The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-11-07
MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Three kinds OF electric furnace are
recognized by Nj. Keller. In the arc
turnance, the heat OF the voltaic arc is
applied directly to the substance to be
acted upon, in the resistance furnace,
heat results from the passage OF the
current in imperiectly conducting ma
terlals, without any localiZ I'd arc and
In the ncandescent mrnace, the ma
teriat acted upon Is wholly non-con.
Quoting, requiring "a conducting layer
to start the process. Electric furnaces
may also be distinguished rs electricity
tic, In which electric decomposition
takes place, and electrothermic, in
which only heating effects are produc.
ed. Large electric furnaces absorb.
ing singly the equivalent Of more tnan
luoo morse power-aro q quite recent
development and they have yielded
the highest artificial heat yet produc.
ed, probably exceeding 1000 deg. G.
In condensed milk as ordinarily
produced, the percentage Of water has
been reduced by evaporation in u va.
cuum from 80 to 81 to % to 30. In q
new German process, the water is sep
arated by freezing, the milk being first
SKINNED, then placed in q centrifugal
separator, and alternately frozen and
thawed during rotation. Tho cream Is
restored to the milk before putting up,
the taste OF the product being that Of
fresh milk.
A method OF ~Cheapening storage
battery plates consists in the use of q
natural vegetable tibrous network,
such as loOfah or lutra. The cad oxide
or actiue material is applied as "a paste,
and paste and network receive u charge
OF electricity until soIidiied, when the
plates are ready to store currents in
the usual way. The plates are light
and cheap, and acid perc0lates through
them readily.
OF I3 Swiss glaciers observed last
year, only 10 showed an advance, while
63 were ~retrcating. Ouly one glacier
Of all that have been noted has shown
q steady and continuous tendency to
increase during the lass few years.
"A problem for twentieth century
engineers is the reduction Of the loss
in time and energy from the stOppage
and starting Of trains AZ way stations.
For the London underground road,
where this waste is great, Mr.. John
Ferry proposes the use ~ each station
OF a platform in the form OF Il constant
ly rotating turntable 500 feet in diane
ter, the rim OF this platform, through z
suitable curve In the track, to BE- kept
close to any train upon the line for ABOUT
hall OF the circumference, and to oc
given the same speed rs the moving
trains. The platform would be reached
by q spiral stairway at its center, where
the motion would be slight. Through
this device, passengers could enter or
leave the moving trains, stOppage being
unnecessary and on such roads 10 the
London underground or New YORK elet
waited IL might be possible to proviae "a
continuous train, which could be board.
ed at any station at any instant. a
slnpler plan was brought forward in
lndla more than twenty years ago by
Lieut.. Col. w. SGdgWick. IL wa, sug.
gested that cach slaLlOn have "a side
track u mile lOGg, with u harp incline
AT each snd, and that passengers and
baggage be carried on u platform car
on This track. Az the proper time the
car would be sent dOHn Que Of the in.
ciincs. The train on the main line
would slow mp without stopping, the
car would be M. de fast, passengers and
baggage would be transferred, and the
car Woulu tben be released with su Ill
Client momentum To carry IL TO the top
OF tie second incline, where it wousu
DO ready to serve the ncXtreturn train.
Fuel is to be made in English lac
tories from street sweepings u sew.
age, even Thames mud being converted
into a ~ComoLstlb.e yielding great neat
and only % per cent. OF ash. The vast,
material IL trcated with chemicals.
pressed into blocks, and oterilizGd al
lOO Il, the resulting rr.quettcs being
Diack and Ike the best cUui III appear
ance. The o Of the sewage fuel is
SAID to oe only Two dol airs per ton. 1t
burns !ree!y, with little smoke, and il
claimed to be equal in all respects to
the cheaper Goals.
The watch with ball bearings OF
M. Leon Gruet Is OF ordinary mans
SIZE, but its pivots all roll on hard steel
balls | 80 and | 100 OF ah inch in diane
ter, only the moving parts OF the cs.
capement being without them. Advan. |
tages In durability, etc, arc claimed.
Jewels OF sapphire and other stones |
are not needed, and with the inevitable |
cheapcning OF the minute balls, con-
siderable saving in cost Is expected.
A mud island hat lately appeared
near the a OF German Southwest
Africa has been a subject Of investiga.
tlOn. The island was visited on juno
/, z and i, but had disappeared on June
Z, and ~soundiDgs OF six and seven faith.
Oms wore obtained OF its tie. Heav,
rollers at the time OF the islands an
pearance dlG much damage about Pcli-
can Point, including TIC destruction of
q large section Of ne Y brcakwa!cr. The
waters Of Wa fish Bay were not affect-
ed, however, and it Is pointed out that
this is evidence against any theory o
volcanic disturbance, and that the mys.
tcr!ous island had an origin similar t.
the mud Jumps hat are known to
rise in the Cult of Mexico. Much sui.
phuretted hydrogen escaped from the
mud, the odor persisting in tho vicinity
after the island had sunk. Remains in
the fine mud indicate that the gas is q
result OF animal decomposition, while
the gas OF the mud OF the Gulf OF NIX.
leo arises from decsylng vegetable
matter.
A curious effect upon the glow
lamps has been noted In Calcutta dur
ing sever thunder-storms. The glow
Ing flaments suddeuly brighten after
each flash, then slowly return to nor
ma brilliancy, and this has happened
80 often that the engineers have ~striven
to explain 1t, without 6nding any de.
feet In their circuits. The only theory
open seems to be that the carbon acts
as the coherer Of q wireless telegraph
The flash produces, BY its
electric radiation, q sudden deere ase in
10