338 



THE WORLD'S ADVANCE 



A WELL A MILE AND A HALF 

 DEEP 



The deepest well in the world is near- 

 ly a mile and a half deep 7,350 feet. 

 It is in Upper Silesia, in the coal fields, 

 and was sunk by a diamond drill. Ac- 

 cording to the United States Geological 

 Survey, there is now being drilled in 

 this country a well that may go deeper. 

 It is now 7,174 feet deep, and is four 

 miles northwest of McDonald, Pa., and 

 about 15 miles west of Pittsburgh. 



This well is being drilled until it 

 reaches Medina standstone, which con- 

 tains oil and gas. In the upper parts of 

 the well a little oil and gas were found, 

 and later rock salt and salt water. At a 

 depth of 6,775 ^ eet a temperature of 

 145.8 degrees Fahrenheit was met. Wells 

 5,000 feet deep are common in Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



A PINE TREE PATRIOT 



Mr. Richard J. Donovan leads in a 

 new and much needed type of patriotism 

 reforesting the hills of America. In 

 the past three or four years he has 

 planted nearly 400,000 pine trees at Pine 

 Park in the Adirondacks. Mr. Dono- 

 van made a personal study of reforesting 

 as carried on in Switzerland and Ger- 

 many and secured expert advice from 

 the German school of forestry and state 

 officials. As an evidence of care in the 

 selection of proper varieties for the soil 

 and climate and care in planting is the 

 fact that ninety-five per cent, of all trees 

 planted are thriving. 



Conditions in the Adirondacks, accord- 

 ing to the school of forestry, are ideal for 

 tree planting, especially for pine and 

 spruce and other conifers. The cost of 

 an acre will vary from two to seven dol- 

 lars depending on the age of the trees, 

 distance apart, soil conditions and effi- 

 ciency of the tree planters. 



Small trees can be purchased from the 

 state conservation commission for from 

 one and a half to four dollars a thou- 

 sand. They are usually planted at the 

 age of from two to four years. Seed- 

 lings cost only a dollar and a half a thou- 

 sand and are easy to plant and more apt 

 to live. 



COBALT TO REPLACE NICKEL 

 IN PLATING 



The investigations of Kalmus-Harper- 

 Savell show clearly an unexpected su- 

 periority of cobalt plating over nickel 

 plating. The demand for cobalt has not 

 been great and its use in plating is much 

 to be desired. Solutions suitable for 

 commercial practise are given below. 



SOLUTION A. 



Cobalt ammonium sulphate with its water 

 of crystallization, 200 grams to the liter of 

 water, equivalent to 145 grams of the anhy- 

 drous salt to the liter. Specific gravity is 

 1.053 at 15 C. 



SOLUTION B. 



Cobalt sulphate 312 grams 



Sodium chloride 19.6 grams 



Boric acid Nearly saturated 



Water One liter 



Specific gravity is 1.25 at 15 C. 



Cobalt plating from these solutions on 

 brass, iron, steel, copper, tin, lead and 

 other metals is firm, adherent, uniform 

 and much harder than nickel plate. 

 These surfaces may be buffed to an ex- 

 cellent finish of high luster and brilliant 

 white. The electric conductivity of 

 these solutions is higher than that of 

 standard nickel solutions so that cobalt 

 may be deposited at a lower voltage for 

 a given speed. 



Solution A may be plated four times 

 as fast as the usual nickel solutions. So- 

 lution B, fifteen times as fast. Cobalt 

 deposits remarkably well in indentations 

 of the objects plated. The high speed of 

 deposit does not require agitation of the 

 solutions. Since the cobalt plate is so 

 much harder than nickel, one- fourth the 

 weight gives the same protection as 

 nickel. Ornamental work not subject to 

 great wear requires only one minute de- 

 posit and fifteen minute deposits with- 

 stand great friction or atmospheric at- 

 tack. 



Cobalt plated skates showed far 

 greater resistance to corrosion, wear and 

 scratching than similar nickel plated 

 skates. Similar results were obtained 

 with automobile parts. 



