The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-08-12

Of q New OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES in Mud
Echoolboy observation-disclosures STUDY
in q Volcano-The Danger Point-Cnem-
istry's sl6 TO /" Contrcversy-Recoro
High and Low Level Winds.
The new telephone microphone OF "a. scneer,
Of Brussels, is to be known as the ''isophone."
and It is claimed to give much softer and more
accurate reproduction of the voice. music. etc.,
than the ordinary transmitter. Il Is essentially
hollow disc sounding box enclosing simple
carbon system. The carbon granules are con-
tanned in q movable leather receptacle, which is
adjusted behind the vibrating plate so as to re-
ceive the vibrations through small blunt point
OF ebonite. and which has also at its opposite
sides two small sticks Of carbon terminating the
poles Of the battery. The sensitive and certain
action is attributed to the readiness with which
the granules adjust the pressure between the
carbon sticks by their own weight.
ssA
The snakes tongue proves to be most re-
markable organ. A Maryland lady student finds
TINT its chief function is connected with sense
of feeling without touch, and may be finer de-
velopment of the sense that enables some people
to avoid striking obstacles in the dark. The
forked tip and the numerous folds behind it
greatly increase the surface exposure. The
cells Of she epidermis are interlaced by won
derful network Of extremely fine nerve hbers,
which centre in deep nerve plexus beneath the
epidermis and extending out into the folds.
sss
An indication Of the degree of humidity Of the
atmosphere is found by Paris meteorological in
the state of the pavements. When these remain
muddy there will be no immediate change in the
weather, but change is indicated when they
begin to dry.
Though birds are credited with some sense of
smell. an English observer finds turkeys lndif-
ferent to all odors.
A new law in physics is the outcome of an
original observation by bright boy named Van
Erpecum. in the high school at Batavia, Java.
He noticed that when glass is filed to the brim
with water and floating ice there is no overflow
on the melting of the ice, and two years ago he
called the attention of his principal. DIR. C. M.
van Deventer, to the fact. Other physicists
were notified, who brought the matter before
the Royal Academy Of Amsterdam. 1t has now
been shown that the water neither rises nor
sinks, and the proposed Flaw Of the permanent
Ievel' teaches that "when vessel contains q
solid floating in its own liquid the level of the
latter does not change by the melting Of the
solid"
Vesuvius, Prof. Janssens lowered into the era
ter receptacle that could be opened and closed
whenever desired by an ingenious arrangement
of valves. and in this way be drew up samples Of
the gases at different points down to great
depth. study Of these gases is expected to
throw light on the emissions from the craters of
the sun.
The explosion of a petroleum vessel In a
French harbor has led to an investigation of the
explosiveness Of the mixture of petroleum va
por and air. With one part Of vapor to five or
less of air, the mixture proved to be non explo-
sfve; with six parts of air it is feebly explosive
with seven to twelve parts, violently SO; with
sixteen parts. feeby explosive, and with twenty
parts explosion is not likely.
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The electric waves of Herr were found by him
to measure 150 feet from crest 10 crest; but
those used by Marconi in telegmphing across
the Atlantic are 600 feet long or more. These
waves travel at about the same rate as light
waves-which measure only few millionths of
an inch-or with 1874 900 miles per second.
"a
Pioneers In science often fix more than one
set of standards, to the infinite embarrassment
of their successors. Just now chemists are
seeking to decide upon the important matter Of
unit of atomic weights, and after much con-
troversy have agreed to disagree. Primitive
chemistry was satisfied to give hydrogen the
atomic weight of and oxygen 16. This is not
sufficiently exact for modern requirements. for
il hydrogen be fixed at oxygen will really be
only 1888, and If oxygen be rated as 10 then by
drogen will rise to 1.O08. This small difference
has become important. After its years Of de-
liberation the international Committee on
VRn4~ - e&fT G~.Iz zI.1~ -.
equally divided between the two standards, and
so, instead of selecting one, they have published
two lists of carefully revised atomic weights of
all elements now known. one list placing oxygen
at 10 and the other based upon hydrogen att. 1t
is interesting to note that while the report was
being printed the German Chemical Society de-
cided emphatically in favor of oxygen at 10.
"a
Plating iron objects with cadmium is the in
teresting new metallurgical achievement of q
German chemist. The bath is prepared by dis
solving cadmium chloride in water, precipita-
ting with sodium carbonate solution, and dis
solving the washed precipitate while still moist.
in a solution of potassium cyanide in water.
Cadmium anodes are used, with current of 4 to
volts. The deposit, after bufing, has thesame
color as tin, but is harder.
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IWeHbletn century physicians are ratner SLOW
going plodders after all. Cingalese medical
books of the sixth century are stated by Sir
Henry A. Blake, Governor of Ceylon, to have
described 81 varieties of mosquitoes and 424
kinds of malarIal fever caused by mosquitoes.
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An thermometer at San Francisco showed a
wind velocity of over 100 miles an hour on May
10, 1902 At the mountain observatory on Puy
de Dome 156 miles an hour was recorded on De-
cember Q, 1901.