The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-04-01
ReSuScl:ltiOn After Hang
ing is Possible.
Early Attempts at Propulsion
Of Boats by Steam.
Doylce That IS Calculated to Be Oh
Benefit to Navigators.

After recent lynchng in ono OF the
xouthern state il was reported that negro
who had been strung up 10 telegr"pil
pole and left for dead was aiterwaru GUY
down by his friends and resuscleaa.ou;, Gu,
Then tho story went he had been sent out
~ the country Such story on Inc
fnce Of il seems highly improbable, M
dped ilnpossible since according 10 the
story the body was suspended "a consluer-
able length of time A medical man oe-
clnres, however, that such thing Is not
beyond the pale of possibility ana ne auus
that several cases of rcsuscitation aiter
hanging have been reported in medicai
;urisnr,dence. When the moose breaks
The neck and sewers the spinal cord death
il, OF course, complete, since surgical skiil
has not as yet progressed suiilcientiy lur
10 devise a means of repairing this delicate
ronnection of the brain and the nervous
system of the body. Many reputable
authorities have expressed the opinion
that many hanged men, who have been
merely cholyed To death, are prematurciy
buried when not dissected. hanging
Causes death by asphyxia when the neck Is
nof broken. In hot weather coagulation
Of the blood and muscular nuids rapidly
safa in. and efforts toward resuscitatlon
are of no avail after this process has be-
gun
life is said to last long time in per-
sons hanged and nearly choked to death,
II the body Is exposed To a cold tempera-
turc which suspends the computation
of the fluids. During the stage between
npparent death and coaqulation the
heart is said to work at low pre- ssurc. As
FAR hack as 1903, Aldini, a nephew or
tialvani, found that every muscle in the
body OF criminal named Foster, execu
ted for murder, retained It's excltapiilty
and. therefore, showed signs OF life
J- n m
< men and one woman who were success
fully resuscitated after hanging. Two OF
the men were each resuscitated three
times after having been hanged and ap-
parentiy choked TO death. Testimony
collected from such cases indicates that
hanging l,y asphyxia is not painful mt all.
The sensations are described as similar
10 those produced by narcotism from n
negative gas or by drowning The subjects
felt as though falling into deep senseless
sleep, sometimes accompanied by flashes
of light before the eyes and Kissing sounds
In the ears.
ssNFechanic' asks II IL is not n fact that
Fulton was the first man TO use steam
although he was probably the first to
apply steam to boat propulsion in a way
tiaat made Il commercially valuable In
ira, M. pcrier navigated the Seine Will
small steamboat, and in 11S3 Claude
Compile de Joutfroy constructed an engn,
which propelled boat on the Saone.
John Fitch of Philadelphia, Pa, in l1Ss
launched u steamboat worked by vertical
s,safitlles six on each SIDE on the Della
ware river The first practical steam
boat was built by William Symington,
the tug "Charlotte Dundas and tried
cm the Forth and Clyde Canal, Scotland,
In 1602. The first steamboat to ffoat on
Western rivers was in 1911, a stern
wheeler, built by Fulton at Pittsburg.
II 1916 the 'sOntario' built at Sackett :
Hnrbor, New York was the first steam
boat ON the great lakes, and the = Accom-
saodation' the first on the st. Lawrence
river. The first merchant steamer TO &c
sroud the world was the "Argo," In
1854.
The word "island,' - for the derivation
0f which n correspondent asks, was origi-
nally an eve or dot OF land. The Anglo
SaxOns gave names To many localities
from their supposed resemblance to parts
Of the human body, as a headland, a neck
of land, 4 tongue of land, the mouth OF G
river. the brow of HILL the back ol
chine Of a hill, the foot of hill, an arm
of the sea, and so on. The word AYE in
various forms, as ca,. ey, was used tc
designate small islands In the River
Thames there are numerous islands
known as sseyots, " "aits' or "aights.
Battcrsca was once known as Peter
Island Chelsea was Cheles-eye and Ber
mdndsey was Bermonds- eye, all of then
having been originally islands.
Among recent inventions Is dcvic
that Ii Il claimed will hear better thar
the human ear. 1t Is known as th
eophone and the United States govern
ment has recently completed series o
very successful tests af IL aboard the bat
tlcship Indiana. BY means of this con
trivance, which is placed on the top OF IN
pilot house of a vessel, it will bc possibi
to hear sounds from another vessel so IA
Away that any noise that might be mad
aboard of her less than the report of
shot of cannon would not be audible {
the ear upon the vessel which containe'
the eophone. The primary purpose &
the invention IL to prevent collisions bC
tween vessels in time OF fog and at nigh
by warning them of each others presenc,
and in like manner TO prevent shipwrec
bywurning vessels Of the proximity OF
dangerous shore.
The eophone Is intended first 10 includ
the production in the water of ccrtal
sounds which constitute intellible signal
by means Of suitable appliances upon
vessel or connected with the shoreas tl
,fcase may b.. In the second place II is f'
the Transmission OF these sound signals |
and through the water g distances limitt
only by the intensity of the sound. III
third point is that the invention provid'
for the reception OF these sound sigma
out Of the water by the invention itsel
Tho eophone consists principally OF
plate, preferably of metal, whose ar'
ranges from several square inches
several square feet. This plate serves MS
diaphragm TO resonance chamber, who
other sides may be az any suitab
inaocrial; and whose shape and size mi
Lo suitably varied TO adapt the structu
e. the special conditions of its use. Co