The Placer herald., 1864-11-26
New Material...Paper Ships and Paper
Guns.

New Materlal.-.Paper Ships and Paper
Guns.
The London Observer describes a new pre-,
paration of paper of a remarkable character
The uses to which it may be applied were
explained on the 18th of August, at the
Phoenix Works, Battersea, as follows:
There were tubes made Of paper which
had been tested in the most satisfactory man.
ner as rocket tubes. Being made Of paper
they are, Of course very much lighter than
the ordinary iron tubes, and they stand the
test Of rocket firing equally as we'll as those
made of metal. Not less remarkable were
the thick slabs and boards made Of paper
These boards, of one inch in thickness, had
been tested by bullet and ball, and the re-
suits showed that their power of resistance
was equal to ten inches Of solid oak. The
bullet, which bad passed so far through the
paper board as to cause projecting surface
at the rear, would have gone clean through
the oak, fracturing and tearing it in all di.
rections, while in the paper board the perfo
ration was a small, clean, round hole. These
paper boards are admirably adapted for the
sides of ships; their specific gravity is some
what less than that OF oak and they are eas
| J
have, however, this additional advantage
over tmber-they do not require copper
sheathlng 10 prevent fouling, they are non
absorbent, and neither animal nor vegetable
life flourishes upon their surface, as is the
case with timber and iron. They have also
tins further advantage that they are incom-
bustlble. No amount of heat will Set them
in blaze. The application Of great heat
will produce combustion in the immediate
neighborhood of the flame, but anything like
ordinary burning Is quite out of The qae>i
ton. In addition, however, to all these good
qualities, paper has positively the advantage
over timber and iron in the matter of cost
M. Szerlemy, the inventor, well known for
the successful manner in which he has arresil
ed the decay of certain portions Of the ex-
terror Of the houses Of Parliament, has dis.
covered fibre which grows in the southern
portions OF Germany, and which may be
converted into rough kind Of paper at q
cost so triAing as to enable him to compete
with the builder of timber and iron ships
Not content, however, with forming the sides
of ships of paper, the inventor is now enga
ged in the construction Of light field pieces,
specially adapted for mountain warfare, and
these, jud ing from the results already OBJ
tanel by experiments with paper tubes, will
be found to answer the purpose admirably.
Tubes have already been formed of this pre-.
pared paper, and they have stood the test
against IRON in the most satisfactory manner
So far as we were enabled TO ascertain the
process Of manufacture, it consists of lap
ping sheets or rolls of paper, moistened with
solution of which zopissa is the principal
ingredient. one over the other, until the re-
qulste degree of thickness or strength is
attained, and exposing the material for n
short time until it becomes thoroughly hard
ened This zopssa is Of the nature of
gum, and is found in considerable quantities
in Egypt 1t has the popularity of giving
extraordinary hardness to any surface upon
which it is PLACED, and it was very extensive
y used in the preparation employed for pre-
serving the stone in the exterior of the
House Of Commons. 1t has also been used
for the exterior of the Bank OF England. the
interior of the dome of ST. Paus on which
Mr.. Penrose has painted his frescoes, and it
has just been applied with extraordinary sue
cess to the arches of the London, Chatham
and Dover railway, at the Elephant and
Castle station, which has lately suffered con
siderably from damp and the intiIiraton OF
water from the roadway
There appearssto be no limit to the app
cation of this useful material. In addition
to the preservation of paper, linen, stone,
brick, plaster, and other material, another
almost as useful application Of this article
was shown in the perfection of a material
nd al, Ia f,ro
pets, which can be prepareh Of any color and
with endless variety of pattern. A slight
alteration in the mode Of treatment converts
canvas into a description of oilcloth which
will stanI any amount of wear, as may be
seen from some pieces which have been for
several months laid down in the workshops
at Battersea. The materials of house are
now in course of construction, for the pur-
pose of showing the adaptablity Of the pa
per boards to the construction of emigranr's
houses, temporary churches and barracks.
Already large quantities Of a material known
as 'Panonia, or leather cloth, is manufac
tured by the use of this extraordinary sub
stance, and made up into boots and shoes,
which rival in their durable qualities the
best kinds of leather.
| How TO IUDGE THE WEATHER BY THE
SKY-The colo,s of the sky at particular
times afford wonderfully good guidance
Not only does rosy sunset presage fair
weather and ruddy sunsse bad weather,
but there are other tinls which speak with
equal cearness and accuracy. A bright yell
low sky in the evening indicates wind; a
pale yellow, wet; neutral grey color con-
sti,u,es favorable sign in the evening, an
| nnfaxnrshla ona In the morning The clouds