I I MliKK 26, I'll' 



NATURE 



73 



In looks "ii science as in natural alliance, m in 

 hostility. Hie student o) science has, in the main v to do 

 with the order of Nature. Bui he cannot exclude man 

 and his works, ni>i even his dreams; he has to study 

 ory of his science, which often shows itself 

 as .1 social phenomenon; he has his "formal disi 1 

 pline" as rigorous as that of the classics; His every- 

 daj work stirs the imagination, and is often rich in 

 aesthetic stimulus; and he knows thai his science 

 ma; contribute, nol onlj to the glory of the Creator, 

 hut a I si 1 to the 1 . lii 1 of man's estate, as Bacon put it. 

 Moreover, both kinds of discipline require the same 

 qualities of intellectual conscience accuracy, veracity, 

 patience, ami courage. There is no sense in trying 



tn make things ill at an- different seem the same, hut 

 the author shows thai what should lie kinked for, in 

 the natni of common sense, is sympathetii co-opera- 

 tion, km the two disciplines are complementary, 

 eipialK natural and equally necessary. 



Tub U.S. Hureau of Standards will supply on 

 request Technologic Paper No. 113, which contains a 

 description of the Bureau's method of determining 

 the permeability of halloon fabrics, together with a 

 discussion of the effect of various experimental condi- 

 tions on the results obtained. The method is essen- 

 tial!) an elahoration of Frenzel's modification of the 

 N.P.L. method. The fahric is in contact on one 

 side with a stream of hydrogen ; over the other side 

 .ili is passed .it a measured rat., the concentration of 

 hydrogen in it being determined by a one-meter Rav- 

 leigh-Zeiss gas interferometer. Bv reducing the 

 depth of the gas- and air-chamhers of the permeabilit) 

 cell to 2 mm. and 4 mm. respectively, the period re- 

 quired for the attainment of equilibrium conditions is 

 shortened to about thirty minutes; the results are 

 accurate to about 5 per cent. Curves are given for 

 ■ ii temperature and of hydrogen excess pres- 

 the permeability. The standard temperature 

 adopted is 25' C; the permeability at 15° C. is about 

 65 per cent, of that at 25 ('. The influence of 

 aqueous vapour is noted, dried gases giving an ob- 

 rmeabilit) about 5 per cent, greater than when 

 the) are two-thirds saturated. Vapours of rubber 

 solvent ma) affect the readings; if necessary, a cor- 

 rection is applied from blank test-.. The permeabilit) 

 of balloon faliric bv air is found, bv a suitable Varia- 

 tion of the interferometer method, to be on the 

 gi 1 v s of the permeability by hydrogen. 



I ill. column of smoke usually emitted hv a steamei 

 is a vital factor in betraying her pri sence to an enemy. 

 Thus a tramp steamer with tin- usual type of funnel 



column of smoke to a height of 150 ft., which 

 is visible to an observer whose eyi is 15 ft. above sea- 



1 1 7-4 nautical miles from the steamer. The 

 danger is reduced considerable by a smoke system 

 developed hv Messrs. Yarrow and Co., Ltd., and 

 described in the Engineer for September 13. The 

 device consists of two smoke-dints leading from the 

 funnel to each side of the ship, the exit-mouths of 



- being inclined downwards towards the sur- 

 face ni iln sea. A damper in the funnel and other 

 dampers in the ducts permit the funnel to be closed 

 and the ducts opened. Each duct has an internal 

 water-spray, which delivers a conical spray ananged 

 just to touch tin- exit edges of the ducts. The effect 

 of this spray is to cool tin hoi gases so as to cause 

 tin in in fall to sea-level, and to absorb a large pro- 

 portion of tin- solid particles of carbon in the smoke, 

 thus reducing its blackness, and therefore its visibility. 

 In actual use, tin smoke never rises above tin level 

 of the bridge, and its appearance is similar to that 

 emitted hv a locomotive, which is black onlv for a 

 Dl two after the furnace-fins have heen stoked 



NO. 2552, VOL. I02~! 



afresh. The contri I 1 suppl) to the furnaces 



is also improved In 1 1 1. device. 



I m: successful testing last month of the new Quebec 

 Bridge marks the completio 1 of a great work which 

 has claimed the attention of engineers for many years 

 past. An interesting article wili be found in Engineer- 

 ing for September 13, which includes manv excellent 

 illustrations from photographs, showing the construc- 

 tion of the bridge and the methods employed in erec- 

 tion. The structure is of the canti 1 1 sting 

 on two piers, 1800 ft. centre to centre; the ,vo canti- 

 lever arms are each 580 ft., and the span is com- 

 pleted by a central suspended girder of 04.. ft. soan, 

 under which there is a free headwav at 

 of 150 ft. The two anchor-arm spans ,, 

 515 ft., and the total length of the whole strui 

 including approach spans, is 3239 ft. There are 

 railway tracks, and outside these two footpaths, 

 collapse of the first bridge during erection in August, 

 1907, has undoubtedly influenced American bridge 

 1I1 sign for the good. A contributory cause to the 

 accident was the ridiculously small sum set aside for 

 professional advice, which made the provision of an 

 adequate scientific staff impossible. This lesson was 

 taken to heart in the design of the new bridge; the 

 preparation of the plans for the official design of the 

 new structure is said to have cost 100,000/., and a 

 hoard of engineers was constituted to supervise the 

 plans and erection. Numerous tests were made on 

 models of the lower chord compression members 

 (which were the cause of the disaster to the first 

 bridge), and it is of interest to note that some of these 

 " models " exceeded in size the principals of most 

 bridges. 



A new series of monographs on experimental biology 

 and general physiology is announced by the J. B. 

 I.ippincott Co. The general editors will be Dr. I. 

 Loeb, Prof. T. H. Morgan, and Prof. W. J. A. 

 Osterhout. Among the volumes arranged foi an 

 "The Chromosome Theory of Heredity," Prof. T. II 

 Morgan; " In-breeding and Out-breeding," E. M. 

 East and D. F. Jones; "Localisation of Morphogenii 

 Substances in the Egg," Prof. E. G. Conklin ; "Tissue 

 Culture," R. G. Harrison; " Permeabilitv and Elec- 

 trical Conductivity of Living Tissue," Prof. W. J. V. 

 Osterhout; "The Equilibrium between Vcids and 

 Bases in Organism and Environment," L. J. Hender- 

 son: "Chemical Basis of Growth," Prof. T. B. 

 Robertson; "Primitive Nervous System," Prof. 

 G. H. Parker; and "Co-ordination in Locomotion," 

 A. R. Moore. 



Mr. Edward Arnold nces " Petrol and 



Petroleum Spirits," b) Capt. W. E. Guttentag, with a 

 preface by Sir John Cadman ; Messrs. Longmans and 

 ( <'.'s list includes a new anil enlarged edition of 

 " Liquid Steel : Its Manufacture and Cost," bv Col. 

 D. Carnegie and S. C. Gladwin; Messrs. Crosbv 

 Lock-wood and Son promise "The Aircraft Identifica- 

 tion Book for 1918 : A Concise Guide to the Recogni- 

 tion of Different rypes and Makes of all Kinds of 

 Aeroplanes ami Airships," by R. B. Matthews and 

 <■. T. Clarkson, and a new edition of the "Naval 

 Architect's, Shipbuilder's, and Marine Engineer's 

 Pocket Book," hv C. Mackrow and L. Woollard ; 

 Messrs. G. Routledge and Sons. Ltd., have in pre- 

 paration fot their New Industrial Effirienev Books 

 s. lies a translation hv E. Butterworth of ' I In- 

 Human Motor and the Scientific Foundations of 

 Labour," by Dr. J. Amar, "The Science of Labour 

 s Organisation," bv Dr. J. lotevko, and "The 

 Tavlor Svstem in Franklin Management," by Major 

 G I' Babcock. 



