The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-11-20
Especial to the Citizen.l

OrOOkeS IuDe VIII not soon lose their
charm to investigators. Various
groups or different rays, with behavior
seemingly analogous to the various
notes of vibrating string, were some
months ago observed in the cathode
/ discharge by M. Birkeland. These
groups, being differently DETECTED by
magnetic force, have now been sepa-
rated out. The auode of the tube was
an aluminium disc with a narrow slit,
Though which the cathode discharge
passed to the wall of the bulb, where
the rays formed a very distinct yellow
line of pbpsphorescence when the
anode was connected to the earth. A
magnetic field through the tube was
generated by two small electromagnetic
placed on opposite sides of the bulb.
A complete spectrum of different lines
was then formed, and when the pri-
mary current of the induction coil was
varied gradually, the consecutive bands
of this spectrum appeared suddenly
one after another to the number of ten
or more. Each band evidently con-
sisted of one or more oscillating lines.
The facts that the points and linden
tations of leaves are modified by rain,
being elongated and made more slen-
der, has been established by Stahl,
from observations made at Butenzorg,
Java. He has also shown that tin e
leaves tend to assume a vertical posi-
ton, to change the nerves into little
water channels, and to arrange their
down so as to scatter the drops. To
this Junger has just added the Obser-
walton that plants exposed to the
spray of waterfalls become "drp-
pointed" The leaves lose their down
and become arranged on the stems so
as to best shed water.
The problem of the demonetized
horse is being solved by Paris. That
city now has 200 hippohagus butchers.
and last year more than $4,000 horses
were eaten, the number in 1894 having
been q ,227, and in 1872 only 1904.
A numbero of unfortunate experiences,
such as the recent destruction of M.
Raoul Pictet's gas. bottling factory by
the explosion of steel cylinder, have
| given warning that great caution is
necessary in dealing with acetylene.
Some researches by Berth eliot and vi
ellie show that there is a certain risk
of accident-especially with compress
ed acetylene-even while the gas is
stored unmixed with air. On decom-
ro.iug the substance into its constit-
| hxyd han onnciHnp-
able heat is liberated, and it was proven
to be possible to detonate the gas by
means of cap of illuminate of mercury,
! the explosive wave, however, being
! confined at atmospheric pressure to a
portion of the gas, the decomposition
occurring only immediately around the
/ source of detou alton. With Increase
of pressure the effect was very much
augmented. The use of q detOnator
was no longer necessary, the simple
heating by an incandescent platinum
wire being sufficient to cause explosive
decomposition of the entire body of
gas, aud the action being so intense
that gas that had been compressed to
liquefaction developed pressure
of over thirty-five tons per one
square inch. Dropping bottle
of the liquefied gas or allowing
heavy weight to fall on it proved
insufficient to detonate the confined
acety lene. When, however, the bottle
was broken by the weight, violent
combustion of the gas in the air and
pot an effect of its simple decomposi-
! ton INTO its elements.
There is still something for German
science TO do. A report for 1895 shows
that there were accidents to nearly
"a, 900 persons employed in the various
industries of Germany, with about 600
fatalities. Dusseldorf alone had IL, 324
acciden with 81 deaths. Cases of lead
poisoning at whitehead and accumula-
| tor works seem to have been numer-
Gus; and the manufacture OF analina
dyes and various chemical products
had many victims from poisoning as
we'll as from mechanical accidents.
Few injuries from boiler explosions are
mentioned. In Casse six cases of
spenic fever-one fatal-occurred at a
factory for weaving horse hair, and
! and there were TWO cases-one fatal
at a tannery at SIesvic.
Experiments on goldfish have led
| Herr A. Kreidt to the conclusion that
! nSDGS 90 nOU near i'll llc IBbuucI Win
which we are familiar, but that they
perceive sound waves by some skin
! sense.
Striking specimens of primitive art
are found in caverns and rock shelters
of Australia. The walls of these places
bear many rock paintings of human
figures, animals and allegorical designs
outlined in color, these strange and i'm
pressive decoral ions, according to IA
per by Mr.. T. WornsOp 10 the Austral-
asian Association for the Advancement
of Science, having been largely exc
cuted by the curious method of smear
Ing the rock surface with grease, hold
ing the object TO be represented against
the creased rock, and then blowing
CLAY powder of various cOlors-red, yell
low aud white-aganst the edges So as
to stencil the outlined form by sur
rounding area of contrasting tint. In
some cases, the wet color, or mud,
was probably splashed on, the grease
being then unnecessary. Some explor-
ers describe human hands with out
stretched fingers as abundant in nearly
all the caves, while near Kimberley,
West Australia, aud on Bulgar Greek,
New South Wales are to be seen
! hearts, human figures on black back
grounds, staring faces outlined in red
with yellow lines, figures of the rising
sun and barbaric symbols. A notable