The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-09-11
Correspondence Baltimore County Union
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
THE NoprH Ayr,ANTro MouNrAIN RANGE.

THE NORTH ATLANTIC MOUNTAIN RANGE.
By recent soundings the London Geographical
Society has ascertained that the ocean bottom in
the North Atlantic if formed of two great valleys.
One reaches in width from the tenth degree of
east to the thirteth of west longitude, extending
to the equator, at depth of not less than 5000
feet and the other lies between the thrtieth and
fitch degrees of west longitude. The interven-
ing mountain chain, with maximum breadth of
nearly 500 miles, extends northward toward Ice
land and southwark to the Azores, andi volcanic
in character at the ends.
A WEAKNESS OF HEARING -
The function of the human ear frequently fails,
family heard sounds, like that of the ticking of
watch, becoming wholly inaudible at irregular in
tervas. The intervals of silence have lately been
found by A. Raggi to vary between seven and
twenty two seconds while the periods of sound
perception are between seven and fifteen seconds
in duration. The variation, proves not to be due
to extraneous sounds nor to blood. circulation or
respiration, but is supposed to result from ina
blity to keep the attention long at sufficient ten
sion to perceive faint sounds.
SPEECH PHOTOGRAPHY.
Descriptions of the new apparatus of Prof. A.
G.. and DR.. G. Bell make it appear quite as won
derful as the telephone. 1t is based on the re-
markable discovery that a jet of falling water or
fame of gas reproouces every word or sound
within given distance, and it seems to accom-
plish by more sensitive means what was attempted
by the speaking photograph. By arranging a
descending film of colored water between the
sunlight and moving sensitive tablet, the vibra-
tons produced in the film by speech are instan-
taneously and continuously photographed. Other
arrangements cause the photographed irregulari-
ties corresponding to ar-pulsationsto be retrans-
lated into air-waves, making the voice heard
again. If the anticipated success is achieved with
such speech records the aid of the photographers
art will be of more value to the future reporter
than knowledge of shorthand. a 80
STANDARDS OF COLOR.
The curious suggestion has been made by Mr.:
Francis Cation, of the London Anthropological
Institute, that some of the colors of the Italian
mosaic-workers be employed standards for
describing the tints of the skin of the various
races and tribes of mankind. These colors have
great durability, mosaics in St. Peters at Rome
having shown no signs of change after more than
a century. A great variety OF tints is available
there being about 500 appropriate to the flesh Of
European nations alone. -4+.-sG
DELICATE SENSE.
The spectroscope-capable of indicating the
millionth part of milligram of sodium-has beer
regarded as the most delicate of all means of an
alysis. Its keenness proves to be far surpassed
however, by that of the sense of smell, late Eu
ropean investigations having shown that thu
nerves of the nose are sensibly affected by one
AGO, 900 000th part of a milligram of mercaptan-
a milligram being only .0l54 of grain. And
such be the deicacy of human smell, what mus
be the minuteness of the smallest partical which
may produce an impression on the nose of dog
A GERMAN INDUSTRY.
An enterprising German firm is building up {
large business in the manufacture of liquid car
bonic acid, which, though so recently only scien
sCv dam r,d for in
dustrial purposes. 1t is used for charging bee
in the cask in the manufacture of setzer waters
and for fre-extinguishers. By its expansion thu
Krupps, of Essen, subject their great castings tt
the enormous paessure of l 200 atmospheres. 1t
gas is also expected to prove valuable for infat
ing balloons to raise sunken ships, heavy weights
having been very quickly raised from the sea-
bottom by its aid
A SUNSET EFFECT.
The French Academy of Sciences has been told
by Mons. Treve of the curious phenomenon OF
beautiful green ray which flashes into sight for
quarter of second on the disappearance of tn
upper edge of the solar disc at sunset. The ap
pearance can be seen only when the sky is excep
tionally clear, and is probably an Elusive etfec
on the eyes of the sudden extinction of the sum
glare. -.~ - -~..- 49, so
THE GREATEST TELESCOPE.
So great are the difficulties attending the man
ufacture and use of great telescopes that it il
doubtful whether any optician will ever attemp
larger refracting instrument than the one nov
being made for the Lick Observatory in California
This will have light gathering power forty pc
cent. greater than that of any other in existence
The object glass will be thirty six inches in diam
eter, and will probably cost $4,000, the rough
glass discs for its two lenses being valued at $14,
900. These lenses-one of flint and one of crow
glass-were cast in Paris, and are now beins
ground by the Clarks of Cambridge, Mass. A
second crown glass lens-specialy adapted TO
Photographic works being made to substitute
for the ordinary one when required. The monste
telescope will have focal length between fifty
and sixty feet, and will be mounted in dome o
sne"ial and peculiar design.
SOLID OXYGEN.
Prof. Dewar, of London, has succeeded in soil
difying oxygen by means of the intense colo
which results when liquid oxygen is allowed tt
expand in partial vacuum. The frozen oxyger
resembles snow, and has temperature of abou
$50 degrees below zero. These experiments arr
expected to throw some light on what is called
the absolute zero of temperature.
CURIOUS INTERGRAFTING.
In Germany, Strasburger has successfully
grated Stramonium species, common Tobacco
Aenbane, Atropa Belladonna, and Petunia upon
the common Potato plant. The most remarkable
result is that, when Datra Stramonisna wa:
grated upon Potato plant, the normal-appear-
ing potatoes born by the latter were found to b.
impregnated with atropine. 1t is not stated
however, whether the Tobacco gratis infected The
tubers with nicotine. Tschudy had already graf
ted the Tomato upon the Potato, producing po-
tatoes from the bottom and tomatoes from the TOP
of the same plant.
AMERICAN EARTHQUAKES.
The carefully compiled list of Prof c. G.. Rock
wood, Jr., reports II American earthquakes fol
1885, five of the number being doubtful. Of the
total, the Canadian Provinces furnished 8; New
England, 5 the Atlantic States, 9; the Missis.
sippi Valley, 8 the Pacific Coast of the United
States, 34 Alaska, 2; Mexico, /; Central
America, 2; the West Indies, 2; Ecuador,
Peru and Chill, 8; the Argentine Republic, l.
Classified by seasons, "a came in winter, % in
spring, 4 in summer, and II il autumn ; ,vr-vv.
lieving that spiders destroy more sphides and in
sect enemies of trees than do all the insect eatin
birds. His views have been verified by observa-
tions on coniferous trees, few broad leaved trees
and apple trees.
The earthquakes recorded in 1885, according
to Mons. c. Detaille, numbered 246, of which only
six were felt in North America. January, with
49 earthquakes, had the greatest number for any
month; and October, with IL, the smallest.
Mans views of the elements" have been great.
ly changed since the early investigations of the
alchemsts, but may have to be still further modi-
fed. The evidence of the spectroscope is regard.
ed by Prof. Balfour Stewart as indicating that
the substances now known as the chemical ele.
ments really compound bodies.
The eyes of poisonous snakes have been found
by DIR. BENZ. Sharp to have elliptical pupils,
while in the harmless species they are circular.
novel museum, to serve as q permanent ex-
hibition of samples of merchandise, is about to
be established in France at st. Nazaire.
Alphabetical observation is that while men,
thol, remedy for neuralgia. imparts a sensation
of GOODNESS, the parts rubbed with it are really
hotter than the surrounding skin. This confirms
the newly advanced theory that sensations of
heat and of cold are conveyed by two distinct sets
of nerves the menthol seeming to powerfully
stimulate the nerves of cold.
The active principle of cod-liver oil, of which
it forms from one and half to six per cent. has
been obtained by DR.. Lafarge, of Paris, and is
said to have given excellent results when used in
place of the crude oil. The substance is called
morrhuol, and contains twelve times as much
iodine. bromine and phosphorus as the original
oil, with non of the fat.
A history of herbaria has been written by DR..
Saint Lager, of Lyons. From this it appears
that the oldest collections of pressed plants now
extant, or partially so, are those of Aldrovandi,
begun about 1858, and containing at least 5000
snecimens. of Girau1t of T,vons datad