The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-11-28

USe-Th0 SpOng0-F1Sh0rS' FOe-Tnuu-
derstorms and the Moon--A Wireless
Fire-Aiarm-How Dreams are Shaped
Decay Of Wood-Ocean Surveys.
Improvements on telescopes and in photo
graphy have been bringing the moon nearer to
us each year, until now it is regarded with much
the same interest as the ocean depths. w. de
Fonville points out that the existence of the
cities imagined by Schrotter has been already
disproved, and we seem now on the verge of ac-
quiring a start in lunar natural history. Atany
rate, changes have been noted III the tint of GER
tain regions that suggest the development and
disappearance of some kind of vegetation.
Kupler suggested that all water on the moon
must take the form of ice during the long night
of 854 hours. and it is now argued that the air
itself-probably not more than a sixth as dense
as that of the earth-may be converted into
snow by the intense cold. This idea is confirm
ed by indications of an atmosphere in places
that have been lighted by the sun long enough
to change the solid air into the gaseous state.
A liquefed or solid atmosphere could not be
easily detected at our distance, as its average
depth would be only or feet, the earth's at
mosphere being sufficient to give liquid ocean
of only about 35 feet In depth.
sSs
Coal workings around Cheadle, in North STAFF
fordshire, Eng, have been traced back as far as
the reign of Richard III. The early mining is
explained by local geological conditions, as the
coal-seams-instead of being hidden under drift
as In other parts of England-were brought to
notice through dark streaks turned up by the
plow. A late discovery is an old level that must
have been driven at least 800 years ago for drain
ing coal tract.
ga
A cold-loving earthworm-M elamenchytraeu
solifugus- has been brought to notice by Rus
sell and Filippi. It lives on Mt. st. Elias, Alas
ka, and by night swarms on the snow of the
Malaspina glacier, but when the sun shines bur-
rows under the surface to depth of IS inches
or more.
Tidal power has met with little favor, on ac-
count of its inconvenience and cost. It Is d.
rectly available only in two short periods daily,
and the ordinary working head is so small-not
more than six feet-that great expense is neces-
sary to provide storage ponds of suitable ca
pacity. An engineering writer points out that
a few places offer conditions that may make
this power profitable. The most conspicuous
example is the Bay of Fundy, where the tides
run normally forty feet high, and fill natural
reservoir of 400 square miles through channel
1eeb Lldu LuEco Dulieo Wlues 1uo uduIulUB VI
this channel should yield more than 2OO.OOO,OOO
horse-power-hoursd daily. The utilization of this
power may be accomplished at some future time,
but the engineering feat will be vastly greater
than anything yet attempted.
81
A special malady of sponge-fshers is due to
an Actinium, small coelenterate. that lives on
the sponges at depths of 80 to $50 feet. DR.. Ske-
rhu Oh M 10
parasite is from half an inch to an inch and a
half long, and that the poisonous vircous sub
stance secreted by its tenacles produces deep
sloughing sores on the naked bodies of the d.
vers The Actinium is also well known as an
internal poison, the fishers themselves mixing
it with bread or meat to destroy domestic ami
mails. The Toxic principle has been lately found
by Charles Richet to contain two distinct pois-
ons. one of which-causing intense congestion
and hemorrhage- been named congestion -
while the other-giving rise to violent irritation
lis to be known as "thaassin''
"a
Astronomers themselves seem to be tending
now TO belief in some connection between the
moon and the weather. From statistics from
various sources Prof. w. H. Pickering has con-
Guided that thunderstorms are really more nu-
merous in the first half of the lunar month than
in the last liability to the storms being greatest
between new moon and first quarter and least
between full moon and last quarter.
-
With an open gauge in a central part of Edin-
burgh, Dr. W. g. Black last year collected dust
and SCOT indicating total fall of "a pounds per
100 square feet.
In the new fre-alarm system of Emile Guarini,
of Brussels. automatic signals are sent to the
engine house by wireless telegraphy. The rise
of the mercury in thermometer acts upon a
4 relay, and sets in motion wheel, which makes
and breaks the electric circuit by a series of
contacts. A series of impulses is thus sent
through induction coil and the usual trans
hitting apparatus. The receiver at the central
station. or engine house. includes air and earth
conductors, coherer, battery and Morse instru-
ment. The same receiver can serve number
of transmitters in different places. and, as the
contacts on the wheel can be varied, the exact
location of the fire can be indicated.
"a
relation between the character of dreams
and the intensity of sleep has been shown by
the experiments of N. Vaschide In profound
sleep the dreams refer to latent recollections of
long-past events and matters seemingly having
no cOnnecLlOn Win Jne present, OUT Jne CREAMS
of light sumber are inspired by recent occur
rences and excitements and are sometimes con-
nected with what is transporting around the
sleeper.
In a recent test of the durability of woods,
stakes two feet long and an inch and a half
square were driven into the ground nearly
their entire length. At the end of five years,
oak. elm, ash, fir and soft mahogany were en-
tirely decayed. Larch and hard pine were de-
cayed on the outside, cedar of Lebanon and
hard mahogany were in fairly good condition,
but Virginia cedar was as sound and perfect as
at first.
Last year eleven British vessels, carrying 70
officers and 78l men, we're employed in charting
the oceans bed. An area of 1881 miles was
sounded, 80 dangerous rocks and shoals being
discovered, and 1924 miles of st-line were
charted. Other rocks and shoals ported from
various sources numbered 279.