Evening star., 1909-06-04
SCIENCE NOTES.

Engineers and others are watching with
interest the result of the installation oi
a wave motor at Atlantic City Whlch IL
now In experimental operation Ihis
motor, which Is the invention or William
Snee Of Pittsburg. Pa. is in erect tur
bine and is said to be the first construc-
ton of that character ever appEed III
generating power from wave motion. Inc
motor consists of an upright cyllndrlcai
wheel equipped with vertical radial ana
curved blades revolving within statlon-
ary shield This outer shield consists Oh
a series of defiectors or guloe sahes .ter
at such angles that currents OF water
striking the shield in any direction are
DETECTED so as to enter tangentlally. no
revolving wheel is equipped with speclal-
ly devised and constructed Vanes Inc
moving water rushing from any d1rectlon
through the outside blades drives the
wheel and revolves 1t In one continuous
direction and escapes from the opposite
side of the shield. The motor Is cialmeu
to be very sensitive to any action OF
water and responds very 1reeiy. Aeeoru, "a
ing to the tests which are reported 10
have been made 1t has an efficiency OF
80 per cent The installation consists OF
two 61-ton motors resting on foundation
of nine concrete piles. each containing
$50 barrels of concrete, reinforced win
steel rails and bars In addition to this
piling three steel reinforced concrete
floors, Weighing upward of 100 tons each,
make this structure rigid mass of con-
crete and steel weighing more than 5Oo
tons.
The electrical process of purifying wa
ter seems to be the most eff1cacious. and
an apparatus suitable for use In the
household by which the water used about
the establishment may be thus cleansed
Lac t>an0 devised makes
of alternating current Casually or l!o
yolts) taken from the ordinary electric
light circuit and transformed and stepped
up to about 5000 volts alternating cur
rent. This high voltage produces IN tne
ozonizer "a box containing alternate
plates Of aluminium and micanite) a silent
electric discharge, converting the ordl-.
nary atmospheric air drawn through the
ozonizer into ozone. The water flows
under it's own pressure into the appara-
tus and as it moves along is caused to
undergo a treatment by commlngIns
with the ozone generated, when the
bacteria in the water are thoroughly re-
moved. The explanation of this action is
given as follows: Chemical analysis OF
the bodies of bacteria shows that they
are made up of about 81 per cent OF
water and Is of solids. OF these solids
more than half is made up of carbon.
The strong affinity of oxygen for carbon
Is we'll known. Ozone, being concen-
trated form of oxygen, has an even great
er affinity for carbon. and the moment
bacillus comes In contact with a bubble
of ozonized air the carbon OF It's body
combines with oxygen and the Daclllus IS
consumed as completely as If 1t had
touched flame.
Gold mining enjoyed a period OF
great activity last year despite the ad-
verse conditions which existed In other
industries. Careful estimates place the
nroduotiop ~ pold for 1908 from dOmeS-
tic sources at $96.313,2 ,256, against $50
435. 700 in 1907. South Dakota. Alaska,
California and Colorado show large es-
timated increases. ranging from $1,000
600 to S., ,6OO.OOO The estimates for Utah
indicate a decrease of about $1.DO,OOO.
and for Nevada a decrease of $4,000
900. The production of Montana. AriZo-
ma, Idaho, Oregon and other silver-pro-
ducing states has remained approximate
ly stationary. The production from the
Philippine Islands shows an increase. the
estimate of the mint being 1906, 7OS.
against $7s,7o in 1907. AS part Of the