Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-09-29

ia ir and just is not only the enemy Of the bor-
rover, but Of the community at large.
49, f
GREAT DISCOVERIES BY ACcIDENT.-The
greatest discovery that made Charles Goodyear
famous was an accident. For ten years he
gave all his time to ascertain how indla-rubber
could be treated so that It would neither stifen
by cold nor melt by heat. As everybody knows
= he succeeded. but after thousand mistakes,
and at a time when he was not experimenting.
Gesticulating earnestly as he stood arguing near
bar room stove one winters day, he let fall on
,the heated surface piece Of india-rubber and
sulphur, which he had been rolling together in
his hand. Upon recovering it, he found that
a portion Of the little ball had become more
elastic than before, and, by subsequent trials,
that the same portion was affected neither by
heat nor cold. In fact, the interior portion of
the ball had been vulcanized by chance, and
from this trivial matter, which occurred in
\ country tavern thirty -four years ago, has grown
up in this and other countries business that
employs a capital Of many millions of dollars,
and more than one hundred thousand work
men.
k 4 Again, during the process Of vucanizing large
quantities Of india4rubber, residuum Of hard
blaclc coal is continually being deposited. For
several years this resdum was regarded as use
less, and was got rid of by shooting carloads Of
II into holes or sinking 1t in the sea. Observ-
ing an Irish gill girl one day i'll. Woburn, Mass,
cleaning cutlery upon what looked TO be black
stone, Goodyear had the curiosity to examine
it. To his surprise, he found the seeming stone
to be india rubber coal-not a mineral at oil,
but vegetable. Seeing that the upper surface
oil this novel knife scourer mad not only been
worn smooth by use, but had taken brilliant
polish, the thought occurred TO him that the
material might answer rs a substitute for ivory,
bune and horn. Upon trial, he found that il
mas so, aud he Immediately took ont In The
United States, Engaid and countries on the
continent many patents ot application; that is,
patents not for the discovery of the material:
but for the discovery of the uses of the material
Manufacturers saw the advantages of the sub
stitule aud seized upon II eagerly And now it
is used the world over for handles TO knives and
surgical Instruments; for laboratory tools; fol
harness trimmings and house ornaments fol
buckles and locks; parlor furniture,an and study
convenieuces; combs and backs OF brushes
door knobs and walking canes caskets, brace
lets and necklaces finger rings and the setting
Of precious stones and a thousand Other purp0
SEES,
Tradition ascribcs the first idea of the harp /,
the Cried tortoise she'll; and of Tyrian dye TO tn
purple lips Of 4 inastii which had been worste
in a contest with a shell fish on the shores o
Tyre. Though these may well he matters @
doubt, there are others which, to say the least
are probable. Take, tor instance the story
the Phnneian mariners, who happening Il
make a fire Of dry sea-weeds on 4 sandy shore
found glass in the ashes.
The operation of whitening sugar was disco,
cred by accident All sugar is dark until wasl
ed. Pack some brown sugar in funnel; no,
is it to be washed? Clearly not 10y pourin
water upon 1t which, would dissolve the or,
stalls, but by letting it.drain dry. such used
be the process. Ten thousand loaves of suga
in tunnels, would sometimes be draining at on,
In Cuban sugar-house. 1t happened at
plantation, early one morning, that old smap
after fading IA nnultry loft bo
their yard open. There had been shower, al
the feet of the fowl We're sticky with clay y
they nevertheless crossed over to the SUE a
house, and entering at the door, went pickiI
into the tunnels and depositing moist clay {
their contents. Nobody knew till then tll
moist clay gives OIL water SO sparingy that
Will purify sugar without dssolving 1t. II
hint was taken; experiments We're made, al
the fact clearly asceraned. 1t was one of d
most curious and useful vi chance discover,
To this day yellow and brown sugar in /
West Indies is whitened by spreading mo
clay over the surface. This is called s'clayi
the sugar.
The processes of clarifying sugar in the l.
ted States and all over Europe are quite dill
ent No moist clay, nor clay in anv state,
now used. And yet, Curiously enough, the 9
einal name sticks, sugar that has been whiteu
being everywhere called 'cayed sugar.
The metal called cadmium, which when err
talized into white octahcdrOils is so beautii
and which is also SO useful in the arts, was d
covered by very odd chance. 1t is a Gust,
in Germany that the government every IL,
and then examine druggists medicines 10 SEE
they are pure. The chemical iuuuisitors VIII
It employs went into An apothecary's shop
Berlin some years ago, and, among other a
cles, tested some Liub. 1t was mixed with
phur, and yet turned yellow. They We're i
rlhed. The druggist was arrested, his 81
closed, large fine was imposed upon him, ,
fnFhlIlINn N Fnda hu
zinc combined with sulphur is white, while
senic combined with sulphur is yellow; and
experts reported our poor druggist for hav
arsenic in his zinc. He knew 1t could not
SO, however, and he employed Professor Stro
eyer TO analyze it, who discovered the 1
metal cadmium, to be the cause of the yell
This white, brilliant, tin-resembling me
from which cadmium yellow comes, IS now
gnlally extracted from ores of zinc.
There is color made and used at the fam
Gobelin mandatory at Paris, called the &c
lin led dye. Ii was as one time in so great
pute that the populace thought it must Ii
been obtained from the evil one. 1t was a
dentally discovered by that odd Dutch philt
pher, Corelius Van Drebbel, who professe,
have been the inventor OF almost everytl
from mollsetrap to i machine which slio
move perpetully. lie was probably the
constructor Of 4 Thermometers and he impro
the telescope and microscope. About 200 y,
ago, when engaged one day ia filling u Z
tube with dncuciun of rUchineal, has
sprang playtuily upon iIm, causing; hin, To :
few drops. There was Il solution OF tin
vessel on the table. Into tins the ,euoctui
coehineal fell, wien, 10 what has since b
known as the Gobelin red dye WAS produce,
Steam engines in their early Use had no {
aHtlng valves. \ workman at stated times
to turn on and to tIrn off tap. As the W
was light, and attention only was requil
boys were usually employed as tap-turners
so happened, while this was tie custom, Thu
young fellow-lazy, perhaps, but possess
bralns-got tired OF running hither aud THU
anu perpetuallY doing the same thing. Get
hold ola strong cord lie contrived a connect
between the beam at one end aud the tan
the other end, end tied both together. 1t
swered perfectly. The movement of the be
turned OIL the tan al The nrnnnr rlnlnant an.