Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-06
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The loss Of an eye through the use
| or plated surgical lntrument has been
| reported by Or. Rockliffe. a British
surgeon. Inflammation following an
| operation made Il necessary 10 remove
the eye, and n bit Of metal that seemed
10 have caused the Inflammation proved
| 20 be plating from scissors used IN the
frst operation Feeling plating was
found on other instruments.
On the Island Of Krakatoa. on Sunda
| strait, between Sumatra and Java. all
| animal and vegetable life was destroyed
| by the terrific volcanic explosion OF
| Aug. -. 1888. and the entire ~ square
miles OF surface was buried under
| layer % pumice and ashes averaging
| 90 feet IN thickness. The return Of liv-
ing forms 20 this new soil--which con
tains the elements necessary for plant
| growth except phosphorus and nitrogen
has been eagerly watched Within
| three years Or. Treub Of Java found
that various plants had already begun
TO grow. those OF the interior being
| quite different from those near the
| coast. while ferns we're remarkably pre-
ponderant, and Shiny. biue-green slgae
were specially active In preparing the
soil for higher organisms. Another sci
entihc visit WAS made In 1897, and the
progress OF the new flora up 70 1906 has
been lately reported by Prof ID. H.
| Campbell. The progress Of the forest
trees has been particularly rapid, and II
| is evident that the island Will soon be
covered with a luNuriant forest-an OBJ
| ject lesson In the production OF new
forests under fat orable tropical condi-
lions. The nitrogen for vegetation has
been collected IN the soil by bacteria
The first plants TO afTive.-baeteria,b blue
green algae. ferns and mosses-were
brought by the wind as were also the
first grasses and Towering plants. but
seeds and fruits seem To have been
chiefly introduced by ocean currents.
| Platinized glass as II well known.
| acts as a mirror on the Illuminated
side but appears like ordinary glass
to persons on the darker side. As
window panes Il serves the usual pur-
pose. while persons on the outside can
not see into the house. Various tricks
with this glass have been causing
amusement In France In one OF these
person approaches a mirror to note
his appearance. when suddenly the
mirror disappears and a grotesaue fig
ure stands before the startled spectator
this effect being produced by simply
turning on illumination behind the
glass. Ordinary glass may be readily
platinixed. A solution OF p platinum
salt is applied thinly TO the surface,
and the glass is then heated TO redness
I Causing lne pldNlnlW 10 De TAKEN up
and inpart the curious property men
toned The glass loses none of its
| transparency on the side opposite the
stronger illumination.
A recent peculiar bit OF engineering
work at Netherton. Eng, was made
| possible by new scientific appliance.
At the Pearson furnaces. the piston
| rod OF a large vertical blowing engine
was so bent In an accident that its re-
moval from the cylinder seemed impos-
sible. The director OF an oxygen sup
| ply company was called and by means
| OF the oxyhydrogen cutting blow pipe
the piston rod-seven inches in di-
ameter--wss cut on close TO the gland
OF the cylinder. the operation occupy
ing only 35 minutes The task was a
very difficult one. as the cut had TO be
made at considerable height overhead.
| with the burning metal dropping down
and repeatedly setting FIRE TO the
wooden stage necessary.
A new kind Of piano, the choralcelo.
has the ordinary keys and hammers,
which may be used IL desired. but Is
also provided with electro magnets,
arranged TO vibrate the wires without
striking with the hammers. The tones
when produced by the action OF the
electro-magnets. are said TO resem-
BILE those of an organ combined with
possibilities of melody.
The face or the country In Europe
has been materially altered by human
effort. OF the tilla BILE land OF Holland
80 per cent has been wrested from the
sea. and In Great Britain a work
scarcely less has been done, for a
third OF the present land Is said 70 have
been boys and marshes i'm the time of
King Alfred. In the United States.
| where the work OF retaining is just
beginning. u is estimated that drain
age win add 200 900 square miles to
the farm land.
An attempt 10 locate the distance
sense OF the blind has been made Ly
| Or. Woelnlin, German investigator.
! who finds from his own and other ex-
periments that this sense Is probably
a function OF the sensory hbers OF the
first OF the three branches Of the trl-
| facial nerve or trigemnus. This nerve.
| ramifying through the face, has been
credited with the threefold function
OF a nerve OF motion. OF common sen
| sation and Of the special sense Of
taste. II has been long known that
some persons among the blind car
move about with remarkable certainty
without coming into contact with any
large object. and half a century ag1
Speilanzani showed that bats ny about
| COnndentlN ana saicly IN uhfhneSe and
even when blind The idea that re.
! lected sound waves act as a guide
through the hearing has been dis
proved by stopping the ears OF blind
man when the distance sense remain
ed. although diminished. In the few
o blind persons who have the sense II
exists IN greatly varying degree. and
the possessors locate Il IN the fore.
head saying that Il Is vague and
! somewhat resembles light touch.
A new safety lamp for mines hal
/, the lamp bulb enclosed In a large
! air tight glass globe. and the heat oi
the light expands the enclosed air. ere
ating considerable pressure. II ms
bulb is broken IN any accident. the
compressed air PUSHES In, and extln'
= cuisines and cools tho lnoandescent hla.
: mcnt before the explosive air Of IN,
!, mine can reach II. A singie-cell st3r'
= age battery, enclosed IN cellulolt
. case. supplies current Tor ~ hours OF
single charge. yielding light oil
between one and two candlepower