Vol. \XiL So. lO.J 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



155 



nii.lom. 

 7h. 39ni. 

 8h. -im. 

 91i. 33m. 



P.M. 



P.M. 

 P.M. 

 P.M. 



III. D. Oct. 25, 5h. 54m. P.M. 



m. U. Oct. 26, 7h. 67m. P.M. 



I. R. Oct. 26, 51i. 57ni. P.M. 



iiiovenient of .084 inch. This average in fifteen the constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius. Jupiter 

 Augusts has been .087, with extremes of .051 and 

 .125. The largest daily movements were .58, on 

 the 2d, and .34, on the 13th, iu connection with 

 heavy rainfalls. However, on the 6th was a rain 

 fall of 1.18 inches, when the movement was upward 

 .10 inch, showing that we may have rain occasion- 

 ally not indicated by the barometer. On the 5th 

 the movement was —.02 only, and stationary on 

 the 7th. 



The average pressure during the past summer 

 was 29.934 inches, exactly the same as the present 

 August, which is very near 29.938, the average of 

 the last fifteen summers. The average daily 

 movement the last summer has been .105 inch, 

 while .that of the last fifteen summers has been 

 only .(99. 



WINDS. 



The direction of the wind in 93 observations 

 gave 8 N , 1 S , 7 E., 35 W., 4 N.E., 19 N.W., 

 2 S.E., and 17 S.W , — an excess of 11 northerly 

 and 58 westerly over the southerly and easterly, 

 and indicating the average direction to have been 

 W. 10° 44' N. The westerly winds have uniformly 

 prevailed over the easterly, with two exceptions, 

 by an average of 33 42 observations, and the 

 southerly over the northerly, with four exceptions, 

 by an average of 10.68 ; indicating the approxi- 

 mate general average of the wind the last nineteen 

 Augusts to have been W. 17° 44' S., which shows 

 that the winds the past month have been 28° 28' 

 more noitherly than the average. The relative 

 progressive distance travelled the past month was 

 59 03 units, and during the last nineteen Augusts 

 666.7 such units, — an average of 35 09; showing 

 less op[X)sing winds the past month than usual, in 

 proportion of 59 to 35. 



The average direction of the wind the present 

 summer has been W. 8° 21' N., while the average 

 direction for the last nineteen summers has been 

 \V. 28° 56' S., showing that the wind the present 

 summer has been 37° 17' more northerly than 

 usual. The average relative distance travelled the 

 present summer was 48.22 units, and the last 

 nineteen summers 736.3 such units, — an average of 

 38 75; showing less oppo.sing winds the present 

 summer than usual, in proportion of 48 to 38 

 nearly. 



RKVIEW. 



The present summer has been a near average 

 in regard to temperature, rainfall, and barometric 

 pressure, but with winds much more northerly and 

 less opposing than usual, and the least fair, with 

 two exceptions, in eighteen years. The southerly 

 winds prevail almost universally during the three 

 summer months; but this year the reverse has 

 occuired, the only instance on my record. 



D. W. 



Natick, Sept. 5, 1888. 



sets before nine o'clock on Oct. 1, and at about 

 seven o'clock on Oct. 31. It is in the constellation 

 Scorpius, and moves eastward about 6° during the 

 month. Toward the close of the month it is about 

 5° north of the first-magnitude red star Antares 

 (Alpha Scorpii). The following eclipses of Jupi- 

 ter's satellites will be visible in the United States 

 during the mouth. They all take place on the up- 

 per right-hand quadrant, as seen in an inverting 

 telescope. D denotes disappearance, R reappear- 

 ance. Times are Eastern standard. 



I. R. Oct. 1 



I. R. Oct. 10, 



II. u. Oct. 12, 



I. K. Oct. 17, 



Saturn rises at about 2 a.m. ou Oct. 1, and at 

 about midnight on Oct. 31. It is in the western 

 part of the constellation Leo, aud is movhig slowly 

 eastward; at the end of the month it is about 8° 

 west of the first-magnitude star Regulus {Alpha 

 Leonis). Uranus is too near the Sun to be seen 

 during the month. It is in conjunction on Oct. 11, 

 and becomes a morning star. Neptune is about 

 5° south of the Pleiades. 



The Constellations. — The positions given hold 

 good for latitudes differing not many degrees from 

 40° north, and for 10, 9, and 8 p.m. for the begin- 

 ning, middle, and end of the month respectively. 



The small constellation Lacerta is in the zenith. 

 Pegasus is just below it to the south on both sides 

 of the meridian. Aquarius is on the south raerid- 

 iau, about halfway up; and below it is Piscis Aus- 

 tralis. Cetus is low down in the south-east. Pisces 

 follows Aquarius, and is just below Pegasus. An- 

 dromeda is high up, a little north of east; and 

 below it are Aries, a little to the right, and Taurus, 

 lower down, a little to the left. Perseus is about 

 halfway up in the north-east, and Auriga is below 

 it. Cassiopeia is coming to the meridian between 

 the zenith and the pole; and Ursa Major is on the 

 north horizon, with the pointers on the meridian 

 below the pole. Ursa Minor is mainly to the left of 

 the pole star and a little below, and Draco is to the 

 left of Ursa Minor. Cygnus is to the west of the 

 zenith. M. 



Lakk Fokest, III., Sept. 20. 



[ripecially computed for the Pojmtux Science NeiBS.'\ 

 ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR 

 OCTOBER, 1888. 

 The Planets. — Mercury comes to its greatest 

 eastern elongation on Oct. 8, and may possibly be 

 seen as an evening star during the first few days 

 of the moyth ; but it is far .south of the Sun, and 

 will be hard to see. On Oct 9 it is in conjunction 

 witli Venus, 3° to the south of the latter. It 

 comes to inferior conjunction on Oct. 31. Venus 

 is an evening star, gradually moving away from 

 the Sun. 15y the end of the month it remains 

 above the horizon a little less than two hours after 

 sunset. Mars sets still earlier than during Sep- 

 tember. At the beginning of the month it sets at 

 a little after 9pm, and at the end of the month at 

 about 8A. 30m. p.m. It is moving eastward through 



Fink Threads of Quautz. — C. V. Boys gives 

 an account of some very interesting experiments in 

 the production of the finest threads of glass and 

 other materials. The most remarkable threads he 

 has found are those of quartz. Of these he says, 

 " As torsion threads, these fibres of quartz would 

 seem to be more perfect in their elasticity than any 

 known; they are as strong as steel, and can be 

 made of any reasonable length, perfectly uniform 

 in diameter, and, as already explained, exceedingly 

 fine (i e., ' beyond tbe power of any possible mi- 

 croscope '). The tail ends of those that become 

 invisible must have a moment of torsion of 100- 

 000,000 times less than ordinary spun glass; and, 

 though it is impossible to manipulate with those, 

 there is no difficulty with threads less than one ten- 

 thousandth of an inch in diameter." 



I. T. K., Mississippi. —If the action of the force of 

 gravity sliould be universally suspended at any given 

 moment, what would be the effect upon the motions 

 of the .stars and planets V 



Answer. — The attraction of gravitation is an in- 

 herent property of matter, and we can hardly conceive 

 of its being "suspended." In such a case, however, 

 all bodies moving in circular or elliptical orbits would 

 move off in straight lines tangent to that part of the 

 orbit where they were at the time, and, so far as we 

 know, would continue to move on indefinitely at the 

 same speed. 



T. A. 0., Germany. — Is the power exerted by a 

 hydraulic press dependent in any way upon the liquid 

 used in it? 



Answer. — Liquids are practically incompressible, 

 and only serve to transmit the power. The only 

 reason for substituting oil, glycerine, or alcohol in 

 certain cases is either to avoid evaporation or to 

 prevent freezing when the apparatus is exposed to low" 

 temijeratures. 



F. P. T., Buffalo. — In what form of ore does tin 

 occur? 



Answer. — The principal ore of tin is the oxide 

 (SnOj) known as cassiterite, or tin-stone. The princi- 

 pal mines are in England and the East Indies, although 

 it occurs in several other localities. It is reduced by 

 smelting with coal, but the ore and metal must be 

 purified by rather complicated processes. 



Inquirer- — What is the magnetic oxide of iron? 

 Answer. — This is a compound of a molecule of fer- 

 rous oxide, FeO, with one of ferric oxide, Fe203, thus 

 giving it the empirical symbol FesO^. It is the only 

 oxide of iron that is attracted by the magnet, and oc- 

 curs abundantly in nature as the mineral magnitite. 

 It sometimes exhibits magnetic polarity, and is then 

 called a loadstone, or natural magnet. It is doubtful 

 whether it is an independent oxide of iron or a simple 

 mixture of the two oxides named above. 



I. G. E., Boston. — There is no difference in com- 

 position between potash aud pearlasli. Both are more 

 or less impure carbonates of jjotassium, the pearlash 

 being the purest. 



R. B. P , Jacksonville. — What is the actual total 

 force exerted by gunpowder at the moment of its ex- 

 plosion? 



Answer. — It has been found by experiment that 

 one volume of powder gives, on ignition, 280 volumes 

 of gas at .32° F. At the temperature produced by tlie 

 explosion this would be expanded to 3,640 volumes, 

 which, if confined within the space originally occupied 

 by tbe gunpowder, would exert a pressure of about 

 thirty-six tons per square Inch. 



Artist, Brooklyn. — The color known as ultra- 

 marine was formerly the powder of the precious mineral 

 lapis-lazuli, which is essentially a silicate of alumina 

 with varying quantities of soda, sulphuric acid, and 

 sulphur. It was, and is now to some extent, used as a 

 pigment by artists; but for most purposes the artificial 

 ultramarine is used, which is made in immense quan- 

 ties and at a very low cost. It is prepared by heating 

 together a mixture of clay, carbonate of soda, sulphur, 

 an<l charcoal, and afterwards roasting repeatedly 

 with additional quantities of sulphur. The formula 

 2(NajA.l2SijO,) . NjSj has been assigned to it, but the 

 actual composition is uncertain. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



Lktteks of inquiry should enclose a two-cent stamp, 

 as well as the name and address of tlie writer, which 

 will not be published. 



QuKSTioNS regarding the treatment of diseases can- 

 not be answered in this column. 



N. T. v., California. — "What, gives to indelible ink 

 its peculiar properties? 



An.HWer. — Tlie indelible inks commonly used are a 

 preparation of nitrate of silver. When cloth is 

 marked with this, and exposed to the light and air, the 

 nitrate of silver is reduced to metallic silver, which 

 is insoluble in water aud the other cleansing materials 

 used iu the laundry. 



LITERARY NOTES. 



The baby is ruler of the household ; and, as is befit- 

 ting, Bahyland is the oiHcial organ of the baby's king- 

 dom. It is a charming little monthly of eight pages, 

 filled with pictures to please baby's eye, and little 

 jingles and stories to please his ear. It is a marvel of 

 enjoyment, for 50 cents a year, or $1.40 with Popular 

 Science News. D. Lothrop Company, Boston, will send 

 a sample for five cents. 



Light, Heat, and Power is published at Philadelphia 

 in the interest of the gas industries. It has recently 

 changed from a monthly to a weekly, and will doubt- 

 less hold even a more prominent place than before in 

 the ranks of industrial journalism. 



The receipt of the following pamphlets, etc., is ac- 

 knowledged with thanks: heredity, by Dr. J. T. 

 Searcy, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; The Traditional Errors of 

 Stirgery, by Dr. R. J. Levis of Philadelphia; Social 

 Ethics, by Dr. William M. McLaury of New York; 

 History and Work of the Worrier Observatory at 

 Rochester, N.Y.; Dependent Children, by 0. H. Reeve 

 of Plymouth, Ind.; Report of the Rhode Island State 

 Board of Hfdllh ; Bulletin of the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural Experiment- Station ; and Report of the Division of 

 Forestry of the United States Department of Agriculture. 



