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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1902)
Personalities of Professors Loeb and Mathews KEW dnys ago It was Announced that two men, ono a German born, tho other a native of Amer ica, had together solved tho secret of nerve nnd muscle stim ulus, and Immediately tho names of Jacques and Albert Mathews wcro ploced In heavy display typo In every largo news paper In tho country, and under various headings wns given tho story of their In vestigations and prophecies as to what these discoveries would mean to tho world. Now, It Is a good thing for tho public to applaud, even though not ono In a thou sand understands what nro Ions, electrons, protoplasmal energy, parthenogenesis, or other similar terms In which tho experi ments of these scientists arc described. Wo havo been told that tho discoveries provo our physlcnl energy to bo duo to electricity nnd not to heat, that thus Is explained the beating of tho heart, tho ef fects of drugs, nnd that wo havo taken u step toward tho solution of tho problem of llfo and death. We realize eomewhat vaguely, but nono the less surely, that all this means a wonderful nchlovcment has been made. And so, though wo may not come within Intellectual hailing dlstnnco of tho discovery, wo aro prepared to laud the men who have placed America on an equal piano with Kuropo In tho domain of pure science. Por this Is what Profs. Loeb nnd Mathews havo done. I.ix-h In ii Yoiiiik' Mini, Tho first meeting with Prof. Loeb Is a surprise. Ono expects to sco nn elderly, pr.le, henvy-browed devoteo of tho midnight oil. Instead ono sees n man who looks barely 30, springy of step and quick to the drgrco of nervousness In his actions. OHGAN GRINDER WELCOMES SNOW, FOR Rude King Blizzard and His Relentless Assertion of (Copyright, 1902, by E. B. Dunn.) IHILB "Old Boreas" sleeps In tho heart of tho .Icy north, Industry and commerce movo steadily on. Nothing, It would seem, could check this progress and demean tho power of man. But In tho frozen north thoro is often at this season an awakonlng of "Old Boreas" from his slumbers, and then ho sends forth a blast that shrivels man and beast, demoralizes Industries, ob structs the traffic of a continent and cuts oft communication with tho outer world. It Is tho "blizzard," and man Is suddenly brought to realize Its mighty powor. Tho blizzard, as defined, Is a florco wind, accompanied by a flno, cutting, drifting snow and tntenso cold. Tho term blizzard was formerly associated only with tho win ter conditions that usually prevail In the northwest, but Is now usod to designate similar storms In tho eastern states. In tho districts of tho southwest and Texas such a storm Is known as n "norther." When thero Is an absenco of snow In theso latter sections a flno, blinding sand takes its placo, and In many localities tho bliz zard Is accompanied by both. Tho forco and destructlvo charactor of tho blizzard Is demonstrated In many ways. Only re cently tho cntlro country cast of the Rocky mountains and from Canada to tho Gulf of Mexico was brought within tho grasp of this mighty monster from tho north; lives wero lost on land and sen, cattlo perished by the thousands on tho western plains, rivers overflowed tholr banks, railroads wero blocked, telegraphic communication Then, when ono recalls tho chronological record which places him nt nearly 10. the first thought is that ho has found In his Investigations some elixir of llfo which he Is twltig himself nnd had not let the world know about It. Wo hnvo a way of Jumping to tho conclusion that, It ho tins prolonged tho llfo of n slnglo cell, ho may havo found tho way to prolong tho llfo of some count -le s number of cells which make up human life. No ono is quicker, however, to dls ecuntennnco such a generalization than Prof. Iocb. "Moybo, In years to come," he tnld to mo, "wo shall know what life Is nnd b? able to control It, hut not now, not yet." Por an luvcstlgntor who has ac complished a long stride toward tho great unknowable, Prof. Loeb Is exceedingly modest. "Tho most Hint anyone enn do," ho says, "is to ndd a single drop to tho sea of human knowledge. 1 nni not nt nil sure that 1 havo dono that. It rcmnlns for tho future to shuw. The longer I live tho moro I rcnllzo that ephemeral famo counts for nothing. If tho few men who really under fltnnd what I nm trying to do recognize my work ns good, then I shnll bo satisfied." Mdnllcil for Yt-iii-H, Prof. Loeb has been connected with Chi cago university for several years, but for ninny years before his coming to this country ho had been working on tho physi ological problems of life. Horn In n small Gcrmnn vlllago nnd educated In Berlin university nro the only two facts In his early llfo which ho has mndo public. "My work must Bpcnk for mo after that," ho replies to questions for details. There Is, Indeed, enough In his work to speak Snap Shots on City Streets During Snow Storm I'm!)) -T'r IT HELPS HIS BUSINESS Interrupted, and valuublc gardens and fruit groves In tho sunny south completely destroyed. South of tho lino of Georgia thero was no snow, but tho sweep of the high winds and cold was equally disastrous to that section. Where They Hutch. "Blizzards" find a blrthplaco to the north of tho boundary lino of tho United States. Tho most sovcro and extensive en ter tho country over Montana or North Da kota, Thoy occasionally como down over Minnesota or tho Great Iakcs. Tho latter, though they may be equally sovero as thoso entering further to tho westward, are smaller In dlamoter and thoy spread over the lako regions, Ohio valley, mlddlo Atlan tic and Now England states only, while thoso coming from over tho former states, as a gonoral rulo, spread over tho cntlro coun try east of tho Rocky mountains. Thoy first roovo dlroctly southward and, strange to say, while theso storms of high winds and Intenso cold nro tho outcomo of tho de velopment and movement of areas of ab normally high pressuro (whoro tho wind Is thrown oft from the center In all directions, with a motion similar to tho movement of the hands of a watch), tholr full forco Is not attained until tho centers aro within tho bounds of tho northwest states, whero tho most lntonso cold of tho Journey Is registered, and not Infrequently touches from 50 to 60 degrees below zero. This foaturo Is probably duo to a more rapid nocturnal radiation than takes placo further north. The movement of an aroa of high pres volumes. Not content with anything less than original Investigation he began by studying tho lowest form of nnlnial llfo and shortly discovered that those beings wcro attracted or repelled by light, heat, gravity and various chemical substances. Ho wns not ready for tho generalization that, since these forms of energy wcro electrical In nature, nil llfo forco was stimulated electrically. Hut ho went on, nnd nt the Naples laboratory and nt Wood's hall In Massachusetts ho found that ho could Ftlmulnto chemically the llfo of sen urchin eggs. Then cnino his Investiga tions Into tho secret of muscle stimulus. Ho was progressing toward tho problem of llfo and denth. At Just tho right tlmo along camo n young man who had been studying physi ological problems nil his life. His mind wns not confused with tho difficulties which Prof. Loeb snw, because ho hod not gone through with tho snmo experi ments. "I had reached a certain point In my investigations and was looking ono wny when I should havo looked another. Prof. MnthowH enmo along, saw what I was doing nnd looked In the direction I had missed." Tho result was tho discovery of nerve stimulus nnd tho co-operation of tho two theories Into n prnctlcol generalization., MntlirtVN Also YntiiiK. Prof. Mathews was born In Chicago thirty years ago, Just after tho great fire which swept tho city up to within two blccks of tho Mathews home. His father now Ui3 well known musical critic and editor of n magazine of music published In Chicago, was at that time a member of tho tiro patrol which saved what little .vrw SWEEPING THE TROLLEY CAR TRACKS. sure, with tho blizzard-features attending, dopendB moro or less upon tho cyclonic or low prossuro area preceding It relative to its intensity, position nnd movement. Tho atmospheric waves making up all storm movements follow ono another, liko tho waves of tho ocean, only on a moro gigantic scalo. Thero may bo anywhere from ono to flvo of theso atmospheric waves traversing tho country nt tho snmo tlmo, but of different forco and dimensions, each struggling to sccuro an cqiilPbrlum, thoso of tho high waves endeavoring to fill tho comparatlvo vacuum of tho low arens. In both Instances they nro propagated to the eastward by tho rotation of tho earth. IIIkIi, I.imv mill thu (iiiiui-. Tho existing low pressuro, which forms n vacuum or channel of light air, offors an Inducement for tho flow of tho heavier, colder air toward Its center. Thus It will bo seen that tho coldor air from tho high pressuro readily starts for tho place of lowest pressuro. It Is llko rolling a bnll down hill; tho steeper tho Incllno tho faster tho ball will travel. Tho samo with tho wind; tho greater tho depth of tho low pressure center tho moro rapid and greater will bo tho volume of cold nlr rushing to fill It. Tho cold nlr and strong winds clrclo to tho wost and flnnlly to tho south of tho low pressuro center nnd follow In Its track across tho country. Tho Intensity of wind and cold la confined to tho northorn or northwestern sides of tho low pressuro or cyclonic ccntor. Should a preceding low pressuro center In tho lako regions be moving eastward was U'ft of tho city. Young Mathews re ceived his llrst training under Prof, llelt wood In tho Kvnnston High school, who was then considered the greatest educator In tho west. When Mathews went east for college he wos asked what education he had. "High school," he replied. "Vluro7" "In Illinois." "Humph, tneio are only two high schools In Illinois," replied tho examiner, "Prince ton and Kvnnston." "Yes, nnd I rnnin from one of them," replied Mnthews triumphantly. As n matter of fact Prof, llellwood es tablished tho high school nt Princeton nnd then moved (o Kvnnston. I'liiler Siiei'liil l)liriisntlou, Albert Matliews wns the best stud in llellwood ever turned out. At the Massa chusetts Institute of Technology the boy wns denied addition because he was Iih) young. The following year he app led for admission again, but n special dispensa tion of tho authorities gave him entrance. Throughout his course there he distin guished himself beyond previous record. He was a scholarship student and had come down to study electricity, but got Into biology Instead. Prof. Sedgwick took a llk'ug for tho young man and they did a gieat deal of original research work to gether. One very practical result of their as sociation was the tracing down of the cause of tho New England diphtheria bo prevalent at tho tlmo to the milk which came down from tho Merrlmao country. Tho following summer Mnthows went nliotit New England examining water supplies, wells and town m ml) '"ffliiiip ' v HIS DRIVER IS SNUGLY tho cold winds will provnll principally In tho lako regions and tho northern part of tho Atlantic states. If tho low prossuro urea Is in tho central Mississippi valley tho blizzard winds will sweep southward Into tho northern part of tho southern states. Tho blizzard rages with Its greatest fury, however, swooping tho country, from north to south nml from east to wost when the low pressuro center Is on tho west gulf coast. Tho wind blows from tho north or from tho northwest with velocities ranging from thirty to sixty miles nn hour, whllo tho tompernturo in tho northwest, and thenco houth over tho central states to Toxas, drops from 30 to CO degrees In a few hours. Tho minimum temperatures In tho Dakotas, Montnnn nnd Minnesota rnngo from 10 to r0 degrees bolow zero, In tho central west C to 20 below, nnd tho limit of zoro frequently reaches to tho contcr of Toxns nnd east to Georgia. At such times tho line of freezing wenther and killing frosts passes to tho Gulf of Moxlco from Texas and cuts across central Florida to tho Atlantic ocean. Where llllxxiirili lllte MiinI. Tho wind or "blizzard" conditions fol lowing storms from tho southwest Is ex pended principally in tho northwest, tho southwest and Inko regions and tho cold Is ir.oro Intense, In thsro districts and tho south ern states than It Is In tho mlddlo Atlantic districts. Tho greatest severity of a "blizzard" Is felt In tho mlddlo Atlantic states when a storm of low pressure passes off tho south pumis. Many of these latter ho found full ef genus nnd he had them closed up. Ill Coiirxi' of Mlml). In 1S02 he wns graduated from tho Tech nology Institute, mid then followed a fel lowship for two years at Columbia, two years in Marburg university, Germany, a rummer In tho International Marino nnd Biological Station nt Naples, another term at Columbia, two years as professor of physiology at Tufts college nnd a year In Harvard. Ilo weut to Chicago university last September. It was In Germany that he began his experiments. There ho worked with Kcssiilt and other eminent physiolo gists and took up his Investigations llrst In tho analysis of albumen. At Naples ho tried experiments similar to those of Prof l.oeb, but with less successful results at tho time. At Tults ho organized tho de partment of physlologlcnl chemistry and nt Harvard ho carried on moro original ex periments, lie has been going to Wood's Hall every summer except those when ho was abroad since ho was a student In tha Institute of Technology. During lato years ho has been one of tho principal lecturers at tho summer school there and It was at this plneo where tho greater part of bin work on nervo stimulus wns done. Hero also Prof. Loeb carried on his oxperlmontJ and tho two men worked together for somo time. At present both nro closely asso ciated, and, while Prof. Loeb's work Is more exhaustive and complete, that of his younger colleague, Prof. Mnthows, Is nono tho less of considerable Importance. To gether they aro working on tho further problems which their discoveries havo opened up. HERBERT WALLACE. I5NSCONCED IN A WARM ROOM. Power Atlantic coast or Contois In this vlolnlty, ns did tho greatest "blizzard" In our his tory, Hint of March 12, 13 nnd 14, In tho j ear 18SS. On this occasion thero was n union of two storms, ono which camo cast ward from tho north Pacific ocean to a point north of Lako Ontario, thero connect ing by a trough of low prossuro with a 'sec ondary storm on tho coast of North Caro lina. These two, nnd what appeared to bo moderate depressions, drew together on tho Atlantic coast In a center reaching from Hattcras to Atlantic City. This happenod on tho night of March 11. By tho morning of March 12 tho storm center wns Just off tho lmmcdlnto coast of Now York, Its ad vance bolng rotardod by an area of high pressuro ovor tho north Atlantic. At this point nnd tlmo tho storm was qulto exten sive, but diminished as tho rotary powor of tho storm rapidly Increased. Snow was falling thick and fast and was bolng drlvon about by tho high winds Into banks from ten to twenty foot high nt somo points. Tha tomperaturo was constantly falling, until nt 10 p. m. of tho 12th It reached four abovo zoro, Tho storm continued with unabatad fury throughout tho 13th and 1 1 1 It. On tho morning of tho lGth It diminished nnd tho storm contor located on tha coast nt Nova Scotia. For three days the wind blow a galo from tho northwest, with n flno, cutting, drifting snow, and tho tomperaturo near zoro. Never had such a storm boon ex perienced. In Now York mnny perished In tho streets, tho city was completely cut (Continued on Eighth Page.)