MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 16 March 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

-* Of the central telegraph office in London a whUom New Zsaland telegraphist writes thus to a friend m Auckland : In the operating room, there were fifteen hundred people at work, and the din and clatter of the instruments was at first awful, bat vou 8001 get used to it. We in tfew Zealand thought a lot about the duo'ex deing used on our lines, which I fiod was in use here four years before adopted in the colonies, and now they are working quadruple* with the greatest success, that is, sending four different messages simultaneously on the same wire Unlike onr Government every facility is given here to the press. I will send someday a letter on the working of the English system. There i« also a pneumatic delivery to different parts, the greatest length being four miles. There is also, to facilitate press telegrams, a large punching staff for the automatic system, by which means telegrams can be sent at the rate of twelve hundred words a minute with unerring accuracy, and so great is the perfection of the quadruples that it is even used at this high rate of speed. Preece, the head of this department, is just the man for the place, and seems determined to keep up with the times. Sir F. Roberts, the conquering hero of Candahar, and so styled ' Saviour of Afghanistan ' says the Good Templar Gem, is son of a clergyman of tho Established Church, "Waterford, Iraland. His brother, Samuel U, Roberts, is one of the Commissioners of tho Board of Public Works in Ireland, Sir F. Roberts is a member of tho Order of Good Templars and a stauncl teetotaller. He has a Good Temple. lodge attached to every regimeu; under his command. Sir Gar no Wolseley is also a total abstainer.

A motor yacbt without steam now makes her way about Boston harbour. It illustrates the working of a compressed air petroleum engine. Np smoke pipe is visible, for tb re is none, nor any need of any, for there is no smoke, and not so much fire as the flame of an ordinary kerosene lamp. The whole engine and running machinery are contained in a long, low box in the bottom of the boat, occupy* ing scarcely, more room than would be required foi Ine ballast of, a sailboat of its size. The peculiarity of this engine is that a common match brings instantly into full working power, v :■•■ The district of Nort h which in Cheshire, has been seriously disturbed by the subsidence of the land over a wide area of disused salt mines. The brine, had been pumped fat for matu* factoring purposes and fresh water coming in and'obsorbing more salr. the £-|tf)to/>otow; ; gaire way. A figure f occurred under the bed of a brook, * pduVeil its waters into the depths. The underground regidns thus flooded the earth above has become unsafe. From tbd circular of, Messrs E. Giesar and Co,. &m Franoisco, we fNew Zsaland .Heeald) .learn that the last year's clip of woo! in Calif- , ornia was considerably les^ tli\u in 18YD. In 18V9, the yield was 46. 930,3901b, while that of last year was 49,074.1441b,' a cliflereticV of 826 2091b. In 1876 the yield was 56.430 6701b, and in the folloing year ifr sank to 63,110, 7421b and the subsequent year showed a still further decrease, In looking over the yearly yield from 1854 to the close of last year, it would seem that the total wool production of California for the last twenty-seven year* aggregated 515,455,0001b. New Zealand could «how a better result thanafc th for Our annual production of wool is considerably over G2.000,0001b. Two systems of electric lighting have jasfc.been tested irt tie* York. Brond , way was illuminated for Uiree* quarters of a mile by a series of Ifrnsh lamps, 1 fifteen in number. Tbe circuit contained ten thousand feet of wire, Kach light Was estimated at two Ifiousand candle power, supposing Ihe full force fo be concentrated <u> one point. The lights burned all night, and the oxhibifoi will /'continue for one month, *to enable the * donpany to determine tbe question of expense and to familiarise the public with tbe light. Mr Edison znvo a similar exhibition of Itis system at Me»lo Park, for the benefit of the Mayor mid Common Council of New York. Mo e than three hundred lamps gave a filcady mellow light, tinned wiih enough yellow to relieve th?. eyes from I lie intrnso briohtDess of the elrct:ic liAlit. Mr Edison is to be allowed to operate in tie •districts between Wall street, and Piict" ing-house tquarp, east of Nflßsau street. He purposes lighting this district and famishing the power by electricity as a snbstitote for steam power. Two electric light companies are being formed at Brooklyn, ,