The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-17
THE MONfGuMERY ADVERTISER.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY
PROGRESS IN ARC LIGHTTNG--A
BRITISH CALL TO SCIENCE. -


The new arc lamp of Andre Biondel.
the French engineer, claims three SUBJ
stantial improvements, viz. One of the
carbons contains certain salts that in
| crease the luminosity; the positive car
bon in the direct-eurrent lamps Is
placed at the bottom; and a reflector
encircles the upper carbon. The eff
cheney is much increased by these fea-
lures. The light can be varied consid-
| erably and made much whittier than the
ordinary arc, and the light is very brill
| liant and economical, comparison with
a different type of arc lamp having
shown six times the candle-power from
an expenditure of third as much cur
| rent. The improved arc seems to mark
| an advance of much Importance.
The deterioration of British wheat
calls for scientific remedy. The area
cultivated in the British Isles is stat
| ed by Mr.. A. ID. Hall to have fallen
from 100000 acres in 1876 to 1900, 900
in 1908, and foreign wheats now COM
| mand much higher prices and make
| larger loaves. the home wheat having
become materially poorer than 1t was
twenty years ago. Mr.. Hall calls for
| efforts at Improvement. He sees no
hope except in the cross-fertilization
of good British and American and COL
onial wheat, and the selection of a
grain containing strength, cropping
powers and good straw. Another wri-
ter suggests that practical results are
more likely to follow deep cultiva-
tion.
remarkable paca-like rodent des-
crioed by Professor c. Peters, in 1870,
under the name of 'Dinomys branicki,
mas been known by a single specimen
In,
lone animal has represented not only a
species, but genus and even fam
lily by itself. Other specimens are now
reported to be living il a Para mu-
scum.
The influence of the depth of the sea
on the speed of ships has been tested
by the German navy in the Baltic, tor
pedo boats being used for the expert
ments. and the results are curious and
interesting. AT twelve knots no in
nuence was shown. At fifteen to
twehty-one knots shallow water acted
as serious check. but while in four
IathomS of water the horse power
needed to maintain twenty knots was
double that required for the same speed
In ten fathoms or more; the worst re-
suits at twenty-five to twenty-six
knots were obtained in ten to twelve
fathoms and the schoals of four
fathoms gave the least resistance.
A remarkable property of aluminium
| and tin alloys has been described by
| Hector Pechaux to the Paris Academy
| When fl, shly-filed surfaces of four diff
ferent natures of these two metals
were plunged into cold distilled water,
bubbles of oxygen and hydrogen were
given of for two or three minutes. but
| neither of the metals nor an unified
surface of the allows gave any such
| effect. 1t is supposed that tempering
| in casting separated the two metals
into juxtaposed molecules, which form
ed thermo- electric couple and gen.
| Grated an electric current until cooled
| to the temperature of the water
During an early morning thunder
| storm in April, a fireball descended at
| Earfs Fee in Essex, England with a
binding flash and terrific explosion.
After dawn, three distinct sets of holes,
| ranging from 8 inches down to / inch.
were found in the stiff yellow clay of
an oatfield, these holes being perfectly
| circular, as clean cut as though bored
with an auger, and tapering downward
to the rounded bottoms
convenient pyrometer is said to be
| series of alloys of silver lead and
| copper. composition of nine parts
of lead and one of silver melts at 400
| degrees c., three of lead and one of
silver at 500 degrees; six of lead and
four of silver, at 900 degrees: and
eight of silver and two of copper at $50
| degrees.
The artificial ruby seems destined to
become commercial success if the ar
tihcial diamond does not. BY the pro-
cess of NJ. Vernuil, the French chem
list. the ruby Is produced by melting a
mixture of alumina and oxide of chrome
lat constant temperature of several
thousand degrees, and in layers sup
exposed from the outside to the inside
in order to prevent cracks in the crys-
ltallfne mass. The extreme temperature
necessary is obtained from a vertical
Ioxyhydrogen blowpipe with n down
ward directed flame. and the hardness
lof the stone is secured by an energetic
tempering through suddenly suspend
ing the action of the blowppe The
product has admirable furoescence on
account of its great purity. 1t has all
the physical properties of the natural
ruby, and can be cut and given a very
beautiful polish. One artificial ruby al
ready made is valued at $500.
Zinc is the most effective coating for
the protection of iron and steel, and
this is usually applied by dipping the
lshaped metal in molten zinc but cleo
zincing or cold galvanizing is used
for special classes of work. new pro-
Icess is known as "Sherardizing 1t
Consists in freeing the iron from scale
land oxide by any method, and then
lplacing 1T in closed iron receptacle
lcharged with zinc dust and heating TO
1900 or coo degrees F.. for Il few hours
THE heat is 200 degrees below the melt
ing point of zinc, The iron becomes
located with fine homogeneous cover
ling of zinc, and the low temperature
necessary makes the process cheap
while the iron is deteriorated less than
by hot dipping.
The small irregular displacement OF
the earths poles has been attributed
by Prof. John Milne. to earthquakes
and now il seems that measurements
bv the Meteorological Institute at Rome
give striking confirmation of the the
DRY. The great earthquakes register
movements-such as the sinking of q
sea bed or rising of a continent-that
must change the distribution of the
earth's mass and the position of its
axis.