Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1854-05-13
AND COUNTY, PA, SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1854.

| '"o'Ct, dnd 10 use III IRON end to end as a
plree oi turnpike road.
! II Was moi likely that such a man as
Fiankln, would abstain from speculatng
on the cause of such curions results
| mere are two enquiries involved Why
uoes OIL spread on water! and why, when
so spread, does il sill the ~wavy surface :
II drop OF oil be put on a polished mar
Die table, or on a looking-glass placed hor-
lzontlily, 1t remains in lis place, spreading
very little; but when put on water, it
! spreads instantly all round, becoming SO
thin as to produce the prismatic colors for
considerable space; and, beyond the re-
gions OF these colors, to present that pecu-
liar b'ackness which optical philosophers
know TO be attributable TO a lin whose
thickness is TO be estimated by milionths
! rather than by thousandhs of an inch. 1t
would appear as if mutual repusion took
| pace between the particles o oil as soon
as il touches water; repusion so strong
as to act on other bodies swimming on the
surface, as sraws, leaves, chips, &c., for
| cling them TO recede every way from the
drop as from a centre, leaving large clear
space.
But then, even if we can explain all this
by means of repulsion, how happens il that
so thin a film OF oil can still the waves
When air is in motion over water, with
any Of the degrees of velocity between a
gentle breeze and perfect hurricane, the
air encounters sort Of friction 10 passing
| over the surface of the water, and il rubs
up the water into wrinkles; these wrin-
kles grow, aud grow, until they become
big waves. Now Franklin supposed that,
when a film OF ui! is on the surface of the
water, the air has nothing TO catch hold Of !;
! it slips over the oib as greasy pigs tail
would slip out of the hands of Hodge at a
fair; il cannot wrinkle the oil, and it cam
! not wrinkle the water beneath the OIL
( True, there are slower aud larger heavingS,
| especially in deep water; but there are
not the little crumplings and ripplngs
which the surface of water usually exhibits.
! There are two phases or stages in this pro-
cess. If oil be poured upon water already
in state of wavy undulation, it will not
| stop the deep, full wave; il will only kill
the little undulaiions with which these
| greater waves are embroidered. II the oil
| be poured upon the weather-side Of water
only Just beginning TO be affected by wind,
it may, says franklin, stine the waves at
their birth: by preventing them from be-
ing even little, it may eHtctually prevent
them from ever being large. Whether
this theory be true or not, il is clear and
ineligible, and deserves attention. In the
Great Pacific of ClaphaIn Common, when
! Franklin poured the oil on the lee-side OF
the pond, he failed TO obtain a mastery over
the waves; but when he operated on the
weathrr-side uhe side whence the wind
blows,) he nipped them in the bud, and
thereby prevented them from blossoming
into waves.
This curious subject, so far as evidence
is afforded, has been but little attended 10
since Franklin's time. And yet it is a
good subject for water-girt people like
ourselves TO know something more about.
We feel much inclined TO PROFOUND few
questions, to induce little thinking on
the part Of those whose thoughts are worth
knowing. Do our captains and sailors at
the present day know much about this oil
wave theory? Have their observations
tended to confirm or to invalidate the rea-
sonings Of the older observers? Would ten
pounds worth OF oil save thousand pounds
worth Of damage to shipping in harbor
during a particular state OF the wind
Would some OF our surl-lined coasts become
more easily accessible to ships boats by
oilng them occasionally--as we would oil
one piece of mechanism, to enable another
10 slip over il smoothly Would the efforts
of our life-b boats to reach stranded ship be
facilitated by a keg OF oil, taken out as
rart of the boats stores, and used where
the surf is heaviest? Do our fishermen
ever now throw oil upon the waves, to aio
them in determining where and how tc
make their onslaught on the fish? If We
dip any thing into pond OF stream from
our-penny piece up to any thing yor
/, please, could we render it visible, and ia
cili ate our search by the use Of little oil
When masons descend by diving bell tC
ngage on hydraulic engineering wolk
could they-like the Mediterranean fisher
get a little additional light into th Il
workshops, by oling the waters surface
Might not hapless wrecked ship, sunk il
water, not too deep, be attentively an
efilIy espied from above, ii the water
surface were rendered smooth by oil
When telegraph people are LAYING dow
submarine wires, would their labors be IA
cilitated by little oil, either ID render th
voyage smoother, or to render the sunSe
wire more visible? All which qrest o
we submit, without presuming to antlclpa'
the answer.
FgoG AND RAT FIGHr.-A desperate e"
, couu,er took place between frog aud ra
I, al brook near the slaughter house OF urla
$ Virgins, in This town. Int came down I
lhe brook 10 drink, and discovering iros
} .svitb force and armsn made an attack upo
, him, hy m klrg firm gasp with his ieetf
No sooner did the Iat make his hold than III
lros plunged into The water, dragging his al
4 ,aooni-t with him, whore he remained uni,
his opponen, was compelled 10 let 60, an
: make for diy land, closely pursued by lroi
, As soon rs the frog appeared above the wa
> ter he was again attacked by the rat, and
! second time became subiec, for cold WI
: ter bathing. This feat was several time
+, , performed until The raj, from exhaustion an
downing, fell a pTey. After The fIog had b,