Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1909-09-17

=
leon Fishes. The Eels Migration to
the Sea. American Birds in England.
-Anesthetic Hairdressing. The Elec-
trio Shovel. Chemistry of One Eyed
Monsters. Ozonized Water. "A Twen-
teth Century Fossil.
Late inquiries in Europe make it
evident that a perfect nethod for making
wood and textiles uninhammable is yet
to be found, but many fre-proofing
substances have been used, the most
common being phosphates, tungstates,
borates and particularly ammoniacal
salts, boric acid, chlorides of calcium,
magnesium and zinc, and slicate of
sodium. Studying the effect on tissues,
Lochtin, a German chemist, has found
that preference should be given to sui
plate of ammonia, phosphate of ammonia
chordes of ammonia and zinc, alum,
boraX boric acid, and a precipitate OF
illuminate of sodium known as alum.
The first three and alumni gave the best
results. The ammoniacal salts, voltiliz-
ing under heat, form connbtely incom-
bustible mixtures with the conlbustible
gases, and the same is true of chlorides
of calcium magnesium and zinc, but
the action of alum is purely mechani-
CAL Some salts often tried-such as
phosphates Of lime and magnesia, ttlng-
state of ammonia, and sulphate of mag
nesia-have little effect. Others actual
ly increase combustibility, and these
include according to Lochtin, .s1lphates,
sulphites, hyposulphites, slicates, and
carbonates of zinc, lime and magnesia,
and ferrous sulphates. French chemists
note, however, that silicate of soda has
been successfully used. The Paris Fire
Commissioners recommend sleeping tex
tiles in ten per cent solution of phos
phate of ammonia, and while many
processes are in actual use,a recent ten
dency has been to return to ammoniacal
salts for treating wood by injection
under pressure.
Curious color changes of various
tropical fishes from the Bermudas have
been made in the New York Aquarium.
Under excitement, some of them can
pass instantly from a ur iformly dark
color to banded dark and white aspect,
then to four other phases of change,
including uniformly creamy white
one. -
A Swedish Investigation shoVs that
most five-year old cells collect at the
mouths of rivers entering the Gottland
and Botten lakes, remaining 5 to 7
years, after which they seek the Allan
tic to spawn, going via the Kattegat,
Satgerack and North Sea.
One of the most interesting of Ameri-
can colonies swas established few
months ago at Guilford, in Surrey,
where Old England has been solicitous-
ly guarding it. Early in the spring
seventeen specimens of the American
robin Merula migratoria were imported,
and, after few weeks in an open air
aviary, most of them were liberated
about the middle of June. The birds at
once mated and began nest-buldng in
the trees. The colony now included be-
tween forty and fifty old and young
robins, and these are being closely
watched, in the hope that liberal feeding
may overcome their migratory instinct,
and prevent them from flying away and
tecoming hoplessly scattered on the ap-
proach of cold weather. Their CHEEKY
note -interpreted as "Kill em, cure
'em, give 'em physicians endeared
them to the human neighbors about
their new home.
AS volatile grease-remover, quickly
leaving the hair quite dry, an effective
substance was found by hairdressers
some years ago in ether, benzene or
other light hydrocarbon. Such materials,
however, proved exceedingly dangerous
on account of their inflammabilty, be-
ing even liable to ignition by electric
sparks from the air A volatile grease
solvent less liable to take fire was found
in carbon tetrachloride, but this has
brought a new danger, as it has anesthe-
tic effects that in cases of weak heart
have proved fatal. A recent death from
this cause leads a medical authority to
declare that soak and distilled water
serve quite as well as a dry wash
The conversion of the steam shovel
into the electric shovel is a somewhat
unexpected evolution, but two ll0-ton
machines used in limestone quarrying