The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-03
SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.


vent atmospheric action upon them In sandy porous
earth he lays them six feet Deep in compact soil four
feet deep and in pcaty swampy soil three feet deep
In one place heavy lead pipe was laid through wet
meadow and 1t required repairs in four years and had to
be lifted in ten 1t replaced by wooden pipes which
have now been twenty years in use and in good
dton yet The aqueduct pipes which supply Springfield
with water have been In fourteen years and still
In good order. They bored logs the opening being
seven inches in diameter and chared the inside
faces by forcing flame through them. The charring of
the surfaces of wooden pipes boards has wonderful
etlect III preserving them from decomposition.
1t is undoubtedly true that timber sunk deep beneath
the surface of the earh and kept from contact with the
air endurcs for centuries We have oak log Ia
ken from the bed of river in which place it must have
remained for hundreds OF years owing TO the depth of
sand which covered it, and yet it fresh when
first submerged. Cedar logs taken from the Jersey
swamp. IN which they have reposed for thousand
years. found to be fresh and strong Wooden pipes
cheaper than those of metal and are preferable il
they can be rendered as durable. Sci Amer
AD,prABLrrY AsnAL MAITsR.--Iife resists the ac
tion Of animal power Friction, which will thin and
wear dead body, actually is the of thckenng
living The skin laborers hand is thickened
and hardened save it from the effects of contact with
rough and hard substances The foot of the African
who, without any defence walks the burning sand
exhibits a thickcned covering and layer of ata bad
conductor of found deposited between it and the
sentient exremties of the Pressure which thns
inorganic matter, thickens living matter tight shoe
produces corn, which is nothing than thckened
cutice. Inc same muscle which with ease raised q
hundred pounds when alive is torn through by ten
when dead Life prevents chemical agency The body,
when left to ITSELF begins TO putrify the several
parts of which it is composed, longer under the in
huence of high controlling power yield TO their chem
cal aifnities combinations formed ammonia
CAL suphurec carburetted, and other gases given
off, and nothing remains but dust This never happens
during life.
Mr.. Hoffman, a well-known chemist has invented an
improved method Of converting starch corn or other
Grain Ipx O1nn TJa eia
diluted acid and water, at much higher temperature
than tho boiling point Of water in enclosed and steam
tight mash tub To every bushel of grain about twelve
gallons of boiling water used, and additional
quantity in proportion to the pressure Of the steam
two per cent of the weight of corn of weak and sui
phurc acid is also employed These gradually added
together and mashed under steam pressure for two
three hours the starch of the is converted into dex
trim and by the addition of chalk marble dust to
talize the acid while at the atmospheric pressure and
when all the acid has been neurazcd and the whole has
stood for I'm hour the starch be obtained
by evaporation and by continuing the steamng process
| for longer period grape sugar Is obtained.
ASTHMA PAPER. Persons subject to attacks of spas
modic asthma will receive relief during the par
oxyms by inhaling fumes given off from burning paper
prepared with sapetre The paper should be loose and
white the that used for absorbing ink bots and
it should not contain any fbres Of WOOL -Four
of sapere dissolved in pint of water makes solution
of sufficient strength for the purpose The paper Is soak
ell in this for few minutes then taken and dried
thoroughly. 1t Is then cut into pieces four inches
square, and two pieces burned when required
Paper prepared in this gives out considerable
amount of free oxygen gas when it is burned This has
often been tried with good effects.
CAouTcHoUc CARRIAGE WHEELS These wheels are now
extensively manufactured in England and said to
several advantages those hitherto used They
stated to be less expensive than wheels and
to be capable of travelling many twelve thousand
miles, whereas IRON tyred wheel is said to be
away after travelling four thousand miles An improve
ment consists in forming the periphery of the wheels of
dishlike figure, in which the India rubber lies with
projection in the centre dipping far down into the wheel
that the pressure increases does security in pro-
portion, and the rubber presents curved figure to the
road, similar to half round tyre If the objection
Of excessive has been got by this arrangement
there little doubt Of India rubber wheels coming
more general use.
TnR MILKY WAY This well known phenomenon is a
great luminous band which stretches every evening all
the sky AT part it sends off kind of branch
which again unites with the main body after remaining
distant for about hundred and fifty degrees This
remarkable belt has, from the earliest ages Of which
have any record maintained the place among the
stars and when examined through powerful telescope
il is found to be composed of myrads of gitterng stars
scattered in groups of millions like glstening dust
the black ground of the general heavens Sir William
Herschel has divided it into number of nebulous sys
tems separate clusters of stars and has described
their appearances and shapes but yet it is to but
the shadowy outline of another branch of astronomical
research which will require powerful instruments
and more human genius than is at command for its
exploration. The same authority above referred to
thinks that the phenomena of the milky way agree with
the supposition that the stars of armament instead
of being scattered in all directions nerently through
space form stratum of which the thickness is small in
comparison with its length and breadth, and in which
the earth occupies place somewhere about the middle
of its thickness.
SMOKE CoSsuMrSG FRrs- Among those who have been
striving for time to effect such arrangement Of
ordinary house fires may to produce consump
tion Of the smoke produced, is Mr. Leighton sen of
Brewer street His contrvance consists of chamber at
the back and sides of the fire. by passing the gas and b
luminous vapors into it, and in such proportions that the
Goals shall fuse and give out sufficient quantity without
thus, in general terms the Goals of to-day will
form coke for tomorrow Mr.. Leighton says . If
Goals cooked at the top of fire. the gas and vapos
fly off IL under the draught is shut off and conse-
quently the of cheering the fire lost if the
fire is fed from the back and sidcs You may still retain
the grating under the quick fire. according old usage
There other minor advantages the light and
warmth downward the lasting warmth, otc; also the
probability of being left longer than any other without
being extinguishcd An old stove could be modified for
the purpose by any moderately skilled workman. The
london Builder
GLASS Tiles RoorsGlass tiles for roofs WILL il is
thought, into for certain purposes and inn
proved mode of manufacturing them is proposed namely
by pouring the glass when in fluid state into mods, and
then pressing them like clay tiles after partially cooling,
they removed to the anneaing and when cold
the tile scompcte Glass tiles not new but those here
toore manufactured have been made by cutting piece of
crown sheet plate glass to the required shape then
heating and bending it, For many buildings devoted to
particular purposes such for daguerreotyping
atores and the like roofing Of glass tiles seems TO be
the very kind required.