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Title: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9
       "Dyer" to "Echidna"

Author: Various

Release Date: January 8, 2011 [EBook #34878]

Language: English

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THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA

A DICTIONARY OF ARTS, SCIENCES, LITERATURE AND GENERAL INFORMATION

ELEVENTH EDITION

VOLUME VIII SLICE IX

Dyer to Echidna

Articles in This Slice

755

DYER, SIR EDWARD (d. 1607), English courtier and poet, son of Sir Thomas Dyer, Kt., was born at Sharpham Park, Somersetshire. He was educated, according to Anthony à Wood, either at Balliol College or at Broadgates Hall, Oxford. He left the university without taking a degree, and after some time spent abroad appeared at Queen Elizabeth’s court. His first patron was the earl of Leicester, who seems to have thought of putting him forward as a rival to Sir Christopher Hatton in the queen’s favour. He is mentioned by Gabriel Harvey with Sidney as one of the ornaments of the court. Sidney in his will desired that his books should be divided between Fulke Greville (Lord Brooke) and Dyer. He was employed by Elizabeth on a mission (1584) to the Low Countries, and in 1589 was sent to Denmark. In a commission to inquire into manors unjustly alienated from the crown in the west country he did not altogether please the queen, but he received a grant of some forfeited lands in Somerset in 1588. He was knighted and made chancellor of the order of the Garter in 1596. William Oldys says of him that he “would not stoop to fawn,” and some of his verses seem to show that the exigencies of life at court oppressed him. He was buried at St Saviour’s, Southwark, on the 11th of May 1607. Wood says that many esteemed him to be a Rosicrucian, and that he was a firm believer in alchemy. He had a great reputation as a poet among his contemporaries, but very little of his work has survived. Puttenham in the Arte of English Poesie speaks of “Maister Edward Dyar, for Elegie most sweete, solempne, and of high conceit.” One of the poems universally accepted as his is “My Mynde to me a kingdome is.” Among the poems in England’s Helicon (1600), signed S.E.D., and included in Dr A.B. Grosart’s collection of Dyer’s works (Miscellanies of the Fuller Worthies Library, vol. iv., 1876) is the charming pastoral “My Phillis hath the morninge sunne,” but this comes from the Phillis of Thomas Lodge. Grosart also prints a prose tract entitled The Prayse of Nothing (1585). The Sixe Idillia from Theocritus, reckoned by J.P. Collier among Dyer’s works, were dedicated to, not written by, him.

DYER, JOHN (c. 1700-1758), British poet, the son of a solicitor, was born in 1699 or 1700 at Aberglasney, in Carmarthenshire. He was sent to Westminster school and was destined for the law, but on his father’s death he began to study painting. He wandered about South Wales, sketching and occasionally painting portraits. In 1726 his first poem, Grongar Hill, appeared in a miscellany published by Richard Savage, the poet. It was an irregular ode in the so-called Pindaric style, but Dyer entirely rewrote it into a loose measure of four cadences, and printed it separately in 1727. It had an immediate and brilliant success. Grongar Hill, as it now stands, is a short poem of only 150 lines, describing in language of much freshness and picturesque charm the view from a hill overlooking the poet’s native vale of Towy. A visit to Italy bore fruit in The Ruins of Rome (1740), a descriptive piece in about 600 lines of Miltonic blank verse. He was ordained priest in 1741, and held successively the livings of Calthorp in Leicestershire, Belchford (1751), Coningsby (1752), and Kirby-on-Bane (1756), the last three being Lincolnshire parishes. He married, in 1741, a Miss Ensor, said to be descended from the brother of Shakespeare. In 1757 he published his longest work, the didactic blank-verse epic of The Fleece, in four books, discoursing of the tending of sheep, of the shearing and preparation of the wool, of weaving, and of trade in woollen manufactures. The town took no interest in it, and Dodsley facetiously prophesied that “Mr Dyer would be buried in woollen.” He died at Coningsby of consumption, on the 15th of December 1758.

DYER, THOMAS HENRY (1804-1888), English historical and antiquarian writer, was born in London on the 4th of May 1804. He was originally intended for a business career, and for some time acted as clerk in a West India house; but finding his services no longer required after the passing of the Negro Emancipation Act, he decided to devote himself to literature. In 1850 he published the Life of Calvin, a conscientious and on the whole impartial work, though the character of Calvin is somewhat harshly drawn, and his influence in the religious world generally is insufficiently appreciated. Dyer’s first historical work was the History of Modern Europe (1861-1864; 3rd ed. revised and continued to the end of the 19th century, by A. Hassall, 1901), a meritorious compilation and storehouse of facts, but not very readable. The History of the City of Rome (1865) down to the end of the middle ages was followed by the History of the Kings of Rome (1868), which, upholding against the German school the general credibility of the account of early Roman history, given in Livy and other classical authors, was violently attacked by J.R. Seeley and the Saturday Review, as showing ignorance of the comparative method. More favourable opinions of the work were expressed by others, but it is generally agreed that the author’s scholarship is defective and that his views are far too conservative. Roma Regalis (1872) and A Plea for Livy (1873) were written in reply to his critics. Dyer frequently visited Greece and Italy, and his topographical works are probably his best; amongst these mention may be made of Pompeii, its History, Buildings and Antiquities (1867, new ed. in Bohn’s Illustrated Library), and Ancient Athens, its History, Topography and Remains (1873). His last publication was On Imitative Art (1882). He died at Bath on the 30th of January 1888.

DYMOKE, the name of an English family holding the office of king’s champion. The functions of the champion were to ride into Westminster Hall at the coronation banquet, and challenge all comers to impugn the king’s title (see Champion). The earliest record of the ceremony at the coronation of an English king dates from the accession of Richard II. On this occasion the champion was Sir John Dymoke (d. 1381), who held the manor of Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire, in right of his wife Margaret, granddaughter of Joan Ludlow, who was the daughter and co-heiress of Philip Marmion, last Baron Marmion. The Marmions claimed descent from the lords of Fontenay, hereditary champions of the dukes of Normandy, and held the castle of Tamworth, Leicestershire, and the manor of Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire. The right to the championship was disputed with the Dymoke family by Sir Baldwin de Freville, lord of Tamworth, who was descended from an elder daughter of Philip Marmion. The court of claims eventually decided in favour of the owners of Scrivelsby on the ground that Scrivelsby was held in grand serjeanty, that is, that its tenure was dependent on rendering a special service, in this case the championship.

Sir Thomas Dymoke (1428?-1471) joined a Lancastrian rising in 1469, and, with his brother-in-law Richard, Lord Willoughby and Welles, was beheaded in 1471 by order of Edward IV. after he had been induced to leave sanctuary on a promise of personal safety. The estates were restored to his son Sir Robert Dymoke (d. 1546), champion at the coronations of Richard III., Henry VII. and Henry VIII., who distinguished himself at the siege of Tournai and became treasurer of the kingdom. His descendants acted as champions at successive coronations. Lewis Dymoke (d. 1820) put in an unsuccessful claim before the House of Lords for the barony of Marmion. His nephew Henry (1801-1865) was champion at the coronation of George IV. He was accompanied on that occasion by the duke of Wellington and Lord Howard of Effingham. Henry Dymoke was created a baronet; he was succeeded by his brother John, rector of Scrivelsby (1804-1873), whose son Henry Lionel died without 756 issue in 1875, when the baronetcy became extinct, the estate passing to a collateral branch of the family. After the coronation of George IV. the ceremony was allowed to lapse, but at the coronation of King Edward VII. H.S. Dymoke bore the standard of England in Westminster Abbey.

DYNAMICS (from Gr. δύναμις, strength), the name of a branch of the science of Mechanics (q.v.). The term was at one time restricted to the treatment of motion as affected by force, being thus opposed to Statics, which investigated equilibrium or conditions of rest. In more recent times the word has been applied comprehensively to the action of force on bodies either at rest or in motion, thus including “dynamics” (now termed kinetics) in the restricted sense and “statics.”

Analytical Dynamics.—The fundamental principles of dynamics, and their application to special problems, are explained in the articles Mechanics and Motion, Laws of, where brief indications are also given of the more general methods of investigating the properties of a dynamical system, independently of the accidents of its particular constitution, which were inaugurated by J.L. Lagrange. These methods, in addition to the unity and breadth which they have introduced into the treatment of pure dynamics, have a peculiar interest in relation to modern physical speculation, which finds itself confronted in various directions with the problem of explaining on dynamical principles the properties of systems whose ultimate mechanism can at present only be vaguely conjectured. In determining the properties of such systems the methods of analytical geometry and of the infinitesimal calculus (or, more generally, of mathematical analysis) are necessarily employed; for this reason the subject has been named Analytical Dynamics. The following article is devoted to an outline of such portions of general dynamical theory as seem to be most important from the physical point of view.

764

DYNAMITE (Gr. δύναμις, power), the name given to several explosive preparations containing nitroglycerin (q.v.) which are almost exclusively used for blasting purposes. The first practical application of nitroglycerin in this way was made by A. Nobel in 1863. He soaked gunpowder with the liquid and fired the gunpowder by an ordinary fuse. Later he found that nitroglycerin could be detonated by the explosion of several materials such as fulminate of mercury, the use of which as a detonator he patented in 1867. In 1866-1867 he experimented with charcoal and other substances, and found the infusorial earth known as kieselguhr, which consists mainly of silica (nearly 95%), eminently adapted to the purpose, as it was inert, non-combustible, and after a little heating and preparation very porous, retaining a large amount of nitroglycerin as water is held in a sponge, without very serious exudation on standing. This kieselguhr dynamite is generally made by incorporating three parts of nitroglycerin with one part of the dry earth, the paste being then formed into cylindrical cartridges. This work is done by hand. Generally a small percentage of the kieselguhr is replaced by a mixture containing sodium and ammonium carbonates, talc and ochre. This product is known as dynamite No. 1. Disabilities attaching to kieselguhr dynamite are that when placed in water the nitroglycerin is liable to be exuded or displaced, also that, like nitroglycerin itself, it freezes fairly easily and thawing the frozen cartridges is a dangerous operation. Other substances, e.g. kaolin, tripoli, magnesia alba (magnesium carbonate), alumina, sugar, charcoal, some powdered salts and mixtures of sawdust and salts, have been shown to be absorbents more or less adapted to the purpose of making a dynamite. Charcoal from cork is said to absorb about 90% of its weight of nitroglycerin. With the idea of obtaining greater safety, mixtures have been made of nitroglycerin with wood fibre, charcoal and metallic nitrates. Lithofracteur, for instance, consists of 50% nitroglycerin and a mixture of prepared sawdust, kieselguhr and barium nitrate. Carbonite contains 25% of nitroglycerin, the remainder being a mixture of wood-meal and alkali nitrates, with about 1% of sulphur. Dualin, atlas dynamite and potentite are other modifications.

A convenient form in which nitroglycerin can be made up for blasting purposes, especially in wet ground, is the gelatinous material obtained by the action of nitroglycerin, either alone or with the help of solvents, on low-grade or soluble gun-cottons. It is known as blasting gelatin, and was first made by Nobel by incorporating 6 or 7% of low nitrated cellulose (collodion cotton or soluble gun-cotton) with slightly warmed nitroglycerin. The result is a transparent plastic material, of specific gravity 1.5 to 1.6, which may be kept under water for a long time without appreciable change. It is less sensitive to detonation than ordinary dynamite, and although its explosion is slightly slower it is more powerful than dynamite and much superior to the liquid nitroglycerin. Blasting gelatin also freezes and is sensitive to percussion in this state. Camphor and other substances have been added to blasting gelatin to render it more solid and less sensitive. Some modifications of blasting gelatin, e.g. gelignite, contain wood-meal and such oxygen-containing salts as potassium nitrate. Experience has conclusively shown that dynamites are more satisfactory, quicker, and more intense in action than liquid nitroglycerin.

To prevent nitroglycerin and some of the forms of dynamite from freezing it has been proposed to add to them small quantities of either monochlor-dinitroglycerin or of a nitrated poly-glycerin. The former is obtained by first acting upon glycerin with hydrogen chloride to produce u-chlorhydrin or chlor-propylene glycol, C3H7O2Cl, which is then nitrated as in the case of glycerin. The latter is obtained by heating glycerin for six or seven hours to about 300° C., whereby water is split off in such manner that a diglycerin C6H14O5, for the most part, results. This on nitration in the usual manner gives a product C6H10N4O13, which burns and explodes in a similar manner to ordinary nitroglycerin, but is less sensitive and does not so easily freeze. The mono- and di-nitrates of glycerin have also been proposed as additions to ordinary nitroglycerin (q.v.) for the same purpose.

DYNAMO (a shortened form of “dynamo-electric machine,” from Gr. δύναμις, power), a machine for converting mechanical into electrical energy.

Fig. 1.

The dynamo ranks with the telegraph and telephone as one of the three striking applications of electrical and magnetic science to which the material progress that marked the second half of the 19th century was in no small measure due. Since the discovery of the principle of the dynamo by Faraday in 1831 the simple model which he first constructed has been gradually developed into the machines of 5000 horse-power or more which are now built to meet the needs of large cities for electric lighting and power, while at the same time the numbers of dynamos in use have increased almost beyond estimate. Yet such was the insight of Faraday into the fundamental nature of the dynamo that the theory of its action which he laid down has remained essentially unchanged. His experiments on the current which was set up in a coil of wire during its movement across the poles of a magnet led naturally to the explanation of induced electromotive force as caused by the linking or unlinking of magnetic lines of flux with an electric circuit. For the more definite case of the dynamo, however, we may, with Faraday, make the transition from line-linkage to the equivalent conception of “line-cutting” as the source of E.M.F.—in other words, to the idea of electric conductors “cutting” or intersecting1 the lines of flux in virtue of relative motion of the magnetic field and electric circuit. On the 28th of October 1831 Faraday mounted a copper disk so that it could be rotated edgewise between the poles of a permanent horse-shoe magnet. When so rotated, it cut the lines of flux which passed transversely through its lower half, and by means of two rubbing contacts, one on its periphery and the other on its spindle, the circuit was closed through a galvanometer, which indicated the passage of a continuous current so long as the disk was rotated (fig. 1). Thus by the invention of the first dynamo Faraday proved his idea that the E.M.F. induced through the interaction of a magnetic field and an electric circuit was due to the passage of a portion of the electric circuit across the lines of flux, or vice versa, and so could be maintained if the cutting of the lines were made continuous.2 In comparison with Faraday’s results, the subsequent advance is to be regarded as a progressive perfecting of the mechanical and electro-magnetic design, partly from the theoretical and partly from the practical side, rather than as modifying or adding to the idea which was originally present in his mind, and of which he already saw the possibilities.

A dynamo, then, is a machine in which, by means of continuous relative motion, an electrical conductor or system of conductors forming part of a circuit is caused to cut the lines of a magnetic field or fields; the cutting of the magnetic flux induces an electromotive force in the conductors, and when the circuit is closed a current flows, whereby mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.

The two essential parts of the dynamo, as required by its definition, may be illustrated by the original disk machine of Faraday. They are (1) the iron magnet, between the poles of which a magnetic field exists, and (2) the electrical conductors, represented by the rotating copper disk. The sector of the disk cutting the lines of the field forms part of a closed electric circuit, and has an E.M.F. induced in it, by reason of which it is no longer simply a conductor, but has become “active.” In its more highly developed form the simple copper disk is elaborated into a system of many active wires or bars which form the “winding,” and which are so interconnected as to add up their several E.M.F.’s. Since these active wires are usually mounted on an iron structure, which may be likened to the keeper or “armature” of a magnet rotating between its poles, the term “armature” has been extended to cover not only the iron core, but also the wires on it, and when there is no iron core it is even applied to the copper conductors themselves. In the dynamo of Faraday the “armature” was the rotating portion, and such is the case with modern continuous-current dynamos; in alternators, however, the magnet, or a portion of it, is more commonly rotated while the armature is stationary. It is in fact immaterial to the action whether the one or the other is moved, or both, so long as their relative motion causes the armature conductors to cut the magnetic flux. As to the ultimate reason why an E.M.F. should be thereby induced, physical science cannot as yet yield any surer knowledge than in the days of Faraday.3 For the engineer, it suffices to know that the E.M.F. of the dynamo is due to the cutting of the magnetic flux by the active wires, and, further, is proportional to the rate at which the lines are cut.4

Fig. 2.

The equation of the electromotive force which is required in order to render this statement quantitative must contain three factors, namely, the density of the flux in the air-gap through which the armature conductors move, the active length of these wires, and the speed of their movement. For given values of the first and third factors and a single straight wire moved parallel to itself through a uniform field, the maximum rate of cutting is evidently obtained when the three directions of the lines of the conductor’s length and of the relative motion are respectively at right angles to each other, as shown by the three co-ordinate axes of fig. 2. The E.M.F. of the single wire is then

E = BgLV × 10−8 volts

where Bg is the density of the flux within the air-gap expressed in C.G.S. lines per square centimetre, L is the active length of the conductor within the field in centimetres, and V is the velocity of movement in centimetres per second. Further, the direction in which the E.M.F. has the above maximum value is along the length of the conductor, its “sense” being determined by the direction of the movement5 in relation to the direction of the field.

The second fundamental equation of the dynamo brings to light its mechanical side, and rests on H.C. Oersted’s discovery of the interaction of a magnetic field and an electric current. If a straight electric conductor through which a current is passing be so placed in a magnetic field that its length is not parallel to the direction of the lines of flux, it is acted on by a force which will move it, if free, in a definite direction relatively to the magnet; or if the conductor is fixed and the magnet is free, the latter will itself move in the opposite direction. Now in the dynamo the active wires are placed so that their length is at right angles to the field; hence when they are rotated and an electric current begins to flow under the E.M.F. which they induce, a mutual force at once arises between the copper conductors and the magnet, and the direction of this force must by Lenz’s law be opposed to the direction of the movement. Thus as soon as the disk of fig. 1 is rotated and its circuit is closed, it experiences a mechanical pull or drag which must be overcome by the force applied to turn the disk. While the magnet must be firmly held so as to remain stationary, the armature must be of such mechanical construction that its wires can be forcibly driven through the magnetic field against the mutual pull. This law of electrodynamic action may be quantitatively stated in an equation of mechanical force, analogous to the equation (I.) of electromotive force, which states the law of electromagnetic induction. If a conductor of length L cm., carrying a current C amperes, is immersed in a field of uniform density Bg, and the length of the conductor is at right angles to the direction of the lines, it is acted on by a force

F = BgLC × 10−1 dynes,

and the direction of this force is at right angles to the conductor and to the field. The rate at which electrical energy is developed, when this force is overcome by moving the conductor as a dynamo through the field, is EC = BgLVC × 10−8 watts, whence the equality of the mechanical power absorbed and the electrical power developed (as required by the law of the conservation of energy) is easily established. The whole of this power is not, however, available at the terminals of the machine; if Ra be the resistance of the armature in ohms, the passage of the current Ca through the armature conductors causes a drop of pressure of CaRa volts, and a corresponding loss of energy in the armature at the rate of Ca²Ra watts. As the resistance of the external circuit Re is lowered, the current C = Ea / (Re + Ra) is increased. The increase of the current is, however, accompanied by a progressive increase in the loss of energy over the armature, and as this is expended in heating the armature conductors, their temperature may rise so much as to destroy the insulating materials with which they are covered. Hence the temperature which the machine may be permitted to attain in its working is of great importance in determining its output, the current which forms one factor therein being primarily limited by the heating which it produces in the armature winding. The lower the resistance of the armature, the less the rise of its temperature for a given current flowing through it; and the reason for the almost universal adoption of copper as the material for the armature conductors is now seen to lie in its high conductivity.6

Since the voltage of the dynamo is the second factor to which its output is proportional, the conditions which render the induced E.M.F. a maximum must evidently be reproduced as far as possible in practice, if the best use is to be made of a given mass of iron and copper. The first problem, therefore, in the construction of the dynamo is the disposition of the wires and field in such a manner that the three directions of field, length of active conductors, and movement are at right angles to one another, and so that the relative motion is continuous. Reciprocating motion, such as would be obtained by direct attachment of the conductors to the piston of a steam-engine, has 766 been successfully employed only in the special case of an “oscillator,”7 producing a small current very rapidly changing in direction. Rotary motion is therefore universally adopted, and with this two distinct cases arise. Either (A) the active length of the wire is parallel to the axis of rotation, or (B) it is at right angles to it.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

(A) If a conductor is rotated in the gap between the poles of a horse-shoe magnet, and these poles have plane parallel faces opposing one another as in fig. 3, not only is the density of the flux in the interpolar gap small, but the direction of movement is not always at right angles to the direction of the lines, which for the most part pass straight across from one opposing face to the other. When the conductor is midway between the poles (i.e. either at its highest or lowest point), it is at this instant sliding along the lines and does not cut them, so that its E.M.F. is zero. Taking this position as the starting-point, as the conductor moves round, its rate of line-cutting increases to a maximum when it has moved through a right angle and is opposite to the centre of a pole-face (as in fig. 3), from which point onward the rate decreases to zero when it has moved through 180°. Each time the conductor crosses a line drawn symmetrically through the gap between the poles and at right angles to the axis of rotation, the E.M.F. along its length is reversed in direction, since the motion relatively to the direction of the field is reversed. If the ends of the active conductor are electrically connected to two collecting rings fixed upon, but insulated from, the shaft, two stationary brushes bb can be pressed on the rings so as to make a sliding contact. An external circuit can then be connected to the brushes, which will form the “terminals” of the machine, the periodically reversed or alternating E.M.F. induced in the active conductor will cause an alternating current to flow through conductor and external circuit, and the simplest form of “alternator” is obtained. If the field cut by the straight conductor is of uniform density, and all the lines pass straight across from one pole-face to the other (both of which assumptions are approximately correct), a curve connecting the instantaneous values of the E.M.F. as ordinates with time or degrees of angular movement as abscissae (as shown at the foot of fig. 3), will, if the speed of rotation be uniform, be a sine curve. If, however, the conductor is mounted on an iron cylinder (fig. 4),8 a sufficient margin being allowed for mechanical clearance between it and the poles, not only will the reluctance of the magnetic circuit be reduced and the total flux and its density in the air-gap Bg be thereby increased, but the path of the lines will become nearly radial, except at the “fringe” near the edges of the pole-tips; hence the relative directions of the movement and of the lines will be continuously at right angles. The shape of the E.M.F. curve will then be as shown in fig. 4—flat-topped, with rounded corners rapidly sloping down to the zero line.

Fig. 5.

But a single wire cannot thus be made to give more than a few volts, and while dynamos for voltages from 5 to 10 are required for certain purposes, the voltages in common use range from 100 to 10,000. It is therefore necessary to connect a number of such wires in series, so as to form an “armature winding.” If several similar conductors are arranged along the length of the iron core parallel to the first (fig. 5), the E.M.F.’s generated in the conductors which at any moment are under the same pole are similarly directed, and are opposite to the directions of the E.M.F.’s in the conductors under the other pole (cf fig. 5 where the dotted and crossed ends of the wires indicate E.M.F.’s directed respectively towards and away from the observer). Two distinct methods of winding thence arise, the similarity of the E.M.F.’s under the same pole being taken advantage of in the first, and the opposite E.M.F.’s under N and S poles in the second.

Fig. 6.

1. The first, or ring-winding, was invented by Dr Antonio Pacinotti of Florence9 in 1860, and was subsequently and independently reintroduced in 187010 by the Belgian electrician, Zénobe Théophile Gramme, whence it is also frequently called the “Gramme” winding. By this method the farther end of conductor 1 (fig. 5) is joined in series to the near end of conductor 2; this latter lies next to it on the surface of the core or immediately above it, so that both are simultaneously under the same pole-piece. For this series connexion to be possible, the armature core must be a hollow cylinder, supported from the shaft on an open non-magnetic spider or hub, between the arms of which there is room for the internal wire completing the loop (fig. 6). The end of one complete loop or turn embracing one side of the armature core thus forms the starting-point for another loop, and the process can be continued if required to form a coil of two or more turns. In the ring armature the iron core serves the double purpose of conducting the lines across from one pole to the other, and also of shielding from the magnetic flux the hollow interior through which the connecting wires pass. Any lines which leak across the central space are cut by the internal wires, and the direction of cutting is such that the E.M.F. caused thereby opposes the E.M.F. due to the active conductors proper on the external surface. If, however, the section of iron in the core be correctly proportioned, the number of lines which cross the interior will bear but a small ratio to those which pass entirely through the iron, and the counter E.M.F. of the internal wires will become very small; they may then be regarded simply as connectors for joining the external active wires in series.

Fig. 7.

2. The second or drum method was used in the original “shuttle-wound” armatures invented by Dr Werner von Siemens in 1856, and is sometimes called the “Siemens” winding. The farther end of conductor 1 (fig. 5) is joined by a connecting wire to the farther end of another conductor 2’ situated nearly diametrically opposite on the other side of the core and under the opposite pole-piece. The near end of the complete loop or turn is then brought across the end of the core, and can be used as the starting-point for another loop beginning with conductor 2, which is situated by the side of the first conductor. The iron core may now be solid from the surface to the shaft, since no connecting wires are brought through the centre, and each loop embraces the entire armature core (fig. 7). By the formation of two loops in the ring armature and of the single loop in the drum armature, two active wires are placed in series; 767 the curves of instantaneous E.M.F. are therefore similar in shape to that of the single wire (fig. 4), but with their ordinates raised throughout to double their former height, as shown at the foot of fig. 6.

Next, if the free ends of either the ring or drum loops, instead of being connected to two collecting rings, are attached to the two halves of a split-ring insulated from the shaft (as shown in fig. 7 in connexion with a drum armature), and the stationary brushes are so set relatively to the loops that they pass over from the one half of the split-ring to the other half at the moment when the loops are passing the centre of the interpolar gap, and so are giving little or no E.M.F., each brush will always remain either positive or negative. The current in the external circuit attached to the brushes will then have a constant direction, although the E.M.F. in the active wires still remains alternating; the curve of E.M.F. obtained at the brushes is thus (as in fig. 7) entirely above the zero line. The first dynamo of H. Pixii,11 which immediately followed Faraday’s discovery, gave an alternating current, but in 183212 the alternator was converted into a machine giving a unidirected current by the substitution of a rudimentary “commutator” in place of mercury collecting cups.

(B) So far the length of the active wires has been parallel to the axis of rotation, but they may equally well be arranged perpendicularly thereto. The poles will then have plane faces and the active wires will be disposed with their length approximately radial to the axis of the shaft. In order to add their E.M.F.’s in series, two types of winding may be employed, which are precisely analogous in principle to the ring and drum windings under arrangement (A).

3. The discoidal or flat-ring armature is equivalent to a ring of which the radial depth greatly exceeds the length, with the poles presented to one side of the ring instead of embracing its cylindrical surface. A similar set of poles is also presented to the opposite side of the ring, like poles being opposite to one another, so that in effect each polar surface is divided into two halves, and the groups of lines from each side bifurcate and pass circumferentially through the armature core to issue into the adjacent poles of opposite sign.

4. In the disk machine, no iron core is necessary for the armature, the two opposite poles of unlike sign being brought close together, leaving but a short path for the lines in the air-gap through which the active wires are rotated.

Fig. 8.

If the above elementary dynamos are compared with fig. 1, it will be found that they all possess a distinctive feature which is not present in the original disk machine of Faraday. In the four types of machine above described each active wire in each revolution first cuts the group of lines forming a field in one direction, and then cuts the same lines again in the opposite direction relatively to the sense of the lines, so that along the length of the wire the E.M.F. alternates in direction. But in the dynamo of fig. 1 the sector of the copper disk which is at any moment moving through the magnetic field and which forms the single active element is always cutting the lines in the same manner, so that the E.M.F. generated along its radial length is continuous and unchanged in direction. This radical distinction differentiates the two classes of heteropolar and homopolar dynamos, Faraday’s disk machine of fig. 1 being the type of the latter class. In it the active element may be arranged either parallel or at right angles to the axis of rotation; but in both cases, in order to increase the E.M.F. by placing two or more elements in series, it becomes necessary either (1) to employ some form of sliding contact by which the current may be collected from the end of one active element and passed round a connecting wire into the next element without again cutting the field in the reverse direction, or (2) to form on the armature a loop of which each side is alternately active and inactive. The first method limits the possibilities of the homopolar machine so greatly when large currents and high voltages are required that it is now only used in rare instances, as e.g. occasionally in dynamos driven by steam-turbines which have a very high speed of rotation. The second alternative may be carried into effect with any of the four methods of armature winding, but is practically confined to the drum and disk types. In its drum form the field is divided into two or more projecting poles, all of the same sign, with intervening neutral spaces of equal width, and the span of the loop in the direction of rotation is at least equal to the width of a polar projection, as in fig. 8, where two polar projections are shown. Each side of the loop then plays a dual part; it first cuts the lines of one polar projection and generates an E.M.F., and next becomes an inactive connecting wire, while the action is taken up by the opposite side of the loop which has previously served as a connector but now cuts the lines of the next polar projection. The E.M.F. is thus always in the same direction along the side which is at any moment active, but alternates round the loop as a whole, and the distinctive peculiarity of the homopolar machine, so soon as any form of “winding” is introduced into its armature, is lost. It results that the homopolar principle, which would prima facie appear specially suitable for the generation of a unidirectional E.M.F. and continuous current, can seldom be used for this purpose and is practically confined to alternators. It may therefore be said that in almost all dynamos, whether they supply an alternating or a continuous current in the external circuit, the E.M.F. and current in the armature are alternating.

Ring winding was largely employed in early continuous-current dynamos and also in the alternators of Gramme and H. Wilde, and later of Auguste de Méritens. Disk winding was also successfully introduced for alternators, as in the magneto-machines of Nollet (1849) and the alternators of Wilde (1866) and Siemens (1878), and its use was continued in the machines of W.M. Mordey and S.Z. Ferranti. But although the ring, discoidal-ring and disk methods of winding deserve mention from their historical importance, experience has shown that drum winding possesses a marked superiority for both electrical and manufacturing reasons; the three former methods have in fact been practically discarded in its favour, so that the drum method will hereafter alone be considered.

The drum coil, composed of several loops wound side by side, may therefore be regarded as the constituent active element out of which the armature winding of the modern dynamo is developed. Its application to the multipolar machine is easily followed from fig. 9, which illustrates the heteropolar type of dynamo. The span of the loops, which is nearly 180° or across the diameter of the two-pole machine, is reduced approximately to 90° in the four-pole or to 60° in the six-pole machine and so on, the curvature of the coil becoming gradually less as the number of poles is increased. The passage of a coil through two magnetic fields of opposite direction yields a complete wave of E.M.F., such as is shown in fig. 6, and the time in seconds taken to pass through such a complete cycle is the “period” of the alternating E.M.F. The number of complete periods through which the E.M.F. of the coil passes per second is called the “periodicity” or “frequency” of the machine. In the bipolar machine this 768 is equal to the number of revolutions per second, and in the multipolar machine it is equal to the number of pairs of fields through which the coil passes in one second; hence in general the periodicity is pN / 60, where N = the number of revolutions per minute and p = the number of pairs of poles, and this holds true of the E.M.F. and current round the coil, even though the E.M.F. and current furnished to the external circuit may be rendered unidirectional or continuous. The only difference on this point is that in the continuous-current machine the poles are usually fewer than in the alternator, and the periodicity is correspondingly lower. Thus in the former case the number of poles ranges from 2 to 12 and the usual frequencies from 5 to 20; but with alternators the frequencies in commercial use range from 25 to 120, and in large machines driven by slow-speed engines the number of poles may even be as high as 96.

I. Smooth.	II. Toothed.
Fig. 9.

Fig. 10.

The drum coil may be applied either to the external surface of a rotating armature, the field-magnet being external and stationary (fig. 9), or to the internal surface of a stationary armature (fig. 10), the field-magnet being internal and rotating. While the former combination is universally adopted in the continuous-current dynamo, the latter is more usual in the modern alternator. In either case the iron armature core must be “laminated”; the passage of the lines of the field across its surface sets up E.M.F.’s which are in opposite directions under poles of opposite sign, so that if the core were a solid mass a current-sheet would flow along its surface opposite to a pole, and complete its circuit by passing through the deeper layers of metal or by returning in a sheet under a pole of opposite sign. Such “eddy-currents” can be practically avoided by dividing the metal core into laminations at right angles to the length of the active wires which are themselves arranged to secure the greatest rate of line-cutting and maximum E.M.F. The production of the eddy-current E.M.F. is not thereby prevented, but the paths of the eddy-currents are so broken up that the comparatively high resistance with which they meet reduces their amount very greatly. The laminae must be lightly insulated from one another, right up to their edges, so that the E.M.F.’s which still act across their thickness will not be added up along the length of the core, but will only produce extremely small currents circulating through the interior of the separate laminations. Each thin iron plate is either coated with an insulating varnish or has one of its sides covered with a sheet of very thin paper; the thickness of the laminae is usually about one-fortieth of an inch, and if this is not exceeded the rate at which energy is dissipated by eddy-currents in the core is so far reduced that it does not seriously impair the efficiency of the machine.

Lastly, the drum coils may be either attached to the surface of a smooth armature core (fig. 9, I.), or may be wound through holes formed close to the periphery of the core, or may be embedded in the slots between projecting iron teeth (figs. 9 [II.] and 10). Originally employed by Antonio Pacinotti in connexion with ring winding, the toothed armature was after some considerable use largely discarded in favour of the smooth core; it has, however, been reintroduced with a fuller understanding of the special precautions necessitated in its design, and it is now so commonly used that it may be said to have superseded the smooth-surface armature.

Fig. 11.

With the addition of more turns to the elementary drum loop or of several complete coils, new questions arise, and in connexion therewith the two great classes of machines, viz. alternators and continuous-current dynamos, which have above been treated side by side, diverge considerably, so that they are best considered separately. The electromotive-force equation of the alternator will be first deduced, and subsequently that of the continuous-current machine.

Corresponding to the number of pairs of poles in the multipolar alternator, it is evident that there may also be an equal number of coils as shown diagrammatically in fig. 11. The additional coils, being similarly situated in respect to other pairs of poles, will exactly reproduce the E.M.F. of the original coil in phase and magnitude, so that when they are connected in series the total E.M.F. will be proportional to the number of coils in series; or if they are connected in parallel, while not adding to the E.M.F., they will proportionately increase the current-carrying capacity of the combination. But within each coil the addition of more loops will not cause an equal increase in the total E.M.F., unless the phases of the component E.M.F.’s due to the several turns are identical, and on this account it becomes necessary to consider the effect of the width of the coil-side.

Fig. 12.

If the additional loops are wound within the same slots as the original loop, the winding is “concentrated,” and each turn will then add the same E.M.F. But if the coil-side is divided between two or more slots, the phase of the E.M.F. yielded by the wires in one slot being different from that of the wires in another neighbouring slot, the sum of all the E.M.F.’s will be less than the E.M.F. of one component loop multiplied by the number of loops or turns in the coil. The percentage reduction in the E.M.F. will depend upon the number of the slots in a coil-side and their distance apart, i.e. on the virtual width of the coil-side expressed as a fraction of the “pole-pitch” or the distance measured along the pitch-line from the centre of one pole to the centre of a neighbouring pole of opposite sign (fig. 12). The winding is now to be regarded as “grouped,” since a small number of distinct phases corresponding to the groups within the two, three or four slots have to be compounded together. As the number of slots per coil-side is increased, an approach is gradually made to the case of “uniform distribution,” such as would obtain in a smooth-core armature in which the turns of the coil are wound closely side by side. Thus in the six-turn coil of fig. 12 A, which represents the development of a two-pole armature when the core is cut down to the shaft and opened out flat, there are in effect six phases compounded together, each of which differs but little from that of its next neighbour. With numerous wires lying still closer together a large number of phases are compounded until the distribution becomes practically uniform; the decrease in the E.M.F., as compared with that of a single turn multiplied by the number in series, is then immediately dependent upon the width of the coil-side relatively to the pole-pitch.

Fig. 13.

If the width of the inner loop of fig. 12 A is less than that of the pole-face, its two sides will for some portion of each period be moving under the same pole, and “differential action” results, the net E.M.F. being only that due to the difference between the E.M.F.’s of the two sides. The loop of smallest width must therefore exceed the width of pole-face, if direct differential action is to be avoided. The same consideration also determines the width of the outer loop; if this be deducted from twice the pole-pitch, the difference should not be less than the width of the pole-face, so that, e.g., in a bipolar machine the outer loop may stand to the S. pole exactly as the inner loop stands to the N. pole (fig. 13). In other words, the width of the coil-side must not exceed the width of the interpolar gap between two fields. Evidently then if the ratio of the pole-width to the pole-pitch approaches unity, the width of the coil-side must be very small, and vice versa. A compromise between these conflicting considerations is found if the pole is made not much more than half the pole-pitch, and the width of the coil-side is similarly about half the pole-pitch and therefore equal in width to the pole (fig. 13). A single large coil, such as that of fig. 12 A, can, however, equally well be divided into two halves by taking the end-connexions of one half of the turns round the opposite side of the shaft (fig. 12 B), as indeed has already been done in fig. 13. Each sheaf or band of active wires corresponding to a pole is thereby unaffected, but the advantages are gained that the axial length of the end-connexions is halved, and that they have less inductance. Thus if in fig. 11 there are four turns per coil, fig. 14 is electrically equivalent to it (save that the coils are here shown divided into two parallel paths, each carrying half the total current). When the large coils are divided as above described, it results that there are as many coils as there are poles, the outer loop of the small coil having a width equal to the pole-pitch, and the inner a width equal to the pole-face.

Fig. 14.

Such is the form which the “single-phase alternator” takes, but since only one-half of the armature core is now covered with winding, an entirely distinct but similar set of coils may be wound to form a second armature circuit between the coils of the first circuit. The phase of this second circuit will differ by 90° or a quarter of a period from that of the first, and it may either be used to feed an entirely separate external circuit possibly at a different pressure or, if it be composed of the same number of turns and therefore gives the same voltage, it may be interconnected with the first circuit to form a “quarter-phase alternator,” as will be more fully described later. By an extension of the same process, if the width of each side of a coil is reduced to one-sixth of the pole-pitch, three armature circuits can be wound on the same core, and a “three-phase alternator,” giving waves of E.M.F. differing in phase by 120°, is obtained.

We have next to consider the effect of the addition of more armature loops in the case of dynamos which give a unidirectional E.M.F. in virtue of their split-ring collecting device, i.e. of the type shown in fig. 7 with drum armature or its equivalent ring form. As before, if the additional loops are wound in continuation of the first as one coil connected to a single split-ring, this coil must be more or less concentrated into a narrow band; since if the width becomes nearly equal to or exceeds the width of the interpolar gap, the two edges of the coil-side will just as in the alternator act differentially against one another during part of each revolution. The drum winding with a single coil thus gives an armature of the H- or “shuttle” form invented by Dr Werner von Siemens. Although the E.M.F. of such an arrangement may have a much higher maximum value than that of the curve of fig. 7 for a single loop, yet it still periodically varies during each revolution and so gives a pulsating current, which is for most practical uses unsuitable. But such pulsation might be largely reduced if, for example, a second coil were placed at right angles to the original coil and the two were connected in series; the crests of the wave of E.M.F. of the second coil will then coincide with the hollows of the first wave, and although the maximum of the resultant curve of E.M.F. may be no higher its fluctuations will be greatly decreased. A spacial displacement of the new coils along the pole-pitch, somewhat as in a polyphase machine, thus suggests itself, and the process may be carried still further by increasing the number of equally spaced coils, provided that they can be connected in series and yet can have their connexion with the external circuit reversed as they pass the neutral line between the poles.

Fig. 15.

Fig. 16.

Given two coils at right angles and with their split-rings displaced through a corresponding angle of 90°, they may be connected in series by joining one brush to the opposite brush of the second coil, the external circuit being applied to the two remaining brushes.14 The same arrangement may again be repeated with another pair of coils in parallel with the first, and we thus obtain fig. 15 with four split-rings, their connexions to the loops being marked by corresponding numerals; the four coils will give the same E.M.F. as the two, but they will be jointly capable of carrying twice the current, owing to their division into two parallel circuits. Now in place of the four split-rings may be employed the greatly simplified four-segment structure shown in fig. 16, which serves precisely the same purpose as the four split-rings but only requires two instead of eight brushes. The effect of joining brush 2 in fig. 15 across to brush 3, brush 4 to brush 5, 5 to 6, &c., has virtually been to connect the end of coil A with the beginning of coil B, and the end of coil B with the beginning of coil A′, and so on, until they form a continuous closed helix. Each sector of fig. 16 will therefore replace two halves of a pair of adjacent split-rings, if the end and beginning of a pair of adjacent coils are connected to it in a regular order of sequence. The four sectors are insulated from one another and from the shaft, and the whole structure is known as the “commutator,”15 its function being not simply to collect the current but also to commute its direction in any coil as it passes the interpolar gap. The principle of the “closed-coil continuous-current armature” is thus reached, in which there are at least two parallel circuits from brush to brush, and from which a practically steady current can be obtained. Each coil is successively short-circuited, as a brush bridges over the insulation between the two sectors which terminate it; and the brushes must be so set that the period of short-circuit takes place when the coil is generating little or no E.M.F., i.e. when it is moving through the zone between the pole-tips. The effect of the four coils in reducing the percentage fluctuation of the E.M.F. is very marked, as shown at the foot of fig. 15 (where the upper curve is the resultant obtained by adding together the separate curves of coils A and B), and the levelling process may evidently be carried still further by the insertion of more coils and more corresponding sectors in the commutator, until the whole 771 armature is covered with winding. For example, figs. 17 and 18 show a ring and a drum armature, each with eight coils and eight commutator sectors; their resultant curve, on the assumption that a single active wire gives the flat-topped curve of fig. 4, will be the upper wavy line of E.M.F. obtained by adding together two of the resultant curves of fig. 15, with a relative displacement of 45°. The amount of fluctuation for a given number of commutator sectors depends upon the shape of the curve of E.M.F. yielded by the separate small sections of the armature winding; the greater the polar arc, the less the fluctuation. In practice, with a polar arc equal to about 0.75 of the pitch, any number of sectors over 32 per pair of poles yields an E.M.F. which is sensibly constant throughout one or any number of revolutions.

Fig. 17.

Fig. 18.

Continuous-current Dynamos.—On passing to the separate consideration of alternators and continuous-current dynamos, the chief constructive features of the latter will first be taken in greater detail. As already stated in the The armature core. continuous-current dynamo the armature is usually the rotating portion, and the necessity of laminating its core has been generally described. The thin iron stampings employed to build up the core take the form of circular washers or “disks,” which in small machines are strung directly on the shaft; in larger multipolar machines, in which the required radial depth of iron is small relatively to the diameter, a central cast iron hub supports the disks. Since the driving force is transmitted through the shaft to the disks, they must in the former case be securely fixed by keys sunk into the shaft; when a central hub is employed (fig. 19) it is keyed to the shaft, and its projecting arms engage in notches stamped on the inner circumference of the disks, or the latter have dovetailed projections fitting into the arms. The disks are then tightly compressed and clamped between stout end-plates so as to form a nearly solid iron cylinder of axial length slightly exceeding the corresponding dimension of the poles. If the armature is more than 4 ft. in diameter, the disks become too large to be conveniently handled in one piece, and are therefore made in segments, which are built up so as to break joint alternately. Prior to assemblage, the external circumference of each disk is notched in a stamping machine with the required number of slots to receive the armature coils, and the longitudinal grooves thereby formed in the finished core only require to have their sharp edges smoothed off so that there may be no risk of injury to the insulation of the coils.

Fig. 19.

With open slots either the armature coils may be encased with wrappings of oiled linen, varnished paper and thin flexible micanite sheeting in order to insulate them electrically from the iron slots in which they are afterwards embedded; Armature winding. or the slots may be themselves lined with moulded troughs of micanite, &c., for the reception of the armature coils, the latter method being necessary with half-closed slots. According to the nature of the coils armatures may be divided into the two classes of coil-wound and bar-wound. In the former class, round copper wire, double-cotton covered, is 772 employed, and the coils are either wound by hand directly on to the armature core, or are shaped on formers prior to being inserted in the armature slots. Hand-winding is now only employed in very small bipolar machines, the process being expensive and accompanied by the disadvantage that if one section requires to be repaired, the whole armature usually has to be dismantled and re-wound. Former-wound coils are, on the other hand, economical in labour, perfectly symmetrical and interchangeable, and can be thoroughly insulated before they are placed in the slots. The shapers employed in the forming process are very various, but are usually arranged to give to the finished coil a lozenge shape, the two straight active sides which fit into the straight slots being joined by V-shaped ends; at each apex of the coil the wire is given a twist, so that the two sides fall into different levels, an upper and a lower, corresponding to the two layers which the coil-sides form on the finished armature. Rectangular wire of comparatively small section may be similarly treated, and if only one loop is required per section, wide and thin strip can be bent into a complete loop, so that the only soldered joints are those at the commutator end where the loops are interconnected. But finally with massive rectangular conductors, the transition must be made to bar-winding, in which each bar is a half-loop, insulated by being taped after it has been bent to the required shape; the separate bars are arranged on the armature in two layers, and their ends are soldered together subsequently to form loops. As a general rule, whether bars or former-wound coils are employed, the armature is barrel-wound, i.e. the end-connexions project outwards from the slots with but little change of level, so that they form a cylindrical mass supported on projections from the end-plates of the core (fig. 19); but, in certain cases, the end-connexions are bent downwards at right angles to the shaft, and they may then consist of separate strips of copper bent to a so-called butterfly or evolute shape.

After the coils or loops have been assembled in the slots on the armature core, and the commutator has been fixed in place on the shaft, the soldering of the ends of the coils proceeds, by which at once the union of the end of one coil with the beginning of the next, and also their connexion to the commutator sectors, is effected, and in this lies the essential part of armature winding.

Lap-loops Fig. 20.

The development of the modern drum armature, with its numerous coils connected in orderly sequence into a symmetrical winding, as contrasted with the earlier Siemens armatures, was initiated by F. von Hefner Alteneck (1871), and the laws governing the interconnexion of the coils have now been elaborated into a definite system of winding formulae. Whatever the number of wires or bars in each side of a coil, i.e. whether it consist of a single loop or of many turns, the final connexions of its free ends are not thereby affected, and it may be mentally replaced by a single loop with two active inducing sides. The coil-sides in their final position are thus to be regarded as separate primary elements, even in number, and distributed uniformly round the armature periphery or divided into small, equally spaced groups by being located within the slots of a toothed armature. Attention must then be directed simply to the span of the back connexion between the elements at the end of the armature further from the commutator, and to the span of the front connexion by which the last turn of a coil is finally connected to the first turn of the next in sequence, precisely as if each coil of many turns were reduced to a single loop. In order to avoid direct differential action, the span of the back connexion which fixes the width of the coil must exceed the width of the pole-face, and should not be far different from the pole-pitch; it is usually a little less than the pole-pitch. Taking any one element as No. 1 in fig. 20, where for simplicity a smooth-core bipolar armature is shown, the number of winding-spaces, each to be occupied by an element, which must be counted off in order to find the position of the next element in series, is called the “pitch” of the end-connexion, front or back, as the case may be. Thus the back pitch of the winding as marked by the dotted line in fig. 20 is 7, the second side of the first loop being the element numbered 1 + 7 = 8. In forming the front end-connexion which completes the loop and joins it to the next in succession, two possible cases present themselves. By the first, or “lap-winding,” the front end-connexion is brought backwards, and passing on its way to a junction with a commutator sector is led to a third element lying within the two sides of the first loop, i.e. the second loop starts with the element, No. 3, lying next but one to the starting-point of the first loop. The winding therefore returns backwards on itself to form each front end, but as a whole it works continually forwards round the armature, until it finally “re-enters,” after every element has been traversed. The development of the completed winding on a flat surface shows that it takes the form of a number of partially overlapping loops, whence its name originates. The firm-line portion of fig. 21 gives the development of an armature similar to that of fig. 18 when cut through at the point marked X and opened out; two of the overlapping loops are marked thereon in heavy lines. The multipolar lap-wound armature is obtained by simply repeating the bipolar winding p times, as indicated by the dotted additions of fig. 21 which convert it from a two-pole to a four-pole machine. The characteristic feature of the lap-wound armature is that there are as many parallel paths from brush to brush, and as many points at which the current must be collected, as there are poles. As the bipolar closed-coil continuous-current armature has been shown to consist in reality of two circuits in parallel, each giving the same E.M.F. and carrying half the total current, so the multipolar lap-wound drum consists of p pairs of parallel paths, each giving the same E.M.F. and carrying 1/2p of the total current. Thus in equation 1.b we have q = 2p, and the special form which the E.M.F. equation of the lap-wound armature takes is Ea = Za (N / 60)τ × 10−8 volts. All the brushes which are of the same sign must be connected together in order to collect the total armature current. The several brush-sets of the multipolar lap-wound machine may again be reduced to two by “cross-connexion” of sectors situated 360°/p apart, but this is seldom done, since the commutator must then be lengthened p times in order to obtain the necessary brush contact-surface for the collection of the entire current.

Fig. 21.

Fig. 23.

Wave-loops Fig. 22.

But for many purposes, especially where the voltage is high and the current small, it is advantageous to add together the inductive effect of the several poles of the multipolar machine by throwing the E.M.F’s of half the total number of elements Wave-winding. into series, the number of parallel circuits being conversely again reduced to two. This is effected by the second method of winding the closed-coil continuous current drum, which is known 773 as “wave-winding.” The front pitch is now in the same direction round the armature as the back pitch (fig. 22), so that the beginning of the second loop, i.e. element No. 15, lies outside the first loop. After p loops have been formed and as many elements have been traversed as there are poles, the distance covered either falls short of or exceeds a complete tour of the armature by two winding-spaces, or the width of two elements. A second and third tour are then made, and so on, until finally the winding again closes upon itself. When the completed winding is developed as in fig. 23, it is seen to work continuously forwards round the armature in zigzag waves, one of which is marked in heavy lines, and the number of complete tours is equal to the average of the back and front pitches. Since the number of parallel circuits from brush to brush is q = 2, the E.M.F. equation of the wave-wound drum is Ea = pZa (N / 60)τ × 10−8 volts. Only two sets of brushes are necessary, but in order to shorten the length of the commutator, other sets may also be added at the point of highest and lowest potential up to as many in number as there are poles. Thus the advantage of the wave-wound armature is that for a given voltage and number of poles the number of active wires is only 1/p of that in the lap-wound drum, each being of larger cross-section in order to carry p times as much current; hence the ratio of the room occupied by the insulation to the copper area is less, and the available space is better utilized. A further advantage is that the two circuits from brush to brush consist of elements influenced by all the poles, so that if for any reason, such as eccentricity of the armature within the bore of the pole-pieces, or want of uniformity in the magnetic qualities of the poles, the flux of each field is not equal to that of every other, the equality of the voltage produced by the two halves of the winding is not affected thereby.

In appearance the two classes of armatures, lap and wave, may be distinguished in the barrel type of winding by the slope of the upper layer of back end-connexions, and that of the front connexions at the commutator end being parallel to one another in the latter, and oppositely directed in the former.

Fig. 24.

After completion of the winding, the end-connexions are firmly bound down by bands of steel or phosphor bronze binding wire, so as to resist the stress of centrifugal force. In the case of smooth-surface armatures, such bands are also placed at intervals along the length of the armature core, but in toothed armatures, although the coils are often in small machines secured in the slots by similar bands of a non-magnetic high-resistance wire, the use of hard-wood wedges driven into notches at the sides of the slots becomes preferable, and in very large machines indispensable. The external appearance of a typical armature with lap-winding is shown in fig. 24.

A sound mechanical construction of the commutator is of vital importance to the good working of the continuous-current dynamo. The narrow, wedge-shaped sectors of hard-drawn copper, with their insulating strips of thin The commutator. mica, are built up into a cylinder, tightly clamped together, and turned in the lathe; at each end a V-shaped groove is turned, and into these are fitted rings of micanite of corresponding section (fig. 19); the whole is then slipped over a cast iron sleeve, and at either end strong rings are forced into the V-shaped grooves under great pressure and fixed by a number of closely-pitched tightening bolts. In dynamos driven by steam-turbines in which the peripheral speed of the commutator is very high, rings of steel are frequently shrunk on the surface of the commutator at either end and at its centre. But in every case the copper must be entirely insulated from the supporting body of metal by the interposition of mica or micanite and the prevention of any movement of the sectors under frequent and long-continued heating and cooling calls for the greatest care in both the design and the manufacture.

On passing to the second fundamental part of the dynamo, namely, the field-magnet, its functions may be briefly recalled as follows:—It has to supply the magnetic flux; to provide for it an iron path as nearly closed as possible Forms of field-magnet. upon the armature, save for the air-gaps which must exist between the pole-system and the armature core, the one stationary and the other rotating; and, lastly, it has to give the lines such direction and intensity within the air-gaps that they may be cut by the armature wires to the best advantage. Roughly corresponding to the three functions above summarized are the three portions which are more or less differentiated in the complete structure. These are: (1) the magnet “cores” or “limbs,” carrying the exciting coils whereby the inert iron is converted into an electro-magnet; (2) the yoke, which joins the limbs together and conducts the flux between them; and (3) the pole-pieces, which face the armature and transmit the lines from the limbs through the air-gap to the armature core, or vice versa.

Fig. 25.

Of the countless shapes which the field-magnet may take, it may be said, without much exaggeration, that almost all have been tried; yet those which have proved economical and successful, and hence have met with general adoption, may be classed under a comparatively small number of types. For bipolar machines the single horse-shoe (fig. 25), which is the lineal successor of the permanent magnet employed in the first magneto-electric machines, was formerly very largely used. It takes two principal forms, according as the pole-pieces and armature are above or beneath the magnet limbs and yoke. The “over-type” form is best suited to small belt-driven dynamos, while the “under-type” is admirably adapted to be directly driven by the steam-engine, the armature shaft being immediately coupled to the crank-shaft of the engine. In the latter case the magnet must be mounted on non-magnetic supports of gun-metal or zinc, so as to hold it at some distance away from the iron bedplate which carries both engine and dynamo; otherwise a large proportion of the flux which passes through the magnet limbs would leak through the bedplate across from pole to pole without passing through the armature core, and so would not be cut by the armature wires.

Fig. 26.

Next may be placed the “Manchester” field (fig. 26)—the type of a divided magnetic circuit in which the flux forming one field or pole is divided between two magnets. An exciting coil is placed on each half of the double horse-shoe magnet, the pair being so wound that consequent poles are formed above and below the armature. Each magnet thus carries one-half of the total flux, the lines of the two halves uniting to form a common field where they issue forth into or leave the air-gaps. The pole-pieces may be lighter than in the single horse-shoe type, and the field is much more symmetrical, whence it is well suited to ring armatures of large diameter. Yet these advantages are greatly discounted by the excessive magnetic leakage, and by the increased weight of copper in the exciting coils. Even if the greater percentage which the leakage lines bear to the useful flux is neglected, and the cross sectional area of each magnet core is but half that of the equivalent single horse-shoe, the weight of wire in the double magnet for the same rise of temperature in the coils must be some 40% more than in the single horse-shoe, and the rate at which energy is expended in heating the coils will exceed that of the single horse-shoe in the same proportion.

Thirdly comes the two-pole ironclad type, so called from the exciting coil being more or less encased by the iron yoke; this latter is divided into two halves, which pass on either side of the armature. Unless the yoke be kept well away from the polar edges and armature, the leakage across the air into the yoke becomes considerable, especially if only one exciting coil is used, as in fig. 27 A; it is better, therefore, to divide the excitation between two coils, as in fig. 27 B, when the field also becomes symmetrical.

From this form is easily derived the multipolar type of fig. 28 or fig. 29, which is by far the most usual for any number of poles from four upwards; its leakage coefficient is but small, and it is economical in weight both of iron and copper.

Fig. 27.

As regards the materials of which magnets are made, generally speaking there is little difference in the permeability of “wrought iron” or “mild steel forgings” and good “cast steel”; typical 774 Materials of magnets. (B, H) curves connecting the magnetizing force required with different flux-densities for these materials are given under Electromagnetism. On the other hand there is a marked inferiority in the case of “cast iron,” which for a flux-density of B = 8000 C.G.S. lines per sq. cm. requires practically the same number of ampere-turns per centimetre length as steel requires for B = 16,000. Whatever the material, if the flux-density be pressed to a high value the ampere-turns are very largely increased owing to its approaching saturation, and this implies either a large amount of copper in the field coils or an undue expenditure of electrical energy in their excitation. Hence there is a limit imposed by practical considerations to the density at which the magnet should be worked, and this limit may be placed at about B = 16,000 for wrought iron or steel, and at half this value for cast iron. For a given flux, therefore, the cast iron magnet must have twice the sectional area and be twice as heavy, although this disadvantage is partly compensated by its greater cheapness. If, however, cast iron be used for the portion of the magnetic circuit which is covered with the exciting coils, the further disadvantage must be added that the weight of copper on the field-magnet is much increased, so that it is usual to employ forgings or cast steel for the magnet cores on which the coils are wound. If weight is not a disadvantage, a cast iron yoke may be combined with the wrought iron or cast steel magnet cores. An absence of joints in the magnetic circuit is only desirable from the point of view of economy of expense in machining the component parts during manufacture; when the surfaces which abut against each other are drawn firmly together by screws, the want of homogeneity at the joint, which virtually amounts to the presence of a very thin film of air, produces little or no effect on the total reluctance by comparison with the very much longer air-gaps surrounding the armature. In order to reduce the eddy-currents in the pole-pieces, due to the use of toothed armatures with relatively wide slots, the poles themselves must be laminated, or must have fixed to them laminated pole-shoes, built up of thin strips of mild steel riveted together (as shown in fig. 29).

Fig. 28.

However it be built up, the mechanical strength of the magnet system must be carefully considered. Any two surfaces between which there exists a field of density Bg experience a force tending to draw them together proportional to the square of the density, and having a value of Bg² / (1.735 × 106) ℔ per sq. in. of surface, over which the density may be regarded as having the uniform value Bg. Hence, quite apart from the torque with which the stationary part of the dynamo tends to turn with the rotating part as soon as current is taken out of the armature, there exists a force tending to make the pole-pieces close on the armature as soon as the field is excited. Since both armature and magnet must be capable of resisting this force, they require to be rigidly held; although the one or the other must be capable of rotation, there should otherwise be no possibility of one part of the magnetic circuit shifting relatively to any other part. An important conclusion may be drawn from this circumstance. If the armature be placed exactly concentric within the bore of the poles, and the two or more magnetic fields be symmetrical about a line joining their centres, there is no tendency for the armature core to be drawn in one direction more than in another; but if there is any difference between the densities of the several fields, it will cause an unbalanced stress on the armature and its shaft, under which it will bend, and as this bending is continually reversed relatively to the fibres of the shaft, they will eventually become weakened and give way. Especially is this likely to take place in dynamos with short air-gaps, wherein any difference in the lengths of the air-gaps produces a much greater percentage difference in the flux-density than in dynamos with long air-gaps. In toothed armatures with short air-gaps the shaft must on this account be sufficiently strong to withstand the stress without appreciable bending.

Reference has already been made to the importance in dynamo design of the predetermination of the flux due to a given number of ampere-turns wound on the field-magnet, or, conversely, of the number of ampere-turns which must The magnetic circuit. be furnished by the exciting coils in order that a certain flux corresponding to one field may flow through the armature core from each pole. An equally important problem is the correct proportioning of the field-magnet, so that the useful flux Za may be obtained with the greatest economy in materials and exciting energy. The key to the two problems is to be found in the concept of a magnetic circuit as originated by H.A. Rowland and R.H.M. Bosanquet;16 and the full solution of both may be especially connected with the name of Dr J. Hopkinson, from his practical application of the concept in his design of the Edison-Hopkinson machine, and in his paper on “Dynamo-Electric Machinery.”17 The publication of this paper in 1886 begins the second era in the history of the dynamo; it at once raised its design from the level of empirical rules-of-thumb to a science, and is thus worthy to be ranked as the necessary supplement of the original discoveries of Faraday. The process of predetermining the necessary ampere-turns is described in a simple case under Electromagnetism. In its extension to the complete dynamo, it consists merely in the division of the magnetic circuit into such portions as have the same sectional area and permeability and carry approximately the same total flux; the difference of magnetic potential that must exist between the ends of each section of the magnet in order that the flux may pass through it is then calculated seriatim for the several portions into which the magnetic circuit is divided, and the separate items are summed up into one magnetomotive force that must be furnished by the exciting coils.

Fig. 29.

The chief sections of the magnetic circuit are (1) the air-gaps, (2) the armature core, and (3) the iron magnet.

The air-gap of a dynamo with smooth-core armature is partly filled with copper and partly with the cotton, mica, or other materials used to insulate the core and wires; all these substances are, however, sensibly non-magnetic, so that the whole interferric gap between the iron of the pole-pieces and the iron of the armature may be treated as an air-space, of which the permeability is constant for all values of the flux density, and in the C.G.S. system is unity. Hence if lg and Ag be the length and area of the single air-gap in cm. and sq. cm., the reluctance of the double air-gap is 2lg / Ag, and the difference of magnetic potential required to pass Za lines over this reluctance is Za·2lg / Ag = Bg·2lg; or, since one ampere-turn gives 1.257 C.G.S. units of magnetomotive force, the exciting power in ampere-turns required over the two air-gaps is Xg = Bg·2lg / 1.257 = 0.8Bg·2lg. In the determination of the area Ag small allowance must be made for the fringe of lines which extend beyond the actual polar face. In the toothed armature with open slots, the lines are no longer uniformly distributed over the air-gap area, but are graduated into alternate bands of dense and weak induction corresponding to the teeth and slots. Further, the lines curve round into the sides of the teeth, so that their average length of path in the air and the air-gap reluctance is not so easily calculated. Allowance must be made for this by taking an increased length of air-gap = mlg, where m is the ratio maximum density/mean density, of which the value is chiefly determined by the ratios of the width of tooth to width of slot and of the width of slot to the air-gap between pole-face and surface of the armature core.

775

The armature core must be divided into the teeth and the core proper below the teeth. Owing to the tapering section of the teeth, the density rises towards their root, and when this reaches a high value, such as 18,000 or more lines per sq. cm., the saturation of the iron again forces an increasing proportion of the lines outwards into the slot. A distinction must then be drawn between the “apparent” induction which would hold if all the lines were concentrated in the teeth, and the “real” induction. The area of the iron is obtained by multiplying the number of teeth under the pole-face by their width and by the net length of the iron core parallel to the axis of rotation. The latter is the gross length of the armature less the space lost through the insulating varnish or paper between the disks or through the presence of ventilating ducts, which are introduced at intervals along the length of the core. The former deduction averages about 7 to 10% of the gross length, while the latter, especially in large multipolar machines, is an even more important item. Alter calculating the density at different sections of the teeth, reference has now to be made to a (B, H) or flux-density curve, from which may be found the number of ampere-turns required per cm. length of path. This number may be expressed as a function of the density in the teeth, and ƒ(Bt) be its average value over the length of a tooth, the ampere-turns of excitation required over the teeth on either side of the core as the lines of one field enter or leave the armature is Xt = ƒ(Bt)·2lt, where lt is the length of a single tooth in cm.

In the core proper below the teeth the length of path continually shortens as we pass from the middle of the pole towards the centre line of symmetry. On the other hand, as the lines gradually accumulate in the core, their density increases from zero midway under the poles until it reaches a maximum on the line of symmetry. The two effects partially counteract one another, and tend to equalize the difference of magnetic potential required over the paths of varying lengths; but since the reluctivity of the iron increases more rapidly than the density of the lines, we may approximately take for the length of path (la) the minimum peripheral distance between the edges of adjacent pole-faces, and then assume the maximum value of the density of the lines as holding throughout this entire path. In ring and drum machines the flux issuing from one pole divides into two halves in the armature core, so that the maximum density of lines in the armature is Ba = Za / 2ab, where a = the radial depth of the disks in centimetres and b = the net length of iron core. The total exciting power required between the pole-pieces is therefore, at no load, Xp = Xg + Xt + Xa, where Xa = ƒ(Ba)·la; in order, however, to allow for the effect of the armature current, which increases with the load, a further term Xb, must be added.

Fig. 30.

In the continuous-current dynamo it may be, and usually is, necessary to move the brushes forward from the interpolar line of symmetry through a small angle in the direction of rotation, in order to avoid sparking between the brushes and the commutator (vide infra). When the dynamo is giving current, the wires on either side of the diameter of commutation form a current-sheet flowing along the surface of the armature from end to end, and whatever the actual end-connexions of the wires, the wires may be imagined to be joined together into a system of loops such that the two sides of each loop are carrying current in opposite directions. Thus a number of armature ampere-turns are formed, and their effect on the entire system of magnet and armature must be taken into account. So long as the diameter of commutation coincides with the line of symmetry, the armature may be regarded as a cylindrical electromagnet producing a flux of lines, as shown in fig. 30. The direction of the self-induced flux in the air-gaps is the same as that of the lines of the external field in one quadrant on one side of DC, but opposed to it in the other quadrant on the same side of DC; hence in the resultant field due to the combined action of the field-magnet and armature ampere-turns, the flux is as much strengthened over the one half of each polar face as it is weakened over the other, and the total number of lines is unaffected, although their distribution is altered. The armature ampere-turns are then called cross-turns, since they produce a cross-field, which, when combined with the symmetrical field, causes the leading pole-corners ll to be weakened and the trailing pole-corners tt to be strengthened, the neutral line of zero field being thus twisted forwards in the direction of rotation. But when the brushes and diameter of commutation are shifted forward, as shown in fig. 31, it will be seen that a number of ampere-turns, forming a zone between the lines Dn and mC, are in effect wound immediately on the magnetic circuit proper, and this belt of ampere-turns is in direct opposition to the ampere-turns of the field, as shown by the dotted and crossed wires on the pole-pieces. The armature ampere-turns are then divisible into the two bands, the back-turns, included within twice the angle of lead λ, weakening the field, and the cross-turns, bounded by the lines Dm, nC, again producing distortion of the weakened symmetrical field. If, therefore, a certain flux is to be passed through the armature core in opposition to the demagnetizing turns, the difference of magnetic potential between the pole-faces must include not only Xa, Xt, and Xg, but also an item Xb, in order to balance the “back” ampere-turns of the armature. The amount by which the brushes must be shifted forward increases with the armature current, and in corresponding proportion the back ampere-turns are also increased, their value being cτ2λ / 360°, where c = the current carried by each of the τ active wires. Thus the term Xb, takes into account the effect of the armature reaction on the total flux; it varies as the armature current and angle of lead required to avoid sparking are increased; and the reason for its introduction in the fourth place (Xp = Xg + Xt + Xa + Xb), is that it increases the magnetic difference of potential which must exist between the poles of the dynamo, and to which the greater part of the leakage is due. The leakage paths which are in parallel with the armature across the poles must now be estimated, and so a new value be derived for the flux at the commencement of the iron-magnet path. If P = their joint permeance, the leakage flux due to the difference of potential at the poles is zl = 1.257Xp × P, and this must be added to the useful flux Za, or Zp = Za + Zl. There are also certain leakage paths in parallel with the magnet cores, and upon the permeance of these a varying number of ampere-turns is acting as we proceed along the magnet coils; the magnet flux therefore increases by the addition of leakage along the length of the limbs, and finally reaches a maximum near the yoke. Either, then, the density in the magnet Bm = Zm / Am will vary if the same sectional area be retained throughout, or the sectional area of the magnet must itself be progressively increased. In general, sufficient accuracy will be obtained by assuming a certain number of additional leakage lines zn as traversing the entire length of magnet limbs and yoke (= lm), so that the density in the magnet has the uniform value Bm = (Zp + zn) / Am. The leakage flux added on actually within the length of the magnet core or zn will be approximately equal to half the total M.M.F. of the coils multiplied by the permeance of the leakage paths around one coil. The corresponding value of H can then be obtained from the (B, H) curve of the material of which the magnet is composed, and the ampere-turns thus determined must be added to Xp, or X = Xp + Xm, where Xm = ƒ(Bm)lm. The final equation for the exciting power required on a magnetic circuit as a whole will therefore take the form

X = AT = 0.8Bg·2lg + ƒ(Bt) 2lt + ƒ(Ba) la + Xb + ƒ(Bm) lm.

(3)

Fig. 31.

If the magnet cores are of wrought iron or cast steel, and the yoke is of cast iron, the last term must be divided into two portions corresponding to the different materials, i.e. into f(Bm)lm + f(By)ly. In the ordinary multipolar machine with as many magnet-coils as there are poles, each coil must furnish half the above number of ampere-turns.

Since no substance is impermeable to the passage of magnetic flux, the only form of magnetic circuit free from leakage is one uniformly wound with ampere-turns over its whole length. The reduction of the magnetic leakage to a minimum in any Magnetic leakage. given type is therefore primarily a question of distributing the winding as far as possible uniformly upon the circuit, and as the winding must be more or less concentrated into coils, it resolves itself into the necessity of introducing as long air-paths as possible between any surfaces which are at different magnetic potentials. No iron should be brought near the machine which does not form part of the magnetic circuit proper, and especially no iron should be brought near the poles, between which the difference of magnetic potential practically reaches its maximum value. In default of a machine of the same size or similar type on which to experiment, the probable direction of the leakage flux must be assumed from the drawing, and the air surrounding the machine must be mapped out into areas, between which the permeances are calculated as closely as possible by means of such approximate formulae as those devised by Professor G. Forbes.

In the earliest “magneto-electric” machines permanent steel magnets, either simple or compound, were employed, and for many years these were retained in certain alternators, some of which are still in use for arc lighting in lighthouses. Excitation of field-magnet. But since the field they furnish is very weak, a great advance was made when they were replaced by soft iron electromagnets, which could be made to yield a much more intense flux. As early as 1831 Faraday18 experimented with electromagnets, and after 1850 they gradually superseded the permanent magnet. When the total ampere-turns required to excite the electromagnet have been determined, it remains to decide how the excitation shall be obtained; and, according to the method 776 adopted, continuous-current machines may be divided into four well-defined classes.

Fig. 32.

The simplest method, and that which was first used, is separate excitation from some other source of direct current, which may be either a primary or a secondary battery or another dynamo (fig. 32). But since the armature yields a continuous current, it was early suggested (by J. Brett in 1848 and F. Sinsteden in 1851) that this current might be utilized to increase the flux; combinations of permanent and electromagnets were therefore next employed, acting either on the main armature or on separate armatures, until in 1867 Dr Werner von Siemens and Sir C. Wheatstone almost simultaneously discovered that the dynamo could be made self-exciting through the residual magnetism retained in the soft iron cores of the electromagnet. The former proposed to take the whole of the current round the magnet coils which were in series with the armature and external circuit, while the latter proposed to utilize only a portion derived by a shunt from the main circuit; we thus arrive at the second and third classes, namely, series and shunt machines. The starting of the process of excitation in either case is the same; when the brushes are touching the commutator and the armature is rotated, the small amount of flux left in the magnet is cut by the wires, and a very small current begins to flow round the closed circuit; this increases the flux, which in turn further increases the E.M.F. and current, until, finally, the cumulative effect stops through the increasing saturation of the iron cores. Fig. 33, illustrating the series machine, shows the winding of the exciting coils to be composed of a few turns of thick wire. Since the current is undivided throughout the whole circuit, the resistance of both the armature and field-magnet winding must be low as compared with that of the external circuit, if the useful power available at the terminals of the machine is to form a large percentage of the total electrical power—in other words, if the efficiency is to be high. Fig. 34 shows the third method, in which the winding of the field-magnets is a shunt or fine-wire circuit of many turns applied to the terminals of the machine; in this ease the resistance of the shunt must be high as compared with that of the external circuit, in order that only a small proportion of the total energy may be absorbed in the field.

Fig. 33.	Fig. 34.

Since the whole of the armature current passes round the field-magnet of the series machine, any alteration in the resistance of the external circuit will affect the excitation and also the voltage. A curve connecting together corresponding values of external current and terminal voltage for a given speed of rotation is known as the external-characteristic of the machine; in its main features it has the same appearance as a curve of magnetic flux, but when the current exceeds a certain amount it begins to bend downwards and the voltage decreases. The reason for this will be found in the armature reaction at large loads, which gradually produces a more and more powerful demagnetizing effect, as the brushes are shifted forwards to avoid sparking; eventually the back ampere-turns overpower any addition to the field that would otherwise be due to the increased current flowing round the magnet. The “external characteristic” for a shunt machine has an entirely different shape. The field-magnet circuit being connected in parallel with the external circuit, the exciting current, if the applied voltage remains the same, is in no way affected by alterations in the resistance of the latter. As, however, an increase in the external current causes a greater loss of volts in the armature and a greater armature reaction, the terminal voltage, which is also the exciting voltage, is highest at no load and then diminishes. The fall is at first gradual, but after a certain critical value of the armature current is reached, the machine is rapidly demagnetized and loses its voltage entirely.

Fig. 35.

The last method of excitation, namely, compound-winding (fig. 35), is a combination of the two preceding, and was first used by S.A. Varley and by C.F. Brush. If a machine is in the first instance shunt-wound, and a certain number of series-turns are added, the latter, since they carry the external current, can be made to counteract the effect which the increased external current would have in lowering the voltage of the simple shunt machine. The ampere-turns of the series winding must be such that they not only balance the increase of the demagnetizing back ampere-turns on the armature, but further increase the useful flux, and compensate for the loss of volts over their own resistance and that of the armature. The machine will then give for a constant speed a nearly constant voltage at its terminals, and the curve of the external characteristic becomes a straight line for all loads within its capacity. Since with most prime movers an increase of the load is accompanied by a drop in speed, this effect may also be counteracted; while, lastly, if the series-turns are still further increased, the voltage may be made to rise with an increasing load, and the machine is “over-compounded.”

At the initial moment when an armature coil is first short-circuited by the passage of the two sectors forming its ends under the contact surface of a brush, a certain amount of electromagnetic energy is stored up in its magnetic Commutation and sparking at the brushes. field as linked with the ampere-turns of the coil when carrying its full share of the total armature current. During the period of short-circuit this quantity of energy has to be dissipated as the current falls to zero, and has again to be re-stored as the current is reversed and raised to the same value, but in the opposite direction. The period of short-circuit as fixed by the widths of the brush and of the mica insulation between the sectors, and by the peripheral speed of the commutator is extremely brief, and only lasts on an average from 1⁄200th to 1⁄1000th of a second. The problem of sparkless commutation is therefore primarily a question of our ability to dissipate and to re-store the required amount of energy with sufficient rapidity.

An important aid towards the solution of this problem is found in the effect of the varying contact-resistance between the brush and the surfaces of the leading and trailing sectors which it covers. As the commutator moves under the brush, the area of contact which the brush makes with the leading sector diminishes, and the resistance between the two rises; conversely, the area of contact between the brush and the trailing sector increases and the resistance falls. This action tends automatically to bring the current through each sector into strict proportionality to the amount of its surface which is covered by the brush, and so to keep the current-density and the loss of volts over the contacts uniform and constant. As soon as the current-density in the two portions of the brush becomes unequal, a greater amount of heat is developed at the commutator surface, and this in the first place affords an additional outlet for the dissipation of the stored energy of the coil, while after reversal of the current it is the accompaniment of a re-storage of the required energy. This energy, as well as that which is spent in heating the coil, can in fact, in default of other sources, be derived through the action of the unequal current-density from the electrical output of the rest of the armature winding, and so only indirectly from the prime mover.

In practice, when the normal contact-resistance of the brushes is low relatively to the resistance of the coil, as is the case with metal brushes of copper or brass gauze, but little benefit can be obtained from the action of the varying contact-resistance. It exerts no appreciable effect until close towards the end of the period of short-circuit, and then only with such a high-current-density at the trailing edge of the leaving sector that at the moment of parting the brush-tip is fused, or its metal volatilized, and sparking has in fact set in. With such brushes, then, it becomes necessary to call in the aid of a reversing E.M.F. impressed upon the coil by the magnetic field through which it is moving. If such a reversing field comes into action while 777 the current is still unreversed, its E.M.F. is opposed to the direction of the current, and the coil is therefore driving the armature forward as in a motor; it thus affords a ready means of rapidly dissipating part of the initial energy in the form of mechanical work instead of as heat. After the current has been reversed, the converse process sets in, and the prime mover directly expends mechanical energy not only in heating the coil, but also in storing up electromagnetic energy with a rapidity dependent upon the strength of the reversing field. The required direction of external field can be obtained in the dynamo by shifting the brushes forward, so that the short-circuited coil enters into the fringe of lines issuing from the leading pole-tip, i.e. by giving the brushes an “angle of lead.” An objection to this process is that the main flux is thereby weakened owing to the belt of back ampere-turns which arises (v. supra). A still greater objection is that the amount of the angle of lead must be suited to the value of the load, the corrective power of copper brushes being very small if the reversing E.M.F. is not closely adjusted in proportion to the armature current.

On this account metal brushes have been almost entirely superseded by carbon moulded into hard blocks. With these, owing to their higher specific contact-resistance, a very considerable reversing effect can be obtained through the action of unequal current-density, and indeed in favourable cases complete sparklessness can be obtained throughout the entire range of load of the machine with a fixed position of the brushes. Yet if the work which they are called upon to perform exceeds certain limits, they tend to become overheated with consequent glowing or sparking at their tips, so that, wherever possible, it is advisable to reinforce their action by a certain amount of reversing field, the brushes being set so that its strength is roughly correct for, say, half load.

In the case of dynamos driven by steam-turbines, sparkless commutation is especially difficult to obtain owing to the high speed of rotation and the very short space of time in which the current has to be reversed. Special “reversing poles” then become necessary; these are wound with magnetizing coils in series with the main armature current, so that the strength of field which they yield is roughly proportional to the current which has to be reversed. These again may be combined with a “compensating winding” embedded in the pole-faces and carrying current in the opposite direction to the armature ampere-turns, so as to neutralize the cross effect of the latter and prevent distortion of the resultant field.

For the electro-deposition of metals or the electrolytic treatment of ores a continuous current is a necessity; but, apart from such use, the purposes from which the continuous-current dynamo is well adapted are so numerous that Uses of continuous current dynamos. they cover nearly the whole field of electrical engineering, with one important exception. To meet these various uses, the pressures for which the machine is designed are of equally wide range; for the transmission of power over long distances they may be as high as 3000 volts, and for electrolytic work as low as five. Each electrolytic bath, with its leads, requires on an average only some four or five volts, so that even when several are worked in series the voltage of the dynamo seldom exceeds 60. On the other hand, the current is large and may amount to as much as from 1000 to 14,000 amperes, necessitating the use of two commutators, one at either end of the armature, in order to collect the current without excessive heating of the sectors and brushes. The field-magnets are invariably shunt-wound, in order to avoid reversal of the current through polarization at the electrodes of the bath. For incandescent lighting by glow lamps, the requirements of small isolated installations and of central stations for the distribution of electrical energy over large areas must be distinguished. For the lighting of a private house or small factory, the dynamo giving from 5 to 100 kilo-watts of output is commonly wound for a voltage of 100, and is driven by pulley and belt from a gas, oil or steam-engine; or, if approaching the higher limit above mentioned, it is often directly coupled to the crank-shaft of the steam-engine. If used in conjunction with an accumulator of secondary cells, it is shunt-wound, and must give the higher voltage necessary to charge the battery; otherwise it is compound-wound, in order to maintain the pressure on the lamps constant under all loads within its capacity. The compound-wound dynamo is likewise the most usual for the lighting of steamships, and is then directly coupled to its steam-engine; its output seldom exceeds 100 kilo-watts, at a voltage of 100 or 110. For larger installations a voltage of 250 is commonly used, while for central-station work, economy in the distributing 778 mains dictates a higher voltage, especially in connexion with a three-wire system; the larger dynamos may then give 500 volts, and be connected directly across the two outer wires. A pair of smaller machines coupled together, and each capable of giving 250 volts, are often placed in series across the system, with their common junction connected to the middle wire; the one which at any time is on the side carrying the smaller current will act as a motor and drive the other as a dynamo, so as to balance the system. The directly-coupled steam dynamo may be said to have practically displaced the belt- or rope-driven sets which were formerly common in central stations. The generating units of the central station are arranged in progressive sizes, rising from, it may be, 250 or 500 horse-power up to 750 or 1000, or in large towns to as much as 5000 horse-power. If for lighting only, they are usually shunt-wound, the regulation of the voltage, to keep the pressure constant on the distributing system under the gradual changes of load, being effected by variable resistances in the shunt circuit of the field-magnets.

Generators used for supplying current to electric tramways are commonly wound for 500 volts at no load and are over-compounded, so that the voltage rises to 550 volts at the maximum load, and thus compensates for the loss of volts over the transmitting lines. For arc lighting it was formerly usual to employ a class of dynamo which, from the nature of its construction, was called an “open-coil” machine, and which gave a unidirectional but pulsating current. Of such machines the Brush and Thomson-Houston types were very widely used; their E.M.F. ranged from 2000 to 3000 volts for working a large number of arcs in series, and by means of special regulators their current was maintained constant over a wide range of voltage. But as their efficiency was low and they could not be applied to any other purpose, they have been largely superseded in central stations by closed-coil dynamos or alternators, which can also be used for incandescent lighting. In cases where the central station is situated at some distance from the district to which the electric energy is to be supplied, voltages from 1000 to 2000 are employed, and these are transformed down at certain distributing centres by continuous-current transformers (see Transformers and Electricity Supply). These latter machines are in reality motor-driven dynamos, and hence are also called motor-generators; the armatures of the motor and dynamo are often wound on the same core, with a commutator at either end, the one to receive the high-pressure motor current, and the other to collect the low-pressure current furnished by the dynamo.

Alternators.

The frequency employed in alternating-current systems for distributing power and light varies between such wide limits as 25 and 133; yet in recent times the tendency has been towards standard frequencies of 25, 50 Frequency. and 100 as a maximum. High frequencies involve more copper in the magnet coils, owing to the greater number of poles, and a greater loss of power in their excitation, but the alternator as a whole is somewhat lighter, and the transformers are cheaper. On the other hand, high frequency may cause prejudicial effects, due to the inductance and capacity of the distributing lines; and in asynchronous motors used on polyphase systems the increased number of poles necessary to obtain reasonable speeds reduces their efficiency, and is otherwise disadvantageous, especially for small horse-powers. A frequency lower than 40 is, however, not permissible where arc lighting is to form any considerable portion of the work and is to be effected by the alternating current without rectification, since below this value the eye can detect the periodic alteration in the light as the carbons alternately cool and become heated. Thus for combined lighting and power 50 or 60 are the most usual frequencies; but if the system is designed solely or chiefly for the distribution of power, a still lower frequency is preferable. On this account 25 was selected by the engineers for the Niagara Falls power transmission, after careful consideration of the problem, and this frequency has since been widely adopted in similar cases.

The most usual type of heteropolar alternator has an internal rotating field-magnet system, and an external stationary armature, as in fig. 10. The coils of the armature, which must for high voltages be heavily insulated, are then Alternator construction. not subjected to the additional stresses due to centrifugal force; and further, the collecting rings which must be attached to the rotating portion need only transmit the exciting current at a low voltage.

Fig. 36.

The homopolar machine possesses the advantages that only a single exciting coil is required, whatever the number of polar projections, and that both the armature and field-magnet coils may be stationary. From fig. 8 it will be seen that it is not essential that the exciting coil should revolve with the internal magnet, but it may be supported from the external stationary armature while still embracing the central part of the rotor. The E.M.F. is set up in the armature coils through the periodic variation of the flux through them as the iron projections sweep past, and these latter may be likened to a number of “keepers,” which complete the magnetic circuit. From the action of the rotating iron masses they may also be considered as the inducing elements or “inductors,” and the homopolar machine is thence also known as the “inductor alternator.” If the end of the rotor marked S in fig. 8 is split up into a number of S polar projections similar to the N poles, a second set of armature coils may be arranged opposite to them, and we obtain an inductor 779 alternator with double armature. Or the polar projections at the two ends may be staggered, and a single armature winding be passed straight through the armature, as in fig. 36, which shows at the side the appearance of the revolving inductor with its crown of polar projections in one ring opposite to the gaps between the polar projections of the other ring. But in spite of its advantage of the single stationary exciting coil, the inductor alternator has such a high degree of leakage, and the effect of armature reaction is so detrimental in it, that the type has been gradually abandoned, and a return has been almost universally made to the heteropolar alternator with internal poles radiating outwards from a circular yoke-ring. The construction of a typical machine of this class is illustrated in fig. 37.

Fig. 37.

Since the field-magnet coils rotate, they must be carefully designed to withstand centrifugal force, and are best composed of flat copper strip wound on edge with thin insulation between adjacent layers. The coil is secured by the edges of the pole-shoes which overhang the pole and tightly compress the coil against the yoke-ring; the only effect from centrifugal force is then to compress still further the flat turns of copper against the pole-shoes without deformation. The poles are either of cast steel of circular or oblong section, bolted to the rim of the yoke-ring, or are built up of thin laminations of sheet steel. When the peripheral speed is very high, the yoke-ring will be of cast steel or may itself be built up of sheet steel laminations, this material being reliable and easily tested to ensure its sound mechanical strength. If the armature slots are open, the pole-pieces will in any case be laminated to reduce the eddy currents set up by the variation of the flux-density.

Owing to the great number of poles20 of the alternator when driven by a reciprocating steam-engine, the diameter of its rotor is usually larger and its length less than in the continuous-current dynamo of corresponding output. The support of the armature core when of large diameter is therefore a more difficult problem, since, apart from any magnetic strains to which it may be subjected, its own weight tends to deform it. The segmental core-disks are usually secured to the internal circumference of a circular cast iron frame; the latter has a box section of considerable radial depth to give stiffness to it, and the disks are tightly clamped between internal flanges, one being a fixed part of the frame and the other loose, with transverse bolts passing right through from side to side (fig. 37). In order to lessen the weight of the structure and its expense in material, the cast iron frame has in some cases been entirely dispensed with, and braced tie-rods have been used to render the effective iron of the armature core-disks self-supporting.

Fig. 38.

Owing to the high speed of the turbo-alternator, its rotor calls for the utmost care in its design to withstand the effect of centrifugal force without any shifting of the exciting coils, and to secure a perfect balance.

The appearance of the armature of a typical three-phase alternator is illustrated in fig. 38, which shows a portion of the lower half after removal of the field-magnet.

With open slots the coils, after being wound on formers to the required shape, are thoroughly impregnated with insulating compound, dried, and after a further wrapping with several layers of insulating material, finally pressed into the slots together with a sheet of leatheroid or flexible micanite. The end-connexions of each group of coils of one phase project straight out from the slots or are bent upwards alternately with those of the other phases, so that they may clear one another (fig. 37). A wooden wedge driven into a groove at the top of each slot is often used to lock the coil in place. With slots nearly closed at the top, the coils are formed by hand by threading the wire 780 through tubes of micanite or specially prepared paper lining the slots; or with single-turn loops, stout bars of copper of U-shape can be driven through the slots and closed by soldered connexions at the other end.

Fig. 39.

Fig. 40.

The general idea of the polyphase alternator giving two or more E.M.F.’s of the same frequency, but displaced in phase, has been already described. The several phases may be entirely independent, and such was the case with the early polyphase Quarter-phase alternators. machines of Gramme, who used four independent circuits, and also in the large two-phase alternators designed by J.E.H. Gordon in 1883. If the phases are thus entirely separate, each requires two collector rings and two wires to its external circuit, i.e. four in all for two-phase and six for three-phase machines. The only advantage of the polyphase machine as thus used is that the whole of the surface of the armature core may be efficiently covered with winding, and the output of the alternator for a given size be thereby increased. It is, however, also possible so to interlink the several circuits of the armature that the necessary number of transmitting lines to the external circuits may be reduced, and also the weight of copper in them for a given loss in the transmission.21 The condition which obviously must be fulfilled, for such interlinking of the phases to be possible, is that in the lines which are to meet at any common junction the algebraic sum of the instantaneous currents, reckoned as positive if away from such junction and as negative if towards it, must be zero. Thus if the phases be diagrammatically represented by the relative angular position of the coils in fig. 39, the current in the coils A and B differs in phase from the current in the coils C and D by a quarter of a period or 90°; hence if the two wires b and d be replaced by the single wire bd, this third wire will serve as a common path for the currents of the two phases either outwards or on their return. At any instant the value of the current in the third wire must be the vector sum of the two currents in the other wires, and if the shape of the curves of instantaneous E.M.F. and current are identical, and are assumed to be sinusoidal, the effective value of the current in the third wire will be the vector sum of the effective values of the currents in the other wires; in other words, if the system is balanced, the effective current in the third wire is √2, or 1.414 times the current in either of the two outer wires. Since the currents of the two phases do not reach their maximum values at the same time, the sectional area of the third wire need not be twice that of the others; in order to secure maximum efficiency by employing the same current density in all three wires, it need only be 40% greater than that of either of the outer wires. The effective voltage between the external leads may in the same way be calculated by a vector diagram, and with the above star connexion the voltage between the outer pair of wires a and c is √2, or 1.414 times the voltage between either of the outer wires and the common wire bd. Next, if the four coils are joined up into a continuous helix, just as in the winding of a continuous-current machine, four wires may be attached to equidistant points at the opposite ends of two diameters at right angles to each other (fig. 40). Such a method is known as the mesh connexion, and gives a perfectly symmetrical four-phase system of distribution. Four collecting rings are necessary if the armature rotates, and there is no saving in copper in the transmitting lines; but the importance of the arrangement lies in its use in connexion with rotary converters, in which it is necessary that the winding of the armature should form a closed circuit. If e = the effective voltage of one phase A, the voltage between any pair of adjacent lines in the diagram is e, and between m and o or n and p is e √2. The current in any line is the resultant of the currents in the two phases connected to it, and its effective value is c √2, where c is the current of one phase.

Fig. 41.

When we pass to machines giving three phases differing by 120°, the same methods of star and mesh connexion find their analogies. If the current in coil A (fig. 41) is flowing away from the centre, and has its maximum value, the Three-phase alternators. currents in coils B and C are flowing towards the centre, and are each of half the magnitude of the current in A; the algebraic sum of the currents is therefore zero, and this will also be the case for all other instants. Hence the three coils can be united together at the centre, and three external wires are alone required. In this star or “Y” connexion, if e be the effective voltage of each phase, or the voltage between any one of the three collecting rings and the common connexion, the volts between any pair of transmitting lines will be E = e √3 (fig. 41); if the load be balanced, the effective current C in each of the three lines will be equal, and the total output in watts will be W = 3Ce = 3CE / √3 = 1.732 EC, or 1.732 times the product of the effective voltage between the lines and the current in any single line. Next, if the three coils are closed upon themselves in a mesh or delta fashion (fig. 42), the three transmitting wires may be connected to the junctions of the coils (by means of collecting rings if the armature rotates). The voltage E between any pair of wires is evidently 781 that generated by one phase, and the current in a line wire is the resultant of that in two adjacent phases; or in a balanced system, if c be the current in each phase, the current in the line wire beyond a collecting ring is C = c√3, hence the watts are W = 3cE = 3CE / √3 = 1.732 EC, as before. Thus any three-phase winding may be changed over from the star to the delta connexion, and will then give 1.732 times as much current, but only 1/1.732 times the voltage, so that the output remains the same.

Fig. 42.

The “armature reaction” of the alternator, when the term is used in its widest sense to cover all the effects of the alternating current in the armature as linked with a magnetic circuit or circuits, may be divided into three items which are Armature reaction in alternators different in their origin and consequences. In the first place the armature current produces a self-induced flux in local circuits independent of the main magnetic circuit, as e.g. linked with the ends of the coils as they project outwards from the armature core; such lines may be called “secondary leakage,” of which the characteristic feature is that its amount is independent of the position of the coils relatively to the poles. The alternations of this flux give rise to an inductive voltage lagging 90° behind the phase of the current, and this leakage or reactance voltage must be directly counterbalanced electrically by an equal component in the opposite sense in the voltage from the main field. The second and third elements are more immediately magnetic and are entirely dependent upon the position of the coils in relation to the poles and in relation to the phase of the current which they then carry. When the side of a drum coil is immediately under the centre of a pole, its ampere-turns are cross-magnetizing, i.e. produce a distortion of the main flux, displacing its maximum density to one or other edge of the pole. When the coil-side is midway between the poles and the axes of coil and pole coincide, the coil stands exactly opposite to the pole and embraces the same magnetic circuit as the field-magnet coils; its turns are therefore directly magnetizing, either weakening or strengthening the main flux according to the direction of the current. In intermediate positions the ampere-turns of the coil gradually pass from cross to direct and vice versa. When the instantaneous values of either the cross or direct magnetizing effect are integrated over a period and averaged, due account being taken of the number of slots per coil-side and of the different phases of the currents in the polyphase machine, expressions are obtained for the equivalent cross and direct ampere-turns of the armature as acting upon a pair of poles. For a given winding and current, the determining factor in either the one or the other is found to be the relative phase angle between the axis of a coil in its position when carrying the maximum current and the centre of a pole, the transverse reaction being proportional to the cosine of this angle, and the direct reaction to its sine. If the external circuit is inductive, the maximum value of the current lags behind the E.M.F. and so behind the centre of the pole; such a negative angle of lag causes the direct magnetizing turns to become back turns, directly weakening the main field and lowering the terminal voltage. Thus, just as in the continuous-current dynamo, for a given voltage under load the excitation between the pole-pieces Xp must not only supply the net excitation required over the air-gaps, armature core and teeth, but must also balance the back ampere-turns Xb of the armature.

Evidently therefore the characteristic curve connecting armature current and terminal volts will with a constant exciting current depend on the nature of the load, whether inductive or non-inductive, and upon the amount of inductance already possessed by the armature itself. With an inductive load it will fall more rapidly from its initial maximum value, or, conversely, if the initial voltage is to be maintained under an increasing load, the exciting current will have to be increased more than if the load were non-inductive. In practical working many disadvantages result from a rapid drop of the terminal E.M.F. under increasing load, so that between no load and full load the variation in terminal voltage with constant excitation should not exceed 15%. Thus the output of an alternator is limited either by its heating or by its armature reaction, just as is the output of a continuous-current dynamo; in the case of the alternator, however, the limit set by armature reaction is not due to any sparking at the brushes, but to the drop in terminal voltage as the current is increased, and the consequent difficulty in maintaining a constant potential on the external circuit.

The joint operation of several alternators so that their outputs may be delivered into the same external circuit is sharply distinguished from the corresponding problem in continuous-current dynamos by the necessary condition that they The coupling of alternators. must be in synchronism, i.e. not only must they be so driven that their frequency is the same, but their E.M.F.’s must be in phase or, as it is also expressed, the machines must be in step. Although in practice it is impossible to run two alternators in series unless they are rigidly coupled together—which virtually reduces them to one machine—two or more machines can be run in parallel, as was first described by H. Wilde in 1868 and subsequently redemonstrated by J. Hopkinson and W.G. Adams in 1884. Their E.M.F.’s should be as nearly as possible in synchronism, but, as contrasted with series connexion, parallel coupling gives them a certain power of recovery if they fall out of step, or are not in exact synchronism when thrown into parallel. In such circumstances a synchronizing current passes between the two machines, due to the difference in their instantaneous pressures; and as this current agrees in phase more nearly with the leading than with the lagging machine, the former machine does work as a generator on the latter as a motor. Hence the lagging machine is accelerated and the leading machine is retarded, until their frequencies and phase are again the same.

The chief use of the alternator has already been alluded to. Since it can be employed to produce very high pressures either directly or through the medium of transformers, it is specially adapted to the electrical transmission of Uses of alternators. energy over long distances.22 In the early days of electric lighting, the alternate-current system was adopted for a great number of central stations; the machines, designed to give a pressure of 2000 volts, supplied transformers which were situated at considerable distances and spread over large areas, without an undue amount of copper in the transmitting lines. While there was later a tendency to return to the continuous current for central stations, owing to the introduction of better means for economizing the weight of copper in the mains, the alternating current again came into favour, as rendering it possible to place the central station in some convenient site far away from the district which it was to serve. The pioneer central station in this direction was the Deptford station of the London Electric Supply Corporation, which furnished current to the heart of London from a distance of 7 m. In this case, however, the alternators were single-phase and gave the high pressure of 10,000 volts immediately, while more recently the tendency has been to employ step-up transformers and a polyphase system. The advantage of the latter is that the current, after reaching the distant sub-stations, can be dealt with by rotary converters, through which it is transformed into a continuous current. The alternator is also used for welding, smelting in electric furnaces, and other metallurgical processes where heating effects are alone required; the large currents needed therein can be produced without the disadvantage of the commutator, and, if necessary, transformers can be interposed to lower the voltage and still further increase the current. The alternating system can thus meet very various needs, and its great recommendation may be said to lie in the flexibility with which it can supply electrical energy through transformers at any potential, or through rotary converters in continuous-current form.

782

DYNAMOMETER (Gr. δύναμις, strength, and μέτρον, a measure), an instrument for measuring force exerted by men, animals and machines. The name has been applied generally to all kinds of instruments used in the measurement of a force, as for example electric dynamometers, but the term specially denotes apparatus used in connexion with the measurement of work, or in the measurement of the horse-power of engines and motors. If P represent the average value of the component of a force in the direction of the displacement, s, of its point of application, the product Ps measures the work done during the displacement. When the force acts on a body free to turn about a fixed axis only, it is convenient to express the work done by the transformed product Tθ, where T is the average turning moment or torque acting to produce the displacement θ radians. The apparatus used to measure P or T is the dynamometer. The factors s or θ are observed independently. Apparatus is added to some dynamometers by means of which a curve showing the variations of P on a distance base is drawn automatically, the area of the diagram representing the work done; with others, integrating apparatus is combined, from which the work done during a given interval may be read off directly. It is convenient to distinguish between absorption and transmission dynamometers. In the first kind the work done is converted into heat; in the second it is transmitted, after measurement, for use.

Absorption Dynamometers.—Baron Prony’s dynamometer (Ann. Chim. Phys. 1821, vol. 19), which has been modified in various ways, consists in its original form of two symmetrically shaped timber beams clamped to the engine-shaft. When these are held from turning, their frictional resistance may be adjusted by means of nuts on the screwed bolts which hold them together until the shaft revolves at a given speed. To promote smoothness of action, the rubbing surfaces are lubricated. A weight is moved along the arm of one of the beams until it just keeps the brake steady midway between the stops which must be provided to hold it when the weight fails to do so. The general theory of this kind of brake is as follows:-Let F be the whole frictional resistance, r the common radius of the rubbing surfaces, W the force which holds the brake from turning and whose line of action is at a perpendicular distance R from the axis of the shaft, N the revolutions of the shaft per minute, ω its angular velocity in radians per second; then, assuming that the adjustments are made so that the engine runs steadily at a uniform speed, and that the brake is held still, clear of the stops and without oscillation, by W, the torque T exerted by the engine is equal to the frictional torque Fr acting at the brake surfaces, and this is measured by the statical moment of the weight W about the axis of revolution; that is—

T = Fr = WR.

(1)

Hence WR measures the torque T.

If more than one force be applied to hold the brake from turning, Fr, and therefore T, are measured by the algebraical sum of their individual moments with respect to the axis. If the brake is not balanced, its moment about the axis must be included. Therefore, quite generally,

T = ΣWR.

(2)

The factor θ of the product Tθ is found by means of a revolution counter. The power of a motor is measured by the rate at which it works, and this is expressed by Tω = T2πN / 60 in foot-pounds per second, or T2πN / 33,000 in horse-power units. The latter is commonly referred to as the “brake horse-power.” The maintenance of the conditions of steadiness implied in equation (1) depends upon the constancy of F, and therefore of the coefficient of friction μ between the rubbing surfaces. The heating at the surfaces, the variations in their smoothness, and the variations of the lubrication make μ continuously variable, and necessitate frequent adjustment of W or of the nuts. J.V. Poncelet (1788-1867) invented a form of Prony brake which automatically adjusted its grip as μ changed, thereby maintaining F constant.

The principle of the compensating brake devised by J.G. Appold (1800-1865) is shown in fig. 1. A flexible steel band, lined with wood blocks, is gripped on the motor fly-wheel or pulley by a screw A, which, together with W, is adjusted to hold the brake steady. Compensation is effected by the lever L inserted at B. This has a slotted end, engaged by a pin P fixed to the framing, and it will be seen that its action is to slacken the band if the load tends to rise and to tighten it in the contrary case. The external forces holding the brake from turning are W, distant R from the axis, and the reaction, W1 say, of the lever against the fixed pin P, distant R1 from the axis. The moment of W1 may be positive or negative. The torque T at any instant of steady running is therefore {WR ± W1R1}.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Lord Kelvin patented a brake in 1858 (fig. 2) consisting of a rope or cord wrapped round the circumference of a rotating wheel, to one end of which is applied a regulated force, the other end being fixed to a spring balance. The ropes are spaced laterally by the blocks B, B, B, B, which also serve to prevent them from slipping sideways. When the wheel is turning in the direction indicated, the forces holding the band still are W, and p, the observed pull on the spring balance. Both these forces usually act at the same radius R, the distance from the axis to the centre line of the rope, in which case the torque T is (W − p)R, and consequently the brake horse-power is [(W − p)R × 2πN] / 33,000. When μ changes the weight W rises or falls against the action of the spring balance until a stable condition of running is obtained. The ratio W/p is given by eμθ, where e = 2.718; μ is the coefficient of friction and θ the angle, measured in radians, subtended by the arc of contact between the rope and the wheel. In fig. 2 θ = 2π. The ratio W/p increases very rapidly as θ is increased, and therefore, by making θ sufficiently large, p may conveniently be made a small fraction of W, thereby rendering errors of observation of the spring balance negligible. Thus this kind of brake, though cheap to make, is, when θ is large enough, an exceedingly accurate measuring instrument, readily applied and easily controlled. It has come into very general use in recent years, and has practically superseded the older forms of block brakes.

It is sometimes necessary to use water to keep the brake wheel cool. Engines specially designed for testing are usually provided with a brake wheel having a trough-shaped rim. Water trickles continuously into the trough, and the centrifugal action holds it as an inside lining against the rim, where it slowly evaporates.

Fig. 3 shows a band-brake invented by Professor James Thomson, suitable for testing motors exerting a constant torque (see Engineering, 22nd October 1880). To maintain eμθ constant, compensation for variation of μ is made by inversely varying θ. A and B are fast and loose pulleys, and the brake band is placed partly over the one and partly over the other. Weights W and w are adjusted to the torque. The band turns with the fast pulley if μ increase, thereby slightly turning the loose pulley, otherwise at rest, until θ is adjusted to the new value of μ. This form of brake was also invented independently by J.A.M.L. Carpentier, and the principle has been used in the Raffard brake. A self-compensating brake of another kind, by Marcel Deprez, was described with Carpentier’s in 1880 (Bulletin de la société d’encouragement, Paris). W.E. Ayrton and J. Perry used a band or rope brake in which compensation is effected by the pulley drawing in or letting out a part of the band or rope which has been roughened or in which a knot has been tied.

Fig. 3.

In an effective water-brake invented by W. Froude (see Proc. Inst. M. E. 1877), two similar castings, A and B, each consisting 783 of a boss and circumferential annular channel, are placed face to face on a shaft, to which B is keyed, A being free (fig. 4). A ring tube of elliptical section is thus formed. Each channel is divided into a series of pockets by equally spaced vanes inclined at 45°. When A is held still, and B rotated, centrifugal action sets up vortex currents in the water in the pockets; thus a continuous circulation is caused between B and A, and the consequent changes of momentum give rise to oblique reactions. The moments of the components of these actions and reactions in a plane to which the axis of rotation is at right angles are the two aspects of the torque acting, and therefore the torque acting on B through the shaft is measured by the torque required to hold A still. Froude constructed a brake to take up 2000 H.P. at 90 revs. per min. by duplicating this apparatus. This replaced the propeller of the ship whose engines were to be tested, and the outer casing was held from turning by a suitable arrangement of levers carried to weighing apparatus conveniently disposed on the wharf. The torque corresponding to 2000 H.P. at 90 revs. per min. is 116,772 foot-pounds, and a brake 5 ft. in diameter gave this resistance. Thin metal sluices were arranged to slide between the wheel and casing, and by their means the range of action could be varied from 300 H.P. at 120 revs. per min. to the maximum.

Fig. 4.

Professor Osborne Reynolds in 1887 patented a water-brake (see Proc. Inst. C.E. 99, p. 167), using Froude’s turbine to obtain the highly resisting spiral vortices, and arranging passages in the casing for the entry of water at the hub of the wheel and its exit at the circumference. Water enters at E (fig. 5), and finds its way into the interior of the wheel, A, driving the air in front of it through the air-passages K, K. Then following into the pocketed chambers V1, V2, it is caught into the vortex, and finally escapes at the circumference, flowing away at F. The air-ways k, k, in the fixed vanes establish communication between the cores of the vortices and the atmosphere. From 1⁄5 to 30 H.P. may be measured at 100 revs. per min. by a brake-wheel of this kind 18 in. in diameter. For other speeds the power varies as the cube of the speed. The casing is held from turning by weights hanging on an attached arm. The cocks regulating the water are connected to the casing, so that any tilting automatically regulates the flow, and therefore the thickness of the film in the vortex. In this way the brake may be arranged to maintain a constant torque, not withstanding variation of the speed. In G.I. Alden’s brake (see Trans. Amer. Soc. Eng. vol. xi.) the resistance is obtained by turning a cast iron disk against the frictional resistance of two thin copper plates, which are held in a casing free to turn upon the shaft, and are so arranged that the pressure between the rubbing surfaces is controlled, and the heat developed by friction carried away, by the regulated flow of water through the casing. The torque required to hold the casing still against the action of the disk measures the torque exerted by the shaft to which the disk is keyed.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

Transmission Dynamometers.—The essential part of many transmission dynamometers is a spring whose deformation indirectly measures the magnitude of the force transmitted through it. For many kinds of spring the change of form is practically proportional to the force, but the relation should always be determined experimentally. General A.J. Morin (see Notice sur divers appareils dynamométriques, Paris, 1841), in his classical experiments on traction, arranged his apparatus so that the change in form of the spring was continuously recorded on a sheet of paper drawn under a style. For longer experiments he used a “Compteur” or mechanical integrator, suggested by J.V. Poncelet, from which the work done during a given displacement could be read off directly. This device consists of a roller of radius r, pressed into contact with a disk. The two are carried on a common frame, so arranged that a change in form of the spring causes a relative displacement of the disk and roller, the point of contact moving radially from or towards the centre of the disk. The radial distance x is at any instant proportional to the force acting through the spring. The angular displacement, θ, of the disk is made proportional to the displacement, s, of the point of application of the force by suitable driving gear. If dφ is the angular displacement of the roller corresponding to displacements, dθ of the disk, and ds of the point of application of P, a, and C constants, then dφ = xdθ / r = (a/r) P ds = C·P ds, and therefore φ = C ∫S2S1 P ds; that is, the angular displacement of the roller measures the work done during the displacement from s1 to s2. The shaft carrying the roller is connected to a counter so that φ may be observed. The angular velocity of the shaft is proportional to the rate of working. Morin’s dynamometer is shown in fig. 6. The transmitting spring is made up of two flat bars linked at their ends. Their centres s1, s2, are held respectively by the pieces A, B, which together form a sliding pair. The block A carries the disk D, B carries the roller R and counting gear. The pulley E is driven from an axle of the carriage. In a dynamometer used by F.W. Webb to measure the tractive resistance of trains on the London & North-Western railway, a tractive pull or push compresses two spiral springs by a definite amount, which is recorded to scale by a pencil on a sheet of paper, drawn continuously from a storage drum at the rate of 3 in. per mile, by a roller driven from one of the carriage axles. Thus the diagram shows the tractive force at any instant. A second pencil electrically connected to a clock traces a time line on the diagram with a kick at every thirty seconds. A third pencil traces an observation line in which a kick can be made at will by pressing any one of the electrical pushes placed about the car, and a fourth draws a datum line. The spring of the dynamometer car used by W. Dean on the Great Western railway is made up of thirty flat plates, 7 ft. 6 in. long, 5 in. × 5⁄8 in. at the centre, spaced by distance pieces nibbed into the plates at the centre and by rollers at the ends. The draw-bar is connected to the buckle, which is carried on rollers, the ends of the spring resting on plates fixed to the under-frame. The gear operating the paper roll is driven from the axle of an independent wheel which is let down into contact with the rail when required. This wheel serves also to measure the distance travelled. A Morin disk and roller integrator is connected with the apparatus, so that the work done during a journey may be read off. Five lines are traced on the diagram.

Fig. 7.

In spring dynamometers designed to measure a transmitted torque, the mechanical problem of ascertaining the change of form of the spring is complicated by the fact that the spring and the whole apparatus are rotating together. In the Ayrton and Perry transmission dynamometer or spring coupling of this type, 784 the relative angular displacement is proportional to the radius of the circle described by the end of a light lever operated by mechanism between the spring-connected parts. By a device used by W.E. Dalby (Proc. Inst.C.E. 1897-1898, p. 132) the change in form of the spring is shown on a fixed indicator, which may be placed in any convenient position. Two equal sprocket wheels Q1, Q2, are fastened, the one to the spring pulley, the other to the shaft. An endless band is placed over them to form two loops, which during rotation remain at the same distance apart, unless relative angular displacement occurs between Q1 and Q2 (fig. 7) due to a change in form of the spring. The change in the distance d is proportional to the change in the torque transmitted from the shaft to the pulley. To measure this, guide pulleys are placed in the loops guided by a geometric slide, the one pulley carrying a scale, and the other an index. A recording drum or integrating apparatus may be arranged on the pulley frames. A quick variation, or a periodic variation of the magnitude of the force or torque transmitted through the springs, tends to set up oscillations, and this tendency increases the nearer the periodic time of the force variation approaches a periodic time of the spring. Such vibrations may be damped out to a considerable extent by the use of a dash-pot, or may be practically prevented by using a relatively stiff spring.

Every part of a machine transmitting force suffers elastic deformation, and the force may be measured indirectly by measuring the deformation. The relation between the two should in all cases be found experimentally. G.A. Hirn (see Les Pandynamomètres, Paris, 1876) employed this principle to measure the torque transmitted by a shaft. Signor Rosio used a telephonic method to effect the same end, and mechanical, optical and telephonic devices have been utilized by the Rev. F.J. Jervis-Smith. (See Phil. Mag. February 1898.)

H. Frahm,1 during an important investigation on the torsional vibration of propeller shafts, measured the relative angular displacement of two flanges on a propeller shaft, selected as far apart as possible, by means of an electrical device (Engineering, 6th of February 1903). These measurements were utilized in combination with appropriate elastic coefficients of the material to find the horse-power transmitted from the engines along the shaft to the propeller. In this way the effective horse-power and also the mechanical efficiency of a number of large marine engines, each of several thousand horse-power, have been determined.

Fig. 8.

When a belt, in which the maximum and minimum tensions are respectively P and p ℔, drives a pulley, the torque exerted is (P − p)r ℔ ft., r being the radius of the pulley plus half the thickness of the belt. P and p may be measured directly by leading the belt round two freely hanging guide pulleys, one in the tight, the other in the slack part of the belt, and adjusting loads on them until a stable condition of running is obtained. In W. Froude’s belt dynamometer (see Proc. Inst. M.E., 1858) (fig. 8) the guide pulleys G1, G2 are carried upon an arm free to turn about the axis O. H is a pulley to guide the approaching and receding parts of the belt to and from the beam in parallel directions. Neglecting friction, the unbalanced torque acting on the beam is 4r {P − p} ℔ ft. If a force Q acting at R maintains equilibrium, QR/4 = (P − p)r = T. Q is supplied by a spring, the extensions of which are recorded on a drum driven proportionally to the angular displacement of the driving pulley; thus a work diagram is obtained. In the Farcot form the guide pulleys are attached to separate weighing levers placed horizontally below the apparatus. In a belt dynamometer built for the Franklin Institute from the designs of Tatham, the weighing levers are separate and arranged horizontally at the top of the apparatus. The weighing beam in the Hefner-Alteneck dynamometer is placed transversely to the belt (see Electrotechnischen Zeitschrift, 1881, 7). The force Q, usually measured by a spring, required to maintain the beam in its central position is proportional to (P − p). If the angle θ1 = θ2 = 120°, Q = (P − p) neglecting friction.

When a shaft is driven by means of gearing the driving torque is measured by the product of the resultant pressure P acting between the wheel teeth and the radius of the pitch circle of the wheel fixed to the shaft. Fig. 9, which has been reproduced from J. White’s A New Century of Inventions (Manchester, 1822), illustrates possibly the earliest application of this principle to dynamometry. The wheel D, keyed to the shaft overcoming the resistance to be measured, is driven from wheel N by two bevel wheels L, L, carried in a loose pulley K. The two shafts, though in a line, are independent. A torque applied to the shaft A can be transmitted to D, neglecting friction, without change only if the central pulley K is held from turning; the torque required to do this is twice the torque transmitted.

Fig. 9.

The torque acting on the armature of an electric motor is necessarily accompanied by an equal and opposite torque acting on the frame. If, therefore, the motor is mounted on a cradle free to turn about knife-edges, the reacting torque is the only torque tending to turn the cradle when it is in a vertical position, and may therefore be measured by adjusting weights to hold the cradle in a vertical position. The rate at which the motor is transmitting work is then T2πn / 550 H.P., where n is the revolutions per second of the armature.

See James Dredge, Electric Illumination, vol. ii. (London, 1885); W.W. Beaumont, “Dynamometers and Friction Brakes,” Proc. Inst.C.E. vol. xcv. (London, 1889); E. Brauer, “Über Bremsdynamometer and verwandte Kraftmesser,” Zeitschrift des Vereins deutscher Ingenieure (Berlin, 1888); J.J. Flather, Dynamometers and the Measurement of Power (New York, 1893).

DYNASTY (Gr. δυναστεία, sovereignty, the position of a δυνάοτης, lord, ruler, from δύνασθαι, to be able, δύναμις, power), a family or line of rulers, a succession of sovereigns of a country belonging to a single family or tracing their descent to a common ancestor. The term is particularly used in the history of ancient Egypt as a convenient means of arranging the chronology.

DYSART, a royal and police burgh and seaport of Fifeshire, Scotland, on the shore of the Firth of Forth, 2 m. N.E. of Kirkcaldy by the North British railway. Pop. (1901) 3562. It has a quaint old-fashioned appearance, many ancient houses in High Street bearing inscriptions and dates. The public buildings include a town hall, library, cottage hospital, mechanics’ institute and memorial hall. Scarcely anything is left of the old chapel dedicated to St Dennis, which for a time was used as a 785 smithy; and of the chapel of St Serf, the patron saint of the burgh, only the tower remains. The chief industries are the manufacture of bed and table linen, towelling and woollen cloth, shipbuilding and flax-spinning. There is a steady export of coal, and the harbour is provided with a wet dock and patent slip. In smuggling days the “canty carles” of Dysart were professed “free traders.” In the 15th and 16th centuries the town was a leading seat of the salt industry (“salt to Dysart” was the equivalent of “coals to Newcastle”), but the salt-pans have been abandoned for a considerable period. Nail-making, once famous, is another extinct industry. During the time of the alliance between Scotland and Holland, which was closer in Fifeshire than in other counties, Dysart became known as Little Holland. To the west of the town is Dysart House, the residence of the earl of Rosslyn. With Burntisland and Kinghorn Dysart forms one of the Kirkcaldy district group of parliamentary burghs. The town is mentioned as early as 874 in connexion with a Danish invasion. Its name is said to be a corruption of the Latin desertum, “a desert,” which was applied to a cave on the seashore occupied by St Serf. In the cave the saint held his famous colloquy with the devil, in which Satan was worsted and contemptuously dismissed. From James V. the town received the rights of a royal burgh. In 1559 it was the headquarters of the Lords of the Congregation, and in 1607 the scene of the meetings of the synod of Fife known as the Three Synods of Dysart. Ravensheugh Castle, on the shore to the west of the town, is the Ravenscraig of Sir Walter Scott’s ballad of “Rosabelle.”

William Murray, a native of the place, was made earl of Dysart in 1643, and his eldest child and heir, a daughter, Elizabeth, obtained in 1670 a regrant of the title, which passed to the descendants of her first marriage with Sir Lionel Tollemache, Bart., of Helmingham; she married secondly the 1st duke of Lauderdale, but had no children by him, and died in 1698. This countess of Dysart (afterwards duchess of Lauderdale) was a famous beauty of the period, and notorious both for her amours and for her political influence. She was said to have been the mistress of Oliver Cromwell, and also of Lauderdale before her first husband’s death, and was a leader at the court of Charles II. Wycherley is supposed to have aimed at her in his Widow Blackacre in the Plain Dealer. Her son, Lionel Tollemache (d. 1727), transmitted the earldom to his grandson Lionel (d. 1770), whose sons Lionel (d. 1799) and Wilbraham (d. 1821) succeeded; they died without issue, and their sister Louisa (d. 1840), who married John Manners, an illegitimate son of the second son of the 2nd duke of Rutland, became countess in her own right, being succeeded by her grandson (d. 1878), and his grandson, the 8th earl.

The earldom of Dysart must not be confounded with that of Desart (Irish), created (barony 1733) in 1793, and held in the Cuffe family, who were originally of Creech St Michael, Somerset, the Irish branch dating from Queen Elizabeth’s time.

DYSENTERY (from the Gr. prefix δυσ-, in the sense of “bad,” and ἔντερον, the intestine), also called “bloody flux,” an infectious disease with a local lesion in the form of inflammation and ulceration of the lower portion of the bowels. Although at one time a common disease in Great Britain, dysentery is now very rarely met with there, and is for the most part confined to warm countries, where it is the cause of a large amount of mortality. (For the pathology see Digestive Organs.)

Recently considerable advance has been made in our knowledge of dysentery, and it appears that there are two distinct types of the disease: (1) amoebic dysentery, which is due to the presence of the amoeba histolytica (of Schaudinn) in the intestine; (2) bacillary dysentery, which has as causative agent two separate bacteria, (a) that discovered by Shiga in Japan, (b) that discovered by Flexner in the Philippine Islands. With regard to the bacillary type, at first both organisms were considered to be identical, and the name bacillus dysenteriae was given to them; but later it was shown that these bacilli are different, both in regard to their cultural characteristics and also in that one (Shiga) gives out a soluble toxin, whilst the other has so far resisted all efforts to discover it. Further, the serum of a patient affected with one of the types has a marked agglutinative power on the variety with which he is infected and not on the other.

Clinically, dysentery manifests itself with varying degrees of intensity, and it is often impossible without microscopical examination to determine between the amoebic and bacillary forms. In well-marked cases the following are the chief symptoms. The attack is commonly preceded by certain premonitory indications in the form of general illness, loss of appetite, and some amount of diarrhoea, which gradually increases in severity, and is accompanied with griping pains in the abdomen (tormina). The discharges from the bowels succeed each other with great frequency, and the painful feeling of pressure downwards (tenesmus) becomes so intense that the patient is constantly desiring to defecate. The matters passed from the bowels, which at first resemble those of ordinary diarrhoea, soon change their character, becoming scanty, mucous or slimy, and subsequently mixed with, or consisting wholly of, blood, along with shreds of exudation thrown off from the mucous membrane of the intestine. The evacuations possess a peculiarly offensive odour characteristic of the disease. Although the constitutional disturbance is at first comparatively slight, it increases with the advance of the disease, and febrile symptoms come on attended with urgent thirst and scanty and painful flow of urine. Along with this the nervous depression is very marked, and the state of prostration to which the patient is reduced can scarcely be exceeded. Should no improvement occur death may take place in from one to three weeks, either from repeated losses of blood, or from gradual exhaustion consequent on the continuance of the symptoms, in which case the discharges from the bowels become more offensive and are passed involuntarily.

When, on the other hand, the disease is checked, the signs of improvement are shown in the cessation of the pain, in the evacuations being less frequent and more natural, and in relief from the state of extreme depression. Convalescence is, however, generally slow, and recovery may be imperfect—the disease continuing in a chronic form, which may exist for a variable length of time, giving rise to much suffering, and not unfrequently leading to an ultimately fatal result.

The dysentery poison appears to exert its effects upon the glandular structures of the large intestine, particularly in its lower part. In the milder forms of the disease there is simply a congested or inflamed condition of the mucous membrane, with perhaps some inflammatory exudation on its surface, which is passed off by the discharges from the bowels. But in the more severe forms ulceration of the mucous membrane takes place. Commencing in and around the solitary glands of the large intestine in the form of exudations, these ulcers, small at first, enlarge and run into each other, till a large portion of the bowel may be implicated in the ulcerative process. Should the disease be arrested these ulcers may heal entirely, but occasionally they remain, causing more or less disorganization of the coats of the intestines, as is often found in chronic dysentery. Sometimes, though rarely, the ulcers perforate the intestines, causing rapidly fatal inflammation of the peritoneum, or they may erode a blood vessel and produce violent haemorrhage. Even where they undergo healing they may cause such a stricture of the calibre of the intestinal canal as to give rise to the symptoms of obstruction which ultimately prove fatal. One of the severest complications of the disease is abscess of the liver, usually said to be solitary, and known as tropical abscess of the liver, but probably is more frequently multiple than is usually thought.

Treatment.—Where the disease is endemic or is prevailing epidemically, it is of great importance to use all preventive measures, and for this purpose the avoidance of all causes likely to precipitate an attack is to be enjoined. Exposure to cold after heat, the use of unripe fruit, and intemperance in eating and drinking should be forbidden; and the utmost care taken as to the quality of the food and drinking water. In houses or hospitals where cases of the disease are under treatment, disinfectants should be freely employed, and the evacuations of the 786 patients removed as speedily as possible, having previously been sterilized in much the same manner as is employed in typhoid fever. In the milder varieties of this complaint, such as those occurring sporadically, and where the symptoms are probably due to matters in the bowels setting up the dysenteric irritation, the employment of diaphoretic medicines is to be recommended, and the administration of such a laxative as castor oil, to which a small quantity of laudanum has been added, will often, by removing the source of the mischief, arrest the attack; but a method of treatment more to be recommended is the use of salines in large doses, such as one drachm of sodium sulphate from four to eight times a day. This treatment may with advantage be combined with the internal administration of ipecacuanha, which still retains its reputation in this disease. Latterly, free irrigation of the bowel with astringents, such as silver nitrate, tannalbin, &c., has been attended with success in those cases which have been able to tolerate the injections. In many instances they cannot be used owing to the extreme degree of irritability of the bowel. The operation of appendicostomy, or bringing the appendix to the surface and using it as the site for the introduction of the irrigating fluid, has been attended with considerable success.

In those cases due to Shiga’s bacillus the ideal treatment has been put at our disposal by the preparation of a specific antitoxin; this has been given a trial in several grave epidemics of late, and may be said to be the most satisfactory treatment and offer the greatest hope of recovery. It is also of great use as a prophylactic.

The preparations of morphia are of great value in the symptomatic treatment of the disease. They may be applied externally as fomentations, for the relief of tormina; by rectal injection for the relief of the tenesmus and irritability of the bowel; hypodermically in advanced cases, for the relief of the general distress. In amoebic dysentery, warm injections of quinine per rectum have proved very efficacious, are usually well tolerated, and are not attended with any ill effects. The diet should be restricted, consisting chiefly of soups and farinaceous foods; more especially is this of importance in the chronic form. For the thirst ice may be given by the mouth. Even in the chronic forms, confinement to bed and restriction of diet are the most important elements of the treatment. Removal from the hot climate and unhygienic surroundings must naturally be attended to.

DYSPEPSIA (from the Gr. prefix δυσ-, hard, ill, and πέπτειν, to digest), or indigestion, a term vaguely given to a group of pathological symptoms. There are comparatively few diseases of any moment where some of the phenomena of dyspepsia are not present as associated symptoms, and not infrequently these exist to such a degree as to mask the real disease, of which they are only complications. This is especially the case in many organic diseases of the alimentary canal, in which the symptoms of dyspepsia are often the most prominent. In its restricted meaning, however (and it is to this that the present article applies), the term is used to describe a functional derangement of the natural process of digestion, apart from any structural change in the organs concerned in the act.

The causes of this trouble may be divided into (a) those which concern the food, and (b) those which concern the organism. Among the causes connected with the food are not only the indulgence in indigestible articles of diet, but the too common practice of eating too much of what may be otherwise quite wholesome and digestible; and irregular, too frequent or too infrequent meals. The quantity of food required by different individuals varies between wide limits, but also the quantity required by the same individual varies considerably according to circumstances, more food being needed in cold than in warm weather, and more in an active open-air occupation than in a sedentary one. The thorough mastication of the food is a very important precursor of digestion,1 and this only too often fails, either owing to haste over meals or because of painful or deficient teeth. Again, the quality of the food is of importance, some kinds of flesh being harder and more difficult of mastication than others. This is especially the case with meat that has been smoked or salted, and with that cooked too soon after the death of the animal. Drinks are a common source of dyspepsia. Beer when new and its fermentation not completed is especially bad. Vinegar and acid wines, if taken in large quantities, tend to produce gastric catarrh, and tea is a very fruitful source of this trouble. Even too much water at meal-times may cause indigestion, since the food in the mouth is apt to be softened by the water instead of saliva, and also the gastric juice becomes unduly diluted, rendering the digestion in the stomach too slow and prolonged. Carious teeth and oral sepsis, from whatsoever cause, lead to the same trouble.

Of the causes which concern the organism, nervous influences come first. Bad news may take away all power of digestion and even provoke vomiting, and any worry or mental trouble tends to bring on this condition. General weakness and atony of the body affects the stomach in like degree, and, if the muscles of the abdominal wall be much wasted, they become too weak to support the abdominal viscera in place. Hence results a general tendency for these organs to fall, giving rise to a condition of visceroptosis, of which an obstinate dyspepsia is a very marked feature. Adhesions of the intestines from old inflammatory troubles, floating kidney and bad circulation may each be a cause of painful digestion. Again, a dyspepsia that will not yield to treatment is often one of the symptoms of renal disease, or, in young people of fifteen to twenty years of age, it may be the earliest sign of a gouty diathesis, or even of a more serious condition still—incipient phthisis. Chronic dyspepsia, by weakening the organism, renders it more liable to fall a prey to the attacks of the tubercle bacillus, but, on the other hand, the tuberculous lesion in the lung is often accompanied by a most intractable form of dyspepsia. From this it is clear that any condition which lessens the general well-being of the organism as a whole, apart from its producing any permanent morbid condition in the stomach, may yet interfere with the normal digestive processes and so give rise to dyspepsia.

The symptoms of dyspepsia, even when due to a like cause, are so numerous and diversified in different individuals that probably no description could exactly represent them as they occur in any given case. All that can be here attempted is to mention some of the more prominent morbid phenomena usually present in greater or less degree.

Very briefly, a furred tongue, foul breath, disturbance of appetite, nausea and vomiting, oppression in the chest, pain, flatulence and distension, acidity, pyrosis and constipation or diarrhoea are a few of the commonest symptoms.

When the attack is dependent on some error in diet, and the dyspepsia consequently more of an acute character, there is often pain followed with sickness and vomiting of the offensive matters, after which the patient soon regains his former healthy state. What are commonly known as “bilious attacks” are frequently of this character. In the more chronic cases of dyspepsia the symptoms are somewhat different. A sensation of discomfort comes on shortly after a meal, and is more of the nature of weight and distension in the stomach than of actual pain, although this too may be present. These feelings may come 787 on after each meal, or only after certain meals, and they may arise irrespective of the kind of food taken, or only after certain articles of diet. As in most of such cases the food is long retained in the stomach, it is apt to undergo fermentive changes, one of the results of which is the accumulation of gases which cause flatulence and eructations of an acid or foul character. Occasionally quantities of hot, sour, tasteless or bitter fluid—pyrosis—or mouthfuls of half-digested food, regurgitate from the stomach. Temporary relief may be obtained when another meal is taken, but soon the uncomfortable sensations return as before. The appetite may be craving or deficient, or desirous of abnormal kinds of food. The tongue registers the gastric condition with great delicacy;—a pasty white fur on the tongue is considered a sign of weakness or atony of the digestive tract; a clean pointed tongue with large papillae, and rather red at the edges and tip, is a sign of gastric irritation; and a pale flabby tongue suggests the need of stimulating treatment. Constipation is more common in the chronic forms of dyspepsia, diarrhoea in the acute.

Numerous disagreeable and painful sensations in other parts are experienced, and are indeed often more distressing than the merely gastric symptoms. Pains in the chest, shortness of breathing, palpitation, headache, giddiness, affections of vision, coldness of the extremities, and general languor are common accompaniments of dyspepsia; while the nervous phenomena are specially troublesome in the form of sleeplessness, irritability, despondency and hypochondriasis.

As regards treatment only a few general observations can be made. The careful arrangement of the diet is a matter of first importance. Quantity must be regulated by the digestive capabilities of the individual, his age, and the demands made upon his strength by work. There is little doubt that the danger is in most instances on the side of excess, and the rule which enjoins the cessation from eating before the appetite is satisfied is a safe one for dyspeptics. Due time, too, must be given for the digestion of a meal, and from four to six hours are in general required for this purpose. Long fasts, however, are nearly as hurtful as too frequent meals. Of no less importance is the kind of food taken, and on this point those who suffer from indigestion must ever exercise the greatest care. It must be borne in mind that idiosyncrasy often plays an important part in digestion, some persons being unable to partake without injury of substances which are generally regarded as wholesome and digestible. In most cases it is found very helpful to separate the protein from the farinaceous food, and the more severe the dyspepsia the more thoroughly should this be done, only relaxing as the dyspepsia yields. No fluid should be drunk at meal-times, but from one to two tumblers of hot water should be drunk from an hour to an hour and a half before food. This washes any remnant of the last meal from the stomach, and also supplies material for the free secretion of saliva and gastric juice, thus promoting and accelerating digestion. The only exception to this is in the case of a dilated stomach, when it is wholly contra-indicated. With regard to mastication, Sir Andrew Clark’s rule is a very good one, and is more easily followed than the ideal theory laid down by Horace Fletcher, according to whom any food is digestible if properly treated while still in the mouth. Clark’s rule is that as the mouth normally contains thirty-two teeth, thirty-two bites should be given before the food is swallowed. This, of course, is a practical doctor’s concession to human weakness. Mr Fletcher would train every one to “chew” till the contents of the mouth were swallowed by reflex action without deliberate act; and he applies this theory of mastication and salivation also to drinks (except water). Again, a lack of warmth being a source of dyspepsia, this should be attended to, the back of the neck, the front of the abdomen and the feet being the parts that require special attention. The feet should be raised on a stool, the ankles protected with warm stockings and a woollen “cummerbund” wound two or three times round the body. Experience has shown that in this complaint no particular kind of food or avoidance of food is absolutely to be relied on, but that in general the best diet is one of a mixed animal and vegetable kind, simply but well cooked. The partaking of many dishes, of highly-seasoned or salted meats, raw vegetables, newly-baked bread, pastry and confectionery are all well-known common causes of dyspepsia, and should be avoided. When even the simple diet usually taken is found to disagree, it may be necessary to change it temporarily for a still lighter form, such as a milk diet, and that even in very moderate quantity.

The employment of alcoholic stimulants to assist digestion is largely resorted to, both with and without medical advice. While it seems probable that in certain cases of atonic dyspepsia, particularly in the feeble and aged, the moderate administration of alcohol has the effect of stimulating the secretion of gastric juice, and is an important adjuvant to other remedies, the advantages of its habitual use as an aid to digestion by the young and otherwise healthy, is more than questionable, and it will generally be found that among them, those are least troubled with indigestion who abstain from it. Rest should be taken both before and after food, and general hygienic measures are highly important, since whatever improves the state of the health will have a favourable influence on digestion. Hence regular exercise in the open air, early rising and the cold bath are to be strongly recommended.

The medicinal treatment of dyspepsia can only be undertaken by a physician, but the following is a very brief résumé of the drugs he depends on to-day. Bicarbonate of soda with some bitter, as quassia, gentian or columba, is much in vogue as a direct gastric stimulant. In irritable dyspepsia some form of bismuth in solution or powder; and, to assist digestion through the nervous system, nux vomica and strychnine can be relied on. To give directly digestive material, hydrochloric acid, pepsin and rennet are prescribed in many forms, but where there is much vomiting ingluvin is more efficacious than pepsin. When farinaceous food is badly borne, diastase is helpful, given either before or with the meal. To prevent fermentation, phenol, creasote and sulpho-carbolate of soda are all extremely useful in skilled hands; and for intestinal decomposition and flatulent distension, bismuth salicylate with salol or β-naphthol is much used. Cyllin, and charcoal in many forms, may be taken both for gastric and intestinal flatulence. But all these drugs, of proved value though they are, must be modified and combined to suit the special idiosyncrasy of the patient, and are therefore often worse than useless in inexperienced hands. The condition of the bowels must always have due attention.

DYSTELEOLOGY, a modern word invented by Haeckel (Evolution of Man) for the doctrine of purposelessness, as opposed to the philosophical doctrine of design (Teleology).

DZUNGARIA, Dsongaria, or Jungaria, a former Mongolian kingdom of Central Asia, raised to its highest pitch by Kaldan or Bushtu Khan in the latter half of the 17th century, but completely destroyed by Chinese invasion about 1757-1759. It has played an important part in the history of Mongolia and the great migrations of Mongolian stems westward. Now its territory belongs partly to the Chinese empire (east Turkestan and north-western Mongolia) and partly to Russian Turkestan (provinces of Semiryechensk and Semipalatinsk). It derived its name from the Dsongars, or Songars, who were so called because they formed the left wing (dson, left; gar, hand) of the Mongolian army. Its widest limit included Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, the whole region of the T’ien Shan, or Tian-shan, Mountains, and in short the greater proportion of that part of Central Asia which extends from 35° to 50° N. and from 72° to 97° E. The name, however, is more properly applied only to the present Chinese province of T’ien Shan-pei-lu and the country watered by the Ili. As a political or geographical term it has practically disappeared from the map; but the range of mountains stretching north-east along the southern frontier of the Land of the Seven Streams, as the district to the south-east of the Balkhash Lake is called, preserves the name of Dzungarian Range.

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E The fifth symbol in the English alphabet occupies also the same position in Phoenician and in the other alphabets descended from Phoenician. As the Semitic alphabet did not represent vowels, E was originally an aspirate. Its earliest form, while writing is still from right to left, is , the upright being continued some distance below the lowest of the cross-strokes. In some of the Greek alphabets it appears as with the upright prolonged at both top and bottom, but it soon took the form with which we are familiar, though in the earlier examples of this form the cross-strokes are not horizontal but drop at an angle, . In Corinth and places under its early influence like Megara, or colonized from it like Corcyra, the symbol for e takes the form or , while at Sicyon in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. it is represented by . In early Latin it was sometimes represented by two perpendicular strokes of equal length, .

In the earliest Greek inscriptions and always in Latin the symbol represented both the short and the long e-sound. In Greek also it was often used for the close long sound which arose either by contraction of two short e-sounds or by the loss of a consonant, after a short e-sound, as in φιλεῖτε, “you love,” for φιλέετε, and φαεινός, “bright,” out of an earlier φαεσνός. The Ionian Greeks of Asia Minor, who had altogether lost the aspirate, were the first to use the symbol for the long e-sound, and in official documents at Athens down to 403 B.C., when the Greek alphabet as still known was adopted by the state, represented ε, η and the sound arising by contraction or consonant loss as mentioned above which henceforth was written with two symbols, ει, and being really a single sound is known as the “spurious diphthong.” There were some minor distinctions in usage of the symbols and which need not here be given in detail. The ancient Greek name was εἶ, not Epsilon as popularly supposed; the names of the Greek letters are given from Kallias, an earlier contemporary of Euripides, in Athenaeus x. p. 453 d.

In Greek the short e-sound to which was ultimately limited was a close sound inclining more towards i than a; hence the representation of the contraction of εε by ει. Its value in Latin was exactly the opposite, the Latin short e being open, and the long close. In English there has been a gradual narrowing of the long vowels, ā becoming approximately ēi and ē becoming ī (Sweet, History of English Sounds, §§ 781, 817 ff. 2nd ed.). In languages where the diphthong ai has become a monophthong, the resulting sound is some variety of long e. Often the gradual assimilation can be traced through the intermediate stage of ae to ē, as in the Old Latin aidilis, which in classical Latin is aedilis, and in medieval MSS. edilis.

The variety of spelling in English for the long and short e-sounds is conveniently illustrated in Miss Soames’s Introduction to the Study of Phonetics, pp. 16 and 20.

EA (written by means of two signs signifying “house” and “water”), in the Babylonian religion, originally the patron deity of Eridu, situated in ancient times at the head of the Persian Gulf, but now, by reason of the constant accumulation of soil in the Euphrates valley, at some distance from the gulf. Eridu, meaning “the good city,” was one of the oldest settlements in the Euphrates valley, and is now represented by the mounds known as Abu Shahrein. In the absence of excavations on that site, we are dependent for our knowledge of Ea on material found elsewhere. This is, however, sufficient to enable us to state definitely that Ea was a water-deity, and there is every reason to believe that the Persian Gulf was the body of water more particularly sacred to him. Whether Ea (or A-e as some scholars prefer) represents the real pronunciation of his name we do not know. All attempts to connect Ea with Yah and Yahweh are idle conjectures without any substantial basis. He is figured as a man covered with the body of a fish, and this representation, as likewise the name of his temple E-apsu, “house of the watery deep,” points decidedly to his character as a god of the waters (see Oannes). Of his cult at Eridu, which reverts to the oldest period of Babylonian history, nothing definite is known beyond the fact that the name of his temple was E-saggila, “the lofty house”—pointing to a staged tower as in the case of the temple of Bel (q.v.) at Nippur, known as E-Kur, i.e. “mountain house”—and that incantations, involving ceremonial rites, in which water as a sacred element played a prominent part, formed a feature of his worship. Whether Eridu at one time also played an important political rôle is not certain, though not improbable. At all events, the prominence of the Ea cult led, as in the case of Nippur, to the survival of Eridu as a sacred city, long after it had ceased to have any significance as a political centre. Myths in which Ea figures prominently have been found in Assur-bani-pal’s library, indicating that Ea was regarded as the protector and teacher of mankind. He is essentially a god of civilization, and it was natural that he was also looked upon as the creator of man, and of the world in general. Traces of this view appear in the Marduk epic celebrating the achievements of this god, and the close connexion between the Ea cult at Eridu and that of Marduk also follows from two considerations: (1) that the name of Marduk’s sanctuary at Babylon bears the same name, E-saggila, as that of Ea in Eridu, and (2) that Marduk is generally termed the son of Ea, who derives his powers from the voluntary abdication of the father in favour of his son. Accordingly, the incantations originally composed for the Ea cult were re-edited by the priests of Babylon and adapted to the worship of Marduk, and, similarly, the hymns to Marduk betray traces of the transfer of attributes to Marduk which originally belonged to Ea.

It is, however, more particularly as the third figure in the triad, the two other members of which were Anu (q.v.) and Bel (q.v.), that Ea acquires his permanent place in the pantheon. To him was assigned the control of the watery element, and in this capacity he becomes the shar apsi, i.e. king of the Apsu or “the deep.” The Apsu was figured as an ocean encircling the earth, and since the gathering place of the dead, known as Arālu, was situated near the confines of the Apsu, he was also designated as En-Ki, i.e. “lord of that which is below,” in contrast to Anu, who was the lord of the “above” or the heavens. The cult of Ea extended throughout Babylonia and Assyria. We find temples and shrines erected in his honour, e.g. at Nippur, Girsu, Ur, Babylon, Sippar and Nineveh, and the numerous epithets given to him, as well as the various forms under which the god appears, alike bear witness to the popularity which he enjoyed from the earliest to the latest period of Babylonian-Assyrian history. The consort of Ea, known as Damkina, “lady of that which is below,” or Nin-Ki, having the same meaning, or Damgal-nunna, “great lady of the waters,” represents a pale reflection of Ea and plays a part merely in association with her lord.

EABANI, the name of the friend of Gilgamesh, the hero in the Babylonian epic (see Gilgamesh, Epic of). Eabani, whose name signifies “Ea creates,” pointing to the tradition which made the god Ea (q.v.) the creator of mankind, is represented in the epic as the type of the primeval man. He is a wild man who lives with the animals of the field until lured away from his surroundings by the charms of a woman. Created to become a rival to Gilgamesh, he strikes up a friendship with the hero, and together they proceed to a cedar forest guarded by Khumbaba, whom they kill. The goddess Irnina (a form of Ishtar, q.v.) in revenge kills Eabani, and the balance of the epic is taken up with Gilgamesh’s lament for his friend, his wanderings in quest of a remote ancestor, Ut-Napishtim, from whom he hopes to learn how he may escape the fate of Eabani, and his finally learning from his friend of the sad fate in store for all mortals except the favourites of the god, like 789 Ut-Napishtim, to whom immortal life is vouchsafed as a special boon.

EACHARD, JOHN (1636?-1697), English divine, was born in Suffolk, and was educated at Catharine Hall, Cambridge, of which he became master in 1675 in succession to John Lightfoot. He was created D.D. in 1676 by royal mandate, and was twice (in 1679 and 1695) vice-chancellor of the university. He died on the 7th of July 1697. In 1670 he had published anonymously a humorous satire entitled The Ground and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy enquired into in a letter to R. L., which excited much attention and provoked several replies, one of them being from John Owen. These were met by Some Observations, &c., in a second letter to R. L. (1671), written in the same bantering tone as the original work. Eachard attributed the contempt into which the clergy had fallen to their imperfect education, their insufficient incomes, and the want of a true vocation. His descriptions, which were somewhat exaggerated, were largely used by Macaulay in his History of England. He gave amusing illustrations of the absurdity and poverty of the current pulpit oratory of his day, some of them being taken from the sermons of his own father. He attacked the philosophy of Hobbes in his Mr Hobb’s State of Nature considered; in a dialogue between Philautus and Timothy (1672), and in his Some Opinions of Mr Hobbs considered in a second dialogue (1673). These were written in their author’s chosen vein of light satire, and Dryden praised them as highly effective within their own range. Eachard’s own sermons, however, were not superior to those he satirized. Swift (Works, xii. 279) alludes to him as a signal instance of a successful humorist who entirely failed as a serious writer.

EADBALD (d. 640), king of Kent, succeeded to the throne on the death of his father Æthelberht in 616. He had not been influenced by the teaching of the Christian missionaries, and his first step on his accession was to marry his father’s widow. After his subsequent conversion by Laurentius, archbishop of Canterbury, he recalled the bishops Mellitus and Justus, and built a church dedicated to the Virgin at Canterbury. He arranged a marriage between his sister Æthelberg and Edwin of Northumbria, on whose defeat and death in 633 he received his sister and Paulinus, and offered the latter the bishopric of Rochester. Eadbald married Emma, a Frankish princess, and died on the 20th of January 640.

EADIE, JOHN (1810-1876), Scottish theologian and biblical critic, was born at Alva, in Stirlingshire, on the 9th of May 1810. Having taken the arts curriculum at Glasgow University, he studied for the ministry at the Divinity Hall of the Secession Church, a dissenting body which, on its union a few years later with the Relief Church, adopted the title United Presbyterian. In 1835 he became minister of the Cambridge Street Secession church in Glasgow, and for many years he was generally regarded as the leading representative of his denomination in Glasgow. As a preacher, though he was not eloquent, he was distinguished by good sense, earnestness and breadth of sympathy. In 1863 he removed with a portion of his congregation to a new church at Lansdowne Crescent. In 1843 Eadie was appointed professor of biblical literature and hermeneutics in the Divinity Hall of the United Presbyterian body. He held this appointment along with his ministerial charge till the close of his life. Though not a profound scholar, he was surpassed by few biblical commentators of his day in range of learning, and in soundness of judgment. In the professor’s chair, as in the pulpit, his strength lay in the tact with which he selected the soundest results of biblical criticism, whether his own or that of others, and presented them in a clear and connected form, with a constant view to their practical bearing. He received the degree of LL.D. from Glasgow in 1844, and that of D.D. from St Andrews in 1850.

His publications were connected with biblical criticism and interpretation, some of them being for popular use and others more strictly scientific. To the former class belong the Biblical Cyclopaedia, his edition of Cruden’s Concordance, his Early Oriental History, and his discourses on the Divine Love and on Paul the Preacher; to the latter his commentaries on the Greek text of St Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Galatians, published at intervals in four volumes. His last work was the History of the English Bible (2 vols., 1876). He rendered good service as one of the revisers of the authorized version. He died at Glasgow on the 3rd of June 1876. His valuable library was bought and presented to the United Presbyterian College.

EADMER, or Edmer (c. 1060-c. 1124), English historian and ecclesiastic, was probably, as his name suggests, of English, and not of Norman parentage. He became a monk in the Benedictine monastery of Christ Church, Canterbury, where he made the acquaintance of Anselm, at that time visiting England as abbot of Bec. The intimacy was renewed when Anselm became archbishop of Canterbury in 1093; thenceforward Eadmer was not only his disciple and follower, but his friend and director, being formally appointed to this position by Pope Urban II. In 1120 he was nominated to the archbishopric of St Andrews, but as the Scots would not recognize the authority of the see of Canterbury he was never consecrated, and soon afterwards he resigned his claim to the archbishopric. His death is generally assigned to the year 1124.

Eadmer left a large number of writings, the most important of which is his Historiae novorum, a work which deals mainly with the history of England between 1066 and 1122. Although concerned principally with ecclesiastical affairs scholars agree in regarding the Historiae as one of the ablest and most valuable writings of its kind. It was first edited by John Selden in 1623 and, with Eadmer’s Vita Anselmi, has been edited by Martin Rule for the “Rolls Series” (London, 1884). The Vita Anselmi, first printed at Antwerp in 1551, is probably the best life of the saint. Less noteworthy are Eadmer’s lives of St Dunstan, St Bregwin, archbishop of Canterbury, and St Oswald, archbishop of York; these are all printed in Henry Wharton’s Anglia Sacra, part ii. (1691), where a list of Eadmer’s writings will be found. The manuscripts of most of Eadmer’s works are preserved in the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

EADS, JAMES BUCHANAN (1820-1887), American engineer, was born at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on the 23rd of May 1820. His first engineering work of any importance was in raising sunken steamers. In 1845 he established glass works in St Louis. During the Civil War he constructed ironclad steamers and mortar boats for the Federal government. His next important engineering achievement was the construction of the great steel arch bridge across the Mississippi at St Louis (see Bridge, fig. 29), upon which he was engaged from 1867 till 1874. The work, however, upon which his reputation principally rests was his deepening and fixing the channel at the mouths of the Mississippi by means of jetties, whereby the narrowed stream was made to scour out its own channel and carry the sediment out to sea. Shortly before his death he projected a scheme for a ship railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in lieu of an isthmian canal. He died at Nassau, in the Bahamas, on the 8th of March 1887.

EAGLE (Fr. aigle, from the Lat. aquila), the name generally given to the larger diurnal birds of prey which are not vultures; but the limits of the subfamily Aquilinae have been very variously assigned by different writers on systematic ornithology, and there are eagles smaller than certain buzzards. By some authorities the Laemmergeier of the Alps, and other high mountains of Europe, North Africa and Asia, is accounted an eagle, but by others the genus Gypaetus is placed with the Vulturidae as its 790 common English name (bearded vulture) shows. There are also other forms, such as the South American Harpyia and its allies, which though generally called eagles have been ranked as buzzards. In the absence of any truly scientific definition of the family Aquilinae it is best to leave these and many other more or less questionable members of the group—such as the genera Spizaetus, Circaetus, Spilornis, Helotarsus, and so forth—and to treat here of those whose position cannot be gainsaid.

Fig. 1.—Sea-Eagle.

True eagles inhabit all the regions of the world, and some seven or eight species at least are found in Europe, of which two are resident in the British Islands. In England and in the Lowlands of Scotland eagles only exist as stragglers; but in the Hebrides and some parts of the Highlands a good many may yet be found, and their numbers appear to have rather increased of late years than diminished; for the foresters and shepherds, finding that a high price can be got for their eggs, take care to protect the owners of the eyries, which are nearly all well known, and to keep up the stock by allowing them at times to rear their young. There are also now not a few occupiers of Scottish forests who interfere so far as they can to protect the king of birds.1 In Ireland the extirpation of eagles seems to have been carried on almost unaffected by the prudent considerations which in the northern kingdom have operated so favourably for the race, and except in the wildest parts of Donegal, Mayo and Kerry, eagles in the sister island are almost birds of the past.

Of the two British species the erne (Icel. Œrn) or sea-eagle (by some called also the white-tailed and cinereous eagle)—Haliaetus albicilla—affects chiefly the coast and neighbourhood of inland waters, living in great part on the fish and refuse that is thrown up on the shore, though it not unfrequently takes living prey, such as lambs, hares and rabbits. On these last, indeed, young examples mostly feed when they wander southward in autumn, as they yearly do, and appear in England. The adults (fig. 1) are distinguished by their prevalent greyish-brown colour, their pale head, yellow beak and white tail—characters, however, wanting in the immature, which do not assume the perfect plumage for some three or four years. The eyry is commonly placed in a high cliff or on an island in a lake—sometimes on the ground, at others in a tree—and consists of a vast mass of sticks in the midst of which is formed a hollow lined with Luzula sylvatica (as first observed by John Wolley) or some similar grass, and here are laid the two or three white eggs. In former days the sea-eagle seems to have bred in several parts of England—as the Lake district, and possibly even in the Isle of Wight and on Dartmoor. This species inhabits all the northern part of the Old World from Iceland to Kamchatka, and breeds in Europe so far to the southward as Albania. In the New World, however, it is only found in Greenland, being elsewhere replaced by the white-headed or bald eagle, H. leucocephalus, a bird of similar habits, and the chosen emblem of the United States of America. In the far east of Asia occurs a still larger and finer sea-eagle, H. pelagicus, remarkable for its white thighs and upper wing-coverts. South-eastern Europe and India furnish a much smaller species, H. leucoryphus, which has its representative, H. leucogaster, in the Malay Archipelago and Australia, and, as allies in South Africa and Madagascar, H. vocifer and H. vociferoides respectively. All these eagles may be distinguished by their scaly tarsi, while the group next to be treated of have the tarsi feathered to the toes.

Fig. 2.—Mountain-Eagle.

The golden or mountain eagle, Aquila chrysaetus, is the second British species. This also formerly inhabited England, and a nest, found in 1668 in the Peak of Derbyshire, is well described by Willughby, in whose time it was said to breed also in the Snowdon range. It seldom if ever frequents the coast, and is more active on the wing than the sea-eagle, being able to take some birds as they fly, but a large part of its sustenance is the flesh of animals that die a natural death. Its eyry is generally placed and built like that of the other British species,2 but the neighbourhood of 791 water is not requisite. The eggs, from two to four in number, vary from a pure white to a mottled, and often highly coloured, surface, on which appear different shades of red and purple. The adult bird (fig. 2) is of a rich dark brown, with the elongated feathers of the neck, especially on the nape, light tawny, in which imagination sees a “golden” hue, and the tail marbled with brown and ashy-grey. In the young the tail is white at the base, and the neck has scarcely any tawny tint. The golden eagle does not occur in Iceland, but occupies suitable situations over the rest of the Palaearctic Region and a considerable portion of the Nearctic—though the American bird has been, by some, considered a distinct species. Domesticated, it has many times been trained to take prey for its master in Europe, and to this species is thought to belong an eagle habitually used by the Kirghiz Tatars, who call it Bergut or Bearcoot, for the capture of antelopes, foxes and wolves. It is carried hooded on horseback or on a perch between two men, and released when the quarry is in sight. Such a bird, when well trained, is valued, says P.S. Pallas, at the price of two camels. It is quite possible, however, that more than one kind of eagle is thus used, and the services of A. heliaca (which is the imperial eagle of some writers3) and of A. mogilnik—both of which are found in central Asia, as well as in south-eastern Europe—may also be employed.

A smaller form of eagle, which has usually gone under the name of A. naevia, is now thought by the best authorities to include three local races, or, in the eyes of some, species. They inhabit Europe, North Africa and western Asia to India, and two examples of one of them—A. clanga, the form which is somewhat plentiful in north-eastern Germany—have occurred in Cornwall. The smallest true eagle is A. pennata, which inhabits southern Europe, Africa and India. Differing from other eagles of their genus by its wedge-shaped tail, though otherwise greatly resembling them, is the A. audax of Australia. Lastly may be noticed here a small group of eagles, characterized by their long legs, forming the genus Nisaetus, of which one species, N. fasciatus, is found in Europe.

EAGLEHAWK, a borough of Bendigo county, Victoria, Australia, 105 m. by rail N.N.W. of Melbourne and 4 m. from Bendigo, with which it is connected by steam tramway. Pop. (1901) 8130. It stands on the Bendigo gold-bearing reef, and its mines are important.

EAGRE (a word of obscure origin; the earliest form seems to be higre, Latinized as higra, which William of Malmesbury gives as the name of the bore in the Severn; the New English Dictionary rejects the usual derivations from the O. Eng. eagor or egor, which is seen in compounds meaning “flood,” and also the connexion with the Norse sea-god Aegir), a tide wave of great height rushing up an estuary (see Bore), used locally of the Humber and Trent.

EAKINS, THOMAS (1844-  ), American portrait and figure painter, was born at Philadelphia, on the 25th of July 1844. A pupil of J.L. Gérôme, in the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and Also of Léon Bonnat, besides working in the studio of the sculptor Dumont, he became a prolific portrait painter. He also painted genre pictures, sending to the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in 1876, the “Chess Players,” now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A large canvas, “The Surgical Clinic of Professor Gross,” owned by Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, contains many life-sized figures. Eakins, with his pupil Samuel Murray (b. 1870), modelled the heroic “Prophets” for the Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia, and his work in painting has a decided sculptural quality. He was for some years professor of anatomy at the schools of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. A man of great inventiveness, he experimented in many directions, depicting on canvas modern athletic sports, the negro, and early American life, but he is best known by his portraits. He received awards at the Columbian (1893), Paris (1900), Pan-American (1900), and the St Louis (1904), Expositions; and won the Temple medal in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Proctor prize of the National Academy of Design.

EALING, a municipal borough in the Ealing parliamentary division of Middlesex, England, suburban to London, 9 m. W. of St Paul’s cathedral. Pop. (1891) 23,979; (1901) 33,031. The nucleus of the town, the ancient village, lies south of the highroad to Uxbridge, west of the open Ealing Common. The place is wholly residential. At St Mary’s church, almost wholly rebuilt c. 1870, are buried John Oldmixon, the historian (d. 1742), and Horne Tooke (d. 1812). The church of All Saints (1905) commemorates Spencer Perceval, prime minister, who was assassinated in the House of Commons in 1812. It was erected under the will of his daughter Frederica, a resident of Ealing. Gunnersbury Park, south of Ealing Common, is a handsome Italian mansion. Among former owners of the property was Princess Amelia, daughter of George II., who lived here from 1761 till her death in 1786. The name of Gunnersbury is said to be traceable to the residence here of Gunilda, niece of King Canute. The manor of Ealing early belonged to the see of London, but it is not mentioned in Domesday and its history is obscure.

EAR (common Teut.; O.E. éare, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. οὖς), in anatomy, the organ of hearing. The human ear is divided into three parts—external, middle and internal. The external ear consists of the pinna and the external auditory meatus. The pinna is composed of a yellow fibro-cartilaginous framework covered by skin, and has an external and an internal or cranial surface. Round the margin of the external surface in its upper three quarters is a rim called the helix (fig. 1, a), in which is often seen a little prominence known as Darwin’s tubercle, representing the folded-over apex of a prick-eared ancestor. Concentric with the helix and nearer the meatus is the antihelix (c), which, above, divides into two limbs to enclose the triangular fossa of the antihelix. Between the helix and the antihelix is the fossa of the helix. In front of the antihelix is the deep fossa known as the concha (fig. 1, d), and from the anterior part of this the meatus passes inward into the skull. Overlapping the meatus from in front is a flap called the tragus, and below and behind this is another smaller flap, the antitragus. The lower part of the pinna is the lobule (e), which contains no cartilage. On the cranial surface of the pinna elevations correspond to the concha and to the fossae 792 of the helix and antihelix. The pinna can be slightly moved by the anterior, superior and posterior auricular muscles, and in addition to these there are four small intrinsic muscles on the external surface, known as the helicis major and minor, the tragicus and the antitragicus, and two on the internal surface called the obliquus and transversus. The external auditory meatus (fig. 1, n) is a tube running at first forward and upward, then a little backward and then forward and slightly downward; of course all the time it is also running inward until the tympanic membrane is reached. The tube is about an inch long, its outer third being cartilaginous and its inner two-thirds bony. It is lined by skin in its whole length, the sweat glands of which are modified to secrete the wax or cerumen.

Fig. 1.—The Ear as seen in Section.
a, Helix. b, Antitragus. c, Antihelix. d, Concha. e, Lobule. f, Mastoid process. g, Portio dura. h, Styloid process. k, Internal carotid artery. l, Eustachian tube.	m, Tip of petrous process. n, External auditory meatus. o, Membrana tympani. p, Tympanum. 1, points to malleus. 2, to incus. 3, to stapes. 4, to cochlea. 5, 6, 7, the three semicircular canals. 8 and 9, facial and auditory nerves.

The middle ear or tympanum (fig. 1, p) is a small cavity in the temporal bone, the shape of which may perhaps be realized by imagining a hock bottle subjected to lateral pressure in such a way that its circular section becomes triangular, the base of the triangle being above. The neck of the bottle, also laterally compressed, will represent the Eustachian tube (fig. 1, l), which runs forward, inward and downward, to open into the naso-pharynx, and so admits air into the tympanum. The bottom of the bottle will represent the posterior wall of the tympanum, from the upper part of which an opening leads backward into the mastoid antrum and so into the air-cells of the mastoid process. Lower down is a little pyramid which transmits the stapedius muscle, and at the base of this is a small opening known as the iter chordae posterius, for the chorda tympani to come through from the facial nerve. The roof is formed by a very thin plate of bone, called the tegmen tympani, which separates the cavity from the middle fossa of the skull. Below the roof the upper part of the tympanum is somewhat constricted off from the rest, and to this part the term “attic” is often applied. The floor is a mere groove formed by the meeting of the external and internal walls. The outer wall is largely occupied by the tympanic membrane (fig. 1, o), which entirely separates the middle ear from the external auditory meatus; it is circular, and so placed that it slopes from above, downward and inward, and from behind, forward and inward. Externally it is lined by skin, internally by mucous membrane, while between the two is a firm fibrous membrane, convex inward about its centre to form the umbo. Just in front of the membrane on the outer wall is the Glaserian fissure leading to the glenoid cavity, and close to this is the canal of Huguier for the chorda tympani nerve. The inner wall shows a promontory caused by the cochlea and grooved by the tympanic plexus of nerves; above and behind it is the fenestra ovalis, while below and behind the fenestra rotunda is seen, closed by a membrane. Curving round, above and behind the promontory and fenestrae, is a ridge caused by the aqueductus Fallopii or canal for the facial nerve. The whole tympanum is about half an inch from before backward, and half an inch high, and is spanned from side to side by three small bones, of which the malleus (fig. 1, 1) is the most external. This is attached by its handle to the umbo of the tympanic membrane, while its head lies in the attic and articulates posteriorly with the upper part of the next bone or incus (fig. 1, 2). The long process of the incus runs downward and ends in a little knob called the os orbiculare, which is jointed on to the stapes or stirrup bone (fig. 1, 3). The two branches of the stapes are anterior and posterior, while the footplate fits into the fenestra ovalis and is bound to it by a membrane. It will thus be seen that the stapes lies nearly at right angles to the long process of the incus. From the front of the malleus a slender process projects forward into the Glaserian fissure, while from the back of the incus the posterior process is directed backward and is attached to the posterior wall of the tympanum. These two processes form a fulcrum by which the lever action of the malleus and incus is brought about, so that when the handle of the malleus is pushed in by the membrane the head moves out; the top of the incus, attached to it, also moves out, and the os orbiculare moves in, and so the stapes is pressed into the fenestra ovalis. The stapedius and tensor tympanic muscles, the latter of which enters the tympanum in a canal just above the Eustachian tube to be attached to the malleus, modify the movements of the ossicles.

The mucous membrane lining the tympanum is continuous through the Eustachian tube with that of the naso-pharynx, and is reflected on to the ossicles, muscles and chorda tympani nerve. It is ciliated except where it covers the membrana tympani, ossicles and promontory; here it is stratified.

Fig. 2.—Diagram of the Membranous Labyrinth.

DC, Ductus cochlearis. dr, Ductus reuniens. S, Sacculus. U, Utriculus. dv, Ductus endolymphaticus. SC, Semicircular canals.   (After Waldeyer.)

The internal ear or labyrinth consists of a bony and a membranous part, the latter of which is contained in the former. The bony labyrinth is composed of the vestibule, the semicircular canals and the cochlea. The vestibule lies just internal to the posterior part of the tympanum, and there would be a communication between the two, through the fenestra ovalis, were it not that the footplate of the stapes blocks the way. The inner wall of the vestibule is separated from the bottom of the internal auditory meatus by a plate of bone pierced by many foramina for branches of the auditory nerve (fig. 1, 9), while at the lower part is the opening of the aqueductus vestibuli, by means of which a communication is established with the posterior cranial fossa. Posteriorly the three semicircular canals open into the vestibule; of these the external (fig. 1, 7) has two independent openings, but the superior and posterior (fig. 1, 5 and 6) join together at one end and so have a common opening, while at their other ends they open separately. The three canals have therefore five openings into the vestibule instead of six. One end of each canal is dilated to form its ampulla. The superior semicircular canal is vertical, and the two pillars of its arch are nearly external and internal; the external canal is horizontal, its two pillars being anterior and posterior, while the convexity of the arch of the posterior canal is backward and its two pillars are superior and inferior. Anteriorly the vestibule leads into the cochlea (fig. 1, 4), which is twisted two and a half times round a central pillar called the modiolus, the whole cochlea forming a rounded cone something like the shell of a snail though it is only about 5 mm. from base to apex. Projecting from the modiolus is a horizontal plate which runs round it from base to apex like a spiral staircase; this is known as the lamina spiralis, and it stretches nearly half-way across the canal of the cochlea. At the summit it ends in a little hook named the hamulus. The modiolus is pierced by canals which transmit branches of the auditory nerve to the lamina spiralis.

Fig. 3.—cl, Columnar cells covering the crista acustica; p, peripheral, and c, central processes of auditory cells; n, nerve fibres. (After Rüdinger.)

The membranous labyrinth lies in the bony labyrinth, but does not fill it; between the two is the fluid called perilymph, while inside the membranous labyrinth is the endolymph. In the bony vestibule lie two membranous bags, the saccule (fig. 2, S) in front, and the utricle (fig. 2, U) behind; each of these has a special patch or macula to which twigs of the auditory nerve are supplied, and in the mucous membrane of which specialized hair cells are found (fig. 3, p).

Attached to the maculae are crystals of carbonate of lime called otoconia. The membranous semicircular canals are very much smaller in section than the bony; in the ampulla of each is a ridge, the crista acustica, which is covered by a mucous 793 membrane containing sensory hair cells like those in the maculae. All the canals open into the utricle. From the lower part of the saccule a small canal called the ductus endolymphaticus (fig. 2, dv) runs into the aqueductus vestibuli; it is soon joined by a small duct from the utricle, and ends, close to the dura mater of the posterior fossa of the cranium, as the saccus endolymphaticus, which may have minute perforations through which the endolymph can pass. Anteriorly the saccule communicates with the membranous cochlea or scala media by a short ductus reuniens (fig. 2, dr). A section through each turn of the cochlea shows the bony lamina spiralis, already noticed, which is continued right across the canal by the basilar membrane (fig. 4, bm), thus cutting the canal into an upper and lower half and connected with the outer wall by the strong spiral ligament (fig. 4, sl). Near the free end of the lamina spiralis another membrane called the membrane of Reissner (fig. 4, mR) is attached, and runs outward and upward to the outer wall, taking a triangular slice out of the upper half of the section. There are now three canals seen in section, the upper of which is the scala vestibuli (fig. 4, SV), the middle and outer the scala media, ductus cochlearis or true membranous cochlea (fig. 4, DC), while the lower is the scala tympani (fig. 4, ST). The scala vestibuli and scala tympani communicate at the apex of the cochlea by an opening known as the helicotrema, so that the perilymph can here pass from one canal to the other. At the base of the cochlea the perilymph in the scala vestibuli is continuous with that in the vestibule, but that in the scala tympani bathes the inner surface of the membrane stretched across the fenestra rotunda, and also communicates with the subarachnoid space through the aqueductus cochleae, which opens into the posterior cranial fossa. The scala media containing endolymph communicates, as has been shown, with the saccule through the canalis reuniens, while, at the apex of the cochlea, it ends in a blind extremity of considerable morphological interest called the lagena.

Fig. 4.—Transverse Section through the Tube of the Cochlea.
m, Modiolus. 0, Outer wall of cochlea. SV, Scala vestibuli. ST, Scala tympani. DC, Ductus cochlearis. mR, Membrane of Reissner.	bm, Basilar membrane. cs, Crista spiralis. sl, Spiral ligament. sg, Spiral ganglion of auditory nerve. oc, Organ of Corti.

The scala media contains the essential organ of hearing or organ of Corti (fig. 4, oc), which lies upon the inner part of the basilar membrane; it consists of a tunnel bounded on each side of the inner and outer rods of Corti; on each side of these are the inner and outer hair cells, between the latter of which are found the supporting cells of Deiters. Most externally are the large cells of Hensen. A delicate membrane called the lamina reticularis covers the top of all these, and is pierced by the hairs of the hair cells, while above this is the loose membrana tectoria attached to the periosteum of the lamina spiralis, near its tip, internally, and possibly to some of Deiter’s cells externally. The cochlear branch of the auditory nerve enters the lamina spiralis, where a spiral ganglion (fig. 4, sg) is developed on it; after this it is distributed to the inner and outer hair cells.

(From R. Howden—Cunningham’s Text-Book of Anatomy.)

Fig. 5.—Transverse Section of Corti’s Organ from the Central Coil of Cochlea (Retzius).

Embryology.—The pinna is formed from six tubercles which appear round the dorsal end of the hyomandibular cleft or, more strictly speaking, pouch. Those for the tragus and anterior part of the helix belong to the first or mandibular arch, while those for the antitragus, antihelix and lobule come from the second or hyoid arch. The tubercle for the helix is dorsal to the end of the cleft where the two arches join. The external auditory meatus, tympanum and Eustachian tube are remains of the hyomandibular cleft, the membrana tympani being a remnant of the cleft membrane and therefore lined by ectoderm outside and entoderm inside. The origin of the ossicles is very doubtful. H. Gadow’s view, which is one of the latest, is that all three are derived from the hyomandibular plate which connects the dorsal ends of the hyoid and mandibular bars (Anatomischer Anzeiger, Bd. xix., 1901, p. 396). Other papers which should be consulted are those of E. Gaupp, Anatom. Hefte, Ergebnisse, Bd. 8, 1898, p. 991, and J.A. Hammar, Archiv f. mikr. Anat. lix., 1902. These papers will give a clue to the immense literature of the subject. The internal ear first appears as a pit from the cephalic ectoderm, the mouth of which in Man and other mammals closes up, so that a pear-shaped cavity is left. The stalk of the pear which is nearest the point of invagination is called the recessus labyrinthi, and this, after losing its connexion with the surface of the embryo, grows backward toward the posterior cranial fossa and becomes the ductus endolymphaticus. The lower part of the vesicle grows forward and becomes the cochlea, while from the upper part three hollow circular plates grow out, the central parts of which disappear, leaving the margin as the semicircular canals. Subsequently constrictions appear in the vesicle marking off the saccule and utricle. From the surrounding 794 mesoderm the petrous bone is formed by a process of chondrification and ossification.

Comparative Anatomy.—The ectodermal inpushing of the internal ear has probably a common origin with the organs of the lateral line of fish. In the lower forms the ductus endolymphaticus retains its communication with the exterior on the dorsum of the head, and in some Elasmobranchs the opening is wide enough to allow the passage of particles of sand into the saccule. It is probable that this duct is the same which, taking a different direction and losing its communication with the skin, abuts on the posterior cranial fossa of higher forms (see Rudolf Krause, “Die Entwickelung des Aq. vestibuli seu d. Endelymphaticus,” Anat. Anzeiger, Bd. xix., 1901, p. 49). In certain Teleostean fishes the swim bladder forms a secondary communication with the internal ear by means of special ossicles (see G. Ridewood, Journ. Anat. & Phys. vol. xxvi.). Among the Cyclostomata the external semicircular canals are wanting; Petromyzon has the superior and posterior only, while in Myxine these two appear to be fused so that only one is seen. In higher types the three canals are constant. Concretions of carbonate of lime are present in the internal ears of almost all vertebrates; when these are very small they are called otoconia, but when, as in most of the teleostean fishes, they form huge concretions, they are spoken of as otoliths. One shark, Squatina, has sand instead of otoconia (C. Stewart, Journ. Linn. Society, xxix. 409). The utricle, saccule, semicircular canals, ductus endolymphaticus and a short lagena are the only parts of the ear present in fish.

The Amphibia have an important sensory area at the base of the lagena known as the macula acustica basilaris, which is probably the first rudiment of a true cochlea. The ductus endolymphaticus has lost its communication with the skin, but it is frequently prolonged into the skull and along the spinal canal, from which it protrudes, through the intervertebral foramina, bulging into the coelom. This is the case in the common frog (A. Coggi, Anat. Anz. 5. Jahrg., 1890, p. 177). In this class the tympanum and Eustachian tube are first developed; the membrana tympani lies flush with the skin of the side of the head, and the sound-waves are transmitted from it to the internal ear by a single bony rod—the columella.

In the Reptilia the internal ear passes through a great range of development. In the Chelonia and Ophidia the cochlea is as rudimentary as in the Amphibia, but in the higher forms (Crocodilia) there is a lengthened and slightly twisted cochlea, at the end of which the lagena forms a minute terminal appendage. At the same time indications of the scalae tympani and vestibuli appear. As in the Amphibia the ductus endolymphaticus sometimes extends into the cranial cavity and on into other parts of the body. Snakes have no tympanic membrane. In the birds the cochlea resembles that of the crocodiles, but the posterior semicircular canal is above the superior where they join one another. In certain lizards and birds (owls) a small fold of skin represents the first appearance of an external ear. In the monotremes the internal ear is reptilian in its arrangement, but above them the mammals always have a spirally twisted cochlea, the number of turns varying from one and a half in the Cetacea to nearly five in the rodent Coelogenys. The lagena is reduced to a mere vestige. The organ of Corti is peculiar to mammals, and the single columella of the middle ear is replaced by the three ossicles already described in Man (see Alban Doran, “Morphology of the Mammalian Ossicula auditus,” Proc. Linn. Soc., 1876-1877, xiii. 185; also Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd Ser. Zool. i. 371). In some mammals, especially Carnivora, the middle ear is enlarged to form the tympanic bulla, but the mastoid cells are peculiar to Man.

Diseases of the Ear

Modern scientific aural surgery and medicine (commonly known as Otology) dates from the time of Sir William Wilde of Dublin (1843), whose work marked a great advance in the application of anatomical, physiological and therapeutical knowledge to the study of this organ. Less noticeable contributions to the subject had not long before been made by Saunders (1827), Kramer (1833), Pilcher (1841) and Yearsley (1841). The next important event in the history of otology was the publication of J. Toynbee’s book in 1860 containing his valuable anatomical and pathological observations. Von Tröltsch of Würzburg, following on the lines of Wilde and Toynbee, produced two well-known works in 1861 and 1862, laying the foundation of the study in Germany. In that country and in Austria he was followed by Hermann Schwartze, Politzer, Gruber, Weber-Liel, Rüdinger, Moos and numerous others. France produced Itard, de la Charrière, Menière, Loewenberg and Bonnafont; and Belgium, Charles Delstanche, father and son. In Great Britain the work was carried on by James Hinton (1874), Peter Allen (1871), Patterson Cassells and Sir William Dalby. In America we may count among the early otologists Edward H. Clarke (1858), D.B. St John Roosa, H. Knapp, Clarence J. Blake, Albert H. Buck and Charles Burnett. Other workers all over the world are too numerous to mention.

Various Diseases and Injuries.—Diseases of the ear may affect any of the three divisions, the external, middle or internal ear. The commoner affections of the auricle are eczema, various tumours (simple and malignant), and serous and sebaceous cysts. Haematoma auris (othaematoma), or effusion of blood into the auricle, is often due to injury, but may occur spontaneously, especially in insane persons. The chief diseases of the external auditory canal are as follows:—impacted cerumen (or wax), circumscribed (or furuncular) inflammation, diffuse inflammation, strictures due to inflammatory affections, bony growths, fungi (otomycosis), malignant disease, caries and necrosis, and foreign bodies.

Diseases of the middle ear fall into two categories, suppurative and non-suppurative (i.e. with and without the formation of pus). Suppurative inflammation of the middle ear is either acute or chronic, and is in either case accompanied by perforation of the drum head and discharge from the ear. The chief importance of these affections, in addition to the symptoms of pain, deafness, discharge, &c., is the serious complications which may ensue from their neglect, viz. aural polypi, caries and necrosis of the bone, affections of the mastoid process, including the mastoid antrum, paralysis of the facial nerve, and the still more serious intracranial and vascular infective diseases, such as abscess in the brain (cerebrum or cerebellum), meningitis, with subdural and extradural abscesses, septic thrombosis of the sigmoid and other venous sinuses, and pyaemia. It is owing to the possibility of these complications that life insurance companies usually, and rightly, inquire as to the presence of ear discharge before accepting a life. Patterson Cassells of Glasgow urged this special point as long ago as 1877. Acute suppurative disease of the middle ear is often due to the exanthemata, scarlatina, measles and smallpox, and to bathing and diving. It may also be caused by influenza, diphtheria and pulmonary phthisis.

Non-suppurative disease of the middle ear may be acute or chronic. In the acute form the inflammation is less violent than in the acute suppurative inflammation, and is rarely accompanied by perforation. Chronic non-suppurative inflammation may be divided into the moist form, in which the symptoms are improved by inflation of the tympanum through the Eustachian tube, and the dry form (including sclerosis), which is more intractable and in which this procedure has little or no beneficial effect. Diseases of the internal ear may be primary or secondary to an affection of the tympanum or to intracranial disease.

Injuries to any part of the ear may occur, among the commoner being injuries to the auricle, rupture of the drum head (from explosions, blows on the ear or the introduction of sharp bodies into the ear canal), and injuries from fractured skull. Congenital 795 malformations of the ear are most frequently met with in the auricle and external canal.

Methods of Examination.—The methods of examining the ear are roughly threefold:—(1) Testing the hearing with watch, voice and tuning-fork. The latter is especially used to distinguish between disease of the middle ear (conducting apparatus) and that of the internal ear (perceptive apparatus). Our knowledge of the subject has been brought to its present state by the labours of many observers, notably Weber, Rinne, Schwabach, Lucae and Gellé. (2) Examination of the canal and drum-head with speculum and reflector, introduced by Kramer, Wilde and von Tröltsch. (3) Examination of the drum-cavity through the Eustachian tube by the various methods of inflation.

Symptoms.—The chief symptoms of ear diseases are deafness, noises in the ear (tinnitus aurium), giddiness, pain and discharge. Deafness (or other disturbance of hearing) and noises may occur from disease in almost any part of the ear. Purulent discharge usually comes from the middle ear. Giddiness is more commonly associated with affections of the internal ear.

Treatment.—Ear diseases are treated on ordinary surgical and medical lines, due regard being had to the anatomical and physiological peculiarities of this organ of sense, and especially to its close relationship, on the one hand to the nose and naso-pharynx, and on the other hand to the cranium and its contents. The chief advance in aural surgery in recent years has been in the surgery of the mastoid process and antrum. The pioneers of this work were H. Schwartze of Halle, and Stacke of Erfurt, who have been followed by a host of workers in all parts of the world. This development led to increased attention being paid to the intracranial complications of suppurative ear disease, in the treatment of which great strides have been made in the last few years.

Effects of Diseases of the Nose on the Ear.—The influence of diseases of the nose and naso-pharynx on ear diseases was brought out by Loewenberg of Paris, Voltolini of Breslau, and especially by Wilhelm Meyer of Copenhagen, the discoverer of adenoid vegetations of the naso-pharynx (“adenoids”), who recognized the great importance of this disease and gave an inimitable account of it in the Trans. of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, 1870, and the Archiv für Ohrenheilkunde, 1873. Adenoid vegetations, which consist of an abnormal enlargement of Luschka’s tonsil in the vault of the pharynx, frequently give rise to ear disease in children, and, if not attended to, lay the foundation of nasal and ear troubles in after life. They are often associated with enlargement of the faucial tonsils.

EARL, a title and rank of nobility (corresponding to Lat. comes; Fr. comte), now the third in order of the British peerage, and accordingly intervening between marquess and viscount. Earl, however, is the oldest title and rank of English nobles, and was the highest until the year 1337, when the Black Prince was created duke of Cornwall by Edward III.

The nature of a modern earldom is readily understood, since it is a rank and dignity of nobility which, while it confers no official power or authority, is inalienable, indivisible, and descends in regular succession to all the heirs under the limitation in the grant until, on their failure, it becomes extinct.

The title is of Scandinavian origin, and first appears in England under Canute as jarl, which was englished as eorl. Like the ealdorman, whose place he took, the eorl was a great royal officer, who might be set over several counties, but who presided separately in the county court of each with the bishop of the diocese. Although there were counts in Normandy before the Norman Conquest, they differed in character from the English earls, and the earl’s position appears to have been but slightly modified by the Conquest. He was still generally entitled to the “third penny” of the county, but his office tended, under Norman influence, to become an hereditary dignity and his sphere was restricted by the Conqueror to a single county. The right to the “third penny” is a question of some obscurity, but its possession seems to have been deemed the distinctive mark of an earl, while the girding with “the sword of the county” formed the essential feature in his creation or investiture, as it continued to do for centuries later. The fact that every earl was the earl of a particular county has been much obscured by the loose usage of early times, when the style adopted was sometimes that of the noble’s surname (e.g. the Earls Ferrers), sometimes that of his chief seat (e.g. the Earls of Arundel), and sometimes that of the county. Palatine earldoms, or palatinates, were those which possessed regalia, i.e. special privileges delegated by the crown. The two great examples, which dated from Norman times, were Chester and Durham, where the earl and the bishop respectively had their own courts and jurisdiction, and were almost petty sovereigns.

The earliest known charter creating an earl is that by which Stephen bestowed on Geoffrey de Mandeville, in or about 1140, the earldom of Essex as an hereditary dignity. Several other creations by Stephen and the empress Maud followed in quick succession. From at least the time of the Conquest the earl had a double character; he was one of the “barons,” or tenants in chief, in virtue of the fief he held of the crown, as well as an earl in virtue of his “belting” (with the sword) and his “third penny” of the county. His fief would descend to the heirs of his body; and the earliest charters creating earldoms were granted with the same “limitation.” The dignity might thus descend to a woman, and, in that case, like the territorial fief, it would be held by her husband, who might be summoned to parliament in right of it. The earldom of Warwick thus passed through several families till it was finally obtained, in 1449, by the Kingmaker, who had married the heiress of the former earls. But in the case of “co-heiresses” (more daughters than one), the king determined which, if any, should inherit the dignity.

The 14th century saw some changes introduced. The earldom of March, created in 1328, was the first that was not named from a county or its capital town. Under Edward III. also an idea appears to have arisen that earldoms were connected with the tenure of lands, and in 1337 several fresh ones were created and large grants of lands made for their support. The first earldom granted with limitation to the heirs male of the grantee’s body was that of Nottingham in 1383. Another innovation was the grant of the first earldom for life only in 1377. The girding with the sword was the only observance at a creation till the first year of Edward VI., when the imposition of the cap 796 of dignity and a circlet of gold was added. Under James I. the patent of creation was declared to be sufficient without any ceremony. An earl’s robe of estate has three bars of ermine, but possibly it had originally four.

Something should be said of anomalous earldoms with Norman or Scottish styles. The Norman styles originated either under the Norman kings or at the time of the conquest of Normandy by the house of Lancaster. To the former period belonged that of Aumale, which successive fresh creations, under the Latinized form “Albemarle” have perpetuated to the present day (see Albemarle, Earls and Dukes of). The so-called earls of Eu and of Mortain, in that period, were really holders of Norman comtés. Henry V. and his son created five or six, it is said, but really seven at least, Norman countships or earldoms, of which Harcourt (1418), Perche (1419), Dreux (1427) and Mortain (? 1430) were bestowed on English nobles, Eu (1419), and Tankerville (1419) on English commoners, and Longueville (1419) on a foreigner, Gaston de Foix. Of these the earldom of “Eu” was assumed by the earls of Essex till the death of Robert, the parliament’s general (1646), while the title of Tankerville still survives under a modern creation (1714). An anomalous royal licence of 1661 permitted the earl of Bath to use the title of earl of Corbeil by alleged hereditary right. Of Scottish earldoms recognized in the English parliament the most remarkable case is that of the Lords Umfraville, who were summoned for three generations (1297-1380), as earls of Angus; Henry, Lord Beaumont, also was summoned as earl of Buchan from 1334 to 1339.

The earldom of Chester is granted to the princes of Wales on their creation, and the Scottish earldom of Carrick is held by the eldest son of the sovereign under act of parliament.

The premier earldom is that of Arundel (q.v.), but as this is at present united with the dukedom of Norfolk, the oldest earldom not merged in a higher title is that of Shrewsbury (1442), the next in seniority being Derby (1485), and Huntingdon (1529). These three have been known as “the catskin earls,” a term of uncertain origin. The ancient earldom of Wiltshire (1397) was unsuccessfully claimed in 1869 by Mr Scrope of Danby, and that of Norfolk (1312), in 1906, by Lord Mowbray and Stourton.

The premier earldom of Scotland as recognized by the Union Roll (1707), is that of Crawford, held by the Lindsays since its creation in 1398; but it is not one of the ancient “seven earldoms.” The Decreet of Ranking (1606) appears to have recognized the earldom of Sutherland as the most ancient in virtue of a charter of 1347, but the House of Lords’ decision of 1771 recognized it as having descended from at least the year 1275, and it may be as old as 1228. It is at present united with the dukedom of Sutherland. The original “seven earldoms” (of which it was one) represented seven provinces, each of which was under a “mormaer.” This Celtic title was rendered “jarl” by the Norsemen, and under Alexander I. (c. 1115) began to be replaced by earl (comes), owing to Anglo-Norman influence, which also tended to make these earldoms less official and more feudal.

In Ireland the duke of Leinster is, as earl of Kildare, premier earl as well as premier duke.

An earl is “Right Honourable,” and is styled “My Lord.” His eldest son bears his father’s “second title,” and therefore, that second title being in most cases a viscounty, he generally is styled “Viscount”; where, as with Devon and Huntingdon, there is no second title, one may be assumed for convenience; under all circumstances, however, the eldest son of an earl takes precedence immediately after the viscounts. The younger sons of earls are “Honourable,” but all their daughters are “Ladies.” In formal documents and instruments, the sovereign, when addressing or making mention of any peer of the degree of an earl, usually designates him “trusty and well-beloved cousin,”—a form of appellation first adopted by Henry IV., who either by descent or alliance was actually related to every earl and duke in the realm. The wife of an earl is a countess; she is “Right Honourable,” and is styled “My Lady.” For the earl’s coronet see Crown and Coronet.

EARLE, JOHN (c. 1601-1665), English divine, was born at York about 1601. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, but migrated to Merton, where he obtained a fellowship. In 1631 he was proctor and also chaplain to Philip, earl of Pembroke, then chancellor of the university, who presented him to the rectory of Bishopston in Wiltshire. His fame spread, and in 1641 he was appointed chaplain and tutor to Prince Charles. In 1643 he was elected one of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, but his sympathies with the king and with the Anglican Church were so strong that he declined to sit. Early in 1643 he was chosen chancellor of the cathedral of Salisbury, but of this preferment he was soon deprived as a “malignant.” After Cromwell’s great victory at Worcester, Earle went abroad, and was named clerk of the closet and chaplain to Charles II. He spent a year at Antwerp in the house of Isaac Walton’s friend, George Morley, who afterwards became bishop of Winchester. He next joined the duke of York (James II.) at Paris, returning to England at the Restoration. He was at once appointed dean of Westminster, and in 1661 was one of the commissioners for revising the liturgy. He was on friendly terms with Richard Baxter. In November 1662 he was consecrated bishop of Worcester, and was translated, ten months later, to the see of Salisbury, where he conciliated the nonconformists. He was strongly opposed to the Conventicle and Five Mile Acts. During the great plague Earle attended the king and queen at Oxford, and there he died on the 17th of November 1665.

Earle’s chief title to remembrance is his witty and humorous work entitled Microcosmographie, or a Peece of the World discovered, in Essayes and Characters, which throws light on the manners of the time. First published anonymously in 1628, it became very popular, and ran through ten editions in the lifetime of the author. The style is quaint and epigrammatic; and the reader is frequently reminded of Thomas Fuller by such passages as this: “A university dunner is a gentlemen follower cheaply purchased, for his own money has hyr’d him.” Several reprints of the book have been issued since the author’s death; and in 1671 a French translation by J. Dymock appeared with the title of Le Vice ridiculé. Earle was employed by Charles II. to make the Latin translation of the Eikon Basilike, published in 1649. A similar translation of R. Hooker’s Ecclesiastical Polity was accidentally destroyed.

“Dr Earle,” says Lord Clarendon in his Life, “was a man of great piety and devotion, a most eloquent and powerful preacher, and of a conversation so pleasant and delightful, so very innocent, and so very facetious, that no man’s company was more desired and loved. No man was more negligent in his dress and habit and mien, no man more wary and cultivated in his behaviour and discourse. He was very dear to the Lord Falkland, with whom he spent as much time as he could make his own.”

EARLE, RALPH (1751-1801), American historical and portrait painter, was born at Leicester, Massachusetts, on the 11th of May 1751. Like so many of the colonial craftsmen, Earle was self-taught, and for many years was an itinerant painter. He went with the Governor’s Guard to Lexington and made battle sketches, from which in 1775 he painted four scenes, engraved by Amos Doolittle, which are probably the first historical paintings by an American. After the War of Independence, Earle went to London, entered the studio of Benjamin West, and painted the king and many notables. After his return to America in 1786 he made portraits of Timothy Dwight, Governor Caleb Strong, Roger Sherman, and other prominent men. He also painted a large picture of Niagara Falls. He died at Bolton, Connecticut, on the 16th of August 1801.

EARL MARSHAL, in England, a functionary who ranks as the eighth of the great officers of state. He is the head of the college of arms, and has the appointment of the kings-of-arms, heralds and pursuivants at his discretion. He attends the sovereign in opening and closing the session of parliament, 797 walking opposite to the lord great chamberlain on his or her right hand. It is his duty to make arrangements for the order of all state processions and ceremonials, especially for coronations and royal marriages and funerals. Like the lord high constable he rode into Westminster Hall with the champion after a coronation, till the coronation banquet was abandoned, taking his place on the left hand, and with the lord great chamberlain he assists at the introduction of all newly-created peers into the House of Lords.

The marshal appears in the feudal armies to have been in command of the cavalry under the constable, and to have in some measure superseded him as master of the horse in the royal palace. He exercised joint and co-ordinate jurisdiction with the constable in the court of chivalry, and afterwards became the sole judge of that tribunal till its obsolescence. The marshalship of England was formerly believed to have been inherited from the Clares by the Marshal family, who had only been marshals of the household. It was held, however, by the latter family, as the office of chief (magister) marshal, as early as the days of Henry I. Through them, under Henry III., it passed to the Bigods, as their eldest co-heirs. In 1306 it fell to the crown on the death of the last Bigod, earl of Norfolk, who had made Edward I. his heir, and in 1316 it was granted by Edward II. to his own younger brother, Thomas “of Brotherton,” earl of Norfolk. As yet the style of the office was only “marshal” although the last Bigod holder, being an earl, was sometimes loosely spoken of as the earl marshal. The office, having reverted to the crown, was granted out anew by Richard II., in 1385, to Thomas Mowbray, earl of Nottingham, the representative of Thomas “of Brotherton.” In 1386 the style of “earl marshal” was formally granted to him in addition. After several attainders and partial restorations in the reigns of the Tudors and the Stuarts, the earl marshalship was granted anew to the Howards by Charles II. in 1672 and entailed on their male line, with many specific remainders and limitations, under which settlement it has regularly descended to the present duke of Norfolk. Its holders, however, could not execute the office until the Roman Catholic emancipation, and had to appoint deputies. The duke is styled earl marshal “and hereditary marshal of England,” but the double style would seem to be an error, though the Mowbrays, with their double creation (1385, 1386) might have claimed it. His Grace appends the letters “E.M.” to his signature, and bears behind his shield two batons crossed in saltire, the marshal’s rod (virga) having been the badge of the office from Norman times. There appear to have been hereditary marshals of Ireland, but their history is not well ascertained. The Keiths were Great Marischals of Scotland from at least the days of Robert Bruce, and were created earls marischal in or about 1458, but lost both earldom and office by the attainder of George, the 10th earl, in 1716. (See also Marshal; State, Great Officers of.)

EARLOM, RICHARD (1742-1822), English mezzotint engraver, was born and died in London. His natural faculty for art appears to have been first called into exercise by admiration for the lord mayor’s state coach, just decorated by Cipriani. He tried to copy the paintings, and was sent to study under Cipriani. He displayed great skill as a draughtsman, and at the same time acquired without assistance the art of engraving in mezzotint. In 1765 he was employed by Alderman Boydell, then one of the most liberal promoters of the fine arts, to make a series of drawings from the pictures at Houghton Hall; and these he afterwards engraved in mezzotint. His most perfect works as engraver are perhaps the fruit and flower pieces after the Dutch artists Van Os and Van Huysum. Amongst his historical and figure subjects are—“Agrippina,” after West; “Love in Bondage,” after Guido Reni; the “Royal Academy,” the “Embassy of Hyderbeck to meet Lord Cornwallis,” and a “Tiger Hunt,” the last three after Zoffany; and “Lord Heathfield,” after Sir Joshua Reynolds. Earlom also executed a series of 200 facsimiles of the drawings and sketches of Claude Lorraine, which was published in 3 vols. folio, under the title of Liber veritatis (1777-1819).

EARLSTON (formerly Ercildoune, of which it is a corruption), a parish and market town of Berwickshire, Scotland. Pop. (1901) 1049. It is situated on Leader Water in Lauderdale, 72½ m. S.E. of Edinburgh by the North British railway branch line from Reston Junction to St Boswells, and about 4 m. N.E. of Melrose. When the place was a hamlet of rude huts it was called Arcioldun or “Prospect Fort,” with reference to Black Hill (1003 ft.), on the top of which may yet be traced the concentric rings of the British fort by which it was crowned. It is said to be possible to make out the remains of the cave-dwellings of the Ottadeni, the aborigines of the district. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Lindsays and the earls of March and Dunbar were the chief baronial families. The particular link with the remote past, however, is the ivy-clad ruin of the ancient tower, “The Rhymer’s Castle,” the traditional residence of Thomas Learmont, commonly called Thomas of Ercildoune, or Thomas the Rhymer, poet and prophet, and friend of the Fairies, who was born here about 1225. Rhymer’s Tower was crumbling to pieces, and its stones were being used in the erection of dykes, cottages and houses, when the Edinburgh Border Counties Association acquired the relic and surrounding lands in 1895, and took steps to prevent further spoliation and decay. The leading manufactures are ginghams, tweeds and shirtings, and the town is also an important agricultural centre, stock sales taking place at regular intervals and cattle and horse fairs being held every year. Some 3 m. away is the estate of Bemersyde, said to have been in the possession of the Haigs for nearly 1000 years. The prospect from Bemersyde Hill was Sir Walter Scott’s favourite view. The castle at Bemersyde was erected in 1535 to secure the peace of the Border.

EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894), American soldier and lawyer, was born in Franklin county, Virginia, on the 3rd of November 1816, and graduated at the U.S. Military Academy in 1837. He served in the Seminole War of 1837-38, after which he resigned in order to practise law in Franklin county, Va. He also engaged in state politics, and served in the Mexican War as a major of Virginia volunteers. He was strongly opposed to secession, but thought it his duty to conform to the action of his state. As a colonel in the Confederate army, he rendered conspicuous service at the first battle of Bull Run (q.v.). Promoted brigadier-general, and subsequently major-general, Early served throughout the Virginian campaigns of 1862-63, and defended the lines of Fredericksburg during the battle of Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg he commanded his division of Ewell’s corps. In the campaign of 1864 Early, who had now reached the rank of lieutenant-general, commanded the Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. The action of Lynchburg left him free to move northwards, his opponent being compelled to march away from the Valley. Early promptly utilized his advantage, crossed the Potomac, and defeated, on the Monocacy, all the troops which could be gathered to meet him. He appeared before the lines of Washington, put part of Maryland and Pennsylvania under contribution, and only retired to the Valley when threatened by heavy forces hurriedly sent up to Washington. He then fought a successful action at Winchester, reappeared on the Potomac, and sent his cavalry on a raid into Pennsylvania. A greatly superior army was now formed under General Sheridan to oppose Early. In spite of his skill and energy the Confederate leader was defeated in the battles of Winchester and Fisher’s Hill. Finally, on the 19th of October, after inflicting at first a severe blow upon the Federal army in its camps on Cedar Creek, he was decisively beaten by Sheridan. (See Shenandoah Valley Campaigns.) Waynesboro (March 1865) was his last fight, after which he was relieved from his command. General Early was regarded by many as the ablest soldier, after Lee and Jackson, in the Army of Northern Virginia, and one of the ablest in the whole Confederate army. That he failed to make headway against an army far superior in numbers, and led by a general of the calibre of Sheridan, cannot be held to prove the 798 falsity of this judgment. After the peace he went to Canada, but in 1867 returned to resume the practice of law. For a time he managed in conjunction with General Beauregard the Louisiana lottery. He died at Lynchburg, Va., on the 2nd of March 1894. General Early was for a time president of the Southern Historical Society, and wrote, besides various essays and historical papers, A Memoir of the Last Year of the War, &c. (1867).

EARLY ENGLISH PERIOD, in architecture, the term given by Rickman to the first pointed or Gothic style in England, nominally 1189-1307, which succeeded the Romanesque or Norman period towards the end of the 12th century, and developed into the Decorated period in the commencement of the 14th century. It is chiefly characterized by the almost universal employment of the pointed arch, not only in arches of wide span such as those of the nave arcade, but for doorways and windows. The actual introduction of the pointed arch took place at a much earlier date, as in the nave arcade of the Cistercian Abbey of Buildwas (1140), though the clerestory window above has semicircular arches. It is customary, therefore, to make allowance for a transitional epoch from the middle of the 12th century. Although the pointed arches used are sometimes equilateral and sometimes drop-arches, the lancet-arch is the most characteristic. The period is best recognized in England by the great depth given to the hollows of the mouldings, alternating with fillets and rolls, by the decoration of the hollows with the dog-tooth ornament, by the circular abacus of the capitals, and the employment of slender detached shafts of Purbeck marble which are attached to piers by circular moulded shaft-rings (Fr. anneau).

The arches are sometimes cusped; circles with trefoils, quatrefoils, &c., are introduced into the tracery, and large rose windows in the transept or nave, as at Lincoln (1220). The conventional foliage decorating the capitals is of great beauty and variety, and extends to spandrils, bosses, &c. In the spandrils of the arches of the nave, transept or choir arcades, diaper work is occasionally found, as in the transept of Westminster Abbey. The latter is one of the chief examples of the period, to which must be added the cathedral of Salisbury (except the tower); the Galilee at Ely; nave and transept of Wells (1225-1240); nave of Lincoln; west front of Peterborough; and the minster at Beverley.

EARN, the name of a loch and river in Perthshire, Scotland. The loch, lying almost due east and west, is 6½ m. long and 4⁄5 m. in maximum breadth, 287 ft. deep, with a mean depth of 138 ft., covers an area of nearly 4 sq. m., has a drainage basin of over 54½ sq. m., and stands 317 ft. above the sea. Its waters are said never to freeze. It discharges by the river Earn. The points of interest on its shores are Lochearnhead (at the southern extremity of Glen Ogle), which has a station on the Callander-Oban railway, and the ruins of St Blane’s chapel; Edinample Castle, an old turreted mansion belonging to the marquess of Breadalbane, situated in well-wooded grounds near the pretty falls of the Ample; Ardvorlich House, the original of Darlinvarach in Scott’s Legend of Montrose, and the village of St Fillans at the foot of the loch, once the terminus of the branch of the Caledonian railway from Perth. The river flows out of Loch Earn, pursues an eastward course with a gentle inclination towards the south, and reaches the Firth of Tay, 6½ m. below Perth, after a total run of 49 m. Its chief tributaries on the right are the Ruchil, Machany, Ruthven, May and Farg, and on the left, the Lednock and Turret. It is navigable by vessels of 50 tons as far up as Bridge of Earn, and is a notable fishing stream, abounding with salmon and trout, perch and pike being also plentiful. On the Lednock are the falls of the Devil’s Cauldron and on the Turret and its feeders several graceful cascades. The principal places of interest on the banks of the Earn are Dunira, the favourite seat of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, who took the title of his barony from the estate and to whose memory an obelisk was raised on the adjoining hill of Dunmore; the village of Comrie; the town of Crieff; the ruined castle of Innerpeffray, founded in 1610 by the 1st Lord Maderty, close to which is the library founded in 1691 by the 3rd Lord Maderty, containing some rare black-letter books and the Bible that belonged to the marquess of Montrose; Gascon Hall, now in ruins, but with traditions reaching back to the days of Wallace; Dupplin Castle, a fine Tudor mansion, seat of the earl of Kinnoull, who derives from it the title of his viscounty; Aberdalgie, Forgandenny and Bridge of Earn, a health resort situated amidst picturesque surroundings. Strathearn, as the valley of the Earn is called, extending from the loch to the Firth of Tay, is a beautiful and, on the whole, fertile tract, though liable at times to heavy floods. The earl of Perth is hereditary steward of Strathearn.

EARNEST (probably a corruption of the obsolete arles or erles, adapted from Lat. equivalent arrha, due to a confusion with the adjective “earnest,” serious, O. Eng. eornust, cognate with Ger. ernst), the payment of a sum of money by the buyer of goods to the seller on the conclusion of a bargain as a pledge for its due performance. It is almost similar to the arrha of the Roman law, which may be traced back in the history of legal institutions to a period when the validity of a contract depended not so much upon the real intention of the parties, as upon the due observance of a prescribed ceremony. But earnest was never part payment, which arrha might have been. Apart from its survival as a custom, its chief importance in English law is its recognition by the Statute of Frauds as giving validity to contracts for the sale of goods of a value exceeding £10 (see Sale of Goods). It is in that statute clearly distinguished from part payment, consequently any sum, however small, would be sufficient as earnest, being given as a token that the contract is binding and should be expressly stated so by the giver. The giving of earnest, or hand-money, as it is sometimes called, has now fallen into very general disuse.

EAR-RING, an ornament worn pendent from the ear, and generally suspended (especially among the more civilized races) by means of a ring or hook passing through the pendulous lobe of the ear. Among savage races the impulse to decorate, or at any rate to modify the appearance of the ear, is almost universal. With such peoples the ear appendage is chiefly remarkable for its extravagant dimensions. Many examples may be seen in the ethnographic galleries of the British Museum. The Berawan people of Borneo use plugs through the lobe of the ear 3¾ in. in diameter. More extraordinary still is an example of a stone ear-plug worn by a Masai, 4½ in. in diameter and weighing 2 ℔ 14 oz. (Man, 1905, p. 22). It is stated that according to the Masai standard of fashion, the lobes of the ears should be enlarged so as to be capable of meeting above the head. Among the superior races, though ear ornaments of extravagant size and elaboration are not unknown, moderation in size is commonly observed, and greater attention is paid to workmanship and fineness of material.

From La Grande Encyclopédie.

Fig. 1.—Ear-ring from an Assyrian bas relief.

From La Grande Encyclopédie.

Fig. 2.—Thetis crossing the sea, with the armour of Achilles. Ear-ring from the Crimea, Hermitage museum.

The general usage appears to have been to have ear-rings worn in pairs, the two ornaments in all respects resembling each other; in ancient times, or more recently among Oriental races, a single ear-ring has sometimes been worn. The use of this kind of ornament, which constantly was of great value, dates from the remotest historical antiquity, the earliest mention of ear-rings occurring in the book of Genesis. It appears probable that the ear-rings of Jacob’s family, which he buried with his strange idols at Bethel, were regarded as amulets or talismans, such unquestionably being the estimation in which some ornaments of this class have been held from a very early period, as they still are held in the East. Thus in New Zealand ear-rings are decorated with the teeth of enemies, and with talismanic sharks’ teeth. Among all the Oriental races of whom we have any accurate knowledge, the Hebrews and Egyptians excepted, ear-rings always have been in general use by both sexes; while in the West, as well as by the Hebrews and Egyptians, as a general rule they have been considered exclusively female ornaments. By the Greeks and Romans also ear-rings were worn only by women, and the wearing of them by a man is often spoken of as distinctively oriental.

In archaic art, ear-rings are frequently represented or their traces are left in the perforated ear lobes of early statues. After the 4th century such perforations occur seldom. In one instance, 799 a Greek inscription records the weight of the detachable gold ornaments on a statue, among which a pair of ear-rings is included. Ear-rings of characteristic form are frequently discovered by excavation. In Egypt, a system of pendent chains is found hanging from a disk. In Assyria the decoration consists of pendants or knobs attached to a rigid ring. In the early civilization represented by Dr Schliemann’s Trojan investigations, pieces of gold plate are suspended by parallel chains. In the Mycenaean period, ear-rings are infrequent in Greece, but have been found in abundance in the Mycenaean finds of Enkomi (Cyprus) in the form of pendent bulls’-heads, or of decorative forms based on the bull’s head. In the tombs of the Greek settlers in the Crimea (4th century B.C.), ear-rings are found of marvellous complexity and beauty. The lexicographer Pollux, speaking of the names given to ear-rings, derived from their forms, mentions caryatids, hippocamps and centauresses. Jewels of the same class, of exquisite beauty and of workmanship that is truly wonderful, have been rescued from the sepulchres of ancient Etruria. Ear-rings of comparatively simple forms, but set with pearls and other stones, were the mode in Rome. In some instances, the stones were of fabulous value. During the Byzantine period they once more attained an extravagant size. Researches among the burial places of Anglo-Saxon Britain have led to the discovery of jewels in considerable numbers, which among their varieties include ear-rings executed in a style that proves the Anglo-Saxons to have made no inconsiderable advances in the arts of civilization.

These same ornaments, which never have fallen into disuse, enjoy at the present day a considerable degree of favour, and the tide of fashion has set towards their increased use. Like all other modern jewels, however, the ear-rings of our own times as works of art can claim no historical attributes, because they consist as well of reproductions from all past ages and of every race as of fanciful productions that certainly can be assigned to no style of art whatever. As one of the curiosities of the subject it may be mentioned that Antonia, wife of Drusus, is said by Pliny to have attached a pair of ear-rings to her pet lamprey.

EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. ἔραζε, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in the Lat. arare, obsolete Eng. “ear,” and Gr. ἀροῦν, but this is now considered very doubtful; see G. Curtius, Greek Etymology, Eng. trans., i. 426; Max Müller, Lectures, 8th ed. i. 294). From early times the word “earth” has been used in several connexions—from that of soil or ground to that of the planet which we inhabit, but it is difficult to trace the exact historic sequence of the diverse usages. In the cosmogony of the Pythagoreans, Platonists and other philosophers, the term or its equivalent denoted an element or fundamental quality which conferred upon matter the character of earthiness; and in the subsequent development of theories as to the ultimate composition of matter by the alchemists, iatrochemists, and early phlogistonists an element of the same name was retained (see Element). In modern chemistry, the common term “earth” is applied to certain oxides:—the ”alkaline earths” (q.v.) are the oxides of calcium (lime), barium (baryta) and strontium (strontia); the ”rare earths” (q.v.) are the oxides of a certain class of rare metals.

The Earth

The terrestrial globe is a member of the Solar system, the third in distance from the Sun, and the largest within the orbit of Jupiter. In the wider sense it may be regarded as composed of a gaseous atmosphere (see Meteorology), which encircles the crust or lithosphere (see Geography), and surface waters or hydrosphere (see Ocean and Oceanography). The description of the surface features is a branch of Geography, and the discussions as to their origin and permanence belongs to Physiography (in the narrower sense), physiographical geology, or physical geography. The investigation of the crust belongs to geology and of rocks in particular to petrology.

In the present article we shall treat the subject matter of the Earth as a planet under the following headings:—(1) Figure and Size, (2) Mass and Density, (3) Astronomical Relations, (4) Evolution and Age. These subjects will be treated summarily, readers being referred to the article Astronomy and to the cross-references for details.

1. Figure and Size.—To primitive man the Earth was a flat disk with its surface diversified by mountains, rivers and seas. In many cosmogonies this disk was encircled by waters, unmeasurable by man and extending to a junction with the sky; and the disk stood as an island rising up through the waters from the floor of the universe, or was borne as an immovable ship on the surface. Of such a nature was the cosmogony of the Babylonians and Hebrews; Homer states the same idea, naming the encircling waters Ὠκεανός; and Hesiod regarded it as a disk midway between the sky and the infernal regions. The theory that the Earth extended downwards to the limit of the universe was subjected to modification when it was seen that the same sun and stars reappeared in the east after their setting in the west. But man slowly realized that the earth was isolated in space, floating freely as a balloon, and much speculation was associated about that which supported the Earth. Tunnels in the foundations to permit the passage of the sun and stars were suggested; the Greeks considered twelve columns to support the heavens, and in their mythology the god Atlas appears condemned to support the columns; while the Egyptians had the Earth supported by four elephants, which themselves stood on a tortoise swimming on a sea. Earthquakes were regarded as due to a movement of these foundations; in Japan this was considered to be due to the motion of a great spider, an animal subsequently replaced by a cat-fish; in Mongolia it is a hog; in India, a mole; in some parts of South America, a whale; and among some of the North American Indians, a giant tortoise.

The doctrine of the spherical form has been erroneously assigned to Thales; but he accepted the Semitic conception of the disk, and regarded the production of springs after earthquakes as due to the inrushing of the waters under the Earth into fissures in the surface. His pupil, Anaximander (610-547), according to Diogenes Laërtius, believed it to be spherical (see The Observatory, 1894, P. 208); and Anaximenes probably held a similar view. The spherical form is undoubtedly a discovery of Pythagoras, and was taught by the Pythagoreans and by the Eleatic Parmenides. The expositor of greatest moment was Aristotle; his arguments are those which we employ to-day:—the ship gradually disappearing from hull to mast as it recedes from the harbour to the horizon; the circular shadow cast by the Earth on the Moon during an eclipse, and the alteration in the appearance of the heavens as one passes from point to point on the Earth’s surface.1 He records attempts made to determine the circumference; but the first scientific investigation in this 800 direction was made 150 years later by Eratosthenes. The spherical form, however, only became generally accepted after the Earth’s circumnavigation (see Geography).

The historical development of the methods for determining the figure of the Earth (by which we mean a theoretical surface in part indicated by the ocean at rest, and in other parts by the level to which water freely communicating with the oceans by canals traversing the land masses would rise) and the mathematical investigation of this problem are treated in the articles Earth, Figure of the, and Geodesy; here the results are summarized. Sir Isaac Newton deduced from the mechanical consideration of the figure of equilibrium of a mass of rotating fluid, the form of an oblate spheroid, the ellipticity of a meridian section being 1/231, and the axes in the ratio 230 : 231. Geodetic measurements by the Cassinis and other French astronomers pointed to a prolate form, but the Newtonian figure was proved to be correct by the measurement of meridional arcs in Peru and Lapland by the expeditions organized by the French Academy of Sciences. More recent work points to an elliptical equatorial section, thus making the earth pear-shaped. The position of the longer axis is somewhat uncertain; it is certainly in Africa, Clarke placing it in longitude 8° 15′ W., and Schubert in longitude 41° 4′ E.; W.J. Sollas, arguing from terrestrial symmetry, has chosen the position lat. 6° N., long. 28° E., i.e. between Clarke’s and Schubert’s positions. For the lengths of the axes and the ellipticity of the Earth, see Earth, Figure of the.

2. Mass and Density.—The earliest scientific investigation on the density and mass of the Earth (the problem is really single if the volume of the Earth be known) was made by Newton, who, mainly from astronomical considerations, suggested the limiting densities 5 and 6; it is remarkable that this prophetic guess should be realized, the mean value from subsequent researches being about 5½, which gives for the mass the value 6 × 1021 tons. The density of the Earth has been determined by several experimenters within recent years by methods described in the article Gravitation; the most probable value is there stated to be 5.527.

3. Astronomical Relations.—The grandest achievements of astronomical science are undoubtedly to be associated with the elucidation of the complex motion of our planet. The notion that the Earth was fixed and immovable at the centre of an immeasurable universe long possessed the minds of men; and we find the illustrious Ptolemy accepting this view in the 2nd century A.D., and rejecting the notion of a rotating Earth—a theory which had been proposed as early as the 5th century B.C. by Philolaus on philosophical grounds, and in the 3rd century B.C. by the astronomer Aristarchus of Samos. He argued that if the Earth rotated then points at the equator had the enormous velocity of about 1000 m. per hour, and as a consequence there should be terrific gales from the east; the fact that there were no such gales invalidated, in his opinion, the theory. The Ptolemaic theory was unchallenged until 1543, in which year the De Revolutionibus orbium Celestium of Copernicus was published. In this work it was shown that the common astronomical phenomena could be more simply explained by regarding the Earth as annually revolving about a fixed Sun, and daily rotating about itself. A clean sweep was made of the geocentric epicyclic motions of the planets which Ptolemy’s theory demanded, and in place there was substituted a procession of planets about the Sun at different distances. The development of the Copernican theory—the corner-stone of modern astronomy—by Johann Kepler and Sir Isaac Newton is treated in the article Astronomy: History; here we shall summarily discuss the motions of our planet and its relation to the solar system.

The Earth has two principal motions—revolution about the Sun, rotation about its axis; there are in addition a number of secular motions.

Revolution.—The Earth revolves about the Sun in an elliptical orbit having the Sun at one focus. The plane of the orbit is termed the ecliptic; it is inclined to the Earth’s equator at an angle termed the obliquity, and the points of intersection of the equator and ecliptic are termed the equinoctial points. The major axis of the ellipse is the line of apsides; when the Earth is nearest the Sun it is said to be in perihelion, when farthest it is in aphelion. The mean distance of the Earth from the Sun is a most important astronomical constant, since it is the unit of linear measurement; its value is about 93,000,000 m., and the difference between the perihelion and aphelion distances is about 3,000,000 m. The eccentricity of the orbit is 0.016751. A tabular comparison of the orbital constants of the Earth and the other planets is given in the article Planet. The period of revolution with regard to the Sun, or, in other words, the time taken by the Sun apparently to pass from one equinox to the same equinox, is the tropical or equinoctial year; its length is 365 d. 5 hrs. 48 m. 46 secs. It is about 20 minutes shorter than the true or sidereal year, which is the time taken for the Sun apparently to travel from one star to it again. The difference in these two years is due to the secular variation termed precession (see below). A third year is named the anomalistic year, which is the time occupied in the passage from perihelion to perihelion; it is a little longer than the sidereal.

Rotation.—The Earth rotates about an axis terminating at the north and south geographical poles, and perpendicular to the equator; the period of rotation is termed the day (q.v.), of which several kinds are distinguished according to the body or point of reference. The rotation is performed from west to east; this daily rotation occasions the diurnal motion of the celestial sphere, the rising of the Sun and stars in the east and their setting in the west, and also the phenomena of day and night. The inclination of the axis to the ecliptic brings about the presentation of places in different latitudes to the more direct rays of the sun; this is revealed in the variation in the length of daylight with the time of the year, and the phenomena of seasons.

Although the rotation of the Earth was an accepted fact soon after its suggestion by Copernicus, an experimental proof was wanting until 1851, when Foucault performed his celebrated pendulum experiment at the Pantheon, Paris. A pendulum about 200 ft. long, composed of a flexible wire carrying a heavy iron bob, was suspended so as to be free to oscillate in any direction. The bob was provided with a style which passed over a table strewn with fine sand, so that the style traced the direction in which the bob was swinging. It was found that the oscillating pendulum never retraced its path, but at each swing it was apparently deviated to the right, and moreover the deviations in equal times were themselves equal. This means that the floor of the Pantheon was moving, and therefore the Earth was rotating. If the pendulum were swung in the southern hemisphere, the deviation would be to the left; if at the equator it would not deviate, while at the poles the plane of oscillation would traverse a complete circle in 24 hours.

The rotation of the Earth appears to be perfectly uniform, comparisons of the times of transits, eclipses, &c., point to a variation of less than 1⁄100th of a second since the time of Ptolemy. Theoretical investigations on the phenomena of tidal friction point, however, to a retardation, which may to some extent be diminished by the accelerations occasioned by the shrinkage of the globe, and some other factors difficult to evaluate (see Tide).

We now proceed to the secular variations.

Precession.—The axis of the earth does not preserve an invariable direction in space, but in a certain time it describes a cone, in much the same manner as the axis of a top spinning out of the vertical. The equator, which preserves approximately the same inclination to the ecliptic (there is a slight variation in the obliquity which we shall mention later), must move so that its intersections with the ecliptic, or equinoctial points, pass in a retrograde direction, i.e. opposite to that of the Earth. This motion is termed the precession of the equinoxes, and was observed by Hipparchus in the 2nd century B.C.; Ptolemy corrected the catalogue of Hipparchus for precession by adding 2° 40′ to the longitudes, the latitudes being unaltered by this motion, which at the present time is 50.26″ annually, the complete circuit being made in about 26,000 years. Owing to precession the signs of the zodiac are traversing paths through the constellations, or, 801 in other words, the constellations are continually shifting with regard to the equinoctial points; at one time the vernal equinox Aries was in the constellations of that name; it is now in Pisces, and will then pass into Aquarius. The pole star, i.e. the star towards which the Earth’s axis points, is also shifting owing to precession; in about 2700 B.C. the Chinese observed α Draconis as the pole star (at present α Ursae minoris occupies this position and will do so until 3500); in 13600 Vega (α Lyrae) the brightest star in the Northern hemisphere, will be nearest.

Precession is the result of the Sun and the Moon’s attraction on the Earth not being a single force through its centre of gravity. If the Earth were a homogeneous sphere the attractions would act through the centre, and such forces would have no effect upon the rotation about the centre of gravity, but the Earth being spheroidal the equatorial band which stands up as it were beyond the surface of a sphere is more strongly attracted, with the result that the axis undergoes a tilting. The precession due to the Sun is termed the solar precession and that due to the Moon the lunar precession; the joint effect (two-thirds of which is due to the Moon) is the luni-solar precession. Solar precession is greatest at the solstices and zero at the equinoxes; the part of luni-solar precession due to the Moon varies with the position of the Moon in its orbit. The obliquity is unchanged by precession (see Precession of the Equinoxes).

Nutation.—In treating precession we have stated that the axis of the Earth traces a cone, and it follows that the pole describes a circle (approximately) on the celestial sphere, about the pole of the ecliptic. This is not quite true. Irregularities in the attracting forces which occasion precession also cause a slight oscillation backwards and forwards over the mean precessional path of the pole, the pole tracing a wavy line or nodding. Both the Sun and Moon contribute to this effect. Solar nutation depends upon the position of the Sun on the ecliptic; its period is therefore 1 year, and in extent it is only 1.2″; lunar nutation depends upon the position of the Moon’s nodes; its period is therefore about 18.6 years, the time of revolution of the nodes, and its extent is 9.2″. There is also given to the obliquity a small oscillation to and fro. Nutation is one of the great discoveries of James Bradley (1747).

Planetary Precession.—So far we have regarded the ecliptic as absolutely fixed, and treated precession as a real motion of the equator. The ecliptic (q.v.), however, is itself subject to a motion, due to the attractions of the planets on the Earth. This effect also displaces the equinoctial points. Its annual value is 0.13″. The term General Precession in longitude is given to the displacement of the intersection of the equator with the apparent ecliptic on the latter. The standard value is 50.2453″, which prevailed in 1850, and the value at 1850 + t, i.e. the constant of precession, is 50.2453″ + 0.0002225″ t. This value is also liable to a very small change. The nutation of the obliquity at time 1850 + t is given by the formula 23° 27′ 32.0″ − 0.47″ t. Complete expressions for these functions are given in Newcomb’s Spherical Astronomy (1908), and in the Nautical Almanac.

The variation of the line of apsides is the name given to the motion of the major axis of the Earth’s orbit along the ecliptic. It is due to the general influence of the planets, and the revolution is effected in 21,000 years.

The variation of the eccentricity denotes an oscillation of the form of the Earth’s orbit between a circle and ellipse. This followed the mathematical researches of Lagrange and Leverrier. It was suggested by Sir John Herschel in 1830 that this variation might occasion great climatic changes, and James Croll developed the theory as affording a solution of the glacial periods in geology (q.v.).

Variation of Latitude.—Another secular motion of the Earth is due to the fact that the axis of rotation is not rigidly fixed within it, but its polar extremities wander in a circle of about 50 ft. diameter. This oscillation brings about a variability in terrestrial latitudes, hence the name. Euler showed mathematically that such an oscillation existed, and, making certain assumptions as to the rigidity of the Earth, deduced that its period was 305 days; S.C. Chandler, from 1890 onwards, deduced from observations of the stars a period of 428 days; and Simon Newcomb explained the deviation of these periods by pointing out that Euler’s assumption of a perfectly rigid Earth is not in accordance with fact. For details of this intricate subject see the articles Latitude and Earth, Figure of the.

4. Evolution and Age.—In its earliest history the mass now consolidated as the Earth and Moon was part of a vast nebulous aggregate, which in the course of time formed a central nucleus—our Sun—which shed its outer layers in such a manner as to form the solar system (see Nebular Theory). The moon may have been formed from the Earth in a similar manner, but the theory of tidal friction suggests the elongation of the Earth along an equatorial axis to form a pear-shaped figure, and that in the course of time the protuberance shot off to form the Moon (see Tide). The age of the Earth has been investigated from several directions, as have also associated questions related to climatic changes, internal temperature, orientation of the land and water (permanence of oceans and continents), &c. These problems are treated in the articles Geology and Geography.

EARTH, FIGURE OF THE. The determination of the figure of the earth is a problem of the highest importance in astronomy, inasmuch as the diameter of the earth is the unit to which all celestial distances must be referred.

Historical.

Reasoning from the uniform level appearance of the horizon, the variations in altitude of the circumpolar stars as one travels towards the north or south, the disappearance of a ship standing out to sea, and perhaps other phenomena, the earliest astronomers regarded the earth as a sphere, and they endeavoured to ascertain its dimensions. Aristotle relates that the mathematicians had found the circumference to be 400,000 stadia (about 46,000 miles). But Eratosthenes (c. 250 B.C.) appears to have been the first who entertained an accurate idea of the principles on which the determination of the figure of the earth really depends, and attempted to reduce them to practice. His results were very inaccurate, but his method is the same as that which is followed at the present day—depending, in fact, on the comparison of a line measured on the earth’s surface with the corresponding arc of the heavens. He observed that at Syene in Upper Egypt, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun was exactly vertical, whilst at Alexandria at the same season of the year its zenith distance was 7° 12′, or one-fiftieth of the circumference of a circle. He assumed that these places were on the same meridian; and, reckoning their distance apart as 5000 stadia, he inferred that the circumference of the earth was 250,000 stadia (about 29,000 miles). A similar attempt was made by Posidonius, who adopted a method which differed from that of Eratosthenes only in using a star instead of the sun. He obtained 240,000 stadia (about 27,600 miles) for the circumference. Ptolemy in his Geography assigns the length of the degree as 500 stadia.

The Arabs also investigated the question of the earth’s magnitude. The caliph Abdallah al Mamun (A.D. 814), having fixed on a spot in the plains of Mesopotamia, despatched one company of astronomers northwards and another southwards, measuring the journey by rods, until each found the altitude of the pole to have changed one degree. But the result of this measurement does not appear to have been very satisfactory. From this time the subject seems to have attracted no attention until about 1500, when Jean Fernel (1497-1558), a Frenchman, measured a distance in the direction of the meridian near Paris by counting the number of revolutions of the wheel of a carriage. His astronomical observations were made with a triangle used as a quadrant, and his resulting length of a degree was very near the truth.

Willebrord Snell1 substituted a chain of triangles for actual linear measurement. He measured his base line on the frozen surface of the meadows near Leiden, and measured the angles of his triangles, which lay between Alkmaar and Bergen-op-Zoom, with a quadrant and semicircles. He took the precaution of 802 comparing his standard with that of the French, so that his result was expressed in toises (the length of the toise is about 6.39 English ft.). The work was recomputed and reobserved by P. von Musschenbroek in 1729. In 1637 an Englishman, Richard Norwood, published a determination of the figure of the earth in a volume entitled The Seaman’s Practice, contayning a Fundamentall Probleme in Navigation experimentally verified, namely, touching the Compasse of the Earth and Sea and the quantity of a Degree in our English Measures. He observed on the 11th of June 1633 the sun’s meridian altitude in London as 62° 1′, and on the 6th of June 1635, his meridian altitude in York as 59° 33′. He measured the distance between these places partly with a chain and partly by pacing. By this means, through compensation of errors, he arrived at 367,176 ft. for the degree—a very fair result.

The application of the telescope to angular instruments was the next important step. Jean Picard was the first who in 1669, with the telescope, using such precautions as the nature of the operation requires, measured an arc of meridian. He measured with wooden rods a base line of 5663 toises, and a second or base of verification of 3902 toises; his triangulation extended from Malvoisine, near Paris, to Sourdon, near Amiens. The angles of the triangles were measured with a quadrant furnished with a telescope having cross-wires. The difference of latitude of the terminal stations was determined by observations made with a sector on a star in Cassiopeia, giving 1° 22′ 55″ for the amplitude. The terrestrial measurement gave 78,850 toises, whence he inferred for the length of the degree 57,060 toises.

Hitherto geodetic observations had been confined to the determination of the magnitude of the earth considered as a sphere, but a discovery made by Jean Richer (d. 1696) turned the attention of mathematicians to its deviation from a spherical form. This astronomer, having been sent by the Academy of Sciences of Paris to the island of Cayenne, in South America, for the purpose of investigating the amount of astronomical refraction and other astronomical objects, observed that his clock, which had been regulated at Paris to beat seconds, lost about two minutes and a half daily at Cayenne, and that in order to bring it to measure mean solar time it was necessary to shorten the pendulum by more than a line (about 1⁄12th of an in.). This fact, which was scarcely credited till it had been confirmed by the subsequent observations of Varin and Deshayes on the coasts of Africa and America, was first explained in the third book of Newton’s Principia, who showed that it could only be referred to a diminution of gravity arising either from a protuberance of the equatorial parts of the earth and consequent increase of the distance from the centre, or from the counteracting effect of the centrifugal force. About the same time (1673) appeared Christian Huygens’ De Horologio Oscillatorio, in which for the first time were found correct notions on the subject of centrifugal force. It does not, however, appear that they were applied to the theoretical investigation of the figure of the earth before the publication of Newton’s Principia. In 1690 Huygens published his De Causa Gravitatis, which contains an investigation of the figure of the earth on the supposition that the attraction of every particle is towards the centre.

Between 1684 and 1718 J. and D. Cassini, starting from Picard’s base, carried a triangulation northwards from Paris to Dunkirk and southwards from Paris to Collioure. They measured a base of 7246 toises near Perpignan, and a somewhat shorter base near Dunkirk; and from the northern portion of the arc, which had an amplitude of 2° 12′ 9″, obtained for the length of a degree 56,960 toises; while from the southern portion, of which the amplitude was 6° 18′ 57″, they obtained 57,097 toises. The immediate inference from this was that, the degree diminishing with increasing latitude, the earth must be a prolate spheroid. This conclusion was totally opposed to the theoretical investigations of Newton and Huygens, and accordingly the Academy of Sciences of Paris determined to apply a decisive test by the measurement of arcs at a great distance from each other—one in the neighbourhood of the equator, the other in a high latitude. Thus arose the celebrated expeditions of the French academicians. In May 1735 Louis Godin, Pierre Bouguer and Charles Marie de la Condamine, under the auspices of Louis XV., proceeded to Peru, where, assisted by two Spanish officers, after ten years of laborious exertion, they measured an arc of 3° 7′, the northern end near the equator. The second party consisted of Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis, Alexis Claude Clairault, Charles Étienne Louis Camus, Pierre Charles Lemonnier, and Reginaud Outhier, who reached the Gulf of Bothnia in July 1736; they were in some respects more fortunate than the first party, inasmuch as they completed the measurement of an arc near the polar circle of 57′ amplitude and returned within sixteen months from the date of their departure.

The measurement of Bouguer and De la Condamine was executed with great care, and on account of the locality, as well as the manner in which all the details were conducted, it has always been regarded as a most valuable determination. The southern limit was at Tarqui, the northern at Cotchesqui. A base of 6272 toises was measured in the vicinity of Quito, near the northern extremity of the arc, and a second base of 5260 toises near the southern extremity. The mountainous nature of the country made the work very laborious, in some cases the difference of heights of two neighbouring stations exceeding 1 mile; and they had much trouble with their instruments, those with which they were to determine the latitudes proving untrustworthy. But they succeeded by simultaneous observations of the same star at the two extremities of the arc in obtaining very fair results. The whole length of the arc amounted to 176,945 toises, while the difference of latitudes was 3° 7′ 3″. In consequence of a misunderstanding that arose between De la Condamine and Bouguer, their operations were conducted separately, and each wrote a full account of the expedition. Bouguer’s book was published in 1749; that of De la Condamine in 1751. The toise used in this measure was afterwards regarded as the standard toise, and is always referred to as the Toise of Peru.

The party of Maupertuis, though their work was quickly despatched, had also to contend with great difficulties. Not being able to make use of the small islands in the Gulf of Bothnia for the trigonometrical stations, they were forced to penetrate into the forests of Lapland, commencing operations at Torneå, a city situated on the mainland near the extremity of the gulf. From this, the southern extremity of their arc, they carried a chain of triangles northward to the mountain Kittis, which they selected as the northern terminus. The latitudes were determined by observations with a sector (made by George Graham) of the zenith distance of α and δ Draconis. The base line was measured on the frozen surface of the river Torneå about the middle of the arc; two parties measured it separately, and they differed by about 4 in. The result of the whole was that the difference of latitudes of the terminal stations was 57′ 29″ .6, and the length of the arc 55,023 toises. In this expedition, as well as in that to Peru, observations were made with a pendulum to determine the force of gravity; and these observations coincided with the geodetic results in proving that the earth was an oblate and not prolate spheroid.

In 1740 was published in the Paris Mémoires an account, by Cassini de Thury, of a remeasurement by himself and Nicolas Louis de Lacaille of the meridian of Paris. With a view to determine more accurately the variation of the degree along the meridian, they divided the distance from Dunkirk to Collioure into four partial arcs of about two degrees each, by observing the latitude at five stations. The results previously obtained by J. and D. Cassini were not confirmed, but, on the contrary, the length of the degree derived from these partial arcs showed on the whole an increase with an increasing latitude. Cassini and Lacaille also measured an arc of parallel across the mouth of the Rhone. The difference of time of the extremities was determined by the observers at either end noting the instant of a signal given by flashing gunpowder at a point near the middle of the arc.

While at the Cape of Good Hope in 1752, engaged in various astronomical observations, Lacaille measured an arc of meridian of 1° 13′ 17″, which gave him for the length of the degree 57,037 803 toises—an unexpected result, which has led to the remeasurement of the arc by Sir Thomas Maclear (see Geodesy).

Passing over the measurements made between Rome and Rimini and on the plains of Piedmont by the Jesuits Ruggiero Giuseppe Boscovich and Giovanni Battista Beccaria, and also the arc measured with deal rods in North America by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, we come to the commencement of the English triangulation. In 1783, in consequence of a representation from Cassini de Thury on the advantages that would accrue from the geodetic connexion of Paris and Greenwich, General William Roy was, with the king’s approval, appointed by the Royal Society to conduct the operations on the part of England, Count Cassini, Méchain and Delambre being appointed on the French side. A precision previously unknown was attained by the use of Ramsden’s theodolite, which was the first to make the spherical excess of triangles measurable. The wooden rods with which the first base was measured were replaced by glass rods, which were afterwards rejected for the steel chain of Ramsden. (For further details see Account of the Trigonometrical Survey of England and Wales.)

Shortly after this, the National Convention of France, having agreed to remodel their system of weights and measures, chose for their unit of length the ten-millionth part of the meridian quadrant. In order to obtain this length precisely, the remeasurement of the French meridian was resolved on, and deputed to J.B.J. Delambre and Pierre François André Méchain. The details of this operation will be found in the Base du système métrique décimale. The arc was subsequently extended by Jean Baptiste Biot and Dominique François Jean Arago to the island of Iviza. Operations for the connexion of England with the continent of Europe were resumed in 1821 to 1823 by Henry Kater and Thomas Frederick Colby on the English side, and F.J.D. Arago and Claude Louis Mathieu on the French.

The publication in 1838 of Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel’s Gradmessung in Ostpreussen marks an era in the science of geodesy. Here we find the method of least squares applied to the calculation of a network of triangles and the reduction of the observations generally. The systematic manner in which all the observations were taken with the view of securing final results of extreme accuracy is admirable. The triangulation, which was a small one, extended about a degree and a half along the shores of the Baltic in a N.N.E. direction. The angles were observed with theodolites of 12 and 15 in. diameter, and the latitudes determined by means of the transit instrument in the prime vertical—a method much used in Germany. (The base apparatus is described in the article Geodesy.)

The principal triangulation of Great Britain and Ireland, which was commenced in 1783 under General Roy, for the more immediate purpose of connecting the observatories of Greenwich and Paris, had been gradually extended, under the successive direction of Colonel E. Williams, General W. Mudge, General T.F. Colby, Colonel L.A. Hall, and Colonel Sir Henry James; it was finished in 1851. The number of stations is about 250. At 32 of these the latitudes were determined with Ramsden’s and Airy’s zenith sectors. The theodolites used for this work were, in addition to the two great theodolites of Ramsden which were used by General Roy and Captain Kater, a smaller theodolite of 18 in. diameter by the same mechanician, and another of 24 in. diameter by Messrs Troughton and Simms. Observations for determination of absolute azimuth were made with those instruments at a large number of stations; the stars α, δ, and λ Ursae Minoris and 51 Cephei being those observed always at the greatest azimuths. At six of these stations the probable error of the result is under 0.4″, at twelve under 0.5″, at thirty-four under 0.7″: so that the absolute azimuth of the whole network is determined with extreme accuracy. Of the seven base lines which have been measured, five were by means of steel chains and two with Colby’s compensation bars (see Geodesy). The triangulation was computed by least squares. The total number of equations of condition for the triangulation is 920; if therefore the whole had been reduced in one mass, as it should have been, the solution of an equation of 920 unknown quantities would have occurred as a part of the work. To avoid this an approximation was resorted to; the triangulation was divided into twenty-one parts or figures; four of these, not adjacent, were first adjusted by the method explained, and the corrections thus determined in these figures carried into the equations of condition of the adjacent figures. The average number of equations in a figure is 44; the largest equation is one of 77 unknown quantities. The vertical limb of Airy’s zenith sector is read by four microscopes, and in the complete observation of a star there are 10 micrometer readings and 12 level readings. The instrument is portable; and a complete determination of latitude, affected with the mean of the declination errors of two stars, is effected by two micrometer readings and four level readings. The observation consists in measuring with the telescope micrometer the difference of zenith distances of two stars which cross the meridian, one to the north and the other to the south of the observer at zenith distances which differ by not much more than 10′ or 15′, the interval of the times of transit being not less than one nor more than twenty minutes. The advantages are that, with simplicity in the construction of the instrument and facility in the manipulation, refraction is eliminated (or nearly so, as the stars are generally selected within 25° of the zenith), and there is no large divided circle. The telescope, which is counterpoised on one side of the vertical axis, has a small circle for finding, and there is also a small horizontal circle. This instrument is universally used in American geodesy.

Extensive operations for surveying India and determining the figure of the earth were commenced in 1800. Colonel W. Lambton started the great meridian arc at Punnae in latitude 8° 9′, and, following generally the methods of the English survey, he carried his triangulation as far north as 20° 30′. The work was continued by Sir George (then Captain) Everest, who carried it to the latitude of 29° 30′. Two admirable volumes by Sir George Everest, published in 1830 and in 1847, give the details of this undertaking. The survey was afterwards prosecuted by Colonel T.T. Walker, R.E., who made valuable contributions to geodesy. The working out of the Indian chains of triangle by the method of least squares presents peculiar difficulties, but, enormous in extent as the work was, it has been thoroughly carried out. The ten base lines on which the survey depends were measured with Colby’s compensation bars.

In 1860 Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve published his Arc du méridien de 25° 20′ entre le Danube et la Mer Glaciale mesuré depuis 1816 jusqu’en 1855. The latitudes of the thirteen astronomical stations of this arc were determined partly with vertical circles and partly by means of the transit instrument in the prime vertical. The triangulation, a great part of which, however, is a simple chain of triangles, is reduced by the method of least squares, and the probable errors of the resulting distances of parallels is given; the probable error of the whole arc in length is ± 6.2 toises. Ten base lines were measured. The sum of the 804 lengths of the ten measured bases is 29,863 toises, so that the average length of a base line is 19,100 ft. The azimuths were observed at fourteen stations. In high latitudes the determination of the meridian is a matter of great difficulty; nevertheless the azimuths at all the northern stations were successfully determined,—the probable error of the result at Fuglenaes being ± 0″.53.

Before proceeding with the modern developments of geodetic measurements and their application to the figure of the earth, we must discuss the “mechanical theory,” which is indispensable for a full understanding of the subject.

Mechanical Theory.

Newton, by applying his theory of gravitation, combined with the so-called centrifugal force, to the earth, and assuming that an oblate ellipsoid of rotation is a form of equilibrium for a homogeneous fluid rotating with uniform angular velocity, obtained the ratio of the axes 229:230, and the law of variation of gravity on the surface. A few years later Huygens published an investigation of the figure of the earth, supposing the attraction of every particle to be towards the centre of the earth, obtaining as a result that the proportion of the axes should be 578 : 579. In 1740 Colin Maclaurin, in his De causa physica fluxus et refluxus maris, demonstrated that the oblate ellipsoid of revolution is a figure which satisfies the conditions of equilibrium in the case of a revolving homogeneous fluid mass, whose particles attract one another according to the law of the inverse square of the distance; he gave the equation connecting the ellipticity with the proportion of the centrifugal force at the equator to gravity, and determined the attraction on a particle situated anywhere on the surface of such a body. In 1743 Clairault published his Théorie de la figure de la terre, which contains a remarkable theorem (“Clairault’s Theorem”), establishing a relation between the ellipticity of the earth and the variation of gravity from the equator to the poles. Assuming that the earth is composed of concentric ellipsoidal strata having a common axis of rotation, each stratum homogeneous in itself, but the ellipticities and densities of the successive strata varying according to any law, and that the superficial stratum has the same form as if it were fluid, he proved that

where g, g′ are the amounts of gravity at the equator and at the pole respectively, e the ellipticity of the meridian (or “flattening”), and m the ratio of the centrifugal force at the equator to g. He also proved that the increase of gravity in proceeding from the equator to the poles is as the square of the sine of the latitude. This, taken with the former theorem, gives the means of determining the earth’s ellipticity from observation of the relative force of gravity at any two places. P.S. Laplace, who devoted much attention to the subject, remarks on Clairault’s work that “the importance of all his results and the elegance with which they are presented place this work amongst the most beautiful of mathematical productions” (Isaac Todhunter’s History of the Mathematical Theories of Attraction and the Figure of the Earth, vol. i. p. 229).

The problem of the figure of the earth treated as a question of mechanics or hydrostatics is one of great difficulty, and it would be quite impracticable but for the circumstance that the surface differs but little from a sphere. In order to express the forces at any point of the body arising from the attraction of its particles, the form of the surface is required, but this form is the very one which it is the object of the investigation to discover; hence the complexity of the subject, and even with all the present resources of mathematicians only a partial and imperfect solution can be obtained.

In 1845 Sir G.G. Stokes (Camb. Trans. viii.; see also Camb. Dub. Math. Journ., 1849, iv.) proved that if the external form of the sea—imagined to percolate the land by canals—be a spheroid with small ellipticity, then the law of gravity is that which we have shown above; his proof required no assumption as to the ellipticity of the internal strata, or as to the past or present fluidity of the earth. This investigation admits of being regarded conversely, viz. as determining the elliptical form of the earth from measurements of gravity; if G, the observed value of gravity in latitude φ, be expressed in the form G = g(1 + β sin² φ), where g is the value at the equator and β a coefficient. In this investigation, the square and higher powers of the ellipticity are neglected; the solution was completed by F.R. Helmert with regard to the square of the ellipticity, who showed that a term with sin² 2φ appeared (see Helmert, Geodäsie, ii. 83). For the coefficient of this term, the gravity measurements give a small but not sufficiently certain value; we therefore assume a value which agrees best with the hypothesis of the fluid state of the entire earth; this assumption is well supported, since even at a depth of only 50 km. the pressure of the superincumbent crust is so great that rocks become plastic, and behave approximately as fluids, and consequently the crust of the earth floats, to some extent, on the interior (even though this may not be fluid in the usual sense of the word). This is the geological theory of “Isostasis” (cf. Geology); it agrees with the results of measurements of gravity (vide infra), and was brought forward in the middle of the 19th century by J.H. Pratt, who deduced it from observations made in India.

The sin² 2φ term in the expression for G, and the corresponding deviation of the meridian from an ellipse, have been analytically established by Sir G.H. Darwin and E. Wiechert; earlier and less complete investigations were made by Sir G.B. Airy and O. Callandreau. In consequence of the sin² 2φ term, two parameters of the level surfaces in the interior of the earth are to be determined; for this purpose, Darwin develops two differential equations in the place of the one by Clairault. By assuming Roche’s law for the variation of the density in the interior of the Earth, viz. ρ = ρ1 − k(c/c1)², k being a coefficient, it is shown that in latitude 45°, the meridian is depressed about 3¼ metres from the ellipse, and the coefficient of the term sin²φ cos²φ (= ¼ sin²2φ) is −0.0000295. According to Wiechert the earth is composed of a kernel and a shell, the kernel being composed of material, chiefly metallic iron, of density near 8.2, and the shell, about 900 miles thick, of silicates, &c., of density about 3.2. On this assumption the depression in latitude 45° is 2¾ metres, and the coefficient of sin²φ cos²φ is, in round numbers, −0.0000280.2 To this additional term in the formula for G, there corresponds an extension of Clairault’s formula for the calculation of the flattening from β with terms of the higher orders; this was first accomplished by Helmert.

For a long time the assumption of an ellipsoid with three unequal axes has been held possible for the figure of the earth, in consequence of an important theorem due to K.G. Jacobi, who proved that for a homogeneous fluid in rotation a spheroid is not the only form of equilibrium; an ellipsoid rotating round its least axis may with certain proportions of the axes and a certain time of revolution be a form of equilibrium.3 It has been objected to the figure of three unequal axes that it does not satisfy, in the proportions of the axes, the conditions brought out in Jacobi’s theorem (c : a < 1/√2). Admitting this, it has to be noted, on the other hand, that Jacobi’s theorem contemplates a homogeneous fluid, and this is certainly far from the actual condition of our globe; indeed the irregular distribution of continents and oceans suggests the possibility of a sensible divergence from a perfect surface of revolution. We may, however, assume the ellipsoid with three unequal axes to be an interpolation form. More plausible forms are little adapted for computation.4 Consequently we now generally take the ellipsoid of rotation as a basis, especially so because measurements of gravity have shown that the deviation from it is but trifling.

Local Attraction.

In speaking of the figure of the earth, we mean the surface of the sea imagined to percolate the continents by canals. That 806 this surface should turn out, after precise measurements, to be exactly an ellipsoid of revolution is a priori improbable. Although it may be highly probable that originally the earth was a fluid mass, yet in the cooling whereby the present crust has resulted, the actual solid surface has been left most irregular in form. It is clear that these irregularities of the visible surface must be accompanied by irregularities in the mathematical figure of the earth, and when we consider the general surface of our globe, its irregular distribution of mountain masses, continents, with oceans and islands, we are prepared to admit that the earth may not be precisely any surface of revolution. Nevertheless, there must exist some spheroid which agrees very closely with the mathematical figure of the earth, and has the same axis of rotation. We must conceive this figure as exhibiting slight departures from the spheroid, the two surfaces cutting one another in various lines; thus a point of the surface is defined by its latitude, longitude, and its height above the “spheroid of reference.” Calling this height N, then of the actual magnitude of this quantity we can generally have no information, it only obtrudes itself on our notice by its variations. In the vicinity of mountains it may change sign in the space of a few miles; N being regarded as a function of the latitude and longitude, if its differential coefficient with respect to the former be zero at a certain point, the normals to the two surfaces then will lie in the prime vertical; if the differential coefficient of N with respect to the longitude be zero, the two normals will lie in the meridian; if both coefficients are zero, the normals will coincide. The comparisons of terrestrial measurements with the corresponding astronomical observations have always been accompanied with discrepancies. Suppose A and B to be two trigonometrical stations, and that at A there is a disturbing force drawing the vertical through an angle δ, then it is evident that the apparent zenith of A will be really that of some other place A′, whose distance from A is rδ, when r is the earth’s radius; and similarly if there be a disturbance at B of the amount δ′, the apparent zenith of B will be really that of some other place B′, whose distance from B is rδ′. Hence we have the discrepancy that, while the geodetic measurements deal with the points A and B, the astronomical observations belong to the points A′, B′. Should δ, δ′ be equal and parallel, the displacements AA′, BB′ will be equal and parallel, and no discrepancy will appear. The non-recognition of this circumstance often led to much perplexity in the early history of geodesy. Suppose that, through the unknown variations of N, the probable error of an observed latitude (that is, the angle between the normal to the mathematical surface of the earth at the given point and that of the corresponding point on the spheroid of reference) be ε, then if we compare two arcs of a degree each in mean latitudes, and near each other, say about five degrees of latitude apart, the probable error of the resulting value of the ellipticity will be approximately ±1⁄500ε, ε being expressed in seconds, so that if ε be so great as 2″ the probable error of the resulting ellipticity will be greater than the ellipticity itself.

It is necessary at times to calculate the attraction of a mountain, and the consequent disturbance of the astronomical zenith, at any point within its influence. The deflection of the plumb-line, caused by a local attraction whose amount is k²Aδ, is measured by the ratio of k²Aδ to the force of gravity at the station. Expressed in seconds, the deflection Λ is

Λ = 12″.447Aδ / ρ,

where ρ is the mean density of the earth, δ that of the attracting mass, and A = ƒs−3xdv, in which dv is a volume element of the attracting mass within the distance s from the point of deflection, and x the projection of s on the horizontal plane through this point, the linear unit in expressing A being a mile. Suppose, for instance, a table-land whose form is a rectangle of 12 miles by 8 miles, having a height of 500 ft. and density half that of the earth; let the observer be 2 miles distant from the middle point of the longer side. The deflection then is 1″.472; but at 1 mile it increases to 2″.20.

At sixteen astronomical stations in the English survey the disturbance of latitude due to the form of the ground has been computed, and the following will give an idea of the results. At six stations the deflection is under 2″, at six others it is between 2″ and 4″, and at four stations it exceeds 4″. There is one very exceptional station on the north coast of Banffshire, near the village of Portsoy, at which the deflection amounts to 10″, so that if that village were placed on a map in a position to correspond with its astronomical latitude, it would be 1000 ft. out of position! There is the sea to the north and an undulating country to the south, which, however, to a spectator at the station does not suggest any great disturbance of gravity. A somewhat rough estimate of the local attraction from external causes gives a maximum limit of 5″, therefore we have 5″ which must arise from unequal density in the underlying strata in the surrounding country. In order to throw light on this remarkable phenomenon, the latitudes of a number of stations between Nairn on the west, Fraserburgh on the east, and the Grampians on the south, were observed, and the local deflections determined. It is somewhat singular that the deflections diminish in all directions, not very regularly certainly, and most slowly in a south-west direction, finally disappearing, and leaving the maximum at the original station at Portsoy.

The method employed by Dr C. Hutton for computing the attraction of masses of ground is so simple and effectual that it can hardly be improved on. Let a horizontal plane pass through the given station; let r, θ be the polar co-ordinates of any point in this plane, and r, θ, z, the co-ordinates of a particle of the attracting mass; and let it be required to find the attraction of a portion of the mass contained between the horizontal planes z = 0, z = h, the cylindrical surfaces r = r1, r = r2, and the vertical planes θ = θ1, θ = θ2. The component of the attraction at the station or origin along the line θ = 0 is

By taking r2 − r1, sufficiently small, and supposing h also small compared with r1 + r2 (as it usually is), the attraction is

k²δ (r2 − r1) (sinθ2 − sinθ1) h/r,

where r = ½ (r1 + r2). This form suggests the following procedure. Draw on the contoured map a series of equidistant circles, concentric with the station, intersected by radial lines so disposed that the sines of their azimuths are in arithmetical progression. Then, having estimated from the map the mean heights of the various compartments, the calculation is obvious.

In mountainous countries, as near the Alps and in the Caucasus, deflections have been observed to the amount of as much as 30″, while in the Himalayas deflections amounting to 60″ were observed. On the other hand, deflections have been observed in flat countries, such as that noted by Professor K.G. Schweizer, who has shown that, at certain stations in the vicinity of Moscow, within a distance of 16 miles the plumb-line varies 16″ in such a manner as to indicate a vast deficiency of matter in the underlying strata; deflections of 10″ were observed in the level regions of north Germany.

Since the attraction of a mountain mass is expressed as a numerical multiple of δ : ρ the ratio of the density of the mountain to that of the earth, if we have any independent means of ascertaining the amount of the deflection, we have at once the ratio ρ : δ, and thus we obtain the mean density of the earth, as, for instance, at Schiehallion, and afterwards at Arthur’s Seat. Experiments of this kind for determining the mean density of the earth have been made in greater numbers; but they are not free from objection (see Gravitation).

Let us now consider the perturbation attending a spherical subterranean mass. A compact mass of great density at a small distance under the surface of the earth will produce an elevation of the mathematical surface which is expressed by the formula

y = aμ {(1 − 2u cosθ + u²)−1/2 − 1},

where a is the radius of the (spherical) earth, a (1 − u) the distance 807 of the disturbing mass below the surface, μ the ratio of the disturbing mass to the mass of the earth, and aθ the distance of any point on the surface from that point, say Q, which is vertically over the disturbing mass. The maximum value of y is at Q, where it is y = aμu (1 − u). The deflection at the distance aθ is Λ = μu sinθ (1 − 2u cosθ + u²)−3/2, or since θ is small, putting h + u = 1, we have Λ = μθ (h² + θ²)−3/2. The maximum deflection takes place at a point whose distance from Q is to the depth of the mass as 1 : √2, and its amount is 2μ/3 √3h². If, for instance, the disturbing mass were a sphere a mile in diameter, the excess of its density above that of the surrounding country being equal to half the density of the earth, and the depth of its centre half a mile, the greatest deflection would be 5″, and the greatest value of y only two inches. Thus a large disturbance of gravity may arise from an irregularity in the mathematical surface whose actual magnitude, as regards height at least, is extremely small.

The effect of the disturbing mass μ on the vibrations of a pendulum would be a maximum at Q; if v be the number of seconds of time gained per diem by the pendulum at Q, and σ the number of seconds of angle in the maximum deflection, then it may be shown that v/σ = π√3/10.

The great Indian survey, and the attendant measurements of the degree of latitude, gave occasion to elaborate investigations of the deflection of the plumb-line in the neighbourhood of the high plateaus and mountain chains of Central Asia. Archdeacon Pratt (Phil. Trans., 1855 and 1857), in instituting these investigations, took into consideration the influence of the apparent diminution of the mass of the earth’s crust occasioned by the neighbouring ocean-basins; he concluded that the accumulated masses of mountain chains, &c., corresponded to subterranean mass diminutions, so that over any level surface in a fixed depth (perhaps 100 miles or more) the masses of prisms of equal section are equal. This is supported by the gravity measurements at Moré in the Himalayas at a height of 4696 metres, which showed no deflection due to the mountain chain (Phil. Trans., 1871); more recently, H.A. Faye (Compt. rend., 1880) arrived at the same conclusion for the entire continent.

This compensation, however, must only be regarded as a general principle; in certain cases, the compensating masses show marked horizontal displacements. Further investigations, especially of gravity measurements, will undoubtedly establish other important facts. Colonel S.G. Burrard has recently recalculated, with the aid of more exact data, certain Indian deviations of the plumb-line, and has established that in the region south of the Himalayas (lat. 24°) there is a subterranean perturbing mass. The extent of the compensation of the high mountain chains is difficult to recognize from the latitude observations, since the same effect may result from different causes; on the other hand, observations of geographical longitude have established a strong compensation.5

Meridian Arcs.

The astronomical stations for the measurement of the degree of latitude will generally lie not exactly on the same meridian; and it is therefore necessary to calculate the arcs of meridian M which lie between the latitude of neighbouring stations. If S be the geodetic line calculated from the triangulation with the astronomically determined azimuths α1 and α2, then

in which 2α = α1 + α2 − 180°, Δα = α2 − α1 − 180°.

The length of the arc of meridian between the latitudes φ1 and φ2 is

where a²e² = a² − b²; instead of using the eccentricity e, put the ratio of the axes b : a = 1 − n : 1 + n, then

This, after integration, gives

where

The part of M which depends on n³ is very small; in fact, if we calculate it for one of the longest arcs measured, the Russian arc, it amounts to only an inch and a half, therefore we omit this term, and put for M/b the value

Now, if we suppose the observed latitudes to be affected with errors, and that the true latitudes are φ1 + x1, φ2 + x2; and if further we suppose that n1 + dn is the true value of a − b : a + b, and that n1 itself is merely a very approximate numerical value, we get, on making these substitutions and neglecting the influence of the corrections x on the position of the arc in latitude, i.e. on φ1 + φ2,

here dα0 = x2 − x1; and as b is only known approximately, put b = b1(1 + u); then we get, after dividing through by the coefficient of dα0, which is = 1 + n1 − 3n1 cos(φ2 − φ1) cos(φ2 + φ1), an equation of the form x2 = x1 + h + fu + gv, where for convenience we put v for dn.

Now in every measured arc there are not only the extreme stations determined in latitude, but also a number of intermediate stations so that if there be i + 1 stations there will be i equations

In combining a number of different arcs of meridian, with the view of determining the figure of the earth, each arc will supply a number of equations in u and v and the corrections to its observed latitudes. Then, according to the method of least squares, those values of u and v are the most probable which render the sum of the squares of all the errors x a minimum. The corrections x which are here applied arise not from errors of observation only. The mere uncertainty of a latitude, as determined with modern instruments, does not exceed a very small fraction of a second as far as errors of observation go, but no accuracy in observing will remove the error that may arise from local attraction. This, as we have seen, may amount to some seconds, so that the corrections x to the observed latitudes are attributable to local attraction. Archdeacon Pratt objected to this mode of applying least squares first used by Bessel; but Bessel was right, and the objection is groundless. Bessel found, in 1841, from ten meridian arcs with a total amplitude of 50°.6:

The probable error in the length of the earth’s quadrant is ± 336 m.

We now give a series of some meridian-arcs measurements, which were utilized in 1866 by A.R. Clarke in the Comparisons of the Standards of Length, pp. 280-287; details of the calculations are given by the same author in his Geodesy (1880), pp. 311 et seq.

The data of the French arc from Formentera to Dunkirk are—

808

The distance of the parallels of Dunkirk and Greenwich, deduced from the extension of the triangulation of England into France, in 1862, is 161407.3 ft., which is 3.9 ft. greater than that obtained from Captain Kater’s triangulation, and 3.2 ft. less than the distance calculated by Delambre from General Roy’s triangulation. The following table shows the data of the English arc with the distances in standard feet from Formentera.

The latitude assigned in this table to Saxavord is not the directly observed latitude, which is 60° 49′ 38.58″, for there are here a cluster of three points, whose latitudes are astronomically determined; and if we transfer, by means of the geodesic connexion, the latitude of Gerth of Scaw to Saxavord, we get 60° 49′ 36.59″; and if we similarly transfer the latitude of Balta, we get 60° 49′ 36.46″. The mean of these three is that entered in the above table.

For the Indian arc in long. 77° 40′ we have the following data:—

The data of the Russian arc (long. 26° 40′) taken from Struve’s work are as below:—

From the are measured in Cape Colony by Sir Thomas Maclear in long. 18° 30′, we have

And, finally, for the Peruvian arc, in long. 281° 0′,

Having now stated the data of the problem, we may seek that oblate ellipsoid (spheroid) which best represents the observations. Whatever the real figure may be, it is certain that if we suppose it an ellipsoid with three unequal axes, the arithmetical process will bring out an ellipsoid, which will agree better with all the observed latitudes than any spheroid would, therefore we do not prove that it is an ellipsoid; to prove this, arcs of longitude would be required. The result for the spheroid may be expressed thus:—

a = 20926062 ft. = 6378206.4 metres.
b = 20855121 ft. = 6356583.8 metres.
b : a = 293.98 : 294.98.

As might be expected, the sum of the squares of the 40 latitude corrections, viz. 153.99, is greater in this figure than in that of three axes, where it amounts to 138.30. For this case, in the Indian arc the largest corrections are at Dodagunta, + 3.87″, and at Kalianpur, − 3.68″. In the Russian arc the largest corrections are + 3.76″, at Torneå, and − 3.31″, at Staro Nekrasovsk. Of the whole 40 corrections, 16 are under 1.0″, 10 between 1.0″ and 2.0″, 10 between 2.0″ and 3.0″, and 4 over 3.0″. The probable error of an observed latitude is ± 1.42″; for the spheroidal it would be very slightly larger. This quantity may be taken therefore as approximately the probable amount of local deflection.

If ρ be the radius of curvature of the meridian in latitude φ, ρ′ that perpendicular to the meridian, D the length of a degree of the meridian, D′ the length of a degree of longitude, r the radius drawn from the centre of the earth, V the angle of the vertical with the radius-vector, then

A.R. Clarke has recalculated the elements of the ellipsoid of the earth; his values, derived in 1880, in which he utilized the measurements of parallel arcs in India, are particularly in practice. These values are:—

a = 20926202 ft. = 6378249 metres,
b = 20854895 ft. = 6356515 metres,
b : a = 292.465 : 293.465.

Gravitation-Measurements.

According to Clairault’s theorem (see above) the ellipticity e of the mathematical surface of the earth is equal to the difference 5⁄2m − β, where m is the ratio of the centrifugal force at the equator to gravity at the equator, and β is derived from the formula G = g(1 + β sin²φ). Since the beginning of the 19th century many efforts have been made to determine the constants of this formula, and numerous expeditions undertaken to investigate the intensity of gravity in different latitudes. If m be known, it is only necessary to determine β for the evaluation of e; consequently it is unnecessary to determine G absolutely, for the relative values of G at two known latitudes suffice. Such relative measurements are easier and more exact than absolute ones. In some cases the ordinary thread pendulum, i.e. a spherical bob suspended by a wire, has been employed; but more often a rigid metal rod, bearing a weight and a knife-edge on which it may oscillate, has been adopted. The main point is the constancy of the pendulum. From the formula for the time of oscillation of the mathematically ideal pendulum, t = 2π√l/G, l being the length, it follows that for two points G1 / G2 = t2² / t1².

In 1808 J.B. Biot commenced his pendulum observations at several stations in western Europe; and in 1817-1825 Captain Louis de Freycinet and L.I. Duperrey prosecuted similar observations far into the southern hemisphere. Captain Henry Kater confined himself to British stations (1818-1819); Captain E. Sabine, from 1819 to 1829, observed similarly, with Kater’s pendulum, at seventeen stations ranging from the West Indies 809 to Greenland and Spitsbergen; and in 1824-1831, Captain Henry Foster (who met his death by drowning in Central America) experimented at sixteen stations; his observations were completed by Francis Baily in London. Of other workers in this field mention may be made of F.B. Lütke (1826-1829), a Russian rear-admiral, and Captains J.B. Basevi and W.T. Heaviside, who observed during 1865 to 1873 at Kew and at 29 Indian stations, particularly at Moré in the Himalayas at a height of 4696 metres. Of the earlier absolute determinations we may mention those of Biot, Kater, and Bessel at Paris, London and Königsberg respectively. The measurements were particularly difficult by reason of the length of the pendulums employed, these generally being second-pendulums over 1 metre long. In about 1880, Colonel Robert von Sterneck of Austria introduced the half-second pendulum, which permitted far quicker and more accurate work. The use of these pendulums spread in all countries, and the number of gravity stations consequently increased: in 1880 there were about 120, in 1900 there were about 1600, of which the greater number were in Europe. Sir E. Sabine6 calculated the ellipticity to be 1/288.5, a value shown to be too high by Helmert, who in 1884, with the aid of 120 stations, gave the value 1/299.26,7 and in 1901, with about 1400 stations, derived the value 1/298.3.8 The reason for the excessive estimate of Sabine is that he did not take into account the systematic difference between the values of G for continents and islands; it was found that in consequence of the constitution of the earth’s crust (Pratt) G is greater on small islands of the ocean than on continents by an amount which may approach to 0.3 cm. Moreover, stations in the neighbourhood of coasts shelving to deep seas have a surplus, but a little smaller. Consequently, Helmert conducted his calculations of 1901 for continents and coasts separately, and obtained G for the coasts 0.036 cm. greater than for the continents, while the value of β remained the same. The mean value, reduced to continents, is

G = 978.03 (1 + 0.005302 sin²φ − 0.000007 sin²2φ) cm/sec².

The small term involving sin² 2φ could not be calculated with sufficient exactness from the observations, and is therefore taken from the theoretical views of Sir G.H. Darwin and E. Wiechert. For the constant g = 978.03 cm. another correction has been suggested (1906) by the absolute determinations made by F. Kühnen and Ph. Furtwängler at Potsdam.9

A difficulty presents itself in the case of the application of measurements of gravity to the determination of the figure of the earth by reason of the extrusion or standing out of the land-masses (continents, &c.) above the sea-level. The potential of gravity has a different mathematical expression outside the masses than inside. The difficulty is removed by assuming (with Sir G.G. Stokes) the vertical condensation of the masses on the sea-level, without its form being considerably altered (scarcely 1 metre radially). Further, the value of gravity (g) measured at the height H is corrected to sea-level by + 2gH/R, where R is the radius of the earth. Another correction, due to P. Bouguer, is − 3⁄2gδH/ρR, where δ is the density of the strata of height H, and ρ the mean density of the earth. These two corrections are represented in “Bouguer’s Rule”: gH = gs (1 − 2H/R + 3δH / 2ρR), where gH is the gravity at height H, and gs the value at sea-level. This is supposed to take into account the attraction of the elevated strata or plateau; but, from the analytical method, this is not correct; it is also disadvantageous since, in general, the land-masses are compensated subterraneously, by reason of the isostasis of the earth’s crust.

In 1849 Stokes showed that the normal elevations N of the geoid towards the ellipsoid are calculable from the deviations Δg of the acceleration of gravity, i.e. the differences between the observed g and the value calculated from the normal G formula. The method assumes that gravity is measured on the earth’s surface at a sufficient number of points, and that it is conformably reduced. In order to secure the convergence of the expansions in spherical harmonics, it is necessary to assume all masses outside a surface parallel to the surface of the sea at a depth of 21 km. (= R × ellipticity) to be condensed on this surface (Helmert, Geod. ii. 172). In addition to the reduction with 2gH/R, there still result small reductions with mountain chains and coasts, and somewhat larger ones for islands. The sea-surface generally varies but very little by this condensation. The elevation (N) of the geoid is then equal to

N = R ∫π FG−1Δgψψ,

where ψ is the spherical distance from the point N, and Δgψ denotes the mean value of Δg for all points in the same distance ψ around; F is a function of ψ, and has the following values:—

H. Poincaré (Bull. Astr., 1901, p. 5) has exhibited N by means of Lamé’s functions; in this case the condensation is effected on an ellipsoidal surface, which approximates to the geoid. This condensation is, in practice, the same as to the geoid itself.

If we imagine the outer land-masses to be condensed on the sea-level, and the inner masses (which, together with the outer masses, causes the deviation of the geoid from the ellipsoid) to be compensated in the sea-level by a disturbing stratum (which, according to Gauss, is possible), and if these masses of both kinds correspond at the point N to a stratum of thickness D and density δ, then, according to Helmert (Geod. ii. 260) we have approximately

Since N slowly varies empirically, it follows that in restricted regions (of a few 100 km. in diameter) Δg is a measure of the variation of D. By applying the reduction of Bouguer to g, D is diminished by H and only gives the thickness of the ideal disturbing mass which corresponds to the perturbations due to subterranean masses. Δg has positive values on coasts, small islands, and high and medium mountain chains, and occasionally in plains; while in valleys and at the foot of mountain ranges it is negative (up to 0.2 cm.). We conclude from this that the masses of smaller density existing under high mountain chains lie not only vertically underneath but also spread out sideways.

The European Arc of Parallel in 52° Lat.

Many measurements of degrees of longitudes along central parallels in Europe were projected and partly carried out as early as the first half of the 19th century; these, however, only became of importance after the introduction of the electric telegraph, through which calculations of astronomical longitudes obtained a much higher degree of accuracy. Of the greatest moment is the measurement near the parallel of 52° lat., which extended from Valentia in Ireland to Orsk in the southern Ural mountains over 69° long, (about 6750 km.). F.G.W. Struve, who is to be regarded as the father of the Russo-Scandinavian latitude-degree measurements, was the originator of this investigation. Having made the requisite arrangements with the 810 governments in 1857, he transferred them to his son Otto, who, in 1860, secured the co-operation of England. A new connexion of England with the continent, via the English Channel, was accomplished in the next two years; whereas the requisite triangulations in Prussia and Russia extended over several decennaries. The number of longitude stations originally arranged for was 15; and the determinations of the differences in longitude were uniformly commenced by the Russian observers E.I. von Forsch, J.I. Zylinski, B. Tiele and others; Feaghmain (Valentia) being reserved for English observers. With the concluding calculation of these operations, newer determinations of differences of longitudes were also applicable, by which the number of stations was brought up to 29. Since local deflections of the plumb-line were suspected at Feaghmain, the most westerly station, the longitude (with respect to Greenwich) of the trigonometrical station Killorglin at the head of Dingle Bay was shortly afterwards determined.

The following figures are quoted from Helmert’s report “Die Grösse der Erde” (Sitzb. d. Berl. Akad. d. Wiss., 1906, p. 535):—

Easterly Deviation of the Astronomical Zenith.

These deviations of the plumb-line correspond to an ellipsoid having an equatorial radius (a) of nearly 6,378,000 metres (prob. error ± 70 metres) and an ellipticity 1/299.15. The latter was taken for granted; it is nearly equal to the result from the gravity-measurements; the value for a then gives Ση² a minimum (nearly). The astronomical values of the geographical longitudes (with regard to Greenwich) are assumed, according to the compensation of longitude differences carried out by van de Sande Bakhuyzen (Comp. rend, des séances de la commission permanente de l’Association Géod. Internationale à Genève, 1893, annexe A.I.). Recent determinations (Albrecht, Astr. Nach., 3993/4) have introduced only small alterations in the deviations, a being slightly increased.

Of considerable importance in the investigation of the great arc was the representation of the linear lengths found in different countries, in terms of the same unit. The necessity for this had previously occurred in the computation of the figure of the earth from latitude-degree-measurements. A.R. Clarke instituted an extensive series of comparisons at Southampton (see Comparisons of Standards of Length of England, France, Belgium, Prussia, Russia, India and Australia, made at the Ordnance Survey Office, Southampton, 1866, and a paper in the Philosophical Transactions for 1873, by Lieut.-Col. A.R. Clarke, C.B., R.E., on the further comparisons of the standards of Austria, Spain, the United States, Cape of Good Hope and Russia) and found that 1 toise = 6.39453348 ft., 1 metre = 3.28086933 ft.

In 1875 a number of European states concluded the metre convention, and in 1877 an international weights-and-measures bureau was established at Breteuil. Until this time the metre was determined by the end-surfaces of a platinum rod (mètre des archives); subsequently, rods of platinum-iridium, of cross-section , were constructed, having engraved lines at both ends of the bridge, which determine the distance of a metre. There were thirty of the rods which gave as accurately as possible the length of the metre; and these were distributed among the different states (see Weights and Measures). Careful comparisons with several standard toises showed that the metre was not exactly equal to 443,296 lines of the toise, but, in round numbers, 1/75000 of the length smaller. The metre according to the older relation is called the “legal metre,” according to the new relation the “international metre.” The values are (see Europ. Längengradmessung, i. p. 230):—

Legal metre = 3.28086933 ft., International metre = 3.2808257 ft.

The values of a given above are in terms of the international metre; the earlier ones in legal metres, while the gravity formulae are in international metres.

The International Geodetic Association (Internationale Erdmessung).

On the proposition of the Prussian lieutenant-general, Johann Jacob Baeyer, a conference of delegates of several European states met at Berlin in 1862 to discuss the question of a “Central European degree-measurement.” The first general conference took place at Berlin two years later; shortly afterwards other countries joined the movement, which was then named “The European degree-measurement.” From 1866 till 1886 Prussia had borne the expense incident to the central bureau at Berlin; but when in 1886 the operations received further extension and the title was altered to “The International Earth-measurement” or “International Geodetic Association,” the co-operating states made financial contributions to this purpose. The central bureau is affiliated with the Prussian Geodetic Institute, which, since 1892, has been situated on the Telegraphenberg near Potsdam. After Baeyer’s death Prof. Friedrich Robert Helmert was appointed director. The funds are devoted to the advancement of such scientific works as concern all countries and deal with geodetic problems of a general or universal nature. During the period 1897-1906 the following twenty-one countries belonged to the association:—Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Rumania, Russia, Servia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America. At the present time general conferences take place every three years.10

Baeyer projected the investigation of the curvature of the meridians and the parallels of the mathematical surface of the earth stretching from Christiania to Palermo for 12 degrees of longitude; he sought to co-ordinate and complete the network of triangles in the countries through which these meridians passed, and to represent his results by a common unit of length. This proposition has been carried out, and extended over the greater part of Europe; as a matter of fact, the network has, with trifling gaps, been carried over the whole of western and central Europe, and, by some chains of triangles, over European Russia. Through the co-operation of France, the network has been extended into north Africa as far as the geographical latitude of 32°; in Greece a network, united with those of Italy and Bosnia, has been carried out by the Austrian colonel, Heinrich Hartl; Servia has projected similar triangulations; Rumania has begun to make the triangle measurements, and three base 811 lines have been measured by French officers with Brunner’s apparatus. At present, in Rumania, there is being worked a connexion between the arc of parallel in lat. 47°/48° in Russia (stretching from Astrakan to Kishinev) with Austria-Hungary. In the latter country and in south Bavaria the connecting triangles for this parallel have been recently revised, as well as the French chain on the Paris parallel, which has been connected with the German net by the co-operation of German and French geodesists. This will give a long arc of parallel, really projected in the first half of the 19th century. The calculation of the Russian section gives, with an assumed ellipticity of 1/299.15, the value a = 6377350 metres; this is rather uncertain, since the arc embraces only 19° in longitude.

We may here recall that in France geodetic studies have recovered their former expansion under the vigorous impulse of Colonel (afterwards General) François Perrier. When occupied with the triangulation of Algeria, Colonel Perrier had conceived the possibility of the geodetic junction of Algeria to Spain, over the Mediterranean; therefore the French meridian line, which was already connected with England, and was thus produced to the 60th parallel, could further be linked to the Spanish triangulation, cross thence into Algeria and extend to the Sahara, so as to form an arc of about 30° in length. But it then became urgent to proceed to a new measurement of the French arc, between Dunkirk and Perpignan. In 1869 Perrier was authorized to undertake that revision. He devoted himself to that work till the end of his career, closed by premature death in February 1888, at the very moment when the Dépôt de la guerre had just been transformed into the Geographical Service of the Army, of which General F. Perrier was the first director. His work was continued by his assistant, Colonel (afterwards General) J.A.L. Bassot. The operations concerning the revision of the French arc were completed only in 1896. Meanwhile the French geodesists had accomplished the junction of Algeria to Spain, with the help of the geodesists of the Madrid Institute under General Carlos Ibañez (1879), and measured the meridian line between Algiers and El Aghuat (1881). They have since been busy in prolonging the meridians of El Aghuat and Biskra, so as to converge towards Wargla, through Ghardaïa and Tuggurt. The fundamental co-ordinates of the Panthéon have also been obtained anew, by connecting the Panthéon and the Paris Observatory with the five stations of Bry-sur-Marne, Morlu, Mont Valérien, Chatillon and Montsouris, where the observations of latitude and azimuth have been effected.11

According to the calculations made at the central bureau of the international association on the great meridian arc extending from the Shetland Islands, through Great Britain, France and Spain to El Aghuat in Algeria, a = 6377935 metres, the ellipticity being assumed as 1/299.15. The following table gives the difference: astronomical-geodetic latitude. The net does not follow the meridian exactly, but deviates both to the west and to the east; actually, the meridian of Greenwich is nearer the mean than that of Paris (Helmert, Grösse d. Erde).

West Europe-Africa Meridian-arc.12

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While the radius of curvature of this arc is obviously not uniform (being, in the mean, about 600 metres greater in the northern than in the southern part), the Russo-Scandinavian meridian arc (from 45° to 70°), on the other hand, is very uniformly curved, and gives, with an ellipticity of 1/299.15, a = 6378455 metres; this arc gives the plausible value 1/298.6 for the ellipticity. But in the case of this arc the orographical circumstances are more favourable.

The west-European and the Russo-Scandinavian meridians indicate another anomaly of the geoid. They were connected at the Central Bureau by means of east-to-west triangle chains (principally by the arc of parallel measurements in lat. 52°); it was shown that, if one proceeds from the west-European meridian arcs, the differences between the astronomical and geodetic latitudes of the Russo-Scandinavian arc become some 4″ greater.13

The central European meridian, which passes through Germany and the countries adjacent on the north and south, is under review at Potsdam (see the publications of the Kgl. Preuss. Geod. Inst., Lotabweichungen, Nos. 1-3). Particular notice must be made of the Vienna meridian, now carried southwards to Malta. The Italian triangulation is now complete, and has been joined with the neighbouring countries on the north, and with Tunis on the south.

The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey has published an account of the transcontinental triangulation and measurement of an arc of the parallel of 39°, which extends from Cape May (New Jersey), on the Atlantic coast, to Point Arena (California), on the Pacific coast, and embraces 48° 46′ of longitude, with a linear development of about 4225 km. (2625 miles). The triangulation depends upon ten base-lines, with an aggregate length of 86 km. the longest exceeding 17 km. in length, which have been measured with the utmost care. In crossing the Rocky Mountains, many of its sides exceed 100 miles in length, and there is one side reaching to a length of 294 km., or 183 miles; the altitude of many of the stations is also considerable, reaching to 4300 metres, or 14,108 ft., in the case of Pike’s Peak, and to 14,421 ft. at Elbert Peak, Colo. All geometrical conditions subsisting in the triangulation are satisfied by adjustment, inclusive of the required accord of the base-lines, so that the same length for any given line is found, no matter from what line one may start.14

Over or near the arc were distributed 109 latitude stations, occupied with zenith telescopes; 73 azimuth stations; and 29 telegraphically determined longitudes. It has thus been possible to study in a very complete manner the deviations of the vertical, which in the mountainous regions sometimes amount to 25 seconds, and even to 29 seconds.

With the ellipticity 1/299.15, a = 6377897 ± 65 metres (prob. error); in this calculation, however, some exceedingly perturbed stations are excluded; for the employed stations the mean perturbation in longitude is ± 4.9″ (zenith-deflection east-to-west ± 3.8″).

The computations relative to another arc, the “eastern oblique arc of the United States,” are also finished.15 It extends from Calais (Maine) in the north-east, to the Gulf of Mexico, and terminates at New Orleans (Louisiana), in the south. Its length is 2612 km. (1623 miles), the difference of latitude 15° 1′, and of longitude 22° 47′. In the main, the triangulation follows the Appalachian chain of mountains, bifurcating once, so as to leave an oval space between the two branches. It includes among its stations Mount Washington (1920 metres) and Mount Mitchell (2038 metres). It depends upon six base-lines, and the adjustment is effected in the same manner as for the arc of the parallel. The astronomical data have been afforded by 71 latitude stations, 17 longitude stations, and 56 azimuth stations, distributed over the whole extent of the arc. The resulting dimensions of an osculating spheroid were found to be

a = 6378157 metres ± 90 (prob. error),
e (ellipticity) = 1/304.5 ± 1.9 (prob. error).

With the ellipticity 1/399.15, a = 6378041 metres ± 80 (prob. er.).

During the years 1903-1906 the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, under the direction of O.H. Tittmann and the special management of John F. Hayford, executed a calculation of the best ellipsoid of rotation for the United States. There were 507 astronomical determinations employed, all the stations being connected through the net-work of triangles. The observed latitudes, longitude and azimuths were improved by the attractions of the earth’s crust on the hypothesis of isostasis for three depths of the surface of 114, 121 and 162 km., where the isostasis is complete. The land-masses, within the distance of 4126 km., were taken into consideration. In the derivation of an ellipsoid of rotation, the first case proved itself the most favourable, and there resulted:—

a = 6378283 metres ± 74 (prob. er.), ellipticity = 1/297.8 ± 0.9 (prob. er.).

The most favourable value for the depth of the isostatic surface is approximately 114 km.

The measurement of a great meridian arc, in long. 98° W., has been commenced; it has a range of latitude of 23°, and will extend over 50° when produced southwards and northwards by Mexico and Canada. It may afterwards be connected with the arc of Quito. A new measurement of the meridian arc of Quito was executed in the years 1901-1906 by the Service géographique of France under the direction of the Académie des Sciences, the ground having been previously reconnoitred in 1899. The new arc has an amplitude in latitude of 5° 53′ 33″, and stretches from Tulcan (lat. 0° 48′ 25″) on the borders of Columbia and Ecuador, through Columbia to Payta (lat. − 5° 5′ 8″) in Peru. The end-points, at which the chain of triangles has a slight north-easterly trend, show a longitude difference of 3°. Of the 74 triangle points, 64 were latitude stations; 6 azimuths and 8 longitude-differences were measured, three base-lines were laid down, and gravity was determined from six points, in order to maintain indications over the general deformation of the geoid in that region. Computations of the attraction of the mountains on the plumb-line are also being considered. The work has been much delayed by the hardships and difficulties encountered. It was conducted by Lieut.-Colonel Robert Bourgeois, assisted by eleven officers and twenty-four soldiers of the geodetic branch of the Service géographique. Of these officers mention may be made of Commandant E. Maurain, who retired in 1904 after suffering great hardships; Commandant L. Massenet, who died in 1905; and Captains I. Lacombe, A. Lallemand, and Lieut. Georges Perrier (son of General Perrier). It is conceivable that the chain of triangles in longitude 98° in North America may be united with that of Ecuador and Peru: a continuous chain over the whole of America is certainly but a question of time. During the years 1899-1902 the measurement of an arc of meridian was made in the extreme north, in Spitzbergen, between the latitudes 76° 38′ and 80° 50′, according to the project of P.G. Rosén. The southern part was determined by the Russians—O. Bäcklund, Captain D.D. Sergieffsky, F.N. Tschernychev, A. Hansky and others—during 1899-1901, with the aid of 1 base-line, 15 trigonometrical, 11 latitude and 5 gravity stations. The northern part, which has one side in common with the southern part, has been determined by Swedes (Professors Rosén, father and son, E. Jäderin, T. Rubin and others), who utilized 1 base-line, 9 azimuth measurements, 18 trigonometrical, 17 latitude and 5 gravity stations. The party worked under excessive difficulties, which were accentuated by the arctic climate. Consequently, in the first year, little headway was made.16

813

Sir David Gill, when director of the Royal Observatory, Cape Town, instituted the magnificent project of working a latitude-degree measurement along the meridian of 30° long. This meridian passes through Natal, the Transvaal, by Lake Tanganyika, and from thence to Cairo; connexion with the Russo-Scandinavian meridian arc of the same longitude should be made through Asia Minor, Turkey, Bulgaria and Rumania. With the completion of this project a continuous arc of 105° in latitude will have been measured.17

Extensive triangle chains, suitable for latitude-degree measurements, have also been effected in Japan and Australia.

Besides, the systematization of gravity measurements is of importance, and for this purpose the association has instituted many reforms. It has ensured that the relative measurements made at the stations in different countries should be reduced conformably with the absolute determinations made at Potsdam; the result was that, in 1906, the intensities of gravitation at some 2000 stations had been co-ordinated. The intensity of gravity on the sea has been determined by the comparison of barometric and hypsometric observations (Mohn’s method). The association, at the proposal of Helmert, provided the necessary funds for two expeditions:—English Channel—Rio de Janeiro, and the Red Sea—Australia—San Francisco—Japan. Dr O. Hecker of the central bureau was in charge; he successfully overcame the difficulties of the work, and established the tenability of the isostatic hypothesis, which necessitates that the intensity of gravity on the deep seas has, in general, the same value as on the continents (without regard to the proximity of coasts).18

As the result of the more recent determinations, the ellipticity, compression or flattening of the ellipsoid of the earth may be assumed to be very nearly 1/298.3; a value determined in 1901 by Helmert from the measurements of gravity. The semi-major axis, a, of the meridian ellipse may exceed 6,378,000 inter. metres by about 200 metres. The central bureau have adopted, for practical reasons, the value 1/299.15, after Bessel, for which tables exist; and also the value a = 6377397.155 (1 + 0.0001).

The methods of theoretical astronomy also permit the evaluation of these constants. The semi-axis a is calculable from the parallax of the moon and the acceleration of gravity on the earth; but the results are somewhat uncertain: the ellipticity deduced from lunar perturbations is 1/297.8 ± 2 (Helmert, Geodäsie, ii. pp. 460-473); William Harkness (The Solar Parallax and its related Constants, 1891) from all possible data derived the values: ellipticity = 1/300.2 ± 3, a = 6377972 ± 125 metres. Harkness also considered in this investigation the relation of the ellipticity to precession and nutation; newer investigations of the latter lead to the limiting values 1/296, 1/298 (Wiechert). It was clearly noticed in this method of determination that the influence of the assumption as to the density of the strata in the interior of the earth was but very slight (Radau, Bull. astr. ii. (1885) 157). The deviations of the geoid from the flattened ellipsoid of rotation with regard to the heights (the directions of normals being nearly the same) will scarcely exceed ± 100 metres (Helmert).19

The basis of the degree- and gravity-measurements is actually formed by a stationary sea-surface, which is assumed to be level. However, by the influence of winds and ocean currents the mean surface of the sea near the coasts (which one assumes as the fundamental sea-surface) can deviate somewhat from a level surface. According to the more recent levelling it varies at the most by only some decimeters.20

It is well known that the masses of the earth are continually undergoing small changes; the earth’s crust and sea-surface reciprocally oscillate, and the axis of rotation vibrates relatively to the body of the earth. The investigation of these problems falls in the programme of the Association. By continued observations of the water-level on sea-coasts, results have already been obtained as to the relative motions of the land and sea (cf. Geology); more exact levelling will, in the course of time, provide observations on countries remote from the sea-coast. Since 1900 an international service has been organized between some astronomical stations distributed over the north parallel of 39° 8′, at which geographical latitudes are observed whenever possible. The association contributes to all these stations, supporting four entirely: two in America, one in Italy, and one in Japan; the others partially (Tschardjui in Russia, and Cincinnati observatory). Some observatories, especially Pulkowa, Leiden and Tokyo, take part voluntarily. Since 1906 another station for South America and one for Australia in latitude − 31° 55′ have been added. According to the existing data, geographical latitudes exhibit variations amounting to ± 0.25″, which, for the greater part, proceed from a twelve- and a fourteen-month period.21

EARTH CURRENTS. After the invention of telegraphy it was soon found that telegraph lines in which the circuit is completed by the earth are traversed by natural electric currents which occasionally interfere seriously with their use, and which are known as “earth currents.”

1. Amongst the pioneers in investigating the subject were several English telegraphists, e.g. W.H. Barlow (1) and C.V. Walker (2), who were in charge respectively of the Midland and South-Eastern telegraph systems. Barlow noticed the existence of a more or less regular diurnal variation, and the result—confirmed by all subsequent investigators—that earth currents proper occur in a line only when both ends are earthed. Walker, as the result of general instructions issued to telegraph clerks, collected numerous statistics as to the phenomena during times of large earth currents. His results and those given by Barlow both indicate that the lines to suffer most from earth currents in England have the general direction N.E. to S.W. As Walker points out, it is the direction of the terminal plates relative to one another that is the essential thing. At the same time he noticed that whilst at any given instant the currents in parallel lines have with rare exceptions the same direction, some lines show normally stronger currents than others, and he suggested that differences in the geological structure of the intervening ground might be of importance. This is a point which seems still somewhat obscure.

Our present knowledge of the subject owes much to practical men, but even in the early days of telegraphy the fact that telegraph systems are commercial undertakings, and cannot allow 814 the public to wait the convenience of science, was a serious obstacle to their employment for research. Thus Walker feelingly says, when regretting his paucity of data during a notable earth current disturbance: “Our clerks were at their wits’ end to clear off the telegrams.... At a time when observations would have been very highly acceptable they were too much occupied with their ordinary duties.” Some valuable observations have, however, been made on long telegraph lines where special facilities have been given.

Amongst these may be mentioned the observations on French lines in 1883 described by E.E. Blavier (3), and those on two German lines Berlin-Thorn and Berlin-Dresden during 1884 to 1888 discussed by B. Weinstein (4).

2. Of the experimental lines specially constructed perhaps the best known are the Greenwich lines instituted by Sir G.B. Airy (5), the lines at Pawlowsk due to H. Wild (6), and those at Parc Saint Maur, near Paris (7).

Experimental Lines.—At Greenwich observations were commenced in 1865, but there have been serious disturbances due to artificial currents from electric railways for many years. There are two lines, one to Dartford distant about 10 m., in a direction somewhat south of east, the other to Croydon distant about 8 m., in a direction west of south.

Information from a single line is incomplete, and unless this is clearly understood erroneous ideas may be derived. The times at which the current is largest and least, or when it vanishes, in an east-west line, tell nothing directly as to the amplitude at the time of the resultant current. The lines laid down at Pawlowsk in 1883 lay nearly in and perpendicular to the geographical meridian, a distinct desideratum, but were only about 1 km. long. The installation at Parc Saint Maur, discussed by T. Moureaux, calls for fuller description. There are three lines, one having terminal earth plates 14.8 km. apart in the geographical meridian, a second having its earth plates due east and west of one another, also 14.8 km. apart, and the third forming a closed circuit wholly insulated from the ground. In each of the three lines is a Deprez d’Arsonval galvanometer. Light reflected from the galvanometer mirrors falls on photographic paper wound round a drum turned by clockwork, and a continuous record is thus obtained.

3. Each galvanometer has a resistance of about 200 ohms, but is shunted by a resistance of only 2 ohms. The total effective resistances in the N.-S. and E.-W. lines are 225 and 348 ohms respectively. If i is the current recorded, L, g and s the resistances of the line, galvanometer and shunt respectively, then E, the difference of potential between the two earth plates, is given by

E = i (1 + g/s) {L + gs / (g + s)}.

To calibrate the record, a Daniell cell is put in a circuit including 1000 ohms and the three galvanometers as shunted. If i′ be the current recorded, e the E.M.F. of the cell, then e = i′ (1 + g/s) {1000 + 3gs / (g + s)}. Under the conditions at Parc Saint Maur we may write 2 for gs / (g + s), and 1.072 for e, and thence we have approximately E = 0.240 (i / i′) for the N.-S. line, and E = −0.371(i / i′) for the E.-W. line.

The method of standardization assumes a potential difference between earth plates which varies slowly enough to produce a practically steady current. There are several causes producing currents in a telegraph wire which do not satisfy this limitation. During thunderstorms surgings may arise, at least in overhead wires, without these being actually struck. Again, if the circuit includes a variable magnetic field, electric currents will be produced independently of any direct source of potential difference. In the third circuit at Parc Saint Maur, where no earth plates exist, the current must be mainly due to changes in the earth’s vertical magnetic field, with superposed disturbances due to atmospheric electricity or aerial waves. Even in the other circuits, magnetic and atmospheric influences play some part, and when their contribution is important, the galvanometer deflection has an uncertain value. What a galvanometer records when traversed by a suddenly varying current depends on other things than its mere resistance.

Even when the current is fairly steady, its exact significance is not easily stated. In the first place there is usually an appreciable E.M.F. between a plate and the earth in contact with it, and this E.M.F. may vary with the temperature and the dryness of the soil. Naturally one employs similar plates buried to the same depth at the two ends, but absolute identity and invariability of conditions can hardly be secured. In some cases, in short lines (8), there is reason to fear that plate E.M.F.’s have been responsible for a good deal that has been ascribed to true earth currents. With deep earth plates, in dry ground, this source of uncertainty can, however, enter but little into the diurnal inequality.

4. Another difficulty is the question of the resistance in the earth itself. A given E.M.F. between plates 10 m. apart may mean very different currents travelling through the earth, according to the chemical constitution and condition of the surface strata.

According to Professor A. Schuster (9), if ρ and ρ’ be the specific resistances of the material of the wire and of the soil, the current i which would pass along an underground cable formed of actual soil, equal in diameter to the wire connecting the plates, is given by i = i′ρ / ρ′, where i′ is the observed current in the wire. As ρ’ will vary with the depth, and be different at different places along the route, while discontinuities may arise from geological faults, water channels and so on, it is clear that even the most careful observations convey but a general idea as to the absolute intensity of the currents in the earth itself. In Schuster’s formula, as in the formulae deduced for Parc Saint Maur, it is regarded as immaterial whether the wire connecting the plates is above or below ground. This view is in accordance with records obtained by Blavier (3) from two lines between Paris and Nancy, the one an air line, the other underground.

5. The earliest quantitative results for the regular diurnal changes in earth currents are probably those deduced by Airy (5) from the records at Greenwich between 1865 and 1867. Airy resolved the observed currents from the two Greenwich lines in and perpendicular to the magnetic meridian (then about 21° to the west of astronomical north). The information given by Airy as to the precise meaning of the quantities he terms “magnetic tendency” to north and to west is somewhat scanty, but we are unlikely to be much wrong in accepting his figures as proportional to the earth currents from magnetic east to west and from magnetic north to south respectively. Airy gives mean hourly values for each month of the year. The corresponding mean diurnal inequality for the whole year appears in Table 1., the unit being arbitrary. In every month the algebraic mean of the 24 hourly values represented a current from north to south in the magnetic meridian, and from east to west in the perpendicular direction; in the same arbitrary units used in Table I. the mean values of these two “constant” currents were respectively 777 and 559.

6. Diurnal Variation.—Probably the most complete records of diurnal variation are those discussed by Weinstein (4), which depend on several years’ records on lines from Berlin to Dresden and to Thorn. Relative to Berlin the geographical co-ordinates of the other two places are:

Thus the Berlin-Dresden line was directed about 8½° east of south, and the Berlin-Thorn line somewhat more to the north of east. The latter line had a length about 2.18 times that of the former. The resistances in the two lines were made the same, so if we suppose the difference of potential between earth plates along a given direction to vary as their distance apart, the current observed in the Thorn-Berlin line has to be divided by 2.18 to be comparable with the other. In this way, resolving along and perpendicular to the geographical meridian, Weinstein gives as proportional to the earth currents from east to west and from south to north respectively

J = 0.147i′ + 0.435i, and J′ = 0.989i′ − 0.100i,

815

where i and i’ are the observed currents in the Thorn-Berlin and Dresden-Berlin lines respectively, both being counted positive when flowing towards Berlin.

It is tacitly assumed that the average earth conductivity is the same between Berlin and Thorn as between Berlin and Dresden. It should also be noticed that local time at Berlin and Thorn differs by fully 20 minutes, while the crests of the diurnal variations in short lines at the two places would probably occur about the same local time. The result is probably a less sharp occurrence of maxima and minima, and a relatively smaller range, than in a short line having the same orientation.

Table I.

It was found that the average current derived from a number of undisturbed days on either line might be regarded as made up of a “constant part” plus a regular diurnal inequality, the constant part representing the algebraic mean value of the 24 hourly readings. In both lines the constant part showed a decided alteration during the third year—changing sign in one line—in consequence, it is believed, of alterations made in the earth plates. The constant part was regarded as a plate effect, and was omitted from further consideration. Table I. shows in terms of an arbitrary unit—whose relation to that employed for Greenwich data is unknown—the diurnal inequality in the currents along the two lines, and the inequalities thence calculated for ideal lines in and perpendicular to the geographical meridian. Currents are regarded as positive when directed from Berlin to Dresden and from north to south, the opposite point of view to that adopted by Weinstein. The table also shows the mean numerical value of the resultant current (the “constant” part being omitted) for each hour of the day, for the year as a whole, and for winter (November to February), equinox (March, April, September, October) and summer (May to August). There is a marked double period in both the N.-S. and E.-W. currents. In both cases the numerically largest currents occur from 10 A.M. to noon, the directions then being from north to south and from west to east. The currents tend to die out and change sign about 2 P.M., the numerical magnitude then rising again rapidly to 4 or 5 P.M. The current in the meridian is notably the larger. The numerical values assigned to the resultant current are arithmetic means from the several months composing the season in question.

7. The mean of the 24 hourly numerical values of the resultant current for each month of the year a deducible from Weinstein’s data—the unit being the same as before—are given in Table II.

Table II.—Mean Numerical Value of Resultant Current.

There is thus a conspicuous minimum at mid-winter, and but little difference between the monthly means from April to August. This is closely analogous to what is seen in the daily range of the magnetic elements in similar latitudes (see Magnetism, Terrestrial). There is also considerable resemblance between the curve whose ordinates represent the diurnal inequality in the current passing from north to south, and the curve showing the hourly change in the westerly component of the horizontal magnetic force in similar European latitudes.

8. Relations with Sun-spots, Auroras and Magnetic Storms.—Weinstein gives curves representing the mean diurnal inequality for separate years. In both lines the diurnal amplitudes were notably smaller in the later years which were near sun-spot minimum. This raises a presumption that the regular diurnal earth currents, like the ranges of the magnetic elements, follow the 11-year sun-spot period. When we pass to the large and irregular earth currents, which are of practical interest in telegraphy, there is every reason to suppose that the sun-spot period applies. These currents are always accompanied by magnetic disturbances, and when specially striking by brilliant aurora. One most conspicuous example of this occurred in the end of August and beginning of September 1859. The magnetic disturbances recorded were of almost unexampled size and rapidity, the accompanying aurora was extraordinarily brilliant, and E.M.F.’s of 700 and 800 volts are said to have been reached on telegraph lines 500 to 600 km. long. It is doubtful whether the disturbances of 1859 have been equalled since, but earth current voltages of the order of 0.5 volts per mile have been recorded by various authorities, e.g. Sir W.H. Preece (10).

It was the practice for several years to publish in the Ann. du bureau central météorologique synchronous magnetic and earth current curves from Parc Saint Maur corresponding to the chief disturbances of the year. In most cases there is a marked similarity between the curve of magnetic declination and that of the north-south earth current. At times there is also a distinct resemblance between the horizontal force magnetic curve and that of the east-west earth current, but exceptions to this are not infrequent. Similar phenomena appear in synchronous Greenwich records published by Airy in 1868; these show a close accordance between the horizontal force curves and those of the currents from magnetic east to west. Originally it was supposed by Airy that whilst rapid movements in the declination and north-south current curves sometimes 816 occurred simultaneously, there was a distinct tendency for the latter to precede the former. More recent examinations of the Greenwich records by W. Ellis (11), and of the Parc St Maur curves by Moureaux, have not confirmed this result, and it is now believed that the two phenomena are practically simultaneous.

There has also been a conflict of views as to the connexion between magnetic and earth current disturbances. Airy’s observations tended to suggest that the earth current was the primary cause, and the magnetic disturbance in considerable part at least its effect. Others, on the contrary, have supposed earth currents to be a direct effect of changes in the earth’s magnetic field. The prevailing view now is that both the magnetic and the earth current disturbances are due to electric currents in the upper atmosphere, these upper currents becoming visible at times as aurora.

9. There seems some evidence that earth currents can be called into existence by purely local causes, notably difference of level. Thus K.A. Brander (12) has observed a current flowing constantly for a good many days from Airolo (height 1160 metres) to the Hospice St Gotthard (height 2094 metres). In an 8-km. line from Resina to the top of Vesuvius L. Palmieri (13)—observing in 1889 at three-hour intervals from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M.—always found a current running uphill so long as the mountain was quiet. On a long line from Vienna to Graz A. Baumgartner (14) found that the current generally flowed from both ends towards intervening higher ground during the day, but in the opposite directions at night. During a fortnight in September and October 1885 hourly readings were taken of the current in the telegraph cable from Fort-William to Ben Nevis Observatory, and the results were discussed by H.N. Dickson (15), who found a marked preponderance of currents up the line to the summit. The recorded mean data, otherwise regarded, represent a “constant” current, equal to 29 in the arbitrary units employed by Dickson, flowing up the line, together with the following diurnal inequality, + denoting current towards Fort-William (i.e. down the hill, and nearly east to west).

There is thus a diurnal inequality, which is by no means very irregular considering the limited number of days, and it bears at least a general resemblance to that shown by Weinstein’s figures for an east-west line in Germany. This will serve to illustrate the uncertainties affecting these and analogous observations. A constant current in one direction may arise in whole or part from plate E.M.F.’s; a current showing a diurnal inequality will naturally arise between any two places some distance apart whether they be at different levels or not. Finally, when records are taken only for a short time, doubts must arise as to the generality of the results. During the Ben Nevis observations, for instance, we are told that the summit was almost constantly enveloped in fog or mist. By having three earth plates in the same vertical plane, one at the top of a mountain, the others at opposite sides of it, and then observing the currents between the summit and each of the base stations, as well as directly between the base stations—during an adequate number of days representative of different seasons of the year and different climatic conditions—many uncertainties would soon be removed.

10. Artificial Currents.—The great extension in the applications of electricity to lighting, traction and power transmission, characteristic of the end of the 19th century, has led to the existence of large artificial earth currents, which exert a disturbing influence on galvanometers and magnetic instruments, and also tend to destroy metal pipes. In the former case, whilst the disturbance is generally loosely assigned to stray or “vagabond” earth currents, this is only partly correct. The currents used for traction are large, and even if there were a perfectly insulated return there would be a considerable resultant magnetic field at distances from the track which were not largely in excess of the distance apart of the direct and return currents (16). At a distance of half a mile or more from an electric tram line the disturbance is usually largest in magnetographs recording the vertical component of the earth’s field. The magnets are slightly displaced from the position they would occupy if undisturbed, and are kept in continuous oscillation whilst the trams are running (17). The extent of the oscillation depends on the damping of the magnets.

The distance from an electric tram line where the disturbance ceases to be felt varies with the system adopted. It also depends on the length of the line and its subdivision into sections, on the strength of the currents supplied, the amount of leakage, the absence or presence of “boosters,” and finally on the sensitiveness of the magnetic instruments. At the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey’s observatory at Cheltenham the effect of the Washington electric trams has been detected by highly sensitive magnetographs, though the nearest point of the line is 12 m. away (18). Amongst the magnetic observatories which have suffered severely from this cause are those at Toronto, Washington (Naval Observatory), Kew, Paris (Parc St Maur), Perpignan, Nice, Lisbon, Vienna, Rome, Bombay (Colaba) and Batavia. In some cases magnetic observations have been wholly suspended, in others new observatories have been built on more remote sites.

As regards damage to underground pipes, mainly gas and water pipes, numerous observations have been made, especially in Germany and the United States. When electric tramways have uninsulated returns, and the potential of the rails is allowed to differ considerably from that of the earth, very considerable currents are found in neighbouring pipes. Under these conditions, if the joints between contiguous pipes forming a main present appreciable resistance, whilst the surrounding earth through moisture or any other cause is a fair conductor, current passes locally from the pipes to the earth causing electrolytic corrosion of the pipes. Owing to the diversity of interests concerned, the extent of the damage thus caused has been very variously estimated. In some instances it has been so considerable as to be the alleged cause of the ultimate failure of water pipes to stand the pressure they are exposed to.

EARTH-NUT, the English name for a plant known botanically as Conopodium denudatum (or Bunium flexuosum), a member of the natural order Umbelliferae, which has a brown tuber-like root-stock the size of a chestnut. It grows in woods and fields, has a slender flexuous smooth stem 2 to 3 ft. high, much-divided leaves, and small white flowers in many-rayed terminal compound umbels. Boswell Syme, in English Botany, iv. 114, says: “The common names of this plant in England are various. It is known as earth-nut, pig-nut, ar-nut, kipper-nut, hawk-nut, jar-nut, earth-chestnut and ground-nut. Though really excellent in taste and unobjectionable as food, it is disregarded in England by all but pigs and children, both of whom appreciate it and seek eagerly for it.” Dr Withering describes the roots as little inferior to chestnuts. In Holland 817 and elsewhere on the continent of Europe they are more generally eaten.

EARTH PILLAR, a pillar of soft rock, or earth, capped by some harder material that has protected it from denudation. The “bad lands” of western North America furnish numerous examples. Here “the formations are often beds of sandstone or shale alternating with unindurated beds of clay. A semi-arid climate where the precipitation is much concentrated seems to be most favourable to the development of this type of formation.” The country round the Dead Sea, where loose friable sandy clay is capped by harder rock, produces “bad-land” topography. The cap of hard rock gives way at the joints, and the water making its way downwards washes away the softer material directly under the cracks, which become wider, leaving isolated columns of clay capped with hard sandstone or limestone. These become smaller and fewer as denudation proceeds, the pillars standing a great height at times, until finally they all disappear.

EARTHQUAKE. Although the terrible effects which often accompany earthquakes have in all ages forced themselves upon the attention of man, the exact investigation of seismic phenomena dates only from the middle of the 19th century. A new science has been thus established under the name of seismology (Gr. σεισμός, an earthquake).

History.—Accounts of earthquakes are to be found scattered through the writings of many ancient authors, but they are, for the most part, of little value to the seismologist. There is a natural tendency to exaggeration in describing such phenomena, sometimes indeed to the extent of importing a supernatural element into the description. It is true that attempts were made by some ancient writers on natural philosophy to offer a rational explanation of earthquake phenomena, but the hypotheses which their explanations involved are, as a rule, too fanciful to be worth reproducing at the present day. It is therefore unnecessary to dwell upon the references to seismic phenomena which have come down to us in the writings of such historians and philosophers as Thucydides, Aristotle and Strabo, Seneca, Livy and Pliny. Nor is much to be gleaned from the pages of medieval and later writers on earthquakes, of whom the most notable are Fromondi (1527), Maggio (1571) and Travagini (1679). In England, the earliest work worthy of mention is Robert Hooke’s Discourse on Earthquakes, written in 1668, and read at a later date before the Royal Society. This discourse, though containing many passages of considerable merit, tended but little to a correct interpretation of the phenomena in question. Equally unsatisfactory were the attempts of Joseph Priestley and some other scientific writers of the 18th century to connect the cause of earthquakes with electrical phenomena. The great earthquake of Lisbon in 1755 led the Rev. John Michell, professor of mineralogy at Cambridge, to turn his attention to the subject; and in 1760 he published in the Philosophical Transactions a remarkable essay on the Cause and Phenomena of Earthquakes. A suggestion of much scientific interest was made by Thomas Young, when in his Lectures on Natural Philosophy, published in 1807, he remarked that an earthquake “is probably propagated through the earth nearly in the same manner as a noise is conveyed through the air.” The recognition of the fact that the seismologist has to deal with the investigation of wave-motion in solids lies at the very base of his science. In 1846 Robert Mallet communicated to the Royal Irish Academy his first paper “On the Dynamics of Earthquakes”; and in the following year W. Hopkins, of Cambridge, presented to the British Association a valuable report in which earthquake phenomena were discussed in some detail. Mallet’s labours were continued for many years chiefly in the form of Reports to the British Association, and culminated in his great work on the Neapolitan earthquake of 1857. An entirely new impetus, however, was given to the study of earthquakes by an energetic body of observers in Japan, who commenced their investigations about the year 1880, mainly through the influence of Prof. John Milne, then of Tokyo. Their work, carried on by means of new instruments of precision, and since taken up by observers in many parts of the world, has so extended our knowledge of earthquake-motion that seismology has now become practically a new department of physical science.

It is hardly too much to say, however, that the earliest systematic application of scientific principles to the study of the effects of an earthquake was made by Mallet in his investigation of the Neapolitan earthquake mentioned above. It is true, the great Calabrian earthquake of 1783 had been the subject of careful inquiry by the Royal Academy of Naples, as also by Deodat Dolomieu and some other scientific authorities; but in consequence of the misconception which at that time prevailed with regard to the nature of seismic activity, the results of the inquiry, though in many ways interesting, were of very limited scientific value. It was reserved for Mallet to undertake for the first time an extensive series of systematic observations in an area of great seismic disturbance, with the view of explaining the phenomena by the application of the laws of wave-motion.

The “Great Neapolitan Earthquake,” by which more than 12,300 lives were lost, was felt in greater or less degree over all Italy south of the parallel of 42°, and has been regarded as ranking third in order of severity among the Neapolitan earthquake, 1857. recorded earthquakes of Europe. The principal shock occurred at about 10 P.M. on the 16th of December 1857; but, as is usually the case, it had been preceded by minor disturbances and was followed by numerous after-shocks which continued for many months. Early in 1858, aided by a grant from the Royal Society, Mallet visited the devastated districts, and spent more than two months in studying the effects of the catastrophe, especially examining, with the eye of an engineer, the cracks and ruins of the buildings. His voluminous report was published in 1862, and though his methods of research and his deductions have in many cases been superseded by the advance of knowledge, the report still remains a memorable work in the history of seismology.

Much of Mallet’s labour was directed to the determination of the position and magnitude of the subterranean source from which the vibratory impulses originated. This is known variously as the seismic centre, centrum, hypocentre, origin or focus. It is often convenient to regard this centre theoretically as a point, but practically it must be a locus or space of three dimensions, which in different cases varies much in size and shape, and may be of great magnitude. That part of the surface of the earth which is vertically above the centre is called the epicentre; or, if of considerable area, the epicentral or epifocal tract. A vertical line joining the epicentre and the focus was termed by Mallet the seismic vertical. He calculated that in the case of the Neapolitan earthquake the focal cavity was a curved lamelliform fissure, having a length of about 10 m. and a height of about 3½ m., whilst its width was inconsiderable. The central point of this fissure, the theoretical seismic centre, he estimated to have been at a depth of about 6½ m. from the surface. Dr C. Davison, in discussing Mallet’s data, was led to the conclusion that there were two distinct foci, possibly situated on a fault, or plane of dislocation, running in a north-west and south-east direction. Mallet located his epicentre near the village of Caggiano, not far from Polla, while the other seems to have been in the neighbourhood of Montemurro, about 25 m. to the south-east.

The intensity, or violence, of an earthquake is greatest in or near the epicentre, whence it decreases in all directions. A line drawn through points of equal intensity forms a curve round the epicentre known as an isoseist, an isoseismal or an isoseismic line. If the intensity declined equally in all directions the isoseismals would be circles, but as this is rarely if ever the case in nature they usually become ellipses and other closed curves. The tract which is most violently shaken was termed by Mallet the meizoseismic area, whilst the line of maximum destruction is known as the meizoseismic line. That isoseismal along which the decline of energy is most rapid was called by K. von Seebach a pleistoseist.

In order to determine the position of the seismic centre, Mallet made much use of the cracks in damaged buildings, especially 818 in walls of masonry, holding that the direction of such fractures must generally be at right angles to that in which the normal earthquake-wave reached them. In this way he obtained the “angle of emergence” of the wave. He also assumed that free-falling bodies would be overthrown and projected in the direction of propagation of the wave, so that the epicentre might immediately be found from the intersection of such directions. These data are, however, subject to much error, especially through want of homogeneity in the rocks, but Mallet’s work was still of great value.

A different method of ascertaining the depth of the focus was adopted by Major C.E. Dutton in his investigation of the Charleston earthquake of the 31st of August 1886 for the U.S. Geological Survey. This catastrophe Charleston earthquake, 1886. was heralded by shocks of greater or less severity a few days previously at Summerville, a village 22 m. north-west of Charleston. The great earthquake occurred at 9.51 P.M., standard time of the 75th meridian, and in about 70 seconds almost every building in Charleston was more or less seriously damaged, while many lives were lost. The epicentral tract was mainly a forest region with but few buildings, and the principal records of seismological value were afforded by the lines of railway which traversed the disturbed area. In many places these rails were flexured and dislocated. Numerous fissures opened in the ground, and many of these discharged water, mixed sometimes with sand and silt, which was thrown up in jets rising in some cases to a height of 20 ft. Two epicentres were recognized—one near Woodstock station on the South Carolina railway, and the other, being the centre of a much smaller tract, about 14 m. south-west of the first and near the station of Rantowles on the Charleston and Savannah line. Around these centres and far away isoseismal lines were drawn, the relative intensity at different places being roughly estimated by the effects of the catastrophe on various structures and natural objects, or, where visible records were wanting, by personal evidence, which is often vague and variable. The Rossi-Forel scale was adopted. This is an arbitrary scale formulated by Professor M.S. de Rossi, of Rome, and Dr F.A. Forel, of Geneva, based mostly on the ordinary phenomena observed during an earthquake, and consisting of ten degrees, of which the lowest is the feeblest, viz. I. Microseismic shock; II. Extremely feeble shock; III. Very feeble shock; IV. Feeble; V. Shock of moderate intensity; VI. Fairly strong shock; VII. Strong shock; VIII. Very strong shock; IX. Extremely strong shock; X. Shock of extreme intensity. Other conventional scales, some being less detailed, have been drawn up by observers in such earthquake-shaken countries as Italy and Japan. A curve, or theoretical isoseismal, drawn through certain points where the decline of intensity on receding from the epicentre seems to be greatest was called by Dutton an “index-circle”; and it can be shown that the radius of such a circle multiplied by the square root of 3 gives the focal depth theoretically. In this way it was computed that in the Charleston earthquake the origin under Woodstock must have had a depth of about 12 m. and that near Rantowles a depth of nearly 8 m. The determination of the index-circle presents much difficulty, and the conclusions must be regarded as only approximate.

It is probable, according to R.D. Oldham, that local earthquakes may originate in the “outer skin” of the earth, whilst a large world-shaking earthquake takes its origin in the deeper part of the “crust,” whence such a disturbance is termed a bathyseism. Large earthquakes may have very extended origins, with no definite centre, or with several foci.

The gigantic disaster known as the “Great Indian Earthquake,” which occurred on the 12th of June 1897, was the subject of careful investigation by the Geological Survey of India and was described in detail by the superintendent, Great Indian earthquake, 1897. R.D. Oldham. It is sometimes termed the Assam earthquake, since it was in that province that the effects were most severe, but the shocks were felt over a large part of India, and indeed far beyond its boundaries. Much of the area which suffered most disturbance was a wild country, sparsely populated, with but few buildings of brick or stone from which the violence of the shocks could be estimated. The epicentral tract was of great size, having an estimated area of about 6000 sq. m., but the mischief was most severe in the neighbourhood of Shillong, where the stonework of bridges, churches and other buildings was absolutely levelled to the ground. After the main disturbance, shocks of greater or less severity continued at intervals for many weeks. It is supposed that this earthquake was connected with movement of subterranean rock-masses of enormous magnitude along a great thrust-plane, or series of such planes, having a length of about 200 m. and a maximum breadth of not less than 50 m. It is pointed out by Oldham that this may be compared for size with the great Faille du Midi in Belgium, which is known to extend for a distance of 120 m. The depth of the principal focus, though not actually capable of determination, was probably less than 5 m. from the surface. From the focus many secondary faults and fractures proceeded, some reaching the surface of the ground. Enormous landslips accompanied the earthquake, and as an indirect effect of these slides the form of the water-courses became in certain cases modified. Permanent changes of level were also observed.

Eight years after the great Assam earthquake India was visited by another earthquake, which, though less intense, resulted in the loss of about 20,000 lives. This catastrophe is known as the Kangra earthquake, since its Kangra earthquake, 1905. centre seems to have been located in the Kangra valley, in the north-west Himalaya. It occurred on the 4th of April 1905, and the first great shocks were felt in the chief epifocal district at about 6.9 a.m., Madras time. Although the tract chiefly affected was around Kangra and Dharmsala, there was a subordinate epifocal tract in Dehra Dun and the neighbourhood of Mussoorie, whilst the effects of the earthquake extended in slight measure to Lahore and other cities of the plain. It is estimated that the earthquake was felt over an area of about 1,625,000 m. Immediately after the calamity a scientific examination of its effects was made by the Geological Survey of India, and a report was drawn up by the superintendent, C.S. Middlemiss.

The great earthquake, which, with the subsequent fire, wrought such terrible destruction in and around San Francisco on the 18th of April 1906, was the most disastrous ever recorded in California. It occurred between 10 and 15 minutes California earthquake, 1906. after 5 A.M., standard time of the 120th meridian. The moment at which the disaster began and the duration of the shock varied at different localities in the great area over which the earthquake was felt. At San Francisco the main shock lasted rather more than one minute.

According to the official Report, the earthquake was due to rupture and movement along the plane of the San Andreas fault, one of a series which runs for several hundred miles approximately in a N.W. and S.E. direction near the coast line. Evidence of fresh movement along this plane of dislocation was traced for a distance of 190 m. from San Juan on the south to Point Arena on the north. There the trace of the fault is lost beneath the sea, but either the same fault or another appears 75 m. to the north at Point Delgada. The belt of disturbed country is notoriously unstable, and part of the fault had been known as the “earthquake crack.” The direction is marked by lines of straight cliffs, long ponds and narrow depressions, forming a Rift, or old line of seismic disturbance. According to Dr G.K. Gilbert the earthquake zone has a length of 300 or 400 m. The principal displacement of rock, in 1906, was horizontal, amounting generally to about 10 ft. (maximum 21 ft.), but there was also locally a slight vertical movement, which towards the north end of the fault reached 3 ft. Movement was traced for a distance of about 270 m., and it is estimated that at least 175,000 sq. m. of country must have been disturbed. In estimating the intensity of the earthquake in San Francisco a new scale was introduced by H.O. Wood. The greatest structural damage occurred on soft alluvial soil and “made ground.” Most of the loss of property in San Francisco was 819 due to the terrible fire which followed the earthquake and was beyond control owing to the destruction of the system of water-supply.

Immediately after the catastrophe a California Earthquake Investigation Committee was appointed by the governor of the state; and the American Association for the Advancement of Science afterwards instituted a Seismological Committee. The elaborate Report of the State Investigation Committee, by the chairman, Professor A.C. Lawson, was published in 1908.

On the 17th of August 1906 a disastrous earthquake occurred at Valparaiso, and the year 1906 was marked generally by exceptional seismic activity.

The Jamaica earthquake of the 14th of January 1907 appears to have accompanied movement of rock along an east and west fracture or series of fractures under the sea a few miles from the city of Kingston. The statue of Queen Victoria at Kingston was turned upon its pedestal the eighth of a revolution.

A terrible earthquake occurred in Calabria and Sicily on December 28, 1908, practically destroying Messina and Reggio. According to the official returns the total loss of life was 77,283. Whilst the principal centre seems to Messina earthquake, 1908. have been in the Strait of Messina, whence the disturbance is generally known as the Messina earthquake, there were independent centres in the Calabrian peninsula, a country which had been visited by severe earthquakes not long previously, namely on September 8, 1905, and October 23, 1907. The principal shock of the great Messina earthquake of 1908 occurred at 5.21 A.M. (4.21 Greenwich time), and had a duration of from 30 to 40 seconds. Neither during nor immediately before the catastrophe was there any special volcanic disturbance at Etna or at Stromboli, but it is believed that there must have been movement along a great plane of weakness in the neighbourhood of the Strait of Messina, which has been studied by E. Cortese. The sea-floor in the strait probably suffered great disturbance, resulting in the remarkable movement of water observed on the coast. At first the sea retired, and then a great wave rolled in, followed by others generally of decreasing amplitude, though at Catania the second was said to have been greater than the first. At Messina the height of the great wave was 2.70 metres, whilst at Ali and Giardini it reached 8.40 metres and at San Alessio as much as 11.7 metres. At Malta the tide-gauge recorded a wave of 0.91 metre. The depth of the chief earthquake-centre was estimated by Dr E. Oddone at about 9 kilometres. The earthquake and accompanying phenomena were studied also by Professor A. Riccò, Dr M. Baratta and Professor G. Platania and by Dr F. Omori of Tokyo. After the great disturbance, shocks continued to affect the region intermittently for several months. In certain respects the earthquake of 1908 presented much resemblance to the great Calabrian catastrophe of 1783.

It has been proposed by R.D. Oldham that the disturbance which causes the fracture and permanent displacement of the rocks during an earthquake should be called an “earthshake,” leaving the term earthquake especially for the vibratory motion. The movement of the earthquake is molecular, whilst that of the earthshake is molar. Subsequently he suggested the terms mochleusis and orchesis (μοχλέυω, I heave; ὀρχέομαι, I dance), to denote respectively the molar and the molecular movement, retaining the word earthquake for use in its ordinary sense.

In most earthquakes the proximate cause is generally regarded as the fracture and sudden movement of underground rock-masses. Disturbances of this type are known as “tectonic” earthquakes, since they are connected with the folding and faulting of the rocks of the earth’s crust. They indicate a relief of the strain to which the rock-masses are subjected by mountain-making and other crustal movements, and they are consequently apt to occur along the steep face of a table-land or the margin of a continent with a great slope from land to sea. In many cases the immediate seat of the originating impulse is located beneath the sea, giving rise to submarine disturbances which have been called “seaquakes.” Much attention has been given to these suboceanic disturbances by Professor E. Rudolph.

Professor J.H. Jeans has pointed out that the regions of the earth’s crust most affected by earthquakes lie on a great circle corresponding with the equator of the slightly pear-shaped figure that he assigns to the earth. This would represent a belt of weakness, subject to crushing, from the tendency of the pear to pass into a spherical or spheroidal form under the action of internal stresses. According to the comte de Montessus de Ballore, the regions of maximum seismic instability appear to be arranged on two great circles, inclined to each other at about 67°. These are the Circumpacific and Mediterranean zones.

Maps of the world, showing the origins of large earthquakes each year, accompany the Annual Reports of the Seismological Committee of the British Association, drawn up by Professor Milne. It is important to note that Professor Milne has shown a relationship between earthquake-frequency and the wandering of the earth’s pole from its mean position. Earthquakes seem to have been most frequent when the displacement of the pole has been comparatively great, or when the change in the direction of movement has been marked. Valuable earthquake catalogues have been compiled at various times by Alexis Perrey, R. and J.W. Mallet, John Milne, T. Oldham, C.W.C. Fuchs, F. de Montessus de Ballore and others.

Such earthquakes as are felt from time to time in Great Britain may generally be traced to the formation of faults, or rather to incidents in the growth of old faults. The East Anglian earthquake of the 22nd of April 1884—the British earthquakes. most disastrous that had occurred in the British Isles for centuries—was investigated by Prof. R. Meldola and W. White on behalf of the Essex Field Club. The shocks probably proceeded from two foci—one near the villages of Peldon and Abberton, the other near Wivenhoe and Rowhedge, in N.E. Essex. It is believed that the superficial disturbance resulted from rupture of rocks along a deep fault. An attempt has been made by H. Darwin, for the Seismological Committee of the British Association, to detect and measure any gradual movement of the strata along a fault, by observation at the Ridgeway fault, near Upway, in Dorsetshire. Dr C. Davison in studying the earthquakes which have originated in Britain since 1889 finds that several have been “twins.” A twin earthquake has two maxima of intensity proceeding from two foci, whereas a double earthquake has its successive impulses from what is practically a single focus. The Hereford earthquake of December 1896, which resulted in great structural damage, was a twin, having one epicentre near Hereford and the other near Ross. Davison refers it to a slip along a fault-plane between the anticlinal areas of Woolhope and May Hill; and according to the same authority the Inverness earthquake of the 18th of September 1901 was referable to movement along a fault between Loch Ness and Inverness. The South Wales earthquake of June 27, 1906, was probably due to movement connected with the Armorican system of folds, striking in an east and west direction.

It may be noted that when a slip occurs along a fault, the displacement underground may be but slight and may die out before reaching the surface, so that no scarp is formed. In connexion, however, with a seismic disturbance of the first magnitude the superficial features may be markedly affected. Thus, the great Japan earthquake of October 1891—known often as the Mino-Owari earthquake—was connected with the formation or development of a fault which, according to Professor B. Koto, was traced on the surface for a distance of nearly 50 m. and presented in places a scarp with a vertical throw of as much as 20 ft., while probably the maximum displacement underground was very much greater.

Although most earthquakes seem to be of tectonic type, there are some which are evidently connected, directly or indirectly, with volcanic activity (see Volcano). Such, it is commonly believed, were the earthquakes which disturbed the Isle of Ischia in 1881 and 1883, and were studied by Professor J. Johnston-Lavis and G. Mercalli. In addition to the tectonic and volcanic types, there are occasional earthquakes of minor importance which may be referred to the collapse of the roof of 820 caverns, or other falls of rock in underground cavities at no great depth. According to Prof. T.J.J. See most earthquakes are due, directly or indirectly, to the explosive action of steam, formed chiefly by the leakage of sea-water through the ocean floor.

Whatever the nature of the impulse which originates the earthquake, it gives rise to a series of waves which are propagated through the earth’s substance and also superficially. In one kind, known as normal or condensational waves, Earthquake waves. or waves of elastic compression, the particles vibrate to and from the centre of disturbance, moving in the direction in which the wave travels, and therefore in a way analogous to the movement of air in a sound-wave. Associated with this type are other waves termed transverse waves, or waves of elastic distortion, in which the particles vibrate across or around the direction in which the wave is propagated. The normal waves result from a temporary change of volume in the medium; the transverse from a change of shape. The distance through which an earth-particle moves from its mean position of rest, whether radially or transversely, is called the amplitude of the wave; whilst the double amplitude, or total distance of movement, to and fro or up and down, like the distance from crest to trough of a water wave, may be regarded as the range of the wave. The period of a wave is the time required for the vibrating particle to complete an oscillation. As the rocks of the earth’s crust are very heterogeneous, the earthquake-waves suffer refraction and reflection as they pass from one rock to another differing in density and elasticity. In this way the waves break up and become much modified in course of transmission, thus introducing great complexity into the phenomena. It is known that the normal waves travel more rapidly than the transverse.

Measurements of the surface speed at which earthquake-waves travel require very accurate time-measurers, and these are not generally available in earthquake-shaken regions. Observations during the Charleston earthquake of 1886 were at that time of exceptional value, since they were made over a large area where standard time was kept. Lines drawn through places around the epicentre at which the shock arrives at the same moment are called coseismal lines. The motion of the wave is to be distinguished from the movement of the vibrating particles. The velocity of the earth-particle is its rate of movement, but this is constantly changing during the vibration, and the rate at which the velocity changes is technically called the acceleration of the particle.

Unfelt movements of the ground are registered in the earthquake records, or seismograms, obtained by the delicate instruments used by modern seismologists. From the study of the records of a great earthquake from a distant source, sometimes termed a teleseismic disturbance, some interesting inferences have been drawn with respect to the constitution of the interior of the earth. The complete record shows two phases of “preliminary tremors” preceding the principal waves. It is believed that while the preliminary tremors pass through the body of the earth, the principal waves travel along or parallel to the surface. Probably the first phase represents condensational, and the second phase distortional, waves. Professor Milne concludes from the speed of the waves at different depths that materials having similar physical properties to those at the surface may extend to a depth of about 30 m., below which they pass into a fairly homogeneous nucleus. From the different rates of propagation of the precursors it has been inferred by R.D. Oldham that below the outer crust, which is probably not everywhere of the same thickness, the earth is of practically uniform character to a depth of about six-tenths of the radius, but the remaining four-tenths may represent a core differing physically and perhaps chemically from the outer part. Oldham also suggests, from his study of oceanic and continental wave-paths, that there is probably a difference in the constitution of the earth beneath oceans and beneath continents.

The surface waves, which are waves of great length and long period and are propagated to great distances with practically a constant velocity, have been regarded as quasi-elastic gravitational waves. Further, in a great earthquake the surface of the ground is sometimes visibly agitated in the epifocal district by undulations which may be responsible for severe superficial damage. (See also for elastic waves Elasticity, § 89.)

An old classification of earthquake-shocks, traces of which still linger in popular nomenclature, described them as “undulatory,” when the movement of the ground was mainly in a horizontal direction; “subsultory,” when the motion was vertical, like the effect of a normal wave at the epicentre; and “vorticose,” when the movement was rotatory, apparently due to successive impulses in varying directions.

The sounds which are associated with seismic phenomena, often described as subterranean rumbling and roaring, are not without scientific interest, and have been carefully studied by Davison. “Isacoustic lines” are curves drawn through places where the sound is heard by the same percentage of observers. The sound is always low and often inaudible to many.

The refined instruments which are now used by seismologists for determining the elements of earthquake motion and for recording earthquakes from distant origins are described in the article Seismometer. These instruments were developed as a consequence of the attention given in modern times to the study of earthquakes in the Far East.

Strange as it may appear, the advances that have been made in the study of earthquakes and the world-wide interest shown in their phenomena were initiated in work commenced in Japan. When the Japanese government, Seismology in Japan. desiring to adopt Western knowledge, invited to its shores bodies of men to act as its instructors, the attention of the newcomers was naturally attracted to the frequent shakings of the ground. Interest in these phenomena increased more rapidly than their frequency, and at length it was felt that something should be done for their systematic study. At midnight on the 22nd of February 1880 movements more violent than usual occurred; chimneys were shattered or rotated, tiles slid down from roofs, and in the morning it was seen that Yokohama had the appearance of a city that had suffered a bombardment. The excitement was intense, and before the ruins had been removed a meeting was convened and the Seismological Society of Japan established. The twenty volumes of original papers published by this body summarize to a large extent the results of the later study of seismology.1

The attention of the students of earthquakes in Japan was at first directed almost entirely to seismometry or earthquake measurement. Forms of apparatus which then existed, as for example the seismographs, seismometers and seismoscopes of Mallet, Palmieri and others, were subjected to trial; but inasmuch as they did little more than indicate that an earthquake had taken place—the more elaborate forms recording also the time of its occurrence—they were rapidly discarded, and instruments were constructed to measure earthquake motion. Slightly modified types of the new instruments devised in Japan were adopted throughout the Italian peninsula, and it is fair to say that the seismometry developed in Japan revolutionized the seismometry of the world. The records obtained from the new instruments increased our knowledge of the character of earthquake motion, and the engineer and the architect were placed in a position to construct so that the effects of known movements could be minimized. It was no doubt the marked success, both practical and scientific, attending these investigations that led the Japanese government to establish a chair of seismology at its university, to organize a system of nearly 1000 observing stations throughout the country, and in 1893 to appoint a committee of scientific and practical men to carry out investigations which might palliate the effects of seismic disturbances. In the first year this committee received a grant of £5000, and as liberal sums for the same purpose appear from time to time in the 821 parliamentary estimates, it may be assumed that the work has been fraught with good results. In their publications we find not only records of experiences and experiments in Japan, but descriptions and comments upon earthquake effects in other countries. In two of the volumes there are long and extremely well illustrated accounts of the earthquake which on the 12th of June 1897 devastated Assam, to which country two members of the above-mentioned committee were despatched to gather such information as might be of value to the architect and builder in earthquake-shaken districts.

A great impetus to seismological investigation in Europe and America was no doubt given by the realization of the fact that a large earthquake originating in any one part of the world may be recorded in almost any other. Italy Seismological research. for many years past has had its observatories for recording earthquakes which can be felt, and which are of local origin, but at the present time at all its first-class stations we find instruments to record the unfelt movements due to earthquakes originating at great distances, and as much attention is now paid to the large earthquakes of the world as to the smaller ones originating within Italian territory.2 The Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften of Vienna established earthquake observatories in Austria,3 and the Central Observatorium of St Petersburg has carried out similar work in Russia. Germany attached a seismological observatory to its university at Strassburg, whilst provision has been made for a professorship of Earth Physics (Geophysik) at Göttingen.4 In accordance with the recommendation of the British Association, seismographs of a similar character have been installed at stations all over the world.5 The principal objects of this extended and still extending system of stations are to determine the velocity with which motion is propagated over the surface and through the interior of the earth, to locate the positions of sub-oceanic earthquake origins, and generally to extend our knowledge respecting the physical nature of the planet on which we live.

We now know that earthquakes are many times more frequent than was previously supposed. In Japan, for example, between 1885 and 1892 no fewer than 8331 were recorded—that is to say, on the average there were during that time Frequency of earthquakes. more than 1000 disturbances per year. Although many of these did not cause a sensible shaking over areas exceeding a few hundred square miles, many of them were sufficiently intense to propagate vibrations round and through the globe. If we pick out the well-marked earthquake districts of the world, and give to each of them a seismicity or earthquake frequency per unit area one-third of that in Japan, the conclusion arrived at is that considerable areas of our planet are on the average shaken every half-hour.

The knowledge which we now possess respecting the localities where earthquakes are frequent and the forms of the foci from which they have spread, enables us to speak definitely respecting the originating causes of many of these Volcanoes and earthquakes. phenomena. It is found, for example, that although in many countries there may be displays of volcanic and seismic activity taking place almost side by side, it is only rarely that there is direct relationship between the two. Now and then, however, before a volcano breaks into eruption there may be a few ineffectual efforts to form a vent, each of which is accompanied by no more than a slight local shaking of the ground. This is true even for the largest and most violent eruptions, when mountains have with practically a single effort blown off their heads and shoulders. Thus the earthquake which accompanied the eruption of Bandaisan, in central Japan, in 1888 was felt only over a radius of 25 m. The analyses of the seismic registers of Japan clearly indicate that comparatively few shakings originate near to the volcanoes of the country, the majority of them, like those of many other countries, coming from regions where volcanic rocks are absent. The greatest number spread inland from the Pacific seaboard, the movement becoming more and more feeble as it approaches the backbone of the country, which is drilled with numerous volcanic vents. What is true for Japan is generally true for the western coasts of North and South America.

Speaking broadly, earthquakes are most frequent along the steeper flexures in the earth’s surface, and in those regions where there is geological evidence to show that slow secular movements in the earth’s crust are possibly yet in Origin of earthquakes. progress. With a unit distance of 2 degrees, or 120 geographical m., we find that the slopes running eastwards from the highlands of Japan and westwards from the Andean ridges down into the Pacific vary from 1 in 20 to 1 in 30, and it is on the faces or near to the bottom of these slopes that seismic efforts are frequent. The slopes running from Australia, eastern America and western Europe into the neighbouring oceans vary between 1 in 70 and 1 in 250, and in these regions earthquakes are of rare occurrence. The seismic activity met with in the Himalayas and the Alps finds its best explanation in the fact that these mountains are geologically recent, and there are no reasons to doubt that the forces which brought their folds into existence are yet in action.

This peculiar association of earthquakes with pronounced topographical configuration and certain geological conditions evidently indicates that the origin of many of them is connected with rock folding. Inasmuch as certain large earthquakes have been accompanied by rock fracture, as for example in 1891, when in central Japan a fault some 50 m. in length was created, whilst the origins of others have been distinctly traced to the line of an existing fault or its continuation, we may conclude that the majority of earthquakes are spasmodic accelerations in the secular movements which are creating (and in some instances possibly obliterating) the more prominent features of the earth’s surface. These secular movements, which include upheavals, subsidences, horizontal displacements—all of which are explained on the assumption of a crust seeking support on a nucleus gradually contracting by loss of heat, are collectively referred to as bradyseismical (βραδύς, slow) movements. To these may be added movements directly attributable to the influence of gravity. Sub-oceanic districts in a state of seismic strain may be so far loaded by the accumulation of sediments that gentle bending may be accompanied by sudden yieldings. This possibly accounts for the frequency of earthquakes off the mouth of the Tonegawa on the eastern side of Japan. The distortions so frequently observed in fossils and pebbles, the varying thickness of contorted strata, and the “creep” in coal-mines, together with other phenomena, indicate that rocks may flow. Observations of this nature lead to the supposition that high plateau-like regions may be gradually subsiding under the influence of their own weight, and that the process of settlement may from time to time be spasmodic in its character. Whether the earthquakes which originate round the submerged basal frontiers of the continents bounding the Pacific are ever attributable to such activities, it is impossible to say. All that we know with certainty is that they are sometimes accompanied by such a vast displacement of material that the ocean has been set into a state of oscillation for periods of 24 hours, that in some instances there have been marked changes in depth, and that enormous sub-oceanic landslips have occurred. These phenomena are, however, equally well explained on the assumption of sudden faulting accompanied by violent shaking, which would dislodge steeply inclined beds of material beneath the ocean as it does upon the land.

822

Although the proximate cause of earthquake motion is traced to sudden yieldings in the crust of the earth brought about by some form of bradyseismical action, the existence of at least two distinct types of seismic motion Two types of earthquake motion. indicates that the mechanical conditions accompanying the fracturing of rocks are not always identical. 90 or 95% of the earthquakes which can be recorded consist of elastic or quasi-elastic vibrations. The remainder, including the large earthquakes, not only exhibit the elastic movements, but are accompanied by surface undulations which are propagated most certainly for some hundreds of miles round their origin, and then as horizontal movements sweep over the whole surface of the globe. The former of these may accompany the formation of a new fault or the sudden renewal of movement along an old one; they are cracking or rending effects, without any great displacement. The latter are probably fracturings accompanied by vertical and horizontal displacements of masses of the earth’s crust sufficiently great to set up the observed surface undulations. These shocks are so frequently followed a few minutes later by disturbances, which from their similarity to the movements which have preceded them may be called earthquake echoes, that we are led to the speculation that we are here dealing with the caving-in of ill-supported portions of the earth’s crust, the waves from which are radiated to boundaries and then returned to their origin to coalesce and give rise to a second impulse not unlike the primary. Succeeding the first repetition of motion recorded by the seismograph there is often a rhythmical repetition of similar wave groups, suggesting the existence within our earth of phenomena akin to multiple echoes.

The introduction of new methods into seismometry quickly revolutionized our ideas respecting the character of earthquake motion. Although an earthquake may be strongly felt within a distance of 50 m. from its origin, and Character of earthquake motion. although the movements in the upper storeys of buildings within the shaken area may be large, the actual range of the horizontal motion of the ground is usually less than 1⁄10 of an inch. With such earthquakes ordinary seismographs for recording vertical motion do not show any disturbance. When the movement reaches ½ in. it becomes dangerous, and a back-and-forth movement of an inch is usually accompanied by destructive effects. In this latter case the amplitude of the vertical record which indicates the existence of surface waves will vary between ½ and 1⁄100 of an inch. In the earthquake which devastated central Japan on the 26th of October 1891, nearly every building within the epifocal district fell, the ground was fissured, forests slipped down from mountain sides to dam up valleys, whilst the valleys themselves were permanently compressed. The horizontal movements seem to have reached 9 in. or 1 ft., and the surface undulations were visible to the eye.

The rapidity with which the movements are performed varies throughout a disturbance. A typical earthquake usually commences with minute elastic vibrations, the periods of which vary between 1⁄5 and 1⁄20 of a second. These Period and duration. are recorded by seismographs, and are noticed by certain of the lower animals like pheasants, which before the occurrence of movement perceptible to human beings scream as if alarmed. When an earthquake is preceded by a sound we have evidence of preliminary tremors even more rapid than those recorded by seismographs. Following these precursors there is a shock or shocks, the period of which will be 1 or 2 seconds. From this climax the movements, although irregular in character, become slower and smaller until finally they are imperceptible. The duration of a small earthquake usually varies from a few seconds to a minute, but large earthquakes, which are accompanied by surface undulations, may be felt for 2 or 3 minutes, whilst an ordinary seismograph indicates a duration of from 6 to 12 minutes. A free horizontal pendulum tells us that with severe earthquakes the ground comes to rest by a series of more or less rhythmical surgings, continuing over 1 or 2 hours. Although the maximum displacement has a definite direction, the successive vibrations are frequently performed in many different azimuths. The predominating direction at a given station in certain instances is apparently at right angles to the strike of the neighbouring strata, this being the direction of easiest yielding.

Earthquake motion as recorded at stations several thousands of miles distant from its origin exhibits characteristics strikingly different from those just described. The precursors now show periods of from 1 to 5 seconds, whilst the Velocity. largest movements corresponding to the shocks may have periods of from 20 to 40 seconds. The interval of time by which the first tremors have outraced the maximum movement has also become greater. Within a few hundreds of miles from an origin this interval increases steadily, the velocity of propagation of the first movements being about 2 km. per second, whilst that of the latter may be taken at about 1.6 km. per second. Beyond this distance the velocity of transmission of the first movements rapidly increases, and for great distances, as for example from Japan to England, it is higher than we should expect for waves of compression passing through steel or glass. This observation precludes the idea that these preliminary tremors have travelled through the heterogeneous crust of the earth, and since the average velocity of their transmission increases with the length of the path along which they have travelled, and we but rarely obtain certain evidence that a seismograph has been disturbed by waves which have reached it by travelling in opposite directions round the world, we are led to the conclusion that earthquake precursors pass through our earth and not round its surface. The following table relating to earthquakes, which originated off the coast of Borneo on the 20th and 27th of September 1897, is illustrative of the velocities here considered:—

The chords referred to here are those joining the earthquake origins and distant observing stations, and it will be noted that one-quarter of the square root of the average depths at which these run closely corresponds to observed average velocities if wave paths followed chords. This increase of velocity with average depth shows that the paths followed through the earth must be curved with their convexity towards the centre of the earth. These observations do not directly tell us to what extent a true wave path is deflected from the direction of a chord, but they suggest as an extremely plausible assumption that the square of the speed is a linear function of the depth below the surface of the earth. With this assumption Dr C.G. Knott shows that the square of the speed (v²) can be expressed linearly in terms of the average depth of the chord d, thus: v² = 2.9 + .026 d, the units being miles and seconds. The formula applies with fair accuracy to moderate and high values of d, but it gives too high a value for short chords. It follows that the square of the speed increases 0.9% per mile of descent in the earth. The conclusion we arrive at is that the preliminary tremors which pass through the earth do so in the vicinity of their origin at the rate of almost 2.3 km. per second. This velocity increases as the wave path plunges downwards, attaining in the central regions a velocity of 16 to 17 kms., whilst the highest average velocity which is across a diameter lies between 10 and 12 kms. per second.

The large surface waves radiating from an origin to a distant place have velocities lying between 1.6 and 4 kms. per second, and it has been observed that when the higher velocity has been noted this refers to an observation at a station very remote from the origin. One explanation of this is the assumption that only very large waves indicating a large initial disturbance are capable of travelling to great distances, and as pointed out by 823 R.D. Oldham, large waves under the influence of gravity will travel faster than small waves. These waves (which may be gravitational or distortional) are recorded as slow tiltings of the ground measured by angles of 0.5 to 10 or 15 seconds of arc, or as horizontal displacements of 0.5 or several millimetres. Their calculated lengths have reached 50 kms. (31 m.).

In the section of this article relating to the cause of earthquakes a little has been said about their frequency or the number of times these phenomena are repeated during a given interval of time. It has been shown that all countries Frequency. are very often moved by earthquakes which have originated at great distances. Great Britain, for example, is crossed about 100 times a year by earthquake waves having durations of from 3 minutes to 3 hours, whilst the vibratory motions which originate in that country are not only small but of rare occurrence. In the earlier stages of the world’s history, because the contraction of its nucleus was more rapid than it is at present, it is commonly inferred that phenomena accompanying bradyseismical activity must have been more pronounced and have shown themselves upon a grander scale than they do at the present time. Now, although the records of our rocks only carry us back over a certain portion of this history, they certainly represent an interval of time sufficiently long to furnish some evidence of such enfeeblement if it ever existed. So far from this being the case, however, we meet with distinct evidences in the later chapters of geological history of plutonic awakenings much more violent than those recorded at its commencement. During Palaeozoic times many mountain ranges were formed, and accompanying these orogenic processes there was marked volcanic activity. In the succeeding Secondary period plutonic forces were quiescent, but during the formation of the early Tertiaries, when some of the largest mountain ranges were created, they awoke with a vigour greater than had ever been previously exhibited. At this period it is not improbable that Scotland was as remarkable for its volcanoes and its earthquakes as Japan is at the present day. If the statement relating to the general decrease in bradyseismical changes referred merely to their frequency, and omitted reference to their magnitude, the views of the geologist and physicist might harmonize. One explanation for this divergence of opinion may rest on the fact that too little attention has been directed to all the conditions which accompany the adaptation of the earth’s crust to its shrinking nucleus. As the latter grows smaller the puckerings and foldings of the former should grow larger. Each succeeding geological epoch should be characterized by mountain formations more stupendous than those which preceded them, whilst the fracturing, dislocation, caving-in of ill-supported regions, and creation of lines of freedom for the exhibition of volcanic activity which would accompany these changes, would grow in magnitude. The written records of many countries reflect but on a smaller scale the crystallized records in their hills. In 1844, at Comrie, in Perthshire, as many as twelve earthquakes were recorded in a single month, whilst now there are but one or two per year. Earthquake frequency varies with time. A district under the influence of hypogenic activities reaches a condition of seismic strain which usually is relieved rapidly at first, but subsequently more slowly.

The small shocks which follow an initial large disturbance are known as after-shocks. The first shock which in 1891 devastated central Japan was accompanied by the formation of a large fault, and the 3364 small shocks which succeeded this during the following two years are regarded as due to intermittent settlements of disjointed material. The decreasing frequency with which after-shocks occur may be represented by a curve. Dr F. Omori points out that the continuation of such a curve gives the means of determining the length of time which will probably elapse before the region to which it refers will return to the same seismic quiescence that it had prior to the initial disturbance.

The positive results that we have respecting the periodicity of earthquakes are but few. Generally earthquakes are somewhat more frequent during winter than during summer, and this applies to both the northern and southern hemispheres. The Periodicity. annual periodicity, which, however, does not show itself if only destructive earthquakes are considered, finds an explanation, according to Dr Knott, in the annual periodicity of long-continued stresses, as for example those due to the accumulation of snow and to barometric gradients. For certain earthquake regions there appears to be a distinct semi-annual period for which no satisfactory explanation has yet been adduced. Although the elaborate registers of Japan, which have enabled us to group earthquakes according to their respective origins and varying intensities, and to separate after-shocks from initial disturbances, have been subjected by Dr Knott to most careful analysis, with the object of discovering periodicities connected with the ebb and flow of the tides, the lunar day or lunar months, nothing of marked character has been found. Certainly there is slight evidence of a periodicity connected with the times of conjunction and opposition of the sun and moon, and a maximum frequency near the time of perigee, but the effect of lunar stresses is comparatively insignificant. Ordinary earthquakes, and especially after-shocks, show a diurnal period, but we cannot say that there are more earthquakes during the night than during the day.

Many experiments and investigations have been made to determine a possible relationship between earthquakes and electrical phenomena, but beyond drawing attention to the fact that luminous appearances may accompany Magnetic phenomena. the friction of moving masses of rock, and that a temporary current may be established in a line by the disturbance of an earth-plate, these inquiries have yielded but little of importance. The inquiries respecting a possible relationship between adjustments so frequently taking place within and beneath that region called the crust of the earth and magnetic phenomena are, however, of a more promising nature. We have seen that at or near the origin of earthquakes which for several hours disturb continents, and occasionally cause oceans to oscillate for longer periods, we sometimes have direct evidence of the bodily displacement of many cubic miles of material. When this material is volcanic it is almost invariably magnetic, and we perceive in its sudden rearrangement causes which should produce magnetic effects within an epifocal district. In Japan, where attention is being directed to phenomena of this description, not only have such effects been observed, but unusual magnetic disturbances have been noted prior to the occurrence of large earthquakes. These may, of course, be regarded as mere coincidences, but when we consider volcanic and seismic activities as evidences of physical and chemical changes, together with mechanical displacements of a magnetic magma, it is reasonable to suppose that they should have at least a local influence upon magnetic needles. Another form of disturbance to which magnetic needles are subjected is that which accompanies the passage of large earth-waves beneath certain observatories situated at great distances from earthquake origins. At Utrecht, Potsdam and Wilhelmshaven the magnetographs are frequently disturbed by seismic waves, whilst at many other European observatories such effects are absent or only barely appreciable. To explain these marked differences in the behaviour of magnetic needles at different stations we are at present only in a position to formulate hypotheses. They may be due to the fact that different needles have different periodic times of oscillation; it is possible that at one observatory the mechanical movements of the ground are much greater than at others; we may speculate on the existence of materials beneath and around various observatories which are different in their magnetic characters; and, lastly, we may picture a crust of varying thickness, which from time to time is caused to rise and fall upon a magnetic magma, the places nearest to this being the most disturbed.

A subject to which but little attention has been directed is the effect which displays of seismic and volcanic activities have had upon the human mind. The effects are distinctly dual and opposite in character. In countries like Effects on the human mind. England, where earthquakes are seldom experienced, the prevailing idea is that they are associated with all that is baneful. For certain earthquakes, which fortunately are less than 1% of those which are annually recorded, this is 824 partially true. A disastrous shock may unnerve a whole community. Effects of this nature, however, differ in a marked manner with different nationalities. After the shock of 1891, when Japan lost 9960 of its inhabitants, amongst the wounded indications of mental excitement were shown in spinal and other trouble. Notwithstanding the lightheartedness of this particular nation, it is difficult to imagine that the long series of seismic effects chronicled in Japanese history, which culminated in 1896 in the loss of 29,000 lives by sea-waves, has been without some effect upon its mental and moral character. Several earthquakes are annually commemorated by special services at temples. In bygone times governments have recognized earthquakes as visitations of an angry deity, whom they have endeavoured to appease by repealing stringent laws and taxes. In other countries the sermons which have been preached to show that the tremblings of the world were visitations consequent on impiety, and the prayers which have been formulated to ward off disasters in the future, far exceed in number the earthquakes which gave rise to them. In 1755 many of the English clergy held the view that Lisbon was destroyed because its inhabitants were Catholics, whilst the survivors from that disaster attributed their misfortune to the fact that they had tolerated a few Protestant heretics in their midst. To avoid a recurrence of disaster certain of these were baptized by force. In the myths relating to underground monsters and personages that are said to be the cause of earthquakes we see the direct effects which exhibitions of seismic and volcanic activity have produced upon the imagination. The beliefs, or more properly, perhaps, the poetical fancies, thus engendered have exhibited themselves in various forms. Beneath Japan there is said to be a catfish, which in other countries is replaced by a mole, a hog, an elephant or other living creature, which when it is restless shakes the globe. The Kamchadales picture a subterranean deity called Tuil, who in Scandinavian mythology is represented by the evil genius Loki. We have only to think of the reference in the Decalogue forbidding the making of graven images of that which is in the earth beneath, to see in early Biblical history evidence of a subterranean mythology; and it seems probable that the same causes which led to the creation of Pluto, Vulcan and Poseidon gave rise to practices condemned by Moses.

Perhaps the greatest practical benefits derived from seismological investigations relate to important changes and new principles which have been introduced into the arts of the engineer and builder when constructing in earthquake Building to withstand earthquakes. countries. The new rules and formulae, rather than being theoretical deductions from hypotheses, are the outcome of observation and experiment. True measures of earthquake motion have been given to us by modern seismometers, with the result that seismic destructivity can be accurately expressed in mechanical units. From observation we now know the greatest acceleration and maximum velocity of an earth particle likely to be encountered; and these are measures of the destructivity. The engineer is therefore dealing with known forces, and he has to bear in mind that these are chiefly applied in a horizontal direction. A formula connecting the acceleration requisite to overturn bodies of different dimensions has been given. The acceleration which will fracture or shatter a column firmly fixed at its foundation to the moving earth may be expressed as follows:—

where

With this formula and its derivatives we are enabled to state the height to which a wall, for example, may be built capable of resisting any assumed acceleration. Experience has shown that yielding first shows itself at the base of a pier, a wall or a building, and it is therefore clear that the lower portion of such structures should be of greater dimensions or stronger than that above. Piers having these increased dimensions below, and tapering upwards in a proper manner, so that every horizontal section is sufficiently strong to resist the effects of the inertia of its superstructure, are employed to carry railways in Japan. In that country cast-iron piers are things of the past, whilst piers of masonry, together with their foundations, no longer follow the rules of ordinary engineering practice.

After flood, fire, earthquake, or when opportunity presents itself, changes are introduced in the construction of ordinary buildings. In a so-called earthquake-proof house, although externally it is similar to other dwellings, we find rafters running from the ridge pole to the floor sills, an exceedingly light roof, iron straps and sockets replacing mortices and tenons, and many other departures from ordinary rules. Masonry arches for bridges or arched openings in walls (unless protected by lintels), heavy gables, ornamental copings, cappings for chimneys, have by their repeated failure shown that they are undesirable features for construction in earthquake countries. As sites for buildings it is well to avoid soft ground, on which the movement is always greater than on hard ground. Excessive movement also takes place along the face of unsupported openings, and for this reason the edges of scarps, bluffs, cuttings and river-banks are localities to be avoided. In short, the rules and precautions which have to be recognized so as to avoid or mitigate the effects of earthquake movement are so numerous that students of engineering and architecture in Japan receive a special course of lectures on this subject. When it is remembered that a large earthquake may entail a loss of life greater than that which takes place in many wars, and that for the reconstruction of ordinary buildings, factories and public works an expenditure of several million pounds sterling is required, the importance of these studies cannot be overrated. Severe earthquakes are fortunately unknown in the British Isles, but we have simply to turn our eyes to earthquake-shaken colonies and lands in close commercial touch with Great Britain to realize the importance of mitigating such disasters as much as possible, and any endeavour to obviate the wholesale destruction of life should appeal to the civilized communities of the world.

An unexpected application of seismometry has been to record the vibration of railway trains, bridges and steamships. An instrument of suitable construction will give records of the more or less violent jolting and vibratory Applications of seismometry. movements of a train, and so localize irregularities due to changes in the character of ballast and sleepers, to variation in gauge, &c. An instrument placed on a locomotive throws considerable light upon the effects due to the methods of balancing the wheels, and by alterations in this respect a saving of fuel of from 1 to 5 ℔ of coal per mile per locomotive has sometimes been effected.

By mapping the centres from which earthquakes originate off the coast of Japan, we have not only determined districts where geological activity is pronounced, but have placed before the cable engineer well-defined localities which it is advisable to avoid; and in the records of unfelt earthquakes which originate far from land similar information is being collected for the deeper parts of the oceans. Occasionally these records have almost immediately made clear the cause of a cable failure. From lack of such information in 1888, when the cables connecting Australia with the outer world were simultaneously broken, the sudden isolation was regarded as a possible operation of war, and the colonists called out their naval and military reserves. Records of earthquakes originating at great distances have also frequently enabled us to anticipate, to correct, to extend, or to disprove telegraphic accounts of the disasters. Whatever information a seismogram may give is certain, whilst the information gathered from telegrams may in the process of transit become exaggerated or minimized. Otherwise unaccountable disturbances in records from magnetographs, barographs and other instruments employed in observatories are frequently 825 explained by reference to the traces yielded by seismometers. Perhaps the greatest triumph in seismological investigation has been the determination of the varying rates at which motion is propagated through the world. These measurements have already thrown new light upon its effective rigidity, and if we assume that the density of the earth increases uniformly from its surface towards its centre, so that its mean density is 5.5, then, according to Knott, the coefficient of elasticity which governs the transmission of preliminary tremors of an earthquake increases at a rate of nearly 1.2% per mile of descent.