The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-01

OLD TIN CANS.

OF all the ola TIN cans, TIL pans, Ket-
ties, buckets, coal hods and the like.
They finally disappear from human
sight and knowledge and are seen no
more. Science shows that they evap-
crate. When tin can is cast away
and forsaken it begins its downward
course by becoming rusty. The tin
oxidizes or, in other words, unites
with the oxygen surrounding it in the
atmosphere, and the oxide of tin grad
ually takes leave of the iron by evap-
Grating into the air, while, some oft
is washed away by the rain into the
earth. After the tin is gone the iron
of the can follows the same course
that has been pursued by the tin. 1t
oxidizes and becomes the familiar red
dish brown substance known as iron
rust. The metals have no wills of
their own, no afinities, no understand
ings, and therefore no intentions as to
their present or future course. They
do nothing of themselves. But elec-
trical forces do their work for them.
These forces unite the atoms of the
metals with those of the oxygen.
Then the molecules of these oxides are
carried away by the atmospheric cleo
tricity and disposed of according to
circumstances.
If small bottle or any other piece
of glass be placed on damp ground
and an old wornout tin bucket IS
turned over it, the particles of iron
oxide will be taken away by electric
currents from the old bucket and will
be deposited partly on the glass, the
remainder going into the air and the
earth. Deposits of iron and other
metals are thus carried around by elec-
tricity in the atmosphere from place
to place all over the earth. Chlorine
by electric power picks mp atoms of
gold and goes with them to the ocean,
where they are as much at home as
salt. All metals can exist in state
of vapor; therefore they are to be
found not only in the atmosphere
around this earth, but also in the at
mosphere around the sun and the
stars. If a ray of sunlight is bent out
of its course, as it is by drops of water
in the case of the rainbow, the famil-
iarseven colors of red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo and violet are
spread out side by side. When these
spectra or streaks of light are scientif-
ically investigated about 500 dark
lines are formed also among the colors,
and these lines represent shadows
cast by elemental substances in the
atmospheres of the earth and the sun.
Light made artifcially and not pass
ing through the atmosphere of the
earth and the sun does not have these
dark lines.
BY means of the spectroscope, a
gradually invented instrument now in
use, but credited to several scientists,
well znswn-eleHents have been COM.
PEELED to REGISTER their addresses in
bands of light. Among the first to
write themselves down were sodium,
potassium, magnesium, calcium, chro-
MUM, nickel and iron. And the
same apparatus led to the discovery
of new metals, such as cesium, rubi-
dium and thallium. Ali these are
found to be in the suns atmosphere.
BY means of the spectroscope the one
hundred millionth part of grain of
sodium in common salt becomes as
discernable and unmistakable as the
side of a house. This wonderful
modern instrument has enabled scien-
lists to find out what the people who
inhabit the planets in the solar system
of the dog star Sirius, for example,
have to eat, for without nitrogen
they could have no beans or spring
peas, without sulphur no mustard,
horseradish and water crosses or any
thing of the kind, although the peo-
pie would be confined to vegetable
diet. They would also be without
light biscuit for breakfast or any fer
mented liquor. .-Baltimoye Anss,1can.