The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-03-22
SCTENTIFIC MISCELLANF.

WyS IN GCTWUHU-~H So'o' re-
Wireless Ieleqraphy from
the Clouds-An UnpromiSing World.
-Orieutal Clothing Decoranon-
The I,mprorcd Camcl--A Ne,r Sc
crct h,h--I obncc0 Oil.
Some years ago v!anadlum was de-
tected in coal ash from the Argentine
Republic, and has since heeE found III
Peruvian coal. II common in coal,
this metal might be put to use.
Statistics collected in Bavaria and
Sweden prove that hard water tends to
preserve the teeth, and that diseased
teeth increase with the lesscniDS OF
the earthly salts in the drinking water.
Phototropy is the name given by
Wilhelm Marckwald to u change OF
color by light without alteration OF
composition or structure. Chloride Of
quino quinolinc is turned from yellow
TO intense green, heating or a few days
in the dark restoring the original color.
A remarkable investigation by Prof.
Dewar and others has thrown doubt
on the common idea that disease cpl
weather. ~ greet number Of disease
germs were cooled by liquid air to 100
degrees e. below zero, but the mi
crobcs survived twenty hours of even
this great cold were aitcrward as active
rs ever.
AS to the proportions of nicotine do
not satisfactory explain the poisonous
effects of tobacco, II. ThOms assumes
that the toxic substance is a new oil he
has detected in tobacco smoke. This
oil produces violent headache, trcmb-
with two per cent. potash solution
yields phcnol-like body with an odor
like creosotc.
The upper stlata of the atmosphere
still offer great opportunities for invcs-
tlgation. Near Berlin a systematic
study is to be madc---day and night
when possiblc-at heights Of two to
three miles, kites and kite balloons be-
ing made to take up registering appa-
ratus that will record aut omatically The
pressure, temperature, humidity and
wind velocity.
Batick, an ornamental product of
the natives Of tho Dutch East Indies,
is made in Europe only by IL firm of
The Hague. Designs are outlined
with pencil on linen, silk, velvet, or
leather, the ornamentcd parts are COW
cred with stilfcning liquid, AMI the
rest of the fabric is then dycd+as de-
sired. The protecting substance is
then removed by boiling.
a new bullet-proof shield, made at
Sheffield, weighs only about seven
pounds, yet is claimed to protect the
soldier from the surface litle at range
OF 400 yards. The stcrl-plate is an
eighth Of an inch thick, the area GOV.
cred beng about $50 square inches.
The shield can be bent, punched or
drilled, but offers great obstruction to
penetration by projcctilcs.
One Of the most beautiful Of sympa
thctlc or secret inks seems to be that
lately brought to notice in Germany
Writing done with weak solution of
phrnolpthalcin in dilute alcohol is
scarcely visible, but is brought out in
intense red when Il piece of cotton.
soaked in soda Or other alkaline solu-
ton is passed over it. This ink, how
ever, is moi suitable for important doc
umcnts, rs it is readily cifaccd by acid
vapors and even by the earbonic acid
OF the air.
The ordinary camel, which will
never hurry under any circumstances,
has been transformed in Southern AL
gcrla into an animal so different in
size, temper and appearance that it
may almost be- looked upon as of diff
fcrcnt race. This animal, the racing
camel, is priced for lis speed. Ii is the
result of many generations of careful
breeding, which has been encouraged
by valuable prizes, and it can be de-
pended upon for nine or ten miles an
hour, which it can keep up for sixteen
or seventeen hours almosL without
stop. Its value is five or ten times
that of the beast Of burden. The
camel races ale popular sport, and are
made exciting by the evident interest
OF the creatures themselves in win
ming.
The old method Of obtaining dcpos-
lis of copper by electric decomposition
Of its solutions has been steadily gain
ing ground, and it is estimated that
the pure copper produced in this way
now amounts to 800 pounds daily. An
early difficulty was the sIowncss of the
process, weak current being ncccs.
sary to ensure smooth and ndhcring
deposit. Various devices have made
1t practicable to work with more powr.|
crful currents, and in a given period !
several times as much copper may be !
deposited as was obtained from a simi l
lar bath ten years ago. One means of
overcoming the tendency of the rap.
ldly-made deposit to become granular
was the continuous passing of an
agate burnisner over its service, An
ollcd sheepskin was then used as Il
burnsher and by the new plan of
Sherard Cowrer-Coles the copper is
deposited on a rapidly ro,ating vertical
mandril, the centrifugal force and the
wash of the electrolytc keeping the
surface clean and free from gas and
ensuring a smooth and dense deposit. !