19 
of Edinburgh, Session 1884-85. 
indication of lines of force, during the electrolytic disintegration. 
The film of oxides of iron (commencing to exude from the electrode 
A) appeared gradually to arrange itself into innumerable delicately 
curved filaments or streaks, slowly extending in a general horizontal 
direction from one electrode to the other. When the bars were 
inclined towards each other, the filaments emanated in greatest 
quantity from the nearest point, as indicated in the sketch. After 
the current had passed some ten minutes, these became increasingly 
numerous, and were seen proceeding from most parts of A. After 
a time, however, they became so interwoven and complicated in 
character as ultimately to present the appearance of thick streaky 
clouds, composed of finely divided oxide of iron, but yet retained 
the distinct aspect of a broad current of this nature, extending 
itself towards the other electrode B. 
A pair of electrodes of the same size and shape were tried of each 
of the following metals from the author’s standard samples (see 
table A), when similar lines of force were observed, though these 
Table A. 
Metals used as Electrodes. 
Percentage of 
combined Carbon. 
Percentage loss 
in weight of the 
Metal forming 
the Anode for 65 
minutes in 
Distilled Water. 
Percentage loss 
in weight of the 
Metal forming 
the Anode for 65 
minutes in 
Sea Water. 
“Soft” Siemens-Martin ) 
steel, . . . j 
Wrought iron, 
Trace 
0-08 
0-14 
“ Soft ” cast steel, 
0-570 
0-09 
0-19 
Bessemer steel, 
0-550 
0-09 
0-20 
Puddled steel, 
0-440 
0-07 
0-19 
Puddled steel (chilled), . 
0-490 
0-03 
0-22 
“ Hard ” cast steel, 
1-600 
0-08 
0-25 
Cast metal, ) 
Graphitic carbon 2 '400 ) 
1-000 
o-io 
0-26 
indications were perhaps most noticeable when employing cast 
metal electrodes. The current was passed in each case for a total 
period of sixty-five minutes. Every bar was cleaned, dried at 212°, 
