Produced by Amy Cunningham, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration] 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 formulae 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