August 29, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



309 



field of explosisres is well given in the preface: 

 to bring together more closely the science and 

 practise of the subject; to establish a closer 

 cooperation between the scientist and the tech- 

 nologist. In this the author has succeeded 

 most remarkably well. The important modern 

 explosives are carefully reviewed and arranged 

 according to chemical and physical views now 

 held. Theoretical and mathematical discus- 

 sions have been omitted, which makes the book 

 valuable to the technologist who as a rule has 

 troubles enough without trying to keep in prac- 

 tise on advanced mathematics. 



In chapter one there is given a clear out- 

 line of the elementary principles relating to 

 the general behavior of explosives. Chapters 

 two, three and four treat of velocity, tempera- 

 ture and pressure produced by explosives on 

 combustion. An excellent discussion of the 

 products of explosive reactions as influenced 

 by temperature and pressure is given in chap- 

 ter five. Chapter six treats of intensity and 

 velocity of the explosive impulse. Chapter 

 seven is of special importance to miners and 

 ordnance officers since it treats of the flame of 

 an explosion. Igniters, fuses, detonators and 

 fulminates are described in chapter eight. In 

 chapter nine there is a brief but excellent dis- 

 cussion of black and smokeless powders. Blast- 

 ing explosives in chapter ten are fully dis- 

 cussed, including hints for handling, use and 

 destruction of explosives generally. 



A valuable feature of the book is the splendid 

 list of references to literature on exijlosives 

 and related subjects. The work, which on the 

 whole is excellent, has lost nothing by trans- 

 lation. Works of this character are frequently 

 ruined by translators, either on account of lack 

 of knowledge of the foreign language or un- 

 familiarity of the subject. In this case the 

 translators show a thorough knowledge of 

 German, and surely Dr. Munroe is more 

 familiar with explosives than any one else in 

 this country. It is gratifying to note that 

 attention is called to the fact that the term 

 " nitroglycerine " is not in accordance with 

 present-day chemical nomenclature. Why not 

 discard also the name " nitrocellulose " ? The 



latter is a nitrate just as much as the former. 

 On page 161 in equation one there should be 

 shown six carbon dioxids instead of two. and 

 on page 162 where the decomposition of picric 

 acid is shown six molecules, not two, of hydro- 

 gen are formed. Nothing further remains to 

 be said except that no explosives library is up 

 to date without this work. 



A. P. Sr 



NOTES ON METEOBOLOGT AND 

 CLIMATOLOGY 



THE SOLAR CONSTANT OF RADIATION 



Volume III. of the Annals of the Astro- 

 physical Observatory of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution has just appeared (a great quarto 

 volume of 241 pages). As a result of recent 

 investigations of the intensity of solar radia- 

 tion, these noteworthy results have been ob- 

 tained: (1) That the mean value of the solar 

 constant of radiation for the epoch 1905-1912 

 is 1.929 calories per square centimeter per 

 minute; (2) an increase in the solar constant 

 by 0.07 calories per square centimeter per 

 minute is accompanied by an increase of 100 

 in sun-spot numbers; (3) numerous, almost 

 simultaneous measurements of the solar con- 

 stant at Mount Wilson, California, and at 

 Bassour, Algeria, would indicate that the in- 

 tensity of solar radiation experiences an irreg- 

 ular change which frequently exceeds 0.07 

 calories per square centimeter per minute 

 and which follows a ten-day period; (4) 

 indications of two entirely independent phe- 

 nomena makes it reasonable to believe that 

 the variations in the solar constant are caused 

 by the sun itself and probably not by meteoric 

 dust or other phenomena between the sun and 

 earth.' 



WEST INDIA HURRICANES 



In a recent Weather Bureau bulletin entitled 

 " Hurricanes of the West Indies,"" Professor 

 Oliver L. Fassig gives the results of a thorough 



'C. G. Abbot, F. E. Fowle and L. B. Aldrich, 

 ' ' Die Solarkonstante und ihre Schwankungen, ' ' 

 Meteorologisclie ZeitscJirift, pp. 257-261, June, 

 1913. 



- Bulletin X., U. S. Weather Bureau, March 29, 

 1913, quarto, 28 pp., 25 plates. 



