The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-10
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

ming boards and beneath the boiler thus
ena bling the engineer and fireman to ex-
anime any part OF the machinery with
ease,
One of the interesting pieces Of ep-
paratus recently shown at che Royal So
ciefy SoIree. at London. was clock
which. was COM rolled from distance by
means of wireless telegraphy. The zig
nails were transmitted by Hertz waves,
and there was short vertical wire. a
coherer, relay and local battery. which
worked the mechanism OF the clock IL
was stated that with the use of a stand
ard pendulum and his apparatus. all the
clocks IN town would be kept alike
without the use of wires.
Increased interest Is being manifested
In electrical works in Spain, ard a COM
pany has recently been formed by CONT
mental capital 60 utilize the power Of
waterfall al Caldas de Reyes and furnish
light to a number of towns in the vicinity.
One thousand horsepower is generated
at this cataract. and is transmitted TO
various distances up to tweniy-six ki,o-
meters. The machinery used is French.
the copper employed in the conductors
comes from France and Germany, while
the lamps are mostly Of Budapest manu-
facture,
MN II. Moissan and P. Lebau have re-
Gently announced to the Academic des
Sciences In Paris that they have succeeded
In obtaining new gaseous substance, per-
fuofide of sulphur. The new gas is color
less, odorless, tssteless and incombust-
bic. IL solidifes at a temperature of 50
degrees Centlgrade. forming white crys-
talline mass, and at a slightly higher tenn
perature 1t iquefies and boils. Most of the
properties of the new gas are similar to
those Of nitrogen. 1t is but slightly solu-
bic in water, and more so in alcohol which
has been boiled and deprived of all water.
The banana plant is remarkable as
yielding under similar conditions of Gull
tivation forty times as much as the po-
tatoes and one hundred times as much
as wheat for the same amount of land.
The fruit has also great nutritive quail
ties on account OF the large amount of
saccharine substances which it contains,
these forming % per cent. of its compost
ton, while there is also Y per cent. of
water and 2.l4 per cent. of pitrogerous
matter. In Mexico it is stated that one
hectare of land planted with the banana
win yield food for $50 men, while the same
territory planted with wheat would fur
nisll food for but six individuals.
"A novel form of electrically heated
soldering iron Is being used in Germany, in
which the copper Of the iron is heated by
means OF an electric arc in closed cy
Hinder and the same arrangement has
also been applied to flatirons. In the sold
ering iron there Is cylinder of wood
which carries at one end the soldering
iron itself, while at the other there is
receptacle for the carbon. The arc is
formed between the carbon and the cop
per, and the consumption of the carbon
n said to be small on account of the
arc heing enc,oTed. From four to five
- Of
sure of from twenty-five to thirty-five
volts.
There has been constructed at Port
land, Ore, dredge Of novel design, which
Is to be used in gold mining along the
beach at Cape Nome, Alaska. 1t is to
work from the mark Of low tide to water
OF ten or twelve feet depth, and rests on
large rollers, so that its position may be
readily changed. These rollers are mount
ed on three vertical shafts, and these
shafts can be adjusted so as to keep the
platform carrying the machinery always
level and above water. The power is fur
nished by gasoline engine, and operates
a chain OF buckets. which are capable OF
excavating to a width of twenty-five feet
and a depth of six feet. The gravel is
raised to a platform, where there is ma
chinery which throws out the coarser par
tlcles and passes the finer grains to fluted
by amalsamation through a shaking or
reclprocuring motion.
"A few weeks ago a preliminary test
was made of the great telescope at the
| Paris Exposition. aud the results are said
| to at least equal. if not surpass. the pre-
| dictions of rs designers and makers. In
| an observation OF the sun it vas possible
| to see the movements of flame which
! have up 10 the present time only en-
| visible as Coronal excrescences during an
! eclipse. II Is also stated that the moon
! appears as at a distance of only fiftv
| miles. and that craters of 500 meters in
| diameter are clearly visible. The tele-
| scope, which differs from the usual type
in being fixed in horizontal position ard
| having the light from the heavenly
| bodies reflected into it by moving mir
| ror or siderostat, is located in a build ng
| near the Ethel tower. This building con
! sists OF n long gallery, containing the
/ tube of the instrument and connectir q
! two anphitheaters. in one of which is 10 j.
Gated the siderostat, and in the other an
auditorium where photographs taken with
/ the special lens of The telescope orc
! thrown on a screen. The greatest care
/ has to be exercised in using the ,eIe-
| scope, and in the observations made on
| the sun the precaution was taken-of lin
! iting the duration Of the observation, as
| Il was feared the heat would deform the
| glass.
-Marconi received two patents for wire
less telegraph apparatus on May % The
specifications state that experience has
shown that the aerial conductor some tins =
becomes charged with atmospheric cleo
trieity. end when the same conductor is
used. both for transmitting end receiving
this electricity discharges through he
operator when he shifts the conductor
| from the transmitter to the receiver or
through the coherer when the conductor
Is shifted from one instrument to the
other--thus either giving a shock 10 TIE
operator or injuring the coherer. To OF
viate this, the aerial conductor Is led in
close proximity to enc terminal of q spark
ing apparatus; and IL Rhumkorff coil
or transformer Is used. the aerial c9nduC-
tor can thus discharge itself by the smq II
spark gap 10 earth through the secondary
winding, thereby preventing the ac.u-
mutation of atmospheric electricity in it,
TO this end the arm CT the transmitting
key Is prolonged beyond its Pivot. AMI
carries an insulated terminal which is
permanently connected TO the aerial con-
duetor. Below this, terminal there Is en-
the base of the instrument the te-mia1l
of the receiver. The arm Is so hirangei
that Immediately IL is released ty the cper-
htor after sending a message. Il turr
about on it's pivot and thus connects the
receiver TO the aerial conductor.
In a medical journal an article is de-