SCIENCE SIFTINGS

New Zealand Tablet, 1 April 1920, Page 46

SCIENCE SIFTINGS

(By “Volt.”)

- a. » . ..i," _ World’s Running Record. • . Men can run about 32 feet a second, that being , the world’s • best record for. a 100-yard sprint. - Contrary to common suppositions, skaters 'are no swifter than runners, the world’s record for both being precisely the same 9 2-5 seconds for a hundred 1 yards. Runners on skis have, however,- made as much as 72 feet a second, and in leaping on skis more than 100 feet ; a second is attained. "'. ‘ J ' The Antipodes. ' ' Everyone knows that New Zealand is almost the Antipodes of Britain, It seems to have occurred to somebody in the /Railway Department (says • the Christchurch Press that -it would be useful to know exactly where the map of Europe would receive a projection of New Zealand through the centre of the earth, .for the new Year Book. has as a frontispiece a nice map of Western Europe,: prepared by the Department, showing New Zealand as it would be situated if placed in corresponding latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, and corresponding longitudes (East being changed for West). It seems that our Dominion would - stretch across the Western Mediterranean. Invercargill i would coincide with the top of the Trentino, Dunedin . would be just south of Switzerland, and Timaru corresponds with Genoa, and Akaroa with Nice. Wellington lies between Barcelona and Sardinia. Auckland is on the African coast line, in a line with, and midway between, Algiers and Tunis. Therefore we are some way. off being the Antipodes of Britain. Nice and Akaroa correspond so accurately that Akaroa, with its French associations, may think of doing something about it. A Wireless Wonder. The London correspondent of the principal New Zealand daily papers, writing under date January 16, says; The first demonstration of a new wireless instrument, enabling the operator in a ship in distress to ring loud alarm bells in all vessels or stations within wireless range, was given at the Marconi works, Chelmsford, Essex, yesterday. When the Titanic sank, a vessel was within 20 miles, but the distress signals were not heard owing to the operator being in bed. It is necessary for ships to carry a special automatic transmitter and receiver, and when an emergency arises the operator presses the key of the transmitter, and in the fraction of a minute the signal, consisting of Morse dots, sent at exactly 180 per minute, is being received by every vessel within range carrying a receiver, and a bell is kept ringing until the operator establishes ordinary wireless communication. For the demonstration, a portable wireless was stationed 30 miles away at Shalford, and upon a pressman telephoning by wireless the device was put into operation. The dots could be heard at the receiver, and a bell rang until stopped. The range is not limited, but depends upon the power of the transmitter. Eighty miles is considered a usual and a sufficient distance. During the war, the device was used for exploding mines, etc., and an illustration of its efficacy was made yesterday, gunpowder being fired by wireless sent from 30 miles away. At the Marconi works at Chelmsford (says the Morning Post ) there is a wireless mast 450 feet high, or higher than the cross on the top of St. Paul’s. A short time ago the highest part of it was broken by a gale, and the question of repairing it arose. Ladders were out of the question. But the difficulties did not daunt one of, the workmen, who noticed that the mast was made of quarter-. sections bolted together and then fitted one on top of the other. He asked, and was given permission, to try his luck. He made himself a belt, at the two ends of which were rings that would slip over the ends of the bolts. He also made for each hand a ring that fitted the bolts. Thus equipped, he started to mount on high, the belts being his only means of support. On the first day he swarmed up 200 feet, fitted the tackle, and descended to earth, for it was too cold to proceed further. On thd second day he was hoisted up the 200 feet, and then, hand over hand, by means of his rings and bolts, he got to the top of the mast, where he effected the necessary repairs. The last 250 feet of climbing was done in an hour. And, the man, whose name was Post, was 55 years of age.