The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-08-09
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


Metallic Films-Precision With High
Temperatures-Great and Little-Wax
for Shaving-The Greatest Tides-Sun-
shine and Social Condition-Cold Pnos-
phorescence-Age Marks of Fishes
The Moon and Thunderstorms.
An improvement in apparatus for depositing
thin films electrically is claimed by Herr Endru-
welt, of Berlin. An endless metal band is used
in conjunction with the usual electrolytic baths,
and this band, first coated with potassium sui
phide and washed, receives a nickel film on pas
sage through the nickel solution. This film is
backed with copper in a similar copper solution,
further backing with tough paper being APP
piled before stripping. Rolls of paper with a
brilliant nickel surface may be thus produced,
and these may have variety of applications.
Colored and embossed, they make attractive
wallpapers and show-cards.
A form of electric resistance furnace has been
used by w. C. Heraeus in an interesting re-
search. The apparatus consisted of porcelain
tube about two-thirds of an inch in diameter
wound spirally with strip of very thin plati-
mum five inches long, and temperature of
1,300oC. could be reached in ten minutes, careful
attention to the resistance making it possible to
observe the temperatures to within So of abso-
lutte accuracy. The temperatures were record
ed by Chatelier thermo-element. With con-
nections for passing hydrogen and a suitable
telescope for watching the contents of the tube,
the melting-point of manganese was studied
and found to be 1850.
-
To illustrate immensity and mnuteness Mr.
J. e. Gore cites the fact that the nearest fixed
star is 271,OOO times as far away as the sun, and
that specimen of certain nfusoria can lie be-
tween two lines of an inch space divided into
5000 parts.
The varying color of vacuum tube contain
ing krypton-seen by some as lilacand by others
as GREEN'S explained by Prof. W. Ramsay to
depend on the size of the yellow spot of the
retina.
The new shaving paste of Mr.. Edmund White
is described as the result of numerous trials,
made with a view of obtaining the best support
or stiffening of the hairs and at the same time
lubricating the skin. It is an emulsion of par
affin Of a melting point Of 131oF. The
preparation contains 20 per cent of wax and 2
per cent. of tragacanth, the former being melted
and mixed with water containing the latter and
little stearin or lard is found to aid emulsif-
cation, while 10 per cent. of alcohol makes the
substance more agreeable to use. The fatty
odor is overcome by little lavender oil. The
paste, resembling thick white cream is rubbed
over the skin to be shaved. and the razor is ap-
piled Immediately. An ounce of paste suffices
for shaving the face about six times.
.ts
1t was formerly supposed that the tides of the
Bay of Fundy may have a range of 20 feet or
more, but few years ago Mr.. w. Bell Dawson
showed this to be an exaggeration. His late OBJ
servations confirm the conclusion. The range
rxf fI.rcr boat
feet and that of neap tides is 43K feet at Hor-
ton Bluff the ranges are 48 feet and 40 feet. The
highest tide on record, the "Saxby tide" of
1852 rose So feet above the lowest point to which
the water has been known to ebb out. This tide
rose 1924 feet above mean sea level, and the
lowest level of low water known was 1915 feet
below sea level.
curious division of people into classes by
varying sunshine is traced in the valleys of the
Alps. M. Lugeon notes that in the principal
valley of Canton Valais the villages are nearly
all on the sunny side, and in one district, where
the two slopes are about equal, the shady side
has only about one-fourth as great population
as the other. The people of the sunny side,
moreover, are much more prosperous and bet
ter educated.
used by fashionable Partisan ladies' to freshen
the complexion, are given mental torpor. SOM
Violence and general weakness. The face soon
becomes quite expressionless
A's
Oils of chamomile, rosemary, cumin illicum |
anisatum and rose are found by Dubois to phos-
phoresce in the cold on agitation with an alco- |
holic solution of potassium hydrate. The differ
ent behavior of oils of geranium and pelargoni- |
UNI gives an easy means of recognizing substi- |
buttons of these oils for oil of rose. Turpentine
oil does not phosphoresce when fresh but some
times does so when old The most brilliant
effect is shown by aescuin, glucoside of horse
chestnut bark. In the cold alcoholic solution of |
potassium hydrate, this substance sparkles for |
hours, frightening up with every movement of |
the liquid and giving intensity of light in |
direct proportion to the purity of the aesculin.
In no case, however, is this phosphorescence |
equal to that of cultures of marine pho-bacteria.
-
Fishes, like trees, have their annual rings"
The scales of many fishes show series of parel- |
lei eccentric lines, which indicate successive in
crements of growth, and these lines of growth |
prove to be more widely separated in that part |
of the scale formed during the warm season of |
the year than in that of the cold season. Mr.. J.
Stuart Thomson, who has been studying the |
markings. has reached the important conclusion |
that in many species the ages of individuals may |
be determined quite accurately.
"a
A connection between thunderstorms and the |
moons phases is now claimed by meteorologists. |
Some months ago greater frequency of such |
storms at new moon than at full moon was no |
ticed in the records at Greenwich for thirteen |
years, and from other inquiry it appears that |
Madrid observations for twenty years give SINH |
lar evidence. The Spanish records show 20 per |
cent. of the thunderstorms near new moon, 22S |
near first quarter, 2l.S near full moon and 1854 |
near last quarter.
a.
Obesity is regarded by DR.. Gabriel Leven, a |
French physician, as nervous disorder. 1t is |
not disease, but symptom arising from vari- |
GUS conditions with some disturbance of nutri- |
tion-usually kind of dyspepsia-as the foun- |
dalton. Treatment is directed to the dyspepsia. |
Niagara Falls OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Va |
cation Trips via Pennsylvania R. R.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has Sc |
lected the following dates for its popular ten |
day excursions to Niagara Falls from Washing |
ton and Baltimore: July "a, August and 81, |
September and Is, and October and IS. On |
these dates the special train will leave Washing
ton at A. NJ, Baltimore 905 A. NJ, York lO45 A.
NJ Harrisburg II. 40 A. NJ, Mllersburg 20 p NJ,
Sunbury 1858 P. NJ, Williamsport2. 30 P. NJ Lock
Haven 3.0S P. M, Remove 3.55 p. M, Emporium |
Junction sos p. NJ, arriving Niagara Falle~tseeaS
p. NJ. Excursion tickets, good for retui -
age on any regular train, exclusive of limited |
express trains. within ten DAYS. will be sold at |