The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-04-26
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Sawdust Charcoal--The New Cases
Eye Stimulation-Organi in Sci
ce--Life's Dawn--An Interesting
Speed Indicator-A Curious Illusion
The Potato an Abnormal Growth-Sub-
marine Oxygen-Diamond Making.
Many methods of using sawdust and waste
wood have been tried and abandoned. The new
process of Gust. v. Heidenstam, a Swedish en-
gineer. is claimed to have proven successful,
and consists in pressing the well dried material
into briquettes, and subjecting these to destruc-
tive distillation under mechanical pressure In
suitable coaling apparatus. An effect of the
pressure is to retain in the charcoal wood-tar
containing most of the pitch. Only the tar-oils
of lower boiling point, having little pitch, pass
off with the pyrolgneous vapors, which are
liberated from the coaling retort as formed, and
condensed and stored for working into chemi-
cal products.
Metargon has been dropped by Prof. VIM.
Ramsay fom his list of new elements in the air,
as he is unable to verify the supposed discovery.
The other gases are present in minute proper
ton. He finds somewhat less than part of ar
gon in 100 parts of air, or parts of neon in
100000. or parts of helium in 100000, about
1 part of krypton in 100000, and about part
of xenon in 20.000,0OO.
~
A French author is credited with the acciden-
tai discovery that eyes exhausted from writing
may be rested by gazing few minutes at bits
of bright-colored silk After experiment, he
wound his ink-well with band of gay colored
silk, and now gets relief by glancing at this
whenever he dips his pen into the ink.
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For future progress in chemistry Prof. f. w.
Clarke urges the need of research laboratories,
working together, in all civilized countries.
With adjustment of the work to prevent waste
full repetition, they could undertake the tedious
investigations, the drudgery Of science, much
more effectively than can individual workers.
a.
1t is generally assumed that the earth has
cooled from state of incandescence, and that
the first low form of life appeared while the
conditions were far different from those of to-
day. Pfunger even places life's beginning as
far back as the period of incandescence. Among
other theories quoted by a recent German work
is that of F. J. Allen, who believes that life
came with the first condensation of water upon
the earth's surface. The hot damp atmosphere
was then constantly ablaze with powerful light
ming discharges. These led to the production
VI duuOuld anu Tue OAlueS Oh ultTOBeu, WHICH
were washed down in solution by the rains, and
on the surface met solutions of carbonic acid
and the chlorides, sulphates and phosphates of
the alkalies and metals. This opportunity for
the most varied heterogeneous combinations
brought forth the first living substance.
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A new speed-meter for automobiles is en-
closed in dust-proof metal case. and contains
two fans. the smaller one being DETECTED by air
currents from the larger one. The arbor on
which the small fan is mounted carries pointer
and has a hair-spring as counter-force. The
larger fan is driven by the tire of one of the
road wheels, and at the instant of taking a
measurement the roller at the end of the fan
shaft is brought into direct contact with the
tire.
The appearance of a particularly brilliant
meteor has brought to many persons the sug
gestion of strange noise, which has been liken-
ed to the screeching of a distant locomotive,
the wall of child in distress, etc. Such effect
is purely imaginary. To show its absurdty,
Mr.. G. Mckenzie Knight, NJ. B. A. A. points
out that at the usual height of explosion any
possible sound of defamation could not reach
the earth until about 3K minutes after the van
ishing of the meteor.
~
Balloons have played an important part in
South African warfare. unique record for
small captive balloon was made at Pretoria,
continuous observations having been carried
out for thirteen days with one imitation. The
as-bag was of goldbeaters skin.
-.
The novel theory that the tuber of the potato
is an abnormal growth has been worked out by
NJ. Noel Bernard, French botanist. He finds
the growth to be due to fungus of the genus
Fusarium. which is always present in the skin
of the tubers and at the places on the roots
where the tubers form, and whose addition to
the soil in liberal supply gives earlier, larger
and more rugular crop of potatoes. The idea
throws light on the introduction of the plant
into Europe. The fusarum does not exist on
the seeds, and raising potatoes from the seed
does not seem to have been attempted until the
tubers had been planted long enough to cause
the fungus to be introduced and acclimated in
the soil.
The "Oxylithe" of Prof G. f Joubert is stony
substance like calcium carbide that gives off
large volume of oxygen when desired. 1t was
intended for use in a breathing apparatus in
which divers are independent of external air,
and, aided by process of absorbing carbonic
acid gas, its results have been most promising.
The inventor has now found another field for
his stored oxygen. Experiment has shown him
that it makes possible the running of gas-en-
CINE in an air-tight space, and, moreover, that it
may reduce by 80 per cent the consumption of
gas. petrol or alcohol necessary for a given
power. 1t seems to solve difficult problem in
submarine navigation by making available other
motive power besides that of electrical storage
batteries.
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There is little reason for believing that dia-
monds will soon be made artifcially for jewelry.
But minute diamonds were among Moissan's
early products of the electric furnace, and
chemists are striving untiringly to produce
larger ones, SO that we may hope to see the large
supply needed for drilling produced in this way.
In late experiments, DIR. Ludwig of Berlin, heat
ing carbon in an inert gas in an iron flask, OBJ
tanned gray crystals the size of pea.
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Clements from water conduits about Ephesus
and Smyrna have been found nearly alike, al
though representing periods many centuries
apart A mixture of one part of olive oil with
two of lime proved close imitation.
TOUR TO THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
Exceptionally Low Rates offered by the
Pennsylvania Railroad on Account
of National Educational ASSO-