The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-06-11


Gently arrived at Baku, report that the
bottom of the sea has greatly changed
since the last terrible earthquake. Ihey
state that especially the Bay of kras-
nodowski has undergone great changes
Of late, and that only small and lighs
vessels can now enter this bay, where
as In former times the heaviest and
largest boats could be accommodated.
Lord Rayleighs reference to Profess
sor Blondlots recent experiments re-
garding the polarizing Of the X-rays
suggests that the mystery in regarding
the true character OF these curious en-
anations is about to be cleared up. II
Professor Blondlot's results are con-
frmed, and the N-ray proves to be
polarizable, it will be classed as light,
whose peculiar properties are due to
it's very short wave length.
An article entitled "White Water" in
the recent number of the pilot chart
of the Meteorological Office, gives
many interesting particulars relating
to the phenomenon known to seamen
as the milky sea, which seems to be
more frequently observed in the trop-
ical waters of the Indian Ocean than
elsewhere. Although the phenomenal
is doubtless form Of phosphorescence,
no adequate explanation Of it has yet
been arrived at.
Professor Annibale Ricco, of the
Catania University, publishe@ some in
teresting data on the Aetna. He says
that during the last thirty-siX years
the height of the volcano has but de-
creased by thirty-four metres. or about i,
115 feet. The first exact measurement
of the Aetna was taken by the Italian
Army staff in 1864, when it was found
that the eastern point was the highest,
being situated 1882 feet above the
level of the sea. During TIE last few
years huge masses OF lava broke
through the roof of the volcano at a
height Of from $500 to TOC0 feet.
The vibrations set up in gun barrels
by the effect OF firing have been the
subject of recent experiments in Ger
many The result indicates that ex-
pert marksmen have hitherto uncon-
sidered factor to deal with. 1t was
found that the shock OF firing makes
the particles of the barrel oscillate in
elliptic curves which produce defiec-
tons Of the barrel The periods OF vi
br;Alon in different rifles vary between
one tWenty-ffth and one five hundredth
of a second, and the experiments indi-
cate that a small bore gun is preferable
to one with q large bore. because the
ball can leave its muzzle before the
detection of the barrel has become
considerable.
At recent meeting Of the Philosoph-
zeal Society at Cambridge. England, S.
Skinner contributed a paper on the
slipperiness of ice. This h:s been at
tributed to the presence OF layer Of
lubricating water under the body press
ing on the ice. The water is produced
by the lowering of the freezing point
where the pressure is experienced. On
this view the object glides on liquid
layer, and consequently viscous friction
in water takes the place OF the rubbing
friction between the solids. Jolly has
shown by calculations that the weight
Of a man concentrated on the blade
of a skate is sufficient to lower the
freezing point very considera bly,, and
Reynolds, arguing from the difficulty Of
slipping ON very cold ice, comes to the
same conclusion. In the present paper
it is pointed out that sliding on a
liquid layer is condition under which
cavitation will occur in the liquid, and
that this will aid the slipping.