New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-26


construction of such vehicles also remain to be
settled. Hence the time has not come for books
OF permanent value on this subject. Neverthe-
less such a keen interest has already been be-
trayed by the public that literature dealing
only partially with the matter is in demand. AS
its title shows The Electric Automobile Oh S.
Stone & Coz, Of c. E. Woods treats OF emily
one kind of horseless carriage, but it is the kind
with which jewellers in large cities are most IA
1railiar perhaps And it is fun Of practical hints
A little space is devoted primitive auto
mobiles and 10 suggestions for the organization
and conduct Of automobile clubs But the book
aims primarily to explain its readers the
construction of the vehicle the accumuators
in which is stored the power required for the
operation of the carriage the nature and traits
Of the motor mechanism. and the precautions
10 be observed both in stable testing and in the
use Of the automobile the road. In these feat
ures the book VIII be found highly satisfactory
at least. for the present
It is almost automatic that water is the best
scavenger in cities. and that the best way TO
carry off sewage IS to allow it to flow into con-
Quits that occasionally receive accessions Of
water The latter may come either from the
local waterworks or from the sky. It has been
found. however that the size of q conduit which
will accommodate both the sewage of a town
and all the rain that may fall during a heavy
shower must be large that the sewage
will move toe sluggishly at other times. Hence
A system which provides channel for the
sewage and another for the storm water gives
more satisfactory results, from a sanitary point
of view. That is the phase Of the subject which
ought TO be paramount. This explanation will
enable any one who has not hitherto given at
tention to the matter to understand the signif-
canoe of the title given by Cady Staley and
George S. Pierson a book written by them
for the D. Van Nostrand Company, The Sep
arate System Of Sewerage" A third edition of
this work has just been issued. It contains
appreciabe additions TO the original material
Mechanical engineers have occasion every day
TO make calculations in which algebra, arith-
netic anG geometry are needed. And they also
wish to refer TO tables showing the strength
and weight Of different materials used in con-
struction. Such men VIII find Peder Lobben's
''Machinists and Draftsmen's Handbook"
great convenience. This collection of data is
large one, and is made bya who has
reputation for accurate writing. The D. Van
Nostrand Company issues it.
A number of otherwise laborious mathemat-
cal calculations may now be performed by
purely mechanical device known the slide
rule" The fundamental principle Of it is a
convenient property of logarithms for simplify
ing such work. A number Of articles on the
use Of this instrument were furnished to THE
American Machinist' a year ago by the
associate editor w. A Halsey. These have
now been collected and amplihed for the Van
Nostrand Science Series. Experience is requisite
TO get the desired results from a slide rule,
especially in extracting square roots but the
device is wonderful labor saver. Mr. Halsey
indicates the pitfalls that are liable to entrap
the beginner, and supplies useful hints in other
directions
Field Testing for Gold and Silver" just is
sued by the D. Van Nostrand Company is
handbook OF instructions for prospectors and
miners. Il describes the methods employed by
experts for ascertaining the precise amount of
precious metal contained in placer deposits or
mines, and discusses at considerable length the
kinds Of rock with which gold and silver are
generally associated. William Hamilton Mer-
rift. the author is member of numerous o.
cieies Of mining and civil engineers, and re-
Gently served on the Royal Commission to in
vestigate the mineral resources of the Province
of Ontario.
In the guise Of Stories of the Great Astrono-
rners'' %. Appleton & Coz DR.. Edward S. Hol-
den has presented good deal of scientific
knowledge in a simple fashion. With more or
less biographical matter he combines expIana-
lions Of the way in which man is able to tell
the distance of the stars, and whether they are
moving toward away from him. and a host
Of similar discoveries by famous star gazers.
The narratives are ostensibly designed for chill
dren. but they are equally adapted to the in
struction OF more mature people.
revised edition of Mabel LOOMS Todd's
Total Ecipses of the Sun has made its appear
ance from the press Of Little. Brown & Co
When the book first came out, several years ago
It was recognized as the best thing Of its kind
in recent literature. The writer is the daughter
Of one astronomer and the wife of another. The
latter is widely known a specialist in eclipse
work Mrs. Todd herself has a keen insight
into the subject and an attractive style. The
principal ADDITIONS made in the editions
are reports Of the results attained in 1896 and
1895.
An attempt to furnish elementary instruction
in botany, astronomy. geology. zoology and sew
eral other sciences. not independently, but as
somewhat related TO each other, has been made
h. Edward Gardiner Howe. Of the Illinois Uni
versity. The first Of his two volumes made its
appearance a year or two ago The second has
just been published They constitute feature
OF the Appleton Educational Series edited by DR.
w. 7. Harris Mr. Howes method is exclusively
catechetical and IS designed 10 make the stu
dent observe closely.
SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
THE FALL OF 1e UToPIA BY Charles Bayne limo.