Abstract
Journal of the Franklin Institute, January.—The error of some wild statements made about the size and cost of the cable that would be needed to convey the power of Niagara Falls several hundred miles by electricity is here shown by Professors Thomson and Huston, who calculate, e.g., that 1,500 to 3,000 horse-power could be conveyed 1,000 miles (50 per cent. out of 3,000 horse-power) with a copper cable about (1/4 inch in thickness. Less than (1/2 inch would suffice for 500 m. For consumption of 1,000,000 horse-power a 3-inch cable would suffice. The same authors describe a curious thermo-magnetic motor, and an induction apparatus for reversed currents.—Dr. Henry Morton finds the coating of the “luminous clocks” sulphide of calcium attached with some resinous medium, and seems hopeful that advances in this direction may by and by give us houses lit at night by phosphorescent walls.—Mr. Huston gets some remarkable effects (needing confirmation from repeated tests) in subjecting iron to a continued and constantly increasing strain. —Dr. Dudley considers toughness, rather than hardness, the essential quality for durability of steel rails.—An automatic machine for playing the game of tit-tat-to is described by Mr. Freeland.
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Scientific Serials . Nature 19, 354 (1879). https://doi.org/10.1038/019354a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/019354a0