Amador ledger., 1906-01-19
SCIENTIFIC
MISCELLANY
Rsported weekly for the Legder.

IS Rsported weekly for the Legder.
~~~~-~-~.~~~~-~~~~-~~s~
The Perpetual CIock.-Fcrces Thai
Shape Comets. Progress in Radio
theraphy. = The New Alchemy. =
Upper-Air Seasons. ns.-Volcanic Silver.
Power from Earth Currents. - A
Novel Engine.
The radium clock described some
months ago by the Hon. K. j. Strut
is now manufactured by a London
chemist. It consists essentially OF
a small glass In which twelfth of q
grain OF radium is supported by rod
Of quartz in an exhausted glass vessel,
the lower end Of the tube containing
an elecsroscope Of two aluminium
films. Treatment with phosphoric
acid renders the surface of the glass
conductive. The positive charge
received from the radium expands
the leaves of the electroscope until
they touch the sides of the tube, when
they are discharged to earth and the
leaves fall together. This is repeated
at intervals of one minute, the esti-
mate being that action will continue
several thousand years.
The tails Of comets are found by
Prof. Barnard to be shaped by several
causes in addition to the suns repul-
sion. Short, straight minor tails,
issuing from the nucleus at consider
able angles to the main tail, seem to
be due to an eruptive force of the
comet itself, and the rapid deflections
or distortions of the tail or tails sug-
gest the existence of some resisting
medium that Is not evenly distributed
through interplanetary space.
In the rabies treatment of Tizzoni
and Bongiovanni, Italian physicians,
radium has had effective action both
upon the virus and the animals.
Exposure to radium rays has convert
ed the virus into very active vaccine,
protecting animals against deadly in
oculations with virus; and exposures
of several hours daily for six days.
begun from 10 to 100 hours after IN
oculation, have reduced the fever and
caused the recovery of the animals
experimental upon, while all untreat-
ed animals similarly inoculated soon
died.
In radlum, we are told has been
found the philosopher stone of the
alchemists' dreams. 1t may not trans
mute the baser metals into gold and
silver, but it seems to. have opened
the gate to the secrets of NATURE 8
laboratory, Eshowing us that uranium
may be parent substance, and that
Iadinm itself breaks up into helium
and perhaps lead. Mr. Donald Murray,
Of London, has brought to notice
curious groupings Of metals that
suggest further transmutations. Lead
and silver are almost invariably found
together in mines, although they
have little chemical attraction, and
there are reasons for inferring that
silver is a disintegration product of
lead. In the same way we may con-
clude that copper is changing to gold.
This view is meeting with approval,
and long ridiculed idea is gradually
developing into fundamental prin-
ciple of twentieth century science.
Balloon soundings. have shown
surprisingly low temperatures in the
upper air. At st. Louis in December,
1901, A. l.. Rotch recorded 10 de-
grees below zero at 48, 544 feet; while
at Vienna, r. NImfuhr, on March 2,
1905, obtained a record of 12l degrees
below zero at only 81, S72 feet. Mid
summer seems to come In October
and. midwinter in April. This is
thought to have an important effect
at the earth's surface, as the cold,
heavy overlying stratum gives the
atmosphere unstable equilibrium,
producing the variable weather of
early spring; while In October the
upper stratum is warmer and that at
the surface cooler, this stable con-
dition yielding more even weather.
Silver has been thrown out by
volcanoes in two instances recorded
by, j. W. Malet. Ash from an
eruption of Cotopaxi in 1885 showed
one part of sivler in 1000; and that
rejected in 1886 by Tungurague, in
the Andes of Ecuador, contained one
part silver in LOT, 200.
The ocean contains about 2, l39
grains OF salt and other solids per
gallon, and the Dead Sea about 10, 700
grains per gallon.
Electrical currents constantly ira
verse the earth in general but vary
ing direction from northwest to
southeast, at an angle of about 10
degrees with the geographical lneri-
dian. A Belgian astronomer, M.
Guarini, contends that these currents
are due to the action Of the sun and
the earth with its atmosphere as a
gigantic dynamo, the sun being the
magnetic inductor and the earth the
revolving armature with the atmos-
phere and the superficial crust as two
mi nd inna Tho oarfh,s rntnf inn de-