September 6, 1900] 



NA TURE 



457 



The following are subjects of papers to be brought before the 

 meeting : — The development of the iron and steel industries in 

 France since 1889, by H. Pinget ; iron and steel from the point 

 of view of the " phase-doctrine," by Prof. Bakhuis-Roozeboom ; 

 iron and steel at the Paris Exhibition, by Prof. H. Bauerman ; 

 American methods of testing iron and steel, by Mr. Albert 

 Ladd Colby ; rolling-mills, by Mr. Louis Katona ; the constitu- 

 tion of slags, by Baron H. von Jiiptner ; a new method of 

 producing high temperatures, by Mr. Ernest F. Lange ; the 

 action of aluminium on the carbon of cast iron, by Messrs. 

 Godfrey Meliand and H. W. Waldron ; the present position of 

 ■the solution theory of carburised iron, by Dr. A. Stansiield ; 

 iron and phosphorus, with appendixes on (i) eutectics, (2) 

 solid solutions, (3) method of determining free phosphide of 

 iron in iron and steel, and (4) heat-tinting metal sections for 

 microscopic examination, by Mr. J. E. Stead. 



We learn from the F«rres, Elgin and Nairn Gazette of 

 August 29 that a serious flood, due to the bursting of the 

 Sanquhar reservoir on the morning of August 23, wrought great 

 havoc over the western part of Forres. Since the great Moray 

 floods of 1829, described by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, the 

 •district has not suffered such a disaster. In that year the 

 Findhorn was the main cause of' flooding ; in the present case 

 injury was done by the breaking down of the embankment 

 which dammed «p the waters in a valley on the Sanquhar 

 estate to the east of the Findhorn and a little south of Forres. 

 The dam formed a reservoir of from eight to twelve acres. 

 On Wednesday morning, August 22, the area was only partially 

 ■covered with water, from eight to ten feet below the level of 

 the overflow. Within twelve hours an inch and a half of rain 

 fell. The reservoir filled rapidly, and by 3 a.m. on Thursday 

 ■the water was rushing down the overflow, which was only 

 ■thirty feet wide. Shortly before 5 a.m. the immense breastwork 

 burst outwards from top to bottom in one mass, about twenty 

 ■feet wide, close to the overflow, and the waters rushed wildly 

 out. Near by an iron bridge with a concrete pier, 30 feet 

 ■broad and 4 feet thick, were carried away, an ash tree was 

 uprooted, and the waters spread rapidly over the low grounds 

 in a wave that gathered to a height of three or four feet. 

 Sheaves of barley and oats were carried off, wooden outhouses 

 were torn away, stone walls, iron railings, gates and glasshouses 

 were broken down, doors were driven in and a number of 

 villas and cottages were submerged for some time to a depth of 

 from three to five feet. Fortunately no lives were lost. 



With reference to the inquiry as to the functions of the pro- 

 truding filaments of the caterpillar of the Puss Moth (p. 385), 

 we have received communications from several correspondents, 

 who all agree with Mr. W. F. Kirby (p. 413) in regarding the 

 appendages as chiefly intended for driving away Ichneumon 

 Flies. 



A NOTE in the ElectriciaH refers to a curious effect produced 

 by severe thunderstorms upon the glow lamps on the circuits of 

 the Calcutta Electric Supply Co. It appears that immediately 

 following each lightning flash the brightness of the glowing 

 iamps has been observed to increase suddenly, gradually return- 

 ing to the normal incandescence. This phenomenon has so 

 frequently been observed that the engineers of the company 

 have sought every possible explanation of the curious pheno- 

 menon, but have been unable to find any defect in their 

 circuits — which are on the overhead wire system— that might 

 offer an explanation. Indeed, the only conceivable explana- 

 tion is one which appeais so extraordinary that many may find 

 considerable difficulty in accepting it. It is well known that 

 carbon, acting as a coherer in a wireless telegraph apparatus, 

 undergoes the usual sudden decrease in resistance when subjected 

 to electric radiation. It is suggested that the carbon filaments 

 NO. 1610, VOL. 62] 



of a glowing lamp may undergo a similar change when exposed 

 to the influence of a tropical thunderstorm in its immediate 

 vicinity. This sudden decrease in the resistance of the filament 

 would, of course, produce a correspondingly rapid increase in 

 its candle-power, after which the gradual self-decoherence of 

 the carbon would account for the return of the lamp to its 

 normal incandescence. 



We have received an interesting account of the climate of 

 Norway, by Mr. A. S. Steen, being a reprint from the Official 

 Publication for the Paris Exhibition, 1900. As that country 

 stretches through more than 13 degrees of latitude and extends 

 nearly 300 miles beyond the Arctic Circle, the most varied 

 shades of continental and maritime climates are represented 

 within its confines. Mr. Steen has divided the country into 

 south-east, west and north sections, this being in fact in ac- 

 cordance with nature's own division. In the inland districts of 

 south-east Norway and Finmark we have examples of the most 

 typical inland climate, viz. severe winter and relatively high 

 temperature maxima in summer, and small rainfall ; while along 

 the whole length of coast-line the winter is unusually mild, the 

 summer cool, and rain falls in abundance. The influence of 

 the Gulf Stream can be traced all over the country, and it is one 

 of the chief agencies to which Norway owes its condition as a 

 civilised inhabited State to its farthest bounds on the shores of 

 the Polar Sea. The following are quoted as some of the 

 highest summer temperatures : in the south-east 86" and 

 upwards, and 93" at Christiania (once only) ; on the south 

 coast no higher temperature than 80° '5 has ever been recorded. 

 In the west, temperatures of 88^*5, and once 93° at Vossevangen, 

 have been recorded. In the northern section temperatures of 

 85° to 88" have been recorded, but in the most southern of the 

 Lofoten Isles (in the middle of the ocean) the thermometer has 

 never risen above 68^. 



A paper, by Mr. A. E. Sunderland, on applications of 

 electrochemistry in dye and print works, is published in the 

 Society of Arts Journal (August 24). Tlie requirements which 

 should be fulfilled by a machine for electrical dyeing are con- 

 sidered to be as follows :— (i) The poles must not be of metal, 

 but of carbon or biscuit porcelain, which conduct by becoming 

 saturated with the electrolyte. (2) They must be as near to one 

 another as possible. (3) The cloth must pass between the 

 ! poles in the open width. (4) The poles may be perfectly 

 smooth, and preferably cylindrical, revolving freely. These 

 particulars are necessary, because in the ordinary passage of 

 the electric current across any dye solution, the tendency of 

 the dye is to concentrate itself around the negitive pole, and 

 not to circulate freely in the whcle dye vessel ; there is thus 

 always a great danger of unevenness. In the finishing of goods 

 the peculiar eft'ect which is produced by calendering a piece 

 in two different directions, one impression upon another, is 

 well known. This is technically termed water-marking or 

 moire, and is due to the irregular reflection from the surface 

 of the material, one part of the light being totally reflected, 

 and the other part dispersed. The effect can be introduced 

 in several ways, one of which depends upon electricity. This 

 process, Mr. Sunderland remarks, resolves itself practically 

 into the local application of electrolysis. A platinum plate of 

 suitable size is connected with the positive pole of the source 

 of current. On this conducting surface is placed some ab- 

 sorbent material saturated with a solution of common salt. 

 On this pad is placed the fabric to be water-marked, and the 

 plate engraved with the water-mark connected with the nega- 

 tive terminal is pressed down upon it. The salt solution is 

 decomposed, and a facsimile of the water-mark is printed on 

 the cloth. To produce opaque designs, the absorbent material 

 is saturated with a solution of barium chloride, which is 

 decomposed on passing the current. 



