Historical Document · 1895
Scientific American vol. 73 no. 5 (3 August 1895), including the illustrated article 'Improved Repeating Pistol' on the Borchardt pistol made by Ludwig Loewe & Co. of Berlin, with ten engravings.
(Entered fit tbe Post Office of New York, N. Y., fiS Second Class matter. A WEEKljY JOURNAL OF PRAC TICAL Vol. LXXIII.--No. ESTABLISHED 1845. THE 5'J Copyrigbt, 1895, by Munn & Cu.) INFORMATION, ART SCIENCE, MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY, AND MANUFACTURES. [$3.00 NE'" YORK, AUG UST 3, 1895. . A YE,\:K. WEEKLY. MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. I Marks for a new foot without ankle j oi nt. I N ow, except in very special The idea, It would be h ard to find a more beneficent example· opposed to preconceived 1 "Jtion�, was carried out wi th ' of the progress of mechanical science than that af- some diffic ulty and the pl. blelll was p ractically s olved. forded by the peculiar ind ustry we describe and illus- c�."e�, aud the exten sion bo the toes are made of sponge rub down below the in!>tep. The lower portion of the foot ber, fortified w i t h several layers of canvas em bedded the an k le j oint is in th e mass. The foot i s rigid l y secured to th e ankle trate i n this iss ue. T h e at·tificial l i m b man u fact urer d efilJitely abandoned, and the India rubber foot, th e end of th e lower limb by a sort of m ortising. ' Some ran ks, in a sense, with th e reparative surgeon in th e I resul t of a vast nu mber of experimen ts, patented and times the section of a log is turned out on a shap good he does to human ity. Especiall y at the present I controlled b y t h i s firm, is em day h i s operations are of importance. The cases o f ployed. am putation are getting m ore and m ore frequent. 'I· J_ c ===������==� The first step in the process of Trolley cars, steam rail roads. agric ultural machinery l eg making is t h e c utting of the and factories are all respon sible for many accidents, I tim ber. and n atural l y t h e y are i n crea sing in num ber. days the old peg l eg of the Peter Stuyve"ant type re- I 1 T h ese are felled with saws, are the substitu t e j auger is d riven th ro ugh the axis presented th e best substitute for the nat ural mem ber. T h e h ook of Captain C uttle recalls Two k i n d s of wood are In early I used-the willo w and the bass. for the oth er mem bers in vogue some years ago. Man ufacturers of these primitive affairs attempted cut into short lengths, and an 0f each log. The wood is kiln dried in live steam at a pressure to improve t h ei r prod uct, and produced arm s and legs of eigh ty pound s to the sq uare The com plicated natural leg was the I in ch. Th e endeavor in boring morlel, and efforts w ere directed to reproduce i ts many I out the axis of the log is to pro motions. Much ingenuity was expended iu this direc- vide for internal contracti on, w ith joints. tion , and in due course of time, through simplification thus preventing- check i n g. Sev as has been aptly said, eral years' seasoning are gi ven . "passed through all th e possible stages from the leg T h e season ed wood, w h ich has automaton to the leg practical." The obj ect of this been rough ed out wit h a buzz article is to sho w h o w the artificial leg of the day i s I saw, is received i n t h e factory made, and our sketches h ave been m ad e at t h e estab- and is ready for the workman. Jish Ulent of A. A. Marks, of New York C ity. A curious Fig. 6, g, s h ows a log prepared for coll ection of envelopes is framed and displ ayed in the the shaping process. Th e work of its parts, t h e structure, offiee of t h e firm--en velopes add ressed to t h em and which inc lo�ed correspondence from every country, and which would in man y cases be treasures to the man has to g ive the interior a shape representing the contour of the stum p on which th e shape They are exhi bited to sh ow how the is based . With peculiar carving entire world draws upon their factory for artificial tools, illustrated below (Fig. 6, limbs . a , c), t h e interior i s rapidl y excap h ilateli st. T h e l eg with restricted back and forward ankle mo- vated until th e ������ �... apprOl:imate 2 l. Sbaping macbine turning fi leg section. 12. Finisbing iuterior of leg and facing off ankle end. 5. Carving leg sections by hand. THE sh ape is reached. 3. Setting up jegs. 4. Finisbing legs and arms. 6. Details and parts of artificial limb making. MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. As guide or template for the i nte- ing mac h ine from a template or d uplicate, an d one rior, two pasteboard profiles (Fig. 6, d) of t h e stu m p of the cuts (Fig. 1) shows this mac hine in opera T h e l eg is covflred with rawhide tightly stretched are u sed. together with paper rings (Fig. 6, e), giving tion. the girth of the stump at rlifferent places. The exte- rior i s brou ght to sh ape by the dra wing k n i fe fol' the over the o u tside of the wood; the foot i s covered with first steps, followed by th e gouge (Fig. 6, b), spoke white calfskin cemented on the upper surface and l ap sh ave, rasp and san d paper successively. T h e opera- pi n g over the sole. A sole is cemented on and is sewed tion of carvi ng- th e exterior of the leg is shown in one all around the edge to t h e upper covering. The foot of the cuts (Fig. 5). The i nterior is brough t to i ts final and leg are now enameled and dried in an oven. This tion was constructed the interim 1853-1863. adjustable for that ior wear. the t ension The a nd provided ven' frpq uently required. for h ard compensation about against the interi or of t h e leg until it is finish ed. 'I log is selected whose natural grain fol lows th e cu rve of much prai8ed ankle j oint s h own in Fig. 2. in which also is seen a workman fac- leg and wooden core of a experience i n genious a n d was too weak j l eaves them waterproof for all ordinary purposes. The w heels, made of gl u e and I T h e�e operations, on e of which i s shown in Fig. 4, are by M r. A. A. Marks durin g sand on a core, are carried on the end of Rpindles t ermed finishing. But for special cases, w h ere water is to be feared. a 'rh e j o in t iIl cluded a sprin/! rotated at high speed by po w er, and t hese are woved shape by revolvin g sand wh eel s which smooth it out to precise contour. of ten service, and years showed repairs Coarse an d fine wh('el� are us('d. T h e operation is a leg and foot. were ing off th e end of the leg to receive t h e foot. A patient applied to Mr. The foo t is m ade upon a wooden core which extends © 1895 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. From such a piece the entire lower piece, and the rubber portion of th e foot is attached foot is mad e all (Continued on page 68.) in one 66 fAUGUST 3, 1895. Jtitntifit �mttitan. THE ES'I'AELISHED 1845. M UN N & PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT THE ,",CTENTIFTC BICYCLE. tition of the world; second prize $1,500, with a stipu lation that in the event of the first prize being awarded moving at a very slow s peed. It is a physical fact th at Over twenty-one American inventors have already a body in motion persists in m aintaining i t s plane of notified the Times-Herald of their intention of com m otion, and unless some add itional force acts on the peti n g. The present indi cations are that there w i l l be A. E. BEACH. l<'OIt THE still w h eel is an almost im practicable feat; but it is third and fourth prizes are open to all competitors, simple enough to maintain an u pright position when both foreign and American. No. 361 BUOADWAY, NEW YORK. 'l'.;ltlll,.. OF what keeps him up? That is the question asked by t o a vehicle of foreign invention or manufacture th is inquisitive minds, as the rider passes s w iftly along on prize sh all g o to th e most s uccessful American com a wheel base practically without width. Sitt i n g" on a petitor ; third prize, $1,000; fourth prize, $500. The CO., Editors and Proprietors. O. D. MUNN. PHYSICS When a wheelman is moving forward on a bicycle, b od y at an angle t o the ori ginal line of motion, i t w ill not less than fifty and possibly double that number of contin u e to m ove i n its original plan e until stopped by vehicles entered in thi s race. It is too early to state AiUEItICAN. One copy, one year, for the U.S., Canada or Mexic� .. ... .. ..53 00 friction or arrested by an obstruction. A body set in how many French and German m anufact urers w i l l One cO:JY. siX months, for the U. S., Canada or .}�exlCo.. . .. . . : .... 1 aO motion tends to m ove in a straight lin e, and wil l d o so enter the lists, but i t i s probable some of t h e prize One copy.one year,to any foreign country belonging to Postal Unwn. 4 00 Remit by postal or express money order, or by bank draft or cheCK. unless affected by a force acting on it in a d ifferent di win ners in the recen t Paris Bordeaux contest will en �fUNN & CO., 361 Broadway, corner of fi'raUklin Streett New YorK. rection from that of the firs t mo\-e ment. d eavor to gain add i tional prizes. It is likely th'lt the . .... is a distinct SriPl1tific 'rite A lnpl'icnn . . . . . . . . To illustrate t h is point we migh t refer to the rim of Daimler motor, which h as proved so successfu l i n both �l1PJllement paper from the SCIENTIFIC' ..-\�n:m]C.A1\. 'l'HE 8LJPPLEMEN'1' of the com petitions h eld i n France, will be u sed on IS iS8lled weekly. Every number contai s 16 octavo pages, uniform 10 size a flywheel, w h i c h moves in a certain p l an e, but not in n subscription for SUPP LEM�NT. with SCIE.NTIJ<' A)'IERICAK. 'l'erms of $5.00 a year, for the U. S., ('anada or .}.[exicQ. $6.00 a year to foreign a straight line, because it is confined to a circular several of the carriages. The offer of the Times-Herald CO lJtrie� bdun�inl: to the Postal Union. Single copies 10 cents. Sold path by its spokes. S h ould the flywheel b urst, its is made with no inten tion of starting a "horseless car byUall newsdealers throughout the conntry. See prospectns,last page. e(lmbilled H:ltt>s.-'l'he SCIENTJ]'IC AMERICAN and SUPPLEME�T will be Rent for one vear, to oue address in U. S., Ca� ada or "llexico, on parts would fly off i n paths that would be perfectly riage fad" or of promoting a craze in t h i s direction , receipt of seven dolla,rs. '1'0 foreign countri es within Post.al Union eight straight but for the force of gravity, and it is only too but it is th e o p i n ion Gf t h e best mech anical experts (" donars and jifty cents a year. well kno w n that these pieces are not easi ly d eflected t h at th e inventive genius of th e world is in a fair way Scientific Alnerican. 'J.1HE BUILDING }1;l)IT10� OJ!' '.rBE �CIENTU'lC A:\lElC.IC..AN is a large and from the paths taken by t hem at the moment of the to solve the problem of propulsion on common roads splendid illustrated periodical, issued monttl y. containin� floor p'ans explosion. b y mechanical mean s, if it is not already solved. and perspective views �ertaining to modern a],ch�tec�ure. E�cl1 numb�r is illustrated with oeautiful plates, sbowing deSIrable dwellings, public A wheelman is propelled through space at a velocity America is a country of m agnificent d istances, and its buildings qnd architectura' 'Vork in great variety. r:I.'o builders and all who contemplate building this work is invaluable. Has the largest circulation sufficie n t to cause him to m aintain his plane of move· resources can never be utilized to the greatest advan of any architectural publication in tbe world. . States, Canada ment. Should he desire to change this plane of motion, tage until t h e mech anical genius of the country h as Single copies 2,1 cents. By mail, to any part of the UnIted or :MexicD. $2.50 a year. Fro foreign .Postal Union countriefl, $3.00 a year. as i n d escribing a c urve, h e can do it only b y calli ng brough t transportation to i ts h i gh est possible develop r.ombined rate for BUILDT)\G "EDITIONwith �CIENTIFJC AMER ICAN, to oue address, $5.00 a year. To foreign Postal Union countries, $6.50 a year. i n t he aid of gravity, i. e., he must lean to the concave ment. Combined rate for BUILD1NG EDITION, S(,IENTIFIC AMERICA"N and SuP. PLEMENT, $9.00 a year. '1'0 forei.::n Postal Union countries.lll.OO a year. sid e of t h e circle, m ore or lesR, according to t h e radius For some time past the E ngin eer, of London, has Export E l it io ll of the �cientific AIDerican. of the c urve he is fol lowing. A n d further, in descri b u rged th e repeal of s uch provisions of t h e exist i n g with wbich is incorporated uLA AMERICA CIENT IFICA E INDUATRIAL," or Spanish edition of the SCIEYTH'IC AMERICAN, published montbly, uni i n g a c u rve, he is impelled out ward ly by centrifugal acts o f Parli ament as preven t t h e u s e o f light vehicles form in size and typograpby with the SCIENTH'IC AMERI{;AN. Everynulll force, wh i c h i s m ore o r less, according to his velocity, propelled by steam or other power on th e p u b l i c roads ber contains abvut 50 pages, profusely illustrated It is tbe finest scientific, inrlustrial ex-purt paper published. It ctrculates througbout Cuba, the and he m ust oppose t h i s force by a centripetal force, of th e United Kin gdom . On July 20, M r. Shaw-Le in i O Ce t m ri h d S �:s�������e��� ; tbe � ;:�i�h 1�����;e i� ��Ok��� ��� ����� Tf��c w hich i n t h is case is gravity. This he d oes also by in fevre introd uced the bill in the H o u s e of Commons d e e u R in :o����C\�l ���gs t1r����6�� fl�: ;J:f!. f&M:�::� p��� ���}f�o a�¥ clining his body toward the center of curvature of the signed to facilitate the introduction of h orseless car part of the world. Single copies 25 cents. :Manufacturers and otbers who desire to secure foreign trade, mllY bave large and handsomely displayed ann ouncements published in This path h e is d escribing. In th is case the wheel some· riages ill England, and w h e n h e explained the mat edition at a very moderate cost. MUNN & CO., Publishers, times forms a considerable angle w it h t h e groun d , so ter, not a single member obj ected , wh ich was t h e HllildiJl� of Edition , il"T 361 Broadway, J'iew York. draft or bank check. Make all remittances payahle to order of MUNN nr 'l'he safest way to remit is by postal order. express money order, &(]o. pr Readers are specially rBquested to notify the pnhlishers in case of any failure, or ilTegularitv in receipt of papers. delay, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1895. (;OJllenU•• t h at unde r some conditions i t slips from u n d er th e more remarkable, consideri n g h o w h ard it usually is " It is in view of this fact that th e circ u l ar bicy to overcome Bri tish conservatism. cle race track at Manhattan Beach , Coney Island , has The E n gi n eer believes that the introduction of t h e rider. latel y been constructed with a considerab le down w ard automobile carriage into E n gland would t h row open inclination to ward t h e center, so t h at wheels spin ning a n e w b ran ch of trade, so t h at the start w hich Con on this c urved t rac k would be more nearl y at right tin ental engineers h ave made m ay not b e allowed to an gles w i th the surface on which t h e y roll. i nterfere u n d uly w ith the home industries of Great T h e ability of a bicycle a n d rider in rapid motion Britain . marked with an aAterisk.) They have, therefore, offered th e sum of AnthraC"ite vein. a new.. . . . .. 74 Heavens. tbe, in August . .. .... . 67 to do serious damage i n a col l ision with another ma 1,000 guineas in two or more prizes for public com Armor plate for Russia ............ 71 Humbugs, animaL . . .. .. .. 68 Armor tests ......................... 70 Hydraulic caisson sinking* ....... 72 chine or with a pedestrian is fully appreciated by fe w peti tion upon one of the main roads of the king Artificial timbs. manufacture* 6 5 Inventions. recently patented.... 76 A man weigh i n g 150 pounds and moving dom. The rules and details of the competition and Atlanta EXPORition. the 66 Iron ships, sheathing of ........... 70 wheelmen. Beetle, the elm leaf. ............... 69 Kites, giant, experiments . . .. 75 at the rate o f ten feet per second ( w h ich i s only about the n ames of the gentlemen w h o have consented to Bicycle case, Mumford's* . .. ,68 Krushite ............................ 71 t Leather cannon .................... 67 �:g�g��.np� ;:{cs 'of' the'::: : : : : :::: � Mill, grinding. the Robinson* . .. 68 seven m i l es per h our) has a m omentum of 1,500 pound s, act a � j ud ges will be given out at an early date, and Birds. feeding habits of .. . . 74 Molybdenum ....................... 70 BaUer incfustatic..,ll. ............... 70 Mouse, the sbrew ... ... . . .... .. 74 leaving out of t h e account the weight of th e w h eel. wil l be d uly announced in th ese col u mns. Books and publications. new ..... 76 Musk ................................ 70 This i s sufficient to u pset any pedestrian with terrific The carriages driven by pe troleum now cost a cent Bracket support. Pettit's* . .. . . 68 Notes and queries .. . .. . 7 Cannon. testing a rawbide* ........ 73 Patents. deCisions relating to. '" 676 Carriages, motor. competItions . 66 Patents granted, weekly record. 77 force. It has been suggested t h at the pneumatic tire or one and on e-half cents an hour per horse power to Coal deposits, Alaska ... .. ... 72 Patent royalties................... 74 forms a sort of fen der which wonld prevent serious drive them, so th at even for a long j ourney the cost for Colors. sources of . . . ... .. ...... 70 Peary relief expedition, tbe . . 68 Columbia, mishap to the . . .. 68 Pistol. repeating, the Borchardt* 69 conc u ssion in case of a colli sion. It would undoubtedly fuel i s n ot very great. T h e first cost of an automobil e Plants, ligbt infiuence on .......... 74 Crane. lar�e, of Avondale Marble Co................................ 71 Plants, senSItive movements of.. 74 h ave a sli ght modifyi n g effect, but it would be of lit carriage is about $1,000, not m uch more t h a n a good I Pneumatic system, the London .. 75 t e iC Ruhber gathering (6588) . . .. . 77 Bi��l���;:a �or��T�� (�7�. : .: : :..: i! Dormouse, a flying* . . 75 Safety devices wanted ............ 70 tle account. A collision between two wheels, each carriage. Hard l y an y one would care to run a m ach i n e Spanish. to teacb boys. . .. . .. 75 with a 150 pou n d rid er, spinning at the moderate s peed carri age more t h a n t e n h ours a day, the cost being ElectriCity in t.he Bessemer pro· cess .............................. 7 0 Steel making. new process in . .. 75 Electrolysis, hydrogen wall in .... 70 Tbill coupling, Byrne's* .. .... . 68 o f seve n miles per h o u r, wo uld result i n a smash u p 50 cents a d ay for fuel or $15 per month. Under favor t Fecundation of flowers, insect . 74 Fisnes, marine. distribution of . 74 fi������� ij, :.�.���� .� : : : :: : : :: � with a force o f 3,000 pounds. I n vie w o f these facts, it able circumstan ces a good h orse cannot be kept in a .. ... .. . . 72 Fluorides. toxicity of tbe 70 Varnish, waterproof Growing old in parts only . . . 75 Village improvement �societies 71 is no wonder that bicycle accidents are often very large city like N e w York or C hicago for less than about ({lIustrated articles arp . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. •. . . . . . . . . . .•• • ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . .. . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ... . . .. . . ._ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .... . . . • . . . ..... .•• serious. TABLE OF C ONTENTS OF SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN For No_ the 1022. Ending 'Veek Price 10 cents. SUPPLEMENT AUgU8t 3, For sale by all newsdealers. 1895. $30 to $35 per month. Because motor vehicles for com The tractive force required to propel a bicycle over mon roads are practicable in France and England, it a smooth level surface is estimated at 0'01 of the l oad; does not necessaril y follo w that they would be in callin g the load 150 pounds, a force of lYz pounds America. The roads in those coun tries are almost per would be required to m ove th e wh eel forward, and fection ; but in this country a fairly good road is this cal l s for a pressu re on the pedals of 6:l4 pounds on t h e exce ption, i. e., road s that are good tbe year a wheel geared in the usual manner. PAGE When, h owever, round. Bet ween the mud of the rai ny �eason and the the road is rough or on an up grade, the case is differ roug h ness when this m ud is frozen, there are lon g ent. On a grade of 1 in 10, for example, the rider, periods of time when the petrolenm carriage would AS'rRoNOM Y.-The Sun.-An interesting paper by Prof. DAVID in addition to the tractive force, actually lifts -lo of have great difficulty in transporting passengers or B. rrODD, of Amherst College 16327 h is weight and that of the machine. freight. U. CHIDllS1'R Y.-Argon and Helium in Meteoric Iron.-A paper hy W. RAMSAY . . . .. . ... . .. .. . . .. . 16342 • ••• • With a rigid or semi-rigid tire the rider is obliged to New''':ombination of Argon: SyntheSiS and Analysis.-By M. BER THEL OT . . .. . . . . . .. . .. .. . .... . . ...... .... 1b3H exert sufficient force to lift h i mself over every ob ATLANTA EXPOSITION NOTES. The Use of Hot Air in Drying.-By E. M. COOK -l'he first in stallment of an important paper. which describes many original '.rhe work of construction at the Cotton States and struction encountered by the wheel ; the d escent from experiments and gives valuable figures and other data in relation to the use of bot air in drying.. . " .................................. 16340 t h e obstruction gives back a portion of t h e power ex International Ex position is rapidly approaching com Ill. CI VIL ENG INEERING.-Notes on the Construction of the East Several of the buildings have been finished pen d ed in s u rmo unting it, but not all of it . In the pletion. River- Gas Tunnel.-By WALT ON L AIMS, C.E.-The article de scribes this lnteresting engineering work.-l'he gas is made at case o f th e pneumatic tire, h owever, the small ob an d accepted by the Exposition managers. The work Rayenswood. L. I., and is forced under the East River to New York. wbere it is consumed.-5 illustrations .... .......... ... ...... 16332 struction s are not an opposing elem ent of any ·con se of installation in th e Electrical building h as alread y IV. DECORATION.-A Vestltmle and Hall, from Moderne Innen quence, as the tire yields, in lieu of the w h eel being b egun, and t h e Machin ery b uilding is rea d y for ex DecoratioD..-IUustration of a carved wood hall executed in tbe baronial style .. , ............................ .................... ....... 163&1 raised, and the result is the wh eel travels as upon a h i b itors. The parki n g is al most finished and t h e V. ELECTRICITY.-Atmospberic Electricity....... ..... 16336 smooth t rack. gro u n d s and buildings are beginning t o resemble the Vi. ENTOMOLOGY.-'l'be Tick. Pest in the Tropics.-A description • • • • completed Fair. The water from the city water works of these tropical scourges, with tbe best remedies.-By C. A. BARBER.-l111ustration . .. .. .. . .... .. . . . .... . .. . 16330 NEW PRIZES FOR MOTOR CARRIAGE COMPETITIONS. has been t u rn ed i n t o the lake. V 11. �i ,(POSI'l'lONS.-The Paris Exposition of 1900.-A description Dr. Daniel C. Gilman, president of Johns H opkin s In the belief that th e invention and perfection of the of the plans whicb have been adopted for the great Paris exp o sitlOll of 1900.-Details of the arrangement for transporting visi- has accepted the position of c h i e f of t h e University, road in ned esti d is revolution a motor work icle to veh tors and of the various buildings .. . . . .. . . . . .. .... . . 16335 Vlli. �IEl'ALLURGY.-Reduction of Alumina, etc., by Hydrogen 16 342 tran sportati o n , and w i t h a vie w of stimulati n g inven - Department of Awards at the Exposition. This should IX. MINING.-The Possible Revival of Virg-inia City, Nevada.-A tion alo n g that line, the propri etors of t w o papers, one be a guarantee of the h i gh merit upon which the valuable aCcount of tbe geology and natural resources of tbis important mining region.- By L. P. GRATACAP.-2 illustrations .... 16329 i n Am erica and the other i n En gland, h ave offered awards will be b ased. The General Council of Philadelphia has d ecided X. MISCELLANEOUS.-Ivy at Cwmhir Abhey.-·A de.cription of substantial cash prizes to be given to the win ners in tile damage wrou.e-bt on an historiC building by the root of an ivy stem.-1 illustration. .... . ... ...... . . ... .. . ... 16331 two n e w races. In America the C h icago Ti mes- to send the Lib erty Bell to Atl an ta. The request XI. SCIENCE.-Recent SCJence.-A paper by P. KROP OTKINon atmo Herald offers $5,000 to be awarded in a race between was refused at first, but the permission was granted spheric electricity and geographical exploration, with many references to periodical literature... . . . .... . .. . ... . . 16336 Milwaukee an d C h i cago ; and in England the Engi- after t h e Legi slature of Pennsylvania decided to make Xli. TECHNOLOGY.-The Cost of Acetylene.-A comparison of the ($5,000) t o t h e win- a State e x h i bi t. cost of ordinary gas and acetylene .................................... 16337 n eer offers one thousand g uineas ners in a race to be held in some place in E n gland. T h e electric fountain at the Exposition is being con A Self·Lightin<z Has Burner.-A description of the Duke self· lighting burner, wbich operates by the well known property of which will be d ecided u pon lat er. The 'l'imes-Herald strncted under the direction of the designer, Mr. platinum to occlude bydrogen witb the development of heat. waich is sufficient to ignite a stream of gas issuing from the burner.-2 illnstrations .. . . . .. . . ..... . ... . ... ... 16341 contest will take place about the 1st of November and Luther Stieringer. The design is th at of a twin r s n i l defi nite details ap, to the exact date of the contest, with fountain, rising from an island in t be center of the m�:;;o� rh� t�p���� ;ab�;�� � :���e� �\��y;:����;�r;� :t�h illustrations of furnaces. mills, shearing, and doubline- machines. -12 illustrations 16338 such regulations concerning it as may be decided upon, I gran d basin, immediately in front of t h e Machinery T h e first prize will be $2,000 H all. Xill. '1'RAVEL AND EXeLORATION.-Geographical Ex.ploration. 16336 w i l l be soon a n n o unced. Lima.-A description oftbe capital of Peru, its history,comThe il'land which forms the groundwork for the base and a gold medal, the same being open to the compe- l lDerce. and people.-l iIlWltration. 1. . . . . . . . . . . .. . ..... •. . .. . . ...•••• . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... ,. . . . . . . . .. . . . .... . .. . . . • ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 16321 © 1895 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC. J titutifit jlUttitlu. AUGUST 3, 1895.] -,��������������������������������������� I of t h e fountain covers the operating ch amber, which three groschen, ready money, seventeen florins three du plicate of them. To see them with an ad equate is 100 feet lon g and 50 feet wid e. There are 19 orifices, groschen for sixty poun ds pewter; fifty - one florins telescope i s to become on the instant an astronomer, if each with 7 to 10 j et s; the electri c lights used u n der t hree grosch en for two and one-fourth hund red - spirit if not in practi ce. Sat urn remains some ten degrees east of Spica, the O f the copper, the coppereach orifice to project the beam of l i gh t t h ro u g h the weight refined copper. water are of 250,000 can d le power each . T h e forms of sm ith received t wo h u n dred w eigh t, wit h which he brigh t star of Virgo. By the end of the month it will wllt er used are t h e soli d strea m , the geyser, t h e s pray m ad e a t u b e four and one-half ells long, weighing set too early to be advantageously studied with a and t h e fog bank. The h ighest jets will ri se so me thing over 100 feet from the basin of the lake. T h e fog b a n k is t o be pruduced b y steam cond ensed by m eans of spray. T h e four forms will Le used alter nately in various ways with fine effect. The streams a n d geysers will be i n t erspersed wit h ci rc ular pipes th rowi n g' j et s in th e form of w h eat sh eaves. A party of n e w spaper men an d lad ies h ave arranged a h ouse boat party to leave New Yurk on t h e 1st of September for t h e Exp osition. T h e route w h ic h they w ill take i s a good ill ustration of t h e faci l ities for water travel t h rough the U n ited Stat es. T h e route as outli ned w i ll traverse t h e Hudson Ri ver from Ne w York to Alba n y, th enc e by the Erie Canal to B u ffalo, th ence to C le vel and, alon g th e sh ore of Lake Erie, then to P()rtsmouth, O hio, by t h e Oh io C an ltl, w here t he O hio Ri ver w i l l be taken to the Mississippi, and t h e lat ter do w n to some co nvenien t poi n t, probably M emph is, from whi ch t h e railroad w ill be taken to Atlanta. - '.' • ninety pounds, and used t w e l ve pounds for m uzzle telescope. and vent. T he waste in melting twice amounted to Mercury, Mars and Neptune are too near th e sun for sixteen pounds, the remain d er was left to the smith as observation. Jupiter begi ns to emerge from th e sun light as a m orning star early in the month, but wil l pay for h i s work. " T h e trial with these leat her guns could not h ave been not be w ell seen before t h e aut u m n mo nths. U ran us very sati sfactory, if we llIay j udge from the following remai ns i n Li bra a few degrees east of t h e star Alpha. i t em of a record of weights of the armory at DresT h e moon fulls on the morning of August 5 in t h e I cannon. " THE HEAVENS IN AUGUST. T h e chief celes tial e v ent for August is th e attainment by Ven us of her greatest brillidnce on t h e night of t h e 13th, or more strictly speaki n g, t he morning of the 14t h ; yet t h is can h ardly be cal led an event, either, n a n ce Board of Latuli p's ra w hi de ca nnon, which, at an evening star, early in th e year. And although from first glance, m ig h t I'eem t o be a decided n o velty. B u t the 14th she w i ll begi n to lose l i gh t, yet the loss will it is a curi o u s fact that leather can nons were a mun g not become conspicuous until near t h e end of the the earliest powder weap()n8 IIsf>d. Ra w h ide, h owever, month . Now i s the time for all possessors of good telehas advantages o ver leath er for this purpose. The scopes and good eyes to stu d y Venus ; for the possibility fol lowin g is from Farrow's Mil i t ary En C'yc!opredia : exi sts of making an important di scovery con cern ing .. A variety of cannon introduced by Gustavus Adol- that planet. Some weeks ago the cable bro u g h t from phus into t h e army, on accou nt of their mobility. U n den iable evidence, h o w ever, of t h ei r earlier existence, th oug h of a smaller size, is foun d in th e Land esh u ter Harn isch -Kamm er- I n ventarium, of 1562, in w h i c h mention is made of a "Lange leder n e B n chse m it Kugel -Modell." Alth o u gh Gustavus Adol phus i mproved and perfect e d the l eather cannon wh ich he i ntroduced into h i s arm y in 1626, and which he used in t h e siege of Worm ditt, yet n either he n or th e GerllIan Freih err Melchior von Wurmbrandt, n or t h e North Briti sh Baron Robert Scot, can be regarded as the i nvent or. The i n vention is evidently of much earl ier date. A leather m ortar for firing shells, o n exh i b i tion in t h e arsenal at Venice, was, t h e Ve netian s ass ert, made in 1349 ; it is very lik ply, h o w ever, that its ori gin is somewhat earlier. O ne is here rem i n ded of the man y substi tutes for metal ordn a n ce, especial l y of t h e w ooden can non entirely b o u nded wi th i r o n hoops, near noon on the 13th in Aries. Begi n n i n g its circuit again as new moon on the morni n g of the 20th in Leo, it attains first q u arter on t h e 27t h , about a q u arter be fore 1 A. M., in Scorpio. It is i n perigee on the 20th and in apogee on t h e 7th. A partial ecl i p se of th e sun occurs on the m orning of the 20th, b ut wil l not be visi ble in t h i s country. • •• , • On anoth er page we give i ll u strations and an ac· since it is a part of a conti nuous phenomenon, Ven u s cou n t of t he recent trial by the United States O rd- hav i n g gained grad uall y in light e ver sin ce she became LEATHER CANNON. constel lation Capricornu!', and reach es last q uarter den, June 14, 1630: " In v en t ory of the weights of copper and pewter of the burst leath er pieces in t h e Elector's Armory Co p per, 0 n e - h a I f h u n d red w eight at D resden : t we n ty-six pounds ; p e wter, t h i rty-four pou nds. " No mention being made of these gun s at a l ater peri od, it i s take n for granted t h at t hi s one failure was t hought s u fficient to cool all enthusiasm for leath er I It will be observed that the moon is in perigee, or nearest to the earth, on the day of t h e ecli pse, w h en, of course, it will be just in a line from the earth to t h e s u n . U n d er s u ch circumstances n ot o n ly i s t h e lllo on's tidal attraction greatest, b u t it� attraction is at t h e same time un ited with that of the s u n . T h e con�equence mUbt be higher tides t h an usual; while th ose who believe that the varyi ng strain of t h e s u n 's and the moon's tidal pull on th e earth is an element in th e production of eart h q uake� should expe ct un usual phe n omena of that kind about th e time of t h e eclipse. T h e moon will be seen near Ven us on t h e even i ng of th e 22d, near Saturn on the evening of the 24th and near Uranus on the evening of the 25th. GARRETT P. SERVISS . - '.I - Cycle Notes. Europe the n ews t h at a curi o u s notch h ad been detected at t h e Vienna o bservatory near t h e south h o rn I T h e greatest achievf>ment of the b i cycl e of late was of Venus and o bservers in th i s country were advised to the coverin g of 515 m iles w i thin twenty-fo u r h ourd, look for t h e phen o m e n cn, and note its pecu liarities. w hich was done by a French m an n a med Huret . It is The mean i n g of t h i s is that Venus, wh i ch now appears well k nown t h at but few h orses have been able to go in the form of a crescent moon, has on the i n uer, or 100 miles in this ti me. But it is n ot th e excepti onal concave, edge of the crescent, near t h e south ern en d, a speed or endurance of phenomenal riders wh ich makes narro w scallop as if a b it of t h e faee of t h e planet had the bicycle th e most popular i n ventiou of this or an y b een cut out t h ere . Th e phenom enon is n ot a n e w other ti me. There is a ch arm, a degree of freedom, a one. It has b een seen m any times before, and , reason- power, belonging to the bicycle which only th ose who ing on t h e basis of what pla i nly appears on the moon ride i t compreh end. in similar circumstances, it would seem that this Amos Holmes, of U nadi l la, N. Y. , 94 years of age, notch in Venus m ay be caused by the shado w of a claims to be the oldest bicycle rider in �ew York giganti c mou ntain mass in t h e A ntarctic region of State. the p lanet. The i mportan ce of a careful st u dy of One of our correspond ents, w h o is now takin g a cy th i s and o ther faint m arkings on Ven u s depends not cle tour thro ugh France, reports that the French and m erely upon the i n formation it may g i v e con cerning English wheels are h eavier a n d more cl um sy than t h e th e surface features of that interesting globe, but American vehicles. A fi rst-class w h ee l , s uch as Am er· w h i ch are freq uently m e ntioned in th e period from also u pon th e bearing it may h ave on t h e q uestion icans use, is not to be had in Europe. O ur correspon d ent regrets h e did not take his Yankee wheel with of the rotation period of Venus. 1525 t o 1530. The l eather cannon varied from a 1-pounder to a 4Schiaparelli has asserted that the rotat ion of Venus him. po u n der. The bore con sisted of a co pper cylinder, of i s very slow and that probabl y it turns but once on Bike Don'ts. -A writer in the New York S un gives t he th i ckness of t h ree fo u rt h s of t h e diameter of the its axi s w h ile making a revolut i o n around th e sun. the fol lowin g: D o n 't be down on everb ody else's w h eel except your ball used. The l ength of t h e cylinder was 16 cali bers. It is easy to see that, if s uch is the case, Ven us posCa�cable and b reec h w ere screwed i n t o t h e cyl i n der. sesses no altern ation of day and nigh t, s uch as we own. Don't go back and apologize when you knock a man Th e vent of copper was screwed into the breech. The enjoy on the earth, but t h at, on the contrary, i t is entire length o f the b ore was covered with iron always day on one side of the planet and always or w o ma n off their pin s. You Illay mean well, hut h o ()p�, over which a n um ber of ropes were wound, night on the other side. And the orbit of Ven us de- you w i ll find the person knocked down unreasona ble wh ich i n turn were covered with several layers of var- parts �o s lightly from a circle, and her axis is ap - and sometimes i mpertin ent. Don 't ride over rail way crossings. Don't try to i n n ish. O ver t hese layers another rou n d of ropes w as parentl y so nearl y perpendicular to t h e plane of the wound, an d o v e r t h i s w a s spread a layer of cement. orbit, t h a t there can be very little li ilration, in either strnct oth ers unless y o u know a good deal a b o u t riding T h is process was repeated un til the coat was o f t h e latit ude or lon gitude, to affect the presentation of the your�elf. Don't laugh at begin ners, but remember that we've all been there o n rselves, an d don't get dis satisfied with your own wh eel because some one h as a t h i ckness of t w o c a l ibers. Th e last coating consisted planet's surface to ward th e sun. of t arred leather, w h i ch gave the cannon its name. Now it must be confessed that, with o ut drawing T h e ch arge am oun ted to one-fourth , rarely one-thi rd freely upo n the i m agination, it is not easy to reconof t he wei ght of the ball; the can non was loaded on ly cile s u ch a state of t h ings as t h at j ust descri bed w ith w ith canister. the co nditions which woul d �eem to b e necessary in Canister shot, ulltil th at ti llle onl y used in sieges, was order to render a p lanet h abitable b y beings re sem introd u ced by Gustavus Adol p h u s into the field ser- b l i n g ourselves. Of course, perpetual sunshine might machine that is a little better. Don't lend your wh eel unless you d o i t to get rid of the borrower, and you may feel pretty sure that you get rid of your wheel at the same time, for it always inj u res a bicycle to lend it. Don't allow you r w h eel to remain in a dirty condi- vice and con si sted m ostly of m usket b ullets, th ough not prove d estructive to h i ghly organized li ving forms, old pieces of iron were very often used . The shot were for they could, in various w ays, be shielded from the tion for even a very short time. ••• I • put into wooden and tin boxes, linen bags, and some- effect s of such a s u perab undance of radiant energy, DECISIONS RELATING TO PATENTS. ti m es onl y in rude wicker bask