Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889   By: Various

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 717

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 28, 1889.

Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XXVIII., No. 717.

Scientific American established 1845.

Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year.

Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

I. CIVIL ENGINEERING. The Girard Hydraulic Railway. One of the great curiosities of the Paris exposition, the almost frictionless railway, with sectional illustrations of its structure. 8 illustrations. 11451

II. ELECTRICITY. Early Electric Lighting. Electric lighting in Salem in 1859, a very curious piece of early history. 11458

Electric Motor for Alternating Currents. A motor on an entirely new principle for the application of the alternating current with results obtained, and the economic outlook of the invention. 11458

Portable Electric Light. A lamp for military and other use, in which the prime motor, including the boiler and the lamp itself, are carried on one carriage. 1 illustration. 11458

The Electric Age. By CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN. A short resume of the initial achievements of modern electricity. 11458

III. GEOLOGY. The Fuels of the Future. A prognosis of the future prospect of the world as regards a fuel supply, with a special reference to the use of natural gas. 11457

IV. MISCELLANEOUS. Preservation of Spiders for the Cabinet. A method of setting up spiders for preservation in the cabinet, with formulæ of solutions used and full details of the manipulation. 1 illustration. 11461

The Ship in the New French Ballet of the "Tempest." A curious example of modern scenic perfection, giving the construction and use of an appliance of the modern ballet. 5 illustrations. 11450

V. NAVAL ENGINEERING. Crank and Screw Shafts of the Mercantile Marine. By G. W. MANUEL. This all important subject of modern naval engineering treated in detail, illustrating the progress of the present day, the superiority of material and method of using it, with interesting practical examples. 1 illustration. 11448

Experimental Aid in the Design of High Speed Steamships. By D. P. A plea for the experimental determination of the probable speed of ships, with examples of its application in practice. 11449

Forging a Propeller Shaft. How large steamer shafts are forged, with example of the operation as exhibited to the Shah of Persia at Brown & Co.'s works, Sheffield, England. 1 illustration. 11447

The Naval Forges and Steel Works at St. Chamond. The forging of a piece of ordnance from a 90 ton ingot of steel, an artistic presentation of the subject. 1 illustration. 11447

VI. PHOTOGRAPHY. The Pyro Developer with Metabisulphite of Potash. By Dr. J. M. EDER. A new addition to the pyro developer, with formulæ and results. 11462

VII. PHYSICS. Quartz Fibers. A lecture by Mr. C. V. BOYS on his famous experiments of the production of microscopic fibers, with enlarged illustrations of the same, and a graphic account of the entire subject. 7 illustrations. 11452