Evening star., 1939-11-25
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
italy is harnessing her volcanoes to
provide power for industry.
The progress of this development is
described in report to the American
Chemical Society by w. G. Case British
chemist, just published in Industrial and
Engineering Chemistry.
In many places, he says, there are
natural vents or assures from which
mighty jets of steam and gas burst forth
to heights of hundreds of feet. In other
cases bore holes have been drilled in the
volcanic area.
The chief center of activity is in the
Pisa Department of Tuscany, about 80
miles southwest of Florence. Here
Prince Ginori Cont, one of the principal
pioneers in the field, has established
large power station and research labora-
tory for use of these remarkable emana-
tions of gas and vapor of volcanic origin.
There are also hot and muddy lakes and
hot springs from which since 1918 boric
acid and ammonia have been obtained.
The gas vapor mixture now is being
utilized, DR.. Heston reports both as an
important source of electric power and of
chemicals and industrial gases, includ-
ing hydrogen and helium Prince Cont
has devoted the greater part of his life
to harnessing the volcanic gas and vapor
by means of turbines for development of
electric power, and to fundamental re-
search investigation of the gas vapor
The various products to be investi-
gated include boric acid, ammonia, syn
thetic mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen,
methane and both liquid and solid car
bon dloxide. An important part of the
work is the separation of the natural gas
from the vapor, which consists mainly
Of steam with small percentages of boric
acid and ammonia
The songs of the Makah, Clayoquet
and Quileute tribes of Indians, living on
the west coast of Washington and VAN
couver Island, have been recorded by
Miss Frances Densmore, collaboration of
the Bureau of American Ethnology of
the Smithsonian Institution. Her analy-
sis Of more than 200 of these songs has
just been published by the institution.
The three tribes are noted as successful
catchers OF whales, seals, porpoises and
other fish. Hence, Miss Densmore
found, many of their songs relate to
these pursuits. The tribes observed the
potlatch ceremony-a custom peculiar to
Northwest coast tribes-where a man
invited all his neighbors to a party and
gave away his most priced possessions.
Several Of the songs relate to this. There
are also songs for contests of physical
strength, dance songs, war songs, dream
songs and songs used in treatment of
the sick.
A number of singers, both men and
women, recorded the native songs for
Miss Densmore. Young Doctor" who
recorded the most, was once a medicine
man. Although crippled, he went fish
ing every morning, and ran his store and
carved wood and bone objects the rest of
the day. He sang the songs in the rear
OF his store, stopping when necessary to
wait on customer. Mrs Parker, an
other singer, understood no English and
followed the old Indian ways in her daily
life. Helen Irving, on the contrary, had
well-furnished home and followed the
white mans ways of life. Sarah Guy
was so overcome with emotion on sing
ing the old songs associated with her
early home that her records were difficult
to transcribe.
According to Miss Densmore's pains
taking analyses of the individual songs,
there is wide variation among them nlu-
sically Some are in major tonality, some
in minor; some have an upward trend,
others a downward; some are melodic,
others harmonic. Comparison in tabu-
lated form with the songs of other tribes
which Miss Densmore had studied pre-
vlously brings out definite differences in
structural form, which, of course, would
not be perceived in listening to individ-
ual songs.
Interesting customs regarding the
singing of the songs in the old days
were recorded In singing the songs of
social gatherings. man started the song
and all the other people sang the melody
without using any words, then a woman
pronounced the words" and the rest
chimed in again, this time saying the
words. With some songs there was an
accompaniment of drums, rattles and
whistles; others had no accompaniment.
Certain songs were accompanied by
beating with sticks on a plank.
Library of Congress Held