The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-30

The Academy Of Science met at o'clock
in the evening to elect officers and listen
to the annual address by the retiring presi-
dent. Thomas Gray, of the Rose Poly
technic. The officers elected were as fol-
lows: President, C. A. Waldo. Of Purdue:
vice president, c. H. Eigenmann, of the In
diana University; secretary, John S.
Wright. of Indianapolis; assistant secretary,
A j. BiSney of Moore's Hill; press secre-
tary, George w. Benton, of Indianapolis;
treasurer, j. T. Scoville, of Terre Haute.
The ex ofiicio executive committee, con-
ssting of the past presidents of the acad-
envy. is now composed as folIows Stanley
Coulter, Amos w Butler W. A. Noyes. j.
c. Arthur, j. l.. Campbell o. p. Hay, T.
{. Mendenhal, John c; Branner, ]; p. d;
Thomas GRAY.
President Gray delivered valuable
treatise on The Development of Electrical
Science" The discourse began with an
count OF the earliest Investigations in cleo
trlclty reference was made to early Greek
records of elementary electrical phenomena
and to Gilbert, who, in 1900. made some inn
portant Investigations and experiments:
The speaker then reviewed the events Of
electrical knowledge from the time of Gill
bert to the present Continuing Mr.. Cray
when we turn to the commercial applica-
tions of electro-chemistry we are met with
astonishing evidence of activity. Only
twenty years ago there was comparatively
little evidence of the Importance of this
branch of applied electricity At the cleo
trical exhibition in 1881 extraordinarily
prominence. A factory which could produce
few hundred tons of copper eectrolytical-
~ was considered a wonder. The produce
ton of thousands of tons a month is be-
ginning to be looked upon commonplace.
There is scarcely a metal which cannot be
deposited electrolytically with comparative
ease, and the prices of some of the rarer
metals is going down rapidly. Zinc used to
be considered difficult metal to deposit
G N SOM
of the Australian mines in almost a pure
state from refractory ores at the rate of
thousands of tons per annum. Similarly
the old method of galvanizing is rapidly dis
appearing and electro-deposition is taking
its place. and this metal is now so deposited
on the hulls of ships. on anchors and other
smaller articles cheaply and perfectly A.
new industry has practically sprung up and
there is every indication that the technical
chemist of the near fdture will have to
take an inferior place unless he be also
we'll versed in electricity and electrical ap-
revolutionizing many things. 1t has within
few years produced an enormous improve
ment in our magazine Illustrations and has
at the same time reduced the cost of this
kind of literature, and of aliases and charts
enormously. Electro-chemistry is now
used on n large scale for the production of
bleaching materials. alkalies, coIoring
waters, antiseptics like iodoform. choro-
form, etc.. chlorate of potassium fact it is
getting to be difficult even TO enumerate the
manufactures in which it is used. 1t has
revoutioniZed the extraction of gold. and
pants OF enormous capacity are now III use
in some Of the gold fields, the poorest ores
and tailngs being made to yield up almost
the last trace Of the precious metal. The
production of ozone by the ton the purifi-
cation, of sewage, the sterilization of water
are all accomplished facts. Some progress
has even been made in the introduction OF
chemicals through animal tissue by cleo
trolysis or cataphoresis, and Roentgen has
shown us how to see through the body.
Then again we have got the electric
furnace and with it the power to fuse al
most the most refractory substances. In
this way aluminium is now produced at a
few cents pound whereas most of us can
remember when it's price had to be reckoned
in hundreds of dollars In a similar way
phosphorus is now produced on large scale,
is also various carbides, carborundum,
acetylene. etc.
at is impossible to look back over the
history of electricity and its applications
and notice the apparent geometric ratio in
which advances are being made and not to
speculate on what giant this science. is
going to become in another quarter of a
century. Undoubtedly no one can study this
one branch of science without being per-
suaded of the great value of scientific work
for the advancement of human enterprise"