The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-29
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Progress in Firelees Cooking-Placee to
Grow Tall--A Telescope Microscope
Combination-Radium Perpetual Motion
"A New Guess at an Old Riddle-Stren-
uous Surgery ictures by Wireless
Copper Distribution.
Fireless or self cooking stoves, which have
been so popular in Germany for a number Of
years, have been recently much improved. The
early type were simply boxes made with double
walls so as to retain the heat, and food to be
boiled or stewed was first thoroughly heated
and then enclosed in box for a sufficient time
to cook by the retained heat. The latest appa-
ratus is stated by Deputy Consul General J. W.
Dye, of Berlin, to be heated by a stone. This is
made sufficiently hot in an oven or over any
fire. then placed In the cooker with the steak or
roast, and the box is sealed up and left for an
hour or so until the food is thoroughly cooked
and hot. With double boxes, boiling, frying and
roasting may all proceed at once without care.
sSs
The difficult question of the influence of en-
vironment on the height of the human body has
been taken up by Pittard, Karmin and Kap-
peyne in the Swiss cantons, where homogene-
Gus population lives under greatly varied con-
ditions. Their results all contradict previous
beliefs. as they find that the tallest men live at
the greatest altitude in the mountains; also that
height is greater in regions less exposed to sun
light. and greater on primitive or igneous rock
than on limestone.
The "vitascope" of EnglIshinstrument maxi
ers is a novel telescope, about foot long when
closed, with lenses arranged to magnify IL dia-
metersat distance of 20 inches and 90 diameters
at inches. 1t is designed for watching insects
flowers and other small living objects. at suit
able distance, and adds greatly to the nature
students power to observe the minute life
about US.
The curious perpetual motion device of N.
Daune. Madame Curies assistant, embraces
glass globe into the upper part of which is fused
q small glass tube, closed at the bottom and left
open to the outer air at the top. A brass tube,
bearing leaf of gold forming an electroscope,
surrounds the lower part of the globe. and is
supported on insulating post of quartz up
held by brass rod On producing Crooks
vacuum in the globe and inserting bit of ra-
dunn in the little central tube, the negative
rays-or Beta Enthusiastically pass through
the thin glass. Their charge is communicated
to the enveloping brass tube. causing the ends
of the gold leaf to diverge until they touch
platinum wire, which discharges the gold-leaf
and the brass tube. A new negative discharge.
however, Immediately begins to accumulate, re-
peating the process. This continues indefinite
ly, and the gold-leaf is charged and discharged
opening and closing. in steady alienation by
very small amount of radium.
"a
The problem of right handedness, DIR. Geo. N.
Gould concludes. is solved by two military and
social facts; "a From the first use ofimplements
of ofense and defense. the left or heart side has
been protected by the shield and the left hand
has been called the shield hand (2) and the
free or right hand was not only employed for
the spear but for counting in primitive barter,
and other purposes, becoming necessarily domi-
nant in all active operations. The popularity
seems TO be entirely absent in lower animals.
Squirrels that hold nuts in their fore paws, cats
that strike at insects play with mice, and even
monkeys and gorillas, give no suggestion of pref
erence for paw eye either right or left side.
s"s
With more daylight, Capt. H. A. J. Sidney, an
ophthalmic surgeon Of the Indian Medical ser
vice, believes he would have recorded opera
tons on 100 blind people in one day. On Sep
TENDER 18th, between A. NJ. and p. NJ, he re-
moved 81 senile cataracts and congenital cata-
racts, performed two iridectomies and cut out
one pterygium, 90 of the 81 operations being en-
tirely successful.
-.
In the transmission of writing sketches or
photographs by wireless telegraphy, Signor J.
G. CULLEN Garcia, Spanish inventor, makes
use of variations set up in Hertzian waves The
transmitting apparatus includes rotating cyl
inder, on which is placed the picture or design,
and q stylus traversing the copy sheet in hell
coidal lines. Photographs are in gelatine relief
pen designs, in insulating ink. Varying thick
ness of the reliefs traversed produces variations
In an electric current, the lines in insulating ink
produce Interruptions. and the urreu4 - Trans
formed by a Heftzian transmitter into electro
magnetic waves of greater or less intensity or
broken continuity. The receiving station has a
similar synchronized cylinder. on which the cleo
trio impulses can be made to give an impression
by one of several ways. For writing and draw
iDgs, the inventor suggests that pen making a
fine line could be made to show interruptions
corresponding to the positions of the insulating
ink; while for photographs the registering line
could be varied in intensity according to the
changes in the Photographic relief.
"a
Though copper is of worldwide distribution
and the United States alone has over 8 900 copper
mining companies, w. H. Weed, the American
geologist points out that the worlds supply is
practically derived from less than $50 mines.
This includes only localities supplying 100000
pounds or more annually. OF such mines the
United States contains So; Japan, So; Chile, 81 !;
and Australia 2s but the three of these countries
produce only 10000 tons each. Mexico ranks
next to the United States in production, while
Spain ranks third. Five great mines yield three
ffths of the total production, and one mine alone
contributes one-fifth.
-.
A white patent-leather tool-bag as a rear sig
nal for bicycles. in place of a troublesome second
lamp, is a recent novel suggestion. 1t is affirmed
that this can be readily seen on the darkest
night giving motorists all the warning needed.