The Washington union., 1858-02-11
THE ARTS AND PRACTICAL SCIENCE.
ooarILgp ton rmk WASHINGTON uNloN.

Photographed iSroucn,y was inau-uraie1 i'm 1852 when
MI BOND oil the Cambridge Observatory, took beaut
ful photograph of the moon.
tostua D,sooersics small planets OF the numer
Gus group between Mans and Jupiter were deserted In
1886 eight in. 1857 the total is now 6fy Two we're
discovered at the Observatory of Washington by Mr. Fer
s,son lhe year just closed was particularly rich in
comets the present is indicated by the astronomical cal
ouations Tor the famed comet of Charles the Fifth If xix
were discovered in 1857 and only 1856 it was be-
cause OF a keener and longer search.
The Submarine Cpe Monsieur Bsbinet of the French
Institute, of the transatlantic cable have said
and say again, that must pass by Greenland ind
Gated moreover, Siberia, the Behring Straits Russian
America Oregon, and the United States a very prac
ticable route for the electric telegraph from London to
New York, passing by st Petcrsburgh aud California
have just learned that the Emperor of Russia has author
lied this route; impossibty is to be apprehended
perhaps the by the Aeutian island would be pref
crable &c. The electrical cable will serve perfect
geography in giving the onsitudcs exactly have
had the latitudes.
hpprUrUg tie Quady II Fldr Ebrc,A process invented
10y Dublin mechanic, for improving the quality of flax
itles consists in throwing down upon the flax a small
quantity Of oil say about half ounce the pound of
flax This is done by boiling the flax in alkaline
soap lyc, washing with water, and then boiling it IN
water slightly acidulated with acid acetic acid be
ing the most suitable for the purpose, from its exertng
AN injurious action upon vegetable fibre The acid de-
composcs the soap the fatty constituent of which is left in
the fibre, or perhaps, mixture of acid soap and
small portion of free oil These enter into and through
and is then found to be soft and silky its spinning quail
y being much improved and its value course being
very considerably increased.
Ar,i6col Stone Kansomes artificial stone has become
quite popular article in London The materials used in
making this stone may be varied for the purpose of pro
ducng different effects but usually they ten parts of
silceous sand one part Of powdered flint part Of
clay, and part Of alkaline solution Of flint pre-
pared in manner peculiar to the inventor. These in
gradients all well worked together until the mixture
has putty like consistence and appears of uniform
character. This plastic admits Of being moulded
into any form The mouds employed are of plaster of
paris which have been painted with oil to destroy
their absorbent character and then busted with powdered
glass to prevent the adhesion of the composition to the
| mould The soft paste is pressed into the mould and
worked into every part the cast thus obtained preserving
all the most delicate cuttings of the mould. Being wash
cd with solution of silica, all defects then repaired
and the stone is then dried
Loonn,otre Engines. In communication read by Mr.
d. X Clark before the London Institution of Civil En-
gnees the author stated that all the feed used for
locomotive boilers should either be filtered or pure rain
water hard water reduces the durability of the boiler
tubes from nine to two and three years and besides
hard water printing He also stated that the link
motion sufficient expansion gear and that its
its not sufficiently appreciated With proper arrange
mcns, the steam might be cut off at oncftl the stroke
Mr. c. advocated the of super heated the per
feet protection of the cylinders and the balancing the
slide valves The engine he also asserted should per-
fecy balanced in all its parts Six wheeled locomotives
with central drivers he thought best secured this end
With suggested Improvements, the of bituminous
coal for coke heated steam, protecting the cyl-
ders, balancing the valves using pure feed water and
heating it. and balancing the engine he calculated that
fifty per cent of expenses might be saved in working
locomotives.
Nasmyhs Safely EareThe chief feature which dstin-
gushes the safety valve originated by Mr. Nasmyth the
wek known British engineer consists in the peculiar and
simple in which the motion of the in the
boiler is employed agent by which the valve pre-
vented from getting set fast in its seat The sway
tn of whir at
panes the ebullition of water in boilers is made to act
upon sheet iron uppcndage, attached to weight which
weight Is connected directly with brass valve and
the rod which connects this sheetr appcniage and
weight to the valve is inhexiblc it will be easily seen
how any slight penduloss motion given to it is directly
transferred to the valve and that portion of the valve
which rests In the seat is spherical the valve only
admits of, but receives, continual slight motion in its
scat in all directions, the result of the universal pen
duous motion of the appended weight, acted upon by
the inccssant swayng motion of the water during ebu
ton
Entraoioa of the Precious Msrls-A method possess
ing novel and valuable features, has lately come
into in the treatment of containing the precious
metals The quartz is first broken into small pieces
then immersed for about two hours i'm hot solution of
caustic soda any other aka After this the ore re-
moved from the alkaline bath and subjected to white
heat in mutie retort, other suitably construct
cd furnace While under this heat the alkali will be-
come fused, and forming ux, will facilitate the fusion
of the metallic matter contained in the ore and the sepa
ration of the precious metals from their combinations
Another part which this lux plays is TO the small
particles of gold silver to agglomcatc in large beads
the surface of the broken pieces of ore and thus
prevent loss of the precious metals by submation The
ore, having been subjected to white heat sufficiently
long to reduce the gold to pure metallic state dis
charged into cold water whereby is rendered very fra
ge, and capable OF being readily reduced to powder
The precious metals may then be separated by any of the
washing or amalgamatng processes in ordinary
| Raising Smkcn Vessels Mr. Bruncl of London pro
poses to raise sunken vessels by filling them wholly
partially with gas where the cabins interior conpart
ments capable Of holding gas raising such are
not capable of holding the gas and other submerged
ccs, by Of gas holders connected 10 them The
gas which is employed is hydrogen, of its SUI
pcror lghtness and the facility with which genera
tedtbe apparatus for generating consisting of cask-
like vessel, with bottom head of wood and the
other Of metal the generated by the action of acid
upon two dssmila metals, the metal head being of
such metals The vessel is constructed that when the
metal head is placed downwards the gas is generated
while the contrary if the nonmetac head be placed
downwards, electrical action takes place. and
qucnty gas is produced IL is intended when sink
ing these gas generators, that action shall take place
rather gas shall be produced until the generator
has reached the spot where is be used suitable
and passages being provided for the onow of the gas An
apparatus is also provided for caukng any aperture there
be in the vessel to he raised when the raising is TO
be effected by introducing the gas.
birmingham Manufactured. The lighter branches of me-
chanic industry those of button making steel
pens, gold chains and ewelry, tin and japan papier
machc &c carried on to great extent, and en-
poy large number of females In the button and steel
pen trade the employment in the shops mainly consists