The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-09-11
sornNrrFrc MIscRLLANY.
Correspondence CT The Union Newa.)

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Correspondence CT The Union NewsJ
Earth Surveys by yPenduium-Our Double
Atmosphere-5wedish Electric IRON
The Gas Tugboat-Cooking in alumni
num-French orestry-Sweden's Fuel
An Austrian Fire Engine Metal Hard
ness in Coda New Itch.
The site of a vanished mountain range in India
was curiously revealed by the pendulum some
years ago. late observations having confirmed
the discovery. The pendulum, as is well known
is detected from the vertical by mountains. and
in 1902 Col Burrard, travelling southwark, found
that the northward deviation gradually dimin-
ished. then was followed by a deviation south
ward that increased. reached maximum, d.
minished and was at last succeeded by new
detection to the north. These observations, on
the vast plain of northern India, could be ex-
planned only by assuming the presence of dense
rocks where had once been q mountain range
paraellel to the Hfmalayas and $50 to $50 miles
farther south since 1904 the pendulum has been
taken along two lines perpendicular to the axis
of the Himalayas- from Chatra to
Sandakphu and Amritsar to Multan-and these
observations show that the DETECTION 25O miles
south Of the Himalayas may be dne to buried
range, although some effect must be attributed
to the deep depression between this place and
the HImalayas.
Balloon soundings have gradually separated
the air into two layers so distinct as to form
really two atmospheres. The lower, up to eight
ten miles, grows colder with height, is the re-
gion of clouds and weather disturbances, con-
tains two-thirds or three-fourths of the oxygen
and nitrogen, still more of the carbonic acid gas
and practically all of the water vapor. The up
per layer, dry and calm. floating on the lower
much like oil on water, has temperature that
is fairly uniform or rises with increase in height
from the earth.
Electric smelling has made such progress in
Sweden that ton of pig-iron produced by cleo
trio energy from natural water-power is esti-
mated to cost about three-hfths as much as the
charcoal for ton in the ordinary Swedish fur
mace. The life Of the electric oven is longer
than that of the blast furnace, and the iron pro-
duced is of excellent quality.
So
The new suction-g gas tugboat that has been
tried this season promises relief from the smoke
nuisance along the Rhine. Between Mayence
and Cologne the dense clouds from continually
passing tugboats have been a source of great an
noyance. and have been running fine residences
and valuable vineyards along the banks Of the
river. The 'Knipscheer H. the first of the
new type of boats, has successfully stemmed the
strong current with cargoes of $50 tons in tow,
proving very economical as well as smokeless.
The Ignite or brown coal used is mined in the
Rhine provinces and supplied at very low cost
and is fed into the producers by simple auto
matte arrangement with great saving in labor.
The cost of fuel for the gas engines is found to
be from 50 to roper cent. less than that for the
steam tugs now used.
-
To determine the possible contamination of
foods by aluminium kitchen utensils a German
chemist has boiled aluminium foil in fresh and
sour milk, wines, mineral waters and ten per
cent. solutions of salts in common use. The
boiling continued half an hour, and the foil
showed no appreciable loss of weight from the
action Of sweet milk. red and white wine, sodium
chloride. sodium nitrate, potassium iodide, po-
tassium sulphate and calcium nitrate. The sour
milk produced some loss Of metal. The mineral
waters, however, attacked the aluminium ener-
getically, and the sodium bicarbonate, calcium
sulphate and magnesium sulphate solutions also
had strong action.
A little more than century ago 2,500, 900 acres
In the Landes, France, were shifting sand dunes
and disease breeding marshes. The planting Of
pines has changed this to one of the most pro-
ductive and healthful in France. Great forests
have taken the place of the sand dunes and
marshes, and the wood, charcoal, turpentine,
rosin and other industries have brought pros
perfty to what was the most desolate region in
the country. Forests now cover IS per cent. Of
France, or 23,500,00O acres. The state forests
100000 acres-cost annually 95 cents an acre,
and yield yearly income of &5,O00,0O0.
The bogs of Sweden, it is now estimated, would
yield 10000 million tons of air-dried peat. Com
pared with present coal imports this would sup
ply the country with fuel for 1900 years.
80
A new electric ire-pump for the town of
Waidhofen on Ips, built by the manager of the
municipal electric station, is designed to throw
more than 100 gallons of water through two lines
of hose to distance of 125 feet. The pump.
motor and accessories are mounted on four
wheel horse drawn car, and room is provided for
seating four men in front and giving standing
space to three in the rear. ten horsepower
150-volt three-phase motor drives the pump.
The motor, on reaching fire is connected to the
electric mains by plug contacts or by hook
couplings, and, as several hundred yards of cable
can be carried, the pump can be operated in
almost any place desired. In a recent test
stream was being thrown to height of 60 yards
in q minute and a half after arrival. The advan-
tages claimed include increased rapidity in get
ting into working order; reduced first cost,
weight and space requirement; increased sim
plicity and safety in operation and reduction IN
wear. tear and cost of operation. For fire.
extinguisher for factories, theatres farms, etc.,
the same type of engine will be mounted on q
two-wheeled barrow to be used by one man.
80
In testing the effect of cold on hardness F.
Robin has tried bars of metals two inches long
and one inch square, upon which falling ball
gave blow of three tons. Three freezing
mixtures were used-ice and calcium chloride
producing temperature of 4o F. below zero /;
carbon dioxide snow and 95 per cent. alcohol
1l20; and liquid oxygen and very large proper
tion of nitrogen. 3O0o below. Ordinary steel was
greatly hardened in liquid air, the increase be-
ginning suddenly at 1922 below zero. Chrome
steel showed great variation, but silicon spring
steel, tungsten steel. vanadium steel, molybde
mum steel and rapid cutting steel were but
slightly hardened by the greatest cold. Quenched
steels showed considerable change. Cast antim-
ony was made much harder. but aluminium, cop
per, lead, tin and nickel were little affected.
E.F
Cement-m makers itch, one of the latest diseases
due to occupation. is an intense itching resem-
bling true itch, but instead of being caused by
parasite. it results from some chemical or me-
chanical action on the skin not yet understood.
ST0RIA
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
N