Good condition. Shipped priority mail.

By W. F. Anderson

N the afternoon of Easter Sunday there occurred at

Sylvan Beach, N. Y., on the shore of Oneida Lake,

a very sudden transfiguration of the scenery, as will be

observed from the photographs showvn. A

field of ice came up out of the lake like a

tidal wave and piled itself in huge billows

upon the shore.

The ice om the lake averaged about 12

inches in thickness and was melted along

the shore for a distance, on the average, of

about a hundred feet out. At this particu-

lar time a severe gale began blowing and

moved the ice shoreward with such force,

that, from the momentum gained, it was

forced out upon the beach and over the

concrete sea-wall. In some places the sea-

wall was entirely wrecked. The ice con-

tinued to pile up till, wvithin a period of

twenty minutes, it had reached a height

of thirty feet in places, and reached along

the entire length of the southeast shore of

the lake.

One picture shows the ice piled on top of

the roof of the front porch of a cottage.

This cottage was practically demolished

and the whole interior was filled with

ice. There was no way of combating this

glacial flow.

Old inhabitants of this vicinity claim

that a phenomenon such as this has not

been seen here for over twenty-five years.

How It Feels to Travel by Flying

Вoat

AN admirer of, and occasional con-

tributor to the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN,

recently made a flight as passenger in a

Thomas flying boat, which has been lo-

cated at Dobbs Ferry, on the Hudson

River, for the past few weeks, doing “mis-

sionary work" in the cause of aviation. A

first flight is always interesting, and an

invitation from the manager, F. Rodri-

guez, to make such a flight with Ralph M.

Brown, was quickly accepted.

advice of the preceding passenger, the

Upon the

writer stuffed cotton in his ears first.

Slipping on the airman's padded jacket,

he stepped aboard the boat at the bow

just after Brown had beached her and

opened the hinged doors forming the deck

of the bow, by pulling a lever. He found

a comfortable seat beside the aviator, with

plenty of room to stretch his legs. The

big 6-cylinder Austro-Daimler up above,

between the planes, was running slowly.

Two men in hip-boots pushed off the boat

----------- 2 -----------

A Remarkable Collection of Human

Embryos is being made at Johns Hop-

kins University under the direction of

Prof. Franklin P. Mall, whose private col-

lection constituted the nucleus of the

Circulars distributed to physi-

cians throughout the United States and

abroad have resulted in the addition of

new one.

about 150 specimens within six months,

many of them unique. Special care has

been taken to secure accurate histories of

this material.

Series of specimens from

the collection are lent for study to per-

sons engaged in working out special prob-

lems in embryology, and important in-

vestigations are also being carried on by

Prof. Mall and his assistants.

----------- 3 -----------

Lost Through Insufficient Subdivision

HE loss of the "Titanic" with 1,500 souls was

due, as we showed at the time, to insufficient

subdivision. The rupture of the outer skin per-

mitted the water to fill the ship from side to side, in

T:

the compartments affected.

An inner skin, laid upon

the frames, or in the form of the inner wall of coal

bunkers built along the sides of the ship, would have

kept her afloat long enough for all the passengers to

be saved by rescuing ships.

Since that disaster, the "Olympic," sister to the

*"Titanic," has been made a safe ship, by the construction

of an inner watertight skin some three feet in from the

outer shell of the ship.

The ill-fated "Empress of Ireland," which was sunk

in the St. Lawrence, on the 29th of May, with the loss

of nearly one thousand souls, as the result of being

rammed by a collier, was built under the same faulty

Board of Trade rules under which the "Titanic" was

built.

She was provided with nine transverse bulk-

heads; but she possessed no side longitudinal bulkheads,

When she wvas pierced by

the bow of the collier, the water was free to fill the

652-foot width of the compartments affected. The in-

rush of water was so rapid that the ship began at once

nor had she any inner skin.

to list heavily, and in fourteen minutes this 20,000-ton

ship had capsized and gone to the bottom!

It so happens that we publish, in this issue, the plans

of a ship, the "Aquitania," which makes her maiden

voyage to New York this week, whose construction,

with side bunkers, is such that she could have sus-

tained the blow of the collier "Storstad" without being

sunk, and indeed without any serious risk of being

sunk. The moment the stem of the collier touched the

side of the "Empress of Ireland," it was twisted aside,

and the bow was so greatly blunted that it would never

(had the ship been the "Aquitania") have crushed

through the eighteen feet of coal in the bunkers and

reached the inner skin.

In the presence of this ghastly repetition of the

Titanic" disaster let us keep our eyes on the big facts.

These hapless people (nigh a thousand of them) were

drowned because the ship was not built unsinkable-

and it is perfectly possible to build ships so well sub-

divided that they cannot be sunk-certainly not in

fourteen minutes-by collision. The "Empress of Ire-

land," like the "Titanic," was a safe ship, judged by the

British Board of Trade requirements as to safety. But

at the time of her construction the safety requirements

of the British Board of Trade were ridiculously in-

adequate. They allowed a ship to fill two adjoining

compartments and bring the top of her bulkheads to

within a foot or two of the water, and pronouncod

----------- 4 -----------

The Regulation of Harbor

HE growth of population, with its corresponding

increase in the density of traffic in our large

cities, has led to the organization of "traffic

squads," whose sole duty it is so to regulate the move-

ment of vehicles through the streets, particularly at

côngested points, that it shall proceed with the least

possible interruption and in the greatest possible vol-

Residents of our largest cities will remember

how the unregulated traffic would frequently become so

completely tangled up as to come to an absolute stand-

still, and require many minutes to loosen out the con-

gestion and set the mass of vehicles in motion again.

We borrowed the idea of a specially organized street

traffic police force from abroad, and it has worked so

well in this city, that such a thing as an absolute dead-

lock in traffic, even at the most congested centers, is

ume.

now practically unknown.

When we come to consider the question of river and

harbor traffic, we find that like causes have produced

like results. Of course, there is at present nothing

comparable to the confusion and absolute deadlock that

formerly occurred on our city streets; nevertheless

there is a feeling among shipping men that the time

has come for introducing some form of authoritative

regulation of the movements of shipping, in order to

prevent delay, avoid accidents, and get the maximum

traffic efficiency out of the more crowded waterways of

our leading ports and harbors.

Not many weeks ago, we had occasion, in these col-

umns, to comment upon a serious accident to one of our

ferryboats in the North River, which, as we pointed

out, was due to lack of stringent laws protecting the

navigation of these boats. The trouble, however, does

not come from them; for, as a rule, our ferryboats are

superbly handled. Indeed, when we remember that

their courses lie largely across the track of shipping in

one of the busiest ports in the world, it must be ad-

mitted that the work of the ferryboat captains is well

done.

The chief obstruction and delay comes from the

lighters and other slow-moving traffic. During the

period of heavy ebb and flow of the tide, the current is

so strong that the handling of heavy loads is extremely

difficult, and often the tows are brought practically to

a standstill, in which case they become a most serious

impediment in the handling of large ships in the river.

A notable instance of this occurred in the recent dock-

ing of the "Imperator," which, after she was straight-

ened out across a rather strong ebb tide, and was about

to enter her dock, found the entrance completely blocked

by a tug which was

Toinlı

----------- 5 -----------

Problem of the Permanent Road

OR many years the management and the engi-

neering staff of our railroads have well under-

stood that the provision of an absolutely first-

class roadbed and track, in respect alike of its con-

struction, grades and curvature, was most intimately

related to the question of profitable operation; and it is

with a clear recognition of this fact that our larger

railroad systems have expended during the past two

decades hundreds of millions of dollars in cutting out

curvature, reducing grades, strengthening bridges, and

increasing the weight of rails and fastenings.

There is to-day a growing appreciation of the fact

that the same economic conditions apply to the con-

struction and maintenance of the country's highways.

Here the matter of grades is not of such vital impor-.

tance; but the importance of providing a solid and

well-founded roadbed, properly drained, and provided

with a top surface of such a durable character that it

will preserve a true and solid surface for a long period

of years, is receiving the fullest recognition. It is com-

ing to be understood that the question of first cost has

been given undue importance; we now know that the

extra initial expense of an absolutely first-class and

durable road, that is subject to heavy traffic, is more

than compensated by the elimination of costly repairs,

and of the great loss (an item which has received too

little consideration in the past) due to the long periods

----------- 6 -----------

It is planned to have the expedition leave Europe in

August, 1915, and return in February, 1920.

The Members of the Staff of Mount Rose Observatory,

Nevada, have found shellac to be an impervious and

pliable water-proofing for rubbers, which otherwise dur-

ing a day's use on the snow-fields absorb sufficient moist-

ure from the snow to dampen the feet. An application of

the shellac at infrequent intervals kept the rubbers in

perfect condition. It was also found that a coating of

shellac on the thongs of snowshoes prevented them from

becoming quickly water-soaked on wet snow, and so

eliminated much of the sagging and heaviness that form

a serious drawback to walking on webbed snowshoes

over melting snow.

dried after becoming wet much more quickly than thongs

uncoated.

Thongs coated with shellac also

The Tides of Hudson Bay were discussed by Dr. Bell

Dawson in a recent lecture before the Royal Astronomical

Society of Canada. This subject is becoming of much

practical interest, in view of the increasing use of Hudson

Bay as a highway of commerce, but comparatively few

actual observations have been made. The most im-

portant were those of Ashe, Stupart, Tyrell, McKenzie

and others in 1884-86, in various shallow regions of the

bay and in Hudson Strait. From these observations, the

types and ranges of the tides are known at various present

and prospective ports, and by selecting a port in some

other part of the world for which the type is similar and

for which accurate tide-tables exist, it is possible to com-

pute tables for any desired port. By this method, Dr.

Dawson has computed tables for Port Nelson, using the

tables for Bremerhaven, Germany, as a standard-both

places having tides of the estuary type, and the North

Sea and Hudson Bay being similar offshoots of the North

Atlantic. In the same way, the tide-tables of Harwich,

Eng., have been used in the computations for Churchill;

while the tides of St. John, N. B., have been harmonized

with those of Hudson Strait observed in 1884-86.

----------- 12 -----------

900 Feet Long Reaches the

fact that, a little more than a century ago, the same

waters into which the "Aquitania" was launched wit-

nessed the launch of the pioneer steamship in European

waters-Bell's "Comet," which was launched in 1812.

This tiny vessel was 42 feet long, 11 feet broad, and

52 feet deep. It was a few years earlier that Fulton

sent the “Clermont" on her maiden trip from New

York to Albany and back on the Hudson River.

The "Aquitania," which is considerably the largest

ship of the Cunard Line, naturally invites com-

parison with those two famous boats, the "Lusitania"

and "Mauretania." Comparing her with the "Maure-

tania," we find that she is considerably larger, having

a displacement of 53,000 tons on a draft of 36 feet,

as against the "Mauretania's" 41,550 tons on a draft

of 36 feet 2% inches.

however, are considerably less, the "Mauretania" hav-

ing maintained an average speed of 26.06 knots across

the Atlantic, with a shaft horse-power of about 74,000,

whereas the "Aquitania" was designed to make 23

knots with 56,000 horse-power. However, it should be

stated that, during her trial trip, previous to leaving

for New York, she made considerably over 24 knots,

with a proportionate increase in horse-power, without

having her boiler plant pushed to the full limit. The

Her horse-power and speed,

----------- 11 -----------

ESIDENTS of the port of New York are receiving

dramatic evidence, these days, of the growth of

the transatlantic steamship. In our issue of two weeks

ago we illustrated the second of the great ocean liners

to exceed 900 feet in length, the "Vaterland ;" this week

we present illustrations of the latest ship of this type,

the "Aquitania," whose length of deck is 901 feet.

As one contemplates the truly enormous dimensions of

these vessels, reads the statistics of their cost of con-

struction and operation, and takes a stroll through

the vast halls, lounging rooms, and promenade spaces,

the question inevitably arises: how can such costly

ventures be made to return any dividend on the invest-

R

ment?

The answer is to be found partly in the eco-

nomic fact that the larger the ship, the less the cost

of carrying a ton of freight or a given number of pas-

sengers, and partly in the fact that the possession of

these wonderful ships enhances the reputation of the

steamship company and so, indirectly, brings revenue

into the treasury.

The "Aquitania," which was built at Clydebank, is

exactly 901 feet long on deck, 97 feet broad, 92 feet

deep to the boat deck, and has a gross tonnage of

47,000 tons and accommodations for between four and

five thousand persons.

It is an interesting historical

三

----------- 8 -----------

Novelties in Aeroplane Design

A Sixty-Mile-an-Hour Gun-Carrying

Biplane of Steel

A Flying Machine Which is a Mechanical

Equivalent of a Soaring Bird

----------- 7 -----------

with the upward and down-

ward movement of the parachutes alternating to cause

the ascent of the machine.

A Series of Flying Machine Patents.-James S. Lang,

of Boston, Mass., has secured patents Nos. 1,096,251 to

1,096,256, inclusive, the first four patents relating to

gyroscopic controlling elements and some of the patents

refer to the engine itself as the gyroscopic power, while

patent No. 1,096,255 provides auxiliary planes at op-

posite sides of the machine and co-operating with the main

plane for effecting a lateral control by varying the lifting

efficiency of the main plane, and patent No. 1,096,256

provides a special construction of one of the planes.

Military Aviation in the United States.-The United

States Government intends to strengthen the aero-

nautical branch of the Army. It is reported that an order

for thirty aeroplanes has either actually been given, or

will be given. According to Secretary of War Garrison,

the

army

needs fliers badly. The United States has made

no systematic effort either to upbuild an air fleet at all

comparable with the air fleets of Europe, or to train an

aeronautic personnel. The army aviation schools turn

out but very few men.

Aviation in Japan.-Capt. Tokugawa of the Japanese

army, and an old pupil of Farman, has published an

interesting article on the progress of aviation in his

country. For several centuries, the art of traveling in

the air has been known to the Japanese, he claims. In

1702, an ingenious bandit named Kakinoki Kinsuke in-

vented an apparatus by means of wh.ch he was enabled

to attain the roof of a building in Nagoya and rob it of

certain gold ornaments.

come strictly military in Japan; the 25 aviators of Japan

all belong to the army, which, up to the present, only

possesses 15 aeroplanes, nearly all of which are of the

Farman type. Capt. Tokugawa remarks that at small

distances from the ground in Japan dangerous currents

are constantly circulating, a fact which compels the

Japanese aviators to fly always at a good height.

New Military Aeroplanes.-At the military aerodrome

of Doeberitz, Germany, trials are soon to be made with

a mitrailleuse mounted on an aeroplane by the use of a

turntable base so as to point the gun in all directions.

A special device is said to be employed so as to prevent

the screw from being damaged by a projectile. The

bottom of the aeroplane can also be opened up so as to

allow of firing downward upon the ground. On the other

hand, we learn that the Admiralty has lately made very

successful tests of a new hydro-aeroplane constructed by

the Samuel White establishment. When carrying full

load the speed was 75 miles an hour and it could r.. e

As in Europe, av.at.on has be-

214 minutes

The

----------- 10 -----------

Length, 901 feet; beam, 97 feet; depth, 92 feet.

Gross tonnage, 47,000 tons.

Displacement, at 36 feet draft, 53,000 tons.

The new Cunarder "Aquitania."

The New Cunarder "Aquitania"

Another Ocean Liner Over 900 Feet Long Reaches the Port of New York

----------- 9 -----------

A Gun-carrying Biplane

By Major H. Bannerman-Phillips

P to the present progress in aeronautics, from the

U military point of view, has been directed mainl

toward obtaining the best possible method of aeria

transport for purposes of reconnaissance, although the

question of offense, by means of guns and dropped pro

jectiles, has not been lost sight of, and many experi-

ments have been made with both airships

and aeroplanes, though with results which

can hardly be called conclusive, in so far

as they concern fighting in the air between

aircraft.

There are many who still hold

that the business of the latter is scouting,

and that, for the present at any rate,

speed is more essential than ability to

attack, since the fast light scout will have

the advantage of the armed machine,

which, having to carry

a gunner be-

sides guns and ammunition, is bound

to be heavy and slow in pursuit, and will

not be able to get within range of the

fugitive, the single occupant of which will

obtain all the information which it is pos-

sible for an overhead observer to get, in

spite of threatened opposition.

Others again hold that the opposition of

the fighting aeroplane will be effective to

prevent other aircraft from prosecuting a

successful reconnaissance, and that, if in-

formation is to be obtained, it will have

to be fought for in the air.

The fighting aeroplane is being evolved to suit the

latter view, and, although we have nothing definite, in

the way of past experience, to go upon, it is none the

less interesting to watch the evolution of the avowedly

militant types of aircraft which are now being built,

and which are especially designed to carry a gun, and

one of these is the Vickers fighting biplane, which

is shown in the accompanying illustrations. It is de-

signed for weight carrying and for a variable speed of

from 40 to 70 miles per hour. The machine, so far as

tests show up to date, has flown at speeds

varying between 45 and 66 miles per hour.

Messrs. Vickers, Limited, as a large arma-

ment firm, have every reason to know the

value of steel in construction, and they

have used it throughout in building this

biplane, except as regards the main wing

spars and two wooden struts in the land-

ing carriage, the reason for this being that,

although wood is not actually more elas-

tic than steel, it will, in practice bond

----------- 13 -----------

deck is single-plated. Fore and aft of the machinery

Spaces is a partial deck, making six within the molded

structure of the ship, and there are three superstructure

decks above this, making nine in all.

The "Aquitania" carriers 80 large lifeboats, including

two motorboats, which are described elsewhere in this

issue.

gunwale.

For the remaining pa

For clearing the ship of water, in the event

of flooding consequent on collision, pumping arrange-

ments have been provided for dealing with about 16,000

tons of water per hour.

The boiler plant consists of twenty-one, large, double-

ended boilers, capable of converting 9,600 tons of water

into steam per day. They are operated under a pres-

sure of 195 pounds to the square inch.

four elliptical funnels measuring 24 feet by 17 feet in

diameter, and the distance from the top of the funnel

to the level of the fire grate in the boiler room is

160 feet.

The ship has

The turbines are directly coupled to the propellers,

and there are four in all, placed in separate water-

tight compartments. They are operated on the triple-

compound system, which gives a great range of expan-

sion to the steam, with consequent high economy.

The condensers are filled with 18,700 tubes, which, if

placed end to end, would extend for 50 miles; and

through the condensers 12,500 tons of water pass per

hour for the condensation of the steam.

There are

over 1,000,000 blades in the turbines, which vary in

height from 1½ to 20 inches.

The "Aquitania" has the same beautiful contour

and well-balanced position of masts, funnels, deck-

houses, etc., which characterizes the "Lusitania" and

"Mauretania."

Testing the Langley Aeroplane at the Curtiss

Aerodrome

By Our Staff Correspondent at Hammondsport

S this goes to press, Mr. Glenn H. Curtiss is on the

point of launching the large Langley aeroplane at

his aerodrome on the shore of Lake Keuka. The ma-

chine and its engine had been shipped from the Smith-

sonian Institution to the Curtiss factory early in April,

and was reclothed without change of size or shape. The

framing, the engine, propellers, wings, rudders, and

AB

----------- 16 -----------

OR centuries the hand-woven Oriental rugs, and

notably the Persian pile rugs, that is, rugs having a

pile formed by Persian or Sehna knots, have been ad-

mired the world over for their beauty in design and

color blending, and prized for their durability.

attempts have been made by inventors to weave a Per-

sian rug on a power loom to supersede the tedious

process of hand-knotting, as practised by the Oriental

Many

weavers.

The attempts have failed, because the ordi-

nary power loom for weaving carpets and rugs can

weave only in a forward direction, while for making a

Persian or Sehna knot, a partial return weaving motion

is apparently required.

This can best be explained by references to Figs. 1

and 2, of which Fig. .1 illustrates an ordinary pile

fabric having each pile a looped around a single warp

or a weft b, and Fig. 2 shows a Persian rug having the

pile thread a' passing under one warp b', then up be-

tween the warps b' and b, completely around the warp

b2, and up between the two warps, b', b².

noticed that the full loop around the warp b² requires

a backward movement, and this the ordinary power

It will be

loom cannot do.

As a matter of fact, it has been con-

sidered by experienced weavers an impossibility to make

the Persian or Sehna knot, shown in Fig. 2, success-

fully on a power loom. The durability of the weave of

the Oriental pile rug over the ordinary pile carpet or

rug, considering the pile material to be alike, can be

readily demonstrated by reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

pull exerted on either pile end of the knot shown in

Fig. 1 draws the pile out of the body of the fabric,

while a pull exerted on either pile end of the Persian

knot, shown in Fig. 2, draws the knot tighter. For

A

this reason it is not necessary to use extra binding

threads to hold the Persian knots in place in the weave,

as is required in pile fabrics having the pile threads

shown in Fig. 1.

Let us now briefly describe the weaving of an Ori-

ental rug by hand. In wea ving, or, rather, knotting a

----------- 15 -----------

Dalk

method.

a'

Fig.6

The Talim sheet, which indicates the pattern to the hand weaver.

A loom that weaves Persian rugs with the characteristic Persian knot.

Weaving Real Persian Rugs on a Power Loom

An Interesting Solution of a Difficult Mechanical Problem

By Theodore G. Hoster

----------- 14 -----------

may be that Mr. Winston Churchill went to

cer

he

nd

el,

he Pincandescent electric lamp, died on May 27th at the

see it."

The Death of Sir Joseph Swan

IR JOSEPH WILSON SWAN, inventor of the first

de

age of eighty-six.

as

Although years of patent litigation have upheld Edi-

son's right to be regarded as the inventor of the carbon

ne

ne

=t,

incandescent lamp, there can be no doubt that Swan

was entitled to a place among the first two or three

who gave to the world the present incandescent lighting

a',

system. He early showed a marked bent for scientifie

pursuits, and was accordingly apprenticed to a chemist

in his native town.

e

Thence he went to Newcastle,

where he was employed in a large house of manufac-

turing chemists, in which he became in time a partner.

As a manufacturer, Swan was engaged in the produc-

tion, among many other things, of photographic plates.

The dry plates of that time were slow, and instan-

taneous photography was impossible. Swan experi-

mented, with the purpose of increasing the sensitive-

ness and rapidity of the plates, and eventually pro-

duced the first really rapid dry plates. A valuable pen-

dant to this great achievement was his subsequent

invention of carbon printing in photography.

As early as 1860 Swan became convinced that for

most purposes the incandescence of a filament, probably

of carbon, would be the most practicable source of

illumination.

His first electric lamp had a carbon filament which

he made by packing a strip of thin cardboard with

powdered charcoal in a crucible and subjecting it to

This was placed in a glass bulb from

intense heat.

which the air was exhausted, and an electric current

was applied. It will be observed that this was practi-

cally the same method that Edison employed in his

early operations at Menlo Park in the late '70s. Swan

secured his current from a battery of Grove cells, which

was not sufficiently powerful to cause complete incan-

descence, though the filament was heated red hot.

In 1879-1880 Edison gave his first exhibition of elec-

tric lighting at Menlo Park, with filaments of paper or

bamboo carbonized through intense heat. Late in 1880

Swan gave, at Newcastle, his first public exhibition of

incandescent electric lighting on a large scale, using in

his lamps filaments of cotton thread "parchmentized"

by the action of sulphuric acid.

Another successful filament was made by him by

squirting a jet of collodion into a coagulating solution,

and then carbonizing by means of heat the tough thread

in modified

form sup-

----------- 17 -----------

A Gasoline Switching Engine

By Our Berlin Correspondent

HE odd little piece of mechanism

tucked under the end of a freight car

in the accompanying photograph is a 20

horse-power switching engine, designed by

a German firm. To insure the necessary

traction the "locomotor," as the little

switching engine is called, is furnished

with a jack which is operated to lift the

platform of the freight car, thus increas-

ing the weight on the tractor wheels, and

hence their adhesion to the rails. The

jack is also fitted with means for coup-

ling the locomotor to the car.

The chassis is made up of substantial

angle and channel irons and rests on two

sets of steel wheels running in roller

bearings. It is so designed as to insure

perfect protection as well as an easy ac-

cess to all the main interior parts-motor,

carbureter, radiator, fuel tank, gearing,

bearings, control gears, etc. The motor is

a vertical four-cylinder 20-25 horse-power

combustion engine of the constructor's

The running wheels are

own design.

driven through the gearing, chain-wheel

and chains, levers serving to actuate the

forward and backward steering, and to

regulate the carbureter and speed gear,

while pedals are used to throw the motor

out of gear.

All levers and pedals are

operated by the driver, from his stand on

the locomotor platform, or

ground beside the vehicle. The locomotor

is fitted with a capstan, driven direct

from the gearing, and which serves mainly

for the actuating of turntables.

The uses of the locomotor are many.

Being always ready to work at a mo-

ment's notice, and able, without any

special manipulation, to travel in a for-

from the

word

or hookura rd direction, it will con-

----------- 18 -----------

A Memorial to Jack Phillips, the chief

wireless telegrapher on the "Titanic," is

to be erected at his native town, Godal-

ming, England. It will take the form of

a rectangular cloister of some 120 feet

square, and will stand on glebe land near

the parish church.

a new form of memorial architecture in

England, where it has been warmly ap-

proved by architects and art-lovers gen-

erally.

The cloister style is

Ocean Waves for Inland Resorts

HE odd-looking piece of machinery'

shown herewith is a

wave-making

It will make, to your liking,

any one of a half dozen or more different

kinds of waves: Ocean waves, long roll-

machine.

ing billows, short choppy waves, and,

among others, the white-cap variety. It

is possible to have a real Atlantic City

surf just by switching on

motor, which sets the four plungers in

an electric

motion.

These plungers work up and

down in the water, and the different ways

the plungers are worked make the differ-

ent kinds of waves.

rolling billows are desired, the plungers

are worked in unison. If a short choppy

For instance, if long

sea is wanted, the plungers are worked

independently of each other; when white-

caps are wanted, two plungers are worked

up and two down; this combination causes

the waves to break into white-caps. The

different combinations of the plungers re-

sult in the different kinds of waves. This

unique mechanical device will be used at

Summer resorts this season, on lakes that

never saw a wavelet larger than a ripple.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

How the Roots of Seedlings Write

Interesting Experiments for the Summer Season

By S. Leonaed Bastin

----------- 2 -----------

Interest

HE mystery of plant movement has always pre-

sented a problem of peculiar complexity to the

botanist.

While the text-books discourse authorita-

tively upon the response of the protoplasmic matter in

vegetable tissue to stimuli, the conscientious student is

bound to confess that, after all, we know

very little about the matter. The most that

can be said is that certain parts of the plant

may be expected to do certain things, be-

cause they have been endowed with a ten-

dency in that direction.

Still, a very inter-

esting line of study may be followed in con-

nection with the movements of plants, and

one which cannot fail to lead to instructive

conclusions.

It was believed by Darwin that all grow-

ing shoots were constantly on the move, to a

greater or less degree. This habit is seen to

the most pronounced degree in the species

with twining stems and in some of the Aca-

cias, where the leaves maintain a continuous

Seedling

rotary movement.

The name given by the

great scientist to this phenomenon was cir-

cumnutation, and it was to this feature that

Darwin thought he could trace all kinds of

plant movement-a

theory which is not

however generally accepted at the present

Perhaps even more interesting was

the fact that it was discovered that a very

time.

similar movement is to be noticed in the

roots of young seedlings. In this direction

it is possible to carry out a large number of

most fascinating experiments indicating the

curious and beautiful courses which the radi-

cles of growing seeds will trace in the early

stages of their history:

Probably one of the 'simplest devices by

means of which the root movements of seed-

lings may be closely watched, is an ordinary

photo-printing frame.

very inexpensive, and answer all the purposes

Cress ro

among

These are, of course,

required.

should be obtained, and for this purpose, of

Pieces of glass to fit the frames

course, damaged negatives with the film

cleaned away are exactly right. It is also

needful

to obtain

some pieces of very

coarse canvas or fine netting, wvith a mesh

through which the rootlets of the seedlings

can easily force their way.

This material

should be cut into pieces of such a size that

they cover the frame, at the same time

allowing for strips on either side to turn

A few tacks will complete the neces-

down.

----------- 3 -----------

in the universe.

The Disappearance of Gustav Hamel

ARLY in the morning of Saturday, May

the well-known English aviator,

Gustav Hamel, left Villacoublay, France, for

Hendon, England. He was last identified at

12:15 P. M., when he left Hardelot, near

Boulogne, on his way to Hendon, but a mono-

plane supposed to have been his was seen high

in the air above Boulogne at 12:30 P. M. Wireless mes-

sages were sent to all ships in the Channe to watch

for the aviator, but none of them has made a report of

Hamel recently announced

E

23d,

having seen the machine.

that he would attempt to fly across the Atlantic for the

He was the first to repeat the

Harmsworth prize.

upside down performances of Pegoud. His fate recalls

that of Cecil S. Grace, who crossed the English Chan-

nel from England to France in December, 1910, and

who disappeared on a return flight on December 22d.

A New Record for Dirigibles

HE new navy Zeppelin "L 3" recently stayed aloft

for thirty-four hours, during a voyage from Fried-

richshafen to Potsdam. An average speed of nearly 60

While

miles an hour is said to have been attained.

over Heligoland the "L 3" was in communication by

wireless with dirigible "LZ 24," which was over Fried-

richshafen.

Powerful Wireless Outfit for the Army.-According

to the Army and Navy Journal, should an advance be

made on Mexico, great reliance will be placed upon a

strong force of cavalry assisted by aviators and an un-

usually powerful wireless outfit. A test was made by

the Signal Corps at Washington of a wireless outfit

mounted on a heavy automobile truck, which has an

estimated range of 200 miles. If this range is realized,

the Army will be in touch with the base at Vera Cruz

until it reaches the gates of Mexico City.

----------- 4 -----------

tve

little or no understanding.

New Work in Spectrum Analysis

By John W. N. Sullivan

HE method

I based upon the well-known discovery of

Sir Isaac Newton, that ordinary white light,

on being passed through a prism, is split up into light

of different colors. If, after the light has passed through

the prism, it be projected upon a screen, we find a

series of colors ranging from red at one end to violet at

the other. Such a seriés, obtained in this way, is called

a spectrum. Instead of a prism, it is more satisfac-

tory, for many reasons, to use what is known as a dif-

fraction grating, which consists of a piece of metal or

glass ruled with fine lines very close together, there

being usually 10,000 to 20,000 of these lines per inch.

A diffraction grating splits up composite light into its

constituent colors, and does so in a uniform manner;

whereas different prisms decompose light differently, a

fact which renders prisms less suitable than diffraction

of spectrum analysis is

gratings for scientific work.

The spectra produced by different sources of light

differ enormously from one another, a fact wvhich ren-

ders spectrum analysis possible.

Before considering some of the recent achievements

in the domain of spectrum analysis, it will be con-

venient to adopt a broad classification which will

include all spectra.

The spectra of light emitted from various sources and

passing direct to the analyzing apparatus are called

emission spectra and may be divided into three classes:

Continuous Spectra, where we have merely a sequence

of colors ranging from red to violet.

Line Spectra, where colored lines are found in their

appropriate portions of the spectrum-for instance, a

vivid

green in the green region of the spectrum.

----------- 5 -----------

468

THE

Ancient Footwear Found in London

HE ancient shoes and sandals, pictured in the

accompanying engraving, are not replicas, but the

actual footwear of men who once trod the streets of

London. They were dug up within the city limits and

are

exhibition

at the city museum.

on

The two

sandals shown date back to the days of the Romans.

They were found in the peaty deposit of the Moorgate

Street district. They have been set up on plaster feet.

On the left are two Saxon shoes.

The one at the top

r'esembles the Scottish and Irish brogue used at the

present day in the Shetland Isles. It was

discovered in London Wall. The shoe di-

rectly below it, with the iron stirrup, was

found in the Ditch, Newgate.

The shoe

with long-pointed toe, at the bottom of

the engraving, belongs to the early fif-

teenth century. The iron stirrup was

found in Westminster, while the spur was

dug up in Thames Street.

It was during the reign of Richard

III that this odd shoe, or "poulaine,"

99

was in fashion. To keep the long toes of

these shoes in shape, they were stuffed

with moss.

Measuring Moisture at a Distance

granaries, breweries, malt houses,

spinning mills, gunpowder and explo-

sive factories, grain houses, etc., great

importance attaches to the amount of

water vapor present in the air, and it is

necessary that the amount of moisture

present in the air should be capable of

determination at any time with the mini-

Courtesy of th

mum of trouble.

One of the difficulties in this connection

is the fact that many of the positions in

which the atmospheric conditions have to be deter

mined are not suitable for accurate observation, anc

hence the Constanz Schmitz system of hygrometer:

suitable for measurement at a distance. The Schmit:

hyrrometer is based on the principle of the well-knowI

----------- 6 -----------

Designs.

VEHICLE FRAME.-J.

WORKSMAN, 39 S. Main St., Asbury Park, N. J.

The design covers a frame of rectangular form

coupling two bicycle forks. The frame is at-

tached to the heads of the forks, while there

is a spacing member secured to the forks at

their lower end, and diagonal bracing members

running from the head to the center of the

DESIGN FOR A

spacing member.

TUMBLERS, GOBLETS,

ARTICLES. W. E.

HUNTER, care of Economy Tumbler Co., Mor.

Mr. Hunter has obtained

three patents on ornamental designs for tum-

DESIGNS

FOR

JUGS,

OR

SIMILAR

gantown, W. Va.

blers, goblets, jugs, and the like.

The designs

consist of ornamental bands adapted to be run

around the body of the vessel.

One of the de-

signs provides for a band of leaves interrupted

at intervals by a conventional figure and a

A second design consists of

spray of flowers.

conventional chain

which there is a wavelike band.

sign consists of a band made up of conven-

tional flowers in the form of scrolls, with a

band of leaves above and a draped effect below.

rope effect, under

The third de-

a

or

NOTE.-Copies of any of these patents will

be furnished by the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN for

Please state the name of the

ten cents each.

patentee, title of the invention, and date, of

this paper.

WE wish to call attention to the fact that

we are in a position to render competent ser-

vices in every branch of patent or trade-mark

Our staff is composed of mechanical,

electrical and chemical experts, thoroughly

trained to prepare and prosecute all patent

applications, irrespective of the complex nature

of the subject matter inyolved, or of the spe-

cialized, technical, or scientific knowledge re-

work.

quired therefor.

We also haye associates throughout the

world, who assist in the prosecution of patent

and trade-mark applications filed in all coun-

tries foreign to the United States.

MUNN & Co.,

Patent Solicitors,

361 Broadway,

New York, N. Y.

----------- 7 -----------

Weaving Real Persian Rugs

(Concluded from page 464.)

a pile thread i is left dangling betwe

the warp threads a, a in front of t

crossing a?. The warp threads a, a a

now returned to normal position, as shov

in Fig. 5, whereby the loose end of th

pile thread i extends downwardly on th

outside of the warp thread a, is loope

over the warp thread a, passes betwee

the warp thread a, a and around tl

other warp thread a to then extend u

ward on the outside of this warp threa

a'. The tuft yarn tube h is now aga:

passed downward between the now para

lel warp threads a, a', as shown in Fig.

to complete the Persian knot, and whi

the tuft yarn tube h is in this lowermo:

position, the pile thread is cut by a tran

versely moving knife k, after which th

tuft yarn tube h rises to uppermost pos

tion.

One, two, or more weft or bindin

threads l are now passed through th

opened shed and the Persian knot an

weft thread are beaten home by the lay.

The selection of the yarn tubes carryin

the differently colored pile threads i i

made by the overhead Jacquard mech

anism, the perforate cards of which ma-

----------- 8 -----------

Alum in Foods

T

HE much-mooted question of the ef-

fects of aluminium compounds on the

nutrition and health of man forms the

subject of a recent report by the Referee

Board of the U. S. Department of Agri-

culture, the substance of which is pub-

lished as Bulletin No. 103 of that depart-

ment. The conclusions of the board are

supported by the results of three sets of

extensive experiments on human subjects,

conducted independently by Dr. Russell H.

Chittenden, of the

School; Dr. Alonzo E. Taylor, of the Uni-

versity of Pennsylvania Medical School;

and Dr. John H. Long, of the Northwest-

ern University Medical School, all of

whom are members of the board. Al-

though alum is used in making pickles,

Sheffield

Scientific

preparing maraschino cherries, etc., the

amount that thus enters into human diet

is very small compared with that con-

sumed in baking powders; hence the at-

tention of the board was directed chiefly

to the effects of alum baking powders. It

appears that "a saline cathartic residue

results from the reaction of every known

form of baking powder now commonly

employed," and when such powders are

used in large quantities-e. g., when a

person subsists mainly on baking-powder

biscuits, as may happen in camp life-the

cathartic effect would be noticeable and

ultimately injurious. On the other hand,

the amount of such powders used in an

ordinary domestic diet is found to have no

such effect, and does not in any way im

----------- 9 -----------

FLYING. Some Practical Experiences. By

Gustav Hamel and Charles C. Turner-

New York: Longmans, Green & Co.,

1914. Price, $3.50 net.

Mr. Hamel and Mr. Turner have written the

kind of book which one has the right to expect

from practical airmen.

insight into the life of a pilot which most works

on aeronautics have ignored.

more or less an acrobatic performance would seem

to follow from Mr. Hamel's insistence upon good

health and good physical condition.

of the few aviators that we know who frankly

confess that exceptional steadiness of nerve and

extraordinary coolness are indispensable elements

in the personal equipment of every airman.

is a pleasure to see that the subject of accidents

is not glossed over.

denounces pilots who leave everything to their

mechanics and who take desperate chances.

Particularly instructive is Mr. Hamel when he

speaks of the vagaries of the air.

sensitive," we learn, "that it is affected even by

the color of large patches of vegetation."

Hamel has no illusions about the efficiency of the

flying machine and particularly of the hydro-

aeroplane, as we now know it.

probable that all the sea-flyers tried in public

hitherto are doomed to extinction," he tells us.

"The efficient sea-plane is certain to be evolved.

Meanwhile no nation possesses io."

the views of the best designers when he says,

"Beyond a general belief that all existing float

contrivances are unsatisfactory and that a real

airboat must be evolved, no one is able to foretell

what wilt be done."

with such rash statements as "there is not an

aeroplane in the German military service that is

not equipped with a bomb magazine and an

instrument for sighting and timing," we must

commend the book on the whole as a valuable

addition to aeronautic literature.

It gives us just that

That flying is still

He is one

It

Mr. Hamel unscathingly

"The air is so

Mr.

"It is highly

He bears out

While one may take issue

PATENTS FOR DESIGN.

Symons, LL.M., Member of the Bar of

the District of Columbia, Lecturer on

the Law of Trade-Marks and Patents

By William L.

----------- 10 -----------

(13006) R. W. N. asks: Please let me

D.

know what you know about cleaning silver and

gold by the use of a small zinc plate to which a

n,

strip of tin is attached. I have used this success-

fully in cleaning silver in a granite pan, but to-day

a man informed me that if a person used a pan

of

made of any other metal than zinc, the silver

a

on the ware placed in the vessel to be cleaned,

would be removed and deposited on any part in

the pan in which the base metal was exposed.

For instance, if the enamel happened to be off in

some spot, and the iron exposed, it would plate

e the iron over with silver removed from the silver-

ware; and if a tin vessel was used, if there was a

spot where the iron happened to be exposed, the

silver would be plated over it and would continue

to plate and replate over the silver already de-

posited thereon, thus removing silver from all

silverware placed in such

plates for cleaning. A. In the use of the silver

and gold cleansing process, it is necessary to have

a metal dish, or better a metal plate in an earthen

dish, which is electro-positive to silver. It is not

difficult to find such metals, since silver and gold

are negative to most of the metals. Presumably,

most of the solutions employed contain nitrate

of silver, which is deposited on the silver article

by electrolysis, a feeble current being set up in

the liquid. Thus a plating action is produced.

The list of metals 'given in the "Standard Elec-

trical Engineers' Handbook, " price $4, is as

follows: Aluminium, zinc, tin, lead, iron, copper,

silver, gold. Any metal which precedes silver may

be used, but the farther away from silver the metal

is in the list, the stronger the action will be. From

this it is seen that aluminium is the best metal to

pan with the zinc

be had for the plate, and zinc is the next in value.

It is also to be seen that the plating action would

not be reversed by the use of iron or steel in the

dish in which the plating is carried on.

It is more

common to use an earthen dish and to place in

it a sheet of aluminium, with which the silver

articles are brought into contact.