New-York tribune., 1897-08-25
SECTIONS NET SEPARATELY.
THE BRITISH SCIENTISTS HARD AT
WORK IN TORONTO
HOW CELL. PROCESSES ARE CARRIED oN-MR
TEsLA's PAPER CAUSES oUEsTIoNs-PERcI-
VAL LOwELLs STATEMENTS PRO

TEsIA's PAPER CAUSES oUEsTIoNs-PERcI-
VAL IOwELLs STATEMENTS PRO
| woke DISSENT.
(pr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIsUNE.1
Toronto Aug 4-The scientists OF the British
Association met In sections to-day. ana ho' co'-
| lectIvely. One paper was deemed sufncienty I'M
portant justify joint convention OF the devotees
| Of physiology. botany and chemistry. but aiter IL
was presented the three sections again met sepa-
| ratey. This particular paper was presented oy
] Professor Raphael Meldola. London chemist.
1t Is believed by psychologists and botaniss that
| all vital processes in animals and plants are con-
Quoted In those parts OF their fabric called the cells
These processes attended by chemical changes.
The method and mechanism by which the changes
are wrought are not yet known Several inVesu-
gators studying this fascinating and important
problem. Professor Meldola Is disposed TO accept
the possible explanation Of the phenomena, a
notion advanced by Fischer for another purpose
lie thinks that the constituent atoms OF the SUD-
stance, which are transformed may have shape
| that is particularly favorable TO combination with
| the protoplasm OF the cell IL Is sort OF seo-
metrcal idea but not unreasonable. Within the
last few years chemists ascertained the exact
composition of various dyes. perfumes ana other
rare and costly natural products. and have imi-
| tated nature. This process OF putting together the
elements when one knows what they are is called
| synthesis. and the men who utilize 1t are syn
| thecal chemists.
Professor Meidola is not sure that man follows
natures ways In all this work. He thinks that
many compounds which man would make by COM
bning the elementary ingredients are really the
products of the disintegration OF still more compli-
Gated compounds that existed previously. Such
supposition makes 1t necessary, OF course, to be-
lieve that there originally a building up by
nature Of these complex substances, but her route
| and plan might have been very different from that
| which suppose.
| NEW IDEAS IN ELECTRICITY.
| The physics section was subdivided to-day. and
| gave electricity a room by itself. Mr.. Teslas de-
scriptlon OF his osciator was read ana eagerly as
| cussed Some questions were asked which nobody
could answer with certainty, and regret was eN-
pressed that the distinguished inventor was not
present to explain the machine more fuly. Lord
| Kelvin and others made favorable comments on the
apparatus.
Willard F. Case OF Auburn ~ y. who has at
tempted to get electricity out OF carbon without
heat and has invented ingenious. though not
commercially available. gas battery, had sent an
account Of these devices which was read
new ponter entirely without mass and weight,
for Use I'm certain delicate electrical measurements
was described by Professor Braun. OF Hanover. IL
utlllzes a cathode ray. which can be DETECTED one
way or the other by magnet. The bright spot
produced thereby A fuorescent screen may De
photographed. thus giving permanent record.
Before another section. that devoted TO mechani-
cal science there a lively discussion OF electric
meters II was started by Professor W. r. Aver
ton OF the Central Institution. in London. lie reau
"A paper on the subject prepared by one OF his stu
dents From this and the ensuing comment IL APP
pears that electric meters are subject TO several
Influences which impair their accuracy Mere
temperature changes will affect some or them
magnet held near others will interfere with ther
operations 1t Is possible to take current from
supply wire and 1t In an accumulator without
In
through neglect to wind the clock in the same there
Is a chance that the meter viii register backward
and show the supply company TO De In dent 10 tne
consumer. The most approved forms OF e1ec'r'c
meters in England cost about $25. and there Is
demand for one that will do the work as well and
sell for one-third or one-quarter Of that sum- Al
ready electric meters register more accurately than
| gas meters but there Is much room for improve
! ment
PERCIvAL LOWELL on A NEW DISCOVERY.
Perciva Lowell OF Boston. who erected private
astronomical observatory at Flagstan, Ariz'' TWO
or three years ago. gave one or MS interesting
talks to the physics section to-day. He described
a new method which Mr.. Douglas. one or MS as
sstants had discovered for telling which insra-
ment best adapted to use when the seeing
was poor. Mr. Douglas had found that II he re-
moved the eyepiece and placed his eye at the sma,.
bands passing across the object glass These were
due TO in the air currents outside. But the
waves are longer NJ one time than at another. II
has been discovered that small telescope is better
suited to astronomical work when the waves have
one size and frequency. and large one with waves
OF another size and frequency BY selecting the
can be obtained than otherwise
Mr. Lowell gave some tests by which INC IAN any one one
Professor George f. Hale director OF the Yerkes
Observatory, is attending the meetings of the Brit
ish association. and was announced to read paper
sf shores Of lake Geneva II was thought possible
that he might comment on Mr. Lowells talk. But
ne PUssUr nSt u We Ho1sh at Of the Uni
Hevs % mr. ysSrasy d som dS So
the Fass M Sa b, QhSr S5D re-
telescope maker. He appeared to be familiar with
nd r G hint. as to s best way
them.
VARIATIONS IN THE EARTHs MAGNETISM.
Professor Frank II. Bigelow. OF the United States
Weather Bureau. who has for several years been
trying to discover how close Is the correspondence
between meteorological changes and certain fuctua
! tions in the earth's magnetism presented two
papers to-day. Certain Simultaneous behavior Of
the magnets at widely scattered observatories sug
gests the possibility that the earth Is Immersed in
o en snd With from
the sun. These variations. Professor Bigelow says.
March and September that curve stays right side up.
but at the solstices II Is upside down The main
this reversal which he did BY showing that ii ap-
parently depends on the earths position in its path
around the
! The ateness OF the hour compelled Professor Bige
low curtail his remarks, but he excited much in
terest His second talk brief description OF
special watch which had been made I'm Munich in
conformity with his ideas for experimental purposes
A small magnet suspended the balance
! wheel. and apparently affected by the afore
mentioned changes in the intensity of the magnetic
influence coming in from outer space. On some
days the watch would gain one hundred seconds or
/ two hundred seconds. on Others 1t would lose as
much 1t seemed to tell the same story as the
costly instruments in the special magnetic observa
tories. Unfortunately the vertical force" magnets
! In the Washington and Toronto observatories have
recently been rendered almost worthless by the dis
turbng Influences OF adjacent trolley lines.
! Professor +. W. Putnam OF the Peabody Museum.
in Boston. widely known for his studies OF the evil
dences OF primitive In America. gave 10 the
snthropoogy section this morning short off-hand
1li,I1. ,inh