The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-09-06
COrttspondence Baltimore County Uni0n.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


Stored Acetylene-Squee Out Heat
The Marvel OF Marvels-Sleep Produ-
cers-Novel Steamship Propulsion
Solar Interference With Telegraphy-
Hertzian Waves From the Sun-Strati-
fed Memory-Po Drying-New Use
for Balloons.
In his experiments Of the last four years. NJ.
Ed. Fouche has found no better solvent for
acetylene than acetone. This liquid does not
boil below 1882 f., and, at atmospheric pressure
and temperature of 500. one volume absorbs
"A volumes of acetylene. Water is carefully ex-
cluded. The solution is not explosive until the
pressure of dissolved gas reaches 140 pounds
per square inch, but at double this pressure the
whole mass can Be detonated. For safety the
liquid is absorbed by special porous bricks car
ried in steel cylinders. These cylinders have
water capacity of OIL to 353 cubic feet, and hold
100 times these volumes of acetylene at the
standard pressure of 142 pounds. With mean
descent burners. light of ATS candle power is
obtained from .O1 cubic foot Of acetylene per
hour. which is about one-fiftieth the volume per
candle hour of the ordinary compressed gas
used in lighting cars.
The theory that solid may be cooled to abso-
Lutte zero by pressure Is interesting at least.
Brinkworth and Martin have attempted to prove
it to be possible If heat is really due to molecu-
lar motion, and suppose that compression in an
infinitely strong and unyielding cylinder would
gradually force the molecules together until
they could not move. The tremendous pres
sure necessary makes the experiment imprac-
ticable unless at low starting temperature.
-.
The thought of space, compared with which
our unreasonable sidereal system dwindles to
a point, is too overwhelming to be dwelt upon,
is one of Herbert Spencers latest reflections.
"Of late years the consciousness that without
origin or cause infinite space has ever existed.
and must ever exist. produces in me feeling
from which shrink"
A bright-colored card is now supplied as
rest and invigorator for the eyes. An occasional
glance at it is claimed to refresh and invigorate
weary eyes in an enectual and scientific manner
81
Sleep is produced by the action of substances
generated in the body during work, states DIR.
]. H. Kellogg. Experiment some years ago
showed that rabbit would fall asleep when in
jected with the urinary secretion of tired la
borer. but that only spasm was produced by
the night secretion of the same man. The pro-
ducts of the body laboratory of the idler. In
stead of soothing, poison and irritate. giving
rise to sleeplessness. There are other sleep
producing substances. but the sleep from bro
mide of potash, opium, alcohol. chloroform or
ether is not of the most restful kind, and there
are after-effects Natures own sleep-producer
is within the reach of all. The person in health
0orl fxuo of ont o0ff
before going to bed, and the partially disabled
can perform hard work by extending the arms
at full length for two minutes or keeping all the
muscles rigid for five minutes. The bed-ridden
invalid can get the benefits of good exercise
from many movements of the head, limbs and
trunk.
The new type of steamship of Herr ]. Brohan,
of Hamburg is equipped with four propellers.
The vessel is fiat-bottomed. with short keel in
the center and two false keels forward, and one
propeller is placed between the forward keels,
another just before the rudder, and the two
Others at the stern. It is claimed that such a
steamer 300 feet long would make the trip from
Havre to New York in four days.
-
Day messages by wireless telegraphy require
much greater transmitting power than night
messages. Day signals utterly failed to reach
Marconi at 700 miles, although night message
was successfully sent more than 1850 miles and
a night signal more than 1000 miles. 1t is sup
posed that sunshine exerts diselectrifying in
fuence upon the aerial wires.
-
Sunlight has been believed to contain electro
magnetic waves. A test by M. Charles Nord-
mann at height of $3.50 feet has proven that
the sun emits no such waves that can traverse
wire and affect coherer, or that the waves are
absorbed by the suns atmosphere or the upper
atmosphere of the earth.
-
That memories are laid down in strata is the
HaS 81 Ay DfnGuea &66EasjaYEo ffSg9ga
full of recent happenings, the patient recalls
long past events in correct order, and even lives
again amid scenes that had passed utterly out
of recollection before the disease appeared. A
case recorded by Coleridge confirms the theory.
While in the delirium of fever. an iliterate
maid-servant recited from Greek and Hebrew
for hours, but in health she knew no word of
either language, her rawlings being due to the
exciting of brain-impression left by the read
ings of learned pastor that had been heard
many years before. Even more striking is the
case of woman of seventy, delirious from
Heterogeneous, lately brought to notice by
DIR. Henry Freeborn. In her early delirium she
repeated poetry in strange language that was
recognized as Hindustan, but in the next two
days'she lived over in regular order most of the
experiences of her life, talking to imaginary
friends in English, French and German. The
patient, it was found, had known only Hindus-
tani up to the age of four, although she had af-
forwards forgotten even that she ever spoke it,
While greatly improving the potato, the Ger
mans have so increased the crop that new ways
of disposing of it have had to be sought. They
now feed about two-ffths to farm animals, and
the alcohol makers are striving to increase the
demand for their product. So much of the po-
tatoes is water that 3K tons may be reduced to
one ton by drying. The dried potatoes keep so
much longer and are so much more readily
transported that those interested in the indus
try feel justified in offering $1,000 marks as
prize for the best process of drying.
-.
Various objects usually invisible may be seen
under unusual conditions. The flight of can
non ball may be viewed by an observer fayora-
bly, placed for sighting along its course, and the
sea-bottom along coasts can be studied by per-
sons in balloons. 1t was while trying to learn
whether submarine vessels can be seen from a
captive balloon as far away as mile or two that
a French officer lately fell into the sea and was
drowned. leaving this secret yet to be revealed.
@
Niagara Falls Excursions-Low-Rate 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 7 and q,
September and IS, and October 2 and Is. On
these dates the special train will leave Washing
ton at A. NJ, Baltimore 9.05 A. NJ, York 1915 A.
NJ, Harrisburg 1.40 A. NJ, Milersburg 20 p. NJ.
Sunbury 1888 p. M, Williamsport2.3 $50 p. NJ, Lock
Haven 3.OS P. NJ, Remove 3.55 P. NJ. Emporium
junction sos P. M, arriving Niagara Falls at 935
p NJ. Excursion tickets. good for return pass
age on any regular train, exclusive of limited
express trains, within ten days, will be sold at
York $40 from Littlestown; SO from Oxford,
Pa; $685. from Columbia; $3.50 from Harris
burg; SO from Winchester, Va; $3.50 from Al
toona; $40 from Tyrone; $645 from Belle
fOnte; 500 from Ridgway; $3.50 from Sunbury
and Wilkesbarre; 1915 from Williamsport and
at proporti0nate rates from principal points. A
stop over will be allowed at Buffalo within limit
of ticket returning. The special trains of Pull
man parlor cars and day coaches will be run
with each excursion running through to Niagara
Falls. An extra charge will be made for parlor
car seats. An experienced tourist agent and
chaperon will accompany each excursion. For