Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-28
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Surprising Effect From Slight Cause
Eye Photosraphy-The Reversed lo-
comotive-A Coming Harvest OF
chanaes-Nerve Waves and Radia-
tions- Sound Dampenins-korean
Seienee-A Geological Puzzle-A
Jap's Illusion.
About a dozen years ago M. Richter
showed that the mysterious fires In
lbenzine cleaning establishments are
due to electricity, which produces
sparks as pieces Of wool are drawn
from the combustible. fluid on cool or
|dry days, and he found that the sparks
Icould be prevented by adding magne-
lsium oleate-even as little as 0.O2 per
lcent-to the benZine. The reason OF
this remarkable effect Of the oleate has
mot been understood. 1t has now been
investigated by G. Just at Karlsruhe
land he finds that the conductivity OF
the benzine is very slightly increased
this change being sufficient to prevent
1.-The accumulation of dangerous electric
lcharges. In pure benzine an electrode
kept it's charge for minutes, while In
1.-THE diluted oleate solution it refused to
take any charge.
A new camera Of great Importance,
photographing for the first time the
interior or back Of the eye, is the pro-
lduction of DR.. Walther Thorner Of Ber-
lin. A telescope-l like focusing glass
gives accurate focus under the mild
illumination Of a kerosene lamp, and
a flash-light ignited by an electric
spark impresses the image upon the
plate. The pictures show the varia-
tions of the eye in health and disease,
making 1t possible now to follow the
progress of disease step by step.
The new four-cylinder compound 10
comotive of the Adriatic railway, Italy
is claimed to yield 9 pounds Of steam
per pound of coal, an increase Of 2
pounds over the old style Of engine,
The cab Is in front Of the boiler, the
smoke stack at the rear, the low front
truck admitting a furnace Of unusual
width and depth. Remarkable power
results.
The 800 aerolites of the nineteenth
century furnished nine instances Of the
fall of two stones on the same day In
two successive years. This suggests
steams of stones in space.
"Electrochemistry," says practical
worker in this new field, "is a virgin
continent of undeveloped possibilities v
The electrolytic refining of copper has
grown already into a great industry,
and calcium carbide is now produced by
the electric furnace by thousands of
tons annually, while the electric refin-
ing of other metals and the production
of other carbides on large scale are
to be expected soon. Even silicon, the
most abundant of metals, but one of
the most difficult to reduce from Its
oxide is now offered, fresh from the
electric furnace, at a. fraction Of
dollar a pound. In the direct prepara-
ton of metallic compounds from the
metals, the transformation of metallic
salts into other compounds, the flxation
Of the nitrogen Of the air, the electrifi-
cation of Soils the sterilization Of water
by electrically made ozone, the disinfec-
tion Of sewage, and hundreds of other
likely developments, electrochemistry
gives promise Of future Industrial and
commercial revolutions.
Waves in nerve responses were shown
some years ago by DR.. Charpentier, the
French psychologist, by the fading
away of luminous impressions in fash
es. In his later experiments he has
proven that radiations from nervous
tissue increase the brightness of
phosphorescent calcium sulphide, and
that nervous energy having the same
effect can be transmitted to the screen
of calcium sulphide over wire. This
has enabled him to detect and even
measure the oscillations Of intensity
The nerve-oscillations are found to
number from $50 to 500 per second
with a wave-length of an inch and a
half; and with two wires the effect can
be made to vanish in a way that dem
onstrates wave interference.
The nd-deadening arrangements
tried on the Berlin elevated railway
include felt under and at the SIDES OF
the rails. wood filled car wheels steel
and wood ties resting on sand, and
cork lined floor planks. Low rails on
deep wooden stringers proved the most
effective.
The distinct compounds from coal
tar have increased from Asa in 1894 to
SOS, not less than 300 Of the present
products being dyes.
The system of Identification by fin
ger prints proves to be not so new as
we have supposed. A London clergy
man, Rev. Mr.. Collyer, was missionary
in Korea for some years. and he reports
that the Koreans-a sharp witted peo-
pie by the way-have long made use
of finger prints in the deeds for the
sale of slaves. He has been able to
trace the practice back, in fact. for
1900 years. The slaves are all women,
and each is required to place her hand
upon the sheet Of paper on which the
deed is written, the outline Of the fin
gers and thumb being traced after
which an ink impression Of each of the
fingers is taken.
The temperance of sharks in the
Baltic sea. after an absence of one
hundred and fifty years, is causing
much speculation among naturalists.
One explanation is that the fishes have
been led to return by the recent unu-
sual climatic conditions. Another guess
is that the configuration of the bottom
of the sea has been changed by earth