The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-04-03
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ITEMS.

TUBULAR P1ERs.-The San Paulo Railway
bridge over the river Cubatao, Brazil, rests,
in four spans of IS feet, upon three piers,
consisting each of three iron tubes or piles
standing IN atriangle, screwed into the bots
ON Of the river by screw blades attached TO
heir circumference, and united at convenient
intervals in iron frames
To BLEACH SroSGE Snow WHITE.-Soak it
in diluted murIatic acid ten or twelve hours,
then wash with water and immerse it in q
solution of hyposulphite of soda with small
addition of diluted murstic acid, wash and
dry it, Repeated operations it is said, will
render the article almost snow white.
OzoXE As DIsISFEcTASr.-Get a wide.
necSed bottle and put in halt pint of water,
with cork floating at the top on this cork
fix bit Of phosphorus; cover the bottle with
another bit of cork very loosely. This appa>
ratus may be moved from room to room, re-
naming till the characteristic smell of ozone
is perceived.
IMPORTS AND IEPosTs.-Walkeris compare
tive tables for 70 years past show that no cor
respondence exists between the rate of duties
and the volume OF imports; but that the
volume Of Imports and the volume ofcuIrencv
correspond III remarkable degree. Tug
rate of interest is shown, by similar tables, to
have fuc,uated under the same influence,
The English watch trade confesses to Sc
rious decline and discusses the causes. The
number Of Swiss watehes imported into Eng
land for sale is now stated at $4,000 q year.
while the number manufactured IN England
is only about 20, 900.
ALUMINIUM LEAP.-It is reported that NJ.
Dsgousse, gold heater in Paris, prepares
aluminium leaf weighing only .ol544 gram
to the square inch, burning with great brill
fancy in the fame of spirit lamp, and de-
composing boiling water.
ANOTHER GrSPowpER.-Nitrateo of potash,
10 parts; peric acid, 10; bichromate of pot
ash, s5-,ntimstely mixed-glve, according
10 Dr.. Borlinetto, professor of chemistry in
the University OF Padus. an excellent guns
powder Of the best sporting quality.
A NEW STEEL ron Shortcuts, Nor
wegian steel maker has excited Prussan
military circles with a quality Of steel by
which heavy armor was penetrated repeated
" with the same shot.
Ons AND BEARINGS We observe an an
nouncement from Huger that the higher
American oils contain a considerable amount
Of bisuphide of carbon, which may havf
something to do with an injurious effect upon
bearings and journals
THE proposed London Aqueduct, TO bring
water from the Westnoreland Lakes, es-
tima,ed. will be l3s miles long, deliver sa,-
100000 gallons q day, and cost over S22,-
100000.
PENNSYLVANIA, among other things, will be
represented al the Paris Exposition by a
lump of anthracite coal weighing six tuns.
Montana sends a bar Of gold worth about
800, 600.
IRoy MAxrFAcrURE OF PRrsslA-1he cast
steel of Prussia was worth little over $500,
900 in 1860, rose to million and quarter
BY 1860, and amoants now TO nearly $1,000,
900 per anuum. The manufacture OF pig,
cast and wrought iron has also been multi.
piled three or four times in the same period
now amounting to nearly 500, 600 600 per
annum Our informant does no, specify how
far the later expansion Is due to conquest.
Dr. EisvER has succeeded in sensiby vol
atilizng carbon, and fully volatllizing silver,
gold, the black oxides Of cobalt and copper,
green oxide Of chromium, red oxide of iron,
and oxide of iridium. by the temperature OBJ
tanned in an enamelling furnace at some por-
celain works. Platinum resisted this tempe
nature, but platinum black platinum separa
ted in powder from solution ct ope OF It's
salts was melted into small buttons.
The BERLIN WARE, so much celebrated fol
its power Of withstandng heat acids and al.
kalies, is composed, according to Dingler {
Polytechnic journal. of IS parts kaolin, g.
aumina, and l64 ieldspar. The enamel ID
composed Of ~ parts sand 33 kaoiu, l3 I'M
burnt gypsum, and % Of the baked body com
position above described.
PRorTs or CurAp TRAINS. - legislators
and city railroad projectors alike may take {
profitable hint from the report Of the British
Internal Revenue Commission in which thel
suggest regoking the exemption of cheal
trains from daiy, as they are found to b.
among the most remuueratlge trains running
The fare Is less than two cents for one to sli
miles.