The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14
VOTES ON sc1EvcE AVID 1yDrsrRr.

trunk line from the coast OF the Baltic. across the
Norwegian boundary. and up 70 ofodsn, on the
shore. Of the Arctic Ocean. This. a. . geographical
fact, implies that such q railway line will be the
northernmost in the world. Its Norwegian terminus
IL TO be located close 10 latitude 6ps north. which ts
$50 miles north OF the Arctic circle. and, Of course.
on the same latitude - the middle part CT Greenland
and the northern shures Of British North America.
AlhstA, and siberia The remarkable fact appear.
however, that though this road is lAid almost within
sight Of the Pole, It will lead 70 a hhrbcr which.
favored By the Gulf Stream. IL open all the yeAr
round, and from which the valuable mineral trnns-
ures Of Swedish LAplhnd may be shipped hdvAn-
tACeously to all parts Of the world.
In q communication to the RerUe GtAtraIe des No
herI colorantes, NJ. Jefevre points out that viSoose.
prepared from AlkAli-ctllulcse. may be applied TO
textiles, forming on the latter = superficial layer Of
equal elasticity with the underlying material. and,
when pressed, embossed. &c, furnishing 4 good imi-
tation Of leather for hrokbindinG. Very nne effects
can also be produced IN the case OF Light linen and
cotton goods by stepping them in viscose mixed with
kAolin and subjecting them 20 pressure and heat,
thus furnishing a dressing unAltered By washing.
bleaching. or even by boiling with SOAP. and hence
superior 70 ordinary CHM clay and starch dressings.
visoose can also be applied to parts Of the surface by
printing designs with the same either before or after
printing in COLOR; in the former case. when basic
dyes Ars used, only the portions covered with eellu.
lose retain the colorlng matter.
1t would seem from the ofbciAl report OF the United
States Government timber tests that to determine
the difference in strength values Of ~SPecimenB Of the
same kind of wood = large number Of experiments
are essential. Wood being . non-homoGeneous
material and extremely variable in its strength and
other properties. the range Of its variation in these
respects lie of great practical importance 70 builder
and others. II is stated that small dtherenoet-Euch
as a few hundred pounds in values Of 10000 pounds
or more-Are too small TO determine the mtt:er Of
quality in general; and the fact IL made apparent
that mistaken conclusions as to the relative values Of
VARIOUS wood materials have arisen from differences
in data which. according TO this report. might fairly
be considered within the range OF variability OF each
material By itself. The results Of the Government
series Of experiments In this line indicate how much
uniformity may be expected IN timber. and plainly
show that differences Of less than 10 per cent in
ordinary wood testing with conifers and IL per cent
in hard wood may be looked for in stock Of the HNns
kind. and must not be REGARDED As q criterion for or
against the whole.
The work OF developing q water power At Belle
Earde. at the point where the river Rhone disappeArs
from view, IL now in proCress and il attracting
much attention. The river here, As 10 well known,
IL Bhut in between two rocks, is only ten or twelve
feet deep. and then falls with 4 tremendous roar into
a deep pit At times Of low water the nver dtsAp-
pears for n distance OF ESQ feet. emerging again be-
Low the bridge which connects the Department Of
Ain with that Of Upper Savoy. The dAmming Of the
Rhone. which was an engineering feat demanding
boldness and rapid construction, was begun II JEnu'
AIRY last by putting above the pit heavy steel I heAmA,
these forming the support Of = masonry arch bull;
Of Portland cement: on this arch = double vault Of
ruhble work Wa built. on which rests the body @.
the dam. the whole forming = solid pier. The worn
in question was commenced on the 18th Of the
month. and II the space OF two weeks the piece, con
tanning some 10, 600 cubic feet. wa finished. and by
the 18th Of February, one month from the begin
r,yr ,hE -er ecYrgfrnrfIOv n rSyplgtAi And fhs
tInprscntnE OF the waters Of the Rhone was an 20
comphshet fact
Some interesting experiments bearing on the con
duct;vtr of lightning conductors have been nAdI
By Prof. Koch. rs reported IN IHdUEt-iI 1nd Iron
he formed q chain several yards long with Links o.
iron OXIDE. and placed ii IN circuit With two Aocuuu
lstor cells and q GhlrEnoDeter. the chain being il
room thirty yards from the galvGnoneter. When
spark was discharged IN the vicinity OF the chain. th'
deviation Of the GAlvEnoneter showed that the re
Eistance Of the ircuit WAS reduced 70 one-thousAndti
Of lite normal vSlue, and IN . second experiment th'
resistance FELL TO one ten-thousAndth of the normal
From these experiments Prof. Koch finds An e1plh
nation why lightning con dueturs with poor cnnduc
tvi;y are nevertheless effective in thuuderstorrns
The oscillations produced provoke Al enormous re
ducton Of Resistance at the proper instant 70 tAc1l
tate the Cow Of current through the conductor.
Anew p-cduct- simple by-product-of the dAtr
is the Manufacture Of slzng 10 be used by the mAnu
tAcrurers Of paper. 10 pu; the glazing on paper Of In
quality. The practice heretofore in ~Aoconphshina
this purpose has been 70 use q superior grade of glu
with other compound, but IT has now betn sAni
= fGctorily sscerGAtned that 3 much better and cbeApe
SIZING Is obtAinAhle from Eklm milk. So trustTor1h
is the article in this application that = hveyeAr cor
tract is said TO have been made By one concern I
-, furnish the liquid to some large paper manufacturer
The sk1m milk 10 be used in this way is put IN 3 va
= treated with chemicals. and heated unit. curd
formed, the curd being then wished, pressed Al
conveyed 20 the headquarters plant; here 1t il groun
hne and put in . large and improved d11ng hll
where it II dried in about twelve hours. then hAEge
and il ready for shipment
Al the United States Naval Observatory is an e1pel
/ omc,Al ii the head Of a departaent-prohAbly II
Z most perfect Of its kind in the v~orld-vhose duty
u TO keep in hand for the use Of the nAvy thorough
! tested ehron0mStsrS. 4 WORK which requires muc
care And attention SIX months in the rear. For IN
, purpose 3 temperature room ls connected with II
chronometer and time-servloe department. IN whic
Is the testinEz are made, under the influence Of 4 hydr
metric condition Of the Atmosphere Comparison
are made daily between IL and II 30 O'Clock. NOR
ing, with the mean TINE standard clock. and the E
L rors and rates are worked up once = week. from theI
!" mean rates calculations being made. and compA
u isons to the nearest quarter Of . second. II
temperature is closely observed each day and r
q corded for the previous tWerty-four hours by
chronometr7c thermometer. and by self-regiEter'r
maximum and minimum thermometer. The roo,
= IS heated By circulation Of hot water. the fuel betr
gas, and 10 cooled by Al ice refrigerator when
I temperature IS required below that Of the outside q
u muFphere. Fog the six colder months the temper
ture room Is kept within q range Of two degrees.
One Of the largest print works in England. locLnc
not named, IL reported 20 have displaced the stAA
engine with electric motors. and this plant, viii
y has been running a year, is said to give great sat
faction. Each machine is ttted with . slow -Fpe
ironclAd motor, entirely incAsed. and hence is tr
ie from accidental damage. The problem Of goVsrriI
?, the speed Of the machine is declared 70 have been
d this cAse very successfully solved by resort5ng 20 4
II Introduction Of = specially devised switch, the Pee
10 hArty OF this beinS that II vAres the degree Of els
70 ticAl pressure Al Uhich the current il supplied % I
motor. and introduces Resistance into the beld c
cult. By means Of this unique arrangement 1t
:, found possible 10 control the speed Of printing
or well as to vAry it from Eve yards TO a. many a. ak