The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-02-01
CorTespOndence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MIS- CELLANY.

Heat From Other Worlds-Insect -Eating
Earth Telegraphy -HypnotiZed Frogs
"A Smoke Detector-Storage of Oil
in Water-Qualities of Paving Materials
Hydrogen Poisoning.
The most sensitive heat-measuring instru-
ment thus far devised is the radiometer of Prof.
E. F. Nichols. This consists of block of bronze
2 inches square and inches long, bored to serve
as a case, in which is hung by a delicate quartz
fiber tiny glass carrying at each end
blackened mica disc or vane about one-twelfth
of an inch in diameter. The heat rays reach the
vanes through a fuorite window while piece
of glass in the back shows both vanes and source
of heat. Crookes has made known that black
ened surface in partial vacuum is pushed back
by heat. and when the rays form star are re-
Elected upon one of the vanes the arm is slightly
rotated the quartz being twisted to a degree
that is carefully noted on scale. At the
Yerkes Observatory it has been shown by this
means that the heat from Arctus corresponds
to that from parnin candle six miles away, if
none of the candies heat were absorbed by the
atmosphere, while that from Saturn only equals
that of a candle ten miles of.
~
Scientific men and certain savages are aware
that insects may serve as palatable food. NJ.
Dagin, a French entomologist. has tried several
hundred species, both raw and cooked in vari-
Gus ways and has further made himself an au-
therity by collecting travellers experiences.
Spiders, which he has eaten, he does not recon-
mend. Cockroaches, however, make most de-
licious soup; caterpiars are light and easily
digested, and arc reished not only by African
and American natives but by Frenchmen and
locusts, fried made into flour and boiled in
milk are priced by the Bedouins Cambon, the
Jesuit father, suggests that locust flour might
become popular continent in Europe.
-
The peat beds of the German Empire are esti-
mated to cover 4,942, 600 acres To make use of
this fuel in profitable way is a problem for
science to solve.
In the Marconi system of telegraphy the cleo
trical impulses known as Hertzian waves are
projected into the air through wires held up by
tall masts, and are received through similar
elevated wires. The receiving apparatus is
made possible by the coherer. This is a small
tube of metallic filings, which is placed i'll an
electric circuit and becomes conductor-c\os
ing the circuit and permitting the current to
give an audible or visible signal-only when
acted upon by an impulse from the distant trans
mitter. In the new Orling-Armstrong system,
the impulses are sent through the earth instead
of the air. This removes the necessity of tall
masts, and new receiver is claimed to be efec-
tive without expensive apparatus and with cur
rents of very low voltage. An electro capillary
relay supplants the coherer in this receiver.
An inverted siphon of mercury has one foot in
vessel of mercury. while the other foot, con-
tracted to very fine opening, rests in a vessel
of dilute acid at considerably lower level, and
uathe action depends upon the fact that the pas
sage of an electric current narrows the mercury
column and causes drop to fall from the lower
end of the siphon. This drop gives signal by
closing a relay circuit or in some other way.
Earth kilograms by this method, known as the
Armorl invention, have been sent 20 miles with
current of only volts.
&T#
The influence of hypnotism upon the lower
animals has attracted little attention. But N.
Vaschilde of Paris, who is still working with
dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and
snakes declares that the mysterious power, has
real action, and that it may produce complete
anethesa and brain paralysis Mile. NJ. Stefa-
nowski has found half starved frogs susceptible,
the cataleptic state produced often persisting
for half an hour. In various experiments, es-
pecially by simply looking them in the eye, NJ
Vaschilde has succeeded in hypnotizing frogs,
even when well fed and free to move about on a
table or in tank The sleep, though not last
ing long, was so profound that needles and hot
iron brought no sign Of sensation.
"a
Some drawings of reindeer, horses, bears and
mammoths in grotto at Pergord are held by
NJ. Emil Riviere to be 100000 years old.
~
Animal fiber that has been treated with soda
solution is found by o. Freymann and Charles
Tolman to have the curious property of elon-
eating on exposure to smoke. The treatment
or horse-hair-f for 20 minutes in a to 10 per
cent. solution of commercial soda, and then
drying while slightly stretched in a tube from
which the air has been exhausted. Just what
change is produced is not understood. The
presence of smoke is found to have invariable
effect, however, and smoke detector alarm has
been patented which is made to act through the
closing of an electric circuit by the frightening
of the fiber.
A primitive process that is a marvel of old
time ingenuity is claimedin the Russian method
of storing petroleum. Nostrong and expensive
iron tank is built, but instead bottomless tank
of cheap sheet iron is suspended in water on
piles, the top projecting foot or so above
water-level. This tank is filled through pipe
passing to its centre, the water sinking as the
oil enters. The plan has other advantages be-
sides inexpensiveness, for if the oil should take
fire some of it may be drawn off from the bot
tom and as there is only water at the bottom
sand and dirt do not accumulate in the tank.
4**
In a recent comparative test of pavementS,
the average temperature of macadam was 1922
of asphalt, 113o of granite, 115o, and of wood,
1919. Wood, instead of asphalt, is thus shown
to be the hottest material. Other tests showed
advantages for macadam, especially over as
phalt as it retains water longer after sprinkling,
and the dust on it can be more easily kept laid.
Asphalt is dustier than macadam, as its surface
kept wet.
Hydrogen, hitherto regarded as harmless, is
believed by DIR. ]. G. McWalter, of Dublin, to
act as a mild poison when long inhaled. The i'll
effects observed were in workmen of electric
light stations, where accumulators. giving Off
hydrogen, were used during part of the day.
Mexico and California-Forty-F Days
Tour via Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Pennsylvania Railroad personally-conduc-
ted tour to Mexico and California which leaves
New York and Philadelphia on February ii by
special Pullman train. covers large and in
tensely interesting portion of North America,
embracing great part of Mexico. the beautiful
coast resorts of California. and on the return
Journey from California, the Grand Canon of
Arizona, one of the great wonders of the coun,
nineteen in California. The Mexico and Califor-
mia special. to be used over the entire trip, will
be composed of the highest grade Pullman par
compartment and observation cars, heated by
steam and lighted by electricity. Round trip
rate, covering all necessary expenses during the
entire trip, 1915 from all points on the Pennsyl-
mia Railroad system PittShlrQ.