Amador ledger., 1907-03-15

MISCELLANY
Reported weekly for the Ledger.

The Flight of Meteors. Proving Blood
Stains. .-rhe Most Successful Air
ship Model Electric Anaesthesia.
Life Long Retarded. The First
Concrete Boat. ) Electii ic Earth
Emanation. Water Kite Sounding.
A careful record nf meteors or
shooting stars Is kept by W. F.. s.
Denning, the great English authority
on these bodies, and the reports
furnished have enabled him to give
interesting determinations for ten
large meteors seen in 1906 The
height at commencement of visibility
varied from 50 to 81 miles, while
those at disappearance ranged from %
to So miles The longest path noted
was y miles, the shortest being 2I
miles, and the velocities determined
we're between 10 and 80 miles per
second. The reality of the kissing or
explosive sound reported by some
observers of bursting meteors seems
to be matter of doubt. Mr. Denning
has never heard the sound himself,
and some of those reporting it have
boen 100 or $50 miles away from The
objects while persons much nearer
have heard nothing. Lieut.. Col.
Tupman is the only trained observer
who has repursed gentle Kissing
from the direction of Il falling star.
A simple blood test has been per-
tected by Piorkowski, European
chsmist. A little diluted serum from
given animal is placed in a very
smallest tube, into which is theu
introduced one drop of the fresh or
dried sample of blood in a solution of
saIt. The tuba is then allowed to
stand 40 minutes. If the blood and
serum are from the same species-as
the dog-a faint red precipitate of
coaguiated blood appears under clear
liquid, but il blood and serum are
from unlike animals the bIosd will lie
dissolved In the serum, which will
turn red. Old stains placed IN fresh
human serum were conclusively
shown to be human blood.
Count Won ZeppeIin's airship,
which holds the distance and speed
record of 6S.35 miles in hours II
minutes, is 420 feet long, 3S feet in
diameter, and has rigid aluminium
frame containing 10 hydrogen bal
looms. Two 35 horse power gasoline
motors drive four propelIers.
Electric sleep, or auaesthesia, is
produced by action on the brain OF
intermittent electric currents of low
voltage. 1t has been subject IF
special study for several years by
Prof. Stephane Leduo of Nantes and
others, and the application has been
perfected until it is practicable TO
put dogs and rabbits quickly into a
calm and regular sleep, with general
and complete anaesthesla. In rabbits
at least the sleep can be safely pIo-
longed to eight hours or more, al
though ether and chloroform bring
much risk after two hours. The
method makes possible the painless
eleotrocution of animals, an increase
of voltage causing the loss of will and
sensation to be followed by cessation
OF respiration aud stoppage of the
heart, and animals killed by this
gradual action have been free from
the severe LESSONS shown. IN the
criminals executed in New York.
Electric sleep has been induced
several LINES in human subjects, the
first trial having been on Prof. Leduc
himself in 1902 The experience is
not wholly agreeable, tho loss of
speech being followed by less OF
movement, and then by sensation
of dreamy Consciousness and impend-
ing peril with no power to cry out or
raise n hand. There arc no after
eff acts
The ground Is usually free from
germs at depth OF two yards, but the
living bacteria brought to the notice
of the French Academy by DIR. M.
Boudoin we're derived from depth
CT more than ten yards in earth that
hld been undIstur bed for nearly 1900
years. An old GaTlic-Roman grave
near I'roussepoi,- in Vende, contained
several ohaIIed ccrpses. and skeletons
of goats, dogs and COWS. Cultures of
the enveloping slime, a mixture Of
sand aud water with remains of skins
and bristles, gave the coli bacillus
and various species of sphaero-
bacteria, and theEe organisms must