The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-08-31
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

COrvssOndsncs Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
The Cheapest Light-Quality of Common
Paints-Spectacles for Stammering-A
Prompt Fire-Alarm-The Marvel of In
sect Byes-Compreseed Air in Mining
Artificial Plants-Rubber from Wheat
Portable Wireless.
Lusol is impure benzene from coal-tar. It s
used in various lamps devised by Louis Denay-
rouze-these lamps being now under trial In
France,-and is claimed to be the cheapest ilu-
minant known, the light costing only fifth
= much as the same amount from kerosene and
ue-tenth of that from electricity. With care
- ming the lamps, the material proves to be
w. safe. The lamps are specially designed to
cain the thin volatile liquid, and have cotton
wick leading the lusol from the reservoir to the
vaporizing chamber. from which the vapor es-
capes through fine hole under the incandescent
mantle. Large street lamps require simple
mechanism for giving air pressure to aid the
capillarity of the wick in forcing the lusol up
ward. The Disadvantages of the lamps are the
necessity of filling. and the time required to
generate little vapor before lighting.
sss
Exposing many oil and water colors in his
studio window for six years, g. Bakenhas, a Ger
man painter. has found the following to be I'M
Affected by light: Krems white, zinc white,
Naples yellow, cadmium yellow, light ocher,
terra pozzuoli. italian red, English red, red and
blue ultramarine, cobalt blue, chrome oxide,
permanent green, cobalt green. raw and burnt
sienna and lumber, Cassel brown, Van Dyke
brown, and thin asphalt. Paris blue. Berlin blue,
PrussIan blue. madden brown, madden purple,
ohr and Lab
lakes, carmine, and vermilion we're much altered
or wholly destroyed.
Cases of stammering are reported by English
opticians to have been cured by fitting glasses
to correct defect Of the eyes.
sss
The Leslie Walker fire-detector, which has
letefy RixsE warnings Of British fires, is novel
md ingenious device for giving instantaneous
alarms. It is attached to the ceiling. and con-
sists OF thin-walIed tube or reservoir of mer
curry in horizontal position, connected by ca
pillary tube to an upright branch reservoir at
one end, and at the other end Joined to small
upright empty tube having three platinum con-
facts connected with electric bell circuits.
Ordinary slow changes of Experimentation
OF the seasons or artificial heating and lighting
cause the expanding mercury to flow through
the capillary tube and rise in the branch reser-
voirleaving the contacts unaffected because the
mercury does not readily enter an empty tube.
With quick rise In temperature, however, the
capillary bore offers such resistance that the
mercury is forced back into the contact-tube.
A slight blaze sends the mercury to the first
contact. giving one alarm, but If the flames are
not speedily extinguished further rise sounds
the danger alarm as the second contact is
reached. The lighting of a newspaper in room
IS feet square by 45 feet high was signaled in 10
seconds.
The number of facets in the eyes of insects is
the little known subject that has been taken up
By g German entomologist. He has patiently
made counts In $50 species of Beetles and finds
that the number Is more numerous in large
specimens. but that there is usually little diff
ference In the sexes. In some cases, however,
the male has many more than thefemale. In LAM
pyris splendidula the males eye has $500 facets
and the females only 800; and the male eye of
NeIoIontha vulgaris has $500 while the female
reaches 1850.
The pneumatic locomotives of large German
mines have an air tank in place of the boiler in
steam locomotives. The air Is stored at pres
sure of 700 to 1000 pounds per square inch, and
It, expansion gives q safe, reliable and cheap
power.
-
The creation OF life by artificial means is no
new dream. and no man can say it is impossible,
but to most scientific men the achievement
seems still far away. Among those whose phe- |
nomena have been strongly suggestive of life is
Prof. Leduc. of Nantes In his late experiments |
before the Paris Society of Surgeons he used
tube containing geatine and a small quantity |
of cyanide of iron, potassium and salt, and in |
this he placed some grains composed of sulphate |
Of copper and sugar globules less than one
twenty-flfth of an inch in diameter. Germina- |
ton Immediately began In these grains. Some
pushed forth tiny branches with leaves like
those of the water-lily, others formed blades |
resembling wheat, and still others took the
shape of seaweed. The experimenter affirmed
that these plants lacked only the power of re-
producing their kind.
The cereal rubber of VIM. Threlfall Carr an
English inventor, was suggested by the obser-
vati0n-familar to country boys-that the chew
ing of wheat grains produces sticky, gummy
mass. Experiment showed that the ptyalin of
the saliva acts as a ferment and combines with
starch to form dextrose, which special treat
ment converts into rubber. The ptyalin of sa-
Iva Is found to be essential, but this has been
obtained in remarkable quantity from hogs.
Different kinds of rubber result from arresting
tho fermentation, and the six grades so far pro-
duced are designed for waterproofng, tubes
and other flexible material, tires, floor cover
ings. paving and golf balls. Unlike other rub
Der substitutes, this can be vulcanized or hard
ened BY sulphur.
-"
The wireless telegraph of the German army
can be transported and set up by eight or ten
men, and two men operate the station. The
apparatus consists of sixty-foot steel pole in
eight sections, with steel guy ropes, complete
Nding and receiving outfit, folding tables and
rs, and bicycle dynamo that can be worked
~ man.