The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-10-20
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

Light Without Heat-Plaster and
Acoustics Phosphoreseence From
Dark Rays-The Gun That Uses No
Powder - Cave saltpeter - Spring
Heeled Boots--Is Matter Indestruct-
ible-Vnnishing, Mammals-Test-
Ing q Snake Story-oldest Living
Lighting by phosphorescence has long
been TN attractive dream. Believing
that the dream may be best materials
lied through certain luminous microbes,
NJ. Raphael Dubois has sought for these
the most suitable culture bouillon,
which must contain water, sea salt.
phosphated and other foods, and traces
ofmineral matter. After thousands OF
trials he has succeeded with these IL
quld boulllons In giving a room the light
OF full moonlight. By this light from
millions OF living organisms, print may
be read. the time told by q watch and a
few operations may be performed for
which ordinary artificial light would be
unsuitable; NJ. Dubois expects to In
crease the intensity of the light, thus
making It OF much practical value.
q. Connection between the acoustics ond
the plaster Of q looni haa bcen pointed
out by Erlf. Charles Nussbaum. TO
.nbtain the best results Where softness
Of timber or tone color Is required. as
IN concert halls, the walls md ceiling
should not be covered with lime and
sand. but with mortar Of plaster of
Paris. free from sand In the upper Jay
exc and carefully smoothed. The strong
ly elastic surface OF this plasterlng is
specially adapted for rejecting sound
waves and giving soft tlmbre.
y A dark lamp hos, been made by NJ.
GeFseye lie Don FOR producing invisiblc
radiations OF great wave length. Among
the striking experiments performed
with 1t has been the placing near 1t, in
an absolutely dark room. of O statuctte
covered with sulphide Of lime and also
perfectly dark. In about two minutes
the statuette becomes luminous, ap-
penring to emerge from the darkness.
In new German furnace, liquid air
Is poured upon peat and other low grade
fuels to aid combustion On eva pora-
ton, nitrogen passes off first. leaving a
gaseous mixture containing so per cent
Of oxygen, which powerfully forces the
fire. ss
The centrifugal gun. which uses no
explosive whateveri Is the result OF many
years OF experiment by mn experienced
British engineer, Mr.. James Judge A
disc at the base OF the gun Is rotated
rapidly by small electric motor. end
the shots IRE thrown by centrifugal
force from the circumference OF the disc
at any rate up to 5000 per minute. and
with a rnuzzle velocity of about 1000
feet per second. There Is no noise and
no recoii.H AS at present designed, the
gun Is FIVE feet high and weighs about
600 pounds, and Is operated by two men,
protected by light shield. Though in
tended specially for service on electric
ally equipped warships. 1t can be adapt
ed for field purposes by mounting on
light carriage, withathe addition Of oil
engine and dynamo for generating cleo
tric current. In addition 10 obvious
advantages, the weapon has unlimited
vertical range and will fire around u
complete circle 'tf !.
tained from caves In the southern states
during tho war Of 1872. It ia believed that
the history OF America and Of the world
would have been materially changed.
The origin OF this cave saItpeter has
Just been Investigated by MIR. W. II.
Hess. who finds from numerous nnlyzes
that the deposits could not have come
from bat suano. as has boen supposed,
but that they have resulted from the
evaporation Of percolating water charg-
ed with nitrates from the surface soil.
Similar nitrate deposits are sometimes
noticed under lodges of rock.
The military boot of Captain Lodar,
OF the Austro-H Hungarian army, Is an
ordinary boot with q spiral spring In
the heel under a leather inner sole. The
spring not only lessons jar In walking,
but gives ventilation to the foot. In
practical tests in the army. It has great
ly lessened the fatigue OF marching, and
has wholly prevented soreness Of the
feet
A singular observation of the last sev-
en- or eight years. 10 that in certain
chemical reactions a minute quantity
OF matter seems actually to disappear.
a late German experlmenter claims to
have shown positively diminution In
weight OF about l part In 80 millions In
o number OF reactions, such Us the mix
ture Of copper sulphate with water.
The modern conquest of the earth is
everywhere marked by the extinction Of
grand old types OF animal lIfe-from
man downward. A new work by Mr..
w. L. Sclater mentions two large uni
mails that have become extinct In South
Africa In recent times and several 9th
ers that are surely passing. The las.
blan-bok was killed In 1893. It Ia now
known from FIVE complete mountad
specimens and several pairs Of hoEns
that have been preserved In museums.
The Quagga Is believed to have survived
In the Orange Colony until Ms late as
1878. Its frequent confusion with Burch-
ellis zebra making. Information rtincer-,
tain. 1t ia thought that the white rhi-
noceros may still have n few rspressn-
tRtivcs In Zululand. although not less
than six were reported killed as receft-
ly as 1894. OF the white tailed gnu and
the bles-bok there wero not long ago a
few herds preserved In the Orange Col
ony and the Trunsvaal. and naturaltsts
feel much anxiety concerning the cf-
feet OF the war upon these animals.
An old-tlme belief Is that Rdders when
frightened swallow their young to pro-
tect them. Natural!ats generally have
declared such feat impossible, md 10
settle this point careful examination
OF the adders structure has been made
by Mr.. @. Leighton. He finds no ana
tomical evidence against the truthful
ness of the old assertion. To settle the
question finally, however. It remains for
some anatomist to disscct an adder that
has been seen to swallow Its young.
The great trees Of California, OF
which not more than 500 are OF remark