The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12

light above the horizontal brings on an
attack The disease Is hound TO be connnsu
panss MAO mine tns os POSITION. very
otter having to look upward Inc eA-
cessive strain upon the muscles Of the eye
is aggravated by the poor light. The sac,
ty lamp seems to be responsible TO great
extent for the trouble, as is shown az tne
Rhein Elbe colleries, where only VI Pc
when naked lights were used. while the
percentage had risen to 800 in lsSv, aiter
safety lamps were introduced
The continued extension Of light railways
appears to be the electrical work in wnicn
the greatest activity is expected In the near
future. While steam will still be preferred
for heavy freight, a writer in CASTER
Magazine states that more than one hun
dred street-car lines In the United States
were in 1895 doing a kind of express busi-
ness and that many inquiries were received
from the West Indies and South America
for electric roads of this character LOT
bringing fruit. coffee, logwood and sugar
to the coast for shipment. Electricity VIII
Danish coal from the large cities within the
next century. Prof. +: b. Crocker assures
He suggests generating stations OF l0o,Vo
horsepower or more at distance OF some
item miles from the city " ple or
each could be employed in the absence or
water power. and the current could be car
rico by copper wires at potential OF m,vsS
would reduce Ii to $500 volts and finally,
at the block OF consumption, to go volts
The energy needed by a city for lighting
power and cooking could be readily sup
piled. The most serious difhculty would De
in furnishing current for heating buildings
In winter. as this is likely to remain a
wasteful, though Clearly and convenient
process. Even the Borchers gas battery mas
failed to make practicable the direct con-
version 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 WIN
in reach
A new chemistry of high temperatures.
whose applications are likely to be very
numerous, is being rapidly evolved. In the
reverberatory electrical furnace with NOV
able electrodes which he devised no longer
ago than 1892. NJ. H. Moissan has obtained
temperatures sufficient to produce the dia-
mond, to crystalline metallic oxides, to re-
duce these hitherto refractory. to melt
metals hitherto infusible, to distill lime.
silica, zirconia and carbon, and to cause
an abundant volatilization of such metals
as platinum. copper, gold, iron. manganese.
chromium and uranium. In this furnace the
electric arc is passed directly over the SUBJ
ject under experiment, which is held I'm a
crucible in a chamber Of lime. Chromium is
reduced from the sesquioxide an unoxi-
dizable metal, which can be filed like iron,
takes a fine polish. and has the advantage
over ferro-chromiurn. for alloys, of being
free from carbon. The great possibilities of
chromium alloys can now be effectively
studied. Molybdenum, previously infused.
can be obtained in considerable quantities.
and is found to have fine grain, and to be
capable of being filed, forged at a red heat
and alleged with iron in a steel that can
be tempered. Tungsten, even more infusible
than chromium and molybdenum. is readily
liquified under the electric arc and OBJ
tanned in a very pure state. Uranium is
readily reduced from it's oxides. and when
slightly carbureted it has the property of
striking fire with flint. OF vanadium, known
before as an impure gray powder, small
quantities have been obtained as cast metal,
having a crystalline and brilliant fracture
The current of a dynamo driven by an en-
CINE of forty horsepower scarcely sufficed
to melt 1t. Titanium was obtained
with currents Of one hundred to three hun
dred horsepower, and has unexpected
properties-taking fire in fluorine decornpos-
ing water at bright red heat, and, very
curiously. burning in nitrogen at q high
temperature. These simple bodies all form
crystallized compounds with carbon. boron
and silicon-some SO hard as to cut the d;a-
mond. Possibly others besides chromium
may give new properties of value to iron.