Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-01-03
A Useful Invention.

The material produced by Col Szerelmy,
and called by the Arabic-sounding name
OF Zopissa, is species of paint, varnish,
or glue, or rather substance combining
the special qualities Of each of these bod
les with others peculiar to itself 1t can
be employed with the facility of paint
1t is as preservative of surface and of lus-
tre as the most successful varnish. 1t holds
with tenacity equal to that of the best
marine glue, not only wood, paper, and
cloth, but stone, glass, and iron. 1t is i'm
pervious to water. 1t is incombustible
by fire. 1t is an almost absolute non-con-
ductor of heat. While qualities such as
these are enough to give very high COM
mercial value to chemical product, the
costs of production is said to be very low.
We have not space to enter into the inter-
esting details of the manner in which Col
onel Szerelmy was led to the discovery, of
this important material. He believes that
it is the very secret that has impaired so
imperishable a durability to the sarco-
phagi, the mummy cloths, and the mural
paintings of the ancient Egyptians. There
is, it is certain, wonderfully Egyptian
look about the pannels, and pales, and
beams, and sleepers, prepared by this pro-
cess. Some Of them have been for years
under water. Some of them have been ex-
posed to jets of flaming gas. They appear
to have been little affected by either. HUI
man life is not of adequate length to ap-
ply the tests to which the inventor propo-
ses to submit the timbers he has prepared.
But when we say that not only very large
proportion of the newspaper press OF the
country has called attention to the results
of experiment, but that DR.. Faraday and
Sir Roderick Murchison, in an official re-
port which the House of Commons order
ed to be printed on the 18th of May, 1860,
bear testimony to the efficiency of Zopissa
for arresting the decay of stone, it will be
seen we have reason for expressing surprise
that the material has not been brought
into universal use. It's value for maritime
and military purposes appears to be ex-
traordinary. Opticians and opera-goers
know the worth of the metal, aluminium,
owing to its two qualities of non-oxida-
ton and great lightness. A double opera
glass might be made of Zopissa paper, so
light that the glass would be the heaviest
part, so strong as to be proof against any
but Intentional injury, and at cost which
would leave aluminium nowhere. Again,
for cisterns, pipes, or reservoirs of water !;
not only can these be made of this mate
rial at third of the price of iron, but the
chemical action that is always going on
in metal containing..water would be obvi-
ated, and the great trouble of the winter
frost in London and other large towns, the
fracture of the water-pipes, would be rem
dered thing of the past; owing not 50
much to the great strength as to the nom
conducting quality of pipes made of this
cheap material. Space would fail us to
tell of the objects to which it might be
satisfactorily applied. For vessels it may
be made to combine the ightness of tim
Der with the resistance of iron armor For
shoes it is at once light and durable. For
cartridge cases it presents to the manufac-
turer of small arms, and, indeed, to the
artillerist in any branch, exactly that of
which he is in seareh.-From "The ART
Journal"