The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-09-05
HISTORY OF THE THRRmOMETER.

could only judge of the amount of
heat prevailing at any place by their
personal sensations, and could only
speak of the weather in very indefi-
mite way as hot or very hot, cold or
very cold. In that century several
attempts were made by scientific ex-
periments by means of tubes contain
ing oil, spirits of wine and other SUBJ
stances to establish a satisfactory
means of measuring heat, but none..of
them proved successful. Even Sir
Isaac Newton, who applied his great
mind to this work, and also the noted
astronomer, HALEY, failed in their at
tempts to produce heat measure.
1t was reserved to Gabriel Daniel
Fahrenheit, an obscure and poor man,
native of Dantzic, says Washing
ton paper, to give to the world the
instrument which has proved to be 80
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failed in business as merchant, and
having a taste for mechanics and
chemistry, began series of expert
ments for the production of the ther-
mometers. At first he made these
instruments with alcohol, but soon
became convinced that the semi-solid
mercury was more suitable article
to use in the glass tube.
Fahrenheit had removed from
Dantzic to Amsterdam, and there,
about the year 1920, he made the
mercury thermometer which has ever
since been fashioned much like the
original.
The basis of his plan was to mark
on the tube the two points, resrec-
lively, at which water is CONCEALED
and boiled and to graduate the space
between. He began with an arbi-
trary marking, beginning with 81 de-
grees, because he found that the mer-
curry descended 81 degrees more be-
fore coming to what he thought the
extreme cold resulting from mix
ture of ice water and sal ammoniac.
In 1854 he published a distinct trea-
tise on the subject of his experiments
and the conclusion that had resulted
therefrom.
Celsius of Stockholm, soon after
suggested the more rational gradua-
ton of 100 degrees between the freez-
ing and boiling point. This was the
centigrade thermometer. Reaumur
proposed another graduation, which
has been accepted by the French, but
by far the largest part of the civilized
world Fahrenheit's scale has been ac-
cepted and used, with 32 degrees as
freezing, 55 degrees as temperate, 90
degrees as blood heat and 212 degrees
as boiling point.
1t is true that the zero of Fahren-
heit's scale is a solecism, since it does
not mark the extreme to which heat
can be distracted. This little blem-
ish, however, does not seem to have
been of any practical consequence.
One of the most amusing accidents
Imaginable happened to an old gentle
man in one of our large eastern cities.
He was asked to buy ticket to fire.
mans ball and good naturedly COM
piled. The next question was what
to do with it. He had two servants,
either of whom would be glad to use
it, but he did not wish to show favor
itism.
Then it occurred to him that he
might buy another ticket and give
both his servants pleasure. Not
knowing where the tickets were sold,
he inquired of policeman, and the
officer suggested that he go to the
engine house. So the old gentleman
went to the engine house that even
ing, but there was no one in sight.
He had never been in such place
before and stood for moment or so
uncertain how to make his presence
known.
Presently he saw an electric button
on the side of the room, and he put
his thumb on it.
The effect was electrical in every
sense of the word. Through the
ceiling, down the stairs and from
every other direction fremen came
running and falling, the horses rushed
out of their stalls, and, in short, all
the machinery of a modern engine
house was instantly in motion.
Amid all this uproar stood the in
nocent old gentleman, who did not
suspect that he had touched the FIRE
alarm until the men clamored around
him for information as to the locality
of the fire.
Then he said mildly, II should
like to buy another ticket for the ball,
if you please" )"
The situation was so ludicrous that
there was ageneral shout of laughter,
and the old gentleman bought his
ticket, and the engine house resumed d