Grass Valley telegraph., 1856-03-18
C1EEosities or { sylEater.

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C,Eiosities 81, ,'ssFFvater.
Water exits around US II An extent and
under conditions which escape the notice Of
cursory obcs,s4rs.
WATEE "a gFIoN WITH SOLIDS.
Wien thAayers5ts u Of the llg salter 10oibs
each of aluAS n rate Of soda and soap, be
obtains in Exchange fer his money no less
than As pouNdssof water ilt th a fret lot ST
SsJaF ssesrsssss N ~tSt .scco1u anu vStriaDIe
quantity, sometimes amounting to seventy
three and a half pounds, in the third Even
the transparent air we breathe contains, in
ordinary weather, about five grains of water
diffused through each cubic foot of its bulk,
and this raritied water no more vets the air
than the solidiied water vets the lime or
opal in which it is absorbed. of plaster of
Paris statute weighing five pounds, more than
one good pound is solidifed water. Even the
precious opal is but a mass of flint and water,
combined IN the proportion of nine grains Of
the earthly ingredient to one efrthe fluid. OF
an acre of clay land foot deep, weighing
about one thousand two hQndred tons. at least
four hundred tons are water; and even of
the great mountain chains with which the
globe is ribbed, many millions of tons are
water solidifed into earth
CURIOUS PROPERTY OF WATER DIvEsTED OF
AIR-BOILER EKPLoSIoNs.-In lecture re-
Gently before the Royal Cornwall Polytech-
mic Society by Robert Hunt, F. RS, atten-
tion was directed to some remarkable points
IN connection with the action of heat on wat
erthat contained no air, stating that. arising
from this. s.circumstance, as well as from the
spercidal condition of the steam generated,
we haves two very active and predisposing
causes Of~boiler explosions. Water we know
IN three conditions-as a fluid, as steam and
as ice-or as solid, liquid and aeriform.-
Water is frozen by the loss of heat necessary
to maintain its fluid state; ice formed during
agitation contains no air bubbles; but under
ordinary circumstances. (as Wenham Lake
ice,) The upper portion is filled with air bub-
bles in straight lines, as if, in endeaVoring to
make their escape, they became entanged
mong the crystals. It a remarkable fact
that waterin the process of congealatfon has
the power of rejecting everything conse-
quently, all the water the air contains is eX-
pressed. Ii we get water which contains no
air. and prevent the access of air to it, it will
not boil at 2l2 Fahrenheit. In this state we
see the temperature increasing to 230 deg
80 deereaS- sor -eten-250 zGaaraes- and adj.
vancing to between s270 degrees and $50 deg
About these points the whole mass will ex-a
plode with the violence OF gunpowder. This
condition of water is not unfrequently found
formed in steam boilers, and that, during the
process of: ebulition, the steam carries off
with, the air, the water in the boiler con-
tanning very little remnant of air itself.
1t often happens that a steam boiler explo-
sion occurs after rest of the engine. and
that, Whensthes men return, the. feed-water
being applied t1sthe water, explosion takes
place. Prof. Dome has found that if we take
water of this peculiar character, bringing It,
up to s30 degrees; and place singlesdrop of
ordinary water into it, the whole will bell
with extrefne violence. Supposing that or
dinarY- water contains no air. and the feed.
water II turned on, the entire quantity will
then burst into explosive ebullition. We.
shallsprobably find, therefore, in connection
with boiler explosions, that to the absence of
air may be attributed many boiler explosions
so frequently happening, which otherwise
cannot possibly be accounted for It may be
further stated that five take glass of wat
er4and add any poison-say corrosive subli-
mate or a strong acid or even an ardent spir-
it-and then freeze the water, agitated DUR
ing the process, we shall find the ice get
tastlesS, colorless, and inert, and that the
poison, the acid :sQr the spirit will begath4
cred into an intense drop in the centfes0fthe
ice, and all the body will-be perfectly pure.
To knowledge of this fact may be attributed
the practice of the Russian mobiles, who, when
they desired to have more ardent and intox-
icating drink than usual plunge their bot
ties of wine or spirits into their frozen riv-
ers, until the contents became soldifed. and
then drink the ardent drop which remaines
within the centre of the glass.AScientific
American.
THE PROPERTIES AND EFFECTS OF STEAM FUR
Their CONSIDERED.
A subsequent number of the paper above
quoted, in alluding to the frequent causes of
Steam Boiler explosions without any appar-
ent cause, says:
Although much has been said and written
about steam, yet, owing to itswide applica-
caClon on steamships and railroads. in fac
torres ana mills, events are continually tran
spring TO brlng'lt before the public in some
new phase. or IN some old one clothed in a new
dress. When we take into consideration that
there are tens of thousands of steam on oines
IN daily use, any old scientific fact not yerv
widely known. or any new fact brouoht to
light, or any common error connected with
steam pointed out, must be of interest to a
very large number of persons
The science Of steam is not so sfnple nor
SO very generally and profoundly understood
as some suppose There are some very cu-
rious phenomena connected with water and
steam, ignorance OF which has no doubt led
70 the. explosions of boilers, by those who had
them In charge. Thus, water deprived en-
Rrely of atmospheric air, can be quietly heat
edsaar above 2l2 degs., the boiling point of
water without generating steam, aud it can
be made to explode at high heat with fear
fut.yiolence. Steam in contact with water in
quiescent state may be heated up to 500
degs;,F FOr upwards, without corresponding
effect on the ssteam guage. IA boiler in such
a conditionaby the agitation: of the water,
'tnrougaa = stroke Of the pump OF. opening of
assss5a:se~. ~