in the morning and $3.50
in the evening over % editions are
spoken into the transmitter, ten men
with loud, clear voices acting as
speakers in shifts Of two. The news
is classified, and given in accordance
with regular programme, so that
any subscriber knows when To expect
the kind OF items Of interest to him.
Ashort summaryof all important news
is given at noon at night, and sub
scribers are entertained with music
and lectures in the evening.
Mirror writiny-tlAt is, reversed
writing which must be held before a
mirror to be read-is said to be culti-
waited by many persons for private
correspondence by postal cards. tbs
not difficult to do, especially with the
left hand, and lcft-handed persons
sometimes write in this way natu-
rally. An English physician, DR.. e.
Clapham, mentions the case Of Il par
TALLY paralyzed female, who taught
herself to write witt, the left hand,
and who wrote toward the lcft-or
mirrorwise-at first, and aftcrward
learned at school to write in the usual
way. In moments OF forgetfulncss
she would write one line toward the
left and the next toward the right.
A baby alarm, oI means for signal
ing the crying Of an infant which has
been left asleep in distant room, Is
one OF the. recent bo0nS offered by
science. A sensitive microphonc, con-
nected to Il battery and to the primary
Of an induction coil, is placed near the
clild's cot. The secondary Of the coil
is connected by two wires to a small
elcctro-magnet at the place where the
alarm is to he given, and on the cry
ing Of the child the microphone sets
up an undulat0ry current in this cir.
cult, causing the elcctro-magnct to
defect Il delicate steel balance and
close an electric bell circuit.
A reason for doubling that oxygen
is an element has been given to the
London Royal Society by Mr.. E. 9. c.
Baly. Under the silent electric dis
charge, the gas that goes to the
cathode with long sparks is less dense
than unelcctrified oxygen, while with
short sparks it is more dense.
A very successful artificial larynx
for a man who had lost his voice is
credited Prof. Anderson Stuart. Of the
University OF Sidney. The changing
OF certain reeds makes the voice So
prano, tenor, contralto or bass, at
will.
The experiments Of Lieutenant B.
Baden-Powell with military kites
have been sufficiently encouraging to
give interest to the curious suggestion
in aerial navigation made by him to
the British Association for the Ad-
yancemcnt OF Science. He pointed
out that the wind is nearly always
stronger at an elevation than near
the earth, often blowing at 1000 yards
with three times It's velocity just
above ground. lie proposes to take
advantage OF this difference by con.
Meeting two kites by long line and
sending them to difierent heights, the
weight carried being attached to the
line near the lower kite. The lower
kite would thus supply y retarding
medium to the upper, the effect being
the same in principle as II The upper
kite were held TO the earth BY a
string and the lower kite were towcd
through the air by n boy running
with the string In his hand. Both
kites would be kept flying. although
not held to the earth by a string IN
the usual way, and 1t is quite possIble
that they might bc navigated consid'
erably out Of the winds course.
The Chaparro three u the United