davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

the case of the memorable tornado at
Mount Carmel, ILL.,, On June 4, 1877, the
lifting force of the vortex appears TO have
lasted long enough to perform a most
singular feat. Since by it ''the spire. vane
and gilded ball of the Methodist church"
were carried fifteen miles to the northeast
ward.
Fortunately, in comparison with the
long paths of cyclones proper, which have
been traced nearly round the globe, the
length of the track of a tornado is usually
not more than twenty miles altogether,
and ii only comes to earth, so to speak,
| through portion of tnis. Consequently
although terribly destructive within their
| limits, the chances of a tornado striking a
large city in the tornado area of the States
| is not large, though when, as in the pres
ent case, it does do so, the destruction is
| on a terrible scale, and with the annual
| increase IN population in cities will tend
! to increase.
| One line of both practical warning and
fruitful investigation appears to be en-
| phatically taught by the theory of tor
nadoes, and that is the measurement of
| temperature in vertical direction. Upon
| this the formation of tornado chiefly de-
| pends, and, apart from all other prognos-
tics, one of the best ways of forecasting the
| probable presence or absence of tornadoes
would be to attach a series softhermometerS of
or thermographs to kite or small balloon
wire and keep daily record OF the differ
ences at certain heights.
Any abnormal difference, especially in
the direction of heat below and great cold
above. might be translated as a danger
signal of the highest importance. In this
respect the daily experiments of A. Law
renee Rotch at the Blue Hill Observatory,
near Boston, where he sends up a thermo-
graph to height of nearly 1000 feet
above the earth, possess an unusual
interest, and it is to be hoped now that
they are seen to be capable of being used
in the preservation of life, they may
be initiated and extended by the State
for the benefit of the people committed to
its charge, and that the State should once
for all admit the value of scientific
research so far as to endow it, and relin-
quish the ignoble plan it has too often pur-
sued hitherto of allowing private indi-
vidual to spend his time and money in a
research of which it ultimately reaps the
advantage after unnecessary delay.
To conclude, we maintain that lorna
does are not only predictable, but prevent
ible, and, though the latter belongs to q
stage of civilization for which the world is
scarcely ready Just at present, the former
is pressing duty which it behooves the
State to carry out without delay.
| D. ARCHIBALD.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

medium for spreading very serious eye
diseases.
DR.. Flick has shown that winking is more
frequent as the retina becomes more
fatigued, and it has been found that in
reading at distance of thirty centimeters
the number of winks per minute is 18
with electrical illumination, 2.8 with gas
light, while with weak illumination which
only permits reading at eighteen cent?
meters the number is 6.S per minute.
Many undertakers are now using cheap
coffins pressed out of paper pulp. When
polished and stained such collins look al
most as well as those of wood. They last
longer in the ground than coffins of wood
or metal and they can be. Theoretically
sealed better than heavy metal ones.
Wood which has been thoroughly desic-
Gated will, when exposed to air under ordi-
nary circumstances, absorb 5 per cent of
water in the first three days, and will con-
tinue. to absorb it until it reaches from IA
to 16 per cent as normal standard.
A well-known ard very prominent Eng
lish family is the possessor of a remark
able relic in the shape OF human heart
preserved in a jar of alcohol. It appears
that Shelley, the poet, feared that there
was chance OF being buried alive. To
guard against any such contingency he
| left directions that his heart should be re-
moved Immediately after death The
queer relic may still be seen by any one
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
The Science of Tornadoes.

The remarkable prevalence of tornadoes
over the Middle States during the present
spring, and the fearful destruction to life
and property wrought in particular by
the storm at st. Louis. following close upon
similar ones in Central Michigan, Kansas,
Iowa, ETC., naturally opens up the practi-
cal question as to what causes these storms
to DE so terribly frequent in the States. and
whether by a study of their causes and
prevalence in time and place we shall ever
be in position to predict or control them.
We purposely use the word tornado" ="
and not the word "cyclone," since it is
only by the perpetuation of a popular err
ror that the word cyclone has ever been
applied to these peculiarly local and de-
structive phenomena, which are specific
ally and generically different from the
ordinary disturbances covering large areas
and properly named cyclones.
Thus the smallest cyclone covers 100
miles, while the largest tornado only
covers two miles in width and averages
only 1869 feet according to Finley.
A cyclone arises in these ATTITUDES from
the interaction of large air currents form
ing part of the general atmospheric circu-
lation, and in the tropics from slowly ac-
cumulating differences OF temperature and
humidity in horizontal direction spread
ing over large areas and causing horn
zontal instability and ultimately motion.
Tornadoes, on the other hand, arise
within cyclonic area from the rapid oc-
currence of strong contrast in the tenn
perature of the air in a vertical direction,
causing vertical instability and bursting
up of overheated air and vapor through
an everything layer of cold air.
HAs soon as ever the upward flow starts
the surrounding air is drawn in to fill its
place. Spiral rotation starts just as in the
case of water descending through vent,
and by known mathematical principles
the rotational velocity increases enor-
mously near the center. A tube of air
ascends in spiral rotation, widening up
ward owing to the greater freedom of
motion above the earth, and as the CEN
trail vortex approaches the condition OF a
vacuum by the centrifugal tendency of
rotating air condensation of vapor takes
place within it and is propagated from
above downward in proportion to the vio-
lence of the motion. giving the we'll
known appearance of the funnel cloud de-
scending toward the earth.
This last phenomenon, which has been
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
no Increase san Area.

a method OF arranging the rigging of a
sloop so it will carry as much sail as a
schooner is the invention OF William King
of New Orleans, La. There is considerable
mechanism about the vessel, but il is all
intended to facilitate the handling OF the
sails.
The hull and masts of Mr.. Kings vessel
Fastened rigid to the hull are two steps,
one on each side of the mast and inde-
pendent of it. Pivotally mounted in each
step is a spinnaker boom. The gaff is made
in two sections, secured by bands that per-
nit sliding movement between them. A
halyard is made to operate over pulleys
and to raise or lower the upper section as
desired. There are two sets OF gaffs and
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
To Keep a Baby Quiet.

John E. Ring of Chatham, N. Y, has
invented an apparatus to give babies
plenty of air and exercise without making
too much work for mamma" The appa-
ratus is simplicity itself and appears to be
absolutely safe.
There is not much to Mr.. Rings inven-
ton. The principal part is long pole of
tough. springy wood with fastening de-
vice at its lower end and fixed block of
wood to act as fulcrum.
On the upper end OF the pole basket,
or rather receptacle, is hung in which
baby can be placed and allowed to Jump
himself to his hearts content. To adapt
the same apparatus TO babies of different
weights, there is supplementary steel
spring on the under side of the pole so ar
ranged that it can be engaged in a ratchet
and give it different degrees OF stiffness.
The basket in which the baby is placed
can be made as ornamental as desired.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
WoveI1les IN
Science, N1t and
Literature.

historical Importance that it should be
made public. / should not feel at liberty
to give an account of the details. but the
main facts l have Professor Langley's con-
sent for giving you, and they are as fol-
lows:
THE aerodrome, or flying machine in
question was of steel driven by a steam
engine. 1t resembled an enormous bird,
soaring in the air with extreme regularity
In large curves, sweeping steadily upward
in a spiral path, the spirals with diane
ter of perhaps 100 yards, until it reached q
height of about 100 feet in the air, at the
end of course of about half mile, when
the steam gave out, the propellers which
had moved it stopped and then to my sur
prise the whole instead of tumbling down
settled as slowly and gracefully as 1t Is
possible for any bird to do, touching the
water without any damage and was Inn
mediately picked out and was ready to be
tried again.
The flying-machine carries small
steam engine of one horsepower. The
whole contrivance weighs twenty-five
pounds. Its light steel framework holds
extended horizontally three sheets of thlT
canvas, one above the other. The length
over all is fifteen feet. The engine runs
two propellers.
Professor Langley will soon construct
a fller of large size, which will carry {
proper mechanical equipment and bC
capable of extended flight. The one de
scribed is only model for experimental
purposes. The inventor has not troubled
hims self to any extent about the question
of a suitable engine, which could be fur
nished easily enough when needed. Th'
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Egg Cutter, Gu de and Holder.

The invention of Hiram B. Everest of
Riverside, Cal, will be received with Joy
by all people who want to cut the tops off
their eggs neatly and cleanly. His inven-
tion consists of a handle with large fat
surface at one end. In this there is hole
OF the proper size to just fit over the end
of an egg nicely. On top of this, separated
by about one-sixteenth of an inch, is an
other plate with smaller hole in it and
SO arranged as TO swing on pivot.
To use this contrivance it is ONLY neces-
sary to place the larger hole over the egg
that has previously been placed in an egg
cup. The handle is held in the left hand,
and with the right the knife is passed be-
tween the two plates, cutting off the top of
the egg in the neatest manner.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Light Without Heat.


Not since Edison, in 1879, proclaimed the
success of his efforts in subdividing the
electric current, making incandescent
electric lighting possible. has there been
so important an announcement in the cleo
trical world as that made last week by Mr..
Nikola Tesla that the advances made bv
him in vacuum-tube lighting had reached
point that assured complete commercial
success.
The result of Tesla's work in the field
OF currents Of high frequency were first
made known to the public in his now
famous London lecture of 1891. In 1892
he gave the same lecture, with large
number of brilliant experiments, before
the National Electric Light Association at
St. Louis.
The results then exhibited were start
ling, and aroused the most intense inter-
est. At that time, however, Mr.. Tesla
himself admitted that his work was not
yet commercial. Few even of his
stanchest adherents believed it ever
would be.
Now, after four years of hard work, and
having been delayed by the fire which de-
stroyed his laboratory and much of his
most valuable apparatus, !the great in
ventor is iubilant over the measure of sue
cess achieved, and has broken the long si-
lence which he has persistently main
tanned IN regard to the progress of his
work.
-Four years ago when the first public
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Three Pens In One.

Augustus Groundman OF New York, N.
Y, has produced novelty In the shape of
a pen. 1t should also prove economical.
The pen is of the usual shape and pro-
vided with the usual point. But there are
two slots on either side of it which con-
verge in the center so as to form addi-
tional points. There is central slit that
passes along the back from the first point
10 vent in the upper point.
The idea is that when the two lower
points are used until they become worth
less they can be broken off and the portion
of the pen behind will form new point.
In this way each pen is really equal to
three.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

problem was to make machine that
would f1y, and fly in the right way; this
accomplished. there was no difficulty in
supplying the power required for a long
trip"
Influence of Bottles on Their Contents.
Experiments tried in Germany several
years ago show that ordinary beer dis
solves very slightly the glass of the bottle
in which it is kept, and more careful
measurements show that almost every
liquid, even water, can dissolve glass in
very small proportions. These facts, how
ever, are not generally known, so that the
following illustration of them, quoted from
the Natural Druggist, will cause surprise.
Probably ninety-nine persons out OF
every hundred, taken at random, would
ridicule the idea that the quality of the
glass of which bottle may be made can
have any influence on the taste or keeping
qualities of its contents. And vet, that it
does do SO. we have the best of evidence.
We are not alluding to the influence OF
light shining through the TASKS and its
action on the substance contained, but the
direct chemical reaction occurring be-
tween the glass and the material within
the flask. Very recently the following
case occurred in France. A wealthy re-
tired merchant bought lot OF very costly
and rare wine in casks, samples of the
wine from each cask being given him by
the wine merchant. The wine was de-
livered and the new owner proceeded to
have it racked off and bottled. Some
time afterward some of the wine was
brought to the table, and on tasting it the
host detected a strange, unpleasant taste.
which was also noticed by the guests.
A fresh bottle was found to be similarly
affected, and bottle after bottle was opened
with the same result. An examination of
the stock in the cellar developed the fact
that every bottle OF the recent purchase
was spoiled. a suit was brought against
the wine merchant, who declared that he
had delivered the article exactly according
to the sam Piles furnished. On examinin 2
these latter they were found in excellent
condition. 1t is unnecessary to go into de-
tails, but during the course of the action at
law some of the bottles were produced in
court, when it was found that the glass
had become Opaque. The bottles were
of the lot purchased for bottling the wine.
which had never been used. This is what
the chemist found in the glass of the un-
used bottle:
Silicic acid 30 A
Potash and soda ........................ IA
Line ............... ........................32. 30.
Argilaceous matter, iron, etc. tc...............1L1 j
In the examination of the bottles that
had been used, while silicic acid and argyll
laceous material remained constant, or
| nearly so, the lime, potash and so la were
very much diminished, and it was made
evident that they had passed into solu-
ton, forming compounds with the acid
ingredients CT the wine, decomposing the
latter and rendering it unfit to drink.
There is now suit pending against the
maker of the bottles
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Substitution for Amputation


A new and simple mode of treatment
has been introduced in France, by which,
it is claimed, a large proportion of injured
limbs low usually amputated can be
saved. The method, which is due 10 DIR.
Reclus, was recently described before the
French Congress of Surgery. and is thus
explained by the hospital: Whatever the
extent or gravity of the LESSONS, he never,
under any circumstances, amputates the
injured limb, but merely wraps 1t in anti
septic substances by a veritable lem balm
ing" process, leaving nature to separate
the dead from the living issues. This
method of treatment possesses the double
advantage of being much less fatal than
surgical ex8resis, and of preserving for
the use of the patient if not the entire
limb at any rate much larger part than
would be left after amputation. He ad-
vocates this very conservative treatment
on account of the excellent effects of
hot water, which he uses freely. After
the skin has been shaved and
cleansed from ali fatty substances by
ether, etc., in the usual way, Jet of hot
water is made to irrigate all the injured
| surfaces, and to penetrate into all the hol-
| lows and all the detached parts of the
wound, without exception. This is the
only way of removing all clots, and to
wash away all foreign bodies, together
| with the icro-organisms they may con-
tain. The advantages of hot water at this
| high temperature are threefoid-(D hot
water at this temperature is antiseptic,
heat greatly increases the potency of anti
| septic substances; ~ is hemostatic THAT
| is, stanches the flow of blood; (3) it helps
10 compensate for the loss of heat, result
ing from the bleeding, and especially from
| the traumatic shock. After the 'embalm-
| ing process, and the dead tissue has been
separated from the living, the surgeon has
nothing to- do except to divide the bone at
a suitable spot. According to Reclus, the
results obtained are remarkable.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
New Dumping-W agon.

Most of the dumping-wagons in general
use are made to dump over the back end
John Neuman of Baltimore, Md, has in
vented 8 wagon that dumps between the
four wheels.
This is accomplished by having the bed
in two pieces hinged together at the top
ana held in place by a clamp at the bot
tom. The front portion of the bed is
mounted in stationary bearing, but the
rear portion is made so that it will slide
toward the front section when both are
swung downward.
The mechanism for operating this
wagon is of the simplest kind and not
likely TO get ont of order. There is reg
ulating ratchet by which the length of the
downward tilt can be controlled. The two
beds are so carefully balanced that one
man can operate them.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

spinnakers, each supplied with a suit of
sails that can be handled Independently or
together.
There are two jibs arranged in the same
way. On either side of the bowsprit there
is a step secured to the hull. A spinnaker
boom is mounted in each. One of the lib
stays goes to the top and the other goes to
the masthead. This, of course, makes the
jibs of different sizes, but that is the way
they would be in a schooner. The sail
area of this vessel is nearly three times
that of an ordinary sloop, and there is no
doubt but that in sailing before the wind
she would be able to make good time. The
topmast Is adjustable, so that when neces-
sary it can be lowered and the vessel put
under jury rig in very few minutes.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

who visits Bascombe Manor, Bourne
mouth, England.
Herr A. Noil of Berlinchen, Germany, has
invented clock that will run 10000 years
without being wound up after it is once set
going. 1t is also provided with hands
which will correctly point to all the
changes of the moon, days of the week,
month, ETC., from now until the end of the
year 1896 AID.
Sir John Lubbock, the great British na-
turalist, has made some curious expert
ments in which he proves that the house
fly moves his wings q, 120 times minute
while flying.
The tides of to-day average only about
three feet in height. If the moon could be
brought back to within 40, 900 miles of the
earth their average height would be 648
feet.
According to the Medical Review bro
mide of sod ium is specific against sea-
sickness, and it cites many cases where
persons who were seasick on vessels along
side the dock went through cyclones with
out casting their bread upon the waters.
The remedy is to be taken two or three
days before embarkng; it is of no avail to
take it when the person is actually sea-
sick, possibly for the reason that like Ban
quo's ghost, it will not down.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Flight Is a Fact

Professor Alexander Graham Bell, the
inventor of the telephone, has witnessed
the trial fights OF the machine devised by
Professor Samuel P. Langley, formerly of
Pittsburg. Mr. Bell makes the following
statement:
81 witnessed a very remarkable expert
ment with Professor Langley's aerodrome
on the Potomac River. Indeed it seemed
TO me that the experiment was OF such
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
NORTH PACIFIC COAST RAILROAD

(Nla SausalltO Ferry.
krom San Francisco, Comms ncing March 2Q, 1606
WEEKDAYS.
For Mill valley and San Rafael - 700, $500
s9:15 1O:1o, II :45, A. NJ: s1:46, 3:20, 4:16s
Extra trips for San Rafael Mondays Wednae
days and Saturdays at IL 80 p. N.
SUNDAYS.
1or Mil Valley and san Rafael-*S 100, 1900,
$1,000, II 80 A. NJ; SAT- 80. II 80, $21b, *4:0O
o:SUt o;4o, $3.50 p II. Extra trip TO Sauaalito NJ
Trains marked run to San Quentin. Ss12s3e
M. does net run to Mill Valley.
THROUGH TRAINS.
1.4b p. n. weekdays--C.a azadero and way stations
e.U0 A. N SundayS-Cazadero aud way stations
WV A. \. Sundsys-PoInt Reyes ana way staTionA
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

The university press at Oxford has ap-
pliances for printing $50 different Ian
guages.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

SANTA FE EXPRESS
To Chicago via A. s p. Direct Line
Leaves every day at 8 P. NJ, carrying Pullman
Palace Sleepers and Tourist Sleepers tc Chicago
via Kansas City without change Annex cars for
Denver and st. Louis
SIONS leave every WEDNESDA for BOSTON
with the very latest up-to-date upholstered tourist
sleepers, in charge OF experienced agents, running
through TO destination.
New rails new ties: no dust: interesting scenery;
and good meals in Harvey dinng-rooms.
Ticket Office-644 Market Street,
Chronicle Building.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
Atlantic
AND
Pacific
RAILROAD

Trains leave from and arrive
at Market-Street Ferry.
The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

around the Vortex fer Davis.

problem was to make a machine that
would fly, and fly in the right way; this
accomplished, there was no difficulty in
supplying the power required for long
trip"
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-11

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