Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-08-17
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS.
SOME NEW THINGS IN The USEFUL
ARTS.
The Efforts of Musical Notes ON Ex-
plosives-StRble That Is Run by
CIOcISwOrk-Herc Is a New Electric
Locomotive.

locomotive.
ZONE singular facts have been devel.
oped in regard to the influence of mu-
steal notes upon explosives. When an
''nrense' explosive is Apr oaching the
''sftical" stake, and its molecules there
fcye are in condition Of very unstable
equilibrium, the sudden emission of
nHsicil note will frequently bring mat
tc'3 to n climax and induce decoration.
l. has been found that or certain sam
p't of dry illuminate of mercury the
Unrest temperature at which it would
en- )lode was 342 degrees Fahrenheit
aIH portions exposed to Il heat Of
3:to deg. for some time allowed to cool
ami again heated to that degree (these
alkInations being several times repeat
eCiN, remained without change. Yet,
pa-slcles of the same illuminate, placed
ar before on an iron plate, but at
temperature of 80 deg. to $40 deg.
on,r, would generally explode sharply
WHEN certain notes were sound ID near,
uppn n violin string or cornct With
the human voice it was much more diff
tiCsylt to obtain an effect of this kind,
but occasionally such an experiment
would succeed. Similar results were
noticed with most of the nitro-com-
pounds. blasting gelatine included,
whiie chloride and iodide of nitrogen
were frequently 40 eXplodable ut the
ordinary temperature. Lascelles-Scott,
arevniing that (a) the molecules of eX-
plcsives We're always in Il condition
OF either linear vibration or spiral
"6yings;" Sh) that the velocity Of such
or.jllations was constant with each sub
stAacc according to its composition!
C9 that the aptitude or wave length
t'asreof varied with the temperature;
thought it not unreasonable to suppose.
90 the oscillations extended until they
approach thu point of disruption, that
the impact of sound vibrations bearing
some simple numerical relation to their
own might carry those molecules too
far. and thus preclpitate their sever
ance. Whatever the true explanation
~ the phenomenon may be, it is GER
tain that given explosive substance
may be more readily detonated by n
certain note; for instance, with
"pitch," wherein (the third space in
vibrations per second the nitro series
of explosives seemed to be most in
fluenced by the note /; the Eliminates
by the treble d; and the upper b nat
more successfully detonatcd iodide Of
nitrogen than any other note. These
are decidedly uncomfortable details,
and one cannot help specializing on
the extent to which the programme OF
81 raraHa nNinhf
have to be modified in consequence OF
the vicinage of a given explosive "ap-
preaching its critical temperature.
The. Cost of Record-BrenlSinE.
A Oicyclist has accomplished the ex-
traordinary feat Of riding from the
most northerly point in Scotland to the
extreme southern point of England in
eighty six hours and fifteen minutes.
The most remarkable part of the act
70 included in the fact that he per-
formed his task without indulging in
ene moment of sleep. He was three
days. fourteen hours and fifteen min
utes without reclining once or resting
or ceasing his active movements Of
propulsion. except for the briefest mo-
ments The English Lancet" points
out that the modern rage for record
s,reaking is Gratified at the cost of
many shortened lives. The healthy
heart will beat 100000 times in the
twenty-four hours, accomplishing work
equal to lifting 122 tons 1 foot. But 1T
has recently been, shown that cycling
tells severely and specially upon the
circulation, and that the number of
the strokes of the heart is doubled dur
ing such active exercise as that to
which the rider subjects himself The
| lowest estimate, therefore. Of the work
of the heart of the record-breaker just
mentioned would be 212,OO0 beats.
with work done of pa foot tons This
maintained for the specified time was
equal TO more than Sj4 tons without
repose. Setting aside the physiological
| bearing Of the performance in persist
and motion Of the blood, sustained by
voltion Of n resolute kind. which pre-
vents the nervous system from passing
! into that passive or negative state TO
which the term ''sleep" is applied, its
practical lesson bears the ultimate in
fluence Of extreme exercise on the
bodies Of young men who make them
selves the victims Of self-iniiictcd in
| jury. Apparently, lHc dIilltslc II u'he
the worse for such n feat as this, burt
in reality he will have to pay a severe
penalty for thus outraging nature.
These violent strains bode. in the end,
the certainty of premature decrepi-
tude. Towards the goal OF death the.
best heart can only perform certain
measure Of work, and whether that be
done by rapid or slow process deter.
mines the length Of days in which 1t
is done. Theoretically, these young
competitors, who otherwise might be
destined for a long and active exist
ence, will succumb and break down
long before the sun of their life has
reached its meridian, and the Ian
cet' states that so far this has practi-
caily bene the fate of all those who
have endeavored. under the applause
of their unthinking comrades, TO do
what nature has not constructed them
for doing without risk. -
A Maxim With a Moral.
Mr.. Hiram Maxims recent demon
stration of the bullet resisting capabil-