The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22
NOTES ON SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.


Valley. Prof W. p. Blake most adequate au-
thority on the subject-remarks that the gorge, no
grand and impressive, II. in fact. only minor
feature of the glacial workings above 1t through
hundreds Of square mles Of the Sierra. Prof Blake
thinks that the ice must have filled the gorge and
much above it. to a thickness ot 1000 feet. and
with a pressure upon the floor OF the valley OF
10000 pounds to the square foot; the tremendous
force OF such weight, on the under surface Of
which was broken mass Of rock like diamonds in
a drill grinding. planning and cutting. can scarcely
he imagined, for untold ages. too. this mighty
force was at work polishing the face Of the country
through which it passed. The character Of the io.
semitic rock being granite close grained and vertical
in structure with points of easy fracture, it would
appear that as the great Of ice bore down IN
ON this vertical rock, 1t was broken and knocked
over by the moving ice. taking OF at the places Il
easy cleavage. Thus, according to Prof. Bake, the
precipico was formed. and thus is explained the
dome shaped submits Of the mountains thtrs.
The committee on Standardization OF generators.
motors and ranSformers appointed by the American
Institute OF Electrical Engineers. decides that the
standard temperature and pressure selected for
reference are respectively. ~ degrees f. and 1892
inches of mercury or. II the room temperature
during the test ers from II degrees the observed
rise of temperature should be corrected by nine.
tenths per cent. for each degree. to make up for
increased copper resistance. The Thermometer
indicating the room temperature should also be
screened from thermal radiation emitted by heated
bodies or from drafts OF air. A full load run OF
from six to eighteen hours is recommended before
making temperature tests, but this be shortened
IL the machines are heated by overlooking them.
and the rise OF temperatures OF conductors should
always be measured by their increase OF resistance
The increase for copper is taken at tenths per
cent. per degree +. With this method. the maxi
mum rise allowable is given at about 30 degrees F.
The other W hos ton ia me hy
thermu m cters allowed somewhat more. with the
exception OF the bearings, whore lO4 degrees +. is
the final maximum.
Anovel and pleasing discovery 10 credited to =
German inventor. whose name unfortunately does
not appear the realization OF q silk bleaching pro-
cess by which the silk comes out dazzling white.
1t 10 found that If to bleaching baths OF peroxide OF
sodium or hydrogen liquid alcohol OF the ethylic
series. such wood or ordinary spirit 10 added.
glycerine ethyl aldshyde. acetone. any body be.
longing to the same series the last two, the
bleaching effect Is increased greatly Hitherto per
fectly white silk could only be got from raw yellow
material on condition OF taking out the bast now it
can be easily obtained without the loss OF the latter
The supplementary bleaching AZ nts can DO used
over and over again, being added to the bleaching
baths in quantities and at temperatures depending
upon tho material and the degree and speed Of
bleaching required. In one example noted, a closed
vessel httol with an upward condenser contains
IL pounds Of raw yellow silk. ~ of commercial.
per cent peroxide OF hydrogen. ammonia to
nsntralize the Acdity Of the peroxide, and 90
pounds OF ac"tonr. The whole IL boiled for
ono hour. The silk comes ont a dazzling white
Tho plan pursued FOR some years past and with so
much success in Roumania and Prussia OF con.
Htructing the storage tanks for grain elevators OF
cement. instead OF wood iron. IS adopted
for the gigantic 5000 .ooobu elevator now in
process Of construction at Duluth. Mimi. which
is attracting such wide attention There are to be
eighty round tanks seventy feet high by twenty feet
diameter. with a capacity OF 1900 bushels, and
sixty small ones OF 1000 bushels capacity. filling
in the spaces between the circular tanks thus uz-
ing all tho covered by the plant the conveying
belts between each two rows Of tanks and operating
both. being run through a tunnel underneath them
and gallery above The object of this change 10 to
overcome the difficulty of insuruE large elevators
100000 bushels in one house being about the
limit IN this respect; also to reduce the from
= 10 -. per cent in wood per bushel to u OF per
cent. as the cement tanks cost no more than the
wooden and are not exposed to heat Ike the
wooden, being absolutely hreproof.
Ksome of the latest results OF nsteonom inves
tgAtion to be accepted, tho atmosphere of the
suu 10 5000 miles deep. and ts composed of
various gases and vApors OF metals. Then, as
observed through the telescope its surfacsi covered
with minute while forms. apparently floating in an
OF grayish fluid. these being Clouds composed
not OF water but chiefly OF carbon. and II is argued
that, just a. the electrician carbon for produc
ing the brightest OF artificial lights. so tho
employs the sane agent In the production VI its
transcendent light aud heat. the sun clouds being
in fact m ade up OF drops OF liquid carbon which
have a radiance vastly exceeding that OF the we'll
known glow OF the hlament in an electric lamp. In
a word, the suns entire surface is assumed to be
coated with these clouds every particle Of which Is
thus ntensey luminous.
The wenknown preference given to certain thor
none trical Instruments. for different purposes or
in the same line of meteorological. scientific
or mechanical uses, Is not so we'll understood
should be the First Of all. the two hIed
points OF temperature resorted TO in the grad at
ing work the point at which ice melts and the
point At which water botls under pressure OF ono
atmosphere The latter is given by Rtegnault's
determinations at 1I.I pounds per square inch
above vacuum, or 2.ll62 psr square foot. the
Fahrenheit scale calls melting ice temperature
that denoted by 81 degrees on its scale. and boiling
water temperature Is 2l2 degrees. its zero point be-
ing thus 81 degrees lower than melting oe the cent?
grade scale divi des tho $50 degrees Fahrenheit be-
tween melting ice and boiling water into 100
points and places its zero at the melting ice points
the Reaumer scale divides the 100 degrees OF
the centigradc scale into eighty parts.
The production OF ice.making plants once a n ov-
city to he specially noted has now become a stand
ard industry of largo proportions and capital has
been literally invested in the far Pacific in thu
manufacture OF artificial ice. Two methods have be-
come prominent in these establishments In the can
method the cool brine surrounds thin metal cans
within which is enclosed the distilled water to be
frozen; in the plate method the cooled brine am
nonia. itself III coils. circulates between hollow
plates some ten by fourteen feet in area. on the
| outside OF which the ice forms In the water
| tanks. In tho can system blocks Weighing 500
pounds will he frozen in from fifty to sixty hours
| while in the plate system tho loo forms fourteen
inches thick their in from nine 10 fourteen
! days The product Of the plate system costs less
| although the plant costs more.
| Tho Interesting fact 10 mentioned that tunnel
| between the Post Once at 81. Martins. lie Grand.
! London. and the London and Northwestern railway
station at Fusion. which has lain idle for nearly
forty years. 10 now to come into practical use. II
built in 1859 for the purpose OF carrying mails
| &C., to the railway station, pneumatlcally; the
railway cost about 5000 900. hut the dificul.
/ ties OF using pneumatic pressure on q largo