The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-07-26
SCIENTIFIC.

PARIS ACADEMY or SCIENCES, June 9.--M. Bah
net read the report Of committee appointed by the
academy to examine an apparatus for the produce
ton of artificial ice-the invention of M. Vileneuve.
The process, MS described in the report, which
speaks highly in its favor, is follows: M Vile
neuvc produces the cold by dissolvng sulphate of
soda in chlorhydrlc acid. A hollow cylinder in
which this refIgerating mixture is placed, is envel-
oped IN another cylinder, which receives, the water
to be converted into ce In the mixture itself is
plunged another hollow cylindrical vessel, closed at
the bottom, and which is turned by handle
to keep the mixture in motion. Into this cylinder
may be placed water Or any other preparation which
is to be frozen. Thus creams, &c, may be iced,
and, at the same time, ice itself is produced in the
outer cylinder. The process appears to be rather
tedious II requires hour, and an expenditure of
about two francs, to produce seven eight pounds
Office. In hot climates however, where natural ice
is not to be ha, and in France, in towns where
there no ce-houses, this domestic refrigerator
may be found very useful
A letter was received from General Dembinski,
giving an account OF simple but powerful yentIla
Tor muse IN Hungary lisa girouee, (weather-
cock y the hollow cylindrical tube Of which commu-
nIcates with the apartment This cylinder is con-
nected with another horizontal cylinder, leaving
small rolnd space between tho two surfaces. The
wind rushing INTO tins sIace puts the column of air
of the internal cylinder in motion, and rapidly as
pires the foul air of the apartment.
We were requested the other day to be present at
an experiment with the photographic printing ma
chine, the invention Of very young French eng
necr named Nicolle, in the Rue Boue and we are
happy in being able TO assure the public that the ex
perIment was successful Hitherto all attempts to
apply to photography the principles ofmachinery in
PRODUCED into topographic printing about twenty
years ago, and now generally in use, from the
means which it affords Of throwing off rapidly an
immense number of copies from the same form, in
stead of being compelled, IN order to get off the
number required, to have second duplicates of the
composition, and as many presses at work, which
was attended with enormous expense, both for COM
positors and pressmen, have been unsuccessful, as
II was found impossible to obtain by machine
press the same precision and regularity of pressure,
as by the common hand press. M. Nicolle, how
ever, has not only made machine SO perfect as to
give impressions good as those obtained by hand,
but he has gone further for the Impressions thrown
of by his machine are Superior to those obtained by
the ordinary process now in USE whilst, in point of
Tapidiy, the Improvement is so great as to be al
most incredible. BY the common photographic pro-
cess, not more than from two hundred TO two hun
dred and ftv good Impressions Of designs, or about
one thousand copies of photographic writing, can be
obtained in twelve hours. BY this new machine
which is also worked by hand, us many as two
Thousand of the former, and twenty thousand Of the
latter, can be obtained within the same period Of
Time The machine occupies but small space.
The ink-rollers are 40 arranged, that the supply as
they pass the stone, is regularly distributed.
The paper is laid upon the stone by the machinery;
md, when printed, thrown off, without having any
lerson to lay on take off and thus the expense
of working is reduced, at the same time that the
products greatly multiplied. The most extra
ordinary part Of the machine, however, is that
which provide orthe wetting of the stone for each
impression BY the ordinary system, the printer is
compelled, after every impression, TO moisien the
stone with wet sponge.
This is an operation that requires great care but
which, Notwithstanding, gradually affects the draw
ing and, before thousand copies arc taken off, the
delicacy Of the outlines is almost DESTROYED! M
Nicolle has imagined means of wetng the stone,
which, TO use French expression, silent au MGR
yeilicuxn With force-pump, of his own inven-
ton and by three four strokes OF the piston, he
extracts moisture from the atmosphere. and throws
il upon the stone in the form of fine dew, that the
application of the hand is avoided, and there is great
economy Of time. This pump is fixed over the
stone, and the piston is rapidly worked by the ma
cline. When we were present, this apparatus was
not quite completed, and not, Therefore, attach
ell TO the machine; but we saw the pump at work by
the hand and could have no doubt of its perfect
success when affixed to the machinery. The air of
tie printing-room would necessarily soon lose It's
rtoisure by the repeated application of the exhaust
lug process. But the moisture may easily be kept
,ip by the simple of small charcoal stove, and
an eyapointing dish filled with water. NJ. Nicolle
has patents in France and in England for his nyen
uon; and we sincerely trust that he will realize the
advantages due 10 his ingenuity, and 10 the patient
perseverance with which, for period Of three years,
he has devoted himself 10 the making Of machine
before he could call perfect. Our only fear, how
ever, is, that the price at which he proposes sell
tllese machines is higher than most photographic
printers could afford to pay. The machine now at
work cost M Ncole between 1000 and 5000
francs and he proposes TO sell machines made
IN the same way at 5000 francs each, which
would give him only a moderate profit But
he must not imagine that these machines, when
msde TO large extent, would cost as much as his
experimental machine. Our opinion is, that in
England they might be made as well, and prob
ably much better than that which we saw, (for
rs yet, the French mechanicians arc bad workmen
az compared with the Engsh,) for $500 francs; or