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: THE CORONA, as Seen July 29, 1878, During the Solar Eclipse, Wherein the .-..• .Sun Was Situated Nearly in the Same Part of the Heavens as It Will Be ■:.:":' ' jn'the Coming Eclipse. Actual Path of the Moon's Shadow Over the Earth During the Coming Eclipse of August 8 and 9, 1896. LIGHT FOR A CENT A YEAR ; ■ "THE. ' J^EW W\qj*ETO-ELECJRIC ILLUMINE JION WILL BE ALJ^IOSJ •V" > • AS CJ4E^f. AS DAYLIQJ-1J /\FTEJ* J)iE f LAJ^T ■ . •'; : : : " -.' HAS BEE|i fy\lD FOp • . It is less than twenty years ago since the ; • introduction of tbe electric lieht, and I while inventive genius has been busy de- : vising' many improvements in the neces- 1 sa'ry mechanism of electric production and application yet such improvements have not given to the public cheap light. v>'iien,in 1877, the newspapers published • tbe statement of Mr. Edison, that "he ■would be able to produce within a year J ' electric illumination for domestic use at a ; ]'ess«r cost than that ot gas," many of the j < small Holders of pas stocks sold their • holdings* at a very low price, because they tliought that eas was to be supplanted by the new light. Alaß for our hopes! The j beautiful and brilliant electric light is not ! a 'cheap illuminant. There has now been discovered a princi ple in magneto-electrics that upsets all ■previous theories and bids fair to solve the problem of cheap lighting by render ing it possible to produce the electric light (as well as electric power) at a ridiculously • low cost. . Recent investigations and experiments ' show it to be practical to apply the newly discovered principle to present systems and reduce the cost of the light to less than 1 per cent of what it now costs. If we wrap some insulated wire around fhe ends or poles of a magnet, then any change which may take place in the j Strength or intensity of the magnet will I produce a current of electricity on the in .sulated wire, and this current may be con veyed to a distance by the use of conduct ing wires. If at any place or places in the conduct ing wire we insert a substance which offers a greater resistance to the flow of the cur rent than does the wire, the substance will . get hot, owing to tne energy of the current being expended at that place in overcom ing the resistance, and so producing heat. | Kow, the electric lamps which we use at the present time consist of resistances, ■which are extremely great as compared ■with the resistance of the conducting wire. In"the incandescent lamp a filament of carbon is used, while in the arc lamp the carbon pencils are kept separated, and the sir between the points of the carbons is employed as the resistance. The current . . of electricity when it arrives at one of these points of resistance converts its energy into heat of sufficient intensity to render the resisting substance luminous. The electric current is produced by rap idly revolving the armature of the dynamo jn close contact with the poles of the dy namo magnet, which are wrapped with in sulated wire. Each revolution ot the ar - mature weakens and strengthens alter nately the intensity of the magnet, and so produces a current of electricity on the in sulated wire. . Now the work of rotating the armature .calls for the expenditure of power, and here is where the cost comes in. The cost of the'electric light must always depend •upon the cost of the power employed. Where coal is used as a power producer, the.cost must necessarily be high. Again, • the present crude and faulty construction 6f the resistance points, i.e., the lamps, renders it impossible to convert into light all the electrical energy developed ; by far I : the larger portion is always non-luminous heat. "With an ideal lamp, ten times the number of Jighta could be lit by the same amount of electrical energy that is now re quired to maintain one lamp. ■ The law of magnetic attraction, as laid down in the textbooks, is that "Like Doles repel; unlike poles attract." That is, the north pole of one magnet will at tract tha south pol« and repel the north 'pole of another magnet. Tho discoverer of the carious phenom enon I am about to describe was experi menting with a couple of ordinary steel magnets placed with opposite poles in po • tition, and consequently exercising an at traction for each other, when it was found that the introduction of a thin aliver of soft iron between the poles of the two magnets completely changed the nature of their power ; the like poles attracted and the unlike ones repelled. Diagram A will help to exphvin the phe nomenon. The magnet "A" is rigidly axed ( and magnet "B" ib pivoted upon a horizon tal axis, so that if may oscillate. A piece of i thin, soft iron is suspended so as to pass I freely between the ends of the two mag- i nets. The cord supporring the soft Iron passes over a pulley and is attached to the ! end of magnet "B.: Without the presence of the soft iron the poles of the two magnets exercise at traction, and the magnet '"U" is held in a horizontal position. When, however, the piece of soft iron drops in between the magnets the attraction is immediately changed to repulsion, and the end of mag net "B." which is free to move, is forced downward. The piece of sofi iron is con nected by the supporting cord in such manner that, when the end of magnet "B" drops, it raises t c soft iron and thereby permits attraction, causing the end of "B" to then rise: but, in so doing, it drops the soft iron, the presence of which causes repulsion. A series of alter nate attractions and repulsions is thus produced, communicating to magnet "B" a motion of rapid oscillation. To make practical application of this phenomenon to the production of light a machine is constructed, as shown in dia gram B. The magnet "A" is rigidly attached to a support, and magnet "B" pivoted on a horizontal axis, so that its poles are free to revolve in a vertical circle in front of the poles of magnet -'A." The strip of soft iron is suspended from an eccentric that is driven by means of a cord which passes around a pulley fixed to the spindle of magnet "B." Once started magnet "B" must revolve, and at each revolution it changes the mag netic intensity of magnet "A." A spool or helix of insulated wire surrounds each pole of magnet "A," and this wire is charged by a current of electricity gener ated in ptecisely the same manner as is the current created by our present form of dynamo. It is, in fact, the same kind of current, and it may be taken from the spools and conveyed away and used, as is Diagram A — lllustrating the Principle of the Magnetic Motor. Diagram B— The Magnetic Generator. Diagram C — The Electric Lamp of the the current we now employ in present systems of electric lighting. A number of inventors are busily en gaged in the development of a lamp based upon the known characteristic of electri cal discharges to become luminous in a par THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, StTNTJAY, AUGUST 2, 1896. THE MOM WILL ' CAST HER SHADOW ON THE EARTH'S LUMINARY JOTAL EGLIPSE OF JHE SUN ON JHE 9TH OF /UJQUST JO BE OBSERVED AT YEZO BY LICK ASTRONOMERS Before the present week has passed as tronomers will have gleaned some further knowledge about the mysterious surround ings of the sun, which for centuries have been a cause of wonder and investigation when revealed to view for a few minutes by a total solar eclipse. The intensity of sunlight is such that it is only on the rare occasions when the moon acts as a screen, by passing between the earth and sun, that the solar append ages, the chromosphere, the prominences and the corona can be most advantage ously studied. The latter, indeed, has rarely if ever been discerned at other times. This is tbe incentive that has led astronomers from all parts of tbe globe to travel to those favoied spots that lie in the track of the moon's shadow, with in struments devised years in advance and plans prearranged so as to forestall any obstacles that might interfere with their aims. California ha 3 not forgotten the view of the sun's corona obtained January 1, 1889, and her astronomers are foremost in the expeditions that have been prepared to observe th^ eclipse occurring on the Bth of this month in far distant lands, for the sun has set on the Pacific Coast before it commences. They are fully equipped with the best portable instruments, and all expenses including that of a journey to Japan, have been defrayed by the generosity of Colonel C. F. Crocker, Mrs. Phoebe Hearst and the Hon. William M. Pierson. As may be seen from the diagram rep resenting the theory of total solar eclipses, a tapering shadow projects from tbe moon to the earth, and though correct relative sizes and distances are necessarily ignored it may be seen that the dark shadow meets the surface before the cone is ter minated, which occurs when the earth's satellite is at or near perigee and also at or very near its node. It will then be j some thousands ot miles less than its mean distance of 238,800 miles from the j earth, and its disk, being nearer than j usual, will seem slightly larger than that of the sun, and will cover that luminary completely for a few minutes. The lighter shading in the diagram is the penumbra, which extends around the darker shadows or umbra, and falls on aj much larger area, in which tbe sun is seen | j more or less partially eclipsed; but these ; views nave not thescientific importance of | the few minutes of total eclipse with which a limited area is favored. These valuable minutes will be well utilized by the dozen or more parties who have traveled afar to waylay the small ; shadow as it flits over the path marked on tha accompanying map, commencing in the Arctic seas near Norway and terminating ■ in the North Pacific Ocean. This path of totality on the present occasion, as may be seen, lies far from the centers of civiliza tion and the radiance of the corona will glimmer unseen over the wilds of Siberia i and ba mirrored only in the heedless waves for many thousands of miles. It is to be hoped, however, that many of its choicest rays may fall on the object glasses that have been sent ao far to re flect its marvelons structure. While the features of the solar disk may be observed at all times with magnifying power, all the strange surroundings beyond it are invisible to observers in general. Close to the limb or circumference of tbe sun lies the chromosphere "like a prairie on fire," though luminous heat there, even when red and fire like, is far beyond the mere burning stage, all parts being fused and vaporous to an intensa degree unknown on this earth. At intervals much higher appendages appear of the same glowing hue, which is due to hydrogen, the chief constituent of these two phenomena. These high prominences, often treelike or cloudlike in form, varying in height from thousands to hundreds of thousands of miles, are probably jets of the lighter solar substances thrown out by the violent activity within the intensely heated sun. The chromosphere and prominences can be s en fairly well at almost any time by means of a spectroscope, though the ab sence of sunlight considerably facilitates observation of details, but the corona which extends far beyond them is the main object of attention during totality. It is then clearly visible to the naked eye and has been observed since the earliest ages with wonder and admiration. As the body of the moon, in passing between the earth and sun, first encroaches on tbe west side, the orb of day assumes a strange gibbous shape and gradually diminishes in I 1 tial vacuum. Crookes tubes are well known examples of this phenomenon. In the new lamp there is no filament of car bon. The electrical energy is not called upon to expand itself in the production of heat. There is nothing to bar its prog ress. The lamp is simply a glass tube from which the air has been nearly all extracted, and in the opposite ends of the glass are blown wires which terminate just inside the tube. The incandescent lamp now in n?e is a very clumsy affair. It seems to have been based on the idea that tnere is consider able warmth in a fight; for it offers fight to the electrical energy that attempts to overcome the great resistance of the car bon filament, and compels that energy to expend itself in the battle, mainly in the exhibition of useless heat. The vacuum lamp affords the elecrtica! energy an opportunity whereby it may, for the time being, change its dress, so to speak, without loss of it« vitality, and masquerade under the guise of light with no great diminution of energy, every par ticle of electricity manifesting itself in luminosity and without heat. There are no known physical or mechan ical difficulties in the way of producing illumination on precisely the lines here laid down. That such a mode of lighting has not yet been made public does not preclude ite availability, it has passed out from the realm of possibility, for it is now within the domain of probability. It is both feasible and practical. The cost of light produced by such a syßtein as herein described would be a mere bagatelle as compared with what the present expense is under existing systems. The entire ex penditure would be in the first cost of plant and installation. Maintenance would be extremely little. A 16-candle power, lamp would not cost 1 cent per year. Frank M. Close, D. Sc. area until reduced to a slender crencent white and brilliant, but yielding a light that is neither that of noon nor sunset. Then a luminous halo seems to glimmer into existence around the dark moon, and radiates into wonderful beauty when the sun is entirely obscured. This coronal phenomenon has been variously depicted and described, but the following descrip tion by Professor C. A. Young accords with general impressions: The portion of the corona nearest the sun is almost dazzlingly bright, with a greenish pearly tinge which /contrasts finely with the Ecarlet blaze of the promi nences. It is made up of streaks and filaments which on the whole radiate out ward from the sun's disk, though they are in many places strangely curved and inter twined. Usually these filaments are longest in tbe sunspot zones, thus giving the corona a more or less quadrangular figure. At the very poles of the sun, how ever, there are often tufts of sharply de fined threads. For the most part the streamers have a length not much exceed ing the sun's radius, but some of them at almost every eclipse go far beyond this limit. In the clear air of Colorado, during the eclipse of 1878, two of them could be traced for five or six degrees — a distance of at least 9,000,000 miles from the sun. A most striking feature of the corona usually consists of certain dark rifts, which reach straight out from the moon's limb to the extremest limit of the corona. The corona varies much in brightness at different eclipses, and, of course, the de tails are never twice the same. Its total light under ordinary circumstances is at least two or three times as great as that of the full moon. The eclipse of this week would in the classification of ancient as tronomers be colled a repetition (saros) of the eclipse of 1878, because it occurs under the same general conditions and in nearly the same part of the heavens after an ip terval of eighteen years ten and a third days. The fraction of a day causes it to be visible in a more westerly region. Though not a repetition, the two are con secutive eclipses of the same series, which extend over many centuries. This relationship, however, affects chiefly the duration of the eclipse, and, beyond the visibility of the coronal rays, will not influence their general contour. Some of the same fixed stars will come forth to bear witness to the absence of sun light, and as tbe sun is in the constella tion of Leo at present, Regulus will min gle its white light with that of the corona. An interesting feature of the coming scene will be the brilliant light of the three planets, Jupitfer, Venus and Mercury, on the east side, within a few degrees of the sun. Tbe results on tba\"paft of the earth ! within the shadow will he scarcely less impressive. First comes the strange dark ness, that unearthly shadow that may never revisit the same landscape, speeding with such velocity from the west; the sud den twilight that is neither dawn nor dusk; the unwonted violet tints in the upper atmosphere; the yellow gleams from the distant illuminated stratum near the horizon, and then the weird vanishing of all the marvels just as we commence to realize them. What is the corona? is a question that has been asked for centuries. It is one of the unsettled problems of solar physics, and for that reason the as tronomers have gone forth to try and bring back a satisfactory answer. The neighborhood of Varanger Fjord, to which a well-equipped expedition has been sent by the Royal Astronomical So ciety of London, is a wild, mountainous land, an Arctic wilderness, where reindeer moss is the only vegetation excepting a scant herbage in the valleys cccupied by the Norwegian fishermen. This has been selected as a desirable station by many European parties, though the eclipsß takes place in the early morning hours before the sun is far above the horizon and the duration is less than two minutes. Among the icebergs on the bleak coast of Nova Zernbla a party of Russian scien tists have sought a footing; but the rug ged Northmen will cheerfully withstand the chill of any surroundings except an enveloping fog, which is too likely to be their only sky view. Another important Russian station is near the river Amur in Siberia. The shadow, passing in a southwest di rection, lingers here nearly two and a half minutes, For about the same length of time it envelops the main portion of Yezo, the northern island of the Japanese An Invention for Raising Sunken Vessels by Means of Inflated Truss Bags. empire, at 3 p. M., Augnst 9, which corre sponds with 9:40 p. m., August 8, here, a3 Japan leads in date, being near the inter national date line on the west side. Sev eral English and American expeditions have selected Yezo as an observing sta tion. Near the east coast Professor Schaeberle of the Lick Observatory will again use the telescope forty feet in focal length with which he obtained the beauti ful photograph represented in the illustra tion. From this and previous ones taken in Cayenne December, 1889, he discovered 1 features in the corona not clearly dis cerned before and was led to form his famous theory of its probable cause. At the same station Mr. Burckhalter of the Chabot observatory will for the first time practically test the ingenious ap paratus that he invented for photograph ing the fainter outer coronal rays with the fullest exposure, while the brighter inner parts are protected from over exposure by a rapidly revolving screen composed of tapering extensions united near the base of tbe inner corona. If this excellent design is successful it will save future astronomers from studying the entire appendage from fragmentary pictures sup plied by instruments of different powers. Observations and photographs will also be taken in Yezo by other local and East ern parties, among which are to be found Dr. G. E. Shuey, Louis C. Masten and Professor Todd, who has observed many eclipses on other occasions. Two English expeditions have been equipped with recently revised coelastats adapted to eclipse observations by the ex perience and skill of Dr. Comman, presi dent of the Royal Astronomical Society. As shown by the Illustration it con sists of a large mirror which reflects the heavens toward the tube of the telescope in the adjacent shed. Excellent results are expected from this instrument, which has been on trial for some time at Oxford University. As nearly all the accessible positions where favorable weather could be expected are occupied by one or more parties, it is highly probable that satis factory results will be obtained by some, and that these scientific expenditures will have brought new light and knowledge before many days have passed. Rose O'Halloban. jKe Astronomical Expeditions. The expedition to Japan for the purpose of observing the total eclipse of the sun, which occurs on the 9th inst., is the third which baa been sent out under the auspices of the Lick Observatory for this identical object. The first expedition was organized in 1839, and consisted of S. W. Burnham, who is now with the Chicago University as manager of the great 40 --mch Yerkes equatorial, and J. M. Schaeberle, who is chief of the Japan ex pedition of 1896. The total, eclipse of December, 1889, was observed by the Lick expedition at Cayenne, French Guiana, and its expenses were defrayed, as in the case of that of this year, by Colonel Charles F. Crocker, whose liberality en abled the Lick Observatory to organize its expedition under the most complete auspices, re-enforced by instruments of the highest power and effectiveness. The scientific results of the Cayenne expedi tion fully justified the anticipations of as tronomers. Photography enabled the observers to secure for all time visible reproductions of solar phenomena of the eclipse, and the astronomers from the great California observatory achieved results which greatly added to the reputation of the Lick among the scientists of the world. It was dur ing the observations at Cayenne that Schaeberle advanced the proposition of "A Mechanical Theory of the Solar Corona," a theory which greatly startled astronomers at the time, but which Pro fessor Schaeberle demonstrated almost be yound a doubt in his subsequent publica tions. The second expedition undertaken by the Lick Observatory was one to observe the total eclipse of the sun of April 16, 1893, which was visible over the greater portion of the inhabited sections in the southern hemisphere. Chile was selected as the most favorable location for observation, and a little mining station of Minas Bronces was chosen on account of its favorable atmospheric conditions. The expenses of the expedition were defrayed by Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, which was equipped with the best instruments that were avail able. THE CORONA, as Observed In Chile During the Last Total Eclipse in April, 1893. THE COELOSTAT— Showing the 16-Inch Mirror Which Reflects the Heaver Toward the Tube of the Telescope in the Shed. The Observer Is . Adjusting the Mirror by Means of the Theodolite Attached to It. TO RAISE SUNKEN VESSELS . Jf\Z BL/\IRf/10RE WOULD H/WE BEEN QUIGKLy FLOATED Wljj-i' IMPOJ*T/\NJ DEVIGE INVENTED BY J\ CjiICAQO JMN. Had the invention of Charles Cura mingg of Chicago, 111., been available a few months ago it would not have been such a prodigious task to raise the sunken Blairmore. That is, of course, provided the idea works as well in practice as it does on paper. But really it is so simple there is absolutely no reason why it sh ruld not work. It has been tested and found to wort to perfection on a small scale. The Cummings apparatus is called by the inventor an "inflatable truss bag." The principle on which it works is easily explained. Suppose a common tin can was opened and relieved of all its solid contents. If a small hole was then made in the bottom, or it was forced beneath the sdrface of a barrel full of water, it would soon sink to the botfom. Now sup* pose that a toy balloon, d fluted, and with several feet of hose, one end of which was made secure at the opening so that it could be "blown up" at will, was made fast to the tin can while it was on the bot tom of the barrel of water. If. at this point of the proceedings air was forced through the hose the balloon would begin to expand. When enough air had been forced into it to displace an amount of water corresponding to the weight of the tin can the balloon would riso to the top, of course bringing the tin c:m along with it. The apparatus for which Mr. Cummings has just received a patent consists of sev eral bag« made of strong material, and with ropes and chains for securing them to the sunken vessel. The size used de pends altogether on the size of the vessel to be raised. These bags are deflated and made fast to the vessel by divers. Air is then pumped into them from the machinery on the wrecking steamer until enough water is displaced 10 cause them to rise to the sur face and bring the vessel with them. The position in which these bags are placed depends altogether on how it is de sired to raise the vessel. If the vessel is uninjured and on an even keel they could be fastened around the bulwarks, and when the vensel was above water she could be towed to a drydock. If the vessel had a hole in her bottom the bags could be placed on one side until she turned over. Others could then be placed at thi keel until she was bottom up. By placing other bags in the proper places the vessel could be raised to the surface in this position and the hole repaired. By expanding or deflating the bags on the sides the vessel can be moved in any position with the utmost ease. Mr. Cummings has received patents on all parts of his apparatus. The bags are made out of a very strong material and provided with strips that extend across from side to side, to give extra strength. The method of fastening these straps so that they will not tear through the bag is also patented. An ordinary airpump of large size, driven by a ?team-en?ine, can be used, but instead of forcing the air directly into the truss bags it first pumps it into a receiver, where it is under the control of the operator, who can inflate or deflate a bag at will. The Bed Sea Miracle. The Red Sea miracle receives strong cor roboration in the report of Major-General Tulloch, who made surveys in Egypt for the Government Of Great Britain. On one occasion, while surveying the borders of Lake Menzalen, on the Red Sea, a sudden and violent storm arose, the force oi winch wss so prodigious as to carry everything before it, including, incidentally, the ■ water oi the lnke. In a few hours tl\e whole body of water had been abducted and naught remained save vessels, niua andsand. The vessels moored M the lake " were stranded high and dry. with no water in sight. Parts of Holland are from ten to thirty t feet below the level of the sea. - NEW - TO-DAY. From U.S. Journal of llfdMne. F@ \ ■'-. : Prof.W. H. Peeke, . j <4-/"^ who makes a special-* i ' ■Hi rC7 ty of 'Epilepsy, has' . i 1 without doubt treat ■ M. and cured more , ::'-:;■; cases than any living C^ Physician; . A/^ -J his success heard of- cases of 20 years', standing cured by / him. He publishes a valuable work on this disease, which he sends" i • with a large bottle •of his absolute I . '. cure, free to ' any sufferer who may - send their P.O. and Express address. We advise anyone wishing a cure to address . * 9—99G9—9—9 fVITALITYinjpf i vgp '' ~WJ?ss3l *?*;s& *■* Failing Sexual $£& r i v r \ ;£:%• Strength la Old ot(3\ WBw "-" /%s*!«£ '^cN&ia - "^ 0UE S Men can bc^ ®'?- IV^S^rSr^. QtriCKLT and I'EHMA- J^ «jB '/ '/7/r*&~' "it "rant curod bymebiJ „„ ■ lytil' 9oMr v^"^ ~^^ to a hsnlthy, vigoroas^S i S Miok Nervous a \ •lIP® Debility I 'm'^miwfir Weakness A , W I™/:.- Varicocele §[ ■ft \ ' iJS \ VMI find all 'wasting diseases, S* VUI%Uf»7 liiuuld writ* to me for * dTU *'^ft k i • I have been n close »'^B%*^ViVf '^a?' 1^ for many years '\^^#^v?2?-* v/. • the subject of weak- e^TIJIKSPw- ~ v'l - Aa?noss in men. tho foot "^rSJWt J^^V^S^ " I wus a sufferer my- . "^V !c= l^-' -jflk ■Hsolf. Too bashful to - sBe/ij^. %$§ !>Ksoek the aid of older ; : mt/^i/Wifffft'- 3l - £|Hmoiicrroputubloi>liy- f±r i ) 4//' l / KJ'Tll\ ■ i^aß^slciaas.linTestigatod . :-yM [^fiJ»M X .£K\t"e6ubjcct deeply and MMmmm , discovered a simple \f^lSi^^UXWNj *9» < ijSf b'nt most remarkably n«5 v^i. *«An*'*^ <f^ •but most reniurknbly Ift^gii^. jm*jttilr 4*l •uccaaaful Remedy >>: St '*ssyv^ %77s. MB ASy »htt comclotely cured , , «/>W^«^awC 2: •that completely cured ma V VVl T wiiMUL KM me, and fully enlarged me xflgffiyy%/lmi/r from a shrunken, stunted . aKlffff&'Jjr^Vff/}\ -IS' •conditioa to tatunil alzo (I Xjr go* aii'J strenirth. liv.mtevery f//\\\t' ' "■! •> Gang or old man to know • f/df '.'«V'S ■ '2^ üboatit. Ztakeaptrsonsl' . \\f\' yj ' «£3 inter: in .~nch esses, oad \\\ < f\)l » 'SW ® no one need v hesitate : to , fia-'-'M-'- tfS writ* me, as ell communi- «ilB ' Lj* '' KB) ' ® cations nre ; held : strictly •- . ■ w?--..!- " - conodentiitl. I send the recipe of this remedytST absolutely i reo of coat. Do not put it off, but,^r ' Mm write me folly at once, you will always bleseiJa Q^tho day you did so.~-' Address, ' ; ". ; :' . Sf&r ' THOMAS SLATER. Boot 2283 1 .A 1 Shipper ol'fomoiu.2aUoui«« Celery KaliniiM, Hlrh.^B 1 29