The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-30
MISCELLANY
rs17rAr. ACHIEVEMENTS
 URINa LIG0HT.
x1scf1olytic calcium-Lunar Volcano es--Eleetrio ~seel-Eaking-A Simple Hygroneter-Moving aiver--I. ood Lighter
 Than Cork -Thorns.

About ffty species or nsheS are known zo have electrical organs. although these orrans have been carefully studied in on- 1r i've or six species. Electrical fishes occur in both salt and fresh water. and <hs best known are various species of the torpedo in the Mediterranean and Adri- 1ftc seas. the gymnotus of the Orinoeo ia South America. the malapterurus or <nunderer fish of the Nile, and various nea skates found around Great Britain. Prof. McKendrick. who has been making special study of these fishes. finds that tho Electrical organs are of twS kinds modifled muscles in the torpedo, gym notl3s and skate, and modified secreting glands in the thunderer fish. Both types are formed of vast number of micro 4conicaI clements, each with a nerve fiber fru7ua d nerve centre having large special cells. But the organs themselves. and not the nerve centres, generate the electri- city, hnd they are specialized for econo- nz<Da1 production far beyond anything reached by man.
 For measuring feeble illuminations 11kb the Zodiacal Light and Gegenschein. H. Touchet has devised special in- etrument. resembling a theodolite in ap- p1arAnce. It Is provided with constant flame and slit regulated in width by a ecre& with divided head. and when the ilzumfnation of the field through the slit exactly equals the light to be measured, a reading is obtained that is easily re- ducsH to standard.
 A new German process yields metallic calcium by electrolysls of calcium chlo- flf7e. The furnace has carbon walls as anode and a small rod of iron through an Insulated bottom as cathode, the fennpcfature being kept below the fusing point Nof the calcium. A spongy mass separates on the anode. and on compress Eipn with tongs or otherwise becomes e6lid containing nearly ninety per cent. nf calcium.
 An Interesting chapter in lunar history, ia the opoinion of Maurice Loewy. may be traced upon a set of beautiful chart pfptagraphs lately presented to the Paris Academy of Sciences. The pictures show Eor example. that the craters were not on the borders of seas and oceans as on the eaR<hs but were distributed in all parts of the moons continents-a fact indicating Ereaker volcanic activity. on the lunar glsrfAne than on the earth. Tychos singu- 3nx white streaks, radiating outward 25O miieB are attributed to lava or cinder Hoyss from the crater. M. Loewy be- 1zepes fhat they give positive proof of a former atmosphere, and that their ter mtnAx1On on the borders of the lunar seas may be explained by the extinguishing nction of water.
 
 Tho smelting of steel by electricity is ptiH an attractive problem. The two fur nace. built in Sweden in 1900 reache- technical solution by producing steel of Hne quality, but the furnaces were ruined by fire before commercial success had been attained. Another furnace planned by the same makers Is to hold 3.97O pounds. with yearly capacity of 1.500 tonHs and is to receive the current of go horse-power dynamo. Though micro bcopfcaly identical with crucible steel, the electric product is claimed to excel ln strength. density. uniformity, tough ness and ease of working when cold.
 For a simple paper hygrometer it is recommended that white plotting paper be saturated with solution of 1 ounce Of cobalt chloride. X ounce of sodium chloride, 70 grains of calcium chloride and Y ounce of acacia in ounces of water. The following changes of color give rough indications of the atmos- phere's moisture: Rosered, rain, pale red. very moist: bluish red. moist; lav- sndar blue. nearly dry; blue. dry.
 
 The changing of a rivers channel is the greatest project now being consid- cred by Italian engineers. The Sale flows into the Mediterranean near Salerno. but t is to be tapped in the hills and the water taken across to the Adriatic water shed to irrigate the provinces of PugIia
 
 4 remarkable tree of the Mimosa fam fly. called Marea by the natives, was lately mentioned by Capt. Truffert as having been observed in the Tchad and the Bahrel-Ghazal regions. It grows twelve to fifteen feet high, with a trunk about ten inches in diameter It is found only in damp places. and, while it is much lighter than cork. it is firm and strong in texture. A piece of the wood about six feet long is carried by native soldiers in time of war. This is a slight burden. and 1t serves not only as shield ff battle but as a bridge or a raft in crossing streams.
 The spines or thorns of plants are largely a result of insufficient nutrition. This may arise, states Ferdinand Fail deau, from impoverished soil, dryness of the atmosphere. or intensity of light, arS, removable of the unfavorable conditions tends to reduce the number of the thorns Cultivation lessens the thorns, and in many caseS causes them to disappear all together after a few generations. Expe- riment and observation have proven that humidity tends to diminish the number or cause their total disappearance, and like results follow reduction of the light.
 The cleansing power of soap Is thought by H. W. Hillyer to be largely or en- tirely explained by the power which 1t has of emulsifying oily substances; of melting and penetrating into oily tex lures; and of lubricating texture and i'm purities so that they may be removed easily. He believes these properties may be explained by the low cohesion of the soap solutions and their strong attrac- ton. adhesion or affinities to oily matter. which together cause the low surface tension between soap solution and oil.
 4 novel Belgian method of dealing with smoke consists in driving it by fans into q porus receptacle over which flows A stream of petroleum. The smoke is caught and turned into a gas that gives great heat. and can be used for running gas engines.