Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-08-03

| The voice of a woman Is audible in
a balloon at the height of about two
miles, while that of a man has never
reached higher than a mile.
The Introduction Of the electric light
In the Roman catacombs has been
chronicled already. Now it Is proposed
to light the galleries of the great pyra-
mids of Egypt in like manner.
A recent ocean going freight steamer
has run for twelve months on an ex-
perditure of a little over one pound Of
! coal Per horse power per hOur-in IA
miliar terms. about half a quart Of
coal did the work Of horse for an
hour. The engine had five cylinders,
and the steam pressure was 25O pounds
to the square inch.
DR.. l.. l.. J. See found the cause of
the twinkling of stars to be the pres
ence In the atmosphere of innumerabl
little air currents or waves. which dart
through the air and cause a break in
the light from the star. These little
air currents can be distinguished
through the 24inch telescope very
plainly, on nights when this twinkling
is observed most. by removing the eye
piece of the instrument.
In the Interior of Australia absence
of water has prevented not only the
settlement, but In some places, even
the effective exploration, of the coun-
try. At present the artesian well sys-
tom Is being steadily extended into the
arid regions. and at the recent meet
ing of the Australasian Association for
the Advancement of Science, Sir James
Hector declared that this advance of
the wells was n feature of great prom
ise In the future OF the more barren
parts Of the Australian continent.
A strange account is given of the
performances Of a government artesian
well at Lower Brule Agency. in South
! Dakota. When first driven, the well
threw up column of water six inches
In diameter After aniie 1t began -
spout. alternately, sand and water. Re
cenfly blue clay has taken the place
OF both sand and water. There seems
to be an endless supply of the clay,
and the pressure upon 1t In the bowels
Of the earth must be tremendous. 1t
completely fills the 6-inch pipe. and is
sues at the top like a gigantic sausage,
rising to a height of five or six feet
before 1t topples over. 1t Is necessary
to remove the deposit of clay In order
to save the well from becoming buried
under 1t. The clay does not flow con-
tinuously, but, It is said, usually com
mences a little before the advent of
windy and stormy weather, indicating
change In the pressure due to the
state of the atmosphere.
The surprising certainty with which
shots from modern rifled cannon reach
targets several miles distant depends
upon an accurate knowledge of the
range. In a combat with hostile ships
the range must he continually chang
Ing. and one Of the means for its quick
ascertainment Is the range-fnder IN
vented by Lieutenant Fiske of Our
navy. Two telescopes are fixed on the
deck of a ship at a known distance
apart. An observer at each telescope
keeps 1t directed upon the enemy's
ship. The telescopes are electrically
connected, and a Wheatstone bridge
and galvanometers are included In the
circuit. As long as the telescopes are
perfectly parallel In direction, the
Wheatstone bridge remains In equilib-
rum, but when they are converged
upon a single object, the equilibrium is
destroyed, and the needle Of the gal
vanometer swings over a distance cor
responding to the angular displace-
ment of the telescopes. A properly
graduated disk behind the needle
shows at a glance the distance of the
object at which the telescopes are aim