The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-19
Norns ON SCIENCE AND rNDUsrnr.

NOTES ON SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
The huge travelling crane NJ the Government ar
sonRl at watertown. Mass. 10 one OF the most re-
markablo OF modern mechanisms. For q long time
the vast machine was propelled by hand. with ~
least four helpers required TO run Il from ono point
TO another by means OF endless chains, and, a. the
building Is hut little short Of 900 feet long. nearly
an hour was often consumed in MOVING II the length
ofthe building. But tho ingenious idea being CON.
ceivod of attaching electricity TO the crane and uSinG
II for motive power, the result realized is 30 perfect
n working Of the crane that II will run the length Of
the building in one minute. II is handled By a man
who stands in n small cage afhIed 10 the crane, and.
by means of four levers. runs the machine in any a.
rcction, hnists or lowers II. or moves II forward or
back. The size Of this apparatus appears from
the fact that II does the work OF about twenty men
and Of six cranes operated by hand, thus, the lifting
Of a 1o.inch gun upon n carriagei is now accomplished
in a very fow moments, instead Of. as formerly. re-
quiring hours.
An astronomical fact, now as formerly causing ne
little pcrploNity to some. Ia that tho sums notion
which unquestionably and indisputably Ia EXTERNALLY
quick-docs not change tho relative position OF the
solar system to the fixed stars and tho consultations
more than II actually docs. and there are some who,
on this account, are inclined TO doubt the actual
motion Of the sun in space. Tho Investigations of
astronomers have nevertheless established one thing
as certain, namely, that the sun moves through
space at a great predetermined by some s~cientstn
at sixteen miles u second-cNrryinG all tho planets,
satellites and other cosmicRl bodies along with
It: but this motion Of tho vast luminary.
while affecting. Of course, the real motion of
the planets in space. does not in even the
slightest degree affect the relative motion Of sun and
planets. Even under tho supposition OF 80 great .
rate as sixteen miles In one second, this relative
position of the sun To tho fixed stars would. natronO-
mers declare. be hardly perceptible in a century. on
account of the almost inconceivahle distance Of the
latter-the conclusion being. therefore. that many
thousands of years must pass before the suns proper
motion in space can change the confguration Of the
star groups.
Anumbcr Of valuable papers have been publiohed
by DIR. Adren Guebhard of ST. vallior-de.T THEY.
dealing with the supposed Photographic represents
tons of currents emanating from the human body.
concerning which much appears to have been said
in France. 1tscems. briefly told. that when . slightly
forged Photographic plate is developed in q shallow
bath, and the experimcntcrp rcsscs HIS nnger on the
plate during the pro 'ess, streaks are observed TO ra-
diate from the parts touched. So far. however. from
such effect being due TO animal magnetism or
any other occult influence. DR.. GuebhArd shows
that the lines are simply caused by convection cur
rents produced by the warmth of the operators finger
and that. II for the latter there be substituted q small
india rubber ball filled with warm water. exactly the
same Impressions appear; similar results arc also
obtained with a body cooled below the temperature
of tho developer. in each case their intensity increas-
ing with the difference of temperature.
Filters for purifying water are Of many kinds in
their mechanical structure, but, according to the re-
port of the Maryland State Board of Health. It would
appear that such filters may steadily lose efhciency
until they become hrst-class culture beds for BAG
terra. In evidence of this position an example cited
Is that of a man in Baltimore who sends the whole
water supply of his house through a large filter, and
subsequently puts his drinking water tn rough one
OF the small domestic filters common In Tho
market. A test of this arrangement showed that.
on a day when the city taps were running $40
bacteria to the cubic %centimetre. the largo nlter
was delivering some ninety-nine hundred bacteria
in the same water; when the large filter was re-
packed. only ntno bacteria per centimetre got
through It, though this same water when passed
through the small filter came out with seventy-one
bacteria per centimetre. This aspect Of the matter
is still further strengthened by another example. o
case where a filter, supposed to be tho best in the
market. was in use; the effectiveness of this filter
was so short-lived that the precauton was observed
of boiling the water after It was filtered.
The new method of manufacturing white lead. %
described by VI. Ribau. an official Of the Department.
OF the Seine, by electrolytic decomposition obtained
by currents. has attracted considerable attention.
but its industrial value is yet to be determined. In
carrying out this plan. tubs of sandstone are pro-
vided. in which is a mixture OF carbonate of soda
and chlorate of soda in solution: in this liquid thin
sheets Of lead are immersed. being placed in q verti-
cal position, parallel with each other and separated
by a small interval of space. and sheets In pairs. for
example. are united to the positive pole of an
electric source. while single sheets are united
to the positive pole. When the current ia
turned on chlorate Of lead is produced. and this.
on contact with tho carbonate of soda. becomes
hydro-carbonate OF lead; wooden rods. placed be-
tween the sheets OF lead and made to oscillate by
means of a common axle. are used to maintain by
their agitation the homogeneousness OF the bath.
and to scrapc, as fast az 1t is produced. the white
lead adhCring to the sheets Of lead, the white lead
falling to the bottom Of tubs. from which II Ia taken
and put through a altering press. This French proc
cess. however. is likely TO be superseded by one
started In Brooklyn, In which a solution of ammo
mum nitrate and bicarbonate Is employed. produo-
ing two pounds of white lead. of best quality and
perfectly white, per electrical horse power. an hour.
The valuable paper communicated by M. Renson
to the recent International Railway Congress. as
translated by tho Scientific American. shows the re-
suits gained during some twenty years OF expert
mental work carried out by the ~Liege-Limburg Rail-
way. Belgium. on which various kinds Of metal ties
have been tested on different sections Of the road.
For comparison. a part of tho road was laid with oak
sleepers. and identical conditions assured AZ TO ma
ture of roadbed, drainage, weight Of rail. care in
maintenance. &c. The metal ties varied IN shape and
quality. from tho crude forms of the earliest ties TO
the more scientifically designed later article. It was
found that the average life of the oak ties was
thirteen years. while the average life OF the
earliest and crudest metal ties was eighteen
years. The later ties have their width decreased and
their vertical fanges deepened at the centre. thus
providing a maximum bearing surface Immediately
beneath the rails. and increased Girder depth at the
centre; and by the use OF round drilled holes for
the fastenings and inserting plates between rail and
tie. the life of tho latter was greatly heightened.
NJ. RensoA states that. economically. and on every
point of comparison, these experiments proved the
superiority of the metal ties.
An improved form or arrangement of chemical
balance is announced as having been constructed
by X. Hase Of Hanover. connected with tho metal