The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-12-18
Correspondence baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
MORE WORK FOR PHOTOGRAPHY.

MORE WORK FOR PHOTOGRAPHY.
Ballistics, the science of proectiles, is to be
studied with the aid of photography. In the in
terest of the German Admiralty, Krupp, the can
non- founder of Essen, is to employ an expert to
photograph projectles in transit, the recoil of
gun carriages, the penetration of armor plates by
projectes and similar phases in artillery practice
As poriectiles have an average velocity OF / 800
feet per second, the obstacles to be overcome in
obtaining satisfactory photographs are very great
necessitating the most delicate apparatus and the
most skilful manipulation.
METEoRITEs AT YALE.
The meteorites in the Peabody Museum of
Yale College now embrace rs meteoric stones and
~ meteoric irons-a total of II specimens, weigh.
ing 1855 pounds. The largest specimen is an
iron found in Texas in 1914, which weighs ,655
pounds. Other large meteorites are one in Stock
holm weighing So tons, one in Copenhagen of ten
tons, one in the British Museum of five tons, and
one in St. Petersburg weighing 1850 pounds
wAvE-PowER.
In the west Of Scotland, Stevenson found the
average force of the waves for the five summer
months to be GIL pounds per square foot. and for
the six winter months 2,0S6 pounds. He mentions
that on one of the Hebrides Of rock weigh
ing about AZ tons was gradually moved five feet
by the waves in storm. Hagen records that in
the harbor of Cette block of concrete, measuring
$500 cubic feet and weighing probably 125 tons,
was moved on its bed over three feet. And now
a late observer, Mr.. q. M. Nelson, reports finding
on one of the Shetland islands some grants boul-
ders, whose appearance indicates that they must
have been broken from the cliff at the waters edge
as single block weighing so tons, cast up $50
yards inland and IS feet above sea level, and
broken in three pieces. This tremendous power
of the waves is constantly grinding away exposed
coasts, forming new land of the removed material,
and thus slowly but steadily changing the contour
of the continents and islands.
KEEPING FRESH FOOD.
In the preserving process of A. R. Roosen, of
Hamburg, food in kept fresh for a considerable
time in barrels filed with weak solution OF
boracic acid tartaric acid and salt which is SUBJ
jected to a pressure of about five atmospheres.-
In recent tests fish was found to have kept per-
fectly fresh in warm weather for seventeen days,
and beef was good five months after being placed
under pressure. 1t is estimated that the expense
of the process to fishermen in England would not
exceed one fifth of a penny per pound OF fish,
The apparatus consists of the casks and a small
hand force pump. The process should prevent
the enormous waste in the fish and meat trade,
and correspondingly cheaper such foods.
RUSTLEss IRON.
Much seems to be expected of a new French
method of protecting iron from rust. 1t was first
suggested by De Meritens of electrical fame, and
consists in placing the article to be protected in
water-bath at temperature of from los to l76
degrees, through which is passed an electric cur
rentof Just sufficient strength to decompose the wa
ter In an hour or two the iron acquires coating
of black magnetic oxide which will take brilliant
polish, and efectually resists further oxidation.
Steel articles were readily coated in the first trials,
but success with wrought and cast iron was only
reached when distilled water was used.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Japan, according to Mr.. John Milne, contains
129 volcanic peaks of which 81 are still active.-
The Ioftiest is Fujiyama, near Yokohama, a'little
over II 400 feet high, which does not appear tobe
extinct as is generally supposed.
1t is proposed to make the Lick observatory
truly gift to science as well as to California by
placing the great telescope at the disposal OF the
distinguished astronomers of the world during
certain hours of each twenty-four, thus giving
visiting specialists an opportunity of attacking
the unsolved problems of astronomy with the most
powerful optical aid to be obtained.
chemical means of manufacturing quinine,
without the use of cinchona bark, has been dis
covered in England by Mr.. Cresswel Hewett,
giving rise to the hope Of great reduction in the
price of the drug.
A Mexican company is to work up the cactus
plant, the oil of which is suitable for lubricating
purposes the fibre for cordage, the leaf for paper
and the fruit for eating.
In France the diminution of births per 10000
inhabitants has exceeded third in a century
The number was $50 in 177l-'S0, 2S9 in lS2l-40,
and only 24l in 1S71-'SO.
ANSSA-S
are often greatly deformed by the pressure of the
rocks in which they occur, concluding that such
distortions may have led Agassiz to an over esti-
mate in distributing the fossil fishes Of the older
rocks into eighty distinct species.
In a British Association paper, Mr.. w. H.
Preece has recorded an experiment by which he
localized fragment of needle in his daughters
hand. A fine magnetized needle was suspended
by delicate fiber over the hand, and on cutting
at the point indicated by this needle the trouble
som bit of steel was found and extracted.
A European horticulturist afirms that washing
before cooking impairs the flavor of vegetables
Dirt should be removed with cloth or brush, or,
if washing cannot be avoided, it should be post
poned until the moment before cooking is COM
Tf(-mpettion for the French Volta prize,
open to all nations, closes June 30th, 1887, when
$4,000 will be awarded the discoverer of means
of making electricity economically useful
The Spanish Government has established three
medico legal laboratories, where analyses ordered
by the courts shall be made. Accused persons
may employ experts to watch the work.