'KPTEMBER 6, igi/] 



NATURE 



us. Among the subjects dealt with are chemistry, 

 physics, history of science, including Roman and 

 Greek history, politics, philosophy, and music. 



Meteorologists and physicists who are interested 

 in the subject of globular lightning will find two papers 

 by Prof. Ignazio Galli, published by the Pontificia 

 Accademia Romana dei Nuovi Lincei in 1916 and 

 during the present year, of great value. The pheno- 

 mena present themselves under such varied guise that 

 some physicists are inclined to doubt altogether their 

 actual existence, preferring to regard what is seen as 

 the result of an optical illusion produced by the light 

 of the discharge. Prof. Galli, in addition to an his- 

 torical account of older references to the subject, going 

 back to classical times, has collected from the appro- 

 priate scientific literature a large number of modern 

 '-ervations; These are well classified according to 

 ' various appearances presented and will form a 



Iry convenient source for comparison and reference. 

 le writer of this note may, perhaps, be allowed to 

 I on record an observation of his own. Some years 

 b, when driving with a friend, he was overtaken 

 fea violent thunderstorm accompanied by torrents of 

 Hi. When the storm was at its worst a vivid flash 

 [ lightning was immediately followed by a terrific 

 \p of thunder ; on looking up against the driving rain 

 ch of us saw, on a small hill about half a mile in 

 advance, a luminous globe the angular diameter of 

 which was rather less than that of the moon, and 

 the colour of which was that of the positive glow in a 

 carbon dioxide vacuum tube. This persisted for nearly 

 five seconds and then suddenly disappeared. 



Mr. Leo Wallerstein is the author of an interest- 

 ing and comprehensive paper entitled "Enzymes in 

 the Fermentation Industries " in the Journal of the 

 Franklin Institute for May and Juno. A general out- 

 line is given of the wide field over which enzyme 

 activity ranges, from the decomposition of urea by 

 urease to the coagulation of the blood by thrombas'e 

 j on exf>osure to air. Stress is laid on the conditions 

 characteristic of optimum enzyme activity, viz. the 

 specificity of enzymes, the importance of temperature 

 and reaction of the solutions in which they act, and 

 their colloidal nature. It is pointed out that enzymes, 

 although of importance industrially mainly as decom- 

 posing agents, are naturally of equal importance 

 synthetically, as they serve to build up the tissues of 

 the animal body and of plants. Mr. Wallerstein gives 

 a detailed account of the brewing jprocess from the 

 point of view of the enzymes concerned. In the 

 malting of the barley grain the reserve food material 

 of the endosperm is rendered available by the oxydase, 

 amylase, protease, etc., secreted by the embryo. In 

 the mash-tun the starch is degraded to maltose and 

 dextrin by the action of the amylase, whilst the 

 proteases effect changes in the proteins present. 

 Finally, in the fermentation of the sterile wort with 

 yeast the chief enzyme action is the decomposition of 

 the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by means 

 of zymase. It was discovered by the author that 

 beer can be made chill-proof (when kept on ice beer 

 becomes cloudy, owing to separation of protein matter) 

 by addition of a very small proportion of pepsin to 

 the sterilised wort. The power of the yeast cell when 

 provided with sugar, ammonium sulphate, and in- 

 organic sal's to synthesise alburrien has been employed 

 in Germany, where large quantities of yeast are so 

 prepared and used as a cattle food. 



It is more than seven years since the date of 

 the last disastrous flood which inundated Paris 

 and left a record in height surpassing any- 

 thing since the year 1658. Although the in- 



NO. 2497, ^O-L. 100] 



tervals between the graver visitations of this kind 

 seem to be increasing, yet the Parisians have not 

 failed to recognise the inevitability of their recurrence 

 and the necessity of preparation for them. Shortly 

 after the floods of January, 1910, a commission was 

 appointed for the purpose, under the presidency of the 

 late M. Picard, and a few months later a report was 

 I issued containing its recommendations. Some of these 

 I have already been carried into effect, but the more im- 

 portant are still under consideration, partly on account 

 of their magnitude and cost, and partly on account 

 of the war. In January last year the French Govern- 

 I ment brought forward legislative proposals, which 

 j included the widening of La Monnaie channel in Paris 

 I itself and the deepening of the Seine between Suresnes 

 j and Bougival, at a total estimated cost of 67,346,000 

 I francs, or nearly 2,700,000!!. A deviation of the Marne, 

 by means of a canal from Annet to Epinay, though 

 recommended by the commission, is not regarded at 

 the moment as a feasible proposition. It is calculated 

 ; that the works proposed to be carried out 

 will effect a lowering in flood height of rather 

 less than half a metre, say 18 in. The 

 period required for the'r execution is at least 

 seven years. Operations will involve the moving of 

 a section of the Paris-Orleans Railway and the build- 

 ing of a new quay wall opposite the Cathedral of Notre 

 Dame. We are indebted for these particulars to an 

 article in the Engineer of July 6. 



The Times Engineering Supplement for August 31 

 contains an account of the Australian Transcontinental 

 Railway, which is now practically completed. This 

 i railway runs from west to east, and for the first time 

 I puts Western Australia in direct railway communication 

 with the other States in the Commonwealth. It will 

 reduce by two or three days the time required by 

 passengers and mails to travel between Great Britain 

 ! and the eastern States of Australia. Among other ad- 

 : vantages, it will tap the resources of a stretch of 

 I country having great productive possibilities, and it also 

 I possesses strategic importance. The line runs from 

 i Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia, to Port Augusta, in 

 I South Australia — a distance of about 105 1 miles, and 

 j its course is roughly parallel to the coast of the Great 

 Australian Bight, but always well away from it. The 

 highest elevation attained is 1354 ft. The standard 

 gauge of 4 ft. 8^ in. is adopted. The railway is de- 

 signed for high-speed running, and when the ballasting 

 is complete the journey between Kalgoorlie and Port 

 Augusta should be made in about twenty-four hours. 



Until quite recently the semi-Diesel, or hot-bulb, 

 type of oil engine for marine purposes was considered 

 to be suitable for comparatively small powers per 

 cylinder. Recent modifications in design have brought 

 this type into favour for powers up to 130 brake-horse- 

 power per cylinder. The Beardmore engine — described 

 in Engineering for August 24 — has four cylinders, each 

 II in. diameter by 15-in. stroke; working on the two- 

 stroke cycle, it develops 160 brake-horse-power at 

 280 revs, per min. It is particularly suited to consume 

 fuels ranging from 08 to 09 specific gravity, but can 

 be adjusted to use either slightly lignter or heavier 

 oils. The low speed of revolution is conducive to high 

 propeller efficiency. The engine is directly reversible 

 by means of compiessed air, and requires no discon- 

 necting clutch between the engine and the propeller. 

 For a typical British coaster, 75 ft. long, the 160 brake- 

 horse-power engine weighs 145 cwt. ; the weight of 

 the complete installation, including fuel tanks, floor 

 plates, pipes, etc., is 14 tons, and the engine-room 

 bulkheads are is; ft. apart. One thousand gallons of 

 fuel can be carried, and this quantity gives the vessel 

 an acting radius of 750 nautical miles. 



