Scientific

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2322, 28 May 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Scientific

ReafwlNg Children by Incubatioji.— A patient at Glasgow Maternity Hospital has been delivered of premature triplets. They aro being reared in an incubator, and, as this is the first time the experiment has beeu tried, doctors are watching it with iuterest The incubator consists of a wooden box, in which the children are placed, while the lower part of the box is occupied by hot bottles, to raise the temperature to the requisite hight. Another Planet.—A new minor planet (No. 265) was discovered by Herr Paiisa at Vienna at about half past twelve on the morning of .February 26, the position at that time being Right Ascension 10 h. 31 m. 44 s., North Polar JMstauce 82 dqg. 10 m. 15 sec. The was moving rapidly in a southerly direction, the motion in Right Ascension being unusually large. The Horse-power of a Whale's Tail. —Sir William Turner, the eminent Professor of Anatomy in the University of Edinburgh, recently delivered a lecture to the members of the Philosophical Institution of that city on "whales: their structure and habits," in the course of which he referred to a point of considerable interest to engineers, which was the horse-power exerted by the tail of a large whale. Regarding the length of full-grown whales, Professor Turner remarked that the porpoise was 4 feet or five feet long, whereas the Greenland right whale wa3 from 50 feet to 60 feet long, and he said that the great tinnerwhale, which frequently visited the British seas, reached the length of 80 feet, or even more. An animal of the latter sort was stranded at Longniddry some years ago. After speaking at some length on the structure of whales, the lecturer made some remarks on the rate ot speed at which they travelled. It had beeu estimated, he said, that the Greenland whale could attain a speed of nine or ten miles an hour, and that the tinner-whales attained even a greater speed. In all probability; the Longniddry whale could propel itself through the water at the rate of twelve miles an hour, and the spernj whale was said to be capable of driving itself along at the same rate of speed. He had asked Mr John Henderson, of Glasgow, the well-known builder of the Anchor liners, to assist him in arriving at the horse-power, which must be exercised by one of these great whales so as te acquire a speed of twelve miles an hour, and he put the case of the Longniddry whale before him. It was 80 feet long, weighed about 74 tons, and had a tail 18 feet to 20 feet across from the extreme ends of its flanges. With these data Mr Henderson calculates that a whale of the dimensions mentioned, in order to attain a speed of twelve miles an hour, would require to exercise a propelling force of 145 horsepower. —Engineering. Impure Ice as a Cause of Disease.— The State Board of Health, having been asked by the Board of Health of Syracuse to examine into the purity of ice taken from Onondaga Lake, from the Erie Canal at Syracuse, and from Cazenovia Lake, has not only made a careful investigation into the quality of ice from those sources, but has also prepared a report on the general question of the pathogenetic powers of contaminated ice. The Board comes to these conclusions : Ice formed in impure water has caused sickness ; it may contain from eight to ten per cent, of the organio matter dissolved in the water, and in addition a very large amount of the organic matter that had been merely suspended or floating in it; it may contain living animals and plants, ranging in size from visible worms down to the minutest spores, and the vitality of these organisms may be unaffected hy freezing. —Scientific Americau. The Telephone between Brussels and Paris.—Tho recent trials upon the new telephonic circuit established between Brussels and Paris have given most conclusive results. Not only is it now proved that by employing bronze instead of iron for a telephonic circuit, speech is transmitted more easily from Brussels to Paris than between two subscribers in a single town, but tho more important fact is brought to light that one can telephone ■with this degree jof perfection whilst the telegraph is being worked upon the circuit U3ed for the telephone. It is thus demonstrated that if, by degrees according to requirement, the iron wire at present used on telegraphic lines is replaced by copper or bronze wire, and if the Van Rysselberghe system is adopted, as is the case upon tho whoie of the Belgian network, one will be able to establish, between Brussels and Paris, as many telephonic circuits as there are telegraphic wires.—La Nation A Hapl'Y Discovery.—lt is reported that a German inventor has devised a simple means for deadening the sound of pianos. The contrivance merely consists* of the application of fine flannel to frame between the strings and hammers of an upright piano ; but the sound can be graduated at will, without losing the quality.of the tone.—lndustries. A New Paper Stereotypic. —A Hungarian priuter.is said to have discovered a treatment of paper enabling him to make a paper stereotype which will yield 8,000 to 10,000 impressions.—lndustrial Review.