The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-08-08
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Signaling the Earthquakes-Wicke
Boats-A New Draft Animal--Electric
Heat from Common Stoves-Gas Made
Heavy-New Proof AL
1oys-The Electrified Teredo.
An earthquake warning service is the latest
device of science for safeguarding human inter-
ests against natural phenomena. For a number
OF years great earthquakes in any part of the
globe have been first made known at the seismol-
ogical observatories of Germany and Italy. the
shocks being often indicated by the instruments
several days in advance OF telegraphic news, and
since the San Francisco and Valparaiso earth
Quakes the indications at the three stations of
Graz, Hamburg and Strassburg have been
promptly combined to show just where the great
disturbance took place. The time of beginning
of the first, second and principal shocks being
known from the tracinRs the durations of the
two preliminary phases is determined when the
distance of the epicentre can be calculated by
known formula. Circles corresponding to these
distances are drawn around the stations on
globe. and an intersecting point is found that is
the exact location Of the earthquake. On Dec.
1905. tracings of the previous day at Strassburg
and Hamburg alone were found to locate
an earthquake in the Lesser Antilles. Three
days later news of the earthquake of Kingston,
Jamaica, was telegraphed from New York, and
not until the 18th was the date known as the Sd
and not the 5th..
The novel life-boat of G. j. f. de Vos, of Rot
terdam. has hull made entirely of cane or wick
erwork. and is claimed to possess numerous adj
vantages. 1t is practically unbreakable and
unsuitable. It is not liable to leakage. requires
no protective painting, is cheaper than other
boats, lighter than ordinary wooden boats, and
has more than the usual room for storing pro-
sss','''- '.-''A --'->~-----
Among the rapidly disappearing wild animals
is tho Gland or Cape elk, which is a native of
South Africa and one of the largest of the ante
lopes, and is especially priced as furnishing the
best of all venison. Schemes for preservation
include plan for DEMONSTRATING it and making
it perform an important share of the farm work
of Cape Colony. The beast is easily captured,
thrives under the new conditions, and in an ex-
pertinent in the M'Chekwe district of Mashona-
land two Gland spans were used Cor consider
able time for drawing wagons. proving docile
and tractable. Healthy calves were born In
captivity. The animal seems to be proof against
the common diseases of farm stock, and its flesh
is desirable for beef and its hide for leather.
sFs
The ordinary parlor stove is used by Herr
Gutzah, Of Berlin, as a receptacle for an electric
radiator-conssting of wire or carbon of suit
able resistance,-and in this way is converted
into an electric heater more satisfactory than
those hitherto tried. Too great local drying Of
the air is usual fault of electric heating. With
the new arrangement the air circulation pro-
duced by the stove rapidly distributes the heat
and at the same time gives ventilation and pre-
vents excessive drying. The ordinary current
consumption warns an average room in about
an hour. With the large tile stoves so common
in Germany the heat is retained long time. and
the cost of keeping the room comfortable is
moderate.
Gas so dense as to sink in liquid was singu-
lar result of late experiment by DIR. Hammer
Hugh Onnes. A mixture of hydrogen and helium
in capillary tube plunged into liquid hydrogen
was compressed beyond 40 atmospheres. when
the hydrogen became almost entirely iquefed
and bubble of helium was seen to descend into
it. As the pressure was released, the helium
rose again and foated on the surface of the
liquid.
The large animals of the worlds land seemed
to have become known long ago, and much sur
prise was caused when, in 1900 Sir Harry John
ston announced the discovery in the Kongo Free
state OF the okapi, curiously colored new
ruminant combining characteristics of the gi-
raffe and the deer. This creature is extremely
rare and shy, however, so that even now few
museums have been able to secure specimens
for study, the geological museum of Harvard
University being one of the fortunate ones.
There are still some regions, especially in North
western China, that offer possibilities of future
discoveries of mammals. and some skins lately
sent to London by Mason Mitchell, of the Ameri-
can Consular Service, differ materially from
those of animals already recorded. One of these
of China and Tibet that is usually brownish or
golden yellow in color. The new specimen ia
gray, and this color is believed tomark totally
distinct race, for which the name of Budorcas
taxieolor MITCHELL has been proposed. Another
interesting skin is that of a reddish cat-evi-
IDENTIFY Chinese race Of the widely scattered
bay-cat-which British authority would name
Felis temmincki MITCHELL.
81
When such substances as glass or porcelain
cannot be used for acid-proof apparatus plati-
mum has been the one material available, but
for many purposes this is too costly. As sub
stitute, M. Jouve. French engineer, has an
nounced series of alloys which he calls "metil-
lures" These are silicides of iron and manga
nese, with large percentage of silicon, and
they are so resistant to strong acids hot or cold,
that they have been employed in distilling nitric
acid and in concentrating sulphuric acid.
-
An accidental observation has shown Thomas
Prudden that weak electric current will pro-
tect wooden piles from the borings of the teredo.
which is so destructive to wharves and sea-im-
mersed structures.