Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-07-10

The rapid development of the in
Candescent lamp in recent months has
brought not only metallic filaments
such as tantalum and tungsten, but
has given a greater novelty in the
helion lamp of Parker and Clark, in
asmuch as this tllament can be used
without the usual high vacuum. This
property is of great advantage for
lamps exposed to shock such as those
on battleships, where a few minutes
of guniDg destroys all vacuum bulbs.
The new flament is made by Clash
ing" the ordinary car bon flament in
Il special mixture of gases that gives
thick deposit of helion, and added
resistance to air can be given by heat
ing in gases to transform the surface
into silicon oxide and silicon nitride.
Hellon, a substance not yet under
stood, is supposed to be a hitherto
unknown allotropic form of silicon.
1t endures higher temperature than
carbon, the filament is larger and
shorter, and the lamp has longer life
than the old one as we'll as much
reduced consumption Of current for
the same light.
For more than half century 1t
has been understood that the lateral
line Of scales along each side of fishes
is connected to a special nerve. The
use of these lateral organs has been
a matter of much speculation, but the
late experiments of Hofer seem to
show that their chief function is the
perception of water currents. They
supply new sense in place of the
lacking sense of touch. They cause
blindtolded fish to stop and turn
aside within an inch of solid object,
lead to streams and spawning brooks,
and keep the fish world informed and
warned.
The strings ofEbeads or pearls that
some observers have seen as much as
second IN the wake of lightning
flashes are attributed by DR.. W. j. s.
Lookyer to incandescence of the air.
A scientific study of the effects of
motoring has failed to show A.
Mouneyrat, French psychologist,
that it causes serious nervous distur-
bance and other troubles, as has been
alleged, but he finds, on the other
hand, that it is powerful stimulant
to circulation, nervous system and
respiration, giving just the action
that recommends it as remedy for
such complaints as anaemia. sleep
lessness, loss of appetite, etc. IL
some disorders high-speed travel
tends to cure when other treatment is
entirely without effect. The investi-
gator himself made a nunb Der of auto
mobile tours, at all seasons nf the
year, and on these trips, averaging
over eight days each, he covered from
go to l25 miles per day, at an average
speed of % miles and hour. A strik-
ing and invariabIe effect is the in
blood, which in an anAemic individual
WAS more than 30 per cent on an 3
days tour. The general influence is
that of stay in the mountains at
height of 1000 to 5000 feet, and both
normal and anaemic persons are
affected, though in different degree.
Sleep and appetite are increased in
all.
The fragility of iGcandescent gas
mantles is serious drawback to
their use, but more durable fabric
seems to have resulted at last from
the experiments of German chemists.
The mantles now so familiar have
tissue of cotton or ramie on which
oxides OF thorium and cerium have
been pIecipitated. Attempts to use
other natural iberH have failed, and
the successful new material is an
artificial silk made by dissolvin9
ceilulose in ammoniate of copper.
This silk mantle takes up thorium
nitrate, which ammonia changes in
the fiber to hydroxide of thorium.
The thorlum silk does not kabsorb
moisture like the old mautles, and it
has many times as great resistance to
shock.
The cameras estimated record is
100, 100000 stars, but a British
astronomer is to attempt actual
count, using microscopic gauge in
going over the several hundred plates,
each with 10000 to 10000 stars.
Cameras carried by kites have been
long recognized as important for