The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-05-24
Scientific Miscellany.

Well may we doubt the success of the
alchemists of old in their search for the
"elixir of life but, if the views pub
lished in England by Mr., w. o. Daw-
son are correct. modern science at least
appears to be able TO rctard the pro-
press of old age. Mr.. Dawson tells US
that the changes which produce old age
are due to an excessive action of tho
oxygen we breathe and to the accumu-
| lation Of lime salts in the body. Ho
does not state whether the oxygen et-
fects may be in any degree counter
acted, but he believes that life may be
prolonged by reducing the calcareous
deposits TO minimum. This he would
accomplish by plan suggested by Mr..
DeLacy Evans. The plan is TO avoid
food containing proportion of earth
| salts-Such as the meat from old ami
nals-and TO use daily, after middle
life, several glasses of distilled water
containing Il few drops of phosphoric
acid. Distilled water is necessary on
account of its great solvent power.
In view Of the liability of steamships
to collision with iccbergs in crossing
the Atlantic, Mr.. r. A. Proctor sug-
pestS the use of the sensitive heat
measures of Edison or Langley for
giving warning of the proximity Of
ice at night or in fogs. One OF these
instruments in the bow of vessel
would indicate change of tcmpcra-
ture with the iceberg quarter Of n
mile or more away, and might be
made to attract attention TO the pres
ence of invisible danger by causing a
fog-hOrn to he sounded-or otherwise,
as might be necessary. The keen per-
ception OF science, Mr.. Proctor thinks,
may thus be put on guard over our
safety when our natural senses fail.
Not only has oxygen been obtained
in the form of crystals, as was lately
announced, but Prof. S. Won Wrob-
lewski, of Krakow, has also succeeded
in causing nitrogen to fall like snow
when subjected to a temperature OF
303 degrees below zero, and in solidify-
inc hydrogen. The extraordinary cold
measured in these experiments was
produced by the boiling of liquefied
oxygen on freeing it from pressure,
and is probably the lowest temperature
ever recorded.
Several accurate photographs of
lightning flashes have been secured by
Mons. Robert Haensel, of Reichen-
berg, Bohemia. The flashes are shown
as long, continuous sparks, and in one
of the pictures the point where the
spark met the earth may be seen. The
landscape is clearly defined in the pho
tographs, affording a means for calcu-
lating the length of the lightning's
path through the air, which, in one
instance, was estimated at more than
mile.
A British scientific expedition is
about to undertake the exploration of
New Guinea, which, although the larg-
est island on the globe except Austria
liza and possibly Borneo, is one of the
earth's little known regions. A route
of 1000 or 1920 miles across the is
land has been mapped out by the party,
and it is expected that the trip will oc
cupy more than a year, Places which
have already been visited by Europeans
will be avoided.
Changes have been observed in the
spectrum Of Sirius which indicate that
the star is moving away from the earth
much less rapidly than formerly, and
that it must therefore be travelling in a
closed and comparatively small orbit.
Forty-tive stars were studied with the
spectroscope last year at the Greenwich
observatory, for the purpose OF detect
ing any changes which may occur in
their apparent rates Of movement,
In Berlin electricity has been applied
to the Matching of chickens. The eggs
are placed in a circular box, or incuba-
tor, over coil of wire, and the wire is
heated by the electric current. A
thermometer automatically regulates
the temperature by cutting the wire
coil out of circuit when the heat be.
comes too great.
TIE relative efficiency of electricity,
gas and oil for lighthouses is to be
thoroughly tested in England.