Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-22
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.



Effects or sounds--cold Waves Not
Indicated by Rising barometer
Heights OF Msseors.
Carbon monoxidc, or carbonic oxide,
is the most dangerous Of all the gases
given off from coal fires, as it is true
posiop, and, instead OF destroying life
by suffocation or exclusion of oxygen, 1t
has direct action on the blood, appar-
emily altering the character OF the red
corpuscles. 1t land not carbon dioxide
or carbonic acid--causes the headaches
and sense of oppression some ines ex-
perienced In coal-heated rooms, so
small proportion as o, per cent in the
| air occasionally giving rise to alarming
symptoms. But late paper to the
Paris Academy OF Sciences suggests
that there may be risks from furnace
heating yet unknown, as in only one
case out OF ten OF mysterious accident
attributable to emanations from heated
iron pipes was carbonic oxide found to
| the extent of o.o4 per cent. The
delicacy OF the means OF testing was
shown by experiments with an iron
| stove kept at dull red heat, the
presence of o.oI5 per cent of carbonic
oxide in the air being demonstrated.
| The increased cost of deep mining,
| according to Mr.. B. N Brough, is not
| serious where the output is considerable.
Only two mines-shafts in the Lake
Superior districts reaching 1920 and
| 445o feet respectively-have yet been
| sunk below. 1000 feet; but four mines
in G .rmany, two in Belgium aud one in
Austria Hungary range between $500
aud 1000 feet in depth. The deepest
British mine-the Pendleton, near Man
chester-is 3474 feet deep; the deepest
in Scotland-tne Niddrie, at Porto Bello
is 2IIo. Steel cables hoist loads OF
| six tons at the rate of mile in a min
ute and half at the deep mines Of
Calumet, and in England the speed has
reached 81 miles an nour.
A late mysterious explosion in co..
iiery in South Wales appears quite GER
tainly to have resulted from a spark
caused by heavy fail OF the gritty sand
stone roof.
Aluminium, in plates quarter of an
inch thick has proven very durable
| roofing material In Berlin.
As mysiilying as life itself is the latent
vitality of seeds. M c. de Candolle
describes experiments tending to show
that the seeds lead retarded life for a
becomes wholly inert. though unchang-
ed IN composition and internal chemical
structure, and thus remains for years
possibly for centuries-ready to spring
into activity under suitable moisture,
temperature and aeration. The germit.-
ating power OF peas and beans was re-
tanned even after exposure for four days
to cold of 37So below zero Fahrenheit,
a temperature at which ordinary chemic-
al reactions no longer take place. This
power is destroyed BY carbonic acid, al
though it is not lost in a vacuum, proto-
plasm in latent life seeming to resemble
certain mixtures-such as explosive mix
tures--in which certain substances, il
unchanged by surrounding substances
may rest in contact until the condition !,
favor their combination. This state OF
| chemical and vital inertia may continue
Tor very long time, as, while the growth
| OF mummy wheat is undoubtedly a de-
cepton. seeds known to have been Iso
years old have terminated. Various
observations seem to prove that seeds
may lie dormant in the ground for great
| periods, one notable instance being that
OF an unknown plant, discovered at
Laurium in 1875 in position indicating
| that its seed was buried under scoria by
ancient miners at least 1900 years ago,
| while Professor Peters OF Gottingen has
recently produced numerous plants from
| earth removed at different depths in
| plantless forest soil. Such facts caused
| Alphonse de Candolle to suggest sound
ings beneath the SHOWS Of the Alps, his
] idea being that we might recover from
I the buried soil surviving germs of thu
vegetation that existed before the
glacial period.
The geological fault of the Jordan.
Arabah Valley has length OF 27o miles
| or more from the Gulf OF Akabah 10 the
base of Hermon. and is undoubtedly
much longer. Another great line q
fracture is now reported from southern
| Afghanistau, where Captain A. II.
Mcmahon has traced remarkable
trench for 100 miles III a norih-north
east and south-south west direction,
finding 1t to be clearly fault line.
A case of periodical hiccough lasting
several months in man OF IA has been
traced by Norwegian physician to a
tumor at the base Of the tongue.
The. oft-.epeated suggestion that
music be employed as curative agent
in hospitals gives interest to recent in
vestigaiion by A Binet and T. Courtier.
who have stucied the effects OF musical
sounds upon the respiration, heart and
capillary circulation Of well known
composer. Major chords and especially
discords qulckened inspiratiod. while
minor chords tended to fetard it. All
melodies-grave or gay-quickencd the
respiration and increased the action O,
the heart lively tuues having most Ell
feet. Single notes or chords, entirely
unassociated with emotional ideas.
| quickened the hearts action in less
degree than melodies, the greatest ae-
celebration being produced BY operate
or familiar pieces. The capillary circu-
la,ion was usually slightly diminished by
musical sounds. lively airs having great.
err influence than sad melodies.
The common belief that high barome
ter or anticyclonic conditions in winter
are likely TO be accompanied by unusual
cold Is reiuted by M. w. II. Dimes. VIII
always expects frost in England 10
break up when the barometer gels
much above 5000 inches. He has test
ed this theory by tabulating the heigh
! c: .he barometer for the cold periods d