The Alaska citizen., 1912-11-04
SCIENTIFIC
 ENGINEERING

. 4 Railway to 5a9uio-Thc propos-
 ed rack railway to Baguio. the off
 cial mountain health resort of the
 Philippines. is to run from Ariugav
 on the coast via Galinao. A Swiss
 railway expert has reported favora-
 bly on the undertaking and it is
 hoped to have the line completed and
 in operation in two years.
 Sun-9ower Engine Economy. Tests
 made by Professor R. C. Carpentcr of Cornell university show that tn,
 sun-po"er steam engine using steam
 of about one pound above atmos-
 pheric pressure and vacuum of 2S inches. required about 31 and Cloths
 pounds of steam per horsepower per hour.
 Collier Neptune is Rejected.-It is
 stated that the collier Neptune. built
 for the United States navy under contract, has been rejected on the ground that she does not come up
 to the government specifications. This ship is fitted with turbines
 which drive the propellers through the medium of mechanical speed. reduction gear. It is understood that the reduction gear has shown excel. lent results during the try-out of the machinery; but that the failure 10 get good all-round results was due to the type of turbine employed
 Canal Open in 1913 Replying to T communication from the secretary of the board of harbor commission states that every effort is beinl made 10 complete the excavation and the work on the locks of the Panama canal by June 30th. 1913 He ex- poets to see the level of Gatun lake at S5 feet some time in September 1913. If this be accomplished and the first boat be successfully put through the canal. announcement will be made that it is in condition to pass shipping. This, the colonel says, will allow of a years try-out before the formal opening.
 Sixlnch Torpedo Defense Guns The return to the siX-inch gun as the principal arm for secondary bat teries is noticeable feature of naval development in these days When the Dreadought appeared. the second ary batteries were abandoned and dependence was placed upon three inch and four-inch guns for protec- ton against torpedo-boat attack Torpedo-boat destroYors, however, have increased so rapidly in size. that a larger gun is necessary to deal with them. and most of the nav ies have returned to the G-inch piece: none are using less than the 5-inch or the 4.7 inch
 An Aerial Railway on Mount Blanc. Aerial railways which carry their passengers in cars suspended on ca bles. are the latest departure in the commercialization of the Alps One of these unlovely but convenient de. vices is soon to be installed on Mount Blanc. Starting from Cham oniX. at an altitude of 5000 feet. it will ascend to the Glacier des Bos- sons at 1.500 feet with two intcrven- ing stations. It will have a grade of 50 to 60 degrees. The line will finally be extended to the Aigulle du Midi. at an altitude of 1150O feet i The first section is to be completed in 1913, and the extension the fol- i lowing year The road will be work | ed with three cables-the carrier i the tractor and a cable for the | brakes. Each carriage will accom- | modate 24 passengers.
 Railways in Morocco.-The Franco | German agreement of last summer | Morocco included a pledge | OH lne part or tHeSe countries to 1 a railway from Tangier to | Fez. In general there are no engi- | neering difficulties in the way of | construction in Morocco and ] the cost is likely to be small. At | present the only railway in the coun try is a small narrow-gauge mill tary line now nearing completion | along the Atlantic coast from Casa | Blanca to Rabat All transporta- | tion between the coast and the inter 1 for by caravan and is suspended in | bad weather, as there are no roads 1 of any sort from the ports. Wheeled | are practically unknown out side of Tangier and Casa Blanca, | and the principal rivers intersectinG | the caravan routes are unfordable for | several months of the year.
 The Barno-kano Railway. in Niger 1 ia, recently completed. links Kano, | the most important purely native cen | ter north of the equator in Africa, ]