272 



NATURE 



[December 6, 1917 



chemist merely as an employee instead of co-operating 

 with him as a partner, and this almost invariably 

 dampens his enthusiasm. Secondly, the adoption by 

 the legislatures of a definite national policy as regards 

 the establishment of independence in chemical supplies 

 is advocated. This has already been inaugurated in the 

 question of the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Thirdly, 

 wise patent legislation is necessary. Applied chemistry 

 is not wholly industrial : chemistry promises to be the 

 guide, not only of physiologists, but also of bac- 

 teriologists, pathologists, and laboratory clinicians. 

 Accordingly, it is essential that the chemistry deipart- 

 ments of universities and colleges should keep up 

 their output of men, and maintain a high standard of 

 scientific quality. The great impetus which science has 

 received from the war involves certain dangers. The 

 chief of these is that superior research opportunities 

 and financial returns will attract all the best men away 

 from academic life. In the national interest profes- 

 sorial chairs must be occupied by the best men, and 

 to ensure this salaries must, be raised. The continued 

 need for pure research untroubled by any possible in- 

 dustrial application of its results must not be forgotten. 

 For chemistry in America a brilliant future is predicted 

 provided that the chemist is given a "square deal," 

 and that this science in the universities is placed on 

 the plane occupied by law and medicine. 



In the week following November 20, the anniversary 

 of the Cripplegate Fire, the British Fire Prevention 

 Committee completed its first twenty years' work, 

 which has been carried on entirely by voluntary effort. 

 Among the activities of the committee may be men- 

 tioned the promotion of technical research, the initia- 

 tion of legislation, by-laws, and regulations, the com- 

 pilation of evidence on the subject of fires, and the 

 prepara.tion of literature and circulars of a pre- 

 cautionary character, more than 250 publications of 

 this nature having been issued. The committee's re- 

 commendations have been endorsed by competent 

 authorities in the United States, France, and Russia. 

 Instances of co-operation with other countries are 

 afforded by the organisation of the International Fire 

 Prevention Congress, which was attended by 800 visi- 

 tors, representing fifteen Governments and 200 muni- 

 cipalities and corporations from all parts of the world, 

 and the International Fire Exhibition, at which a 

 collection of historical and industrial exhibits was 

 shown, and the lessons of many of the great . con- 

 flagrations of the past decade were discussed. Apart 

 entirely from the propaganda work in fire prevention 

 and the extensive system of publishing trustworthy 

 data, the committee established twenty years ago a 

 complete testing station near Regent's Park for full- 

 sized fire tests, without any encouragement or assist- 

 ance from the Government whatever. With the advent 

 of the war, which has severely affected professional 

 men, it is unlikely that work of this kind can continue 

 to be dependent solely on the voluntary effort and con- 

 tributions of the technical professions concerned, and 

 being of great national importance, the committee 

 should be afforded the co-operation and assistance of 

 those public departments which are now concerned in 

 research work and have Treasury or special research 

 funds available for it. 



Engineering for November 30 contains an illustrated 

 description of the standard propelling machinery for 

 British standard ships. The main engines are triple- 

 expansion, having cylinders -27 in., 44 in., and 73 in. 

 diameter by 48-in. stroke. There are three boilers of 

 the multitubular return-tube type, 15 ft. 6 in. diameter 

 by II ft. 6 in. long, for 180 lb. per sq. in, working 

 pressure, and working under Howden's system of 

 forced draught. The outstanding features of the 

 engine design indicate that it is of Clyde origin. All 



NO. 2510, VOL. 100] 



the designs, excepting the auxiliary machinery, were 

 prepared by one firm, which had extensive experience in 

 machinery for this size of cargo vessel, and were issued 

 ; complete to various contractors. The advantages of 

 I manufacture to one common design were found of con- 

 j venience in many ways. For example, one firm dis- 

 1 covered defects in a soleplate casting ; this was at once 

 j replaced by a similar casting from another firm, which 

 did not require it immediately, thus preventing several 

 weeks' delay. Orders for the auxiliary machinery, and 

 for all small items, such as valves, branch pieces, etc., 

 were placed with firms which specialise in such work» 

 and furnished all these details ready to fit in place. 

 The positions of the auxiliary machinery were so 

 selected that all erection could be completed before the 

 launch, thus simplifying greatly the amount of pipe- 

 fitting which usually has to be done. 



Among the forthcoming books of science we notice 

 the following: — 'The Education of Engineers," H. G- 

 Taylor (G. Bell and Sons, Ltd.) ; " What Industry owes 

 to Chemical Science," R. B. Pilcher and F. Butler- 

 Jones, with an introduction by Sir G. Beilby {Con- 

 stable and Co., Ltd.); 'Synthetic Products," A. R. J. 

 Ramsey and H. C. Weston (G. Routledge and Sons, 

 Ltd.); "Elements of Graphic Statics," "Moving Loads 

 by Influence Lines and other Methods," "Strength o" 

 Structural Elements," each by E. H. Sprague; "Esti- 

 mating Steel Work for Buildings," B. P. F. Gleed 

 and S. Bylander; "Machine Shop Practice," G. W. 

 Burley; and "The Theory of the Centrifugal and 

 Turbo Pump," J. W. Cameron {Scott, Greenwood, and 

 Co.). Messrs. Longmans and Co. have in prepara- 

 tion for appearance in their series of " Monographs on 

 Biochemistry" : — " The Development and Present Posi- 

 tion of Biological Chemistry," Dr. F. Gowland Hop- 

 kins; "The Polysaccharides," A. R. Ling; "Colloids," 

 W. B. Hardy; "Physical Methods used in Biological 

 Chemistry," Dr. S. G. Walpole; "Protamines and 

 Histones," Dr. A. Kossel ; " Lecithin and Allied Sub- 

 stances," Dr. H. Maclean; "The Ornamental Plant 

 Pigments," A. G. Perkin ; and "Chlorophyll and 

 Haemoglobin," H. J. Page. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Erratic Changes in Clock Rates. — An interesting 

 suggestion as to the cause of the sudden variations 

 which are sometimes observed in the rate of the three 

 standard clocks of the U.S. Naval Observatory has 

 been made by Mr. W. A. Conrad {Popular Astronomy, 

 vol. XXV., p. 522). It has long been noticed that the 

 rates are subject to sudden fluctuations, and that the 

 three clocks usually vary in the same direction at the 

 same time, and by almost equal amounts. As the tem- 

 perature and pressure controls appear to be beyond 

 suspicion, such changes have hitherto been attributed 

 to imperfect determination of instrumental constants. 

 In seeking the cause of a very bad jump in the rates 

 of the three clocks in February, 1917, it was found 

 that many jumps were coincident with "cold waves," 

 and that on this occasion there was a very marked 

 low-jpressure area receding to the east and an ab- 

 normally high barometer to the west. It is suggested 

 that the observations of the clock stars may have been 

 affected by lateral refraction, and that a study of the 

 weather map might possibly help to explain the 

 anomalous results which have occasionally been ob- 

 tained in determinations of the positions of stars. 



The Hector Observatory, New Zealand. — The re- 

 port of the Government Astronomer for the past year 

 includes an accourtt of the excellent system of time- 

 signals which has been organised by Mr. Adams, and 

 a plea for the establishment of a wireless time-service. 

 In co-operation with Mr. H. F. Johnston, of the Mag- 



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