Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-10
ELECTRICAL.

To the Union and American:
In looking over YOUR issue of the % OF
January was very much surprised at see
ing 4 theory again advanced, which to eV-
cry thinking and unprecedented mind bears
the evidences of its own abSurlity, and Of
which. Judging from his long silence, had
supposed the author to be heartily ashamed;
but he clings to it with a tenacity worthy
of a better cause, and endeayOrs 10y his
shallow sOphiStry to sustain his hypothesis,
and in so doing TO refute undisputed scien-
tific facts. The gentleman has some Won
derfully strange and confused ideas regard
ing physics, Is will be seen from the follow
ing: He quotes from my article OF Dec.
this passage: Botany tellsuS that the tubes
of woody fibre become filed with PARTICLES
of inorganic matter, ana il process Of time
become solid" Now this, according to all
bOtanists. is correct; but nevertheless he
goes on to state that l have made a mis-
take, and that ''the pores of the wood are
never Obliterated." Now these are the two
passages in iuXtapOsition. In the first one
he asserts that ! say the tubes Of the woody
fibre are filled up by inorganic matter,
which | do, and in the next one he iGfers
that ! say the pores are filled up, thus
making the tubes of woody fibre synOny-
the same thing again, thus bearing me
QUA in my assertion that he has some
rather unique ideas regarding the physical
properties Of bodies, and of wood especially.
lie saws 1.-The truth is wood is only porous
lonCitudinally," and TO that he ascTibes the
property Of wood being imperviOus in
great extent to water and other liquids;
now this is another absurd idea Of his, al
ril n
ing the sap cOnduitS Of a tree andihe pores
rs one and the same thing. According to
GanOt there are two kinds OF poroSity,
calOrintermOlecular, andSensible. The
first being the distances between the atoms,
or molecules, and the latter being the dis
tances which can be appreciated and
through which the molecular forces do not
act. Wood is possessed Of both of these
properties and hence it is that wood being
placed longitudinally rs on a boats bottom,
keeps ont the water not because the pores
run only in that direction, but because the
LARGEST do; there are pores permeating
the wood in every direction, but are too
small for the water 10 enter unless subject
ed TO great pressure. The gentleman en-
tirelv neglectS to answer fact which [
brought TO his attention. in my previous
article; it is this: When electricity passes
through an aqueous liquid it decomposes
the water, and seis free its two ele-
mentS oxygen and hydrogen, not generating
steam as he suppOses. Now 1 can prove
the assertion which was the object of so
much ridicule, to my opponent: namely:
that the gases Che said steam) escaped
through the interstices Of the wood. the
tree being struck by lightning. The atoms
Of hydrogen are known to be smaller than
those of any other body; hence the mo-
ment the sap is decOmpOsed the hydrogen
pasSes off through the pores Of the wood,
DOT the tubes, as my opponent understood
before, the oxygen doing the same with
ont any Of the tearing or rending force
which lac sUpposeS. The gentleman at the
close Of his article speaking Of dry wood
hcing struck by lightning, says: These
cells would be full of air, and the elcctIi-
city passing down the cells Of wood
expands the air contained in them. and
produces an explosion identical with that
Of steam" lie has made a most GORGEOUS
mistake here, for it is ! well-knOwn fact
that electricity passing through air will
unite the nitrogen and oxygen forming
nitric acid, thus decreasing the volume of
air instead Of Increasing it. PTiestly first
aoticed this fact, and Gavendish determin-
ed the cause. CHIRON.