SCIENCE NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 11

SCIENCE NOTES.

. , rl . ie s "'. lftes t bird known to the naturallst,,s wther the vulture, which is said to make 100 miles an hour, or tlie English keatiel, "bicli can probably equal if not exceed this speed. H lhe bee and honey farmers of North Germany are feeling the competition of artificial honey factories very much. The arfihciai product contains often no mow than 10 per cent, of natural honey iron ore is being shipped to the United states from Spain, and a vessel which <>arlied a cargo of iron ore returned with a cargo ot steel rails.

One of the largest American manufacturers of street and railroad cars is ’o build a factory in England. The Pennsylvania railroad is to experiment with the Deiany telegraph system by which it is possible to transmit 8000 words a minute, while a commercial rate of 2000 words a minute off a single copper wire is said to be possible. Perforated tape is used, and the characters are recorded electrolyticully on cJiemieaiivprepared tape. J

A y ,tk t ke g r o> v ’th of factory inspection and official medical reports we became acquainted with an increasing number of strange diseases. The latest is disclosed in two cases of “ trade eczema ’’ Both patients were middle-aged women who worked as "scratch brushers,” at an electroplating works. The irritant appeared to be the "sour beer” with wf,i/i, they brushed the silver goods. ' Iu spito of the hard times encountered by food adulterators in Paris, their activity remains undiminislied. Recent investigations at tho municipal laboratory indicate that probably never since the

siege has food in Paris been so que.-,v:cn-able. During September 652 specimens cf wme were examined, and only 111 t.-uml good. Of 376 specimens of mi Ik only 50 u ere good. Coffee and tea, however, seem to have escaped the adulterator. It is announced from Havre that the members of the international jury appointed to award the PolloK Prize for life-saving apparatus and for the prevention of collisions at sea have concluded their examination of the models sent in, which have been exhibited in a sl.-ed belonging to the Havre Chamber -f Commerce. The jury, while recognising tha endeavours made to provide greater safety in navigation, finds that none of tha schemes submitted meets one of the objects to be attained, and therefore it does not award the prize. Petrolan, says “Perfumer,” is a mineral soap, the active principle of which is an ichthyol-like compound. It occurs in. bituminous rock in the Caucasus, is of a dark colour and of the consistence of an ointment, soluble in ether, and does not turn rancid. It finds application in the treatment of diseases of the skin, such aa eczema, acne, psoriasis, etc. It acts as an antiseptic and drying agent without producing irritation of the skin. Dr. Calmette, the director of the Paris Pasteur Institute, was bitten by a cobra from which he was extracting the venom. The serum which he discovered undoubtedly saved his life, but after the lapse of three weeks one of his fingers had to be amputated.

Mrs. Anna Edson Taylor, of Auburn, N.Y., went over the Horseshoe Palls of Niagara in a barrel on the afternoon of October 24th and lived. She was in the water twenty-five minutes from the time the barrel was launched. She was severely injured, receiving a bad scalp wound. The harness rigging in the barrel undoubtedly saved her life. Dr. Helm of Dantzig, has analysed several samples of bronze found in the explorations of Nussar, or the ancient Babylonian city of Nippur. He ascertained that the ancient founders employed iu making bronze, not only tin, but antimony as well. The. proportion of antimony is larger in the oldest examples. Copper is supjiosed to have been found in north-west Arabia. Two heads of almost full-sized gazelles which were found by Professor Hilprecht show wonderful skill m the use of metals. An analysis showed the existence of nickel in the copper. It has become the fashion to sneer at submarine vessels in some quarters, but English technical journals do not indulge in the practice, for they see in the growing fieet of France submarine vessels a distinct menace to English commerce. There are twenty-nine submarine boats now, of the electric type, in France, and five of other kinds, and they are constantly increasing in numbers. “ Engineering” says that if 100 of these vessels were let loose at night in the Channel, they would be capabe of establishing themselves in favourable positions before daylight and do incalculable damage to British commerce; it thinks that the submarine boat has increased the dangers from torpedoes tenfold.

A cheap and expeditious method of converting salt cake into caustic soda has been devised by Mr. A. Brand, oi London. Tlie process consists of treating the black ash, resulting from the first process of tlie furnace product with a quantity of carbonate of lime, and if necessary carbon is also added in limited amount l he mixture is then submitted to a high temperature. The carbonate bv this means is converted into oxide of lime, and the carbonate of soda in the black ash into oxide of soda, while any sulphide of soda that may be present is also converted into oxide of soda. When the furnace product is lixiviated in hot water, there results a strong solution of caustic soda. A further hot water bath will r l ©- move the remainder of the caustic soda from the furnace product, and tlie solution that is left constitutes the liquid for lixiviating the next quantity of furnace product.

A mechanic in tiie town of Archangel invented a flying machine and went to t* lo local police to ask permission to use it. lie was afraid he would get into trouble if he began to fly without a license. The head of police consulted his law books, wrote to St. Petersburg for a later edition, and finally told the inventor that as the law nowhere permits a machine to fly through the air he must decline to establish a precedent. If smoke rises slightly and evenly, it is a sign of good weather: if the smoke is beaten down and rather descends, it is a bad weather sign, and the wind is generally gusty; if the smoke ascends in one direction for a while and bends over into a contrary direction (forming with a chimney a gigantic note of interrogation), then there is bad weather near. Such, at least, are the conclusions arrived at by "Science Siftings,” as the result of closely watching smoke from a copper works chimney. Professor William T. Richards, of Havard University, lias received a call to the newly established research professorship Of chemistry in the University of Gottingen. It is especially gratifying to note that one of the greatest universities m Germany should offer the chair to an American.

About 250,000 pairs of glasses will be purchased by the State committee in Maryland for use in polling booths. Politicians have found that both in the city and country districts a large number of voters of the poorer classes can read sufficiently well to ballot, but their sight is so defective that in the dimly lighted booths they are unable to read the long list of contestants on the ballot. Capable men will bo provided at every polling placo to adjust the glasses for the voters. Tho cheap and rapid method of concentrating the enormous quantities of blood collecting in abattoirs is described by its inventor in the "Technische Rundscnau.” Tho blood is injected in a finely pulverised state into an oven-shaped chamber, open at the top, and brought into contact with a current of hot air ascending from below. All the water is evaporated in this manner, and tho blood powder is carried to the receiving cliamber. According to tho inventor, tho powder thus obtained is tasteless and contains 74.8 ner cent, of digestible albumen.