Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-12-20
ODDITIES OF SCIENCE.


In the nickel steel employed in
making armor for the United States
navy the alloys of iron and nickel are
combined in a proportion similar to
the meteorite brought home by civil
Engineer Peary.
When the proposed Pacific cable
route from Sura to Honolulu was sur
yeyed the bottom of the ocean was
found to be very uneven. One or two
uncharted portions near Honolulu
were discovered, but they are not con-
sidered dangerous to navigation, as
they are covered by water to- depth
of seven or eight fathoms.
In some parts Of Columbus, Ohio,
system of street lighting has been
adopted which is ornamental as we'll
as efficient. Nineteen arches made OF
steel angle iron, connected by. lattice
work, and forming a triangular truss,
have been put up. A galvanized iron
reflector is attached TO this, with lamps
beneath, and extending below the rim
of the reflector. The latter is painted
white, the reflector black. The aver
age cost on each thirty feet frontage
OF real estate is 81 SO per month.
A novelty has appeared in the shape
of motor horse which moves not
uron legs, but on a single wheel, about
two feet in diameter. The wheel is
attached to shafts. The frame OF
horse is constructed on an oblong sup
port over the mechanism. Lines are
attached to the mouth OF the horse.
BY pulling these, the driver causes the
animal to turn in any desired direc-
ton. The maximum speed Of this
strange steed is six miles an hour.
The device has been operated success
fully attached by uhills to a two
wheeled road cart A gasoline motor
is mounted on the wheel, which has a
tire four inches wide. Two sprocket
chains run horizontally; while third
operates perpendicularly, running over
a thirteen-inch sprocket, attached to
the front wheel, and a four-inch
srrocket, fastening to a shaft directly
over it. The machine weighs $50
pounds, but the inventor expects to re
duce the weight to about $50 pounds.
A French periodical describes a tel
escriptor," recently constructed by the
Societe Industrielle des Telephones. .
The machine is typewriter furnished
with electric contacts under each key,
that instantaneous currents may be
sent into a line when each is depressed.
A polarized electro-ma is actuated
by these currents controlling the es-
capement of a clockwork arrangement.
On the axis of this clockwork q brush
sweeps over a fixed current distributor,
with twenty eight contracts and Ia
type wheel, on whose circumference
letters and signals are engraved in re-
lief. On a movable drum in front
OF the type wheel passes a paper band
for receiving an impression. When
two people possess a telescriptor, the
calling operator presses down two
levers, the other operator only one.
BY aid of intermittent currents sent
over the lines the clock movements
start. The keys are operated like
those Of a typewriter. The words APP
pear on strips of paper, which unroll
both under the eyes of the operator
and receiver of the message. At the
end of the communication, a signal is
given, the first operator raises his sec
ond lever, while the other depresses
his, and the receiving instrument has
become a transmitter, and the trans
hitting machine a receiver. The de-
vice can be worked ais a telegraph. If
left as receiver one finds on return
ing from an absence several messages
on his paper. The machine writes
about 12O words per minute. When
necessary to send orders involving
precise terms, and in many branches
of industry, the telescriptor is said to
surpass the telephone in usefulness.
as a printed record of communication
may be preserved.