Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-07-14
EXPOSITION LETTER.
80. SAM. Department It the Ex-
position.
,..,, rus Axssrcsx's special Exposition
eorsespondent.l

grain OF saun assume INV Fobtsou VI
.moantain. an inch expand into . mile,
- unsupreciabie zephyr attain the
..slocitv Of bowling gale, the footf OF
.,iny nv thunder forth like the tread OF .
al, horse, the heat OF . candle expand
,n,o that OF q roaring furnace, the cheer
"a comfort OF cosy home-n IRE emanats
,,om the uupercsived warmth Of distant
.,ar. and the gentle prcssors Of finger
savelop into the force OF . mighty giants
Tn,. Is "a hat has been done TO advertise
opr .,acicn, government. In the bureau
~ standards, in the Palace OF Liberal Arts,
one msy well spend an entire day proti,a-
his. 70 the average person visit 10 .
laboratory Is anything but interesting,
"a confess that had very little concep-
ton Of the many interesting things that
even the laymsn may grasp until visited
This wonderful booth.
The accomplishments OF tho bureau are
intensely interesting, and may be thor
oughiy understood BY the visitor who
Knows little or nothing OF science, pro-
yiaed he is willing to learn. The experts
detailed from Washington are anxious to
;upar, all the information In their posses
sion. and seem never 30 happy ~ when
visitors delugc them with questions.
Remarkable beyond measure are the
heat. measuring instruments which regis
ter intinl.ss,imat fluctuations OF tempera-
,ars. A ray OF light may have started
ten years ago from somc distant star. and
msy have spent all Of those ten years TO
reach the earth, and yet when IL
falls upon the sensitive boiometers
oe~fa,ed by the bureau OF standards,
they wlll tell the observer the amount OF
hea, that ray brought with il. from the
star TO the earth.
A small electric furnace capable OF gen
Grating hes, intense enough to melt the
apparatus which will measure cold great
enough to iIquIfy this very air 80 breathe,
and essi Of the greatest Temperature.
The expert will show you bit OF pure
sugar nos ,hs eommsscial h4nd roo pur-
chase, bu, so pure thas q r. Nssd to de.
,srmlns ali STANDARDS. - you SIS
pound, The rrice ~ - high, but
IL is not. TOR Il cnG ~ nysrnmens
more shsn this. q h soua1 hat the
mos, psr,ect test d tagas 4 - optical
one, and the amount ~ karg1p u found
b. watching twist 81 ~ = through
it. samples Of su1q ~ sent daily by
tbs customs officers u the various ports
OF entry for check anslysis, and in this
~sy Uniformity Of Analysis at the customs
houses ali over The opAtry is secured.
Perhaps the demxfn ntel weights and
measures has the use&ter interest for the
Iaymaa Here O. y pc ths fundamen-
tai standards on wEI NIL nlsasurcs OF
wsigh, and length De- bpis- may
BE- seen Of the originals ksjk III washing
,on uader double glass casss. y IRE proof
safety vaults. and these original. are
never dsssnrhed unless IL IL TO check the
copies ;sst have been adopted as working
standards
The weights tested by the bureau range
from those used hy the city and state
scaleFs IN testing weights ana measures
Of commerce., down to those used by
seisntssls in most precise and exseting
work. To do such testing - this the very
finest INSTRUMENTS arr needed, aud
weights which vary from great masses az
big as steamer trunks down to tiny atoms
are used. some OF the latter appearing
small when compared TO the head OF
pin.
On ons OF the balances the Weighing Is
made IN a vacuum so that the weight and
baoysuey Of the air will not interfere
witn the result. The expert in charge OF
this Instrument told me II could weigh
doSn to Lilo, 600. oo0ths OF the whole,
that some OF these balances are so delicate
tha; the neat OF the operators body near
them would cause disturbance, and the
adjustment is affected by rods and other
ingenious mechanism. sad the operator,
through 4 glass.
A balance used In the yoltametcr work
Is SO dslicateiy adjusted and sensitive TO
changes OF temperature that the operator
cannot even remain in the same room
With II. II 10 kept in room guarded by
double doors. in which . constant temper
ai9re is preserved. The rods by which 1t
IL controlled reach through double glass
panels into second room, which 10
also at an even temperature and guarded
by double doors.
The attention OF the visitor is called TO
an exhibit OF portions or sections OF steel
rails, the faulty construction OF which has
been responsible for railroad wrecks.
these sections have been sent to the
bureau By the railroad companies, and the
bureau Is seeking to discover q new
method Of testing railroad equipment.
Al present, when . rail or other piece of
IRON or steel Is tested 1t is destroyed in the
Process and becomes useless. Often a
fsil Is full OF flaws when 1t leaves the
foundry, but up to this time no means OF
discovering this exists, and 1t il only after
the faulty construction may have resulted
IN a loss OF Life that the fault is discovered.
The experts OF the bureau hope to evolve
process that will determine the exist
euee OF faults In metal construction be-