The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-21
SCIENTIFIC.

Gutta percha from the leaves of the caout-
chouc tree is being used by French
makers of submarine cables. 1t has all the
advantages of the product from incision
into the tree, While being less expensive ana
moro durable.
A new electrical thermometer, which can
be adjusted for any range of temperature
up to 1900 degrees c., is being made in
Frankfort, Germany. 1t depends upon a
temperature wire, the resistance of which
is constantly indicated by direct-reading
ohmmeter
A peculiar nervous disease, called mali
mali, is sometimes noticed. chiefly in old
women, among natives of the Philippine
islands. The victim, whose symptoms may
appear only on being excited, has an I'M
controllaole desire to initiate the move
ments of some person before him.
Asbestos leather-the subject of an Eng
lish patent by German inventor-is made
by dividing asbestos into very fine fibers,
immersing and thoroughly coating with a
rubber solution. and then evaporating the
solvent. The fibers cohere. perfectly. The
mass may be pressed or rolled into any de-
sired FORM and the product is said to re-
semble leather very closely in peculiarities
and structure.
Electricity in the air is assigned by Loem-
stroem, of Helsingfors, as the cause of the
rapid development of vegetation during the
short northern summers, but his theory is
through chemical changes in the atmos-
phere brought about by s1e electricity, and
that it is not a result OF eiectrlncatlon or
the plants. The problem Will be studied IN
the researches he is to make in Finland with
Professor Bailey. of Cornell.
Instead of sunlight for Photographic
printing. the apparatus of Schwartz. Ger
man operator. uses several electric arcs, be-
hind each of which are three plain re-
Electors covered with white enamel. The
lamps are conveniently mounted on a stand.
To uniformly illuminate a surface OF one,
square meter requires four lamps at the
corners of a square, and with these prints
are made in fifteen minutes to one hour,
according to the strength OF the current and
constituencies of the paper.
The more accessible portions of the globe
having been explored. geographers are now
correcting their imperfect records. Text
books and the latest maps represent the
Arctic coast of Siberia as fiat. water
soaked tundra. but this. DR.. X. Hikish has
just pointed out TO the Russian Geograph-
zeal Society + dscdedy NV wrong rasic only N
shores. East of the Yenesei to Boring strait,
as early as explorers knew. the coasts are
hE1 an and nsrs the eas o. on i've detas at he
mouths of the Olenek, the Lena, the 1ana
and the Indighirha-
The actinic qualities of light under vary
ing atmospheric conditions have been stud
led by Rev. j. Nj. Bacon. 1t was found that
when diffused light was shut out by mar
row tube Photographic action was retarded
by dust or cloud in the proportion OF the
amount of foreign matter present but II
was easy to so arrange that the presence
of a litffe white smoke with diffused light
Increased the rapidity Of action. Heated air
produced retardation until the sensitive
plate itself had become consideraDiy neaAe9'
when acceleration might be noted Inc eli
feet of moisture was most striking. moist
air seeming 70 be not only much more
difYused liRht DurfnS the total eclipse 10