The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-09-15
kkMNSCienCe
|Ii1VentiOn


| HApioSiNe rock mas Deen reported
from the north Of the Tauern tunnel in
Austria. The rock Is in such compress
sion that, without warning. slabs sew.
F., eral yards in dimensions will be sud.
denly hurled from one wall to the 9TH
er. Fatal accidents have resulted.
San Francisco's earthquake was felt
and duly registered by the seismograph
or the Zikawei observatory, near Shang-
hal, China. The perturbation was rath.
er strong, and the connections propa-
gated through the earth's crust lasted
little over one hour and thirty four
minutes.
Pontypool, England, Is anxious about
the electric cable that runs through tho
town The corporation surveyor asserts
that several horses have taken fright
owing to the electric current catching
their shoes and throwing them on their
launches. A town councillor said tho
streets were full of current" and that
the town might be blown up at any
moment"
Acetylene Is being used as an ex.
plosive In Germany, where 1t has prov.
en- disappointing as an illuminant. Each
cartridge contains an ounce and three.
fourths of calcium carbide, yielding
about sixteen quarts Of acetylene, and
after wetting the carbide the confined
mixture of generated gas and air In
exploded by an electric spark. In blast.
Ing the rock Is not thrown out. but In
broken up into pieces small enough to
be readily removed.
In liquefying helium, the last Of the
gases that have been thought to be per-
manent, Olszewski has reached a tenn.
perature of 271.3 degrees below zero
Centigrade. This is a cold about IL
degrees greater than Dewar obtained
three years ago In llQuefying hydrogen,
and Is within about 2 degrees Of the
supposed absolute zero. The question
has now been raised whether 273.7 de-
grees below the freezing point of water
Is really the absolute zero.
The continuous expansion of the steel
Industry, and the consequent call for
Improvement In the qualities of the
metal, have led to many experiments
that have produced, In some cases. sur.
prising results. Every one knows the
extraordinary effects of mingling q lit.
tie nickel with steel. But the POSSIBLE. |
tiles of steel alloys have apparently
only just begun to be explored. One
OF the latest of the valuable results at. |
tained by the experlmenters Is due to
an intermixture of little vanadium.
Steels containing from 2 to IL per
cent of nickel have both their tensile
strength and their elastic limit m.
creased by the addition of not more
than l per cent of vanadium. This In
especially true when the steel is tenn.
pered by heating to about $50 degrees
Centigrade, aud cooling In water at
atmospheric pressure.
1t is generally known that the colors
Of vegetation vary In intensity In a di.
rect ratio to the amount of sunlight
combined with GOODNESS of temperature,
within certain limits. Examples are
the intense redness of apples grown In
climates, and the deep colors
Of Alpine vegetation. But the soil, and
other influences, also have an effect
upon plant colors. Henry Kraemer has
recently experimental upon the artih-
cial control Of the colors Of plants
through the introduction Of chemicals
into the soil they grow in. In very
small quantities such chemicals are abb
'orbed without apparent injury, but the
affect upon the colors Is slight. Yellow
roses, for instance. appeared to become
ieeper in color under the influence of
aluminium sulphate and potassium sui.
ohate. With the use Of these same
chemicals the petals of the white car
,ation showed a tendency to develop
ed streaks, whereas when fed with
sulphate, aluminium sui.
'hate. iron citrate and citric acid, scar.
ct carnations tended to form white
freaks