The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-01

minutes being necessary on entering and
a longer period up to twenty minutes for
each atmosphere on leaving. The results
have led to the conclusion that carefully
selected men may work under preSSureS
up to Seventy-ive pounds to the square
inch without serious risk. Yet of these
men nearly one-half were obliged to go to
the hospital, two dying and six being per-
manentiy injured, and it was found that
sufferers from nasal catarrh, ear troubles
or bad digestion were specially unfit for
employment.
The mysterious sleeping sickness" of
West Africa, which has been the subject
Of late scientific investigation proves to
be a form Of meningitis, differing from
cerebro-spinal meningitis in its chronic
and almost invariably fatal character 1t
is classed with hydrophobia as one of the
most deadly diseases known. It is COM
municated from person to person in some
unknown way, beginning with slight list
lessness, which passes into coma and then
death, its duration being from one to six
months. Thus far. it has been known
only among negroes. 1t has depopulated
large districts, however, and It's spread
is feared through the opening Of African
trade.
weather shooting has assumed such
Importance in Southern Europe that not
less than three international congresses
to consider it have been held. The latest
report shows that experts are mostly con-
vineed that gun-firing is useless for inf1u-
encing rain or hail. although experiments
are urged until the possible effects are
fully understood.
The electric light bulb at the end Of a
long wire has been found by DR.. Forrest
Willard to be better than the water bag
for applying heat to head. chest or abdo-
men.
The electric resistance furnace made
by Heraus, of Hanau, Germany. depends
upon the incandescence of a spiral Of
fine platinum wire: In an improved and
cheapened form Of the furnace, the wire
has thickness Of only 1850 of an inch,
and the glass tube around which the
spiral is wound can be heated to LOO de-
grees c., this being as great tempera-
ture as any tubes now produced can
stand. Such furnaces are found useful
for determining melting points, organic
chemical analysis and other purposes. In
organic analysis the spiral of wire encir
cling the glass combustion tube is cut up
into several sections, each with it's own
current connections, so that successive
portions of the tube can be heated as de-
sired. Heat loss is lessened, with corre-
spending increase in the chemists COM
fort.
Briquettes made with such cements as
dextrin molasses, liXiviated cellulose, or
resinate of ammonia have the fault of
dissolving in water. plan of making
Richard Book, a Saxon engineer, who sim
ply heats the finished briquettes until
carbonized, when they become quite in
soluble. If the cement is liable to ignite
the heating must take place in an air.
tight case or by means OF hot gases.
Leaves of a plant alleged to drive away
mosquitoes have reached English botan-
lists from Africa. The presence of sin
gle plant is stated to clear q room of the
pest, and an infusion of the leaves has
been found an effective substitute for
Quinine in the treatment of mosquito-con-
veyed malarial fever. The plant proves
to be kind of BASIL Ocimum viride,
Wild.
Plaster of Paris is given the hardness
and durability of stone, according to a
German writer, by solution of boric acid
in hot water, with the addition of suf-
ficient ammonia water to redissolve the
borate at first separated. The liquid is
used with the plaster for casting in the
usual way, or is applied as wash to ar
ticles already cast.