The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-15

Among the many electric novelties is

Among the many electric novelties is
a small clock mounted on a wooden box
containing a storage battery. Set in the
top of the box in front of the clock, is a
tiny electric lamp with a switch handy.
Whether the clock is placed at night on a
stand by the bedside where it can be
reached by stretching out a hand, or
whether 1t Is left on a mantel, a turn of
the switch throws a bright light on the
face of the clock, whenever 1t is desired
to know the time. The storage battery
contains a supply of electricity sufficient
to last for months
The trains which are now running over
the section of the Trans-Siberian from
Moscow to Irkutsk are provided with a
complete electric system which serves for
the lighting and heating of the cars, as
we'll as for the water and milk heaters
In the dining car. In the baggage car has
been placed an installation consisting of
boiler. a steam turbine and a dynamo
of five horsepower, which gives the cur
rent al a tension of 65 volts; the plant is
under the supervision of an engineer ap-
pointed for the purpose. Under one of the
cars is disposed a battery of accumula-
tors, which assures the lighting for four
hours in case an accident should happen
to the dynamo plant, and the latter may
De stopped during the night when only
few lamps are in use. Electric cigar
lighters are placed in each compartment.
Lieut.. Col Crompton, who commanded
the volunteer electrical engineer corps of
Royal engineers during the disturbance in
South Africa. has returned to England,
from Pretoria, and tells some wonderful
tales of the manner in which electricity
was made use of. The telegraph and tele-
phone wires were constantly in use and
the electric arc lamps threw a bright light
on the Veldt at points where Beers had
wrecked lines or blown up bridges. The
khaki cycle was in daily use by the en-
gineers, who piled to and fro repairing
wires cut by willy Beers. The traction en-
gines We're utilized to work the dynamos
which enabled searchlights to sweep the
veldt in search of retreating foes. and in
this and many other ways electricity was
made to play an important part in the
war.
Ever since telephone communication
has been established between London end
Paris, it has been constantly rumored that
attempts were being made by the English
and Belgian governments to inaugurate
a similar service between London and
Brussels. 1t is announced that in Febru-
airy, Brussels will be connected with the
English capital by the telephone The
electricians of the English postoffice had
TWO alternative schemes. One was to
lay a cable from the English to the Bel
glan coast, and the other was to utilize
the Anglo-French wire as far as Calais
and then to extend TO Brussels over wires
on land. According to present arrange
ments 1T appears that the latter plan is
TO De adopted since it has been found
impossible with existing Instruments to
transmit vocal communication through a
submarine cable over a greater distance
IMAM 70 miles. This is the length of the
caple IN connection with the London to
Paris telephone, and also the cable con-
Meeting England with Ireland.
while horses are not subject to
nerves like human beings, they are all
more or less timid," remarked a famous
morse breeder to Washington Star
writer Fear in horses is due to the fact
that they are inclined to magnify the I'M
usual into the terrible, and night and twi-
light predisposes them to this nervous
condition Understanding or investigating
these things, however, often removes all
fear in horses mind For instance. I
nave a pony which when first put into
harness could not be induced to cross a
railroad track until one day | urged the
beast to touch one of the rails with his
hoof. Finding it secure, he willingly
trusted the other foot. and since then
has never showed any fear of the glisten-
ing rails. On the other hand, l once had
mare which always jumped over the
long shadows of tree trunks in the road
and could never be induced to test wheth-
er or not the dreadful things We're real
or imaginary. Another curious illusion
common among horses is that when one
has once struck his head against the top
of a stable door he can never quite get |
over the fear that there is something |
dreadful hanging about that door, ready |
to strike whenever he has to pass it. Per- |
haps horses have to live on in this unn-
terrupted fear because they have so few |
organs with which they may experiment. |
The elephants trunk and the monkeys
tail are about the only organs in the ami |
NAL kingdom which seem to have been |
created expressly for the purpose of find |
ing out things that look strange or dan |
gerous.
That explosions can be heard and can |
produce an effect at a great distance is
we'll known, but precise statistics on this |
point have only lately been gathered |
Taking into consideration the fact that |
much depends on the formation of the |
country and on the condition of the |
weather prevailing at the time it may |
be admitted that a cannon can be heard |
at a distance of % kilometers when the |
wind is favorable, that thunder can be |
heard at a distance of more than 25 klo- |
meters, and that an explosion of dyna- |
mite can be heard at a distance of 80 |
kiometers, says the New York Herald |
The explosion of a powder factory in An |
vers some years ago caused a vertable |
earthquake, which was felt at a distance |
of more than 80 kilometers. The more
recent explosion at Helens, between Liv-
erpool and Manchester, was even more
notable in this respect. The explosion took
place in factory of chlorate of POTASH
UNI, an explosive ma terial, of which 50
tons were destroyed. The explosion was
heard at Alderly Edge. 80 kilometers from
St. Helen's, and at Murple, As kilometers
from that city. In many houses the win
dows were violently shaken, and near
the scene of the catastrophe the ground
was moved as by an earthquake From
these and other facts scientists now con-
clude that under favorable conditions
great explosion may be felt at distance
OF 90 kilometers and they maintain that
accurate knowledge on this point is most
desirable, since it will help to minimize
the danger that might otherwise result
from prearranged explosions of dynamite
or similar substances
The Paris Tempts relates The pathetic
story of Great Dane which will find its