Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03
ADVANCE IN SCIENCE
Smithsonian Institution Report
on New Discoveries.
USE OF STEAM TURBINE
Progress in Typesetting From Logo
types to Electromagnetic.
AEROGRAMS CAN BE DIRECTED
Development of Meteorology-Con
ditions Within Earth-Inland
Waterways.

The annual report of the board of re-
| gents of the Smithsonian Institution fol
| i9oi, transmitting to Congress, as re
CURED by law, a statement of the oper-
ations, expenditures and condition of the
institution and its branches for the year
has Just been issued
| In this report the policy adopted soon
after the founding of the institution in
1916, of adding TO the official proceed
ings and transactions of it's governing
bodies a selection of papers on many
scientific subjects, has been continued
These additional papers, Twenty-Five in
number. gathered from many sources
are designed to portray i'll general the
scientific progress of the world during
| the year.
! Some of them are prepared especially
for the report Others are reprinted from
scientific and technical journals that have
not popular circulation, many being
translated from foreign tongues They
are written, SO far as possible, not In
technical language, and thus they carry
into effect a portion of the institution s
program the diffusion of knowledge.
The contributors are usually leaders in
their branches OF scientific research
Among them are included Charles a.
d
New York, authorities on the steam tur-
bine and electric trunk line operation, re-
spectively: DIR. Cleveland Able of the
United States weather bureau: +. II
Newell. director of the reclamation Serv-
ice; DIR. Theodore Gill of the National
Museum. and Dr. Simon F'leXner Of the
Rockefeller Institute for Medical Re
search. New York.
An attempt is here made to summarize
in few words some important points In
a number of these papers.
The Steam Turbine.
The Steam Turbine on Land and Sea
is the subject discussed by Charles A.
Parsons. who calls attention to the re-
cent wide adoption of the turbine prin-
ciple for the generation of electricity, for
the propulsion of vessels, and for driving
air-compressors, fans a ndpumpS. In 1DC
there were only $4,000 horsepower tur-
bines on land and 5000 on sea: In 1907
there were 81 turbine steamers anoat, ana
last April different countries of the
world had just built or, were building tur-
bines as follows: United States, l scout,
Il mercantile vessels and torpedo boat
destroyers: Japan. 3 large liners, = pas
senger vessels, | dispatch boat: france
6 large battleships and 3 destroyers;
GERMANY . cruisers and several destroy
ers: Italy. cruiser; Austria, cruiser,
and Brazil. . scouts. Negotiations were
pending for I large battleships for Rus
sia On land. in almost every country
the new construction of large eiectrlc
generating units were nearly all turbine
driven.
Mechanical Typesettlng.
In THE Development of Mechanical
Composition In Printing Prof. A Tur-
pain of the University of Po1t1ers,
France. describes the various steps taken
to aid the printer in setting up his type
These steps began with the introduction
in 1875 of combinations of letters known
as logotypes.
They went through the various forms
of composing or arranging loose type
and later Of casting single letters and
solid lines Developed little by little,
they have finally eliminated in the re-
markably efficient machine called the
electrotypograph. and its, cousin, the
teletypograph, by the combination OF
which not only is the highest mechani-
cal skill obtained, but perforated bands
which, being run through a casting ma
chine. automatically form type, may be
reproduced directly by telegraph at any
commercial distance
Thus. at the present day, neWspa-
per article telegraphed from New York
or ST. Louis or San Francisco in this
form can be received on perforated strips
ready for the casting machine in va
large newspapers to have country edi-
lions without increase in expense and
without delay, great step forward in
journalism.
! In similar way Frank J. Sprague of
New York. in Some Facts and Prob
lens Bearing on Electric Trunk-Line
Operation" summarizes the various
makes of direct and alternating current
electric locomotives. electric brakes,
overhead. catenary and third-rail troll
legs, and the various methods of train
control and operation
Wireless Telegraphy.
Prof J. A. Fleming of the University
Of London contributes a summary of ad-
| vances in wireless telegraphy which
have made possible the publishing on
board great ocean liners in midocean
small daily newspapers containing the
latest news of the day from two CONT
nents.
Certain fundamental principles under
| lying electric wave transmission are
explained. and the results of experiments
Of Marconi and Prof. +. Braun of Strass-
burg, in what is called directive teleg-
raphy are outlined. AS to the latter, he
says:
1T will be seen, therefore, that popu-
lar notions on the subject of directive
| telegraphy are wide of the mark While
we cannot yet project a narrow beam of
long-wave electric radiation, or focus IT
entirely on a given receiving station at
a great distance, much can be done to
prevent radiation being sent out from
tranSmitters in directions in which it is
| of no use or not desired
! To produce directly photographs In
color the ablest Photographic chemists
have experimental for nearly 100 years
but not until 1912 were the first per-
manent direct photographs in color made
During the year covered by the report
however two additional processes were
announced, the autochrome process by
A. and l.. Lumiere, and the Warner
| Powrie process, both of which have Civ
| en- beautiful results. which can be OBJ
| teal everyday value. The development
of the art and an explanation of the new
processes are contributed by r. w Smil-
| lie of the National Museum.
In an article relating to meteorolosy
| DIR. Cleveland Able of the weather burea,
| pictures the development of the stud,
| of the earth's atmosphere in all It's move
ments and parts, and summarizes the
growth of scientific weather prediction.
| in this country from the early Weathe,
maps of special invest igators and the
daily telegraph maps of the Smithsonian
| Institution from 1854 to 1861 when unde,
Secretary Joseph Henry the institution
inaugurated the first extensive weathe,
| map service. to the comprehensive report.
| and predictions of the weather bureau to-
day. The paper shows that much has
recently been added to our knowledge
OF the workings of air currents ano
winds.
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