New-York tribune., 1897-08-24
NEW THINGS IN SCIENCE.
PAPERS READ AT THE BRITISH AsSO-
CATION MEETINGS.
HIGH AUTHORITIES DISAGREE AS TO THE NATURE
OF HELIUM-INFoRMATIoN OBTAINED BY
MEANS OF KITEs-ExPERI-
MENTs WITH NERVES.


Toronto. Aug. 23-All of the sections into which
the British Association for the Advancement OF
Science Is divided met in separate lecture-rooms
to-day. The one devoted to chemistry was a centre
of considerable interest, not much on account OF
the papers which were presented as because there
were several scientists present Of whom the world
has heard great deal Professor Ramsay presi-
dent Of the section. talked little more about
heum. which he was the first to discover In ter
restria materials and which he is inclined to con- d
slider single element although 1t has double .
! spectrum. Professor Runge of Hanover, a promi-
nent specroscopist has expressed the belief that
heum contains two elements. Last week he
read paper showing that oxygen sulphur and
silicon also had spectra of the same sort as helium
in this respect. and might possibly be double sub
stances instead of single elements. These discov
cries open up some new questions as to the sig
nificance Of spectral lines in general AT present
most experts are suspendng judgment
Professor Moissan, the Frenchmap who made
diamonds with the aid Of an electric furnace four
or five years ago. and who made a tour OF the
United States last year. read paper before the
chemical section some work done by himself
and Professor Dewar Of England in cooperation.
Until recently fuorne has been known only as
gas like chlorine. but these two chemists have
succeeded In lquefying it. The temperature re-
quired for this achievement was not lower than
that required in reducing air to liquid
UPPER-ArR EXPLORATIONS.
The kite as an aid to upper-alr exploration
ceved some attention to-day. A. Lawrence Rotch
who and conducts the Blue Hill observatory
near Boston. recounted the work done under MS
direction In the last three years. He has obtained
one hundred and thirty distinct records OF arr
pressure temperature, humidity and wind velocity
by means OF automatically registering instruments
sent up with kites The greatest elevation attained
was $40 feet and nine records have been secured
at height exceeding mile lie hopes 10 reach
altitude Of two or three miles In time AT biue
IIl the greatest is attained with team OF
kites of the Eddy Malay type. The United states
Weather Bureau, however. prefers the Hargrave
or box kite and generally uses ii sngly. professor
/ &. f. Marvin in charge OF the instrument division
OF that Bureau has given great attention 10 TINS
subject and has done much to perfect the cellular
kite. He has one here for exhibition, ana he
told the meteorological section about IT after M.
Rotch had finished his story. One improvement
which Professor Marvin has made is to stop the
futterlng OF the cloth and lessen the friction
OF the wind and the strain on the wire that serves
as a kite string. This object IS attained by putting
a thin strip of wood along the edges OF the cloth.
With the science OF brdge-building engineer.
Professor Marvin has computed the precise amount
of material needed to give the highest eifclency
and strength. He has introduced a third hori-
zontal surface into the front cell of his kite inter-
mediate between the top and the bottom Inc
bride or belly band instead OF being placed about
e-thrd of the way back from the 'front.' - Sc
cured at the very front edge. ana thus the StidHi
on the wire is made cvcn the kite tipping up
with every increase of wind velocity and letting
the puff pass without effect Finally, Professor
Marvin has made an attachment to the bride
which is calculated TO save the Kite in case the
wire breaks close to the latter There are really
two fastenings. and the chief strain comes on the
weaker one This breaks a safety plug in an
| electric-light wire burns out in a crisis and ny
throwing the strain the other part OF the bride
the breakage lifts the kite that the strain Is les
sened. Before another section. later III the uas,
Professor Willis l.. Moore Chief OF the thted
States Weather Bureau, reviewed the work or thal
branch OF the Government service. In the course
OF his remarks he laid great stress on the proposed
exploration OF the upper air with kites.
paper which greatly interested some OF the
less scientific auditors to-day was presented Dy
DR. Otto Hahn. a German. He believes that ne
mas found fossil remains of something IKE coral or
snonge in meteorites. He offered photographs in
spport OF his assertions and declared that charles
I Darwin had once expressed confidence that life
had come to this earth from outer space. Dr'
Hahn denies that meteorites of volcanic orig n
or that they what geolosists can pu'o"'o
rock His theories were not well received
EFFECT OF DRUGS ON NERVE.
vearIv the whole of to-day's session of the phys
iologv section was devoted papers on the nerves
and nerve cells A good deal Of the talk was tech
meal and some of it related merely to the prep
arat,on OF cells for microscopic study, but there
was one paper that interested both the unsclehtihc
and the experts. although 1t led to no important
conclusions Professor A. W. Walker, lecturer ]"
St Marys Hospital London, presented some curl
Gus records obtained phoographcaly. showing the
orect Of various drugs the nerves lie mad TWO
sets OF electric wires connected with the nerve
of an animal that was the subject OF ms eNPeri-
MON, ono set was 80 attached as to impart a
shock TO the nerve whenever the circuit was closed
The other was connected in such a way as to reg
ster any sympathetic electric current produced IN
the itself a; short dsnnTe lro disnc cur
rents A delicate galvanometer was cohtrousu w
the second one tiny beam OF lght VIA ns,c which
was showed along short distance py P,n ~
rr pers nv Closing the first circuit the galvanometer
would swing Just so far ana ] ii.ak of M 5orf VertraI
lines all starting from the same Dase Iine anu anu
ength the exact amount OF sympathetic electricity
produced in the nerve After me professor r. ma nau
would inject some ether chloroform, or laushinS
ndaleIy hs amount OF the sympa hetic current
manifested would diminish and perhaps dlsappear
for few minutes. The traces on the Pnot3%g OK rdpnc
plate would show this WITH wonderiu dlstinGt- distinct
a singular thing about all this business was that
when drug had made the nerve pracoSalE m d r. n,-
lion il would respond II the current was sent In
The opposite direction. The sympathetic current
ud 0T n hs b e Beam df'e light on the g
vanometer would be found on the oPpose sss s.as
Of projectors. some upward and some downward
reminded one of the well-cleaned backbone or a
ash professor Walkers aim In exhibiting this
work was merely to show new method OF inVes-
tipotIon and not to reveal any new dscoVerles a
similar set OF photographs showing the acti IN
~ ir,Igs on the heartbeat presented By an IN
Jependent Investigator. Miss Wellby.
FIGHTING THE ARMY WORM
Among the papers read In the zoology section
vere one on the invasion of Canada by the army
worm last wear by Professor J. Hoyes Panton ana
one on the habits OF the humble bee professor
Panton is connected with the Ontario Agricultural
College He found that the army worm mad many
atural foes In nsectlvorous BIRDS toads PREDATORY
beetles and parasitic flies. But paris green and
,,,ougb.d ditch were the most efficacious means
found for fighting the worm. when the caterpll-
lar got into the ditch he could be destroyed by