The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-09-03

essential parts Of watch on a new principle. which
permits an approach to perfection unat'ainaole oy
tho old mochanisul, however produced Every one
knows that the great dilhcuity In making chronome-
has been the compensation for the eiec,s OF ex-
panson ana contraction due 10 change OF tempera-
ture, but what 10 less veil known - that this dif-
Guilty is due less TO the balance, which, by s con-
may be psrfsetly corrected, than 70 the expansion
OF the balance or hairsprng. which, Delng I'm.
caused by the expansion or contrac,ion bal
wheel alone. Tho two pieces must be con-
sidsred one. and the compensation effected In tue
wheel or RIM must answer tor tho spring well az
tor ITSELF Tho theoretical aud insuporabie dicuiy
In TINS compensation has always been tna. sne eror
was 10 different ratio from that Of The correcting
expansion or contraction wheel, and the W. auantE
be pared TO curves with Two radil, which
could DO brought together Il Two points, but mol
TO coincide throug that the compensation At
the extremes OF temperature Is correct the mean must
be in error and rice ueysd
OLD new METHODS.
The old compensation was, speaking broadly. In
braz,ng a band OF brass OF Steel process
both thc0rei cay and mechanically erroneous, SINCE
a certain tendency TO disrupture OF the elements
ana consequent inequality Of the action The new
balance proceeds on an entirely different arrange
ment OF the compeusating metals. The rim, OF
PLAIN steel, - cut nearly through at the liked ex-
iremtiss OF the somi-circles BY several saw-tooth
shaped notches. the number determined by expert
ment, ana the brass is forced iuto these notches.
The compromising weights are then put ~ the
other exIremtes OF the instead Of being
distributed along them empirlcsliy. and 1t is found
possible this gemen 50 TO distribute the CON-
pepsat,on and mpensalng weights as 10 give at viii
a compensation for tho mean temperature, either In
Of loss than the extremes, and OF COURSE TO
give compensation which shall coincide through
out, which makes II theoretically possible 10
give absolute compensation for all tcmpera-
lures at once. 1t Is difficult to make this
clear without diagrams showing tho exact curves at
tanned by experiment. but the nature OF the result
will be appreciated by those who know the mechs nism
Of tho balance y rs simply the .neorssca elimination
temperature Is concerned Practically pnd mechan-
icaly there viii always be some, due TO the inherent
imperccton OF human workmansh but II Is believed
that the error. aud equally the manual adjust
mont required Will be reduced 10 one-third OF that
actually obtaining under the old form OF balance.
But to illustrate how involved are the various i'm
provements In mechanism it may be noted that the
delioacy OF construction OF the new balance would
only have been pos ible with the mechansm iniro-
duced by the Waltham Company, the precision oil
which may be judged IRON that OF the micrometer
last produced and shown at Paris which mcas uros
the twenty thousandth part or an inch, and even
ndi Gates that SO largely that might be divided
crometer gauge detects inequalities in the
thread Of a screw up 10 hundred-thousandths and
mission correct the measures has boon
structcd In wbicn tho maximum OF error in the
thread Ii less than one ten-thousandth oil an inch.
FiREAkMS.
In the department OF firearms, In which the Amer.
cans have always maintained certain advance as 10
construction, there are exhibited by tho Remington
Arms Company two now forms OF military rils one
OF which, tho Los gun. Is obviously an Improvement
on all simple breechoadcrs hitherto used. The breech
block - tho same the Martini Henry. but tho open
ing is elected by the hammer, when holds the
hu@o Of the right band The brsecn oock
opened, 10 held open by catch which IS liberated
by the aange OF tho metallic cartridge as Il enters
the barrel and The block then rises 10 its place ana
closes the breach automatically. The motions are
fewer and the action simpler than In the Martini
glance the half and tuIl cock. The second conribu
ton OF the Remington Company Is breechloador on
ranRcd that a Of cartridges may be kept
in the MAGAZINE and The gun used as an ordinary