New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-16
SCIENTIFIC TOPICS.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
PAPERS BY Professors BREWER, ROWLAND AND
OTHERS

trpov , srpcrAI CORRESPONDENT oF THE TRIBUSE.l
NEw-HAvEN, Nov. 15.-The third days ses-
sion OF the National Academy Of Sciences began with an
interesting paper by Professor W. H. Brewer OF YALE
on The subsistence OF Particles In Liquids. Upon the
natform were ranged bottles and the profess
or took his place upon the floor Of the lecture so
chat he might handle them with ease. He stated how he
came TO 90 into the subject OF sedmentation He had
been examining the action OF liquid manres and also OF
mpure waters such etc This brought him to
consideration OF muddy water He held up precipitat-
ing bottle file, with muddy water taken from the bar OF
e Mississippl He showed that the solid contents had
ridv settled but that there discooratiOn taper
ing on in intensity until II reached point OF absolute
purity This discOlOration however, was not gradual,
but had tendency establish strata OF dscooration
He then showed two bottles containing water from the
had region near the Niobrara River in Wyoming some
thirty months old There green sediment at the
bottom but there was a visible opaesccnce above and
there WAS no real and thorough settlement Of the water
Nome of il could be considered actually pure and 1t was
his opinion thai water containing sediment never Wouu
be pure unless It contained salt The salt cuded tho
water and after this has been effected there was precp
itation OF sediment which complete and the water
above was practically pure. Tho professor Illustrated
this by the action Of the incoming salt water upon the
outgoing fresh water OF the Mississippi. All mineral
salts he said hasencd the deposition Of sediment, and
the organic substances hastned descent also He had
one specimen OF weak sewage and Connecticut mud ana
IL became pcucd quickly Another OF the same sewage
in distilled water after four years still remained cloudy
and upon holding up 20 the sun, was opalescent lie
then showed two bottles of water containing slight de-
gree OF clay the water being hydrant water one Of which
had been kept in the dark the other In the hght ana
these after six years had never settled Both were
clearly opaesccnt but the was much darker than
the other. lie showed In succession several bottles
which had been successfully dccaned TO get rid Of the
sediment and still they showed distinct Opalescence.
b,.
wore never so clear "a the ocean. and that the free
the water from salts the more dct IL was 70 free
itself from the dscooration OF clays lie thought that
this would account for the splendid blue OF mid ocean, and
for the linpdity which had been noticed so often In de-
scrptions Of tropical coast scenery.
The question Of the action Of acids upon water next
considered. The professor showed specimens OF water
containing red clay from the ncghhorhood of Hartford
which had taken from depth OF nine or ten feet
below the surface aud which had never been urled This
clay he had washed primarily in hydrochoro acid The
action Of the first to hasten precipitation but
finally to retard IT, 70 that the bottles containing acid
washed cays never became clear.
In the discussion that followed Professor Sliman
asked II Professor Brewer had Investigated the practice
Of the old French inhabitants Of New-Orlcans who
cleared their Mississippi by adding 70 their
pbors n pinchOf alum which had the eject OF rendering
the water pcIlcid I'm a short time. Professor Brewer
said he had not examined that special instance but
II familiar instance OF the Ia" tha Hai'a ana ACIDS
assisted precipitation.
Professor l. s. Newberry, Of NcwYork, thought that
the experiments most interesting, but would con
slider them more important to agriculture than I"
geology. Rivers, he thought had little 10 do with the
problem. The grinding and communion OF sand aud
clay silver and aunina, we're done bl the sea along tho
shore and the carried them from place Ia place.
He then took up the formation oi the bars Ia nNer
mouths to carry out his views.
Professor willard Gibbs, Of Yale. argued nj some /
length upon thceNceedngy hight lmpcdmenis that would
bc sufficient prevent the perfect union OF cubulrs "
mes, opulcsence in wafer lie cited The familiar IN. |
stance Of soap bubble which, though hm Of great |
thnnrs-, VAT ,e f., "rr " f. sup
The president called upon Professor H. 4. Rowland. OF
ToIoTapI oi he solar spectrum" Pruic--or Rowland
said that he had made Photograph Of the visible solar
icct aud that there Wa. scale Of lengths uou d.
that IL would bee possible - obtain IN" way" length ~
any line iu the spectrum with considerable accuracy.
iit % ' " ,' ,, ir th, could Be- .l- iy .,.,r-
ful .pcrtro-cope. In tho violet whore ilc could he /
tt ,I Ic had been en- 1,rd To- .rc inv l ,'nf IIel
society had onIy shown uinct, two limo, and ln tho
present Photograph there were moro tuu 100 Hero the
lecturer Nhbitrd map. of The violet i1n u Go" spec
trn made by Lock, rr aud himself and the contrast
striking An attendant passed round Photographic stuus
OF this region, which excited great enthusiasm, u- a vs..
felt by all prc.cu, that au mmrn-" -'cp md been h1dc
in To Development 81 spccirpscopy. and That tu, would
be rendered -mgiaily u-rIu 10 py-i,-- l ihr added
scale of wave lengths Professor Iowland n continual
tiou said that the spectrum used had been made 10 b"u
more with OF hi, own cOnctse gran--. which -'-
rates the llucs aud acts in the place ui prism ho
regarded IT, rs the moot powerful Instrument ia exist
Dr. llasug' ~ his Naiious on The corona 81
the sun DUNG tho o'di-r OF Mas o. ~ caroline Island
had used one oI hi smaller gitlur-. Tho meeting thru
adjourned the morning after session which
uccd!c Tor lie number OF .adc' ana oil advanced STU
druta and post graduate, present.
At the afternoon session paper on atmospheric Alb
sorrton was read by Professor =. J.. Langley Of the
Allegheny Observatory Of Pennsylvania lie hogan by
stating that the earth was surrounded by atmosphere
through which the sun stars aud moon we're oh-crvcd.
As there WAS no way OF viewing thcm except through
FOR atmo- phcric absorption oh-crycgz could nag
celestial bodies they may be when viewed from the
been considered about twenty per cent. some oh
servers have rated 10 al seventeen per cent others have
The real absorption Of light through the atmosphere
almost doubts twenty per cent H." d'd not Doubt ih,
thoroughly question the h poihe,- on which the cacua
one that OF dust particle. which only absorbed the ua
thy OF light; the other tclluric absorption which
changed liz quality, That o,unbcam after suffering
Il urc absorption o--cs,cd longer the same Kind ~
light. The light aud heat lost by the through
be forty per cent 10y process which hc Indicated. In
South America the total amount d~ractcd by tho at
mo'phcIe was IuIy my per cent or one half The usut
a clear sky Nhcn the Suu had -rt represented iu the
eye Of every one the Immense amount Of such absorbed
Professor Simon Ncwcomb, Of Washington, vice rIcsi-
dent o the National Academy Of Sclruoc- read paper
ON Tue Theory OF Eu"l' Of Observation and Probable
Results" applied entirely 10 system OF approaching
the value Of errors. that thcir greater drpcs OF
badness IN scrir, uf astronomical ob,cryaons three
for example, two would agree and tho third would be-
seconds and the third Of my seconds Professor
NcWcomb assumed that by au empirical law, 70 mean
maximum or error.
The next paper was read by Professor wocott Gbbsof
Harvard, ON Phn7pho- MANDATES, Arsenic Mandates
and AutmoniO Nanadat"-." This WAS % scientific dc
moustiatIOn OF analytic chemistry. wa. followed by
another paper by the same Professor The probable
Existence 81 New Acids OF Phosphorus"
Professor Hall state Grologist OF Ncw-Yorl, read a
paper upon Some Geologic Aspects OF Certain Localities
IN Ncw-iOrk state" The Professor said that for forty
years he bad collecting lamclli braciiato fossils
the prototypes OF tho oysters aud clans Of the present
day.
1RR1NGING Il GLOVE FIGHT