SCIENTIFIC GOSSIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6533, 3 February 1882, Page 6

SCIENTIFIC GOSSIP.

[By Salvia.] " What oannot art and Industry porform Wheauoieaoo plana." Bhatth.-

Until human beings are endowed with optio nerves and retime similar to those possessed by cats, the difficulty of discerning tiny objeots in the dark will be an item for consideration. So evidently has thought Mr Bea, the Post-office Surveyor for the Baitern

Counties district of England, who, frith ft riew to enabling the good people io the neighbourhood of Cambridge to poet their letters at night time without undue trouble, hu caused the aperture* of the wall-boxes there to be enoiroled with luminous paint. It it pleasant to learn that the idea hai been successful, and that now there it no further possibility of important missives being placed in receptacle J not intended for them. But how about the rest of England, to say nothing of the remain* dor of tho civilised globe P All distriots do not possets enterprising surveyors like Mr Bea, yet hie ideas might be adopted. Perhaps our postal authorities will kindly remember that luminous paint it aot a costly article, and that its use might be advantageously adopted by them. The Gorman papers bare related an extra ordinary story from Konigsberg, in Prussia. A thort time ago two revenue officers appeared in the Botanical Garden which it attaohed to the famous University founded by Albert I. Duke of Prussia, and surprised the resident director with the inquiry whether any tobaooo was grown in the garden. He replied that there were six beds devoted to the cultivation of tobacco of different sorts, arranged in scientific order, for the instruction of the botanical students. The officers duly inspected the quarter in whioh the taxable weed was flourishing in so many different species, and then asked if it was ever employed for any other purpose besides education. The Doctor smilingly replied that neither he nor the Professor of Botany happened to be smokers, and the workmen would be instantly dismissed if they were discovered to use the University property for their pipes. Hereupon the two revenue officers declared that they were satisfied, and left the tobacco to flourish free of taxation. A few days later, however, the two men came again, and informed the Director of the Botanical Garden that their superior officer had charged them with being too remiss, and that they must levy a tax upon the specimens of tobaooo cultivated for the sake of botanical science. The Director said that he was not willing to pay the tax j that the Professor of Botany, who was absent on his vacation, would not be likely to pay it; "and that, if there were no other remedy, the specimens must be rooted up. The officers answered that they had been ordered to destroy all the plants in the event of the tax being refused. This was aotually done, to the scandal of the Berlin Liberal Press, whioh complains that even soienoe itself is compelled to submit to the tyrannical self-sufficiency of Prussian bureaucracy. The value of the teeth for other than the purposes of mastication has been cleverly demonstrated by Mr B. 8. Bhodes, who, availing himself of the communication existing between the eye teeth and the brain, employs the former as a vehiole for the conveyance of sound to the minds of those in whom the sense of hearing is lacking. The principle that forms the basis of the invention cannot lay claim to novelty; yet no less credit attaches to the patentee of the Audiphone for the patience, ingenuity, and skill, with whioh he has turned this latent scientific fact to great praotieal advantage. Briefly described, the appearance of this little appliance closely resembles that of a small Japanese fan, made of polished vulcanite, and of a light and elegant character. Thus it is both portable and presentable, and in these particulars exhibits a marked superiority over the ordinary appliances used to alleviate deafness. Indeed, it may be said that it was the defeotß inherent to every form of ear-trumpet; that first suggested to Mr Bhodes the idea of attempting to remedy a deficiency of hearing power by other means than those ordinarily employed. It is a knowledge by no means confined to the medical profession that the constant use of the defective organ through the agenoy of an ear-trumpet impairs rather than betters its sense, increasing the disease until all power of hearing is lost. The inventor, a native of Ohioago, has been deaf some twenty years. After going through all the routine of ear-trumpets and similar devices, and getting thoroughly disheartened with the results attained, he happened one day to hold a watch between his teeth, whereupon its ticking was distinct and perceptible, though when held to his ear no sound was audible. This accidental discovery set Mr Bhodes thinking—thinking that eventually resulted in the invention of the Audiphone, a device by whioh the sounds of the human voice are clearly and accurately transmitted to the auditory nerve through the medium of the teeth. Parlours have been opened in Begent street by Mr Bhodes, who is pleased to explain his invention to all callers. Many members of the medical profession, teaohers of the deaf and dumb, and private individuals who have benefited by the new sound hearer, have testified to the great practical value of the Audiphone, the introduction of whioh has conferred an inestimable boon upon an unhappily large class of sufferers. The Nuremberg fire brigade has lately made some interesting experiments respecting the behaviour of inflammable liquids enclosed in vessels in oase of fire. For this purpose, benzine, petroleum, and spirits of wine were filled into oak casks, tins, and glass bottles or flasks, and successively exposed to a bright fire. The casks were found to become charred to naif the thickness of the wood, and the interstices between the staves to open progressively, in oonsequence of which the liquids oozed out and burnt quietly without explosion while feeding the fire. With tins not completely filled the solder melted, and the liquids ran out at the open places and burned quietly. Tins completely filled behaved differently. A tin, filled with 1| litre of benzine, exploded after three minutes, sending the oover nino yards upwards, and produoing a violent burst of fame. On the same experiment being made with spirits of wine, the liquid began to boil after eight minutes, and partly oozed out through the stopper, and two minutes later exploded with a loud report, the top of the tin being blown out and sent to 30 yards distance. Ordinary glass bottles burned direotly, the liquids running out and burning off; but covered glasses offered more resistance with more dangerous results. A flask with benzine, packed in a wood case with shavings, stood a strong fire for nine minutes, when it .burst, and the liquid caused a tremendous blaze. The experiments, of oourse conduoted in the open air, and with the least danger from explosion, showed that wood casks are least dangerous, as they gradually empty their contents and burn quietly, while completely filled tins and glass vessels proved very dangerous, the former through explosion, and the latter through the sudden discharge of their contents, and the high flame resulting therefrom. Nevertheless, this would be no reason to use wood casks exclusively, as they usually will not be tight enough to prevent the diffusion of gases, whose accumulation in badly ventilated cellars would oause explosions on the introduction of a naked light. Nevertheless, the experiments show that where a- room containing casks of suoh liquids is already on fire, the firemen may approaoh or enter it; while where tins or flasks are stored they will have to oonduot any operations from a safe distance. As far as extinguishing the flames went, water proved useful with spirits and petroleum, but useless with benzine, which rose to the top, and continued burning, but easily suooumbed to a close layer of chaff.