The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-07-16


NKwroNruM, THE LrcHrKsz CASA KIrE-FIy-
ING SzATroN--WHEzE DocToRs DlsAcRzE-N-
Rays IN SoUxp-CErxAr1c ExTnxMzs-THz
WEATHER pxAnz-DoxEM,s CANCEL TOXIN
GIGANTIC Purr-BA1xs-THE ANS AHcoN.
The mysterious ether that IS supposed to fill
all space Is the subject Of new theory BY Men
deleef, the Russian chemiat He would regard
It as . definite chemical substance so light that
its molecular velocity overcomes gravitation,
substance without chemical affinity, and with
power of diffusion 50 great that it can pene-
trate all bodies He finds that there Is prob.
ably lighter element than hydrogen, with an
atomic weight Of about o., that may be the
eoronium Of the suns atmosphere and volcanic
gases. The ether must have . still smaller
atomic weight, certainly not over OH, and
probably about one-millionth that Of hydrogen
as the molecuIe must have velocity of at least
1900 miles q second to escape the gravitation
Of the largest bodies of the universe. This ny.
potheticai element, almost without weight is
named Newtonium.
Regular air-soundings, with kites and bal
looms carrying registering apparatus, are now
made in the United States, Germany and Den
mark, for gaining better knowledge of the at
mosphere and its problems. On hill near
Viborg, in Jutland, two-ssory tower, about
90 feet high, Is mounted on rails 80 as to be
revoIved, one side being open and kept away
from the wind. 1t IS equipped with registering
instruments, electric motor, two windlasses, etc,
for starting kites, while other buildings contain
workshops, small balloons, steam-engine, and
accommodations for the director and 1--WE assist
ants. Kites are flown with steel wire Of o.6
to 1.3 miIlimetre, and easily reach ZOO yards
in height, but attain 5000 or 1000 yards with
difficulty and only by the use of auxiliary
kites. After . recent break Of wire one kite
was recovered at distance of $50 miles,
Sc
The origin of leprosy is becoming matter Of
dispute. The theory that eating decomposed
or imperfectly cured fish is the sole cause Is
strongly supported by Mr.. Jonathan Hutchin-
son, F. r. S., and he has been mkaing trips to
distant parts Of the world to gain evidence
on the subject. He has learned, among other
things, that India has about cases of
leprosy per 10000 of the population, while
the fishing island of Minicoy has $50 and
fsh-curing Kalgoan has 500. An opponent of
this view, Prof. r. T. Hewlett, points out
that leprous tissues contain enormous num-
bers of microbes resembling the tubercle bacil-
lus which are never present in fish. and that
many facts, such as the decline of leprosy
in Norway since segregation Of the victims
was begun, tend to show that the disease Is
spread by personal contagion. He suggests
that the eating of bad fish may be a mark of .
low civilization favorable to personal contagion.
-
The fact that compression or bending causes
a substance to emit N-rays has suggested
to M. d. Lepinay that vibrations producing
sound should have the same effect as the
sounding body undergoes slight but rapidly
repeated strains. Experiments with tuning
fork, bronze bell, large steel cylinder and
a siren proved this to be true, and the phos-
phorescent screen showed that the air also
produces as well as transmits the rays. An.
other investigator. M. Meyer. has discovered
a similar radiation in vegetable tissue, the
green parts of the plant giving the most in.
tense effect.
The climate summary of the British Empire
for 1909 presents some interesting facts. The
highest mean annual temperature was 83.z
degrees at Madras, the lowest being $40 de-
grees at Winnipeg; the greatest mean daily
range was as.s degrees at CooIgardie (West
Australia, and the least was SO degrees at
Hong Kong. The highest shade temperature
was III.4 degrees at Adelaide in February,
and the lowest was 36.r degrees below zero
at Winnipeg in January. The highest tenn
perature in the sun was Iz7 degrees at Trini-
dad. Colombo had III inches of rain, and
Coolgardie only I4.7
For over eighteen years Baron Fridland
Won Nowack has been studying the tropical
Weather Plant" AbrMs Prec1torixs Nobilis,
as an instrument of long-distance weather fore
casting He finds that the twigs and leaves
respond in movement and even in color to
electric and magnetic forces of the atmosphere,
sp5s tlas fa4siliaEitzs Sn6assue
and earthquake conditions ~ or IS days in
advance. He believes that he can indicate
areas of rainy, fine and foggy weather for
to days in advance. He contends, more.
over, that very high or very low pressures af-
feet the compass sufficiently to cause vessels
to go out of their course, and he claims that
these extremes Of the barometer and the de-
gree of their effects upon the compass can
be foretold "a or IS days in advance
ASs
The new cancer treatment of Prof. Doyen,
of Paris, depends upon injections of toxin
produced from micr0coccRs neofoym0ns, a mi
crobe for some years past observed in rapid
growing tumors from wounds. In cases where
debility is not too great, and vital organ
is affected, the growth is arrested. A re-
port of ~ cases treated has been given, and of
these III were completely cured.
ssA
From an account of large fungi found
uncommon. Three were much larger even
in France in 1909, it appears that lycoperdons
40 to "a inches in circumference were not
than this, and one from Imfreville is reported
by M. Maurice Touze to nave been az inches
high and nearly 8 feet around. the weight
being "a pounds.
"a
When air is passed over red-hot quick
lime and magnesium, then over red-hot metal.
lie calcium, the oxygen, nitrogen and hydro
gen are absorbed, leaving argon Moissan
has found that the proportion of argon varies
from o.o3ss Tin London)) to o.o4es lover the
Atlantic OCEAN,.