The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-11-29

Springs of Lava-Artif1cial Camphor-
Solids Made Invisible-Electric Sparks
Aided by Daylight-Lightning- Proof
Armor-A Registering Log ana !rr1ga-
ton Meter-Flour From Fishes-A Fuel
Experiment.
The gentleness of volcano Kilanea is attribu-
ted to absence Of water to generate explosive
steam. During the last eruption, which con-
tinued nearly five years, Mr.. s. E. Bishop, OF
Honolulu, noted the feeding of the lava lake,
and the singular permanence under the white
hot libuid of the mysterious supply-ducts. In
April, 1892 the fire lake was nearly circular and
averaged $50 feet in diameter. At one side were
three large fountains of lava and three small
ones, the largest being about 10 feet southeast
of the lakes centre, and rising very regularly
about three times minute as round billow %
feet high and so feet broad, bursting at the top
and falling back to level, its discharge moving
in broad stream to the centre of the lake. The
spray was flung upward 40 or so feet. The two
other large fountains west of the central one
were more spasmodic in action, but occasionally
Joined forces for half an hour as spraying sta
tiouary billow 100 feet long and Is feet high.
The lake was again visited in September, 1894.
The observer was surprised to find the three
fountains still active, in the same relative posi-
tions as before although in the thirty months
the lake had risen $50 feet and then fallen 500
feet. Shortly after the second visit the lake
collapsed, no lava having appeared since except
small quantity in June of this year.
.Fs
Commercial Carbohydrate of terebinth, or ar
tif1cial camphor, is German chemists interest
ing announcement. The material is likely to be
valuable for explosives, as it dissolves in nitro
glycerine, and not only greatly lowers the freez-
ing point of that substance but lessons the
maximum heating in explosives. promising adj
vantage for safety explosives. The nitro-gly-
cerine solution dissolves all kinds of gun-cotton.
the product being gelatine dynamite of i'm
proved quality.
Remains of pre- Columbian sacrifice or sig
nal station on the top of the Nevada de CHAM,
at a height of 10000 feet, are one of the Nordens-
kiold expeditions late finds in northern Argen-
tina.
transparent body of any shape disappears,
states Prof. r. W. Wood, when immersed in
medium of the same refraction and dispersion,
and If we could find any transparent solid hav-
ing these physical properties equal TO those OK
airi would be absolutely invisible. A solid hav-
ing the retroactive index equal to that,of air for
light of a certain wave-length can be found, but
IL is not transparent substance. Choral n.y.
drate may be dissolved in hot glycerine until
the solution has almost exactly the same disper-
sion as glass, and glass rod dropped into this
liquid disappears completely. On withdrawal
the rod curiously appears to melt at the end and
run freely in drops. Lord Rayleigh has pointed
out that in uniform illumination perfectly
transparent objects would become absolutely
inxyia md hof nm fO nm
mination might be had on the top of a monu-
ment in a dense fog. Prof. Wood gets the de-
sired condition in the interior of a luminous
globe. This he improvses from two equal trans
parent glass evaporating dishes or plain hemis-
pherical fnger-bowls, which are painted on the
outside with mixture of Balmain's luminous
powder and hot Canada balsam, boiled until
thick enough to harden on cooling. A small
hole is made in one vessel. After exposure of
the inner surfaces to strong light, the dishes are
placed together, and the interior of the ball is
filed with uniform blue glow, in which crys-
tai ball or cut-glass stopper is quite invisible
when viewed through the aperture. The closest
scrutiny shows solid only through some effect
of the dark line joining the two hemispheres.
~
The sparks between the poles of an electric
generator italian physicists have shown, may
be two or three times as numerous in light as in
darkness, and light concentrated on one pole
especially on the negative-may make the dis
charge continuous even beyond the distance Of
sparkling in the dark. Prof. Garbasso finds the
effect to be probably due to heating of the cleo
trodes-not to ultra-viole rays.
~
Hypnotizing by mechanical means is the
novelty of M. Leduc, who uses unidirectional
electric current with $50 to 200interruptions per
second.
The novel invention of Prof. Artemief gives
security to workers in laboratories using high
tension electric currents. 1t is safety dress of
fine but closely-woven wire gauze weighing 33
pounds, and completely enclosing the wearer,
including hands, feet and head. The cooling
surface is so great that a powerful current
passed for several seconds from one hand to the
other without perceptible heating. Clad in this
armor, the inventor received discharges from
currents, of $4,000 to 10000 volts and handled
live wires at pleasure, all without any sensation
of electric shock.
-.
Peat gas has been used as fuel for thirty years
at the Motala Steel Works. Sweden. 1t was
originally tried in the pudding furnaces ac-
COTuluR W MI. De W. 4HdulOW, Dub WIS dlGcT~
ward adapted on larger scale for the OPEN
hearth steel furnaces. The raw material is
brought in sailing vessels from deposits on the
opposite shore of Lake Wetter. The cost of the
gas is higher than that from coal, but it is pre-
ferred on account of its freedom from sulphur
and phosphorus.
A"s
The ingenious apparatus of Mr.. H. Galopin
records continuously--at intervals of ten
minutes or so-the flow of any fluid, such as air
or water, and it may serve as ships log or for
measuring the velocity of stream of water.
1t depends upon the DETECTION of a pendulum
by the moving liquid or gas. The detection is
shown upon dial, and the record is made by a
suitable mechanism driven by clockwork.
-
A suggested new American industry is the
making of fish flour. In Norway, at seasons of
abundance. the flesh of fresh fish is dried and
pulverized by special apparatus and the highly
nutritious product can be kept and easily trans
ported.
-.
A dry accumulation, from English makers, Is
transparent, unbreakable and non-spilling, the
acid solution being replaced by an almost solid
electroyte.