Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-04-16
Curious, Useful and Scientific.

Curious, Useful and Scientific.
THE STRENGTH or MATERIALS.
Gold may be hammered so that it is
only 1850, 900 Of M inch thick. A
grain of iron may be divided into 4, OOO,-
600 parts. Still chemistry tells us that
there are ultimate parts called atoms or.
molecules, which are absolutely invisi-
BILE. These atoms ore attracted to each
other by the attraction of cohesion and
repcllcd by tho forco of repulsion. BY
the action of both these forces the
atoms are kept in ~ state of rest. The
solidity of u solid depends upon tho
fact that eacl, pair of atoms aro in this
state of equilibrium. These atoms aro
supposed to be of an oblate, spheroilal
form. An iron bar would support it's
own weight if stretched out to a length
of 81 miles. A bar of steel was once
made which would sustain it's own
weight if extended to length Of 13t
miles.
Our ideas of great and small are no
guide to be used i'll Judging of what is
truly great aud small in nature. The
Bunker Hill Monument might be built
to over mile in height without crush
ing tho stones Mt its base. When bars
of iron are stretched until they break,
those which are the strongest increase
in length less than the weaker ones. A
piece of wood having breadth and
thickness of three inches and length
of four feet, if supported ut it's ends,
would be bent one-millionth of IN inch
by weight of three pounds placed at
its centre, and a weight of one-tenth of
IN ounce would bend it one-seven-mil-
lionth of m inch. Prof. Norton de-
scribed machine for testing the varia-
ton of sticks of wood. The machine
consists of levers and screws so con-
trived that the amount of weight
brought to bear upon the stick can be
accurately measured, and the variation
of the stick from straight line can be
measured even though it do not exceed
One-seven-millionth of an inch.
THE HEL1oR1cToR NEW ARTICLE OF
PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS.
The recognized value of photography
in furnishing representations of objects
of scientific interest, free from subject.
i've defects, has led DIR. Stein to devise
an arrangement for dispensing with q
dark room, and reducing the time re.
quired for taking pictures. His appa-
ratus, as exhibited ut the Vienna Elk.
position, consists essentially in an i'm.
proved plate-holder, in which the col
lodionized plate is sensitized, exposed,
and developed, without removal from
it, by successive admission of the usua7
solutions, through separate tunnels
the progress being noted through vel
low glass apertures, and the apparatus
cleansed, after each impression, by {
stream of water passed through it. III
addition to specimens in natural history
and subjects met with in medicine and
surgery, it is adapted, by use of the
highly actinic magnesium light, te
copy the views of interior portions Of
the body, obtained by specially con.
structed urethroscope, opthalmoscope
oroscope and laryngoscope, and may
also be used with the solar microscope
or telescope. It is also claimed to b.
especially adapted to military purposes
While, however, it may be as simple
and easily comprehended as is claimed
it is too much to expect that any ont
entirely unfamiliar with Photographic
processes would be able, mechanically
and at once, to operate with it success
fully, as the statements made might
lead one to infer.
BAsTAERTs PROCESS FOR DRYING ALI
KINDS OF FABRICS.
The following process is said to bt
applicable to heavy or light goods o.
cotton, linen, wool or silk, bleached o.
unbleached, printed or yed. On &C
count of the uniformity of it's action il
imparts to the goods, without an,
harshness in feeling, finer finish thar
any other method. With all this ad
vantage, 1T consumes q minimum o.
fuel, demands little room, does not re
quire special boiler, and is exceed
ingly simple. In the operation steam
is passed from boiler under pressur,
of three to six atmospheres, and is SUI
perheated, without increasing it's pres
sure, by passing through heated tubes
1T finally issues, in number of small
jets uniformly distributed along tube
so near to each other that sheet Of
dry steam, as it were, is formed, which
with the air drawn along and heated b,
it, impinges, by simple, suitable con
structlon OF the box surrounding thu
jets upon the cloth moved in front o.
it. The distance of the cloth from the
jets is adjustable for different fabrics
and plans are also given for arranging
several sheets of steam to play on thu
cloth in succession, or on both sides al
the same time. The pressure, amount.
of steam and air, temperature. &C.. car
be regulated to suit different cases. TIL.
steam, issuing under pressure, seems
to act in part by penetrating the ma
terial.
| FROM CORN.
All the Ingredients of corn. ACCORDING
to Leconte, may be utilized. The grai1
is, in the first place, to be saturated
| with a solution of caustic soda in large
cisterns, and transferred to cylindrical
sleeves; then dipped in water, ant
ground in connection with continuoui
stream OF pure, or somewhat causti<
water. The quantity of soda depend
ing on it's quality, the oily contents o.
the grain, and the temperature, shouli
be such IS to saponify the oil of tn.
grain while allowing the starch to ap
pear solid and firm. The liquid, as Il
leaves the mill, passes over sleeves, OF
which the germs, hulls, etc., are re-
tanned, while the starch and soap pas,
through, and flow over large, inclined
surfaces, upon which the starch settles
and the dilute soap solution collects II
cisterns. The starch is then washed
with pure water in cisterns, again passed
through sleeves into cisterns, allowed tx
settle twenty-four hours, and afte1
drawing off the supernatant LIQUID. re
moved and dried. Excellent soap ma,
be obtained from the dilute solution
and the germs, etc., can be utilized il
paper manufacture.
| HOW THE EYE Is SWEPT AND WASHED.
For us to be able to see objects clear
~ and distinctly, it is necessary tha
the eye should be kept clean. For thi,
purpose it is furnished with LITTLE
gland, from which flows q watery fiuii
(tears), which is spread over the eyt
by the lid, and it is afterward swept of
by it, and runs through hole in thu
bone to the under surface of the nose
while the warm air passing over il
while breathing, evaporates it. It is
remarkable that no such gland can BIZ
found in the eyes of fish, as the element
in which they live answers the same