The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-02

face toward the center. If this hypothe-
sis is true the temperature ought TO IN
crease gradually as the earth is pene-
trated and this has been found to be fact
except in the deepest portion of the Cal
umet & Hecla mine where the men work
in temperature of seventy degrees. as
this is the natural temperature of the
mine and is not brought about by any
elaborate system of ventilation it has sug-
gested the theory that is at the bottom oil
the present process of investigation. This
| is that the temperature of deep holes is
due to the manner in which the earth had
cooled during the geological ages and that
experiments based upon these conditions
could be utilized in determining the age
of the globe.
Considering this theory to be correct
| 1t is very evident that the conditions sur
rounding the copper mines of the Lake
Superior district was the result of the
| very low conductivity of the surrounding
| rock. In other words this rock does not
| possess the power of conducting heat and
cold to the degree manifested by rock iii
other parts of the earth Just what is the
| degree of difference has not yet been de-
| termined and it is not a simple problem
TO solve The experiments that have bsen
| made have been very successful, however.
and it is believed that it will not be long
| before this question is settled When this
| result has been attained 1t will be very
| easy 10 establish OASIS OIL calculation ny
! which the age of the earth may be deter
mined with something like accuracy.
| The apparatus in use in its WHY Is as
curious as the information it Is intended
| to discover The experimenters first pro-
! cured pieces OF rock from the deepest
portion of the Calumet G. Heela mine 1t
| was their idea to cool slab 'on one side
to the freezing point and to heat it on the
other side at the side time to the boiling
| point. Then by means of electricity they
would be able to measure the slow pas
| sage of heat from the outside to the mid
die of the slab ON both sides. Several slabs
| are placed In the machine at once and are
clamped between two sections of cast
| iron, the upper section consisting of a
deep tray in which two hundred and fifty
pounds of ice has been placed, while the
lower section is taken up by a jacketed
cylinder in which live steam is kept con-
stantly flowing. In this way the top OF
| the slab of the stone is kept at the fre-z-
ing point. while the bottom of the stone
| Is very hot.
The process of measuring the passage OF
heat and cold through the slab involves
one of the principles of thermo- electricity.
| II two metals OF dissimilar conductive ca
pacity are submitted to the action Of heat
| current OF electricity will result. This
Is an experiment that every school boy
| has witnessed. At Harvard it was pro-
posed to place small thermo-couple be-
| tween the slabs of rock that were TO be
| tested the couples TO be made OF thin
strips of platinum and copper so that the
slabs might be pressed very tightly to-
gether. Wires lead out from the therlno-
couple and these are connected with a
very delicate recording apparatus. The
theory is that the heat would endeayor TO
pass through the rock from the under, or
| hot side. to the upper or cold side, and the
degree of rapidity shown In this passage
through the rock would depend entirely
upon the conductivity OF the slabs.
The method of computation will be based
upon the results shown by the conductiv-
ity Of the rocks To make the expert
ments complete. however. 1t Will be nee
essssry to obtain stones from the greatest
! OF depths and from every part of the