Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12
AND HAILSTORMS
BY F. IRVING ANDERSON

among jewellers and second story men for
practical use.
An English scientist has recently an
nounced a discovery that seems to offer
hint in the right direction. 1t has long been
known that the colder the wire the less re-
sistance it offers to the passage OF an electric
current. No one until recently, however,
had thought of experimenting with any but
ordinary temperatures. This most recent
investigator has taken gold, silver, and mer-
curry, three metals that can be obtained in a
state of great purity, and subjected them to
the temperature approaching absolute zero
Absolute zero would be considered some cold
even at the North Pole. 1t is about 523 de-
grees below the zero that we know as an I'M
desirable acquaintance in winter.
1t was found that when gold, silver, or
mercury wires were subjected to a cold
within four degrees of absolute zero, cleo
trical resistance disappeared altogether. The
discovery exists now of course merely as
principle, and has no practical application
Some day, however, wizard may arise with
a practical method of insulating electric
wires with liquid air, and then the problem
of light, heat and power for the farthermost
corner of the world will have been solved.
Telling Time with Pin
IF ones watch happens to run down when
he is on long camping expedition IN the
woods where he can't find passerby to give
him the correct hour and minute, there is a
simple method of computing time-correct
to a hundred-thousandth part of a secondl
With this trick, like all others in the ma
gician's bag, one must go prepared The
properties, however, are not cumbersome
consisting simply of an ordinary pin-or a
needle will do. Also you must set down in
your mind this group of igures-3 minutes
559O944 seconds. In actual practice one
can discard the last three figures in the
fraction of seconds and call the decimal 81.
Set it down as minutes 5591 seconds.
When you leave your train compare your
watch with railroad time. This is likely to be
observatory time, because railroad watch
that varies more than fifteen seconds week
is put into the discard. When you get to
camp that night is the time to set up your
observatory and take an observation.
Drive the pin into window frame so that
it stands out horizontally across the glass, if
your camp boasts of window. If not, pick
out a stable treetrunk that will not sway
with the wind Now pick out some object
hundred feet or more away that stands out
sharply against the western sky. A high
rock or the sharp outline of mountain crag
will do. The best thing is the roof of near
by house. The main thing is to get point
that is absolutely stationary, SO that when
one sights in bee line over the top of the
pin he is shooting straight line into infinite
space. In other words, the pin and the out
line of the rock or crag must answer the
same purpose for the observer as the two
sights on rifle barrel.
About ten o'clock at night, or few min
utes before, take a peep across your sights
and pick out some prominent star that IS
near the outline of your crag This star.
like all others in the heavens, is slowly NOV
ing toward the west, and at definite hour
that night will set on the lire you have pro-
jected into the sky. AS tho tar approaches
the line keep your eye on our watch.
You will be surprised at the sudden dis
appearance of this star as it hits the line.
At that moment note instantly the time of
your watch, which you must presume is
correct on this occasion.
Say the star you have selected sets at
exactly ten o'clock Put the time down on
paper, with the date. That star will set
three minutes and 55.9l seconds earlier
every night. Thus it now becomes the hand
of your astronomical clock.
You won't have any use for this star for
sometime to come You still have faith in
Your watch. But say two weeks later YOU
discover that Won have FORGOTTEN to wind