Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-07
Scientific Notes.

BITUMINoUs coal sometimes contains
iron pyrltes. These are acted upon by
moisture, and hence wet coal sometimes
takes lire spontaneously.
Ar the recent meeting of the Academy
OF Natural Sciences, in Philadelphia
DR.. Leldy described curious rhizopod
found III mill-pond at Absecum. IT
measUref l-lOOth of an inch in length.
and has asoft body like the other An1n-
bae. 1t moves slowly, with snaillike
motion, and protrudes numerous pa,
pillae and process which bristle with
rigid spicules and which can be
shortened or entirely withdrawn. The
Ana9b0 is composed of an internal
granular subst ance called the endosarc.
and an external film called the ectosarc.
This latter is usually smooth, but in the
species under consideration the pro-
cesses with their covering of ectosarc,
are never protruded without being
seen furnished with these spicules.
This peculiarly separates the animal SO
widely from It's nearest FLY that it prob
ably belongs to distinct genus. It is
therefore named by DR.. Leidy Dina
! nlCgb0 a1iT0batis. -rFI-t.sF
| PHOsPHoR-BRoNzE has for some years
attracted general attention in all the
scientific, military and industrial circles
of Europe and the United States The
inventors, says writer in tine Journal
ed in establishing as scientific fact the
, great superiority Of phosphorized alloys
Of copper and tin over all competing
! H. I'll al I'll I'll
bines in so high degree as phosphor,
bronze, the conditions Of toughness,
rigidity, hardness, and great elastic re-
sistance. Its non-liability to crystalline
under heavy and often repeated strain
or continued vibration, has been demon
strated by elaborate tests; andif, jointly
with this quality, the fact of the total
absence Of easily corroded metals, such
as zinc, be taken into consideration, the
advantages offered by it's use can scarcely
be over-es estimated. The effect on it of
sea-water or diluted sulphuric acid is
! but slight, and much less than on cop
per. Pecuiarities of phosphor- bronze,
the value of which will be appreciated
by practical metallurgists, are that in
remelting the metal none Of it's compo-
| nent quantity of tin is burnt out; that
it makes. castings of unrivaled sound
ness and that, being as liquid as quick
silver, it fills even the most minute i'm
preston in the mould and can be cast
in chills to great advantage. It's point
of fusion is practically the same as that
OF ordinary gun-metal. .E# ah So
OK one of the railways in Prussia the
cars have been lighted by gas for about
a year. The experiment has been so
successful that there is little doubt OF
the ultimate exclusion Of all kinds of
oil lamps on the railways Of Germany.
The gas is manufactured expressly for
the purpose from oil, being richer
hydro carbon than common street gas.
1t is compressed to six atmospheres III
cylindrical receivers five feet long, and
from sixteen and half to twenty inches
in diameter. If more than two receiv-
ers are to be connected, the connecting
tubes are of one-fourth inch bore, very
strong. A regulator is introduced in
termediate between the burners and the
receivers, in which the requisite low
pressure is maintained so steadily that
all the tremors and shock to which the
cars are subject produce no perceptible
effect upon it. THIS regulator consists
OF a cast iron circular vessel ten inches
in diameter and six inches in height, the
open top of which is closed gas tight by
a flexible membrane loosely stretched.
The middle point of the membrane is
armed with metal disk, connected
with a lever acting on the supply valve
communicating with the gas holder.
The weight of the membrane and it's
connections is sufficient to furnish all
the pressure needed to maintain the
efflux at the burner. When the supply
In the regulator is low, the supply
valve is opened by the depression of
the membrane. AS the gas streams in
to the regulator the membrane rises,
and the supply valve is gradually
closed. The illumination is thus main
tanned even more steadily than the gas
jets in the cities, though the pressure
in the gas holders of course gradually
falls off, A single holder of six to nine
cubic feet capacity will supply burner
for forty-fve to sixty-seven hours.
The intensity of the light, by pho
tometric determination, is equal to that
of ten candles, while that OF ordinary
coal gas, burned at the same rate and
under similar circumstances is but
about three and half candles. The
whole apparatus, except the burners
and their protecting lanterns, is placed
beneath the cars. There seems to be
no possibility of danger from it's use,
except such as might result from ex-
plosion.