Scientific American Supplement, No. 455, September 20, 1884

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Scientific American Supplement, No. 455,?by Various

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September 20, 1884, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Scientific American Supplement, No. 455, September 20, 1884
Author: Various
Release Date: November 5, 2004 [EBook #13962]
Language: English
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 455

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 20, 1884
Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XVIII, No. 455.
Scientific American established 1845
Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year.
Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I. CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY.--Gallisin, an Unfermentable Substance in Starch Sugar.
The Combining Weights, Volumes, and Specific Gravities of Elements and Compounds.
Analysis of Zinc Ash and Calcined Pyrites by Means of Ammonium Carbonate.
II. ENGINEERING AND MECHANICS.--Petroleum as a Fuel in Locomotive Engines.--By THOMAS URQUHART.--Spray injector.--Driving locomotives.--Storage of petroleum.
Improved Gas Light Buoy.--2 figures.
Project for a Roadstead at Havre.--With map and views of different breakwaters.
Improved Catch Basin.--2 figures.
Water Power with High Pressures and Wrought Iron Water Pipe.--By HAMILTON SMITH, JR.--Methods of conducting water and transmitting power.--Texas Creek pipe and aqueduct.--4 figures.
Parachute Hydraulic Motor.
Improved Shafting Lathe.--1 figure.
Power Straightening Machine.--1 figure.
Hydraulic Mining in California.--By GEO. O'BRIEN.
III. TECHNOLOGY.--Emerald Green: Its Properties and Manufacture.--Use in wall paper.--ROBERT GALLOWAY.
Charcoal Kilns.--Extra yield.--2 figures.
IV. ARCHITECTURE--Entrance, Tiddington House, Oxon.--An engraving.
V. ELECTRICITY, LIGHT, HEAT. ETC.--The Temperature of the Earth as shown by Deep Mines.
New Arrangement of the Bichromate of Potash Pile.--3 figures.
The Distribution of Electricity by Induction.--1 figure.
Electricity Applied to the study of Seismic Movements.--Apparatus for the study of horizontal and vertical seismic movements, etc.--8 figures.
New Accumulators.--3 figures.
Industrial Model of the Reynier Zinc Accumulator.
The History of a Lightning Flash.--By W. SLINGO.
Researches on Magnetism.
VI. NATURAL HISTORY.--The Giraffe.--With engraving.
VII. MEDICINE, AND HYGIENE.--The Treatment of Cholera--By Dr. H.A. RAWLINS.
Temperature. Moisture, and Pressure, in their Relations to Health.--London deaths under 1 year in July, August, and part of September.
Consumption Spread by Chickens.
New Method of Reducing Fever.
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.--The Crown Diamonds of France at the Exhibition of Industrial Arts.
A New Mode of Testing the Economy of the Expenses of Management in Life Insurance.--By WALTER C. WRIGHT.
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THE GIRAFFE.
The spirited view herewith presented, representing the "Fall of the Giraffe" before the rifle of a sportsman, we take from the Illustrated London News. Hunting the giraffe has long been a favorite sport among the more adventurous of British sportsmen, its natural range being all the wooded parts of eastern, central, and southern Africa, though of late years it has been greatly thinned out before the settlements advancing from the Cape of Good Hope.
[Illustration: THE FALL OF THE GIRAFFE.]
The characteristics of this singular animal are in some particulars those of the camel, the ox, and the antelope. Its eyes are beautiful, extremely large, and so placed that the animal can see much of what is passing on all sides, and even behind it, so that it is approached with the greatest difficulty. The animal when full grown attains sometimes a height of fifteen to seventeen feet. It feeds on the leaves and twigs of trees principally, its immense length of legs and height at the withers rendering it difficult for the animal to graze on an even surface. It is not easily overtaken except by a swift horse, but when surprised or run down it can defend itself with considerable vigor by kicking, thus, it is said, often tiring out and beating off the lion. It was formerly almost universally believed that the fore legs were longer than the hinder ones, but in fact the hind legs are the longer by about one inch, the error having been caused by the great development and height of the withers, to give a proper base to the long neck and towering head. The color varies a good deal, the head being generally a reddish brown, and the neck, back, and sides marked with tessellated, rust colored spots with narrow white divisions. Many specimens have been brought to this country, the animal being extremely docile in confinement, feeding from the hand, and being very friendly to those who are kind to it.
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An experiment has been made in Vienna which proves that even with incandescent lights special precautions must be taken to avoid any risk of fire. A lamp having been enveloped with paper and lighted by a current, the heat generated was sufficient to set fire to the paper, which burnt out and caused the lamp to explode.
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THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH AS SHOWN BY DEEP MINES.
At a recent meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers, observations