Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-12-02
SCIENTIFIC.
DEMONSTRATION Of the Principles
OfGraVitafiOn---Capiliary and
Cohesive Attraction.

&ohO>ssS AttEhttIOAs
THE DEFLECTluN OF THE PLUMB LINE
FROM ITS PROPER COURSE TOWARDS
SOLID BODIES. Il
Capillary AMI Cohesive attraction are
one, and the same phenomena due to
atmospheric pressure
around solid bodies. The atmosphere
is an elastic, also Il wOve and netted
body To order and symmetry, wherein
the oxygen atoms constitutes q net
work that surrounds all other bodies as
a garment or sponge, and tu its press /
ure the forces of gravity are due. Inf
capillary action when liquid water sur
rounds Solid materials partly under |
water and partly in the air, clearly eX
hibitS the action to the eye that atmos- |
pheric pressure is reduced around sol !
ids, ami whore the water raises above |
its level it IS similar to where thel
plumb line Is pushed by the pressure
of the air. fla glass tumbler is half
filled with water, the water will raise
above lis level on the sides of the glass, |
for reasons: that side pressure from
outside is shut off; but when the glass
is filled to Overtiowing, the water will
of the air will hold il higher than the
rim Of the glass. Again, when glass
plate or any other material is partly
put into water and partly in the air in
perpendicular position, the water will
raise on the sides above its surface,
then the solid will shut off the pressure
from one side. Now if We set another
plate close 10 the one, so suall space
of air and water is between them, the
water will raise higher in the middle
than on the outside of the plates; side
pressure is shut off from two sides in
the middle, while on the outside it is
only shut off from one side as is the
case on one plate. This fact is also
known to boatmen on the river. For
instance, when two fiat boats floating
one alongside the other, with small
space of air room between them-Say
six or ten feet. probably more, they
will appearingly draw one to the other
until they cnme together, and when
they are united it will require some
| force to separate them again. This is
similar as to the above plateS-the
small space Of air in between does not
exert the same force Of pressure aS the
| large space on the outside that pushes
the boats together. | have also noticed
when a steamer has a tlat-bOad in tow
after the ilat-bOat has received its
| impetus of motion from the steamer,
! the line begins TO slack, and remain 50
as if the boat was held to the steamer
| by some invisible cord. Though this
is termed cohesive attraction, yet the
cause is atmospheric pressure. Bodies
can only be united by excluding the
air; this may be done by jointing them
proper as is done in the process of glue
| ing wood, or filling the openings with
cement, then atmospheric pressure uf
| fifteen pounds per square inch Will
hold them as if they were one body.
| | will give another illustration Of cap
Hilary action: When two glass tubes,
or any other transparent materials
wherein :he water level can be observ-
! ed are connected at the bottom, one of
large dimension, the other small, and
! then filed with water, the water will
! raise higher in the small than in the
large tube, for the reason that the large
tube presents ii greater water surface to
! the air than the small one, und the
greater the difference in the openings
OF the tubes the higher the water will
raise in the small one, as if they were
on balancing beam where the greater
volume uutweighs the lesser. This
COntradicts the NewtOnian philosophy
where the largest volume possesses
the greatest attraction; consequently
the water ought to be higher in the
large than in the small tube. l will cite
to another ease, similar-that any
washer-woman knows, when they put
Wcolen cloth or other tibrOuS capillary
substances in Il wash cub filed with
water, and if some OF the cloths hang
over the side or rim of the tub, the wa
ter will raise il the tibers of the cloth
and drop down on the outside - if they
were so many SiphonS to draw the Wa
ter out of the tub. Doctors fix similar
arrangements by which they let water
drop upon intitued wounds from cup
filled with water, by tibrous substances,
to keep the wound moist and cool; on
the same principle the oil raises on the
lamp wick. All OF this action contra
diets the attracting forces, and iAStructs
US that the pressure of the atmosphere
forces the liquids through the snail
capillary tubes in the fhres of vegeta-
BILE and animal tissue the atmosphere
vacuums to air, or fill up with gases or
| liquid juices which the atmosphere
presses into them. This inStructs Us in
the Phenomena of vegetable growth
where the juice and sap raises in the
vegetable tibres and supplies the plant
or lofty tree with food. | will refer the
reader TO an experiment to satisfy him
self on the subject under discussion /:
Go to Il sand bar on stream of water,
dig ii hole through the sand and you
| will find the sand. wet I: considerable
height above the water in the stream,
and in cold weather the sand bar will
be mass of ic and sand frozen tight
The atmosphere by its arrangement
cannot penetrate the fine sands or the
agricultural soil as body. Therefore,
the earth's upper surface cOutains eth
er moisture or gases where the vegeta-
bic plant feeds and builds up its body.
If the loose soil was filled with air, no
seed cOnld gerrninate and sprOut, and
bring forth vegetation, because the oxy-
gen of the air is injurious to germina-
ton. The plant does not draw the sap
or juices up from the soil where the
roots are spread; they are forced up by
the pressure of the atmosphere as pX-
planned in the foregoing. The tract-
ing forces are Il deluslOn to the eye,
when we are on railroad train under
rapid speed, all stationary objects we
pass, as houses and trees, run to and
fro in rapid spctd while the cars ap-
pear to be stationary. So it is with the
heavenly firmannent that by the earth's
diurnal rotation appears to move
around the earth-the eye very often
misguides the intellect, and so is our
reason misled by the attraction of