Connecticut western news., 1877-06-15
SCIENTIFIC,

Too little attention is paid by the users of machinery to adapting the quality of the oil to the work to be done; for insta1ce, the cotton or wOOlen mill which uses lard or so called "heavy' oil on tneir engine and spindles would find the latter absorbing or destroying much of the power of the former, sim ply in overcoming the resistance due to the viscOsity or "heaviness" of the oil absolute resistance of the spindle is but slight, effectiveness due to the oil itself would almost equal the normal resis- tance of the unOiled spindle.
 Then again the tendency to gum or thicken of the oil in question adds to it's undesirability, and when we see this resistance multiplied by the thousands of spindles st work we can imagine the drain of power simply in overcoming and other refined derivatives obtained from petroleum are peculiarly adapted for all this WOrk-heavy or llght-fOr by judicious admixture of them with animal oils for the purpose intended as oil may be obtained suitable for any work. In this class of oils the tendency to gum or Oxidize is checked, as the petroleum holds in solution the other oils, and being nOn-evaporative and uOu-OAlUlZluR -1GS0lIs lG lInpaIGS GlOS0 properties to the oils in com bination.
 FloG Poper.-The New Zealand Go- sette says that the flax of that country has lately come to the front in a ne W character; rope, mating and linen cloth have all been manufactured from 1t, and now 1t is presented in the shape of good, serviceable wrapping paper, cardboard, and roofing for houses. The
 
 have been named the Kaihu, and are located in the district of Northern " alroa,z where g.. very considerable plant has been erected, at 8 cost of be- tween one and two hundred thousand dollars. IF
 g An examination of the wrapping pa per, cardboard and roofing felt, thus produced, shows that, in respect to both quality and cheapness. the market af- lords nothing preferable; The paper is of 8 fine, close texture, and almost as strong as parchment-it will tear, but not break; and the prepared ma terial for roofing purposes is not only of superior adaptation, in point equal llty, to the usual descriptions of felt roofing, but is furnished at 8 much lower price. The mating manufac- tured from the flax is also found to have the advantage not only of being much cheaper than the well-known coir mattings, but trials of the fabric prove that it will stand three times the wear and tear. s.t -.'.. 9tts limitation Marble. Carl Boschau says | that if statue, made of plaster of paris or pGpier neGche, be coated with | thick, white dammar varnish, and then dusted with pulverized glass, it will have, when dry, the appearance of ala baster. lift be afterwards vanished 8 second time, and dusted with coarse ly pulverized white glass or mica (ne0r- 6epglGs) and again dried, it will be a very successful imitation of Carrara marble. especially if the marble veins be first traced with some delicate blue | pigment. This method of preparation follows that of nature, for. alabaste1 consists of very small crystals of sul- phate of lime, and Carrara marble of somewhat larger crystals of carbonate of lime, which in reflected light glistens like white sugar. This effect is Ob- tained with perfect deception by the brilliant white glass in coarse powder
 The Contagion ot Iypboid Fever.- The question of the contagion of typ hold fever has been examined by M. Guerin by the experimental method. He injected into a number of rabbits fecal matter from typhoid subjects, and ne finds 1t has poisonous principle, at leaving the system, capable of causing death. Various other eXcrementitiOus products of persons in typhoid fever, such as urine, blood, mesenteric liquids, etc., have likewise this poisonous pro