Amador ledger., 1909-06-11

Life is continuous from one genera
tion to the next, but late observations
have shown its resumption after be.
ing ar parently brought to complete
stop. Paul BacqueIel has been max
ing experiments with grains of wheat
and mustard. hese he has dried by
special process for six months, then
sealed IN high vacuum for one year,
and finally cooled in liquid air for
three weeks and at 1853 deg. below
zero g. for II hours. without water
and air, aud in temperature near
absolute zero, the protoplasm be-
comes as rigid, hard and inert as
stone, M. Becquerel believes that
under such conditions the vital func-
tions must be entirely suspended, yet
when sown afterwards the seeds grew
as usual, and this is thought to dis
prove the long accepted law that the
| least interruption of life mast be
death. Whether the apparent stop
page of life may continue Indefinite
Iy is subject for further experiment.
The novel "'hydroleum looomo-
tive of Arthur koppel, a German
engineer, is designed for short rail
ways serving SPECIAL industries. 1t
has a water tube boiler, two or four
cylinders, and as fuel uses either
crude oil or tar oil from gas or coke
manufacture. Unlike alcohol or Gaso-
line motors, it is reversible without
intermediate gearing. 1t has the
high starting power and overload
capacity of the steam engine, raises
steam in rs or 20 minutes instead of
the two hours of ordinary locomo-
tives, aud is free from ashes, Stag,
smoke, smell and cinders. 1t com
bines large capacity with small size.
| After half century of search,
Prof. W. W. Campbell regards the
problem OF planet nearer the sun
than Mercury as settled. Photo
graphs during eclipses make impro
| bable the existence OF such q body
as large as the eighth magnitude.
which Perrine has computed would
correspond to a diameter of 30 miles,
and million planets of that size
would be needed to account for the
| observed disturbances Of Mecury'G
orbit. Prot. SeeIiger believes that
the material causing the zodiaGal
light is sufficient to explain the il
regulariUIes noted in the motions of
Mercury, Venus, the Earth and Mars.
Remarkable experiments with two
inert gases OF the argon group were
among the striking features of the
late soiree of the London Royal
Society. Sir William Ramsay had
collected little radium emanation,
one of these gases, and had compress
sed it into capillary tube, and then
subjected it to varying pressure. The
effect was to condense the gas into
minute quantity of dense colorless,
liquid. Ibis had a strong phos-
phorescence, but when touched with
liquid air it flashed out into a bril-
liant light like that of miniature
electric arc, at once becoming solid.
The other exhibit, by Prof. Norman
Collie, showed a curious unexplained
property of neon. When this gas
was inolosed in glass tube with
mercury at atmospheric pressure,
it emitted vivid orange light; but
in airing shaped tube Tiled with neon
and mercury aud partially exposed
to an electric discharge, the electrif-
ed part failed to light up on shaking,
white the unelectritied portion glow
ed as brightly as before. When a
silica tube was substituted for the
glass and the mercury bI ought to the
boiling point, the vapor rising from
it gave green light.
A test of ventilatinR fans in Brus-
sells has shown that in many places
they do moro harm than good by
stirring up germ-Iaden dust. In the
restaurants and cafes Investigated.
the number of bacteria in each cnbic
meter of air ranged from 10000 10
%, 900 before the ventiators were
started, from 1900 to $4,000 after
they had been running an hour, and
from 81, 800 to So, 900 after two huns
running. In laboratory where
remedies for tuberculosis we're pre-
pared, the bacteria Increased from
8, 500 before the ventilator was started
to "a, 600 after one hours running
aud $4,000 after two hours. In a
private parlor the bacteria numbered
GO hefnre tho starting of the venti-