Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-02-18
WONDERS OF A SILVER GLOBE.
Ut Was Made by Melting Dime, But the
Jerseyman Found a World in It.

Jerseyman Found q World in 1t.
eff anyone doubts that the earth was
once a molten mass, and that its noun
tain chains, its great table lands, and
the recesses for the seas were the re-
suits of the cooling and settling of the
sarface. and then its shr4vsling to e
the ever-shrinking center, let him see
a world made" says the obseryant Jer-
seyman.
THAT sounds simple" said ooe of his
hearers. but l haven't noticed that
there were any worlds being made just
now upon which progress was any fast
er than right here, and l can't say that
/ have observed much change in this old
orb since began to watch it.
II have made many globes declared
the Jersevman. Not merely insen-
safe things to represent what we know
IF the natural and political divisions OF
the earth, but miniature worlds of the
days of chaos, with every particle of
them aSlow with heat, and all in mo-
tion. And then I have watched them
become cold, immobile and dead, with
blackened, roughcned surfaces, and it
required no great stretch of magma
ton to feel that within the few mo-
ments which the whole operation re-
uuired one had brldged over millions of
years in the history of planet and seen
il pass through every stage of its ex-
istence, from that of hght-giving
BODY to that of our own dead and des-
olate moon. Come with me" he con-
tlnued, land will show you the history
of our world, since it first took FORM"
4 IL 10
to a workbench and drew forth chunk
of charcoal covered all over on one side
with plaster of paris, blowpipe and
jewelers. soldering lamp.
81 will make the globe Of a dime" he
said, and he placed a silver ten-cent
piece on the charcoal. Then he lit the
lamp, and with the blowpipe directed
the flame upon the dime. Soon the char
coal began to glow and burn away about
the dime in broad hollow, and then the
dime turned first black and then red,
and as it approached a white heat it
drew itself together until presently it
was globuie of molten silver.
If you have never seen such ball OF
glowing, melted silver, you have missed
Que of the prettiest of sights. On the
IneI0 IOI1llS ii vel IAAl SfAlA VI
black oxide, which serves like wonl-
ans veil to heighten the charms be-
meath it. With the blowpipe still add
ing heat to the globe, the silver becomes
as liquid as water, and the gases emit
ted by the heated charcoal make it roll
about in the hollow as mobile as quick
silver, while within the globe the metal
could be seen agitated by intense cur
rents These currents changed their di-
rection as the point of fame from the
blowpipe was moved from point to point,
and every moment the surface agita-
ton was so great that the rest of the
oxide would break and disclose the daz-
| cling metal beneath.
All know the beauty of quicksilver.
and many have seen the glow of melt
ed lead or tin or the red glare of iron
as it was poured in the foundry or fur
mace, but none of these compares with
the beauty of molten silver. Melted
gold has beauty of it's own, but not
like that of silver. The light which
comes from the melted silver seems as
brilliant as that from an arc electric
light, but not dazzling; it is white with
tinge of heavenly violet, and the swirl
ing metal seems translucent like pearl
of the finest water.
Now we will let it COOL" said the
Jerseyman, removing the blowpipe
from his lips and letting his inflated
cheeks resume their natural condition.
The charcoal was placed on the bench.
Soon the agitation of the surface of the
tiny globe OF silver ceased, and the
QuieScence of the dull outer coating
showed that skin of metal had cooled
and set in place.
Now watch the mountains and val
leys form and see the mighty earth
qualLes shake the crust" exclaimed the
Jerseyman, and as he spoke the crust,
which had been smooth and even, began
to wrinkle. Sometimes the wrinkles
would form long continuous lines across
half the globe; then in spots the whole
surface would quicker up and again all
of these would straighten out, only to
form new series of Fuckers and
wrinkles in other places. 1t was all
over in half a minute, and the globe
was set enough to drop into glass of
water to cool.
Now look at it," said the Jersey
man, handing the globe to the visitors,
and with it a strong magnifying glass.
There is skinner of water on it
caught in the interstices of the rough
ened surface. That is three or four
times as much water in proportion as
our earth has on it, so you have before
you all the features of the sea and land,
mountain and valley"
1t was indeed so, and although the
oil revealed only the most nrnmiQRnt
of the features, there was no difficulty
in seeing all the others with the minds
eye.-N. Y. Sun.