Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-10
SCIENCE NOTES.

SCIENCE NOTES.
| In the American telephone exchange the
| use Of the word please on the part OF
subscribers and operators has been dis
couraged, as 1t takes up unnecessary time
and leads to confusion, but the practice
| In British systems Is to the contrary. A
circular has been recently issued by the
officials OF the British post office. con-
| trolling the telephone service, which re-
| quires "telephonists" to make use of the
word please" whenever 1t can be con-
veniently done. This order Is very ex-
haustive and details the exact language
to be used in different emergencies The
| order reads In part as follows: IN oruer
| that abrupt and uncouth expressions may
be avoided in the telephone service teie-
| phonists engaged at trunk exchanges are
in the future to make use of the following
| expressions in connection with their work.
and the supervising officers should I'M
press upon the staff generally the neces-
| sity Of adhering to the authorized form Of
| words" Entering into details this offi-
cial guide lays stress upon the advisa-
bility Of using the word please" where it
can conveniently be introduced. The
telephonist answering a call should an
nounce her presence by saying: Trunk
number, please? Failing to hear what
the subscriber says, she should say
| What Is your number, please? and SO
OH. When subscribers attention has
| heen obtained for the trunk call the tele-
phonist should say: What is your num-
| Der. please?' II the subscriber should be
kept waiting for more than the regula-
ton time the telephonist should add:
Sorry to have kept you waiting.
The report Of the public service COM
mission for the district which embraces
all OF New York state outside of New
York city shows out Of nearly 5000
trains reported only IS per cent were
late at the division terminal. The aver
age delay Of each late train was almost
twenty-three minutes. while the average
for all trains reported was a shade over
four minutes. The most frequent cause
for delay was that Of waiting for other
connections. TEAMWORK at stations Is
also given as frequent cause Of delay.
In practice it has been shown that the
percentage of failure In the electrically
welded rail is very small. and this seems
to be In direct contradiction to early
methods when 1t was deemed necessary
to leave a space between the rail ends
to permit Of expansion and contraction.
owing to changing climatic conditions.
In track construction and laying. the Gus
tom now followed requiring that q great
deal OF the track be below the surface.
The track Is therefore protected from
sudden changes Of temperature by being
partially embedded in the earth In Chi
caGO II has been shown that the number
OF failures of electrically welded joints Is
per cent. and these occurred mostly in
the suburbs. where the tracks were not
50 effectively protected by the earth.
At Bayonne. n. j., there Is what Is
said to be the greatest pile Of steel shapes
which has ever been gotten together in
this country. The pile weighs about co.
worth 81 ,000 The stack OF metal Is
800 feet long. 35 feet high and IS feet
wide. It was manufactured at Phoenix
VILE Pa. and Is designed for the con-
| struction Of the Manhattan bridge across
the East river at New York. 1t required
$4,000 fiat cars to transport il to Bayonne,
where IT was run over q spur Of the New
Jersey Central railroad to the yards The
steel has all been painted red and treated
with thick coating Of lead and oil to
prevent its being injured by the elements
Some Of 1t has been exposed to the
weather for year and shows no bad
| effects Already the tower pieces weigh
ing sixty-four tons. each. have been taken
away for erection. and 1t is said that the
pile will have entirely disappeared in the
course of two months.
The patent rights covering the manu-
I6CtuTS OI 6IuuluuUu nave expired and
| now the industry Is an open one to any
| one who wants to embark in II. At the
present time the output OF the Aluminium
Company Of America IL entirely suficient
to. take care Of the demand. and having
hydro-electric power and ample supplies
OF the raw material. 1t can considerably
| increase its production should it be de-
manded.
The foundations are being laid for the
L HoenaQf canal lock In the Uyorld he
line Of the New York barge canal at the
lower end of Moss Island. near Little
| Falls This lock will drop boats forty.
two feet from the barge canal into the
| lock Is in the present bed Of the Erie
canal, where 1t will have to be excavated
about thirty feet until rock Is reached
Around the lock proper temporary lock
! will be erected that navigation will
not be interfered with the coming sum-
mer. 1t Is one of the most difficult en-
cheering feats along the entire length Of
the canal. More than 500 men are en-
gagged on the work night and day, and
| the effort Is being made TO finish the
| lock foundation before the water is let
| into the Erie canal in the spring.
There are now %, 600 reindeers in Alas
| ka being used as beasts Of burden. and so
| successful has this effort to make use Of
| the reindeer been that the subject of uti-
LIKING the caribou Of Canada In the same
| way has been taken up by the Canadian
| officials. The animals are much alike In
| their characteristics. and 1t Is claimed that
the caribou now roaming over the Canadi-
| an territory could be easily domesticated
and made valuable asset In the de-
| velopment OF the country. It will be nee
| essary to inaugurate q regular series Of
experiments In the direction Of the domes-
| tication OF the animal. for no practical
| steps in this direction have been taken
at this time. but those who are urging
| the innovation say that there are no dim
| culties In the way and In a few genera
| lions the caribou could be made as valu-
able In Canada as the reindeer have been
| found in the United States.
In some years the total of coffee, tea
| and cocoa imports into this country is
| imports alone have on certain occasions
iapproximated 100000 600 in value.