INVENTION AND DISCOVERY.
New Road to Electricity.—A paper was read recently before the New York Electrical Society on the subject of a new method of producing electricity.
The discoverer of this process is Mr. Willard E. Case. He has been working for ten years on this subject, and recently showed the results of his labors to the scientific men assembled to hear him.
Mr. Case claims that his discovery, when it is worked out to its conclusion, will mean a new motor or driving force to do the world's work, in place of steam, and he insists that the new force will be much cheaper than any now in use.
Mr. Case has found a means of generating electricity without the use of heat. It has long been known that there was a terrible waste of electrical energy through the use of heat. The method of producing it by galvanic batteries was impossible for large electric plants, because the zinc that had to be used was too expensive.
The great point of Mr. Case's discovery lies in the fact that he has succeeded in doing with carbon, and without heat, what the galvanic battery does with zinc.
He is very modest about his invention, and says that at the present moment it has no practical value whatever; but that to scientists a way has been opened which will lead them into a new field of thought; and that, when his discovery has been worked out, and applied to practical methods, tremendous results will be achieved.
A Big Python.—A story comes from St. Augustine, Fla., of the capture of a huge python by Walter Ralston, a young man who was employed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Some weeks ago a story was told of the wreck of a ship carrying a circus, and that the big python had escaped, and was in Rock Key, off the Florida coast.
Mr. Ralston determined to go and catch the horrid reptile, so he went down to Florida and tried to secure guides.
He had great difficulty in doing so, for the whole country was in terror of the snake, and no one wanted to take the risk of hunting him.
At last Mr. Ralston found men, and landed at the Key.
They found the snake coiled up on the body of a small doe he had caught. The Indians immediately ran away. But Mr. Ralston was not in the least afraid, and, boldly approaching, tried to put a bag over the python's head.
The reptile avoided the bag, and struck at him, catching its fangs in his coat, and in a moment had twisted its tail around him, and was crushing him to death in its horrid folds.
He shouted for help, but the Indians were at first too scared to come to his aid. At last one ventured near, and laid hold of the serpent's tail; and the others helping, they succeeded in unwinding the reptile and getting Mr. Ralston out of its clutches. He was more dead than alive, but even then would not give up the chase. As soon as he was sufficiently recovered they started after the python once more. And two of the Indians managing to engage the creature's attention, Mr. Ralston slipped the bag over its head, and it was caught.
It struggled desperately for a long time, frightening the whole party nearly out of their wits lest it should get away. But at last they had it safe; and binding it tightly they carried it off.