The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-11-14
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
THE STRENGTH OF GALES.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
THE STRENGTH OF GALES.
Before committee of the English parliament
Mr.. B. Baker lately expressed the belief that or
binary thermometers greatly exaggerate the force
of wind-storms, and that no such pressure as 80
pounds per square foot can be exerted by the
wind over any considerable surface. Proof that
so great pressure has not been approached in
the Thames Valley for many years is found in
the fact that the London gas holders have never
been damaged by storms although those structures
cannot resist pressure much exceeding is pounds
per square foot In Mr.. Bakers own experience
a gale giving I6t pounds pressure to the square
foot completely stops all traffic on the Firth of
Forth. side pressure of 40 pounds per square
foot would certainly upset an ordinary railway
train, yet trains continue to run when anemome-
tiers register considerably greater wind-pressure,
while street-cars are very rarely overturned by
wind, although they cannot remain upright under
pressure of over 20 pounds to the square foot.
CONTEMPLATING coRPsEs.
A French chemist proposes coating the bodies
of the dead with skin of copper, which is readi-
ly effected by the well known process of electro
plating. second plating of gold or silver could
be added If desired. The treatment permanently
preserves the corpses from chemical change, and
has already been applied to several human sub
jects and to many animals.
SOME EFFECTS OF FOREST REMOVAL.
Among the results Of the destruction of the
forests and the drainage of the land DR.. R. II.
Reed finds the following: More wind, greater
dampness, increased rainfall, dust, more fire.
quent showers, more sudden changes of tempera-
ture and moisture, quicker transmission of water
to the great basins, and diminution of the common
supply of springs and wells. decrease of ma
larial diseases follows these changes, with an in
crease Of typhoid fever, catarrh, deafness and
chronic lung troubles. The spread of zymotc
and contagious diseases is favored by the in
crease of wind and dust.
AN ELECTRIC PLANT.
If German account is to be believed the plant
world has its living electrical generators as well
as the animal kingdom. 1t is stated that on
breaking stem of the Phyfolacca electrical the
hand receives shock like that given by an in
ductiOn coil, and that the magnetic needle is af
fected to distance of twenty feet. This energy
Of the plant is greatest ct P. M, and almost dis
appears at nightfall.
BRINGING THE DEAD TO LIFE.
Some facts mentioned by DIR. Richardson, thu
English Psychologist, suggest the possibility o
restoring persons to life after actual death. By
combining artificial circulation with artificial res
piration dog was restored to life sixty-iv min
utes after having been killed by an overdose Of
chloroform, the heart having become perfect,
still and colds and frogs poisoned by nitrate o
amyl were restored after nine days of apparen
death, signs of putrefactive change having ap
peared in one case. A quite startling effect il
produced by peroxide of hydrogenin terminating
the blood and restoring heat to really dead body
These observations in the opinion of Mr.. W. Mat
tien Williams, justify the conclusion that drown
ed or sufocated man is not hopelessly dead 81
long as the bodily organs remain uninjured b.
violence or disease, and the blood remains sufi
GENTLY liquid to be set in motion artifcially an,
supplied with little oxygen to start the chemica
movements Of life.
THE NEW STAR.
The remarkable eighth magnitude star in tn
great nebula of Andromeda, whose sudden ap
pearance has just been announced by DR.. Hartwig
of Strasburg, seems to have one exact counterpart
in astronomical history. On May IS, 1853
Auwers discovered bright star-certainly in
visible three days befOre-in the nebula so Messie
In this case the new star grew rapidly fainter an
had vanished by June 10, no trace of it havin
since been seen. These mysterious and startlin
phenomena have an especial interest from thei
possible bearing on Laplace's theory that sun
and planets have been slowly formed by the con
densation of nebuar matter.
MISCELLANEOUS.
new alloy called platinoid, expected to prov
very useful in the arts, is said to be PRACTICAL
untarnishable and hardly distinguishable fror
silver-which is an alloy of 100 parts of copper
so of tin, and 40 of nickel-with the addition
one or two per cent. of tungsten.
DR.. B. W. Richardson finds that the cat resist
suffocation three times long the dog, on tn
average, and in one instance nine times as long.
On certain beaches are found sands which Of
being set in motion produce peculiar musics
sound. The characteristics of the grains al
being studied by Prof. Bolton, of Hartford, VIII
has found the "singing sands" in many localitie
in this country, and has been supplied by th
Smithsonian Institution with variety of spec
mems from the Sandwich Islands, Germany, an
other places.
Evidence of the prevalence of cannibalisl
among the prehistoric inhabitants of PortugI
has been discovered on the Peniche peninsula
where also has been found skull on which som
early surgeon appears to have used his stone in
plements in the delicate operation of trepannine
DR.. Hook, German naturalist, finds that th
eastern hemisphere affords 269 plants and IS AM
mails useful to man, while the western world cor
tributes only 50 plants and IL animals.
The Patagonians, including both sexes, hav
an average stature of five feet ten inches, accord
ing to Mr.. Fl. Hale, who considers that the adoI
ton of equestrian habits has shortened the legs
the people two inches in two centuries, the
former height averaging six feet.
Have not the cloak to make when it begin
to rain.
Expect nothing from him who promises
great deal.
The most manifest sign of wisdom is continu
ed cheerfulness.
The beautiful is manifestation of the secrt
laws of nature, which but for this appearance, ha
been forever concealed from us.
Plato will have disciples, but Socrates wi
have adorers; because if the one knew how
think, the other knew how to die.
Those who, without knowing us, think @
speak evil of us, do us no harm; it is not us the
attack, but the phantom of their own imagination
Feelings come and go like light troops follow
ing the victory of the present. but principles, ik
troops of the line, are undisturbed and stand fast
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