The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-13

In Germany $4,000 acres are used for
growing willows for basket-making, and in
France willow culturet is q still more i'm
pOrtant industry.
The first municipal lighting by acetylene
gas is reported to be that or Totis, a small
town of Hungary. Several houses, in add
ton to the streets ana squares are lighted
in this manner, and with excellent results.
The most powerful microscope objective
yet made is a one-tenth-inch mono-bromide
of naphthaline immersion lens made by
Zeiss. It's numerical aperture is LEO, and it
has resolved or made visible detail only
100000 of an inch in width.
Eyrthrol tetranirate said to be coming
into use in Europe fors heart trouble, is
remedy to be handled swithFcare. Like many
other nitrogen compouads 1T is known to
be very unstable. and an English pharma-
cist was lately killed by the explosion of a
small quantity that he was mixing with
lactose, with the utmost caution so far as
is known.
Fine coal or slack coal has proven very
effective in England as a filtering material
for sewage. 1t seems to have as Prof
Bostock Hill has pointed out, a special pow
er of removing the putrescent organic mat
ter. The ethuent is particularly bright,
shows 4 marked diminuTion in the quantity
of oxygen absorbed and is perfectly free
from odor. The interior of the filter after
use OF many months has only a slight
earthly smell.
The lessening Of the number of life fall
ures will be one of the future boons of
science. The Childhood Society of Great
Britain founded in November, 1896. hds ac-
quired the results of a scientific inquiry into
the mental and physical needs of 100000
children, and finds itself in possession of
records OF 40 children who appear-on ac-
count of defective Constitutional require
special care and training. IT is TO be hoped
that means of supplying these needs will
be available.
For detecting alterations in checks or
other documents M. Blarez uses two liquids
He paints the paper with a solution of one
part of castor oil in six parts of 95 per cent.
alcohol, and thus brings out traces of
erased writing by making the paper par
TALLY transparent. The second application
is u 2 per cent. aqueous solution of caustic
soda. If, as is usually the case the forger
has restored the paper with sandarac var
nish the Varnish is removed and the writing
ii destroyed.
Ordinary floors are condemned by scien-
tific men because they retain dust, in which
dangerous germs are fostered, and make it
hold their virulence for q long time. Ce-
ment floors are safer but less agreeable to
the feet. NJ. Captain, Il French hygienist,
recommends wood pulp floors, which have
no cracks. are soft to the feet and are bad
conductors of heat and sound while their
cost IS considerably less than that of ordi-
win prove very durable. The dried pulp.
mixed with little cement to add resistance
to the iioor is transported in powder. and
after being made into gelatinous mass is
passed between rollers. The floors are
painted to initiate oak or other wood.
While electric lighting and the electric
transmission of power have been attracting
universal attention, electricity has been
transforming chemical industries so quietly
as TO excite little notice except from the
products. In an address to the London In
stitution Of Electrical Engineers, Mr.. J. W.
Swan mentioned that one-third Of the
worlds fine copper is now produced electri-
ca1ly, and the present price of aluminium
which in 1890 was nearly as dear as silver.
the silver being twice its present price-is
entirely due to the development Of the cleo
foiytic method OF production. Caustic al
kali and chlorine are made by several cleo
trolytic processes, these being perhaps the
most important OF all applications Of eicc-
trolysis Electrical methods are also eni-
ployed for making Spdium, cllorate OF pot
ash carborunduni, calcium carbide and
ozone. from which Secondary products OF