The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-05-24
THE WORLD or SCIENCE J


form satisfactorily ifpermitted to rest for
time. 1t has been found by micro
scopic examination that the tired razor,
from long stropping by the same hand
and in the same direction. has the ulti-
mate fbers of its surface or edge all ar
rangedin one direction, like the edge of
a piece of cut velvet but after a months
rest these ibers rearranging themselves
heterogeneously, crossing each other
and presenting a saw.like edge, each
fiber supporting its fellow and hence
cutting the beard instead of being forced
down flat without cutting, as when laid
by.
A volcanic lake, three acres in extent,
has been discovered on the Colorado
desert. The area contains boiling
springs that have thrown up mud in
pyramidal form around their vents,
which glitter with sulphur. The tenn
perature Of the water is thought to be
100 degrees. One Of these steam Jets is
projected out of a mound II feet sidewise.
This escape occurs about once every two
seconds. One Of the numerous pools of
water within the boundary of these boil.
ing springs is perfectly cold, but saline
to the taste. Pieces Of sulphur, almost
pure, have been broken off from the
mounds thrown up by these waters.
With view to finding some relation
between the rotatory magnetic polariza~
ton of substance and its refractive in~
dex M. Becquerel has investigated the
optical properties of great number Of
substances of high refracting power
which have never before been examined
from this point of view. Itappears from
the numbers given that the rotary mag
netic polarization increases with the re-
fractive index, but much more rapidly
than in a simple ratio. With respect to
solutions of salts it appears that the ro-
tation increases with the concentration,
and, moreover. that anomalous rotatory
dispersion is accompanied by negative
magnetic rotation. .......
Virgil w. Blanchard, M. D., the dis.
coverer of the now celebrated 'concen>
trated blood and nerve food, contribu-
ting to the Herald of Health, says; The
remedy for mental dyspepsia is suggest
ed by its cause. 1t can be nothing else
but natural assimilable brain food,
joined to an efficient fulflment of the di-
gestive function. This food must cons
tain in itself the same chemical elements
that enter into the constitution of the
nervous tissue. 1t must be concrete,
soluble, with chemical afinities so easily
broken as to impose the least possible
tax upon the digestive organs. To this
we must add an observance of physical
laws relating to the functions Of digesr
ton and assimilation.
The amount of water passing over Mi
agara Falls has been estimated at Ioo,~
600, 900 tons per hour, and its perpenN
diCular descent may be taken at $50
feet, without considering the rapids,
which represent further fall of 30 feet.
The force represented by the principal
fall alone amounts to I6,8oo, 900 horses
power, an amount which if it had to be
produced by steam would necessitate an
expenditure of not less than 266, ,ooo, 900
tons Of coal per annum, taking the con-
sumption of coal at four pounds per
horsepower per hour. In other words
all the coal raised throughout the world
would barely suffice to produce the
amount of power that annually runs to
waste at this wonderful fall.
In recent lecture on The Sum- be~7
fore the Royal Institution, Professor
Gladstone said; Its nucleus is not be-
lieved to emit rays of every degree ofre-
Tranquility, and possibly consists of a
liquid globe, but its low specific gravity
rather indicates vast conglomeration
of condensed vapors. The first atmos-
phere consists of vapors of metals,
among which sodium, magnesium, iron,
nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese and
many others have been recognized.
They are, doubtless, constantly passing
from the gaseous to the liquid condition,
and from those white hot clouds which
constitute the moving; mottled surface
we see. The clouds are sometimes
heaped together in masses of unusual
brightness termed faculae, and some
times give way to colder spaces, where
absorption IS greater, called sun spots.
Outside this photosphere is another Luz
minous atmosphere, named by Lockyer
the chromosphere. 1t is red in color,
and consists of hydrogen, with the more
volatile metals sodium and magnesium,
several others being sometimes seen
rising in it, This red zone is usually
5000 to 1000 miles high. Its visible
limit is doubtless determined by the
cooling of the glowing gas, but an at.
mosphere probably extends to at least
2oo,o 900 miles beyond the chromosphere.
Into this there frequently rise red flames
of hydrogen of fantastic forms, some of
which are $780, miles high, and move
at the rate of ia miles second. Far
beyond the red flames there is seen DUR
ing total eclipse of the sun the faint
light known as the corona. This is be-
lieved to be due partially to reflected
light, but shows a peculiar yellow line
identically with one found in the aurora
borealis