Amador ledger., 1907-08-16

Petrol-aIr gas, a mixture of two
parts of petrol or gasoline with
ninety eight parts of air, has proven
an efficient illuminant as we'll as use
full fuel, and it seems to be finding
favor on isolated English estates.
One of its advantages is that of sup
plying Its own oxygen, whereas an
ordinary jet draws from the air
three times as much oxygen as the
lungs of an adult person. The pre-
viously prepared gas may be supplied
through ordinary gas-pipes, or the
liquid petrol may be led to special
burners which form the mixture,
light in either case being produced
by heating ordinary mantles to in
candescence. One gallon OF oil pro-
duces 500 cubic feet of petrol air gas,
which is claimed to be inexplosive,
and which is at least equal to coal
gas in heating power.
For number of years Prof. Co.
we'll, of the University of Maine, has
been breeding hens to increase the
yearly output of eggs, and has reached
the maximum number of 255. There
seems to be no reason why hen
should not lay more than one egg in
day. Early last year one hen
opporopfIu Iai5 fmo a00o in n e,o1Io
day, and careful watch being made,
with precautions ensuring against any
error, 1t was proven that she laid
twenty-one eggs in the eighteen days
from March q to April Z, two being
laid on each of five days.
The supposed dissipation of clouds
by the full moon has been again dis
proven, Otto Meissner shows that
clouds often tade away in the evening,
and on light night the disappear
ance is more apparent and makes a
stronger impression than wien the
clouds are not so easily seen.
In a new solution OF the peat-fueI
problem, offered by DIR. Caro- Sand
Prot. Frank of Berlin, it is proposed
to make use of the fuel energy at the
source OF the peat, generating gas in
special stills, and burning this to
produce electricity. In this process,
peat containing rs much as fifty per
cent of water could be used, whereas
in coking peat it is necessary to dry
off all but fifteen to twenty per cent
of the water. The peat coke is low
grade fuel OF too high cost to compete
with coal coke, but 1t is easy to
obtain from peat a very pure gas,
we'll suited for driving gas-englnes,
and it Is believed that these would
make it practicable for peat -moors to
compete with waterfalls as stations
for generating electric current. 1t Is
estimated that the cost of extracting
the peat and making the gas would be
covered by the profit from ammonium
suIphate, a by-product OF the gas
dIstiIlation that is valuable as a
fertilizer.
A study of the atmosphere over the
Arctic seas gives little encouragement
to balloonists seeking the Pole From
July to December of last year, Prof.
Hergesell, of Strasburg, president of
the international balloon Association,
was with the Prince of Monaco in
high ATTITUDES up to 80 degrees, and
by means of kites and small balloons
he learned many interesting facts
about the air over the polar regions.
The higher strata show VARIOUS
isothermal and inversion layers, in
dicating a perturbed state of the
atmosphere. The winds are very
irregular, those from the south being
purely local, and if any strong winds
predominant they are from the west
and would drive balloon across the
sea north of Siberia.
The determination of one man
power has received considerable at
tentlon from Rankin. AS the maxi
mum prolonged effort, it appears that
an average man, lifting his own
weight up stairway, can exert ,, 089,
| 700 foot-pounds per day of eight
hours, or about 1872 of horse power.
In turning crank for two minutes,
be has exerted II, 29U foot-pounds per
minute-a little over one-haIt horse
| power.
Metallic calcium, recently made a
commercial product at a moderate
cost, is stated by DIR. f. M. Perkin.
an English chemist, to be more
| powerful than ALUMINIUM as reduc.
| ing agent in thermite for welding and
other purposes, and in the prepare
ton of chromium, ferro-siIIcon and
other metals and alloys. When fine
turnings of 1t are mixed with ferric
oxide, and ignited by means of a fuse
of aluminium and barium, the reaction
is so intense that large part of the
mixture is thrown out of the crucible.
The reaction, however, can be CON
trolIed. and the intense heat made
useful by mixing with the contents oil
the crucibIe from 30 to 40 per cent OF
calcium tiuorIde or 10 TO 20 per cent
of calcium oxide. Calcium, now pro,
duced by eiectrolysis of fused calcium
salts, is silvery white metal, about