Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-01-28

Among the many curious inventions
In which electricity plays the principal
role is mentioned a pen, provided near
b point with n minute incandescent
lamp, intended to illuminate a small
space IN the paper. and prevented from
shining into the eyes of the writer by q
little reflector placed just above it.
In Il concert hall of Paris, electric
energy has been put to the novel S
of moving the ceiling. This is in two
parts, which are drawn back on travel
ing cranes, opening the hall to the glass
roof by day. The opening or closing Of
the ceiling is effected in one minute by
two electric motors.
A wealthy lady who possesses n pet
Maltese cat found recently that the
cats eyesight began to fail, so she took
him to an ocuiist. BY means of a pic
ture of a mouse the oculist quickly
learned what vas the matter. and was
able to fit the cat with glasses. The
lenses We're set in gold frames especial
ly made, and now the cats eyesight is
as good as ever.
DIR. G. X. Gilbert, of the Geological
Survey. says that a comparison Of gage
records for n period of twenty years
shows that the land surrounding the
Great Lakes is being gradually tilted
from northeast to southwest Mt such a
rate that, of two points 100 miles apart,
the northern rises five inches with ref
erence to the southern in 100 years. At
Chicago the lake level rises about one
inch in ten years. Dr. Gilbert predicts
that, if this movement continues, in
about 5000 years all the upper lakes
will discharge into the Illinois River,
the Detroit and st. Clair Rivers will
flow backward, carrying the water of
Lake Erie into Lake Huron, and the
Niagara River will run dry.
A new fireproof paper, made in Ber-
lin, is reported to be capable of resist
ing even the direct influence of flame,
While it may be placed in a white heat
without harm. 1t consists of 90 parts
of the best asbestos fibre, which is
washed in a solution of permanganate
of calcium, and then treated with sui
phuric acid and 5 parts of ground wood
pulp, the entire mass being placed in
the agitating box, with the addition Of
some lime water and borax. After thor
ough mixing. the material is pumped
into a regulating box, and allowed to
flow out of a gate into an endless wire
cloth, where it enters the usual paper
making machinery.
|! The electric trolley has been n source
of great injury to metallic pipes in it's
vicinity, causing their corrosion by cleo
trolysis. Recently it has been found
that the operation of the syphon re-
corder of the submarine telegraph ca.
BILE at Cape Town, South Africa, was
lnterfered with by the new trolley line.
The shore end of the submarine cable
FOR the length of a mile was ut a mean
distance of one-half a mile from the
trolley line. AS n remedy, a second or
dummy cable, with an earth plate, was
laid as nearly as possible over the old
one, and this effectually cancelled the
disturbances. Observations made in
London have shown that the earth's
magnetic field is disturbed over the
whole neighborhood of the City and
South London Electric Railroad, and
in the United States the utility of the
magnetic observatory in the new naval
observatory is threatened by the troll