The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-12-08
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


A Long-Lost Bird-A Modern Furnace
For Man to Lift Himself in Air-The
Longest Solar Eclipse-Wave-Su bdu-
ing Without OLA Future Mine OF
Wealth-Silicon Seen in Stars-Yellow
Vision From Poisoning.
An pathological specimen Of extraordinary
interest has turned up in a Florence museum.
French expedition in 1903 visited the vicinity
of South Australia, and explored Kangaroo ISL
and, finding thereon no human inhabitants, but
an abundance Of kangaroos and emus. Three
of the emus were taken alive to Paris. Two of
these lived until 1922, after which they were
mounted for the Paris Museum, but no record
of the third specimen is now known. The first
settlers on Kangaroo Island quickly extermi-
mated the small emus, when it was discovered
that the species DrOaaius Gter-was quite dis
tinct from any other. This left the species
represented by only two known specimens,
until it was lately proven that puzzling skele-
ton in Florence is really the missing third speci-
men.
A new British crucible furnace for making
calcium carbide and the like, and for melting
bars Of steel or other metals, is expected to
prove of great utility. 1t is heated by oil-gas.
which is fred in the first of series of cham
bers, the heat circulating through the other
chambers, while the air enters as a natural blast
from the side. Everything is automatic, and
the heat is sufficient to melt any metal except
platinum.
Human evolution is not likely to make flight
practicable by means of the vertical screw.
Lord Rayleigh calculates that to support his
own weight a man, working at the average
power to be maintained for eight hours a day,
would require a screw about 300 feet in diane
ter, and it would be necessary that this screw
itself should have no weight and should be
workable without loss from friction.
-.
A late report of the work now obtained from
the waste gases of blast furnaces is the follow
ing: Germany, Al engines run. yielding a
total of 1900 horsepower; Nuremberg, IL en-
gines of 9,76O horsepower; Belgium, of 3.7OO
horsepower; France, of $3.50 horsepower;
Great Britain, of 1000 horsepower. This is
general total of IS engines and 1920 horse
power.
The greatest possible duration of a total
eclipse of the sun has been accurately COM
puted by the President of the Leeds Astronomi-
cal Society, whose determination will succeed
more imperfect one made 1913 years ago. Five
conditions are necessary to give the longest
totality. The new moon, at or very near the
point where orbit crosses that of the earth,
must also be at its nearest approach to the
earth; the sun must be at its greatest distance
away; totality should occur at local noon, with
the shadow moving along parallel of latitude,
in order that the diurna motion of the obser-
yer may have its full effect in OBTAINING him
within the shadow; the sun and moon should be
in the zenith, so that the shadow may be as
large as possible; the observer should be on the
equator. so that his motion NAV ha rapfd as
possible. The fourth and fifth conditions can
not occur simultaneously, the fifth being the
more favorable. The earth's radius, or semi
diameter. being taken as 983. 296 miles, and the
moons radius as 1,0S0 miles, it is found that the
maximum totality will be about minutes 40
seconds. and the eclipse should be observed at
noon near the fifth parallel of north latitude
about the beginning of July. The longest
eclipse of the twentieth century will occur
June 90 1855, and will have totality of min
utes 242 seconds, the noon point being at 117'
east longitude and 15o north latitude.
&c
The plan of using floating nets to reduce the
force Of waves at sea or at the mouths of har-
bors is being tested by Baron. Benvenuto d'Ales-
sandro. an italian living in Paris. Such nets
form crust over which the waves cannot climb
and under which they become much fattened
out. A net lately made is $50 feet long and so
feet wide, with square meshes of IL inches, the
material being waterproofed hemp, and the
weight less than half an ounce per square foot.
This was anchored at the port of Havre to pro-
tect some unfinished hydraulic works from a
heavy surf, hut the effect could not be favorably
observed.
From the experiments at Sassari, Sardinia, it
is estimated that a town of $4,000 inhabitants
1o Lnnf frao Co.. 0OE
year. The swamps and other breeding spots
are covered with pretoleum to kill the larvae,
and the mosquitoes are extermnated by means
of chlorine and other powerful chemicals.
"a
The peat boys of Ireland and other countries
are likely to have much greater value in the fu-
ture than they have had in the past. The posi-
bilities of peat have been a subject of study for
twelve years by Herr Zschorner, of Vienna. and
he has found that while the grasses and reeds
composing it have become chemically changed,
the ibers have not decayed. but that they are
elastic durable, non-conductors of heat and nom
combustibe. These properties adapt the mate
rial for many uses. 1t has been made into
great variety of fabrics, including blankets for
horses and cattle, carpets, window curtains, and
paper of various kinds. The fabrics have the
strength of linen, with the warmth of wool.
The unspun fiber is not without uses. for it has
proved highly antiseptic substitute for absor-
bent cottons.
"a
The detection of silicon in one of the fixed
stars isIreported by J. Lunt. Three unknown
lines had been previously noted in the spectrum
of this star beta Crucis). and while examining
the spectra of tubes of carbonic oxide argon
this observer discovered the same lines AS q
strong electric discharge was passing through
the tubes and the lines did not appear with a
weak discharge, it was suspected that the spec
ira were affected by disintegration of the glass.
Further investigation proved this conclusion
silicon.
Colored vision as an effect of snake-bite is re-
ported by Richard Hilbert A young girl was
bitten on the toe by snake the bite causing
stiffness and pain which lasted seven weeks and
half. A blush di, celebration over the abdomen
continued fourteen days. The most curious
symptom appeared on the second day, when all
bright-colorod objects were found to be yellow.
80
A new element, which he proposes to call
''austrlum," is believed by Herr Pribam to exist
in the mineral orthite. He assigns to it twenty
four hitherto unknown spectral lines, but has
not yet succeeded in isolating the supposed
element.
80
A new species of petral and new sea gull are
discoveries by A Searle on the Hawaiian island
of Kauai
TzcD ~ TcTTIn 90.