The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-09-30

Cpyrslpondsacs Baltimors County Union.
eC1nNTIE1C MISCELLANY.
Land Basins Without Outlets-A Paper
PresorVattVe-A Loud Talking Machine
Cement Wood Posts Ginger Tipping
Age and Cencor-DanGer IN Canned
Meats - vegetarianism and Energy -
Loads on Hall Floors.
The ocean basins and the land basins-the lat
Ter being regions without any surface flow Of
water toward the sea-are shown IN hydro
graphic chart lately prepared BY O. e. Imhof,
Swiss geographer. The greatest region without
flow seward extends from 9Ae neighborhood
Of the Baltic Sea- through Russia and Central
Asia nearly to the Yellow Sea; and o smaller
closed basin embraces part Of Asia Minor and
Arabia. Africa has three such basins Australia
hasoue including lie western part. North Amer
lea has four-two east Of the continental divide
at the latitude Of the Gulf Of California and two
others more to the north and TO the west Of the
divide. South America has two closed basins In
the region of the Cordilleras.
-
Zapon, the new preservative Of paper products
Of DR.. Schill. Of Dresden, is solution Of nitra-
ted cellulose In some inexpensive solvent. amyl
acetate seeming to be best adapted for paper in
sheets. When dipped in the solution or brushed
with it the paper absorbs the liquid. and on
evaporation Of the solvent becomes coated with
thin flm. which resists rain, sweat and various
fumes, Is well a. attacks Of mold and bacteria
and hard usage. The treated paper. unaltered
in appearance, may still be written on with ink
or pencil.
scopolamine. the new anesthetic from Japa-
nese plant. is administered By hypodermic injec-
ton and induces deep sleep for eight or nine
hours. It 10 claimed to have absolutely no after
effects.
Bees are attracted to flowers by the bright
coIors. The experiments Of Miss ]. Very, q
Belgian naturalist prove that perfume has much
less attraction and that honey has none ct all.
The auxetophone Of the Hon. G. A. Parsons is
agramophone whose sounds are conveyed to q
distance BY blast Of compressed air. The air
e pumped by q small engine ct pressure which
can be adjusted up to eight pounds. and it passes
into the trumpet through little valve taking
the place Of the ordinary diaphragm. The valve
consists of number OF small slots covered with
fine comb. The vibration Of this comb by the
record plate reproduces the speech or other
sounds. and the air current makes the sounds
audible at distances estimated to reach three
miles.
Cement-covered poles for carrying wires are
gaining favor In Europe. As introduced into
Zurich. Switzerland. the poles were covered
with IL to 2 inches Of cement, which was held
in place and reinforced by wire netting wrapped
around the wood and kept little away by iron
brackets. These poles are 80 to 40 feet long
tapering in diameter from ID inches at the butt
TO inches at the top. A test Of three years has
given very satisfactory results. and the poles
promise to be Is durable as iron. though their
cost was much less.
&c
Gingerism is causing concern among society
physicians in England. Begun as q relief from
the gastric troubles incident to mental and So
cial strain. the use Of the tincture of ginger
gradually becomes habit, and the doses are
affirmed to increase TO pint daily. Though
often taken to avoid the risks of using cocaine
or morphine. ginger Is claimed to arouse an APP
petite quite as unappeasable as that of the more
dreaded drugs. while its cumulative effects are
quite as dangerous.
Recent cancer investigation has shown that
young persons are less free from malignant dis
ease than has been supposed. OF 322 cancer pa
tients recently entered at a German clinic 10
were from 10 to 30 years old; 12l were between
30 and 80; 156 from so to 20 and IS from 20 to co.
-
The effects Of prolonged use Of preserved
meats seem to be little understood. notwith-
standing the Importance Of the subject. From
his investigation of the records of explorers
DR.. Erik Ekelof, of the Swedish Antarctic Expe-
dition Of lsOl3. infers that putrefactive poisonl
are developed In preserved animal foods, and
that these frequently cause disease. Scurvy, be
believes, is due.to such cause instead of to lack
of vegetables. Explorers and Esquimaux have
subsisted for long periods on fresh meat, while
re aiming perfect health, and outbreaks Of sour
w appear to have been always attended by the
use Of preserved animal food. It is suggested
that another obscure disease-beriberi of India
and other countries-is due to q toxic substance
Of preserved animal food that is chemically
identical with the poison of scurvy.
-.
just how the national temperament of the
Americans will be influenced in time by the
change in diet within the last fifty years Is q
tempting problem for speculation. With the
large decrease in meat consumption there has
been corresponding increase in the use Of
cereals and vegetables. and one of the queries
suggested to British looker-0n Is whether this
will make hustlng less prominent American
characteristic. In 1850 the wheat consumption
Of the United States was 40 bushels per capita
In 1900 it was 623 bushels. The use of oatmeal
grew from O.SO bushel per capita in 1850 to asa
bushels In 1890. and there has been q similar in
crease in the consumption of vegetables, though
the use Of potatoes has decreased. The sugar
consumption per capita has trebled in fifty
years.
Various attempts have been made to ascertain
the maximum weight that may be suddenly
thrown upon building by the pressure of q
crowd. Squeezing forty good-sized men into q
pen six feet square, Prot. L. ]. johnson. of Har-
ward, has obtained a loading Of 1913 pounds per
square foot Of floor space, and high as is this
figure, it is concluded that the conditions were
such as might be produced in any ordinary dense
crowd