Evening star., 1897-02-06
LATE ACHIEVEMENTS
In Exploration, Science and Indus
try.
TO PREVENT RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
The Writing and Arithmetic Of the
Caves.
SPEED IN TELEG Apply

A patent has just been granted in Wash
irgton for device to be attached to loco
motives which will probably prevent many
railroad collisions and other accidents in
the future. 1t is not so much a new device
as 1t is new application of certain prin-
ciples which have always been known to
exist ON locomotives. The public is. gen.
orally speaking not aware of the fact that
an engine, with or without steam on board,
running away on a down grade by the
mere force of it's own gravity, can, without
the use of brakes. be brought to a standstill
within distance of a very few feet. 1t is
being done every day in the shops of the
New York elevated railroad. One repairing
plant is on level with the street line. A
heavy grade leads up to the tracks. When
locomotive is to be brought into the shops
steam is blown off while it is yet on the
structure. The engine is then pushed over
the e1ge of the incline and allowed to run
of its own weight down grade. BY GER
tain use of the lever the man aboard is able
to bring 1t to standstill within a few feet
of the rear wall of the shops. The princi-
pie applies to surface railroads and the pat
ent referred to takes advantage of it, 1t is
due to the following facts:
If an engine is allowed to RIM down hill
OF it's own momentum it is found, provided
the lever is reversed, that the operation of
the piStOnS causes a certain amount of air
to be compressed in the cylinder. By a
correct manipulation Of the lever an
amount cdn be stored sufficient to stop the
working OF the pistons and consequently
the locomotive
Except in shops and occasionally during
an accident, however, the principle has
lever been considered sufficiently important
to be worth utilizing. All modern trains
use the compressed air brake. The reSer-
voir for the compressed air is located on
the engine and Is controlled by lever
Sometimes this store of compressed air
gives out and fatal accidents have resulted
in consequence of the brakes refusing to
work. The patent in question is simply
this, that the supply of compressed air
shall be supplied by the engine itself. A
small tube will be connected between the
Cylinders of the locomotive and the COM
pressed air reservoir. If the engineer in
running. finds, as is frequently the case,
tf at the compressed air system has sprung
leak, he will, hereafter, be able to keep
Up sufficiently powerful working quantity
by merely shutting off steam and allowing
the train to speed forward of its own in
ertia or momentum. which it will, of course.
do for a considerable distance on the level
then reverse his lever and allow the piston
to pump the resulting compressed air up
through the newly attached tube to the
re gular reservoir. In a moment the latter
Mill be pumped full and before the train
has even begun to slow up steam will be
again turned on and the regular speed
naintained. If this contrivance had been
In general use sooner the recent Blue Line
accident in New Jersey would not have
happened
Teaching Monkeys to Read.
Not little surprise was occasioned some
ten or twelve years ago, when Sir John
Lubbock. the distinguished British natura.
ist. announced that favorite dog Of his
had been sufficiently initiated into the mys-
tefies of the English alphabet as to permit
Inn to properly spell short morosyllabic
words, ard to interpret these in a manner
SO as to convey his canine thoughts to his
master. In brief by means of cards of
single letter each. Zip by bringing them
together in their proper sequence. would
spell out the desl ed wCrGs Of his MIND
such as meat out" go" etc.-anI.
placing these at the feet of Mr.. Lubbock.
to bring forth. and which was invariably
assured. There can hardly be question
that the mental operation which deter
mined the spelling and Interpretation of the
words was identical in kind with that which
is made the basis of our own early compre-
hension-that which is associated with the
learning from letter blocks by children
ar d whether 1t was more in the nature of
memory feat than anything else barely
affects the question. few years later
equal surprise was manifested at the eX-
ploits OF a certain baboCn in South Africa,
which, on the death of Its m6Ster-a flag
ed his services with such regularity aad
precision as to warrant the retention of the
ape in the employ of the railway company
until the time of his death. 1t is unfortu-
nate that no detailed sc.sntitic examination
of this remaI Ikabe simian was made pos
sible, but general facts surrounding its
career are 4 part of geological history.
We are as yet hardly ir position to judge
of the mental capacity of the apes but
there is scarcely a doubt that it is of
much higher order than is commonly as
sumed. Stanley, quoting from the note
took of the late Emin Ptsha. asserts that
some of the anthropoids of east central
Africa are acquainted with the use of fire,
and that in small drovcs, under the guild
ance of torchlights they would conduct
their foraging expeditions. If this be true
and there seems little reason to distrust
the statements of SO acc Lrate an observer
as was Emin Pasha-ther 1t is an indica-
ton of i decidedly advanced position held
by the animal in relation to the arts. The
recent efforts of Mr.. Garner of New York to
interpret monkey speech by locking him.
self up with the large anthropoid apes in
the forests Of equatorial Africa, and to de-
duce from this speech the limits of simian
observation and reasoning. have had no
results. except those of failure. Much more
can be expected from the school or schools
which have latterly been established by the
British government in IEdia for the instruc-
tion in reading writing and manners of
ares and of accurately determining their
capabilities. One such. in the presidency
of Bombay, with six qualified instructors.
has recently sent in report of progress,
and from this it would appear that the
charces are at least good to make reputable
and ''cultured"-beings shall we call them?
cut of simian stock. The full results of
what promises to be most important in
quiry will be awaited with much interest.
Endurance of Heat and Cold.
Not the least interesting of the many
results of Nansen's expedition are the rec.
ords of meteorological observations that
were continued almos. uninterruptedly for
the better part of three years. and which
throw distinct light upon the climatic con-
ditions of the far north. These show what
had already been well suspected by scfen-
tists-that. SO far minimum tempera-
ture Is concerned, the highest northern
latitudes are more favorably situated than
many regions lying full II degrees or 20
minutes Approximately 1O00-14tO milesl
further to the south. The lowest reading
of Nansen's thermometer, registered on
hoard the Fran, was 6l5 degrees F., or
some 12-i5 degrees higher than the mini
mum noted by the British polar expedition
of 1876, and degrees above the mini
mum of Kane. The lowest winter tenn
perature recorded by Mr.. Peary was H
degrees F. In strange contrast to this in
itself sufficiently severe temperature are
he nf loo 70