July 13, 1888.J 



SCIENCE. 



'7 



" In the evolution of such an establishment, the many dilTicuUics 

 that must have stood in the way of such an undertaking, due credit 

 must be given to those gentlemen who formulated the theory and 

 put in practical operation the present system of disinfection. 



" From the series of observations made in determining the tem- 

 perature of the chamber for the application of dry and moist heat, 

 it is clearly shown that the time prescribed is entirely too short 

 when the chamber is filled with goods ; more especially is this 

 noticed when the chamber is filled with such goods as blankets, 

 Tnattresses. and cushions. Unless a longer period of time is given 

 to each charge, it is certain that only a partial disinfection is ac- 

 complished. 



" It was suggested to Drs. Wilkinson and Aby that the defects 

 of the present style of steaming-apparatus could be best overcome 

 by adopting the application of dry and moist heat under a pressure 

 of from ten to twenty pounds. To accomplish this it would be 

 necessary to have new machinery, — instead of the steaming-cham- 

 ber now in use, to have constructed a large chamber of boiler-iron, 

 capable of standing at least twenty-five pounds pressure to the 

 square inch, and provided with one bulk-head door that could be 

 properly secured to make it steam-light, being provided with suit- 

 able appliances for ascertaining the temperature in any part of the 

 chamber. In this manner the disinfection by steam and dry heat 

 could be thoroughly accomplished, and much more speedily than 

 at present. Lighter articles, such as clothing, etc., when not too 

 much crowded, received sufficient heat to disinfect them. 



" We are informed by the president of the board, Dr. Wilkinson, 

 that the matter was laid before the health board, and it was by 

 resolution decided to remove the present location of the quarantine 

 station to a place farther down the river, in order that there could 

 be complete isolation ; and, guided by the result of the experiments 

 undertaken, a heating-chamber capable of sustaining sufficient 

 pressure from within will be erected, thus insuring an equal distri- 

 bution of heat and the possibility of attaining and maintaining a 

 ■much higher temperature than at present ; also that an order 

 would be given to the resident physician to the effect that the steam- 

 ing-chamber should not be so heavily charged, and the time of expos- 

 ure be extended to a sufficient limit to insure a proper degree of heat. 



■' It is believed that if, before the application of sulphur dioxide 

 to the holds and cargoes of vessels, the holds be thoroughly aerated 

 by means of the exhaust-fan and the use of a greater quantity of 

 sulphur, confining the gas in the vessel, say, a period of not less 

 than thirty-six hours, then the application of the bichloride solution 

 to the hold and between-decks will accomplish a thorough disin- 

 fection of the surfaces of vessel and cargo. 



" It is shown that in the short process of fumigation prior to June I 

 the gas does not penetrate to any depth in such cargoes as coffee, 

 sugar, etc. After June I, the time of detention being five days, 

 there is insured a thorough application of the gas in its greatest 

 germicidal power. 



" The following conclusions may be drawn : — 



" 1st, That the application of bichloride solution to interior of 

 the cabin, carpets, rugs, trunks, valises, rubber and leather goods, 

 should be made in such manner as to insure the moistening of 

 all surfaces. 



" 2d, The chamber should not be charged to more than half its 

 ■capacity, and the time lengthened to at least one hour. 



" 3d, .That the time imposed on vessels that have undergone the 

 -fumigating process prior to June I should be longer, and the ap- 

 plication of bichloride to the interior of the hold should be done 

 after the gas has been confined at least thirty-six hours. 



" 4ih, That the establishment of the present style of apparatus 

 is a great stride in the right direction, and has demonstrated its 

 ■feasibility and the correctness of the principles involved. 



" The president. Dr. C. J. Wilkinson, asserts, that, whatever de- 

 gree of heat has been obtained, it is certain that no case of yellow- 

 fever has developed on any vessel that has been subjected to this 

 process ; a fact, however, which was not uncommon under previous 

 imethods." 



It is announced that in October, 1SS9, the second triennial 

 ■session of the International Congressof Hydrology and Climatology 

 will be held in Paris. 



r'ROTECTION OF BUILDINCS FROM LIGHTNING. 



From the time that Franklin flew his kite at Philadelphia, and 

 ascertained beyond cavil the true nature of lightning — from that 

 time to the present, the protection of buildings and ships from its 

 destructive agency has been mainly a matter of detail, and applica- 

 tion of the laws of electricity so far as they were known. 



For a long time the erection of lightning-conductors was op- 

 posed by the religious world as heretical and impious. But first in 

 some Protestant provinces in Germany, and later in France and 

 England, the use of the heretical rods gradually extended. 



At some recent meetings of the London Society of Arts, Prof. 

 Oliver J. Lodge has delivered a series of lectures on protection from 

 lightning, in which he has summarized the prevailing opinions of 

 scientific men. 



The two main destructive aspects of a lightning-flash are (i) its 

 disruptive, or expanding, or exploding violence ; ('2) its heat. The 

 heating effect is more to be dreaded when the flash is slow and 

 much resisted ; the bursting effect, when conducted well, except at 

 a few places. A noteworthy though obvious thing is, that the en- 

 ergy of the discharge must be got rid of somehow. The question 

 is, how best to distribute it. 



That conductors often fail is undeniable. It is customary to say 

 they are not properly made, or that there was a faulty joint, or that 

 there was a bad earth. A bad earth is the favorite excuse. A 

 good earth is a good thing undoubtedly, and one cannot well have 

 too much of it ; but for a flash to leave a fine thick copper con- 

 ductor on a tall chimney while still high up, and begin knocking 

 holes in the brickwork in order to make use of the soot, or the 

 smoke, or some bolts or other miserable conductors of that sort, 

 because it is not satisfied with the moderate allowance of earth 

 provided for it at the bottom, is evidence either of simple per\'erse- 

 ness, or else of something more deep-sealed and not yet properly 

 called attention to. 



If the earth is bad, the flash can show its displeasure when it 

 gets there by tossing it about, and boring holes into it, and break- 

 ing water and gas mains ; but at least it might leave the top and 

 middle of the chimney alone, it might wait till it got to the badly 

 conducting place before doing the damage. Yet it is notorious that 

 on high chimneys a flash often refuses to follow a thoroughly good 

 conductor more than a quarter or half way down, but takes every 

 opportunity of jumping out of it and doing damage. 



It may be said that the effect of the bad earth is to make the 

 whole path so highly resisting that the discharge necessarily de- 

 clines to take it. Well, if that were so, it need not have come 

 into the conductor at all. It is supposed with one breath to strike 

 the conductor, because it affords an easy path to earth ; and with 

 the next it is said to leave the conductor, because, after all, it finds 

 it a bad one. 



Besides, it need not be so very particular about a little resistance. 

 It has already come through, say, half a mile of clear air : it might 

 manage a few feet of dr\' soil. It strikes violently through the air, 

 enters the conductor, and begins to go quietly. Why does it not 

 continue to go quietly till it gets to the bottoin of the good conduct- 

 or, and then begin displaying its vigor by boring holes below, as 

 it has done above ? Why should one end have to be so persistently 

 cockered up? Why not insist upon having not only a good 'earth,' 

 but also a good ' sky ' ? 



The old and amusing political controversy between knobs and points 

 has disappeared. Points to the sky are recognized as correct ; only 

 Professor Lodge would advocate more of them, any number of 

 them, rows of them, like barbed wire — not necessarily at all promi- 

 nent — along ridges and eaves. For a point has not a very great 

 discharging capacity. It takes several points to discharge readily 

 all the electricity set in motion by a moderately sized Voss or 

 Wimshurst machine : hence, if you want to neutralize a thunder- 

 cloud, three points are not so effective as three thousand. 



An earth is necessarj-. or you will have your foundations knocked 

 about and your garden ploughed up. A good earth is desirable. 

 A few tons of coke, with the conductor coiled up among it. is a 

 well-known and salisfactor)- plan if the soil be permanently damp. A 

 bag of salt might, perhaps, be buried with it to keep it damp through- 

 out, or rain-water mav be led there. Often, however, the most 



