Amador ledger., 1910-01-28

A Combustion Turbine-The Oily Tack
Behind Ship-Waste of Toad Life
Shifting Centers Of Earth Disturbance
-Palestine's Promise Electrical
Meat Curing Contracted by
Heat Out Door Frescoes- "A. Problem
Solved.
A new French motor combines the
steam turbine, the gas engine and the
hot-air engine. The continuous rotary
motion of the turbine is much
less wasteful of energy than the recipro-
eating motion of piston engines, but
attempts to utilize in turbines the great
advantages of power from gas explosion
have not been successful. The new
machine is made to operate steadily and
economically through simple gas COM
bustion. The turbine of ordinary type
and working well at 600 deg. to 100 deg.
c., is of special nickel, vanadium or
tungsten steel, and has novel feature
in compressor on the same axle, that
sends into the gas-generator a current
OF air at a pressure of several atmos
pheres. Heavy petrol oil sprayed into
the generator is burned in the current of
air heated TO 1900 deg. c. The great
volumne of gas produced gives sufficient
pressure to drive the turbine, but as
the heat is too great, the excess is used
partly for heating the air previous to
combustion and partly to vaporize water
injected into the gases. To resist the
high temperatures, the gas receptacle is
of metal lined with carborundum. The
heat is fully utilized, and an odd mix
ture of air carbonic> acid and super
heated steam turns the turbine
The track Of smooth water, or keel
water" stretching in the wake of a
moving vessel is often noticed, but little
understood. The effect is not due TO
the influence of oil on surface tension,
through the stlling of the waves may be
similar. Prof. Ahlhorn, German in
vestigator, has made some experiments
with bodies moved on the water. and
these show that the gyroscopic action of
side of the vessel smooth out the
smaller waves and give the calm, oily
appearing track that is so familiar The
larger and swifter the ship the longer
and broader is the smooth wake.
Through a single spawn of the female
of the American toad contains 5000
eggs, N. Miller finds no increase in the
species. Dragon-fes, water-beetles,
nevis, crayfsh and other water animals
are destroyers.
Areas of earthquake and volcanic
activity are traN cling westward about 25
miles year, according to the nvestiea-
tion of H. Wehner, a German physicist.
He accounts for this by the novel theory
that the earth S solid crust enclOses a
thin laver of linuid, within which is
solid nucleus rotating about the same
axis as the outer shell. and in the same
direction but with a slightly less velo-
CITY, the tagging behind causing the
nucleus to make revolution TO the west
in the crust in about 592 years. 1t is
assumed that earthquake and volcanic
disturbances result when projecting or
active spots on the nucleus are moves
under weak portions of the crust From
reports by ships during the last 60 years,
ii is calculated that the active spCts of
the Atlantic are nearly all collected al
the present time under the region sbe
tween IS deg. and IL deg. west longi
tude and deg. north and deg south
latitude, and that this area off the
northeastern coast of South America
may be regarded as danger zone.
That the soil possibilities of Palestine
and California are much the same is
quite a revelation. Prof A. Aaron
sohn of Haifa, Palestine, has pointed
out that each region has range of low
mountains near the coast, and beyond
this long interior valley with range
of higher mountains for the eastern
wall, and, as the prevailing winds have
the same direction, the distribution of
rainfall corresponds closely. 1t is,
found that the very similar climatic and
topographic conditions have produced
similar plants. The languishing of
agriculture in Palestine seems to be a
result of poor government, not of sterile
soil and arid climate, and it is believed
that under better management the econo-