PACIFIC SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



same speed in the same time, if all 

 could be used. The ratio of converti- 

 bility is 772 foot-pounds ; that is, the 

 heat which would raise one pound of 

 water one degree (Fahr.) would lift it 

 772 feet ; and a pound weight, by stop- 

 ping from a fall of 772 feet, would pro- 

 duce heat enough to warm a pound of 

 water one degree, if all used. In 1844 

 Mr. Joule, of Manchester, Eng., stirred 

 water, mercury and sperm oil by forces 

 which could be measured, and noticed 

 the heat developed. He also caused 

 pieces of cast iron to rnb together, and 

 forced water through capillary tubes ; 

 and in every case the ratio was sub- 

 stantially the same ; and the figures 

 "772" are the mean of 110 experiments, 

 and are now universally accepted. 

 With this ratio it has been figured 

 that the mere stopping of the earth 

 in its orbit would cause as much heat 

 as the burning of 14 worlds of solid 

 coal as large as our earth. Then in 

 starting us in our course around the 

 sun, as much power as this was exerted, 

 whether given at a separate impulse, 

 or in common with the whole solar 

 system according to the Nebular Hy- 

 pothesis. And since such power was 

 exerted in starting our little speck 

 how much more was used in giving 

 their motion to all planets, the sun 

 and all the stars which the telescope 

 reveals. 



In practical matters, we see that the 

 enormous capacity of water to store 

 away heat explains why the ocean 

 never freezes, and never becomes hot 

 as the desert's burning sand. There- 

 fore the mildness of our ocean climate, 

 both in winter and in summer; and 

 especially when an ocean current like 

 that of the Gulf stream flows by the 

 banks of New Poundland, and wraps 

 the British Isles, it gives off in that 



high latitude the enormous heal 

 ceived in the tropics. So with the 



Japan current of the Pacific Coast. So 

 also of the "water protection" to fruit 

 on the shores of eastern lakes. But 

 more than this; water reaches its 

 greatest density at 39 degrees, seven 

 degrees above freezing, and the surface 

 drops cooling toward this point give 

 place to warmer drops from below, and 

 thus nearly all the. heat of the whole 

 lake to its bottom is given oft' to warm 

 the fields around, before its tempera- 

 ture falls to the freezing point. Thus 

 spring buds are saved, and corn from 

 a June fro»t, and the unripe grapes of 

 autumn. But further; in freezing, 

 water gives off 143 degrees of heat. So 

 that, a pound of water at 112 degrees in 

 merely changing into ice at 32 degrees 

 would warm 143 pounds of water one 

 degree. So steam in turning to water 

 at th™ same temperature, gives off beat 

 enough to warm 907 pounds of water 

 one degree; and of course ice in tinn- 

 ing to water consumes 143 degrees of 

 heat, and water in turning to steam 

 consumes 967 degrees . Therefore a 

 fire which quickly warms a kettle of 

 water to boiling, must burn a long 

 time to boil it all away. True, boiling 

 water, is as hot as steam ; but it is still 

 water, and an enormous amount of 

 work must be done to pull its molecules 

 apart, and left them to occupy 770 

 times their present room. 



Now all the world's work is done by 

 the sun. The power of every water- 

 fall was given by the sun when it lifted 

 water from land and sea into the 

 clouds to fall as rain and go over the 

 mill-dam and Niagara. The power of 

 every steam engine came from the sun 

 as it caused the wood to grow, and the 

 vegetation which formed the coal. All 

 muscular power of man and beast 



