Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1906-08-10

explain. The stars appear to shine
from slightly luminous background,
and in recent paper q. j. Burns, q
British astronomer, considered that
the total light may be roughly taken
as equal to that of 1000 first magni.
tude stars, while the light of all stars
visible at one time has been estimated
as equal only to that of 70 first
magnitude stars. A common theory
is that the light of the sky is due to
| telescopic stars. If this were the sole
cause, however, the luminosity should
diminish near the horizon, but in
stead an increase In brightness is
plainly perceptible. This and a
variability in the brightness observed
at different times might be explained
by assuming that the sky's luminosity
is partly due to stratum of Iumin
GUS PARTICLES at moderate distance
from the earth.
The origin of the diamond has been
long in dispute. When the stones of
South Africa we're traced from the
river gravels to the "blue ground''-
an agglomerate filling the pipes of
old volcanoes-it was supposed that
the real matrix had been discover ed &,
but 1t has since appeared that the
diamonds were picked up by this rock
from an older rock pierced by the
volcanic eruptions. The government
geologist of New South Wales has
now described a small diamond from
dolerlte dyke, finding the assump-
ton justified that the crystal was
actually formed in this igneous rock
as it cooled or solidified from a
molten state.
Soap to which from one to five per
cent of naphtha acids have been
added is recommended by German
chemist as ready destroyer of
virulent disease germs.
The use of windmills for generating
electric current has given favorable
results in the tests sfor the Danish
Government made at Askow by Prof.
La Cour. The four-wing wheel proves
to be the best form. With such a
wheel having Is square yards of sur
face, he obtained two horsepower
from wind of 20 feet per second,
and ten horse power from a wind of
30 feet per sec ond. AS reserve power
when there is no wind, a small petrol
motor has been more satisfactory and
less expensive than storage battery.
The Askow plant cost S4700, lnclud-
ing land, and the annual expense of
operation is sl65. 1t feeds $50 IN
candescent lamps, with some arc
lamps and motors. A smaller outfit,
costing about $1,000, is recommended
for farm purposes, and a number of
these windmill electric plants are
already running in Denmark.
The radlum- collecting laboratory
of Prot. BateIli. st the mineral
springs of San GinIuano, near Pisa,
is an experiment whose outcome will
be awaited with interest. The radio
active water is continuously pumped
into vacuum receptacle about 30
feet above the spring, and this separ-
ates the gas-consisting of carbonic
anhydride and nitrogen CARRYING
practically all of the radium emana-
tion-and conducts it to gasometer,
while the water escapes through a dis
charge pipe. The gas is then Iique-
lied by a compression in brass re-
tainer. As it is drawn off by stop
cock, most OF the anhydride is left
behind, and the rest is removed by
caustic soda solution, the gas then
| remaining being filtered through
pumice soaked in sulphuric acid to
abstract the water, and finally cooled
in bath of liquid air. This Iique-
lies the radium emanation, when the
nitrogen is passed off through tube.
The roaring heard when the hand
covers the ear has been traced by a
physiological experimenter to the
muscles of the palm and arm when at
work. The sound was absent when
the ear was closed by book, and the
roaring became louder as the tension
If the muscles was increased.
Quite violent explosions, with
sparks and flashes of light, have been
noticed by Herr Doermer on hammer
Ing calcium on an anvil, and the pre-
sence of rust on the iron seemed to
increase the explosibility. One sug-
gestIon is that absorbed hydrogen
might produce the phenomenon. DR..
| Ohmann has made extensive observa-
tions which indicate that the explos
Ion is due to a vaporIZation Of the
metal near the edge, where the pres
sure is greatest, and a com bination OF
the vapor with atmospheric oxygen.
In pure oxygen the flashes were much
more brilliant. Similar results were
obtained with other metals, sodium
and potassium yielding colored
flames, lithium emitting brilliant
| flashes with report and sparks, and
powdered aluminium and magnesium
giving sparks without explosion.
The hydraulic power now used IN
Switzerland for running electric
plants is estimated at more than 225,
900 horse power, of which 40 per cent
is employed for electric lighting, Il