Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-09-27

an arc between these poles under
water. The metal is torn of In parti-
cles 50 minute as to be invisible under
the most powerful microscope, the solu-
ton formed appearing 10 be quite
homogeneous. These colloidal solutions
act as catalyzers in many reactions,
producing large transformations by
their presence In minute quantity,
appearing TO take no part in such re-
actions and remaining afterward quite
unchanged This effect In oxidizlng
alcohol 10 acetlc acid and In yielding
many other results is exactly similar
to that of living ferments. More re-
markable still, the action Of both fer
ments and solutions Is lessened by
electrolytes, by hydrogen sulphlde, by
hydroCyanlc acid, and by such sub
stances as bromine, iodine, anlline,
phosphorus, oXalic acid, mercnfic
chloride, and other poisons, 1t Is prob
baby signihcant-connected with cat
alytic action-th the surfaces are
enormously developed in both ferments
and colloidal solutions,
A cheap process OF obtaining very
pure hydrogen, using acetyiene as the
source, is credited in Germany TO II.
Houbon, an Englishman. The ace.ylene
is compressed to live atmospheres IN
Calletet steel bomb and ~ iznlted BY
electricity, which procipiiates the car
bon from the hydrogen as a line SCOT.
This Is claimed 10 furnish q solution
of the problem Of obtaining on large
scale convenient supply Of gas for
balloons.
A revolution In the construction Of
magnalium, the new aluminium mag
neslum alloy, which Is now being used
for mirrors. The material which
Is hard and takes fine polish,
gives colorless reflection. ana
is practically unaffected by atmos-
pheric conditions or the fumes Of am-
monia or sulphuric acid. II is only
third as heavy as glass much less
liable to heSure, and requires only very
light mounting,
Few electrocuted people survive TO
tell OF their experiences, as NJ. Andre
Broca. a French electrician has done.
He received a shock from a powerful
alternating current, which was ac-
cidentally passed through his body Tor
two or three seconds before the circuit
was broken by a companion. As his
hands grasped two large electrodes,
there were no burns. on the passage
OF the current he made a frantic but
useless effort TO let 60 then he was
thrown to the ground by violent
muscular spasm, and gave himself up
for lost. An effort to call 20 his com
panon resulted In a meaningless sound.
His arms and hands seemed TO have
vanished. his motions ofthe vertical dir.
ection and color became confused and
the chamber walls seemed TO be inclln-
ed a degrees TO the right and TO have
become intense green. Then conscious
ness was lost on being released, he at
once recovered sufficiently to walk,
when he had no recollection or any
pain. but he'd the curious sensation
that only his head and legs existed. HIS
arms were completely paralyzed'
Motion returned to the arms IN four
or five minutes and 10 the fingers IN
about fifteen minutes. but an abnormal
sensitiveness 20 cold lasted for half an
hour. and pain and irregular action OF
the heart that begun about two hours
after the shock continued until the next
day. All traces Of the accident dis
appeared within forty-eght hours NJ.
Rroca thinks IL quite probable that the
paralysis was due to direct action OF
the current on the tissues although
othor explanations are possible ana
thu, the heart trouble resulted from
TOXINS produced In the blood by the
violent muscular irritation.