The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-12-15
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

OO4MN ~ M49OMAx1AN
Possibilities of the Greatest Waste-Spot
"A Novel Cdorizer-Colorsa and Nerves
--On Fuel in Ruesia--Photographic Deco
ration of Metals = German Peat-An
Arc-Light Without Carbons-F Flexible
Glass-Fossil Microbes.
The earth within the Arctic Circle supports
considerable population, but the Antarctic Cir
Gle is without trace Of human life. Upon $780,
600 square miles surrounding the south pole the
foot Of man has never trodden. DIR. F. A. Cook
dissents from the general belief that this vast
waste offers nothing to repay exploration, and
points out that whales. seals and penguins are
abundant that immense deposits Of guano ex-
ist, and that the region is especially adapted to
the farming of fur-bearing animals. Possible
future Industries are thus suggested. The pros
pect, however. is a forlorn one to the home
seeker as beyond the Antarctic Circle the line Of
perpetual snow extends to the seashore, and
only an occasional island or cape is bare for a
few weeks in summer. The coast is made al
most inaccessible by an unbroken ice-wall from
80 to 200 feet high There are no trees or plants
except a few moses and hchens upon rocks too
steep to hold snow, yet animal life seems to be
well distributed. The average temperature is
low, though the extremes are less than in Arctic
zero in summer to 5S0 below in winter in the
north. while in the south the mercury went to
45o below in winter but did not reach % above
on any day in summer. The Antarctic tempera-
ture is less trying than the excessive humidity,
and the gales and snowstorms, which are almost
continuous through the year.
s'a
An air perfume in two papers, on the plan OF
seidlitz powders, is French idea. The white
paper contains binoxide of barium saturated
with concentrated perfume, while the colored
paper holds powdered permanganete Of potash
in the proper proportions to liberate oxygen
when the two powders are dissolved together
The liberated ozene or oxygen carries the per-
fume into the air, which it disinfects at the
same time.
An anonymous silicon that Is 80 active as to
burn when gently heated in the air is produced
by two German chemists by causing sodium to
act on the fouride of silicon and subsequently
fusing the powdered mass with aluminium.
-
The red end of the spectrum has been found
to be exciting to the nervous system, Herr
de Parville points out, while violet, blue and
green have a soothing effect. Bullsand turkeys
are angered by red !; blue glasses sometimes
used to quiet horses. In factory at Lyons,
bcuSlblVG pldLcr WCT6 IOIm6Tiy m6u0 ny EcQ
light, and the workmen continually sang or ges-
tIculated but in the green light now used the
men are calm, talk little, and are less tired at
night. The effect Of sunshine In cheering ner-
vous patients is often very marked. 1t has been
further suggested that the green of vegetation,
the blue Of the sky and the blue-green of the
ocean may powerfully affect health through
their calming influence. With such evidence as
we have of the effects of colors on the organ
ism, De Parville considers the subject worthy
of thorough investigation.
as
Petroleum residue Is now used as fuel for the
locomotives on thirteen per cent. of the Rus
sian railroads. It is required that the oil be of
q greenish color, never black, and free from
sulphur, water and sand. It's specific gravity
must not exceed DOLL at 63oF., its boiling point
not to fall below 2Sl'. To ensure fuel for win
ter, when transportation is difficult. storage
tanks are placed at intervals along the railways,
and have capacities up to 2 500 tons. The loco
motive carries about five tons stored under the
water tank of the tender.
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A new process of engraving photographs on
metal is claimed by ]. Paterson and w. Dickson,
OF Edinburgh. The clean and polished metal is
coated with hot solution of ounces of fish
glue in ounces Of water, to which scruples of
bichromate of ammonium has been added; and
when this coating is cool it is printed by ex-
posture to light under Photographic negative.
The coating or enamel is then heated by gas
stove or spirit lamp until given rich brown
color. The metal under the unhardened part of
the enamel is then chemically etched, and the
design is given sharpness by Furnishing
81
ffxri Ia moi dua 70 o1
according to DIR. Clouston, of the Royal Edin-
burgh Asylum. He traces 1l.5 per cent. of the
cases to this cause, bodily affections, drink,
faulty development, etc., being The chief source.
An estimate of the possible valua of the great
peat beds of North Germany has been made by
DIR. Frank. He finds that an acre Of turf, 10
feet thick. gives 1000 tons of dry turf, equiva-
lent to 4S0 tons of coke, and that the moses Of
the Evus Valley, covering 1000 square miles,
might yield the equivalent of 300,000,000 tons of
pit coal, or more than the total propuction of
Germany for three years. 1t is proposed that
the peat be burned at central stations of 10000
horse power capacity consuming annually the
product of 200 acres. The power would be use
full on the new canal connecting Dortmund to
the Evus. but more so in the manufacture of
calcium carbide for acetylene. With 10000 horse
power, the acetylene produced would have an
annual value equal to that of 10000 tons of i'm
ported petroleum.
-.
A new arc lamp, which seems to be of Ger
man origin. is designed to avoid the inconve-
nience of regularly renewing the carbons. It
consists of vacuum bulb containing two l.
shaped aluminium rods pointed with platinum,
and it is claimed that the points between which
the arc forms show practically no wear. The
arms are regulated by simple pendulum ar
rangement, instead of requiring the complicated
feed mechanism of the usual carbon rods. The
lamp, which is to be used in a horizontal posi-
tion, casts no shadow.
A's
To produce flexible transparent plates, not
easily broken and proof against acids and aka
lies, it is recommended to dissolve to parts of
collodion wool soluble pyroxylin or guncotton),
in part of ether or alcohol, and mix the sou-
ton with parts of castor oil and 4 to parts of
Canada balsam. A little zinc white gives the ap-
pearance of ivory. The infiammability is claim
ed to be less than that of other colodion plates,
and is made still less by magnesium chloride.
"a
Bacteria are held by B. Renault to have been
a most powerful factor in the worlds geological
development. He believes that they trans
formed wood into coal, and that several species
of the fossiized bacteria have been discovered
in coal by himself and G. E. Bertrand.
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