Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-11
NUMBER 40.


a -
| Science and Art.
/ Among the inventions brought before the So
ciety of Arts, England, Is Mr.. Austen's double
dovetaled arc block by means Of which the in-
ventor declares he can drive tunnel under tho
channel feom Dover TO Calais of any size, and with
out mortar cement, or centres This contriyance
is to be first tested in the construction ofsomc
| sewers. sa
| 1t is said that when the Britannia bridge, i'll
England, was built 1t was thought marvel To get
rolled iron plates twelve feet long. Now, how
ever, the triumphs of machinery is shown in the
aci that plates are rolled at the Comett Iron Works
n feet inches long feet wide, and 1-2 inches
thick; making supertces of87 l-2 feet and weigh
ing 80 hundred weight
An Englishman has invented geographical
clock in which is the usual dial clock face marked
with figures from one to twelve and Immediately
below this band having series Of numeral figures
Under this band is the map-plate, on which is a.
space for engraving the names of cities towns or
other designations and below this Is engraved, on
Mercators projection the map Of the whole or any
part of the world AS the usual wheeLwork moves,
giving on the dial the correct time Of any given
place, the band mentioned, having the hours and
minutes engraved thereon, is moved or carried by
suitable works. SO as to indicate the time at all
other places.
It has recently been asccrtaincd that ordinary
tin plates, or plates Of thin sheetiroR coated with
an alloy Of tin and lead, with a small proportion
| of antimony, form a native element for galvanic
batteries 80 stern scarcely TO be affected by tie
sulphuric acid. They answer the purpose as well
| as platnized silver. Iron, coated with an alloy of
tin and lead in which the quantity Of lead is nearly
equal to or exceeds that tin will answer as well
as lead or galvanized iron for roofing cisterns
baths, pipes CUTTERS window frames, telegraph
wires for marine and other purposes Also instead
ofcopper, for the shcathing Of ships.
Mr.. James Anderson, of Edinburgh, proposes a
system ofralways along the coasts presenting no
natural means of defence, and placing upon there
railways trains of carriages, each bearing gun SO
arranged as to bc very readily available Such a
railway train would be a flying train of artillery.
Our first patent system was started In 1900, aud
made to include under it's objects hundreds Of nos
trums In 1885, the present improved system was
organized and the only medicine that has received
| patent since its enactment was the Letheon Of
Drs. jackson and Morton. Sevcn-eighths of all the
patents now granted are for mechanical and phys-
/ cal purposes and the rest are for chemical inven-
/ tions. IS
! In forming vessels Of gold by the aid of phog-
phorus, NJ. Levol takes the perchloridc Of gold and
places in it. at the ordinary temperature, some
phosphorus, moulded so Us to serve as anuceus
for the vessels of gold. To give the phosphorus
/ the desired shape, it is melted in water bath,
within vessel Of glass having the form required.
After cooling it the phosphorus is taken out solid
from its enyelop, breaking II, If necessary. The
precipitation of the gold, or the construction Of the
vessel, Is then begun; the phosphorus is finally re-
moved by rc-melting 1t and washing, by the aid of
boiling nitric acid.
Professor Thompson has explained to the Brti b
Association machine for heating cooling apart
ments, by means Of valves, and ingress or egress
pipes, to be worked by water or steam He has
demonstrated according to the published accounts,
how current of warm air at such temperature
as is convenient for heating and ventilating build
ing, may be obtained either by water power with
out any. consumption Of coal, or by means of
steam engine driven by fire burning actually less
coal than Is capable of generating by its consump-
ton, the required heat; ALSO that with similar me-
chanical means, currents of cold air may be pro-
duced by motive power requiring--if derived from
| heat by means OF steam engines-the consumption
of less coal than is commonly used for warming
houses.
| 1t Is stated that in the palmy days of the linen
manufacture, in the north Of Ireland, yarn was
| spun 80 fine that twenty and sometimes thirty
hanks weighed only one pound and that young
woman in one of the counties, frequently produced
sxty-four hanks from pound of fax, each thread
round the reel being two-and-a-half yards long
l20 threads in each cut and IL cuts in each hank
In Paris there are annually consumed 900
kid and lambskins, for fabrication into gloves; In
Brussels, 800, 600; in Grenoble, 100000; In Amo-
cities, Of 100000. To work this into gloves, re-
quires l2,s00,0o0 eggs, at an annual expense Of
$50, 900 francs.
| Another railway break, invented by Major Rob-
bins, has been tried on the Windsor line Of the
Southwestern Company. II Is so constructed that
the act Of shutting off the steam puts on the
breaks and with such effect that the train when
speeding at forty-fve miles an hour, was stopped
in fifty seconds, and this is effected without pre-
venting the backing of the train, as Is the casc
| with some other breaks.
| There is'in London cork-cuttng company for
| the manufacture Of corks by steam. The operation
Is performed by large knives, rotating vertically
| by means Of q band from shafting worked by a
| steam engine. The process is attended by little
boys, who produce each eighty gross In the day Of
small oblong four-sded pieces the material, that
arc afterwards rounded by other machinery into
perfect corks.
In the anonymous but able essay ON the Plurali-
ty Of Worlds, Jupiter, account Of It's density,
being only a little above water Is regarded as
mostly liquid, and therefore unfit for habitation.
Saturn also, which is not heavier than cork Is
supposed TO be made up mainly Of liquid and vapor.
PoLrrcAL JoKE.--In neighborng county,
one of the political parties had for over twenty
years been in the habit Of holding their county nom
nation convention at the house of Mr.. G..
He hcppened, on recent occasion, for the first
time, TO be in when they had finished their bust
ness, and heard little delegate from X. move that
:" this convention do now adjourn sine der
" Sine die" said Ms. q. TO person standing
near. where's thatgp
"Why, that's away up in the northern part Of
the county" said neighbor.
/" Hold on, If you please, Mr.. CHeerU,dn," said
O., with great earnestness and emphasis " Hold
on, sir I'D like 10 be heard ON that question. /
have kept public house now for more'n twenty
years. am poor mau I've always belonged
70 the party and never split my ticket in my lifc
This Is the most central location in tho county, and
It's where we alters held our caucuses. I've never
had, or asked an Office, and have worked night and
day for the party and now, think, sir, It's con-
temptible TO go TO adiourning this convention ,eoy
up 70 sine de"
A DoUBLE CHARGE.--A talkativc youth being
brought TO Socrates to be instructed in oratory tho
sage asked him double price. "Why,n said the