The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-01-17
written for the CITIZEN,

railways appears to be the electrical
work in which the greatest activity
! is expected i'm the near future. While
steam will still be preferred for heavy
freight, writer in Cdsser's Mag 0Si'oe
states that more than 100 street car
lines in the United States were in
1895 doing kind of express business,
and that many inquiries were received
! from the West Indies and South
America for electric roads Of this char
acter for bringing fruit, coffee, logwood
! and sugar to the coast for shipment.
i Electricity will soon Danish coal from
the large cities within the next GEN.
fury, Prof. F. B. Crocker' assures us,
and perhaps within decade or two.
He suggests generating stations of lOO,-
600 horse power or more, at distance
of some ten miles from the city. Triple
or quadruple expansion engines of TO-
600 horse power each could be employ
ed i'm the absence of water-power, and
the current would be carried by copper
wires at potential of 10000 volts to
would reduce it to $500 volts and fl
nally at the block of: consumption, to
$50 volts. The energy needed by city
for lighting, power and cooking could
be readily supplied. The most serious
difficulty would be in furnishing cur.
rent for heating buildings in winter,
as this is likely to remain wasteful-
though clearly and convenient pro-
cess. Even the Borchers gas battery
has failed to make practicable the di-
rect conversion of the energy of fuel
into current. But DR.. Louis Duncan,
a high electrical authority, contends
that the problem will be solved, and
believes that one solution-not yet
known to the public-is already within
reach.
The Photographic rifle is said to have
proven great success with the EN-
peror of Germany and his guests on
deer hunt. A little camera is fixed to
the gun, and exposes plate at the in
slant shot is fired. The plate is
quickly developed in pocket bath.
The picture shows whether the animal
was struck, and enables the hunter to
avoid fruitless chase if he has missed
his game.
A new chemistry of high tempera-
lures. whose applications are likely to
be very numerous, is being rapidly
evolved In the reverberatOry electri-
cal furnace with movable electrodes,
which he devised no longer ago than
1892, M II. Morrisan has obtained
temperatures sufficient to produce the
diamond, to crystalline metallic oxides,
to reduce those hitherto refractory, to
melt metals hitherto infusible, to dis
till lime, SILICA, ZircOnia and carbon,
and to cause an abundant vOlatiliza-
ton of such metals as platinum, cop
per, gold, iron, manganese, chromlu m
f., and uranium. In this furnace. the
electric arc is passed directly over the
subject under experiment, which is
held in crucible in chamber of
lime. Chromium is reduced from the
sesquioXi0e, as an unOXidiZable metal
which can be filed like iron, takes a
fine polish, and has the advantage over
ferro-chromium for alloys of being free
from carbon. The great possibilities
of chromium alloys can now be effect
lively studied. Molly bdenum, previous
ly INFUSED, can be obtained in cOnsid-
cradle quantities; and is found to
have fine grain, and to be capable of
being filed, forged at red heat
and alleged with iron in a
steel that can be easily tempered.
chromium and lnolybdenum, is read
ily liquefied under the electric arc, and
obtained in a very pure state. Uran-
ium is readily reduced from its oxides,
and when slightly carbureted it has
the property of striking fire with flint.
Of vanadium, known before as an inn
nure gray powder, small quantities
have been obtained as cast metal, hav-
ing crystalline and brilliant fracture.
The current of dynamo driven by an
engine of 40 horsepower scarcely suf-
feed to melt it. Titanium was obtain
ed with currents of 100 to 800 horse
power, and has unexpected properties
taking fire in ffuorine, decOmposing
water at a bright-red heat, and, very
curiOusly, burning in nitrogen at
high temperature. These simple bodies
all form chrystalized compounds with
carbon, boron and silicon-some so
hard as to cut the diamond. Possibly
others besides chromium may give
new properties of value to iron.
The refrigerating laboratory is
aCDl0VlHS lew T0SuIIS. AS Iu0 IcIuper-
ature is lowered, even the most intense
chemical action is reduced and finally
disappears altogether; and M. RaOul
Pictet reports the novel discovery that
certain combinations-impo to
make at ordinary temperatures-may
be effected under suitably regulated
degree of cold.
1t has been pointed out in Germany
that mystagmus is especially prevalent
among miners, and that it has increas-
ed in all coal-mining countries since it
was first noticed in 1860. The miner
is first troubled with unsteadiness of
vision after long shift, then he is at
tackled while at work and cannot see to
hold his tools, he has headaches, and
is finally unable to walk straight. Any
attempt to see by ordinary light above
the horizontal brings on an attack. The
disease is found to be confined to those
who mine the coal, and who lie
cramped up in PROSTATE position,
very often having to look upward.
The excessive strain upon the muscles
of the eve is aggravated by the poor
light. The safety lamp seems to be re-
sponsible to a great extent for the
trot1hlo ia ah0un at fho Rhoin Elho