The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-12-20
OLD Tim CANS.
The Way They Finally Disappear From
Human Sight.


Human Sight.
Few people realize what becomes OF
all the old tin cans, tin pans, kettles
buckets, coal hods and the like. They
finally disappear from human sight
and knowledge and are seen no more.
Science shows that they evaporate.
When tin can Is cast away and for
saken it begins its downward course
by becoming rusty. The tin oxidizes or
| in other words, unites with the oxygen
surrounding 1t in the atmosphere, and
the oxide Of tin gradually takes leave
| of the iron by evaporating into the air,
while some of it is washed away by
the rain into the earth. After the tin
is gone the iron of the can follows the
same course that has been pursued by
the tin. 1t oxidiZes and becomes the
familiar reddish brown substance
known as iron rust. The metals have
no wills of their own, no affinities, no
understandings, and therefore no in
tentions as to their present or future
course. They do nothing Of them
selves. But electrical forces do their
work for them. These forces unite the
atoms of the metals with those of the
oxygen. Then the molecules of these
oxides are carried away by the atmos-
pheric electricity and disposed of ac-
cording to circumstances.
If small bottle or other piece of
glass be placed on damp ground and
an old wornout tin bucket is turned
over it, the particles of iron oxide will
be taken away by electric currents
from the old bucket and will be de-
posted partly on the glass, the re
mainder going into the air and the
earth. Deposits of iron and other met
ais are thus carried around by cleo
tricity in the atmosphere from place
to place all over the earth. Chlorine
by electric power picks up atoms of
where they are as much at home as
salt. All metals can exist in Il state
Of vapor; therefore they are to be
found not only in the atmosphere
around this earth, but also in the at
mosphere around the sun and the
stars. If a ray of sunlight is bent out
Of its course, as it is by drops of water
in the case of the rainbow, the familiar
seven colors of red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo and violet are
spread out side by side. When these
spectra or streaks of light are scientif-
ically investigated about 500 dark lines
are formed also among the colors, and
these lines represent shadows cast by
elemental substances in the atmoS-
pheres of the earth and the sun. Light
made artificially and not passing
through the atmosphere of the earth
and the sun does not have these dark
lines.
By means of the spectroscope, a grad"
ually invented instrument now in use,
but credited to several scientists, we'll
known elements have been compelled
to register their addresses in bands of
light. Among the first to write them
selves down were sodium, potassium,
magnesium, calcium, chromium, nickel
and iron. And the same apparatus
led to the discovery of new metals,
such as cesium, rubidium and thallium.
All these are found to be in the suns
atmosphere. By means of the spectre
scope the one hundred millionth part
of a grain Of sodium in common salt
becomes as discernible and unmistak-
able as the side of a house. This Won
derful modern instrument has enabled
scientists to find out what the peo-
pie who inhabit the planets in the
solar system of the dog star Sirius, for
example, have to eat, for without nj
trogen they could have no beans OF
spring peas, without sulphur no mus
tard, horseradish and water crosses or
anything of the kind, although the peo-
pie would be confined to vegetable diet
They would also be without light bis
cult for breakfast or any fermented
iquors.-Baltimore American