488 
NATURE 
[Jury 9, 1914 
to the step through one or two passages from the upper 
surface of the float, but without the assistance of cowls 
to increase the air pressure, an assistance which has 
been found advantageous in the case of experiments 
made elsewhere. Reference is also made in the paper 
to the pitching moments which arise when a float 
having a single step is used, and it is pointed out 
that whilst getting up speed the air controls are 
ineffective at first, and to reduce the period of lack of 
effective control it is proposed to put the step near 
to the centre of gravity. Certain disadvantages of 
another kind are thereby introduced, and for various 
reasons the above position has not yet been accepted 
as the best by all designers of hydro-aeroplanes. 
We have received from Washington a “ Classified 
List of Smithsonian Publications Available for Dis- 
tribution, April 25, 1914,” published by the Smith- 
sonian Institution. The papers included in the list 
are distributed gratis, except as otherwise indicated. 
Applicants for the publications are asked to state the 
grounds for their requests, as the institution is able 
to supply papers only as an aid to the researches or 
studies in which applicants are especially interested. 
Tue Congress of Naval Architects at Newcastle 
during the present week is marked in Engineering 
for July 3 by a number of articles descriptive of Tyne- 
side engineering and shipbuilding works. | Among 
these is a description of the appliances used in testing 
turbo-dynamos at the Heaton works of Messrs. Par- 
sons, the success of the Parsons turbine-driven electric 
machinery being largely a consequence of the experi- 
mental work carried out by aid of this installation, 
which now admits of extensive and accurate testing 
work being done. Provision is made for testing at 
full load for several hours continuously turbo-dynamos 
having an output of more than 3000 kw. There are 
three large water-tube boilers and one Lancashire 
boiler and a network of pipes arranged so that steam 
may be supplied to any of the numerous test-beds. A 
separately fired superheater is used, so that almost 
any desired degree of superheat can be obtained. 
There are two independent condensing plants. Two 
powerful Heenan and Froude water-brakes have been 
installed, with which geared turbines may be tested 
up to 3000 brake-horse-power. 
Tue eleventh volume of the Journal of the Institute 
of Metals has now been issued. The volume runs to 
437 pages, and is divided into three sections. The 
first contains minutes of proceedings, and is concerned 
largely with the annual meeting held in London last 
March. The presidential address by Sir Henry J. 
Oram, K.C.B., is printed in full, and the papers read 
at the annual meeting are also included, together with 
reports from the institute’s committees. The second 
section is made up of a valuable collection of abstracts 
of papers relating to the non-ferrous metals and the 
industries connected therewith. The third part con- 
tains the memorandum and articles of association and 
a list of members. The volume has been well edited 
by the secretary of the institute, Mr. G. S. Scott, and 
is published by the institute, Caxton House, West- 
minster, at the price of 215s. net. 
NOW 2332, VOL O83) 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
A Faint NEw Comet (1ig14c).—A Kiel telegram, 
dated July 1, announces the discovery by Neujmin of 
a new comet on June 29 at 13h. 35-3 Simeis mean 
time. It is stated to be of magnitude 12, and its 
position is given as R.A. 18h. 5m, 24s., and declination 
12 oS. 
A further telegram from Kiel, dated July 2, gives 
Dr. Graff’s observation of this comet on July 1 at 
1th. 56-4m. Bergedorf mean time. Its magnitude is 
given at 12-5, and its position, R.A. 18h. 3m. 17-5s., 
and declination 12° 26’ 44” S. A supplement to the 
Astronomische Nachrichten (No. 4747) gives some fur- 
ther positions. Aitken and Tucker observed the object 
with the 36-in. refractor on July 1 at 12h. 13-1m. 
Mount Hamilton mean time, and gave the position 
RA. a8h. 2m. 52-5s., and declination® 12°21 20"sr 
Graff and Schorr on July 2, at 1th. 36-5 Bergedorf 
mean time, state the object to be of magnitude 12:5, 
and situated at R.A. 18h. 2m. 13-2s., and declination 
12° 12’ 53”. The comet is at present situated in the 
constellation of Serpens, and is a little south of Eta. 
OpposiITION OF EROS (433) THIS YEAR.—While the 
opposition of Eros, which will occur on September 18 
of the present year, is not a very favourable one as 
regards its distance from the earth, Prof. E. C. 
Pickering directs attention to the occasion for 
pursuing a photometric study (Harvard College 
Circular, No. 183), By the courtesy of Prof. 
Cohn, director of the  Recheninstitut, Prof. 
Pickering publishes the ephemeris and other data 
concerning this object from June 30 to the end of 
the year, to assist those making observations. The 
author publishes the interesting statement regarding 
a reduction now in hand of a large series of observa- 
tions made by the late Oliver C. Wendell, which has 
indicated a new fact in the photometry of asteroids. 
It appears that Eros in 1898 was more than a magni- 
tude fainter than in 1900. Similar changes occurred 
in other asteroids, as was shown in the case of 
Juno (3) (Har. Ann., xlvi., 201). When all the cor- 
rections are applied for distances from the sun and 
earth, for phase, and for variation due to rotation, 
another large source of variation is still apparent the 
cause of which is difficult to explain. Prof. 
Pickering emphasises this as an additional reason 
why observations both of the relative and absolute 
magnitude of Eros should be made this year. 
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE ALLEGHENY OBSERVA- 
Tory.—Dr. Frank Schlesinger and Mr. Charles J: 
Hudson give the results of a preliminary investigation 
(vol. iii., No. 9) regarding the determination of star 
positions by means of a wide-angle camera. The 
object of the research was to find a method of charting 
stars which would overcome the difficulty of in- 
sufficient comparison stars; the employment of a 
wide-angle camera will permit of a larger area of the 
sky being photographed on one plate. So far as the 
investigation has gone, the doublet used is considered 
well adapted for cataloguing purposes, and it covers 
a field of 25 square degrees, as compared, for example, 
with the 4 square degrees in the case of the plates for 
the Astrographic Catalogue. In another number 
(vol. iii., No. 11) Dr. Schlesinger gives a description 
with two plates of a large serew-measuring engine 
designed for taking plates of all sizes up to 8x Io in., 
and adapted to the measurement of stellar and solar 
spectrograms, as well as ordinary celestial photo- 
graphs. The engine seems to have given great satis- 
faction, both for its convenience and accuracy of per- 
formance. Nos. 10 and 12 of the same publication 
give the orbits of the variable stars 18 Aquila and 
