Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-18
Raising vessels by observation-disclosures

1 by notice published in the n ornng papers,
/ considerable crowd assembled on the Battery, on
Monday afternoon, TO witness the raising OF sub
merged vessel by Foreman's electric apparatus,
| invented and constructed for that purpose by the
gentleman whose name il bears. As the new dis
covery is one of the utmost importance and utility
i to the maritime and commercial world, among the
throng collected 10 witness the announced exper-
| iment were many of our first merchants and ship
| owners. After waiting for some time without per-
ceving any sign OF the promised trial. the specta-
/ tors asceraned that owing TO the unfayorabe wea-
| Their and the roughness of the bay, Mr.. Foreman
| had at late hour, issued placards announcing TO
the public that his experiment would be transferred
| to the Atlantic docks in Brooklyn. Very many OF
| those present FASTENED over 10 the scene. They
/ had been preceded by another mass of spectators,
| who lined the docks adjacent TO the spot where
| Mr. Foreman's apparatus was arranged, and
/ crowded the decks of Spanish steamer lying in
the neghborhood, 10 such degree that she ca
/ reened to a dangerous extent. About IL o'clock,
! the time specified in his last handbis, Mr.. Foreman
commenced operations. Owing to the weak nature
of the materials employed in the construction of the
| apparatus, which had been prepared economically
for this occasion, and the heavy sea running even
| in the dock, some delay occurred in bringing the
force to bear upon the submerged vessel--a craft
of 80 TONS resting on the bottom, in Is feet
The buoys, used floats TO receive the gas, or, in
| technical phraseology, the :! camels, Were simply
i water-tight casks, constructed that when the
charge generating the gas should be fired, the gas
orilce, and the water that had filed the casks up to
| the moment of the experiment would thus be forced
out at another 1t so happenedthat these casks were
! of uneven buoyancy, and when the charge was
| at last fred, the gas entered those ranged above
one side of the vessel with greater rapidity than
il could force its way into those above the other,
| so that the former rising very swiftly, added 10
| the pressure upon the latter, which, remaining
| full of water and impervious TO the gas, sank,
instead of being inflated and buoyed up, and the
| vessel rose TO the surface on one side only. The
principle, however, was fairly illustrated, as the
submerged craft came up, amidst the cheers OF the
throng, in about two minutes after the charge was
| touched off, and remained suspended in her posi-
ton The material used in the apparatus was
| alone defective-a fault that can be readily avoid
ed upon future occasion by the outlay of more
money. We understand that Mr.. Foreman is
| having India rubber camels Of precisely equal
size and buoyancy prepared, and will soon make
| another experiment.
m T. Daily Times, Wednesday.
Alleged New Motive Powcr.-We read in
! the Paris PyesSe: DR.. Carosio, Piedmontese, has
! invented an electromagnetic apparatus, calledthe
| hydrodynamic pile, which he says will create
| new motive power, and effect revolution in the
| production of light and heat The apparatus is
! based on the theory of eectro-chemical equva-
| Tents, and on what is called Faraday's law-name-
~ that the electric current is equal TO the chemi-
| cal action and that, consequently, the electricity
| which serves to decompose water into oxygen
and hydrogen gas, is equal 10 mat resulting rom
| the combination OF the two gases in forming
1 water The apparatus consists. OF an cleo
trio battery formed of several cells on the princi-
| pie of Groves pile, i'll which the electric current
| is produced q Of series of cells in which water
becomes decomposed, and produces oxygen and
/ hydrogen. 3. OF two reservoirs in which the two
| gases accumulate under pressure Of several at
mospheres. 4. Oftwo cylinders, in which move
ment is produced by the elastic force of two gases.
| 5. Oftwo other reservoirs into which the gases,
4 ba,t, fbn mon Mt ORC .op-
| Quoted ane " to be afterwards distributed in the
cells of the battery produce the electric cuFFen
and of some other machinery seeming to regulate
| the equilibrium of the pressure of the two gases
| to distribute acidulated water, NC.
! BY this apparatus Dr. Carosio obtains-1, the
| formation of water by the combination of oxygen
| and hydrogen gases; 2, an electric current al
ways in proportion TO the said combination; 3, the
| decomposition ofthe water in oxygen and hydrogen
gas proportionate to the electric current, and equal
| to the quantity Of water recomposed; and a, the
separation of the gases at the very point at which
they begin to develope themselves. The gases,
in passing into two reservoirs, in which they
| retained under the pressure of given number of
| atmospheres by the augmentation of their elias
| ITCHY, produce movement by means OF a mechan-
| ism similar to that of ordinary steam engines; 5,
| finally, after having produced the mechanical
| effect, the two gases are separately reconducted
into the apparatus, in which the decomposition Of
| water takes place, to repeat the same series of
| phenomena--the electric current, the decomposi-
/ ton of water, and movement.
The New Capitol of Tennessee.--The editor
| of the Charleston AdO0eate, in letter from Nash
vile, Tennessee thus speaks of the new building
now erecting by the State in that city. The CAPT
tol, one of the most magnificent buildings in the
world, is now nearly completed. II is built Of
solid limestone, quarred near the hill on which it
stands, and covers exactly acre of ground. The
architecture is of the Ionic order, and the orna
mental part exceedingly rich. It's roofs of Ten
nessee copper, and the platform for the speaker of
Tennessee marble The cost OF the edifice is n
| million Of dollars. From the base of the dome
| striking panorama meets the eye The city lies
| below, on bend of the Cumberland river. AT
distance OF hundred miles, the blue peaks OF the
| Cumberland mountains rise above the horizon
| An amphtheatre of hills sweeps around the city,
the population of which approaches twenty thou
sand Coming down from our noble "post OF OBJ
servation, we passed the house formerly occupied
| by President Polk. II lies at some distance from
| the street, and has in front monument erected
over the remains of the late statesman. Many of
| the houses Of the town are built with elegance.
1t is the fashion TO paint i'll oil colors the brick
houses and these colors being generally light drab,
there is an air of freshness which miss in The
Charleston houses,
Connection between Baltimore and New
York.-It is stated that workmen now en-
gagged in relaying the rails along Prime street,
Philadelphia, from the Delaware to Broad street,
so as TO connect the travel between Baltimore and
New York. At the foot of Prime street. the
Delaware, preparations now in progress for the
election of a railway depot to accommodate these
new arrangements. Between this point and Cam
| den large and powerful steam ferry-boat will ply,
by means of which, it is expected that freight
may be transported from the Jersey 10 the Phila-
| delpha road, without necessity for the break of
bulk. This will enable the whole chain of rail-
ways, from New York through Philadelphia and
Baltimore 10 Wheeling, TO be worked as one
through line 10 the west.--Bdh SIN.
| The Storm.-We learn from the Times the fol-
lowing additional particulars Of the effects of the
storm.
The Bristol train delayed nearly two hours
Monday morning, on account Of about fifty feet of
the. track being washed away.
The bridges and culverts on the Danbury and
Norwalk, Housatonic, and Naugatuck roads have
been destroyed to such an extent as to prevent the
operation of these roads
Several head Of cattle passed down the Connec-
tcut on Monday, probably from off the meadows
| above the city.
bridge of some 80 or 40 feet span the Yer
n,,,~.