Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, 15 April 1915, Page 55

Science Siftings

By ‘ Volt.’

A Monster Elevator. The new 1,100,000 bushel grain elevator at Philadelphia is now in use. It cost £240,000 to erect, was built of concrete and steel, and is considered the most rapid plant- ever built for transferring grain from rail to shipboard. It stands back 500 ft from a pier 9000 ft long, on both sides of which vessels can dock, a conveying gallery extending out to the end of the pier. The elevator can unload 240 trucks per day of. ten hours, and the gallery can load at the rate of 60,000 bushels' per hour. The plant has a machine which cleans 20,000 bushels per hour. . Can Hear, But Not See. When people read that armies are engaging each other at 2000 yards distance, they think the combatants can see each other, but they cannot. At that distance it is impossible to distinguish between a man and a horse, and at 1200 yards, especially where there is any dust, it requires the best kind of eyes to tell infantry from cavalry. At 900 yards the movements become clearer, although it is not until they get within 750 yards of each other that the heads of the columns can be made out with anything like certainty. Infantry can be seen in the sunlight much more easily than cavalry or artillery because less dust is raised. Besides, infantry are distinguished by the glitter of their muskets. At 2000 yards, however, everything is unsatisfactory, even with the aid of field-glasses, for a. marching column in dry weather raises a great deal of dust. Hoots Marie From Seaweed. According to experts who have closely studied the matter, we are neglecting a valuable asset by not making more use of the tons of seaweed which are thrown upon our shores every day (says a Home paper). If t lie experience of tin* Japanese and the dwellers on tin* western shores of Norway, land, and Ireland is to he- accepted , there are huge fortunes to be made from seaweed. The Japanese, for instance, employ some 600,000 persons in the seaweed industries. These are mainly engaged in preparing edible products. China alone, it appears, consumes £120,000 worth of gelatinous articles made from seaweed every year. Furthermore, the Japanese use seaweed in the manufacture of such diverse objects as policemen’s boots, picture frames, marbled floors, and electric switchboards. In France seaweed finds utility as a stiffener for mattresses and as size for straw hats. Preventing Gun-deafness. The huge power of modern guns is responsible for a deafening uproar the whole time they are in action. This din results in hundreds of soldiers being deafened for life, owing to injuries to the eardrum. Sailors are the most unfortunate in this respect, for, unlike soldiers, they cannot stand at a distance of twelve paces behind their guns, as rule in the army. The sailor remains at the breech the whole time that the gun is carrying on its work. As a preventive of deafness the sailors on many ships are provided with a small stick of indiarubber, which they grip between their teeth when the guns are at work. This prevents the concussion of the great volume of sound being so injurious to the nerves of the ears, and also stops that vibration of the jaw which results in chronic headache. If these preventives are not provided the sailor is advised to keep his mouth open when gun-firing is going on, as this stops, to some extent, the unpleasant consequences set up by violent concussion. Naval officers invariably chew toothpicks when gunners are at work, for the great preventive of deafness on such occasions is to keep the mouth open somehow or other. <