252 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



place and to glue thorn there; and it can reproduce them when cut away. 

 The exti-emity of the thread is attached by means of its adhesive quality 

 to some stone; and this done, the pinna., receding, draws out the thread 

 through the j)erforation of the extensile member. The material when 

 gathered is washed in soap and water, dried, straightened and carded — one 

 pound of course filament yielding about three ounces of fine thread, which 

 when made into a web, is of burnished golden brown color. A large manu- 

 factory for this material exists in Palermo. — Scientific American. 



A New Use for Asbestos. — Some experiments have recently been suc- 

 cessfully made in Italy on a new way of burning petroleum under steam 

 boilers. The method consists simplj^ in pouring the oil over a thin layer 

 of asbestos. The petroleum burns with an intense heat; while the asbes- 

 tos, being incombustible, is not affected, and thus not only serves as a means 

 of retaining the oil, but, being so good a non-conducting substance, the pre- 

 vention of fire from the volatile oil is obvious. In the experiments, sheets 

 of paper placed beneath the furnace were not injured, despite the fierce in- 

 candescence of the oil above. 



EDITORIA.L NOTES. 



KANSAS CITY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At the annual meeting of the Academy of 

 Science, held May 29th, in the rooms of the 

 Young Men's Christian Association, the fol- 

 lowing ofFicers were elected for the ensuing 

 year. 



President— Hon. K. T. Van Horn. 



Vice President — Judge E. P. West. 



Kecording Secsetary — W. E. Winner. 



Corresponding Secretary — Col. Theo. S. 

 Case. 



Treasurer— Dr. Geo. Halley. 

 . Librarian — Harry II. West. 



Member of Executive Committee for four 

 years — Dr. Geo. Halley. 



A resolution was passed requiring all mem- 

 bers reading papers before the Academy to 

 file written or printed copies with the Libra- 

 rian for preservation 



At the next regular meeting, on the even- 

 ing of the last Tuesday in this month, a paper 

 upon the "Remedial Properties of Heat" will 

 be read by Prof. Geo. Halley, of this city. At 



the regular meeting in July an archeeological 

 article will be presented by Judge E. P. West, 

 and for that of August, Prof. T. J. Eaton will 

 prepare an appropriate essay, the subject of 

 which has not yet been made known. 



WESTINGIIOUSE AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE 

 ON THE KANSAS PACIFIC r'y. 



On the 22d of May a series of tests of the 

 Improved Westinghouse air brake was made 

 near this city by the Kansas Pacific Railway 

 Company, under the management of S. T. 

 Smith, Auditor, and D. E. Cornell, General 

 Passenger Agent. The results we give below 

 in the report of the committee appointed for 

 the purpose : 



We, the undersigned, having been requested 

 to act as a committee to observe, record and 

 report the results of certain tests of the work- 

 ings of the Westinghouse Improved Automatic 

 Air Brake upon a special train fitted for the 



