Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-06-01

power Of the light. With only on,
nlament glowing, only half the curren
is used-thas is, taken when both arr
lighted
A company is being formed in Brus-
sells, under the name of the interna-
tlonal electric post system, to erect
electrical central stations for chang
ing accumulators at different points
en- good driving roads, where automo-
bile vehicles, particularly of tourists,
would be likely to travel The plan
provides for establishments where
not only accumulators may be
charged, but accommodations, sup
plies, and repairs provided for bicycles
and all forms of auto-carriages. There
will be a restaurant and doctors of
fee on the premises, and probably in
direct or near connection hotel or
inn where travellers may put up for
the night. 1t is intended that the first
system shall be operated on the road
between Brussels and Paris along the
Meuse valley. Eventually the system
| Will cover all the well-traveled roads
of France and Belgium, and it is be-
lleved that sufficient patronage will be
given the wayside stations by the
large number of wheelmen now fire.
quenting these roads to afford them
support until the practice of travelling
by electric or other self-propelling car
riages becomes firmly established.
The application of the Roentger
rays especially il the domain Of med
icine and surgery. are OF constantly
widening usefulness, although one
hears less of them in the daily press,
now that the keen edge of novelty has
been blunted by worlds apprecia-
ton. Two fields of exploration made
possible by the fluorescence of vacuum
tubes, and recently entered, are of
/ noteworthy promise. One is the ex-
animation of lung tissue in the case
of consumption. The healthy lung
| gives comparatively little shadow in
the sciagraph, while the diseased It's
sue has a much darker appearance in
the picture. 1t is thus possible to as
certain exactly the part affected and
to attempt palliative or remedial treat
ment accordingly. The other recent
use Of the Roentgen ray of especial
value is in observing the movements
OF the stomach and it's contents in the
preliminary digestive process. BY
mixing subnitrate of bismuth, which
is said to be harmless powder, with
the food, the movements of the stom-
ach may be seen by means Of the
Horoscope under suitable conditions.
There has just been brought forward
a portable electric safety lamp for use
in special cases when an open flame,
or even one safeguarded as in the
miners lamp, would prove dangerous.
The combination consists of a dry
battery arranged to be carried in
holder at the belt or in the pocket, the
battery being controlled by a small
rheostat, maintaining an even supply
of current to the lamp and allowing it
to burn with the same brilliancy dur
ing the life of the battery The cleo
trio lamp, connected to the battery by
flexible cord, is the miners lamp
manufactured by the Edison electric
company, and is of six candle-power,
set in a small white enameled para
bolic reflector and provided with
stick-pin to allow it to be attached to
the hat or any part of the clothing,
the light having sufficient luminosity
to permit of ordinary matter being
read at distance of 100 feet from the
lamp.
A telephone company in an Iowa
t0u do i,,4a
covery and at the same time solved a
mystery which has been puzzling it for
weeks. The telephone lines, which
had previously given good service, be-
gan short time ago to develop all
sorts of queer symptoms, the indica-
ton in some cases being so strong
that person using a receiver could
hear half dozen different people talk
ing at once. The linemen had bad
time searching up and down the wires
for the trouble. At length they
found a spot where heavy lead cable
had received shot from 22-caliber
rife. The bullet had twisted and cut
the wires and worked several varie-
ties of damage. The injured section
spliced.
A Philadelphia jeweler has COM
planned to the authorities of the an
tics of photograph located next door
to his store. One day the climax was
reached when a customer came in to
buy diamond ring. For some reason
the machine next door was quiet for
a while, and the jeweler was just on
the point of closing a highly profitable
sale when the shrill voice of the
phonograph began to sing Get your
Moneys Worth" The amazed custo-
mer hestated, and finally told the jew
eler he would call another day. This
incident was the last straw, and the
board of health will now look into the
| matter.
In recent short distance hill climb
! ing contest in France between motor
cars the successful vehicle was an
electric carriage the heaviest of all
the contestants, and accomplished the
distance of 1000 yards in three min
utes and 50 seconds. The average
gradient of the course was So per cent,
and the maximum 1915 per cent. The
carriage weighed $500 pounds, and
was driven by storage battery con-
sisting of 76 cells. This nigh rate
of speed was attained on a short
squirt, and the expenditure of energy
was considerably in excess of the nor
NAL rate of discharge Of the storage
battery.
Some manufacturers have begun to
make fancy bulbs for the incandescent