Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-10-18
MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC.

The Iron and Steel association
Bulletin has taken pains to inquire
carefully into the reduction in the cost
of pig iron caused by the break in the
coal combination, and learns that in
the Lehigh district it will not average
fifty cents to the ton and in the Schuyl-
kill district it viii not average dollar
ton.
M. Buffant, a French mechanician.
has recently devised a new and unique
system of paraquet flooring. The
squares are composed Of slips of wood
made in patterns; and the pieces are
held together by layer of bituminous
cement laid hot on their under side,
this cement being, in turn, covered
with paving tile, so that the three
substances are intimately united
Conical pins are driven through holes
left in the tiles and into the wood
while the cement is still in a liquid
state. The squares are laid in mortar.
or cement, over layer of sand, and
are joined together by very fine iron
tongues fitting in grooves. This sys-
TEN is represented as applicable where
marble and ordinary pavements are
employed
M. Gailletel has discovered that
when an iron plate is attacked by
sulphuric acid being poured over it, a
portion of the hydrogen produced is
absorbed by the metal, and the pres
sure of the gas which is accumulated
between two iron plates, welded to-
gether, is sufficient to counterbalance
a column of mercury thirteen and
three-fourths inches high. This singu-
lar property of hydrogen, which has
also been confirmed lately by the in
vestigations Of M. Seroy, is regarded
by the latter as most interesting dis
covery, and he attributes to the pres
ence of carbonic oxide, or hydrogenized
gas, the brittleness which some classes
of iron manifest when an attempt is
made to draw Il EN- into wire-a fact
well known to workers in this metal.
--Pig-iron paving has lately been
introduced in Paris as a substitute for
the various kinds at present employed.
A bed of mortar is first laid down,
which is covered by strong layer of
asphalt. and it is in this layer that the
iron cakes, which are about one-sixth
of an inch thick, are uniformly set.
These cakes, it is asserted, preserve
the homogeneity of the bitumen and
prevent its depression, thus rendering
the asphalt less slippery for travel.
Though more costly than the simple
compressed asphalt, it is estimated that
this new pavement will save some
fifty per cent. upon the repairing eX
penses, which are well known to be
very considerable. To prevent the
depression that occur in much used
roads is great desideratum in paw
ing.
1t Is well known that plants sleep
at night; but their hours of sleeping
are matter Of habit, and may be dis
turbed artifcially, just as cock may
be walked up to crow at untimely hours
by the light Of lantern. A French
chemist subjected a sensitive plant to
an exceedingly trying course Of disci-
pline, by completely changing its hours
exposing it to a bright light at night,
so as to prevent sleep, and putting it
into dark room during the day. The
plant appeared to be much puzzled and
disturbed at first. 1t opened and closed
its leaves irregularly, sometimes nod
ding, in spite 0f the artificial sun that
shed its beams at midnight, and some
times waking up, from the force of
habit, to find the chamber dark in spite
of the time of day. Such are the
tramlnels Of use and wont. But, after
an obvious struggle the plant submit
ted to the change, and turned day into
night, without any apparent III effects.
boston Transcript.