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Excerpta

A Life in His Hands.

A story is told of a Red Indian fighter and hunter, John Chamberlain, and an Indian chieftain, Paulet. These two men met in the midst of a battle, in the year 1725, on the shore of a pond. Their guns had become foul from long fighting, and were useless until they should be washed. The life of each man depended upon the quickness and certainty with which he could cleanse, load, and fire bis piece at the other, and Chamberlain succeeded, and killed the Indian, because his gun bad a larger priming-hole than Paulet’s, and could be primed merely by striking a quick blow on the side of the stock. A somewhat similar story, but with a different ending, has lately been recounted by an ‘ old liner ’ of the French Army as a souvenir of the Crimean War. It is one of the few incidents of that war which would bear relating at the festivals in France some time ago in honour of the visiting Russian naval officers and seamen—now the firm allies of the French. In one of the attacks of the French left upon the Russians in the neighbourhood of Sebastopool, the retreat was sounded on both sides, and the Russians retired to their fortress, the French to their trenches.

On the way a French sergeant of the line encountered, alone, a Russian sergeant, also alone. The two men were face to face, and enemies.

Their guns were empty. Simultaneously they took cartridges from their pouches and began to load, methodically, like well drilled soldiers, but each as he could manage. The guns, like all others in that campaign, were muzzle loaders. The cartridges were forced to place with a ramrod. Simultaneously the two ramrods entered the guns, and simultaneously they were" withdrawn ; but the Russian, accustomed by inflexible discipline to do everything in a set way, put back his ramrod in its place along the barrel, while the Frenchman threw his away with the movement that withdraw it.

This gave him the needed moment's advantage over his antagonist. Clapping his gun stock to his shoulder, he had the Russian’s life in his hands. The Russian stopped still, awaiting the shot that should be his death.

Then the French sergeant dropped his gun from his shoulder and put out his right hand. The Russian grasped it; the two soldiers shook hands without a word—for neither knew a word of the other’s tongue—and then both turned and went their opposite ways.

The way to tell the Time without a Watch.

Actual and repeated experiments have shown that the nearest hour of the day or night may be ascertained in the follow very curions way : Make a small running loop in a piece of sewing thread about a foot in length, place a shilling in this loop, see that the coin is accurately bisected by the thread, and then draw the loop tight up, so that the shilling is firmly slung at one end of the thread. Put on a solid table a glass tumbler with a ■fairly wide mouth. Rest your right elbow on the table in a firm and easy position so as to avoid any shakiness in your hand, hold the other end of the thread between your first finger and the * ball ’ of your thumb (i e , the fleshy top joint of the thumb) so that the thumb nail is undermost, and a few inches above the middle of the mouth of the glass. Now, if you keep your hand quite steady the movement of the coin (which is hanging inside the tumbler) will become less and less until the shilling is motionless. Then, in half a minute or so, a very slight and regular vibration will commence, the coin oscilating from side to side like a pendulum, and gradually in-

creasing the length of the movement until it gently strikes the sides of the glass. The strike goes on in the most regular and automatic way, first on one side of the glass and then on the other until, say, eight strokes have been struck ; the vibrations of the coin will then diminish in length until the susbended shilling again becomes motionless and hangs in the middle of the tumbler. You look at your watch and find that eight o’clock is the nearest hour. I have tried this over and over again, deliberately setting about the experiment without bias or any intention of influencing the swing of the coin, and also being ignorant of the time, and when my hand has been steady the right time has invariably been struck.

Interesting Uses for the Phonograph.

It is well known that the phonograph has not been taken up so keenly in this country or Europe in general as in America, and it is not easy to understand why, unless it be that we are slower to appreciate and-try a novelty than the Americans. There are signs of a revival of interest in the apparatus, however, and something practical may soon be done with it here. We (says the Globe) know of at least one distinguished man of business in the city who dictates his correspondence to it wherever be travels. If city men once realised the advantages of the instrument and the simplicity of its working, they might find it serviceable. It has now made its appearance in our streets as a perambulating music ball or theatre, and snatches of opera, comic songs, or recitations can be heard for a penny. These instruments are hired out. The applications of the phonograph in America are fairly numerous. For example, by putting a * nickel ’ in the slot, you can hear a piece of music, an amusing dialogue, or a sormon if you prefer it. Again it is used as a stenographer in dictating correspondence. The North American Phonograph Company claims 10 advantages in its favour for this purpose, namely, speed, the ability to dictate alone at any time day or night, economy, not only of money, but of time, arising from the fact that the clerk can be doing other work while the dictation is proceeding, exactitude, independence, simplicity, freedom from bother, supervision of labour, and the satisfaction, of moving with the times. Another use of the phonograph is exhibited at the World’s Fair in its application to the teaching of languages in the public schools. The pupils speak into it, and the teacher can judge of their progress, or a master of pronunciation can furnish phonograms which the teacher can give out by the phonograph and lecture on them. Moreover, a pupil can study his own pronunciation or that of a master at his leisure in this way. At the school of Miss Walker, the phonograph is adapted to register the voices of as many as 30 pupils. Clergymen, lawyers, actors, and other speakers also use the phonograph to improve their oratorv. Phonograms for the private study of foreign languages are also in use.

Aluminium is being gradually used in the manufacture of army accoutrements and camp requisites on the Continent. Last year the German Emperor ordered the plate and gilt ornaments of his soldiers and the cans and saucepans to be made of the metal. In January his Majesty approved of an aluminium model of a camp cooking apparatus, and recently he recommended the officers of the Ist regiment of Guards to have their helmets made entirely of the metal. The Russians are using aluminium in the construction of their ammunition waggons, which, according to calculations, are thereby reduced in weight by about 3cwt. or 4cwt.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KAIST18940720.2.3

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 757, 20 July 1894, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,266

Excerpta Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 757, 20 July 1894, Page 2

Excerpta Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 757, 20 July 1894, Page 2

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