Amador ledger., 1910-06-24

MISCELLANY
Reported weekly for the Ledger.

Reported weekly for the Ledger.
o~O~~~O~~y0~DO~~~~~
A Plague from Sand Flies--A Pigment
Wanted Fiber Reinforced Rubber
Getting the Burglars Measure-A
Paddle-WheeI Brake-Science Head
ing off Criminals--A Neglected Tuber
Fire Glow Recording Glass Coated
Ships-New Fireless Cooking.
Pellagra, which has given much alarm
in the UnitedStates, is a great scourge
in south eastern Europe, and serious
disorder in the West Indies, Egypt and
elsewhere. Among its first symptoms
is usually kind of sunburn" Of face,
chest and hands. This is followed by
skin rash, catarrh of stomach and in
testines, feverishness, lassitude and
weakness, and as the trouble recurs in
spring and autumn year after year, the
weakness increases, and often leads 10
lunacy and death. The disease has been
generally attributed to eating damaged
Indian corn. Believing it to be infec-
tious, DR. J. J.Wolfe, of Durham, NC,
has been lately seeking its organism in
pellagrous blood and has obtained some
spherical bacteria, without certain evil
dence that they are the cause of the
disease. He has found similar organ
ism in culture from damaged Indian
corn. On the other hand. DR. l.. w.
Sambon, a British Investigator, has
long doubted the accepted theory, and
in recent visit to Italy with Pellag-
ra investigation committee, he con-
vinced himself definitely that Indian
corn is not cause of pellagra. The
evidence tended to show that the dis
ease is due to parasite conveyed by
the simulium reptans, kind of sand
fly breeding on stones along the
streams of pellagrous countries.
The yellow color of balloons has re-
suited from necessity, not chance or
idle fancy. ut-Col. Espitallier,
French aeronaut, explains that the tex
tile fabric of the balloon is made i'm
permeable by layer of caoutchouc,
and that this, even when vulcanized, is
rapidly disintergated by violet or ultra
violet light, so that it must be protect
ed by a yellow pigment to absorb the
harmful rays. A new yellow pigment
is much wanted, however, as neither
the chromate of lead used in France
nor the anilin dye of Germany is salts
factory.
A process for combining pure rubber
with vegetable fiber so that the latter
penetrates the material in minute
threads in all directions is claimed by
a London tire company. The product
is remarkably tough and resistant to
pressure and tensile strain.
Bertillon's dynamometer, the new
added to the equipment OF
the French police by the famous chief
of the anthropometric service, is ex-
pected to interpret the marks of the
burglars jimmy and makes it possible
to show whether a forcible entrance
saw made by man, woman, child, or
several persons. A strong upright steel
frame has horizontal sliding plate as
a base, with a steel plate sliding in
vertical grooves for the top. The spring
of the top plate is connected to a dy-
capable of registering YER
tical effort up to one ton, and smaller
dynamometer records the horizontal
pressure on the base plate. Tests are
made by measuring the effort necessary
to reproduce on a suitable board or
other material the marks found on
doors or furniture. Vertical or pres
sure effort is always greater than hori-
zontal effort, and lever 20 inches long
gave vertical pressure of 300 pounds
with horizontal trac-
tion of $50 pounds. On hard walnut
plank, a strong man can develop
pressure of 1900 pounds. Point impress
sions are most serviceable in identify
ing the tool used by burglar, and the
tool indicated is employed in investiga'
ting the opening of a window, drawer,
desk, etc.
The resistance of water to paddle
wheel is utilized in a novel French
brake for motor cars. A bevel-wheel
is loosely mounted on shaft between
the engine and the gear-box, and can
be clutched to the shaft as desired.