The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-01-02

year VIII mark q revolution IN engine
building bothsin this, country and abroad.
Electro-C Chemistry.
E. r. Roeber. Ph. Drew people real-j
ize the extent Of the field covered BY
ctro-chemistry. Electric furnace meth
DDS alone. since the early experiments OF
Cowles and Bradley. have Brought into
existence quite number OF new indus
tries. The manufacture OF calcium carr
bide thus resulted In the acetylene indus.
try. which Is bound to grow. The simple:
experiment Of treating mixed silica and
carbon in the electric furnace has grad
uaily led-especially through Mr.. Ache
sons efforts--to the manufacture on a
commercial scale Of carborundurn, artif-
cial graphite and his latest product. stiox-l
icon. Similar developments win certainly
follow. In the iron industry electric FUR
mace methods will soon be largely intro
duced for the manufacture OF ferro al
Toys and special steels. since for such
special products the eIectro-chemica1
method has various distinct. advantages,
among them cheapness.
Among the electrolytic refining pro-
cesses copper is and win be easily FIRST.
The United States now produces IS per
cent OF all the electrically refined copper
OF the world, and It is significant that
the commercial copper of our electrolytic
reineries Is purer than the purest copper
made by the most careful experimenters
in chemical laboratories forty years ago.
The electrolytic manufacture Of sodium
is rapidly increasing. especially for maxi
ing cyanides for treating gold ores. The
prospects are also good in the electro
metallurgy Of gold. The latest branch OF
electro-chemistry comprises the methods
Of producing chemical compounds by cleo
trical discharges through gases. The pro-
duction of ozone from air and the use OF
ozone for sterilizing water should have q
future in the United States, since its
practicability has been proved In Esu-
rope. However. the most interesting de-
velopment in this way may be expected
from Mr.. Bradley's process of winning
nitrogen from the air.
Radium.
Margaret A. Cleaves NJ D.-The year
1908 bears witness to wonderful strides
in the advancement of knowledge OF
radioactive substances, and the relation
of this knowledge to both pure and APP
piled science.
Radium. representing the highest form
of electric vibration. typifies radioactive
substances. 1903 records the suggestion
that in the light OF the phenomena mani
tested by few milligrams of radium the
heretofore irreconcilable difference Of
opinion between the geologist and the
physicist as to the earth's age may be
settled. The sun, IL constituted OF radio
active material. equal in strength to RAJ
dunn. would be capable of emitting such
energy In calories. or heat units, as would
give 1t an age from ten to one hundred
times that of the theory Of Helmholtz
and Kelvin.
In addition to the establishment Of three
rates of vibration of varying penetratiye
power. the scientist finds that 1t gives on
a gaseous emanation, which can be col
lected in tiny TASKS, measured and made
to present all the phenomena Of radium
save in its evanescence. Its spectrum i9
that Of helium. and transmutation. the
dream Of the alchemlst Of old is sug-
gested.
BY the behavior Of radlum the physicist
has come to question whether the world
Is not on the verge of some broad gener-
allsation showing that all accepted elc-
ments were merely Elusive forms of one
or two fundamental kinds Of matter.
1903 foreshadows for 1t a place In the
applied science of medicine. not only from
such use as 1t has had. but from the po-
sition attained by the Roentgen ray. OF
greater penetrating power. Of more pow
erful chemically disorganizing effect, and
therefore of profounder physiological ac-
tlou- tHoto 10 pLSuACtou LON ~ pooattuu
of Importance second to that Of no other
form of etheric vibration in the field OF
medicine. 10 which 1t is especially appli-
cable. This Is enhanced by It's ease Of
manipulation. shielding and localization
to diseased structures, whether within or
without the body.
Wonderful as are the strides which have
been made in a knowledge OF radio-ac-
tivity. and with which are associated a
brilliant coterie Of names, 1t remains for
the dawning year to solve the problems
formulated by its predecessors. To what
does radium owe its energy7 It is a con-
Meeting link between the sun and the
earth? What become Of the gaseous ema-
nations given of? The letha1 effect. due
to its great penetrability. yet how pro-
duced? Will 1t prove curative Of disease?
Brilliant as has been the record of 1903.
there is forecasted for 1904 record equal
t. M off