The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-09-20
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


Teaching Sight-A Lump of Radium-
Malaria and Light Electrolytic Lead
An Expanding Boat-0arbage Fuel
No Lamp Without Heat-Synthetic
Food-A New Artificial Stone-FloW-
ere and Famine.
That certain portion of the blind may be
taught to see is indicated by the striking sue
cess of NJ. Heller, Of Vienna When brought to
him three years ago, two Hungarian boys, aged
seven and five years, could see nothing, but
their eyes appeared to be normal. Their train
ing began with looking at q bright disk in
dark chamber. They learned to distinguish
this, and the younger boy, who has progressed
more rapidly than the other, was then shown
familiar objects against the disk, then lines and
figures, and finally was able to read. Later he
was made to recognize the objects and letters
by daylight. Another examination showed a
defect Of the retina, and it was concluded that
the feeble impressions reaching the brain at
tracted no notice before the unusual teaching.
-.
One of the most remarkable and interesting
products of German chemistry is the cubic inch
of radium lately prepared for Prof. Curie. 1t
cost 5000, and required the use of several tons
of barium salts. 1t shines like lamp, also ex-
citing phosphorescence in other materials. like
zinc sulphide. So energetic is this action that q
small particle lights up mass of zinc sulphide
a thousand times as large, and this phosphor-
escence continues a considerable time after re-
moval of the radium.
-.
Malarial fevers are favored by light instead of
heat, in the view of DR.. A. f. A. King They
have been noticed to be less severe in very hot
than in very clear and sunny seasons, and to be
lessened in foggy places This theory explains
the immunity Of races protected by dark skins.
DR.. King would keep malarial patients in dark
rooms, and between attacks would clothe them
in dark-lined garments.
-
A mile of wreck -strewn coast in southwestern
Norway proves to be filled with magnetic iron
ore, DETECTING the compass a whole degree.
sss
In the electrolytic reduction of lead sulphide,
as now carried out at Niagara Falls, the ores are
used as catholics in an acid electrolyte. hydro
gen sulphide being formed and passing of as
gas while the spongy metallic lead remains.
The apparatus resembles pile of lead dinner
plates, each plate representing cell, and with
4S cells in SERIES using 100 volts, the product is
about two pounds of lead per horsepower hour.
The process whose chief difficulty has been in
complete reduction through passage of the cur
rent through the lead produced, has been so i'm
proved that about W to 95 per cent of the ore is
now reduced to metal The gases developed are
hydrogen sulphide and oxygen in their COM
bining proportions, and it is proposed to utilize
these for driving gas engines.
80
A new lifeboat from Scotland is inflated auto
matically on being plunged into the water. A
perforated metal case holds materials for gene
rating gas, together with a spiral spring held
under tension by a strip of paper. and as the
paper becomes wet it tears, releasing the spring,
and this causes the mixing Of the chemicals and
the beginning of the gas-making.
~
A smokeless artificial coal is expected to re-
suit from new French treatment of garbage.
Paper and straw. and the refuse from abattoirs.
fish markets, etc., are mixed with tar and naph-
thalene, kneaded, dried. and pressed into bri-
quettes These burn brightly, with slow gen.
GRAFTON Of heat. With improvement in details,
it is believed the process will yield fuel burn
ing with less ash, and having heating qualities
about like ordinary coal.
-.
Incandescent lamps emit more heat than is
generally supposed, only six per cent. of the
energy of the current being converted into
light. 16-candle-power lamp fed by current
of 100 volts has heated ten ounces of water to
boiling point in an hour, and fires celluloid in
five minutes.
Aluminium tubing for scientific instruments
is made so fine that 1000 feet weigh only one
pound.
-.
Chemical food is the dream ofjProf. Berthelot.
As long ago as 1854 this chemist exactly initiated
the natural fats by means of glycerine and acid.
themselves produced alphabetically, and sugar
has been since produced in the laboratory
by similar combinations. The third broad di-
vision of food-stuffs, the albumenoids, thus far
has eluded the chemical builder. These sub
stances are more complex and more liable to
spoil, but it cannot be doubted that they will be
produced by synthesis within a short time.
Great changes in agriculture have been wrought
already by chemistry. Chemical substitutes
have crowded madden out of cultivation in the
south of France, indigo in the West Indies, and
vanilla elsewhere in the tropics, and camphor
and many other products are created by synthe-
sis. But 1t is an illusion to suppose that ones
dinner will ever be carried in the waistcoat
pocket as a small pill-box of tablets. The body
burns daily from $50 to 800 grammes of carbon
and eliminates from Is to 20 grammes of nitro
gen, and certain bulk or weight Of food will
continue to be indispensable, even in the good
time when the factory shall feed us and the
earth's surface shall be converted into a pleas
ure garden.
ssA
A cheap substitute for marble claiming adj
vantages over the natural product has been
brought out by s. Sborowitz, of Berlin. A stir
mass is formed by pounding together asbestos,
dyeing substances, shellac and ashes, and this is
subjected to great pressure, the resulting mate
rial being firm and tough and easily worked and
polished. 1t has the appearance Of fine grade
of marble. 1t can be moulded into any shape,
and is more durable in contact with water than
other artificial marbles.
-
The rice-like seeds produced this year on the
bamboo plants in Midnapore, India are being
examined with interest. These plants rarely
flower, and the appearance of flowers and fruit
seem to mark some peculiar climatic conditions,
which are locally believed to herald the APP
proach of famine. How to make the plants
yield these edible seeds in famine years is now
the problem.
Low Rate Excursion to Niagara Falls.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company will run
its remaining popular ten day excursions to Nj
agara Falls from Washington and Baltimore on
September 18th, and October I'd and 10th. A
special train will leave Washington at A. NJ.
Baltimore sos A. M, York 10.45 A. NJ, Harrisburg
11.40 A. NJ, Millersburg 1920 p NJ, Sunbury 1858
p. NJ. Williamsport 2.30 P. NJ, Lock Haven 3.0S
P. M, Remove 355 p. NJ. Emporium Junction sos