The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-07-30


The vibrochord, or music-feeling ma
chine of Mr.. Fred. H. Brown, an Amer
lean electrician, consists of an induc-
ton coil arranged to transform the VI
brations of a piano or other instrument
into electric puIsations, and transmit
them through the human body. Wires
lead from the musical instrument to
the coil, while wires from the coil are
held in the hands, the feet resting on
metallic plate. The waves Of harmony
thrill the entire body, the difference IN
tunes is very perceptible even when
thick walls cut off all sound, and Ia
vorite airs produce more agreeable sem
sations than those whose sound is not
pleasing to the ear. Music-feeling,
claimed to have great healing value, is
now prescribed for insomnia, rheuma-
tism. nervous prostration, and many
other ailments.
From recent photographs the craters
and craterlets of the moon are esti-
mated to number more than 100000 but
less than million. White patches in
some craters and the bright lines radi-
ating in some cases hundreds of miles
are thought by Prof Pickering to be
due to snow, and the less conspicuous
lunar canals, which gradually appear,
increase and fade away in the lunar
day, are attributed by the same au-
thority to vegetation. A thin atmos-
phere of carbonic acid and water vapor
may feed the plants.
Keptomania has been placed by a
French physician in the list of diseases,
under the name of "magasmitis." He
records that 30 per cent. of the patients
are women, and that 9 out of 10 are
well-to-do or wealthy. Recovered
goods are often unused, almost always
uninjured.
Sir Hiram Maxim and others are said
to have found that non-nagnetic met
ais may be separated by rapidly draw
ing series of electromagnetic past the
metallic dust. Copper, for example, is
attracted by the electric current set up.
The new world to which the radio
active substances have introduced us is
yet one of mystery and doubt. In re-
cent English lecture, Mr. F. Soddy
pointed out that more than 90 per cent.
of the energy given off by radium is
represented by the Alpha rays, but that
the three kinds of radiation all excite
huorescence in certain substances, affect
the Photographic plate, and ionize or
electrify air and other gases. The AL
pha rays, though having velocity of
10000 miles a second, are easily stop
ped as by sheet of paper or an inch or
two of air. The radioactive substances
themselves appear to be disintegrating,
the heavy atoms being explosively re-
duced to lighter ones, temporary sub
stances marking different stages of
change, and giving rise to Unstable ele-
ments which have been named "meta-
bolons." The life of these temporary
elements varies. One thorium emana-
ton changes character in about 81 sec
onds; that of radium exciting radio-ac-
tivity lasts 43 minutes; similar ema-
nation from tforiurn, I6 hours; the or
binary radium enlanation, S days 8
hours; the thorium rays, days 70
hours; uranium x, about a weeks; radi-
um itself, 1900 years; uranium and
thorium, 10000 million years. It is
inferred that uranium, with the heav-
lest atomic weight known, is slowly
breaking up, producing radium, actini-
UNI and polonium as transition forms.
The atoms of ordinary chemistry seem
to have reached a stable condition and
are those of longest life, but it is as
sumed that even these are but tenn
porary hating places in the evolution
of matter from heavier to lighter forms.
Whether this decay of matter is being
Offset by repair,-that is, whether con-
densatiOn of atoms is still in progress
as in the beginning of the universe
is question still beyond the power of
science to answer.
Gunpowder IS traced BY DR.. Richard
Garrett to the fifth century, though
usually assigned to the fourteenth. Oh
ympiodorus records that Libanus, an
Asiatic magician, brought the secret to
Constantius in A. d. AL for destroying
the barbarians, but when Libanus was
subsequently put to death for league
with the Evil one the secret persisted
with him
The demand for industrial power is
leading to remote and unexpected
places and to unexpected methods.
The scheme of the French engineers
to obtain some 10000 horse power from
water falling into the Dead Sea is bas-
ed on the fact that the level of that
body is more than 1900 feet lower than
that of the Mediterranean and Red
Seas, and on the probability that the
enormous evaporation 100000 tons
a day would prevent any appreciable
rise in level from water turned into the
depressed basin. Of three projected
routes for canal to supply the water,
it is believed the cheapest would be one
starting at Akaba, in the Red Sea, and
passing through the desert of Wady-
el-Jebel.
1t appears to be probable that hyp-
notism can stop a persons heart and
thus cause death A. Jounet, French
investigator of the subject, reports
that he has increased and diminished
the number of a mans pulse beats at
will, and as far as he could go in either
direction with safety. It is proven,
therefore, that the circulation is Sc
riousIy affected, even if it is not quite
certain that the heart can be stopped.
Electricity plays many parts on the
Baltic" the new White Star liner. An
electric collision-preventer registers
even the beats of the screws of an UNI
seen steamer, another electric device
shows the proper burning of the ships
lights, an electric log gives the speed,
an electric lead indicates the depth of
the water, and one electric apparatus
registers all signals including steam
sirens. Food needs are served by cleo
trio refrigeration as we'll as electric
cooking.
The magnet has been shown by c.
Gutton, French physicist, to cause a
Frightening of phosphorescent zinc sui
phide similar to that produced by N
rays. 1t seems to be capable of giving
this effect only where the lines of mag
netic force are not parallel, but no ex-
PLANTATION is given.
Niagara Falls Excursions.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has se-
ected the following dates for its popular ten-day
excursions to Niagara Falls from Washington
and Baltimore: July "a, August IL and 20, Sep
tember and q, and October IA. On these dates
the special train will leave Washington at A. NJ,
eos A. n. York 1O.46 A. NJ. Harrisburg
ll40 A. NJ, Millereburg 1920 p NJ, Hunbury 1888
P. NJ. Williamsport 2.O P. H., Lock Haven 3o8 p.
NJ. Remove 3b6 p. NJ, Emporium junction 6.05 p.
Hal IA - n ~