Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

16 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

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-<> A LIVING TORPEDO BOAT.…

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

-<> A LIVING TORPEDO BOAT. Nature and aitiiice .i|>pi-caeh each other. It fact inveution is the chief means of their intthiii. approach, inasmuch as invention is merely thE practical application of nature's law*. At the tame time, it sei nis surprising to find that liad devi.,ik,(i a submarine teipeilo boat ages before man ever thought of bunuiiig nueli a contrivance. Nv("t. I, at,ei-s swarm wiilj the&e Huhtuai-ine terrors of -Is mannfao- | ture. They are not powerful enough to damage j a warship, happily, but a big J-peeimen i;: paralyse a man if stepped on. These submarine wonders are living electric batteries of dan- gerous strength. Torpedo rays they are called. They consti- tute one of the puzzles of science. Ages before Franklin first diew sparks from the clouds they had solved the principle of electric storage. In fact, they are LIVING STORAGE BATTERIES. They are a very ancient type of fishes, COII- temporary with-the sharks. The torpedo lay is the first cousin to the common ekate, which it greatly resembles, though very much larger. Each of its big, fleshy wings contains an electric battery, which is as truly such as any arrange- ment of Leyden jars in a scientific laboratory. The batteries consist of a large, number of hexagonal cells, each of which is capable of storing a certain amount of electrical energy. The only way to disarm these creatures is by cutting the big nerves that connect the brain Avith the batteries, the result being that the creatures are disabled and no longer capable of discharging THEIR BOTTLED LIGHTNING. But even under such conditions discharges can be drawn from the organs artificially by irritat- ing the extremities of the nervous apparatus, the action being purely reflex. Scientists have given a great deal of study to this extraordinary creature, and they assert that its batteries arc nothing more nor less than modified muscles. The back of each electric organ is positive, while the ventral part, i.e., the side towards the belly of the fish, is negative. It has been ascertained that the current can be conveyed through water for a considerable distance, it exercises all the known powers of electricity, rendering needles magnetic, decomposing chemical compounds, and emitting sparks. It is not known just how much electricity is stored by a FULL-SIZED TORPEDO RAY, but the amount must be very considerable, judging from its effects on human beings who have been struck. Natives of the islands are said to make a practice of driving wild hordes in to water where lislies of this liiiid are, in order that the latter may stun the frightened quad- rupeds and make tliem easy to capture. Only two other kinds of animals possess electue organs-a species of catfish and Llie eel." Both eel and catfish have their storage batteries located in their tails,—*Scttucc tiiftinys.

INFLUENCE OF WATER ON THE…

CINNAMON.

ALCOHOL AND PLANT LIFE.

"A BROMIDE SLEEP."

----------THE WAY OF THE GREAT…

COLOURS OF FLOWERS.

[No title]

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------------------BARRY POLICE…

SUDDEN DEATH ON A GLOUCESTER…

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-=---------.-------------------LOCAL…

ACCIDENT TO AN ERRAND BOY…

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