Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-25
"ouR COUNTRY Right Right Wrong Country

throw water into the SphcrOldal state. NJ.
Boutigny has demonstrated that 1t easily nc-
quires those conditions at two hundred de-
grceS, with somewhat greater difficulty at
hundred and sevcnty-Onc degrees and that it
maintains them while sinking as low rs one
hundred and fOrty-two degrees.
Bodies in the spherOidal state possess the
property Of almost absolutely rejecting (Which
implies carting oil, not receiving of radi-
atcd heat This very remarkable property Of
such bOdies-that Is, that they absolutely re-
fuse to take in calOric from without, unless
communicated by actual contact, confirms the
bold hypothesis of the age. namely, that
which llerschcl first put forth respecting the
temperature and physical constitution Of the
sun, almost proving that our great central
globe of lire is habitablc by beings like our
selves.
All bodies arc capable Of assuming the
Sphcroidal state.
There is no contact between bodies in the
SphcrOidal state aud the surface which throws
them in that condition. The light Of can
die and the electric spark are visible, Of
course, in darkcncd room, between the
SphcrOid and the heated metal plate. Azotic
acid in the splrcroi'lal state, however Conccn-
tratcd, does not attack the hot silver surface
on which it rests, although it would immcdi-
atcly cOrrodc slip of cold silver presented to
it. The fact Of non-contact can be further H.
Illustrated by an experiment which may almost
be called astronomical. a nearly plancbot-
toned silver capsule is headed, and on it is
poured quantity Of water sufficiently con-
siderable to form very llattcned cllipSoid.-
An iron, or, better, solid silver cylinder Of
something less than half all inch in di-
amctcr, is brought TO whitehead and plunged
into the middle of the ellipsoid, which (con-
tact being impossiblc) forms around the CYL
indcr ring, which has been compared, right
ly or wrongly, to the ring Of Saturn. Maui
pcrtuis brOachcd the opinion that the ring of
Saturn consisted Of congcaled water, which
was received in its day as great alsurditv.
With the silver cylinder Ito avoid the oxide
which clings to an iron suriVcc) and with
water deeply colorcd black or blue, the results
of this experiment became still more precise
and remarkable.
BY an other experiment, MS simple as it
sounds strange, NJ. Boutingny resolves the
paradoXical problem; Given vessel IA small,
very thick, hollow, hcmisphcrical bowl Of sill
ver) to ill it with water without wctting it,
and to make the water boil by cooling the
vessel which containsit!
The brilliant experiment Of the combustion
OF iron in oxygen gas is u common spectacle
at lectures on chemistry. In it, the globulcs
Of melted oxide are observed to traverse the
water contained in the jar, and to become in
crusted in the very substance of the glass. In
explanation Of this phenomenon, it is generally
stated that the temperature of the globulcS Is
50 exceedingly high, that, after passing
through the stratum Of water, they still retain
sufficient heat to eat into the glass, which they
cause to suffer a partial fusion. Now, it is
quite true that the temperature Of the globulcs
Of oxide of iron is very high; and it is so, be-
cause they pass through the water without
being wcttcd by or coming in contact with it ;
and that is the reason why they are able to
penetrate the glass by melting it. If the hot
drops Of oxide Of iron were made to pass
through n deeper stratum Of water, they
would become wcttcd during their course, of
which fact notice would be given by peculiar
kissing sound, and they would fall to the bot
tom Of the jar like lradcn shot.
Those common learned toys, Prince Rupcrt's
drops, ,=of=the !" LaFRqs= =Batavi4ues," whose
sudden disruption on the pressure of their
tails is SO curious and startling to young be-
ginncrS, are globulcS of melted glass thrown
into vessel of cold water. These Batavan
tears remain incandcsccnt, for certain time,
without the waters giving any sign of cbulli-
ton, at least ut the commencement of the cx-
pertinent.
Blacksmiths arc fond of making q display,
which consists in throwing few drops Of wa
ter upon mass of glowing metal, and then
striking it forcibly with their hammer ut the
spot where those drops are lodged. The con-
sequence is violent detOnatiOn. 1t is certain
that the blow establishes contact between
the iron and the water. The detonation is
probably caused by tho sudden transforma-
ton Of the sphcroi,lal water into steam; and
the iron itself is polished clean, as If its oxidO
were mechanically removed by the exploding
vapor.
There arc frats performed even by villagers,
such as licking red-hot poker with the ton
que, or taking the heated end in the hand
without being burnt, which are incxplicablc,
unless recourse be had TO the properties of
bodies in the Sphcroidal state. But the thco-
ry Of such phenomena is very simple, and ac-
cords with the laws which have been already
detailed. The moisture of the tongue or hand
passing into the sphcroidal state, prevents all
actual contact between the metal and the flesh.
That fact may be considered as positively cs-
tablished. II there be no real contact, n burn
can only be made by radiatcd heat, which
must DC confessed to have enormous power in
the cases of which we are speaking. But il
radiatcd heat is thrown off by reflection from
bodies in sphcroidal state, (Which it isl the
result is as if it did not exist Mt oil, and the
operator escapes without injury. Perhaps,
also, the vital force may have some influence
in tho preservation of organic living tissues
for there exists between animated nature and
bodies in the spheroidal state this very re.
markable affinity, namely, the invariability oi
their temperature. or their stable equilibrium
in respect to calorc. The list Of similar sur.
priSing phenomena is far from being exhausted
1t is impossible, in the limited space allowed
to this article, to do moro than indicate the in.
Vulnerable and extraordinary tricks which
sphcroidalzcd materials can play. Moreover
these sort Of experiments are not always with
out danger. For instance, if you were tC
plunge your finger into melted metal at the
moment when it was about to become solid
you might have it caught in burning trap
or small quantity Of metal might rcmair
sticking to it when you drew it out; either O
which accidents would intict severe pain, anC
something worse.
The spheroida state of water is one of tn,
principal causes Of the Eliminating explosion,
Of steam boilers. Attentive study of the
cause Of these terrible explosions has led t
| the invention md execution of n Comnlctrl>