New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-09-12
INDUSTRIAL INTELLIGENCE.

INDUSTRIAL INTELLIGENCE.
Cu.SpII,s MEASURING IssTRUMESr.-An instru-
ment Of the very highest practical importance 10 SUI
yeyng has Just been brought out, consisting OF an
instrument for indicating distances by inspection It's
the invention of Mr. +. A. Crandal of Friendship Al
lecheny County in this State. A patent was AT hrse
refused for want of novelty; but few practical de-
monstratons of its powers in and about the PATENT
Office reversed the decision, and showed It materially
different from anything before known in any country
II requires to be very accurately made ana eareiuy
Graduated after which any distances, varying from
three or four to COO or 800 feet may be measured more
accurately than with the chain by simply adjusting
two t.,escopes until both bear on the target and then
reading off the position of certain levers which indicate
the distance The principle is the familiar one OF
riarculation, the base of the triangle being one foot.
When greater distances than 500 GOO feet are re-
ouired with accuracy, very simple process eniarges
tbe base TO 10 or TO 100 feet and after changing the
instrument to the position, at the other extremity
of this new base, a corresponding modification OF the
result obtained gives the distance. This method re-
ouires no corrections for difference OF level exceptm
very rugged country, as the construction OF the IN
s,,umept il such that within the field Of view Of the
teescopes the measurements are always ON an abso-
lutte level and the whole operation is so rapid, SO Tree
from ordinary sources Of error and involves 30 little
mental labor, that the instrument is likely to become
OF only one of the indispensbles in every branch OF
surveying and civil engineering but an important AID
the military service, by indicating at once the dis
ance of every object TO be commanded.
Hollow LIGHTNING RoDs.-Mr. David Munson,
an ingenious mechanic of Indianapolis, has patented
rovel and very possibly valuable Improvement IN
lightning rods the design being to employ superior
10 Waco N IL
tract the electric uid without materially increasing
the expense above that of the ordinary iron rods. The
material employed in the patent is sheet copper or
brass, which is bent by machinery into the form OF
hollow tube, but with two wide lips ridges on oppo-
site sides the whole being twisted to aid the strength
The lips or ridges being sharp especially on the side
where the thin edges Of the sheet presented, the
rod seems admirably provided with edges ard slightly
ragged points to attract the fluid Such rods we pre-.
sumo might be made to appear considerably more
clearly and ornamental than the rusty iron now unyer
sally employed.
The DUMMY LocoNorwE.-Mr. Henry Waterman
once designed locomotive which intended should
lock like common baggage car, make no noise, show
no smoke steam and although slow could pull Like
a dragon. 1t was built by the Hudson River Railroad
Co., and used for time in hauling through the
streets, man always preceding il horseback to
clear the track but its was forbidden by the city
authorities. The objections having been recently re.
considered and removed leave has been granted 70 the
Company again to this powerful engine in pairs OF
horse power under certain restrictions, and the dunn
"my" as 1t is termed, is now being rcfttcd and i'm
proved in several respects There are three pieces Of
Sc inch driving Wheels without Asnges coupled, and
located between the ordinary trucks. The cylinders
are Is inches In diameter the stroke Of piston the
s.1 ~ al tfao1f
capable of hauling Is loaded freight cars up the grade
on the Eleventh avenue without difficulty. There ere
two large iron tanks for water, the water used in con.
denspg the steam being worked alternately from one
into the other. The fuel being Anthracite little no
smoke is visible
TRIGGER Protector FOR FnEARxs.-A Phna-
delphian has invented case which can be made TO
protect the vulnerable parts of gun lock, as to
avoid danger of dischsrging the piece by any acc-
dental violence, and yet may be readily opened in .
moment when desired for use. 1t should be intro
duced on the fowling pieces, ETC., Of all unsklfai
sportsmen. 1t is invariably the unskillful who are
careless in the use of firearms.
BALANCED SLInE VALvEs.-Mr. II. r. Wcsthuss
ton Of Brooklyn, the inventor Of the valuable Safety
feed Pump, which goes by his NAME has just obtained
patent for transferring steam pressure from sae
back Of a steam slide valve to q fixed point py
I" means Of a piston and vibrating link" This seeS
to involve only reversed form Of an extremely COM
mon device. II used on the stern-wheei @eame,
Allegheny Belle No. 3, the Allegheny River Se'e,N
years ago. it was ON the locomotive Iron DUKE inc
London Exhibition Of 1851, and is on the p'opene'
Oriental running on the lakes 1t is in act the eo''i-
mon method of balancing the pressure Of h'sh seanl
whenever the valve Of such size as 10 fenae, any
balancing advisable 1t consists IN nxing cyn"ue.m
the top of the steam chest and c1nnec,as pS
fitted therein by means of suitable link to the back
Of the slide valve. That arrangement is common
nrors,tv Il Mr.. w. has invented IN improvement his
claim does not Indicate it. uI8r.f,
Couyr ExprcTED-One Of the largest comets De-
scrbed by historians has appeared at slightly irregular
intervals of about 800 years EACH The last appear
ance was in I556 1t il impossible to predict 10 reap