514 



Ml-T.\LLl ? RGY. 



MKTKOROLOUY. 



the ( spring water of (rood quali 



cept for the small |>ro|H.rti<in of iron it oont 

 which deposits in the distribution system and im- 

 parts a bad taste thr pment of poly- 

 sphores the water is made to traverse a system ..f 

 metallic channels and cascade*. f which the chan- 

 nels are undulating and |*Tforaied. T 

 then pavs,-d through H bed of coke, t.-n feet thick. 

 which equal compartments and 

 rest* Upon a perforated bed ..f iron. Vnun th, 

 it falls slowly into receiving basins ; with 

 two covered reservoirs. The iron deposit..! on the 

 rough surface of the coke is washed off once a week 

 by isolating one of the compartment* at a time. 

 re use, nowever, the water, DOW containing only 

 ne sixth to one seven th of the original quan- 

 f iron, is passed through Hit ers of coarse and 

 fine stone and fine sand arranged in layers, whence 

 v<68 into covered reservoirs. The sand filter is 

 cleaned by . a thin uj i f the .sand 

 and replacing it with dean saml. The treatment 

 is said to have proved completely successful. 



iMiVi.-ulty is liable to occur in electric smelting 

 of ores from the slags being usually poor conduct 

 ore an.l liable when present in the furnace to cause 

 break in- of the c-urrent and stoppage "f the oj>era- 

 tion. A slag has been secured by M. Meil.lin- <>f 

 good conducting power by using a flux consi 

 of a mixture of lime and oartoa the mixture used 

 for calcic carbide. I'nder the action of tho arc 

 part of the carbon takes up the oxygen in the ore 

 under treatment, while another part Combines with 

 the lime, forming carbides which are fusible and 

 good conductors. The fused carbides take up and 

 hold the infuil>le portions of the ore in suspension. 

 while the metal settles at the bottom of the sur- 

 face, The slag remaining consists of a very im- 

 pure carbide of calcium, which is. however, sus- 

 ceptible of being given a certain commercial value. 



The researches of Ad.Carn.-t and M.tioutal into 

 the state in which elements other than carbon are 

 found in castings of steels led them to the conclu- 

 sions that manganese, nickel. cop|*>r. and titanium 

 seem to be simply dissolved in the steels; a portion 

 of manganese may be in the state of sulphide or 

 silicide in the cast metals. Chromium forms com- 

 plex and perhaps multiple compounds with iron 

 and carbon. Tungsten and molybdenum are in 

 the state of definite combinations' with iron which 

 may be represented by the formula- I-V 3 \V and 

 FeiMo,. These elements, generally considered 

 metals, behave therefore in steel like nonmetals, 

 while arsenic plays a part analogous to that of the 

 true metals. 



A novel method of obtaining reproduction of 

 articles in low relief, such as medals, has been de- 

 vised by Joseph Rieder. of Thalkirchen, Bavaria, 

 inventor takes a plaster-of- Paris cast of the 

 article about an inch in height, which is placed in 

 an ebonite sleeve, so that only its face and back are 

 exposed. It is then placed face upward in a vessel 

 containing an electrolyte, so that the face of the 

 cast is above the level of the liquid and is moist- 

 ened by absorption only. A steel plate is placed 

 on the face of the cast and is made the anode of the 

 cell, while the cathode is a spiral wire placed in the 

 liquid. The steel rests on the projection* of the 

 cast, through which a current flows that gradually 

 dissolves the steel The dissolution proceeds until 

 surface of the steel has been brought into 

 contact with the cast, and a copy is produced. 



One hundred and sixty-eight specimens of ores 

 and minerals, comprising oxides, carbonates, and 

 sulphides, were examined by W. N. Hartley and 



i Ramagewith reference" to the dissemin 

 of some of .ml the mode of their 



association in common ores and minerals. Among 



these gallium occurred in 68 specimens, indium in 

 30. and thallium in 17. Kubidium occurred p rob- 

 In 7o. but unquestionably in i:{. All tl. 

 boiiatcs of iron and all the tin mvs cnntaiiied in- 

 dium. With a - Mioii. all the bauxii. 

 tain gallium. Silver, copper, calcium, potassium. 

 and sodium are very w xlely disseminated throii-h 

 all ores and minerals, The authors draw dedi. 

 as to the formation of beds and lodes of ore 



the follow:: A||J,-|I | |,ey claim to have , 



lished : l-'i ups of ores and min- 



erals are pt*r vadi-d by small quant it ie*. ..f the 

 metals as common impurities; sec,,nd. tin 



ilarly rubidium, gallium, indi- 

 um, and thallium, are associated with the 

 groups of minerals and also with allied -r,,ui 

 is easy to trace the association of similarl) consti- 

 tuted compound- to their conneetion with element! 

 related to each other, a- determined by the pen. -die 



system of classification. Th.-r oompouncu h.-i\< 

 certain properties in common, distinctive of the 

 groups of elements and compounds to which they 

 belong; hence i onrse of chemical chaogel 



similar compounds are formed and thrown to- 

 by precipitatidfi or oiherwi-e. All the mi: 

 mentioned have undoubtedly had an aqiieoi. 

 gin. The presence of the alkali metals in all the 

 speeimciis. but in variable proportions, has a special 

 significance. In the analysis <,f many different pre- 

 cipitates, obtained both in neutral and even M ' 

 ly acid solutions, the alkali metals have been found 

 in combination with the precipitated sul 

 has long been known that manganese, aluminum, 

 and iron in the state of hydroxides combine with 

 more or less of the alkalies, but in a great m> 

 such combinations have IK-CII disregarded. 



MM I OIIOUM.V Temperature. [;. B 

 on the mean monthly temperature of the British 

 Isles, P. Gaster and 1\". II. Sc,,tt deal with the n 

 of UM daily minimum, average, and maximum 

 temperatures for the various months in the t w 

 five years 1871-'95. They point out that then 



between the extent of ra ! 



t em per at ures at the coast stations and t h;r 

 inland. The range between January and .Inly 

 amounts to about 16 at coast stations, but to more 

 than 23 at the inland stations. The ...ninM be- 

 tween the temperature of the air at inland and at 

 coast stations at different times of the year i- due 

 to the following causes: The constant i- i 

 of the sun to heat the surface of the eartl. 

 equally constant tendency of the earth to radiate 

 its heat into space. Both of these influence 

 modified greatly by the aqueous vapor and the 

 clouds suspended ifi the atmosphere. The third 

 cause is found in the fact that the solid portion- of 

 the earth absorb and reflect heat much more 

 ily than the water: and the fourth in the fact that 

 while the ocean to the westward of the P.riti-l 

 is of enormous size and great depth, the sea to t he 

 eastward is, comparatively speaking, limited in 

 area and shallow, with the snores of Continental 

 K ii rope only a short distance away. 



n a study of the relation of meteorol*. 

 condition^ and' the occurrence ,,f sunstroke made 

 (luring the extraordinary heat wave of A 

 1896. and published in the - Monthly Weath- 



l>r. \V. K. K. Phillips concludes that the 

 number of sunstrokes follows more closely tl 

 cessof temperature above, the normal than it 

 any other -ical condition; that, the num- 



ber of sunstrokes does not appear t -u-t.-iin any 

 definite relation to the general humidity ; th 

 though the absolute humidity was greatest during 

 the maximum of sunstrokes, it does not appear thai 

 the variations influenced the, number of cases : and 

 that the liability to sunstroke increases in propor- 



