Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-03-22
!Altxamdria 46szeftq.
TUE sDA. EVENING, MAR % rs
THE ROUSS PHYSICAL LABORA
TORY


The new physical laboratory of the
Uulvtrsl,y OF Virginia, now completed
and occupied, is in several was prob
ably unique, and there is certainly no.
thiI to compare with it south OF the
Potomac. The amphitheatre in which
the larger classes meet is lighted entire
" by sky-light, having no side window 5
whatever. The apl aratus room, In
stead OF containing glass cases for the
apparatus, is in itself d single glass case,
surrounded by double windows, fitted
with rubber joints to exclude dust.
The laboratory for junior expeIim 3nts ac
commodities fifty student; AT a time. AMI l'-
ca ed rs it is on the ground floor, surrounded
on three sides by numerous large window
its construction IS almost ideal 20 far as ST.
bility and light are concerned. In one pOr-
ton of the basement is tie electrical laborA
tory, and in another is large room contain
ing piers for delicate work requiring extr III
stability Other rooms are arranged for opti-
cal experiments, and among the many inter-
esting pieces of optical apparatus, either Sc
cured or ordered, two are worthy OF especis
mention. o Q of these is a Nicholson inter
ferometer-lhe only one in the southland o.:
still greater int rest is Rowland concave
=
delicate spectroscopic work This beautiful
instrument is eq1a to the finest in the world;
in fact, in this country, probably tbs onlS
duplicate of it is that in Professor Row and 5
own laboratory in Baltimore
The workshop is so planned with watch
makers lathes and other delicate appliances
that are necessary, that the finest lnstrum 1nls
can be made on the spot.
In an external angle of the building Is sit
uated q tower, 10 one corner OF which eau be
swung &C feet pendulum for gravity eX'
periments; in another, wires can be arranged
FIR torsion experiments. and still other VOTE
is TO be conducted in a third.
Everywhere throughout the fuilding the
greatest care has been taken to secure those
three essentials 10 a physical laboratory,
namely: Light, stability and uniform tenn
pcrature.
SECOND Moon OF THE EARTH AT me l.
ing of the British Chronological aud Astro-
nomical Association, at the Memorial H II,
London, Dr. J. B. Dmbleby said that what
he knew about the alleged discovery of the
second moon was not very much, and no did
not know that anybody knew much about II
He was an incredulous man on the WI ole,
and he was incIedulous about DR.. Waite.
maths tables of the clements of this Now
moon, though it had to be admitted that there
were dark objects passIng between us and
them. Then, again, it was said that the spo's,
as they were called, that were seen upon the
disk Of the sun were not huge cavities in The
Philosopher of the sun, but were masses u
matter floating between us and The sun. One
astronomer, man of considerable repule,
had ventured 10 say that there WAS an inter
mercurial planet, which was called Vulcan.
That astronomer had said that he had seen a
planet passing in IT Dsit across the disk OF the
sun, and it had been stated that this planet,
which nobody else had seen may have been
the new moon of DR.. Waltemath. However,
il was to pass in t ansit across the sun in
July next and many would 30 ubt
watch for any dew lopments 1t IVES said
that in the last tine we were to expect
that the heavens would be shaken, thai the
sun would be oark ened. and he moon turned
into blood, and that the stars from heaven
would fall, which he he speaker supposed
could be easily accomplished by the axes OF
the earth altering their position. II this new
moon should turn out to be fact, all ought
to rejoice that we are on the par with Mars,
who has two small moons. SO small, though,
that there were on Y few telescopes 10y which
they could be seen. The new moan was a
very small body, being stated 10 be less than
one-half the diameter of our own moon. II
was onlv 10 be hoped that it might receive
more rehectiye power if it existed London
Globe