Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-06-21
PoPule.E:i'': Tence.


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The picture telegraph Of DR.. Korn
Of the University of Munich has been
so perfected that in ten to twenty
minutes a photograph 4x7 inches in
size can be sent through resistance
corresponding to one thousand miles.
The portrait or design to be transmit
ted Is on transparent film, which is
wound around glass cylinder, and
upon which lens focuses a point Of
light that passes through the film to
selenium cell in the cylinder. The
bright and dark portions of the picture
cause the ray Of light to vary the re-
sistance of the selenium cell to an
electric current passing through it,
and this variation produces a CORE
spending instantaneous frightening or
darkening Of the glow in a Tesla va
cuum tube at the receiving end of the
wire. Except pin point aperture,
this vacuum tube is covered with wax
or rubber The light ray from the
wound upon a cylinder, and as this
cylinder and that Of the transmitter
are moved in unison, the light and
shade Of the original picture are re-
produced in proper place on the second
film, giving a new photograph accu-
rate in minute detail.
The dimensions Of the immense dia-
mond found in the new Premier
mine" in the Transvaal last January
are given by Nature as follows: Meas
ured size, AZ by 2A inches; weight,
1882 carats, equals 6761a grams, or
nearly ~ pounds avoirdupois. The
largest diamond previously discovered
is the Excelsior" found in the ia
gersfontein mine, Orange River Colo
ny, in 1893, which weighed Oily
carats, was as large as a hens egg,
and was valued at S5,0OO,O0O. 1t was
cut into nine large brilliants. The ia
nous Kohinoor and Great Mogul dia-
mOnds sink into insignifcance when
compared with the latest find, which
Is said to be Of excellent quality, and
will probably be cut up to make con-
siderable number Of smaller gems.
Jacques Faure, the French aeronaut,
has demonstrated that, given favor
able winds and other favoring circum-
stances, it is possible to ride through
| the air across the English Channel,
and over the intervening land on each
side, from the British capital to the
metropolis Of France. On Feb. II he
left London with one companion in
| his balloon, and six hours later landed
| safely at st. Denis in the suburbs Of
Paris. Upon reaching the shore Of
the Channel, near Hastings, they de-
scended until the guide-rope touched
| the water. Rising again on approach
| ing the French shore, they passed over
Dieppe at an elevation Of $500 feet.
Great things are expected from the
submarine telephone by officers Of the
United States navy. The principles
underlying it are very different from
those of wireless telgeraphy. In the
| latter the telegraphic impulses are
transmitted through the air or ether
| by electricity. In the submarine tele-
| phone sound waves travel through wa
! ter unaided by any electrical force
| Water, being denser than air, acts as a
better sound conductor 1t transmits
sound four and a half times as fast as
air. LOO feet a second being the rate
in the atmosphere, while in the water
it is Alp feet or almost a mile a
second.
An outbreak Of twelve cases Of
smallpox at Newcastle, England, last
year has mystifled the doctors. No or
binary source Of infection could be dis
covered, but 1t has been found that on
the days when eleven Of the patients
probably contracted the disease the
wind was blowing from one or the
other Of two smallpox hospitals-one
about mile away, the other about
two miles. 1t is pointed out that flies,
a pest Of hospitals, may be carried
long distances by the wind.
The moon is usually supposed to
have solidified from the center to the
periphery, but lunar photographs have
convinced two leading French astrono-
mers that the surface hardened first.
This view modif1es various theories.
Naturalists have discovered a wasp
that uses a pebble to pound down the
earth over her nest. It Is believed
that this is the only one Of the lower
animals that makes use Of mechani-
cal instrument.