The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-27
SCIENTIFIC.

Remarkable success in treating aneurisms
by simultaneous injections of gelatine has
been reported to the Paris Academy of
Medicine.
The fishes of the Canary slands-of which
Mr.. O. F. Cook has collected fifty-four spe-
ces, four of them new-prove to be essen
tally those of the Mediterranean, the fauna
having little, in common with that of the
West Indies.
Tesas navy annihlator is simply a diri-
gible torpedo. propelled by an electric motor
and with steering apparatus controlled from
shore without cables by Hertzian waves.
why not make the apparatus one of peace
at our life-saving stations by employing it
tc carry small cables to wrecked vessels?
A fabric for garments that will keep the
skin cool and prevent excessive perspiration
has been produced by DR.. Ferd Linneborn,
of Hagen, Germany, after many expert
mentS. 1t has an inner nonabSOrbent sur
face of threads of paraff1ned linen and an
outer surface of wool threads, whose power
Of absorption has been increased by re-
moval of the natural oil.
Spring tides are very destructive in Japan,
that of June Is, 1896, having killed 1909 per-
sons and swept away 1881 houses in the
course of eighteen minutes To check the
force of the tidal wave and reduce the loss
Of life and property forests have been plant
ed in many exposed places-a measure so
effective that DR.. SeirOku Honda now urges
it's adoption along all threatened coasts.
Insomnia has been a special subject of
study by De Menaceine, a Russian medical
authority. He concludes that it is charac-
teristic Of persons who blush, laugh and
weep readily, but that it most frequently
results from overwork of either mind or
body, extreme cold producing the same re-
suits. Experiment proves that exercise of
the emotions near bedtime causes rush OF
blood to the brain, and sleeplesSness.
Eeherion is thought by Sir William
Crookes to be more probably water vapor
than new elementary gas. This view is
suggested by some early observations of his
own, and corroborated by Mr.. Brush's OBJ
serVations that etherion is absorbed by
phosphoric acid and soda lime, as well as by
the powdered glass from which 1t has pre-
viouSly been driven off by heat. The re-
markable heat conductivity of etherion
seems to be property OF water vapor in
vacuum.
Steel containing a small proportion of
tungsten has been found useful for tools and
other articles requiring hard and tough
metal. AS molybdenum strongly resembles
tungsten in its properties, the idea some
years ago occurred to Prof. V. Leepin, of
st. Petersburg, that it would have the same
effect on STEEL and he has since been MAX
ing very careful comparative tests. He finds
that tungsten and molybdenum steels are
very similar but that the moybdenum steel,
while somewhat softer, seems to stand forg-
ing and hardening better.
The revolution in lighting promised by
Professor Nernst seems likely to come some
what slowly as did that of Edison. The new
lamp requires neither vacuum nor slender
filament, and can be used with direct or
alternating currents, its action depending
on the property of substances like mag
nesium oxide of being kept brilliantly in
candescent at the high temperature of some
rent. The cost of the lighting is estimated
at a third of that by the ordinary mean
descent lamps. The great difficulty is that
no current can pass until the magnesia is
heated, and improvement is now sought in
means to effect the heating, Professor
Nernsts plan being to pass a current mo-
near the magnesia. Herr Deri proposes to
give the magnesia core of some conducting
substance of high resistance, like mix
ture of graphite or metal with noncon-
Quoting material
Extraordinarily is a field promising great
future development. Referring to 1t in an
address as president Of the Institution of
Electrical Engineers, Mr.. W. H. Preece says
that electrolytic decomposition is a cheap
process and has become general. Three
electrical horsepower continuously applied
deposit ten pounds of pure copper every
hour from copper sulphates at cost of 1
penny. All the copper used for telegraphy
is thus obtained Zinc in a very pure form
is extracted extraordinarily from chloride of
zinc, produced from zinc blende. in large
produced by similar means from common
salt. The electroplating of gold, silver and
nickel is a lucrative and extensive business,
especially in Birmingham and Sheffield
Gold and silver are refined by this electrol-
ysis in Russia and nickel in the United
States Sea water is decomposed in this way
for dfsinfecting purposes by the Hermite
process The passage of electricity through
certain gases is accompanied by their dis
ISOLATION and by the generation of intense
heat Hence the arc furnace. Aluminium
is thus obtained from cryolie and beauxite
at Foyers by utilizing the energy of the
falls Phosphorus is also separated from
aDatite and other mineral phosphates Cal
cium carbide obtained In the same way, is
becoming an important industry.
The need of heterogeneous manure for
wheat-growing land has now resulted in a
demand for 125O.O00 tons of nitrate of soda
each year. This demand must increase
rapidly, and Crookes estimates that thirty
years hence the requirement will be 100000
tons, while even at the present rate the sup
ply viii be exhausted before that time and
lie foresees the necessity for the wholesale
fixation Of nitrogen from the air within the
next generation to avert a scarcity of
wheat. Fortunately, however, we are not
likely to lack the means OF keeping up the
soils fertility. By the use of pure calcium
which may be greatly cheapened soon. Moi
san seems to have solved the problem Of fix
ing the airs nitrogen, while two Scotch
chemists, Anderson and Roberts, point out
that q large part of the immense store Of
nitrogen in coal may be utilized by scientific
economy. This nitrogen is combined In
suiphate OF ammonia. of which the gas
works and blast furnaces or ali Europe DO
not now produce more than 10000 tons
yearly. But the coal annually mined IN the