Evening star., 1897-01-23
[ LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS
1M.E}}(F LSsaA Or aAETl@W v SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
g E5.PEs Esss - IS

| Tea as the expression OF fastest travelling
of an organized body with which We are
acquainted. Recently. while observations
on the heights of clouds were being con-
Quoted at the Blue Hill Meteorological OBJ
servatory, Readville. Mass, a flock of
| duck. passed over the baselne of observa-
| tion (S,496 feet in lengthy. and by singular
| good fortune, q Simultaneous set of meas
| prements on the apex of the flock was OBJ
| tained, which, together with subsequent
| independent observations, permitted of the
| determination of the height of passage and
| of the velocity Of movement. The former
was found to be 95S feet above the tower
station of observation. which is situated in
| the valley of the Neponset river The We
| locity of flight, deduced as an average from
measurements made at opposite ends of the
line. AIS miles an hour At the time
| of flight the wind was very light, having a
i velocity. Mr.. Helm Clayton informs u.s. of
only two miles an hour. as automatically
recorded at Blue Hill Observatory, 615 feet
above the valley station. Its direction was
from the north. while that Of the flying
ducks was from the northeast. These OBJ
servations are certainly interesting. and
while they cannot be accepted as conclus-
i've that the wild duck does not in its flight
ever attain a velocity equal to that of a
moderate express train, they will certainly
tend to discredit those values Of flight
which have IN most cases been built up
solely on measurement. The more re-
liable data that have been obtained regard
Ing the flight of the carrier-pigeon have all
ready emphasized the necessary of caution
In accepting the too-ready belief in casual
observation. and, doubtless the new form
of evidence will tend still farther to impress
this caution.
Divers Telephone
An American inventor has perfected and
patented highly ingenious form of tele-
phone system for the use of subma rfne
divers. The device can be used in either
deep or shallow water.
The first requisite, of course in divers
telephone should be that the added me-
Chanism can change no conditions what
ever. in so far as making any demand upon
the divers vigilance CT activity in other
words. the telephone arrangements must
whom they are connected. The De Veau
invention accomplishes this The receiver
of the phone is within the helmet, close
to the left ear of the wearer, and is OF
the ordinary watch-case type No SI-2
The transmitter Is just above the divers
head. The circuit is formed by two wires,
the lines running through the center OF
a a, manila rope attached to the helmet
There Is. outside the helmet little tunc-
ton box, and little collar to relieve the
strain that might come on the cable Spe-
cial pains were taken with the manila
cable, which Is wound with the spiraJs of
the strands lying closely like those of
spring. Unusual protection is thus given
to the insulated wires within it,
The man on deck carries box strapped
to his body. within which is the Undue
ton coil for the system. and all the ac-
cessories, including four cells of Mesco's
battery. To call the attention of the man
below. all that has to be done is to jerk
the life line. The deck set weighs only
about four pounds. and that carried by
the diver adds only eight ounces to the
weight of the helmet. Needless to say
great gain In the speed of diving op-
eratiors viii be the certain result Of the
new submarine telephone.
Longevity and Profession.
DR. William O'1uIIi,-a, of Vat
versity. and more recently of New York.
the wcl-known medico-legal EXPERT has
been at pains to evolve a table of compara-
tive American longevity. Il have carefully
gone over the death records in ten large
cities" said Dr. O'Sullivan to the writer
for period of ten years. l have also ex-
amined the lists of two large insurance
companies. AS general result and with
out giving specific figures (for these pro-
pose publishing In forthcoming volume)
ma the somewhat surprising fact that
the commercial traveller, drummer or agent
lives longer than man in any other bust
ness. In point Of fact the drummer's pro-
fession Is two degrees higher In my per
centage list than the next-which is that of
the dentist l find that after drummers
and dentists comes the ordinary manual
laborer-the hod-carrier bricklayer and
such like person. Negro kaisomners also
are very long-lived class. Next in
the list Is the teacher and professor-in-
cluding music teachers which at first
sight would appear strange when one con-
si&ers the worriment and nervous strain to
which these persons are supposed to he
put.
'Hatters come fifth on my list, clergymen
sixth and bankers seventh. Why bankers
would live longer than butchers l do not
see, but such is the case, and there are
three degrees difference in the average per-
centages of these classes record of iongev-
ity. Following butchers 1 give a list of the
various professions and trades in their
haHra
long-lived: Lawyers, sailors, jewelers.
peddlers. milkmen, grocers, pawn brokers.
gardeners civil engineers, book agents and
canvassers. army officers and soldiers You
will notice that sailors come in far above
soldiers, and may draw your own conclu-
sions.
Newspaper men find to be very short
lived. They are very far down on the scale
even bookkeepers, cashiers artists and
architects are far ahead of them in the
matter Of age. Printers live little longer
than newspaper men. says my list-but,
most curious of all, the physician and sur
geon comes even lower than the journalist
1t seems that Esculapius cannot prolong
his own life
''Saloonkeepers, bartenders and brewery
employees are very short-lived. SO are tea
tasters. apothecaries, photographers, min
ers, bakers and cigar makers. But of all
my long list the most short-lived Of all are
auctioneers. BARRIERS, boarding house keep
ers and cabbies.
. Il merely claim for this list that 1t is the
careful probing and dissection of the deaths
reported In very large section of the
United States during the extended period
mentioned"
DIR. OSullivan has also collected English
and French statistics for a considerable
period this highly interesting subject.
He finds that the large leisure class of Eng
land is notwithstanding, in fact. after
the newspaper man OH the American list,
a fact shrewdly commentary on the pace
that kills among the ''Jeunesse doree" of
Britain. In France the longevity of the