The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-05
SCIENTIFIC
MISCELLANY

The new storage battery of NJ. Ernst
Junger, which may be used also as
primary element, has the popularity
of an electrolyte that does not vary
in composition or concentration, the
water alone being decomposed. This
action is brought about by the use of
potassium or sodium hydrate, whose
metallic bases decompoSe water, and
for the active material Of the plates
metals are used whose hydroxyl com
binationS cannot exist in presence of
water, but are decomposed into oxide
and water. The active matter is sup
ported upon plates of metal, prefera-
bly, nickel or copper, whose oxides are
not soluble in alkali. To illustrate an
element Of this kind, the positive plate
may be of nickel, pasted with peroxide
of silver, mixed with cement to give
consistence; the negative is a copper
plate upon which has been compressed
a layer of finely divided copper. These
electrodes, separated by a layer Of as
bestos paper, are placed in an eoonite
cell, with an alkaline solution as cleo
trolyte. The expense Is reduced by US
ing ferrous oxide at the negative plate,
and black oxide of manganese al the
positive. AS an accumulation, this ele-
ment holds it's charge a long time, and
it seems to be unaffected by tempera
ture changes.
With a platinum resistance thermom-
eter Professor Dewar has determined
the boiling point Of hydrogen TO be
23S. 5 degrees below zero Centigrade. or
346 degrees above absolute zero. An
other method of meas Irement gives the
still lower result of 252 5 below zero. or
only q degrees above the absolute
zero.
Even the sculptor may thank modern
machinery for doing the druQSeiy Oh
his art. The new machine OF Slgn"r
Buontempi an Italian artist, makes
reproductions automatically, and Is
stated To cut marble as If 1t were
cheese. and TO carve other stone even
more easily. Any kind or power Is
used The machine consists OF hof1-
znntal rod having at one End a punt
wooden. traveller. that follows close y
the lines of the model. and at the other
end a steel gouge. that makes vertical
! grooves down the marble. With the
| first passage of coarse gouge the out
I line begins to appear, inner ana inner
/ instruments being used until the de-
tail is finished with a gUuge no larger
/ than a bodllin. The machine finishes
/ the work to within a sixteenth of an
| inch of the size of the model, and then
| the sculptor gives expression and in
dividuahty in final touches.
The taste OF natives Of India In Sc
( lecting a horse or an OK would seem
| to US peculiar. They value these ami
mails almost entirely, Mr.. ]. D. e.
Holmes reports, by the presence or
situation OF certain "hair-marks," these
marks being formed by certain chang
es in the direction of the hair, and
having shapes giving the names OF
crown, ridge and feather marks. The
Colors preferred for q horse IRE white,
dun, gray and piebald But a white
bullock is held rs of small value, and
black one is regarded IS vicious.
! The remarkable effect of spongy
platinum in causing chemical union by
/ its preoence IS surpassed by the cata-
] lytic action Of metallic nickel which
! Ias ben reduced from its oxide at
low te npera .ure. This metal causes
the direct combination Of hydrogen
With -ethylene and acetylene. and leads
to many other striking reactions.