Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-12

not ny pouring water upon IL, winch wOulu
dissolve the crystals, but by letting IL drain
dry. Such used to be the process. Ten
thousand loaves of sugar, in tunnels,
would sometimes be draining at once in a
Cuban sugar-house. 1t happened at plan
tation, early one morning, that old "mam-
my" after feeding the poultry, left the gate
of their yard open. There had been n
shower, and the feet of tho fowls were
sticky with clay; they nevertheless cross
ed over 10 the sugar-house, and entering at
the door, went pecking INTO the tunnels
and deposting moist clay on their contents.
Nobody knew Till then that moist clay
gives of water so sparngly, that IL will
purify sugar without dissolvng it. The
hint was taken, experiments were made,
and the fact clearly ascertainod. 1t was
one of the most curious and useful of chance
discoveries. To this day yellow and brown
sugar in the West Indies is whitened by
spreading moist clay over the surface. This
il called "claying the sugar."
The processes of clarifying sugar in the
United States and all over Europe are
quito different. No moist clay, nor clay in
any state, is now used. And yet, curious
ly enough, the original name sticks, sugar
that has been whtencd being everywhere
called delayed sugar.
The metal called cadmium, which when
crystallized into white octahedrons is so
beautiful, and which is also so useful in the
arts, was discovered by very odd chance.
1t is custom in Germany that the Gov
ernmcnt every now and then examines
druggists medicines to see if they are pure.
The chemical inquisitors whom il employs
went into an apoihecary's shop in Berlin
some years ago, and, among other articles,
tested some zinc. 1t was mixed with sui
phur, and yet turned yellow. They were
Mortified. The druggist was arrested, his
| shop closed, large fine was imposed upon
him, and he was forbidden TO trade. Why?
Because zinc combined with sulphur is
white, while arsenic combined with sui
phur is yellow; and the experts reported
our poor druggist for having arsenic in his
zinc. He knew it could not be so, how
ever; and he employed Professor Stronger
TO analyze it, who discovered the new met
al, cadmiunI, TO be tho cause of the yellow.
| This white, brilliant, tn-resembing metal,
from which cadmium yellow comes is now
regularly extracted from ores of zinc.
There is color made and used at the IA
nous Gobelin mandatory in Paris called
| the Gobelin red dye. ii was at one time in
50 great repute that the populace thought it
must have been obtained from the Evil
One. 1t was accidently discovered by that
odd Dutch philosopher, Cornelius Van
Drebbel, who professed to have been the
| iuynuinr nf nj frn,
mouse.trap, TO machine which should
move perpetually. He was probably the
first constructor of a thermometer, and he
improved the telescope and microscope.
About 260 years ago, when engaged one
day in filling glass tube with decoction
of cochineal, his dog sprang playfully upon
him, causing him to spill few drops.
There was a solution of tin in a vessel on
the table. Into this the decoction of coch-
meal fell, when 10! what has since been
known as the Gobelin red dye was produc-
ed
Steam engines in their carly use had no
selI-acting valves. A work man at stated
times had to turn on and turn Off tap. As
the work was light, and attention only re-
CURED, boys were usually employed as tap
turner's. 1t so happened, while this was
the custom, that young fellow-lazy, per-
haps, but POSSESSING brains-got tired of
running hther and thither and perpetually
doing the same thing. Getting hold of a
strong cord, he contrived connection be-
tween the beam at one end and the tap at
the other end, and tied both together. 1t
auswere d perfectly. The movement Of the
beam turned of Il e tap at the proper mo-
ment, and at the next proper moment turn
cd it on. The engineer saw it, and though
he discharged the boy for laziness, be took
out patent for the invention. From that
time, all steam-engines have been built
with sell-acting valves. Om Young FOLKS
f0r AUg,tsi.