The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-10-10

the bat. The extremely deI,o.. ,,o.,- -. A..
pats wings. together with the sensitiyepess of
us SIKH sense contained in its delicate face
e'os, enables the bat to Judge the distance of
any OBJECT py the lapse of time between the send
ing OUT ana the receiving of the waves II is
'n's e.ceptonal mechanism and not any faculty
OF seeing In the dark which enables the hat n
ny unerringly without the least light n orida -
This was proved hundred years ago nv the Abbe
Spalanzani. who made experiments by blotting
out the eyes OF bats with red hot irons and found
tnat they got along just as well without ewes as
Win them. Other experiments without cruelty
may De made to show the same thing.
We all know that II we capture wild bird aro;;
noerate IL In large room with closed windows
II MAKES WILD and furious rush. FOR what fits
senses tell 1t is an opening thrnxpb Witch :, oan
escape. Its eyes do not rrSeaI the nrosonoo 90
the glass; and the result ia a broken noel
Dat liberated under Similar circumstances makes
'ne same dasn l9f freedom. The fapping of its
Wings however, brings its sixth sense into action
ana II soon perceves that 1t is face to face with
sold wall and stops short before II touches
the glass.
Sir Hiram proposes to apply this sixth sense to
sea-going vessels. His apparatus will produce at.
mospheric vibrations Of about the same frequency
as those produced by the bat. but Of energy at
least three hundred thousand times as great
These Will not be audible, but they will travel
at least twenty miles, that they could be re-
ceived and recorded by a suitable apparatus at
that distance and would be able to travel at least
nve miles and return back to the ship a reflected
echo that would be strong enough to be detected
In describing his invention, Sir Hiram states
that II might be considered an artificial ear The
apparatus Is provided with large diaphragm
tightly drawn over a drum-shaped cylinder, and
DO arranged that the atmospheric pressure is al
ways the same on both sides, quite irrespective
Of any air blast. II is therefore always able to
viorate freely In response to the waves of the
echo. and its vibrations are made to open and
close certain electrical circuits which ring Sc
ries OF bells Of various sizes. IT, for example the
object Is very small or at a very great distance
from the ship very small bell rings, while a
large object at distance Of two miles would
ring a larger bell, and a very large object a
TIL larger bell. The apparatus gives an audible
lotice IL anything is ahead Of the ship.
Another apparatus, similar to the first is pro
vided. but instead Of ringing a bell II produces a
diagram Of the disturbances in the air-that is
when there Is no noise except that due to the
action Of the ship or the sea waves, a wavy line
10 produced on paper but whenever the vibrations
sent out by the vibrator strike object and re-
turn. the wavy line on the paper becomes very
much increased in amplitude. so as to be easily
observed, and the distance that the object is from
the ship can be measured by the length Of the
paper strip between the giving of of the vibra
lions and the receiving Of the echo In this way
the distance Of the object can be determined with
. considerable degree Of accuracy, and the size
Of the object may be determined by the amplitude
Of the waves that return.
The apparatus for producing the atmospheric
vibrations should be placed we'll forward on the
main deck or In any other position where it can