The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-03-06
OLD TIN CANS.
fhe Way They Finally Disappear From
Human SIGHT.

Human Sight.
Few people realize what becomes %
al the old tin caus, lin pans, kettles,
buckets. coal hods and the like. They
fnally disappear from human sight
and knowledge and are seen no more.
Science shows that they evapornte.
When n tin can Is cast away and for-
saxon It begins It's downward course
by becoming rusty. The tln oxidizes or.
Ia other words. unltes With the oxygen
surrounding It IN the atmosphere aud
the oxide of tin gradually takes leave
Of the iron by evaporatlng 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
eame course thlt has been pursued by
the thu It oxidizes and becomes the
familiar reddish brown substance
known as iron rust The metnls haye
no Wills of their own. no aiiinlties. no
understandings. and therefore 10 Ia
tentions as to their present or future
course. They do nothing Of them
selves. But electrical forces do theii
work for them. These forces unite the
atomN Of the metals with those of the
oxygen Then the molecules Of these
oxi, Is are carried away by the atnios-
phe le electricity aud disposed Of ac
coming to circumstances.
II small bottle or other piece OF
glars be placed on damp ground and
an old wornout tin ancket Is turned
over it. the particles OF iron oxide will
be taken sway By electric currents
fran the old bucket and viii be dc
posted partly ON the glass. the re
mulnder going into the air ana the
earth. Deposits OF iron and other met
ais are thus carried around by elec
tricity in the atmosphere from place
TO place all over tie earth Chlorine
by electric power picks up atoms Of
gold anu goes with them 60 the ocean,
where they are as much at home as
salt All metals can exist la a state
Of vapor: therefore they are TO be
found not only ih the atmosphere
around this earth. but also In the at
nospherc around the sun ana the
stars lf ray Of sunlight IS bent out
OF Its course. rs 1t is by drops OF water
In the case of the rainbow. tile famiia
seven colors OF red. orange. yellow
green. blue. indigo and violet ar
spread out side by side When the
spectra or streaks Of light are scienti
icallg investigated about 600 dark lines
are formed also among the colors. ana
those lines represent shadows cast BY
elemental Substances In the atmos.
pberes Of The earth and the sun. Light
made artfeially 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. well
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 thc same apparatus
led 70 the discovery OF new metals
such as cesium. ruhidium and thallium
All these are found to be in the suns
etht',l lih'AN' D9 hi'Aio "a tut NiltttlN
scope the one hundred miliionth part
Of grain OF sodium IN common salt
becomes as discernlbe and uumistak
able ms the side Of a house. This won
derful modern instrument has enabled
scientists 70 find out what the pe0
pie who inhabit tho planets ia the
solar system OF the dog star Sirius. foi
example have TO eat, for without nj
trogen they could have no beans OF
spring peas. without sulphur no mus
tard, horseradsh and water crosses OF
anything Of the kind, although the peo
pie would be confined TO vegetable diet
They would also be without light his
euit for breakfast or any fermentee
liquors. Baltimore American.