, 1860-01-10
SCIENCE, AKT AND INVENTION.

- AA~ W AtAA4A03 PIANtIAl cAltE}OA y!
Brooklyn, New York, has invented and patented
new description Of surveyors chuin, for which
he received silver medal at the late tair Of the
American Institute in New York. The chain is
made Of tempered steel wire, about No. Is; and
one Of four rods length weighs about one pound,
or perhaps less; the saggipg is thus much less;
the expansion is uniform and the chief care is
to ayoid bending or breaking, which is easily
done, since, owing to the manner Of linking, this
chain far less liable to kink than the old form.
Links are readily replaced, or removed, or
added, to change the length Of chain used. For
very accurate measurements. fine spring bal
ance md lcyel arc introduced at one end, the
former showing the tension, the latter the direc-
tion Of the chuiu, while thermometer, with a1-
justing scale. ut once shows the Temperature at
the time, and the amount Of adjustment to be
made for expansion or contraction, for every 10'
Of temperature from ~ to 1s0'- Although abso-
lutte precision Of measurement between t1o
points OH the eartl's surface is impossible, yet
Mr.. Grummnn's chain must give more accurate
measures Than hare heretofore been obtained.
Dr, ]. \. Fuchs, Of Germany, gives to wood,
audother pcrishable materials, an incombustib]e
coating, by spreading over them asolu1lss sslicate
cfsoda Soluble sluss'. Ifmarblc dust is mixed
With the liquid before applying, the whole solid-
fcs and adhcres very firmly, and is capuble Of 4
high polish. This coating will prove verV USE
ful for wooden table drops, wash-stands,. ;.
Henry ". Wimshurst, Of Dalton, England, has
invented a process for shaving foil off certain
metals from tue solid blocks, in lieu Of The old
method Of beating QUITO the required thiuncss.
CALVIN Adams, Of pittsburg, clains to hare
discovered that by insulating the moulds Of
castings and while pouring in the molten metal,
castings Of commoniron will come out white Us
silver and hard as steel. lie attributes the info
rior qualities Of iron ms ordinarily cast, to some
electrical change while casting.
Joshua Rollman, Of Sinking Springs, Pa, has
patented the application Of one or more fan-
blowers to the outside Of fthrcshins-machines in
such why as to cnrry away tue dust and chaa
from the workmen.
J.W. Klngman Of Ncv Hampshire aud S.
". Lowe OF Pennsylvania separately, but on i
common principle, propose M invention which
will render 1nilkmaids an obsolete institution.
They slip flexible tubes over the tcats Of each
cav to be MIXED, the tubes terminating in II
main pipe, and by eShausting the air, the milk
flows from all the uddess into u suitable recep-
tac1e, and thus hundred COVE can be MIXED
in less time than one by The old method.
Dr.. E. Dary, Of the Aoyal Dublin Society,
has discovered that cabbages and turnips grown
on land dtreated with different artificial nanures.
as supszpAosphates, had absorbed arsenic from
these mauurcs; aud concludes that though the
the quantity thus absorbed is small, ret, as
arscnic is IN accumulating poison, tile continu-
ed use Of vegetables grown on such soil may
possibly affect the health Of persons and att
mails.
The amount Of iron thus far used on the dome
Of the new capitol ut Washington, is about
2,5oo, 900 pounds; to complete the first section
will require 5e0, 900 pounds additional, making
a totul Of g. QOO 900 pounds. The weight Of iron