Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-01

"A smoke-stack that eats up It's own
cinders is on trial, and lovers of open
windows on railroad trains feel an inter
est in its success.
Two new mills have just gone into
operation at Newbury, N. H., on the Par
ker River, one of the Byfield Manufac-
turing Company, for making artificial
leather out of leather chips, of which
two tons day will be turned out.
--Handsaws in America and England
have teeth pointed from the handle,
while in Asiatic countries and in Greece
they are made with teeth pointed the
other way. The latter must be operated
by pulling them, the former by pushing.
In delicate work, and where fine, small
saws are used, the Eastern saw is the
best. The Orientals differ from us in
setting the teeth of saws also. They
turn group of dozen one way, and the
next group the other, while we alternate
one on one side and the next on the
other.
The timber used in the French dock
yards is, before being constructively en-
ployed, subjected to slight carboniza-
ton treatment, by means of jet of
common coal gas. BY thus charring the
timber the surface is exposed to con
siderable degree of heat, the primary eff
feet of which is to exhaust the sap of the
epidermis and to dry up the fermenting
principles; in the second place, below
the outside layer, completely carbonized
a scorched surface is found, that is tn
say, partly distilled, and impregnated
with the products of that distillation
namely, creosote and empyreumatic oils,
the antiseptic nature of which is well
known-especially serviceable, in the
case of ship timber, to prevent rot.
Amber ornaments are once more
| coming into vogue. AS is well known
this is fossil resin of various extinct
species Of trees allied TO the frs and
| pines of the present age. 1t Is obtained
chiefly on the shores of the Baltic be.
tween Konigsberg and Memel. Singu.
| larly enough, "a stratum OF amber earth
| lies under nearly horizontal stratum
of alluvial sand and coal-bearing clay on
| the coast. This has been explored
| where it rises above the level of the sea,
and carbonized coniferous wood is found
| in il with organic remains. The amber
| frequently inCloses small insects, etc,
and the exterior surface is often marked
with the impression of branches and
bark, and in one example the corOlla OF
an unknown flower is seen. The varie-
| ties in color and transparency are very
numerous and the Prussians produce
many objects of taste and utility from
the article.
The electro-capillary engine, new
motor, is described in La Mature. Its
operation is explained or illustrated by
the simple experiment of placing drop
of mercury in the bottom OF glass and
filling the latter with water slightly acid.
ulated with sulphuric acid and also
treated with few drops Of bi-chromate
of potash If now the mercury be
touched with an iron point II will be OBJ
served to contract quickly and to take a
new form, which it will maintain until
the point be withdrawn, when it will re-
sumo its former shape. These alternate
contractions and expansions can be made
to succeed each other as rapidly as the
point can be applied and removed, and
when a large drop of mercury is used
their appearance is most singular. II Is
the galyanic current which is produced
by the iron, the calculated water and the
mercury which changes the force OF the
capillary attraction-this being the
power which, in the beginning, keeps
the drop of quicksilver IN its globular
form and prevents its spreading or fiat
tening out.