The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-10-17
Correspondence Baltimore County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

An Overlooked Motor-Sampling the Up
per Air-Celllt, the Safe Celluloid-
Leaves as Photographic Lenses-Horse-
Power Told by Machine Belte-Milk as
Anti-Fat-To Steer Backing Steamers
Germless Drinking Places.
Fireless steam-locomotives are the safest of
all engines for powder mills, cotton-plants and
all places where great precaution against fire is
necessary, and they are in demand, although
electric motors take the place in underground
traction for which they we're originally intended.
Their manufacture is a considerable industry at
Tegel, near Berlin. Steam at high pressure is
not used, but the locomotive has large boiler,
and about three-fourths of the space in this is
filled with water, the other fourth with steam,
the pressure being that of the boiler at the pow
er-station. The superheating of the water keeps
up the steam for a long time. The Prussian
State Railway has been finding this locomotive
useful in covered stations for shunting as well
as for other special purposes, and In such inter-
mittent work the machine easily runs four or
five hours, operating well even when the pres
sure falls to one or two atmospheres, and pro-
pellng itself to the filling tank on one-fourth to
one-half Of an atmosphere. The reflling takes
to 10 minutes. The economy of the locomo-
0cCoe
the cost of fireman, avoids loss in transporting
fuel. seldom needs repairs, and requires no cleo
trically- equipped track.
-
Samples of pure air from height of SK miles
have been collected by Teisserenc de Bort, the
French investigator, in his observations on the
rare gases, especially argon. neon and helium.
The collecting apparatus-a vacuum tube drawn
n a M fnf Qf 0ro nd rfo6f Inv
a large sounding balloon. At the desired height
an electromagnetic device operated by a barom-
eter broke of the point admitting the air. and
few minutes later second contact sent bat
terry current through platinum wire around
the broken end, melting the glass and sealing
the tube. All samples thus obtained show argon
and neon, no helium being found in air from
above six miles.
In cellit, the perfected composition of Ger
man chemist, Consul T. Il. Norton, of Chemnitz,
sees material that must prove of great indus
trial Importance. The cellulose acetate of some
years ago, produced by the action of acetic acid
on cotton or other cellulose, was compact and
tough but of little use, but new form of cellu-
lose acetate has the valuable property of readily
dissolving in alcohol or acetic ether and espec-
tally the power of combining with camphor or
other organic substances to form plastic masses
like ordinary celluloid. These products-rang-
ing from hard and tough to soft leather-like,
even rubber-like compositions cellit. All
varieties are transparent unaffected by water,
free from brittleness, and, above ALL not readily
combustible. For many uses cellit can replace
glass, gelatin, celluloid, leather and rubber and
it offers new possibilities by supplying sub
stance hitherto wanting that is at once as trans
parent as glass and as pliable as a woven fabric.
In view of the reported fires at moving picture
exhibitions, its use for cinematograph films
seems to be the most important application yet
made.
The remarkable possibility of using leaves az
camera lenses was demonstrated by Prof Wager
at the late meeting of the British Association.
In many leaves, the outer layer is so constructed
as to act like convex lens in bringing rays of
light to focus in the interior of the Leaf and
klsrnssvls- tcEzSeS photographs have
been taken from other pictures as well as from
a living subject, and from landscapes, houses,
trees, and other objects. The clear definition in
every case justifes the claim that the plant cells
act as efficient lenses.
Afs
Each 10000 square inches of belt passing to a
machine per minute represents one horsepower
in the rule that p. v. Vernon, an English lme-
chanic, finds to agree with his experience This
is based on the estimate that the pull of work
ing belt on pulley is 1916 pounds per inch of
width. Twice this power may be transmitted by
tight double belt but this is regarded as an I'M
wise overload, though motor and machine may
have strength to stand the pull.
~
In favor of an exclusively milk diet as means
- c. n Il -
clan. urges the efficiency and simplicity of this
treatment, and the absence of hunger and thirst
and of all risk. He has worked out plan of diet
giving just milk enough tosupply the minimum
number of calories required by the normal
weight. 1t is assumed that the number of cent?
meters of PERSONS height above 100 corresponds
to the normal weight in Kilograms so that, for
example. a man measuring ITO centimeters Is
feet inches) should weigh 20 Kilograms 157
pounds). To maintain this weight, the least
number of calories required is found to vary
from l6 to II per kilogram per day, although a
workingman's full diet supplies 30 to 40 calories.
The doctors latest patient was feet inches
tall, and he weighed 29S pounds, or SO per cent.
too much. The diet prescribed was liters OK
pints) of milk per day. This food supplied 1900
calories corresponding to 1915 calories per kilo-
gram of normal weight. In 81 days, during which
he continued his usual active labors, the patient
lest nearly IS pounds in weight, and a remark
able circumstance was that an old heart trouble
seemed to have disappeared.
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The bow rudder, giving increased Vancouver
ing power to river and other light-draft steam
ers, is the invention of Alfred F. Yarrow, of the
famous Glasgow firm of shipbuilders, whose
speciality is steamers of this class. The rudder
is quickly put in place or removed. 1t slides on
a vertical shaft in front of the bow and is raised
or lowered by tackle. When in use, steering
tiler is fitted to the head of the pivot shaft.
"a
A new sanitary drinking fountain. recon-
mended for public places. throws up jet Of
water or inches when the faucet is pressed,
and the lips are held over the jet to get drink
instead of coming in contact with drinking
vessel that may have been infected with disease
germs.