The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-05-06
ELECTRICAL J0TTINGS

The London United Tramways, upon
which electric traction has been intro
duccd IN place of horses. are meeting
with considerable opposition from the
scientists of Kew Observatory. a sec
ton of the line passes within threc-quar-
fcrs OF mile OF that building and the
observers complain that their delicate
Instruments are deranged and the records
spoiled by The near neighborhood OF the
electric current The board Of trade ha
the matter I'm hand. and experiments are
10 be- carried out 60 ascertain 20 what
the electrical disturbances al Kew VIII
amount and the best method OF insula-
tion. The tramway engineers DO not feel
disposed go resort 90 elaborate and cX-
pensive means Tor insuring complete in-
sulauon, so that a complete deadlock Is
the result. aud the tramways cannot yet
be opened 10 public traffic
The separation OF wireless messages is
now receiving great attention by electri-
Clans. NJ. y. Jegou has adopted new
system in which he employees mast wires
OF different ranges. -Four such mast
"ires are employed two at the sending
station and two az the Receiving station.
Their heights are SO arranged that one
or them covers, say, a range of five
miles, while the other does not The cir
cults OF the coherers attached 90 the two
mast-wires are so arranged that their
simultaneous action produces no effect
upon the galVanometer, but at "A distance
OF miles the galvanometer Will respond
to a message from the sending stations
addressed 20 both coherers AS only one
or them Is brought into action. AT half
the distance when both coherers are
within range no effect Is produced on the
galXanometcr--
There is project on foot for the con-
81 fHH4 Nt..Ha 4
on tho right bank OF the Seine. Ii will be
underground and its length will bs about
siN miles. The route proposed passes un-
der the Avenue de rOpera the great
boulevard, Boulevard Sebastopol. the
Rue Turbigo and the Rue de RivoIi The
new scheme calls for four platforms in
stead of three as was in use az the expo
sition. The first platform will be station
airy, the second will have "A velocity of
one and half meters d second. the third
three meters and the fourth five meters
or sixteen and one-eighth feet. This Will
enable pedestrians TO have "A very rapid
means OF transit afOot. in portion OF
Paris which is greatly encountered by
vehicular traffic. for as all the locomo-
ton Is In one direction persons can walk
very fast on the fourth platform and Will
be able 60 cover a great distance. Some
means OF transit on the streets mentioned
Is so necessary that IL Is very likely the
scheme VIII be carried into effect
Attempts are being made by the Mar
coni Wireless Telephone company. OF
London, 10 inauguratc a wireless tele-
graph service TO Australia. Although the
total distance Is consderab.y y IN excess Of
that from England 10 this country, it can
be more easily negotiated owing 10 the
facilities offered at various points en-
route, for the installation OF subsidiary
transmitting stations. Arrangements are
being made 10 erect stations at Prawle
Point the Lizard. Ushant, Cape Finis-
terre. Gibraltar, Malta. Algiers. Sardinia
Sicily, Cape Malea In Greece, Alexandria
Alden, Socotra, Colombo, Sumatra. the
Cocos Islands. Perth Albany, Adelaide
and Melbourne. The various governments
OF the countries Ia which these points are
situated are being approached to obtain
permission To install the stations. In
no single instance is the span between
TWO points so great as that from the
west Of Ireland TO New York, So that. If
success attends the experiments I'm this
case, IL will probably he equally possible
to extend the distance and 10 establish
either communication between this coun-
try and Great Britain If the vessels ply
ing between England and the Antipodes
are supplied with instruments, IL VIII be
possible for passengers 10 dispatch and
receive messages during the voyage.
"A new process for making plates OF
porous lead for use I'm accumulstors or
Tor acid filters has lately been patented
In Germany by Richard Bauer In place
OF treating the melted lead by a Jet OF
gas or vapor, as Is often done. the inven-
tor uses material which by contact
with the melted metal is voiatilized and
ncnetrates through the mass during the
cooling. sulphur is best adapted for this
purpose; IL has the property OF combin-
ing with the lead TO form sulphide and
this sulphide when decomposed by dilute
hydrochloric acid leaves a mass of porous
lead. Ia practice the operation IL carried
out as follows: The two halves OF a plate
mould are heated and small quantity of
melted sulphur Is introduced so that af-
ter cooling the sides OF the mould are
covered with layer OF sulphur. The lead,
heated 10 redness, is then poured into
the mould; the sulphur is vaporized and
penttrates into the mass. After cooling
the plate taken from the mould is com
posed of lead. sulphide of lead and an
excess OF sulphur. The latter is removed
by a preliminary washing and the plate
Is then treated with dilute suiphuric acid.
which decomposes the sulphide and
leaves a plate OF pure lead which is ex-
tremelN porous and we'll adapted for ac-