Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-11-18

4 mOmetcr was also the man WIN ihFOnt
ed the pendulum and the telescope,
Calico Galilei. Here is a descrip-
tion Of this instrument given by a
writer Of his times
"He took glass vessel about the
size Of a hens egg-ftted to tube
the size Of a straw, and about two
spans long. He heated the glass bulb
in his hands and turned the glass up
side down, so that the tube dipped IN
water held in another vessel; as soon
ne the bulb cooled down, the water
rose in the tube to the height Of
span above the level Of that In the
vessel. /"
This was not a good measure Of heat
or cold No two instruments read
alike, so that the readings were Of no
practical value. But the invention Of
Galileo was Immediately taken up by
scientific men, and in few years mod
ifcations and improvements were COM
mon enough.
About the year 1884 there lived In
the south Of France and obscure ply
sician, Jean Rey, who accomplished
two things in his lifetime which ought
10 have brought him wealth and fame
neither Of which ever came to be his
Ono Of these two things was the dis
covcry that nquids expand and con
tract under the influence Of heat and
cold. lie was familiar with Galileo'a
thermometer; he mado use Of it-in his
treatment Of fever, but this instrument
had but ono bulb, that at the bottom
this was ancd with auid, usually
water. the top Of the tube being open,
leaving the column Of water 10 be In.
auenccd by heat and eoldi a very nm.
satisfactory thermometer, but stili ono
which would measure after a very
dull fashion.
II was nine years later that tho use
OF mercury In the bulb is arst men. /
toned, but everyone stil made his own
scale, 90 there was no uniformity
about tho instruments, and they we're
considered only ~ eurlousities
Experiments with them required |
both timo and money, and AZ this time
neither tho common nor tho middle
class had much Of eitheri 90 tho noEt |
evolution came through tho Duke OF |
Tuscany, who had both. He hlied
the bulb with alcohol, sealed Il by
melting the glass tip, and marked tho
degrees ON the stem. But tubes stiil
varied In the aiEe Of the bore or inside
opening, and each man made his own
scale, 30 the Thermometer was far from
aeeurate, and could be little depended
upon.
Then followed all sorts Of methods.
some OF them absurd, all curious,
some useful, an used for a time and
then droped ono by one. Ono was
twenty feet long, gorgeous with blue
paint and gilt stars, both tubes and
bulb Of copper, The tube was open al
.he top and carried a foat with a cord
attached, the other end OF which ae-
uated a gilt angel whose finger point j
u 20 the degree on the case.
Sir Isaac Newton studied over the
thermometer problem, but was not
ueeessful. lie proposed using clint,
eed" oil instead Of alcohol, melting
now and the heat OF the body TO be I
he extremes Of heat and cold.
A British scientist, Robert Hooke.
tent a step farther. He placed zero
the point where mercury stood
'hen the bulb was placed in freezing
istilled water Distilled water al I
avs freezes az the same temperature. u
lille other water might contain some !
iher ingredients that would hasten or {
'tard its freezing This point In the 4
Measurement Of cold was very inn ,
oFtant In the year lTl4 Daniel Gabriel a
ahTenheit produced a couple Of ther-
which agreed so perfectly in {
'gistering that they were considered h
Iarvels. He was a maker Of mathe. n
atieal instruments, and his great D
all In working in glass enabled him '
carry out his ideas. His thermom- 8
iers are the ones most used in Eng 8
ma and the United States. There v
q three principal points on this q
ale. Zero, found by placing tho o
alb in a mixture of ieewater and Il
,lammoniae. The second point by s
utting the bulb in a mixture Of ice d
nd water Onlyj this is marked so de- o
rees. The third point is decided by
atting the bulb in the mouth Of a
ealthy man, and keeping It there