NA TURE 



[August 29, 1S95 



Mr. Saniter s jiaper, describing a ne«" method for the analj-sis 

 of chrome and ferrochromium, was the last read at this sitting. 

 This is a further extension of Mr. Steads modification of Dr. 

 Clarke's process, and has the great advantage of reducing the 

 time occupied in the anah-sis. 



On the afternoon of this day there were several excursions, the 

 chief of which was to Worcester, where the works of the Roj-al 

 Porcelain Company were ins|iected. Another party visited the 

 Round Oak Iron and Steel Works, while others proceeded to 

 the glass works, fireclay works, small arms factories, and 

 to other works in and around Birmingham. In the evening 

 there was a very successful reception and entertainment in the 

 Edgbaston Botanical Gardens. 



The final sitting of the meeting was on Thursday of last week, 

 ■when a paper by Mr. Henry Wi^n, on nickel steel, was first 

 taken. In this contribution the advantages of nickel steel as a 

 constructive material were brought forward ; its great tensile 

 strength combined with excessive ductility being dwelt upon. 

 Another acK-antage possessed is freedom from corrosion, as 

 compared with ordinary steel. Instances were given of the 

 nickel steel containing 3i per cent, of nickel, which had a 

 tensile strength fully 30 per cent, higher than ordinary 

 steel, and an elastic limit at least 75 per cent, higher. 

 The author does not give any details in regard to cost, 

 which is naturally higher than that of ordinary steel ; 

 l)ut speaking upon the subject generally, he w;is of opinion 

 that the additional price that would have to be chaiged 

 would generally be more than com|Tensated for by in- 

 creased efficiency. In the discussion, Mr. W. Beardmore, of 

 Glasgow, said he had been making large quantities of nickel 

 steel for the last two years. This was for armour-plates, but he 

 was now preparing a series of tests to submit to Lloyd's with a 

 view to intro<Iucing the material for marine purposes. Mr. 

 Jeremiah Head, who had lately visited America, said that at the 

 works of Mr. Carnegie he had seen large quantities of nickel 

 steel produced at a cost, he was told, of about £,^ a ton ; but 

 there natural gas of great richness was available. Mr. Thomp- 

 son, of New ^■ork, who had been largely engaged in the manu- 

 facture of nickel steel, said that in America 50,000 to 75,000 

 tons of this material had been produced during the last three 

 years. A German chemist had found that with an alloy of 15 

 per cent, of nickel almost a new metal was made having a tensile 

 strength of 244,000 lbs. to the square inch, and an elastic limit 

 as high in prfiimrtion. He estimated that to build a large battle- 

 ship of nickel steel would add but 2 [>er cent, to her cost, whilst 

 the efficiency would be doubled. Sir. Thomas Turner after- 

 wards pointed out that nickel steel was supposed to have a wide 

 range of extension and contraction with variations of tem|5era- 

 ture, so that if a ship went to the polar regions it might become 

 even feet shorter in its length. 



Mr. Smith-Ca.sson's paper, on .small cast ingots, was next 

 read. The author claims to have got very good results by 

 casting ingots together from the lx)tlom. This was the last 

 paper read at the meeting. 



Thursday afternoon wxs devoted to an excursion to Stratford- 

 on-Avon, whilst on the following day, Friday, an excursion was 

 made to Kenilworth and to Warwick, where members and their 

 friends were entertained at the Castle by Lord and Lady 

 Warwick. 



poifj 



cle 



by.., 



of the tube.' For photographic purposes a quartz window was 

 attached to the end of the tube, so that the spectrum of the gas 

 could be taken " end on." 



My examinations have chiefly been made on five samples of gas. 



( 1 ) .^ sample from Prof Ramsay in March last. Prepared 

 from cliveite. 



(2) -V sample from Prof. Ramsay in May last. Preixired 

 from a sjiecimen of uraninite sent to him by Prof. Ilillebrand. 

 Gas obtained by means of sulphuric acid ; purified by sparking. 



(3) .\ -sample from Prof. Ramsay in June last. Prepared 

 from briiggerite. 



(4) A sample from Prof. Lockyer in July last. Prejiared by 

 a process of fractional distillation from a sample of broggerite 

 sent by Prof. Brogger. 



(5) A sample of gas from Prof. Ramsay, " Helium Purissi- 

 mum." This was obtained from mixed sources, and had been 

 purified to the highest pissible point. 



In the following table the first four samples of gas will be 

 called :— (I) " Cleveite, R." : (2) " Uraninite, R" ; (3) " Brog- 

 gerite, R"; and (4) "Broggerite, L." Only the strongest of 

 the lines, and those about which I have no doubt, are given. 

 The wave-lengths are on Rowland's scale. 



The photographs were taken on plates bent to the proper 

 curvature for bringing the whole spectrum in accurate focus at 

 the same time. The spectrum given by a spark between an 

 alloy of equal atoms t)f mercury, cadmium, zinc, and tin, was 

 photographed at the same time on the plate, partially overlapping 

 the helium spectrum ; suitable lines of these metals were used as 

 standards. The measurements were taken by means of a special 

 micrometer reading approximately to the 1/ 100,000th inch, and 

 with accuracy to the 1/ 10,000th of an inch. The c.ilculations were 

 performed .according to Sir George Stokes's formula, supple- 

 mented by an additional formula kindly supplied by Sir George 

 Stokes, gi"ng a correction to be applied to the approximate 

 wave-lengths given by the first formula, and greatly increasing 

 the accuracy of the results. 



W.UC- 



Icni^th. Intensity. 



7065-5 5 .\ red line, seen in all the samples of gas. 



Voung gives a chromospheric line at 7065 5. 

 6678 I S A red line, seen in all the samples of g.is. 



Thalen gives a line at 6677, and Lockyer at 



6678. \oung gives a chromospheric line at 



6678-3. 

 5876-0 30 The characteristic yellow line of helium, seen m 



ail the s;imples of gas. Thalen makes it 



5875-9, and Rowland 5875-98. Voung gives 



a chromospheric line at 5876. 



THE SPECTRUM OF HELIUM} 



TN the Chemical News for March 29 last (vol. Ixxi. p. 151), I 

 ■^ published the results of measurements of the wave-lengths 

 of the more prominent lines .seen in the spectrum of the gas 

 from cleveite, now identifieii with helium. The gas had been 

 given to me by the discoverer, I'rof. Ramsay ; and Iwing from 

 the first Ijatch prc[«red, it contained other gases as impurities, 

 such as nitrogen and aqueous vapour, Uuh of which gave s|x:ctra 

 inlerftring with the purity of the true helium spcctnmi. I have 

 jjnr. 1 1 '■, the kindness of Profs. Ramsay and J. Norman 

 Li. ii opixirlunilyofexaniining wimples of helium from 

 difl I lis and of considerable purity .as far as known 

 contaniuKition is concerned. These samples of gas were sealed 

 in lulx-s of various kinds and exhausted to the most luminous 

 irum oljscrvaticms. In most cases no internal 

 used, but the rarefied gas w.as illuminated solely 

 lelallic terminals being attached to the outside 



I KroTi the Chfmkat jVeu-s, At'gusI »> 



5062- 

 5047- 



5015-9 



47'3'4 



4658-5 

 4579-1 



NO. 1348, VOL. 52] 



' Joitntat 



1891. 



A yellow-green line, only seen in " Helium 

 I'uriss." and in "Broggerite, R," and " L." 

 Thalen gives the wave-length as 5048. 



A green line seen in all the samples of gas. 

 Thalen gives the wave-length 5016. \oung 

 gives a chromospheric line at 50'5'9- 



A green line, seen in all the santples of gas. 

 Thalen gives the wave-length 4922. \'oung 

 gives a chromospheric line at 4922 3. 



A green line, only seen in " Uraninite, R." 

 Voung gives a chromospheric line at 48704. 



A green line, only seen in " Uraninite, R.'' 

 Voung gives a chromospheric line al 4848-7. 



A green line, only seen in " Uraninite, K " 

 \oung gives a chromospheric line at 4805 25. 



There is a hydrogen line at 4764 o. 



A very strong greenish blue line, only seen in 

 " Uraninite, K.'' 

 9 A blue line, seen in all the samples of g.is. 

 Thalen's measurement is 47 '3 '5- Voung 

 gives a chromosjiheric line at 47 1 3 4. 

 8 A blue line, only .seen in " Uraninite, R." 

 3 A faint blue line, seen in "Uraninite, R." 

 Lockyer gives a line at 4580, from cert.iin 

 minerals. I can see no traces of it in the g.is 

 from Broggerite. A hydrogen line occurs at 

 4580-1. 



of the linlilNllan 0/ KUdriral Engmreri, p.irl 91, vol. xx., 

 Lddrcu by the President, William Crookcs, V.R.S., Jan. 15, 



