The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 4, 1896, Page 15

H 5 L THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1896. 15 , NEW MECHAHNICAL MARVELS AT THE STATE URIVERSITY than exist under merely observational psychology. The conditions under which we make our observations are artificial and are produced and controiled so that their character is thoroughly understood. Since the person who makes the experi- ment is not the person immediately con- cerned in the outcome he is the less liable to be biased in his juigment. **We shall experiment largely to affect the body through the senses in different ways. Wecan, of course, influence the organs of sense in various ways. We can affect the eyes, for instance, by altering { TONOMETER and Overtone Apparatus. These Machines Have Dissected an Octave Into Thirty-Two Sounds, HE wonderfully exact and delicate mechanicai appliances which have just arrived at Berkeley for use in connection ! with the study of experimental psychology have been photographed and sketched by a OALL artistand are now reproduced for the first time for the benefit of Tux CALL | readers. The illustrations give a very fair and accurate representation of the truly unique apparatus with which Berkeley’s new pro- | fessor of psychology proposes to teach the growing native son how to penetrate some of the darkness that, viewed from a materialistic standpoint, ever will en- shroud the question, “What is man?” No other American university has so fine and costly assoriment of what may | psychological tools. Nowhere nany, where exverimental nated, in the modern ac- ceptation of the term, has the completeness of the collection been equaled. | The nrst laboratory in experimental psychology was established by William | Wundt at Leipsicin 1879. From very early | times inve ations have been maae in the field of psychology. Lockeand Berke- ley made observations and generaliza- tions, but there was no attempt to cause a recurrence of psychical Europe orin the United States prior to Fe time of Weber and Fechner, who stuaied and wrote in Germany in the first half of the present century. They were experimenters as well as observers. George Malcolm Stratton of Oakland ad the honor to be admitted as a student in the first laboratory of Experimental Psychology established in Europe. Mr. Etratton was graduated with high honor and received marked distinction in Europe among the learned psychologists. He is the instrnctor in Experimental Psychology at Berkeley. “Wundt,” said Mr. Stratton, as he stood amid the psychological appar- stus which he selected in Germany for the versity, “first engaged in his altempt periment by getting several men anc He started in a From e some apparatus together. all way, with buta few pupils. that beginning a great laboratory has been developed. He has eighteen rooms, ex- pensively titted up for the purpose of ex- periments. The records of his works fill twelve volumes.” The work at Berkeley will follow the lines of German origin. One of the first ions will be concerning the practical ue of the experiments apart from their purely scientific importance. Observation and experiment will be devoted to finding out what various men do under fixed con- ditions which can be a: ally contrived. The fluttering of the pulse, its accelera- tion and retardation, sudden acces- sions of energy, all can be mapped and charted with absolute fideli Respira- tion and 1its variations, the expansion or contraction of muscles under the influ- of mental impressions—in brief, all the physical phenomena which mental perceptions may cause—can be sutomatically recorded by machinery through a most ingenious combination of &eprings, electro-magnets, diais capable of messuring so smail a lapse of time as 1-1000 of a second, electric currents, ham- mers which fall in a predetermined period through arcs of a circle, and so on. These physical phenomena are valuable for the purposes of psychology, as they indicate the precise effect of mental action, based on fixed occurrences, upon the body. Con- versely, the time may arrive when these phenomena may indicate the nature of thoughts. The field of conjecture which this opens up is so vast that it is seem- ingly boundless. “Psychoiogy,’’ said Mr. Stratton, “is an old science, dating back to Aristotle. His work, De Anima, was the first great work on psychology. Psychology aims to know the nature of mental life and under what conditions mind exists; what are its relations to the physical world, and what the destiny of the personal mind or thought is. "Here is 8 great philosophical problem which can only be soived by philosophical methods. Psychology seeks to answer to these great questions. “In what we call experimental psychol- ogy the subject has the conditions made for him. He is purposely kept in the dark as to what is about 0 happen that he may give an answer without any ;Ke,\udice. Then a number of subjectsare ence tgken and put through the same condi- ns and we see what the results are. In that way we make a general rule applica- ble to the normal. “You will see that, with the ability to repeat the same experiment an indefinite number of times upon different persons, there are greater possibilities for system phenomena in | the character of the light that comes in, by intensifying or diminishing it, by the | size of the field of light presented, and so on. We can affect the ears, the organ of smell, the temperature and touch. Pain can be produced by affecting the body in various ways, by electric stimulation, by pressure at a certain point. Even the in- tensity of light can be made painful. “By such methods the mental state can be constantly affected and the contents of Jender Sentiment and Fierce Passion Weighed and Measured Delicate Apparatus -That Will Divide a Second Into a Thousand Parts--Wenders of Berkeley's Psychological Liaboratory the mind can be changed. For instance, the presentation of variously colored lights is perceived mentally. The subject sees that there are various colors and that is a mental fact. The same is true when har- monies or tones are recognized; that is mental. The ear itself is unconscious of any change. The perception is in the mind. Mental changes in this way can be made general changes which caa be ob- served and known. We can note the changes which follow the experiments and the mental processes so occasioned can be compared. These are carefully watched and noted. The subject knows only what he thinks, but his physical condition fur- | KYMOGRAPH, the Clock-Propelled Drum, Which Automatically Records Heart-Beats and the Flutterings of the Excited Pulse. nishes certain signs that give us the means of determining what his general state is. “Yes,” went on Mr. Stratton with in- terest and enthusiasm, “there are broad and rough signs, like the contraction or dilation of the eyes, the contraction of the lips and facial muscles, which can be easily seen and which denote the mental condition of the subject; but there have peen discovered more delicate rigns which detect the mental state and it is in this connection that we employ the deli- cate instruments which you see here. The mental condition affects the rate of the pulse or its strength, the rate of the heart-beat and its strength, the quantity and flow of the blood. The size of a man’s forearm is changed by the state of his mind. “We can determine the effects of fatigue or of interest or of distraction, We can compare the power of percepiion in “The voluntary reactions of the muscle are studiea. For instance, the subject is requested to press a key simultaneousiy with the appearance of a flash of lizht which will be presented to him. The time that it takes to comply with this request can be accurately measured. Or,if two colors are to be presented, a testisfur- nished of the speed with which he can discriminate. Or there may be a number of colors or a number of words, so that hig HIPP’S CHROMOSCORPE, the Wonderful Instrument Which Divides CONTROL HAMMER Which, With Marvelous Accuracy, Is Competent to Correct Variations in the different persons or in the same person under varying conditions, for one person sees soma things quicker than he ecan see others. In the consideration is the power of memory, and there are a whole class of reactionary experiments which are not voluntary. There are the reactions of the foot, or the hand or of some muscle which is unconscious. There are unconscious changes in circulation and breathing which can be accurately measured. The pneumatograph records, for instance, the character of the breathing and its fre- quency and its varying depth. Chromoscope. mental action is complicated. He cannot react until his mental action is complete. Such experiments give a hint concerning the mental processes which go on in such cases. Then there are the direction and alteration of attention, the strength of attention and =0 on to be determined.” Turning ‘rom these considerations Mr. Btratton exhibited and explained the uses of some of the more important in- siruments by which the duration, intens- ity, speed and other ciiaracteristics of cer- tain mental acts artificially induced are mechanically measured and recorded. The first of these is known as Hipp’s chronoscope. The picture shows the gen- eral appearance of this device very well, It consists of clockwork which runs the pointers on the two dials and of electrical apparatus which sets the chronoscope into action instantaneously. The subdi- visions on the smaller dial measure the time out in one thousandths of a second. The larger dial is traversed in 10 8econds and serves as a check by whnich to make up the record, giving one click to every revolution of the pointer around the smaller dial. Legends of lost mines are ever new and furnish material for the most fascinating and adventurous of narratives. Most of them are creditable to their authors as monuments of invention, but there are others which carry with them an air of probability and often have stimulated search in regions where the existence of gold was not suspected. Thne mines of the Yukon were suggested by the circulation of the frontier story of the “Lake of the Golden Bar,” and it is more than prob- able that the site of the famous lost Peg Leg mine will be found in the wonderfully rich Ranisburg distriet of Kern County, but recently discovered. The story of the lost White cement mine has been current among the miners of two generations. Early in the 50's a man named White appeared in Horse- head Guich with a large quantity of speci- mens of what seemed to be white clay, imbedded in which were numberless flakes of shining gold. A test of the samples showed free gold to the value of $1000 a ton. White was not communicative as to the source from which he had procured his specimens, and beyond the admissions that the mine was located in New Mexico, abouts of the find. Persuasion was quite lost upon the discoverer, and the miners came to the conclusion to force the infor- mation from the stubborn prospector. White was told that unless he would con- sent to guide a certain number of miners to the place where the gold lay violence would be used to compel him todo so. If he would consent it was agreed that he should have his pick of the ground and tne miners sbould have the rest. White agreed, and a delegation of ' miners, headed by him, set out for the camp. The way was hard and the trip exhausting, but all went well until the third morning of the trip, when White was found to be missing. The adventurers made their way back to Horsehead Guich and arrived there after enduring great distress. Another expedition was formed, consist- ing of 100 men, and the search for the mine was continued for a long time, but without success. Three years afterward White was again seen in Salt Lake with a large quantity of the same ore that so excited the Cali- fornia miners. He reiterated the former stories of his discovery and its riches, but again vanished €rom the scene znd never reappeared. The belief, however, in the existence of the White cement mine is an article of faith among the miners of Southern California. No story of lost mines would be com- plete without a reference at least to the famous Peg Leg mine,which John G. Smith claimed to have discovered. In August, 1871, Smith appeared in Los Angeies with a large amount of gold in small nuggets, which he claimed to bave extracted from a deposit of marvelous richness shown him by a couple of Pima Indians. Smith refused to reveal the exact locality of his mine, and told many contradictory . stories regarding - it. After spending all his means in riot- nothing could be learned of the where-' geles even richer in nuggets than before. Twice afterward he made like trips and the community was highly wrought up over the mysterious origin of all these riches." Attempts were made to follow Smith, but unsuccessfully. Finally he agreed to allow two friends into the secret and with them Smith started for his mine. Months elapsed, but the men did not re- turn, and later the aesiccated bodies of the two companions were foundin the desert. Smith was never heard of again. The new Randsburg district in Kern County is believéd by many to be the site of the longed-for Peg Leg mine. Ip 1852 Wiliam Hackett and Robert Pope arrived in Red Bluffon a prospecting tour. The season was well advanced to- ward winter and all advised the men to defer their expedition until spring, but this excellent counsel was disregarded, and one dayin the early part of September An Alpine Javern ‘The new hotel that has lately been erect- ed on the summit of Mount Tamalpais can safely lay claim to being one of the most artistic and unique structures in Cal- ifornia. It is 2400 ieet abuve sea level, at the terminus of the scenic railway, and perched on a crag thatoverhangs Mill Valley. The building can hardly be said to conform to any particular style of architecture, although Colonia is strongly indicated. " On the side of the hotel overlooking the valley there is a wide porch with large, graceful arches through which the most _enchanting glimpses of scenery can be ob- tained. On a clear day the Pacific can be ous living he vanisbed, and about six | plainly seen, as well as a vast expanse of month afterward again came to Los An- | country. ABSORBING TALES QF V Hackett and Pope, with a couple of bur- ros, set out for the headwaters of the Me- Clouda River. The Indians in that early day were troublesome and vindictive, and resented any invasion of their territory, but the two friends were undeterred by thoughts of danger, and after a month’s tramping found themselves ona small branch of the McCloud, flowing northeast- erly down the slope of great Mount Shasta. Here a camp was formed and a but built, sn which it was determined to remain dur- ANISHED ine the winter. ‘When all was completed the search for gold bezan. Indications were encourag- ing and slowly their pile of dust increased. Winter approiched and mining ceased. To occupy the long hours and to provide themselves with fresh meat the men be- ean to hunt. Game was abundant and one day a brar was wounded, which fled from the hunters and night comingon the chase had to be abandoned.” The next day the trail wasdiscovered and foilowed for To the south BSan Francisco shows plainly. The shore line of the bay isin plain sight and the many towns that cover the near-by hills. When the fo. rolls in through the Goden Gate it is be- neath the observer on Mount Tamalpais ‘and, looks like boundless plains covered with snow. The view from the summit seems to be greatly improved when seen through the arches on t e porch. The building is aimost ready for occupancy. The photograph from which the accom- panying drawing was made was taken a few days ago, at which time there were still a few scantlings in front of the struc- ture. These were left out in the drawing, so that it really looks as it will when finished. MINES over five miles into a narrow canyon. Be" fore a cave in the rocks the bear lay dead. ‘With the natural instincts of prospectors the two men entered the cave intending to explore it, but their aitention was quickly diverted from that purpose by the evidences that they had unwittingly come upon a formation that indicated the pres- ence of rich gold-bearing quartz in amaz- ing quantities. After that they left the hut and took up their abode near the cave. All winter was spent in detaching the ore and separating the rich from the poor. When summercame Pope loaded the two burros with all they could carry and hastened to Red Bluff, where he sold it for $2000. H He made immediate preparations for a return, and, accompanied by a number of miners, started to join his partner, but when abovut twenty miles from his desti- nation the party came upon the fleshless skeleton of Hackett tied to a burned sap- iing and showing every indication of having been tortured and mutilated by the Indians. The effect upon Pope of this awiul accident was 1o destroy his reason. He became violently insane and one night disappeared and was never seen again. The secret of the Bears Nest mine died with him, and it has been numbered with the lost. The search for it is still con- tinued, and some day.it may be rediscov- ered. It is a tradition of Shasta that miners love to dwell upon. The distant Yukon region furnishes the story of the Lake of the Golden Bar. Hamilton Galt, Oharles Ulrich and Wal- ter Standford, three prospectors, started north from Butte, Montana, in August, 1884, and continued their journey for eight weeks until the headwaters of the Yukon River was reached. Here in a lake they found a small 1sland which abounded in gold. One nugget weighing six pounds was discovered and others of less weight in abun lance. During the short summer thess men estimated they had cached no less than $50,000, which they found too heavy to pack and hid until they would return when winter was over. The jour- ney home was fatal to all but Ulrich, who eventually turned up at Fort Wrangei with$1000 in gold in his beit. An attempt 1o locate the lake of the treasure was un- successful. Itis lost to the world until some lucky miner rediscovers it. The Lost Cabin mine is still au active tradition of the piains. It was discov- ered over forty years ago by Kit Carson, the famous scont, James Kinney and a halfbreed, whose name has been forgotten. This mine was located on Cabin Creek, an affluent of the Mis-ouri, and about 700 miles northwest of Cheyenne, in the Black Hills country. The discoverers brought home all they could carry of gold nug- gets, but on attempting to return to the mine in the following spring the Indians were 80 numerous that the trip was aban- foned. T'ne two companions of the scout were subsequently killed and Kit Carson was too mucn eangaged in fighting Indians to look up mines. He made an attempt in later years but failed. Journals of the House of Commons were begun in 1547 and regularly printed after this date, Time Into Intervals of One-Thousandth of a Second. In this exquisitely accurate and so to speak microscopic measurement of a fleet * Ing second there may be very slight changes in the chronoscope, by reason of temperature or other climatic conditions. Even the electric current, which sets the chronoscope in motion, may delicately vary, notwithstanding the employment of electro-magnets, which are made as nearly perfect as possible. To correct this there has been invented what is known as the control hammer, The last-named device consists princi- pally of a heavy weight, which, attached to a lever, falls through varying arcs of a circle, accordingly as it 1s gauged or set. The control hammer does not really con- trol, but when it is attached to the chrono- scope it records with unimpeachable accu- racy. The weight or hammer is raised through the prescribed arc, and is held up by an electro-magnet. When the current is shut off the ham- mer falls and touches the springs and here another electric current makes an in- stantaneous record. The exact time which is requirea for the faliing of the hammer through a definite distance is, of course, absolutely known. So the central ham- mer notes all variations in the chrono- scope and makes that instrument as nearly perfect for the measurement of in- finitesimal periods of time as anything of human make can well be. The friction of the point on the paper affects the length of the marks caused by the tuning fork, but does not change the speed with which it records in the least. Applying this a scale can be prepared. The waves of the tuning fork appear upon the blackened paper like billows traced out in white scraiches. It may be added that only one make of batteries is used for starting the chronoscope, it having been determined that the current of these is the most constant. The apparatus for producing tones and fine sub ivisions of tones is in several parts. Outwardly it consists of an organ bellows, operatea by a treadle, two boxes of reeds and a large funnel-shaped affair. The treadle can operate all or singly. The funnel emits the tone which is ordi- narily described in musical notation as great C. The two boxes of reeds are fitted with a series of small stops, and on the front of each of these stops is painted the number of vibrations per second which the reeds with which they are connected respectively make. There are tuirty-two stops to each of the boxes. One box is known as the tonom-ter and this subdivides the sounds usually in- cluded in the scope of an octave into thirty-two sounds. These collectively embrace all the harmonies incinded in an octave. The other box is known as the overtone apparatus, and gives the over- tones proceeding from the funnel or trumpet. In addition to the vibrations the harmonic relations of the tonesare indicated. It wiil be seen that these tone- making concerns possess startling possi= bilities in an otherwise entirely quiet room. There is one other clockwork device which merits description. This is the kymograph. The use of this is to turn around a brass drum at a fixed rate ot speed. To this brass drum is affixed a roll of delicately smoked paper. This paper can be used for holding an auto- matically made record of the beating of the heart, or of the pulse, or the respira. tion of the subject who is nndergoing in- vestigation. The heart is recorded by the aid of a pneumatic tube, the punlse by pressure upon the artery. When the paper is dipped in a fixative like sheliac, the record of all those physical phenomena which were induced by contrived mental conditions becomes a permanent history and can be filel away by itself or with others as a memorial of this new advance- ment in the iine of a physical inquiry into the human mind, The University of California has not yet provided the rooms necessary for the laboratory of experimental psychology in Berkeley. Mr. Stratton savs that at least eight rooms should be proyided. These should be near together. It is not neces- sary that all should be en suite, but they ought to be all electrically connected.