The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-08-18
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MIS- CELLANY.


Copper by Observation-Disclosures for Tom
my Atkins-Atmospheric Soundings in
Germany-A Color Phenomenon-Wire-
less Telegraphy From the Clouds-An
Unpromising World-Oriental Clothing
Decoration-The Improved Camel-A
New Secret Ink-Tobacco OIL.
The old method of obtainining deposits of
copper by electric decomposition OF its solu-
estimated that the pure copper produced in this
way now amounts to 500 tons daily. An early
difficulty was the slowness of the process A
aud adhering deposit. Various devices have
made it practicable to work with more power
full currents, and in given period several times
as much copper may be deposited as was OBJ
tanned from similar bath ten years ago. one
means of overcoming the tendency of the
rapidly-made deposit to become granular was
the continuous passing of an agate burnisher
over its surface. An oiled sheepskin was then
used as a burnisher; and by the new plan OF
Sherard Cowper-COles the copper Is deposited
on a rapidly rotating vertical mandril, the CEN
trifugal force and the wash of the electrolyte
keeping the surface clean and free from gas and
ensuring smooth and dense deposit.
A new bullet-proof shield, made at Sheffield,
weighs only about seven pounds, yet is claimed
to protect theTsoldier from the service rife at
range of 400 yards. The steel plate is an eighth
of an inch thick. the area covered being ABOUT
$50 square inches. The shield can be bent,
punched or drilled, but offers great obstruction
to penetration by projectiles.
The upper strata of the atmosphere still offer
great opportunities for investigation. Near
Berlin a systematic study is to be made-day
and night when possble-at heights of two to
three miles, kites and kite-balloons being made,
to take up registering apparatus that Will re-
cord automatically the pressure, temperature.
humidity, and wind velocity.
"a
Phototropy is the name given by Wilhelm
Marckwald to a change of color by light with
out alteration of composition or structure.
Giaiuxido of sl.1iuvfuinoliBe Is turned from yel-
low to intense green, heating or a few days in
the dark restoring the original color.
In attempts to photograph lightning flashes
at Dover, Eng, Sydney Webb has stumbled
upon a very curious phenomenon. The field OF
the camera included numberof arc lights, and
on developing the pictures 1t was found that
an irregular luminous line passed from each
lamp to the ground whenever flash occurred
in the clouds. On one occasion, he has since
succeeded in seeing, with the unaided eye,
stream of electricity descending from an arc
lamp. The pictures have interested Sir George
Stokes, who notes that the iron lamp posts may
have had some effect by attracting atmospheric
been influenced by an underground high tension
electric cable toward which they seemed to
pass. He thinks this may be a case of Natures
wireless telegraphy. The resisting air about
the lamp seems to act like the coherer of the
telegraphic receiving apparatus, difference of
electrical condition or potential between the
lamp and some other point may take the place
of the battery current that is held in restraint
by the coherer. and the electro magnetic waves
from the flash may open path for the current
through the air as in the coherer.