Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-03-24
Air" and " Atm osphere."
A SOMEWHAT EXTENDED REPLY TO AN
IRREPRESsIBLE QUID NUNC.


portunity possibly of cnlightening 9th.
ers as as we'll as yourself.
The words are not synonyms, and
their use redundant, as you seem to
imagine. Webster defines air to be,
generally, "The fluid which We
breathe" but more specifically, ANY
%riform body; gas; oxygen was for
merly called vital air." "Atmos-
phere," by the same authority is de-
fined to be, "The whole mass of pri-
form fluid surrounding the Earth, ap-
piled also to the gaseous envelope OF
any celestial orb" Atmospheric"
and "atmospherical," are authorized
by the same defner to adjectively de.
scribe certain conditions of Earth's va
por, as atmospheric oscillations; at
mospheric air." A second definition
by Webster is, "Any gaseous medi-
um," as An atmosphere of cold oxy.
gen."
The Standard Dictionary defines air
to be " The mixture OF gases that form
the blue envelope of the Earth, and OF
atmosphere, "The mass or body Of
gases, chiefly air, that surrounds the
Earth" The word is likewise, by the
same authority, used toexpress climat-
ic conditions, of some place or region,
wherein the restricted term "air''
would scarcely convey the meaning
intended. Thus VIC might be exactly
understood when speaking of the quail
ity of the air OF a celler or a cave, but
it would require the more comprehen-
sive term atmosphere, to express the
same meaning when applied to certain
climatic conditions of a continent.
The word is likewise used as a conven-
tional unit of air-pressure.
Atmosphere" says the Standard
American Encyclopedia, is derived
from CIR. atnaos "vapor" and spharia
"sphere," and it further on explains
the method of ascertaining atmospheric
weight by mercurial column. which,
30 inches in height and OF l So. in.
section weighs 14.73 pounds, The exact
weight of \ column Of atmospheric
air of the same section at the sea-level
with the temperature at 0 C.
The American Encyclopedia Die
tionary compounds the words Air-at-
mosphere," and defines the term to
mean, "The atmosphere, consisting of
or filled with air."
The Encyclopaedia Britannica says
that "Air was the name formerly CIV
in to all gaseous substances; oxygen
was called dephlagisticated air, hydro
gen, inflammable air. The name is
now ordinarily restricted to what is
more accurately called atmospheric
air-the invisible, elastic fluid that
surrounds the Earth" The same all
thority says, Atmosphere is the in.
visible, elastic envelope which sur
rounds the Earth, the gaseous matter
of which it is composed being usually
distinguished by the name of air."
That the terms, while somewhat syn.
onymous are not always convertible, is
shown by the familiar illustration of
action of pump. When the air is
removed by the sucker, the pressure of
the atmosphere il the we'll causes the
water to rise in the penstock.
In our article ON Liquid Air." the
words atmospheric air were used the
more clearly to express the idea of air
in its normal condition. as distin-
guished from the air which had been
changed to another form, liquid air,
by an abnormal force, which was the
subject under discussion. 1t does not
require even technical education to
discover a palpable difference between
the use and meaning of the words air
and atmosphere, a difference so plain
to the analytic mind that such emf.
nent authority as the Scientific AMER
'can has used it in shading its ideas to
an exact conception of the thought to
be transferred to the printed page.
Ed. STANDARD:
Has the capital of the United States
always been at Washington, D. c.?
ENQUIRER.
No. The capital of the United
States has been literally q Wandering
Jew in its peregrinations. 1t was first
located at Philadelphia, where it re-
manned from Sept. 8, 1774, to Dec,
l776. Its subsequent stopping-places
have been as follows: At Baltimore.
Nd, from Dec. 20, 1776, to March.
lit; at Philadelphia from March 4,
l777, to September, the same year :;
at Lancaster, Pa, from Sept. q to
Sept. 80, 1777; at York, Pa, from Sept.
30, 1777. to July, ITS; at Philadel.
phia from July 2, 1883. to June 30.
1888; at Princeton, N. J., from June
80. 1888 to Nov. 20, 1773; at Annapo.
lis, Nd, from Nov, 1888, to Nov, 1884 :;
at Trenton, N. j., from Nov, 1884, to
JAM, 1855; at New York from Jan.
II, 17S5, to 1890; at Philadelphia
from JAM, 1870, to 1900; at Washing.
ton, D. c., from 1900 to the present
time.
ALASKAN LIcENsEs.-An act of Con.
gress entitled . Code of criminal pro-
cedure for the district of Alaska, pro.
vides likewise for q searching and Wig.
orous system of licensing which will