Amador ledger., 1906-07-27

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derstorms. Earthquake Sickness.
Rubber Faced Leather. Night
and Disease. = The Superfiuous
Stomach.
Acoutic or Chladin figures, pro-
duced IN sand by the vibrations of a
plate or membrane, are usually highly
symmetrical, but vary greatly with
the shape of the plate, the way it is
supported and set vibrating, ana
with other conditions. In showing
the possibilities of this curious kind
of plcturemakIng at late soiree of
the Condor Royal Society, Joseph
Goold strewed little magnesia on a
steel plate several feet long by three
inches wide and g inch thick, sup
ported on four rubber points near the
ends. The symmetry OF the figures
produced was modified or destroyed
at will by changing the place of small
clamps. On exciting one of two
closely tuned sets of vibrations, the
other became active, and quite extra
ordinary fluctuations resulted. The
modal line extending lengthwise along
the plate opened out into two lines,
surging to and fro. The magnesla in
each line performed extraordinary
gyrations resembling the motions of
smoke clouds, the two modal lines
across the ends separated into
peculiar spirals, and there were other
strange effects.
A singular spring lately discovered
in New Mexico discharges a saturated
solution of sodium sulphate at
temperature of ITO degrees F. The
weight OF the liquid is 10 2-3 pounds
per gallon, that of distilled water
being only 1-3 pounds. The over
flow from the spring has solidified
into a perfectly level, snow-white
bed of sodium salts, miles in extent
A street car equipped with roller
bearings, first adjusted and graphited,
has been run in Hanover without
further attention for six months. The
bearings have shown no perceptible
wear, and tests indicate an economy
in power of % per cent, while the
actual saving includes the usual cost
of olling and attendance.
The new chemistry of cold has
placed in our workshops a series of
liquid substances that have been
known hitherto only in gaseous
forms. Investigating nitrogen, Ii.
Erdmann finds that when passed from
a cylinder through a cooling worm
into cylindrical copper vessel cool
ed in liquid air, this gas can be
l1quetied in large quantities at any
pressure between OF and 2.5 atmos-
pheres, and then, on filtering, is a
perfectly colorIess mobile liquid.
Not only ice but absolute alcohol
sinks in this liquid, confirming the
estimate placing its density at D. 1914.
Having lower temperature, liquid
nitrogen is a more efficient cooling
agent than liquid air. 1t is d good
solvent for liquids of low boiling
point, and mixes in all proportions
with liquid oxygen or liquid ozone.
1t is inert toward most substances,
and even metals like calcium and
magnesium, do not readily combine
with it, but a mixture of calcium
drlllings and liquid nitrogen is
ignited by thermite and continues
to burn long time, forming calcium
nitride.
From the records of 25 years, f. j.
Brodie has found that July is the
month of the largest number OF
thunderstroms over Great Britain as
a whole. For the whole year the
largest number is over the eastern
and northern parts of Enlgand, where
mure than rs occur, while there are
less than five in the west and south
of Ireland, and at most places IN the
north of Scotland. The summer
distribution is very similar to that
for the year. The winter distri-
button is quite different, however,
and the largest numbers then occur
along the west coast of Ireland and
Scotland and the extreme southwest
of England.
Seasickness is proven by DR.. Charles
Dawson to be a common effect of
earthquakes. The feeling of nausea
may be produced by shocks lasting
not more than eight or ten second
and whose vibrations have total
range of only a small fraction of an
inch, and in one slight English earth
quake, to small to injure any build
ings about one observer in fifty was
affected. The feeling usually lasts
few minutes, though sometimes per-
sisting an hour or more
A solution of the problem of coat
Ing leather with rubber is claimed by
Joseph j. Steinharter of Philadelphia.
In his newly patented process the
leather passes under wire brush that
raises a nap on the surface, and is
then fed between two rolls, one at a
temperature of 100 degrees F., and
the other at 300 degrees, a receptacle
filled with thin unyulcaniZed rubber