Pulkowa
a village of Russia, 10 miles S. of the site of a magnificent observatory (lat. 59° 46′ 18" N. and lon. 30° 19′ 40″ E.), the "St. Petersburg observatory," built by the Czar Nicholas in 1838-1839. In 1882 one of the largest telescopes in the world was erected here. Besides being one of the largest institutions for original research in the world, it is also a school for the training of astronomers and geodesists. It contains the largest refracting telescope in the world, except the 36-inch Li Lick glass, and the Yerkes telescope at the University of Chicago, Ill., its objective being 30 inches in diameter. It was made by the firm of Alvan Clark & Sons, of Cambridgeport, Mass., the makers (since then) of the glass for the Lick telescope.
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Pullman
GEORGE MORTIMER, an American inventor; born in Chautauqua co., N. Y., March 3, 1831; learned Vol. VII-Cyc the cabinetmaker's trade; settled in Chicago; studied for many years the problem of making journeys by rail more comfortable; and as a result invented the Pullman palace car. In 1863 he started building these cars, and in 1867 organized the Pullman Palace Car Company. He also invented the vestibule train and founded the town of Pullman, Ill., in 1880. He died in Chicago, Oct. 19, 1897.
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Pulmobranchiata
an order of gastropod mollusks (also called by some naturalists Pulmonata), in which the respiratory organ is a cavity formed by the adhesion of the mantle by its margin to the neck of the animal. The greater part of them are terrestrial, among these being the snails and slugs.
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Pulpit
formerly, a stand from which disputants pronounced their dissertations and authors recited their works; a rostrum. Now, a raised place or desk in a church, from which the preacher delivers his sermon.
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Pulse
a general name for legumilegum nous plants or their seeds; leguminous plants, such as beans, peas, etc.
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Pulse
in physiology, the beat or shock felt in any artery when slight on it, caused by the pressure is made systole of the heart. At birth the number of beats are about 140, at the end of the first year 120, at the end of the second 110; during middle life between 70 and 80, and in old age usually a little more. To feel one's pulse is to sound one; to try to discover one's opinions, views, or feelings.
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Pulsometer
a form of pump for raising water, by the condensation of steam, in a vessel situated at such elevation above the water supply that the atmospheric pressure will raise the water to the chamber and operate the valves.
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Pulteney
WILLIAM, Earl of Bath, an English statesman; born in 1684. He studied at Oxford and entered Parliament where he won a brilliant reputation. At first the friend of Walpole, he became the head of a party of malcontent Whigs, the "Patriots," in 1728, and was henceforth the minister's bitterest opponent. He was Bolingbroke's chief assistant in the paper called the "Craftsman," which involved him in many political controversies. In 1731 he wrongly ascribed to Lord Hervey the authorship of a scurrilous pamphlet; a duel was the consequence, fought with swords in St. James' Park, when both combatants were slightly wounded. On the resignation of Walpole in 1741 Pulteney was sworn of the privy-council, and soon afterward created Earl of Bath; and from that time his popularity was gone, His prose was effective and his verse graceful. He died in 1764.
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Pulvermacher Chain
a form of galvanic battery consisting of a series of small wooden cylinders on which a zinc and copper wire are coiled side by side, but without touching each other. The zinc of one cylinder, touching the copper of the adjacent one, forms with it a couple. The whole is immersed in vinegar diluted with water.
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Pumice-stone
A spongy lava of a very porous nature, and so light that it will float on water. It is found in volcanic districts, being composed chiefly of silica and alumina, with some potash and soda. See POLISHING SUBSTANCES. Pure Iron is of very rare occurrence, and can be obtained only by purely chemical methods in the laboratory. See NATIVE IRON. Putty is whiting and linseed-oil kneaded into a thick paste. See WHITING.
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Pump
a machine, engine, or device, niston consisting of an arrangement of a piston, cylinder, and valves, for raising water , or for or other liquid to a higher level compressing or exhausting air and other gases.
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Pump
a light shoe, or slipper, with a single unwelted sole, and chiefly worn by dancers.
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Pump Center
The small, pointed steel shaft in the center of a universal head, which is used for centering the work.
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Pumpelly
RAPHAEL, an American geologist; born in Owego, N. Y., Sept. 8, 1837. In his early life he conducted explorations for the governments of Japan and China; was professor at Harvard for several years; and from 1879 to 1892 geologist in charge of the Archæan division of the United States Geological Surve Survey. His chief works are: "Geological Researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan" (1867): "Across America and Asia" (1870); "Mineral Industries of the United States” (1886); "Geology of the Green Mountains" (1894); "Explorations in Central Asia" (1905), etc. His "Reminiscences" appeared in 1918. bread, made from unbolted rye, which forms the chief food of the Westphalian peasants.
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Pumpernickel
a species of coarse struggle between the two rival powers; it ended with decisive victory to the Romans. The third (149-146 B. c.) was for the destruction of Carthage, which was effected in the last-named year.
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Punch
with his wife Judy and dog Toby, the chief characters in a popular comic puppet show, of Italian origin, the Punchia contraction of Pun name being ng nello, for Pulcinello, the droll clown in comedy. The full-grown Neapolitan an modern drama is ascribed to an Italian comedian, Silvio Fiorillo, about 1600.
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Punch
or the LONDON CHARI- VARI, the chief of English comic journals, a weekly magazine of wit, humor, and satire in prose and verse, illustrated by sketches, caricatures, and emblematic devices. It was founded in 1841, the first number appearing July 17 of that year, under the joint editorship of Henry and Mark Lemon Mayhew .
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