The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-05-15
SCIENTIFIC.

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it, is most effectual arrangement for pre-
venting such cars from being entered
while attached to trains or when standing
on sidinga This lock does not show on
the car, because it is under; it cannot
be reached when the cur is in notion
and when the car is at standstill in
the yard, = it would be dangerous to 60
under, to unlock it, unless with GER
tainty that the car would not be moved.
The lock is operated by wrench and
| left-hand screw, wlaGh acts as key
and starts an inch bolt of iron that
fastens both doors securely. The de-
vice can easily be applied to railway
trains
IT is known that cast irons containing
much silicon or phosphorus are at present
unsuitable for the production of superior
wrought iron or castings. The same pig
iron, if properly refined in the ordinary
coke refinery or by other means, will lose
the greater portion of its silicon; and if
similar Or other pig iron be converted into
wrought iron by the usual process, the
greater portion of its phosphorus as well
as silicon will be removed. 1t is proposed
to melt down in cupola furnace mix
ture of refined cast iron and of wrought
IRON The amount of silicon and phos-
phorus in the resulting metal may thus be
proportioned to equal the average of these
substances in cold blast all mine pig irons;
and, owing to the contact of the wrought
iron with the coke or other fuel, the metal
will contain sufficient carbon to fit it
for use in the foundry or pudding fur
mace.
ACCORDING to the Manufacturer and
Builder, soap may be made without caustic
soda and without quicklime, by making
use of the property of ammonia to com
bine readily with fat, and to make very
soluble soap, and of soda soap to be insolu
BILE in water if this contains only the small
quantity of more than one-half of one per
cent? of salt. IT, therefore, grease, fat Or
resin, which are commonly employed to
make soap are heated with an excess Of
common salt, ammonia and water, q soda
soap separates, leaving chloride of ammonia
in the liquor, together with the excess of
ammonia and salt. The ammonia at first
unites with fatty acids and forms very
soluble ammonia soap; then the sodium in
the salt exchanges places with the ammoHia
: in the soap, forming soda soap aid
chloride of ammonia. 1t is essential that
there be an excess of ammonia and salt
: present in order that the reaction take
place. One hundred parts of grease re-
quire from u to 20 parts of ammonia, 20
to 80 of salt, and 200 to 300 of water.
A PARIS house painter has made some
2 interesting experiments to ascertain whether
emanations from certain paints containing
| such materials as white lead zinc white,
linseed oil, essence of turpentine coal oil,
= &C., are injurious to health. 70 this end,
t he caused the inside of some boxes to be
e painted, and within them be placed wire
j cages containing rabbits, which we're not
e in contact with the paint, but only sub
: iect to the influence of the emanations
y from it. The animals suffered while the
t paint was fresh, especially when coal oil
was present, but none of them died It is
d thus proved that living in apartments re-
d Gently painted and which emit the odol
of the oil of turpentine, is not perma
d nently injurious to health. In some Other
:. experiments, made for the purpose of OBJ
% tanning deposits of these emanations from
the fresh paintings of houses, plates wers
h placed containing a small quantity of watei
II in these chests; and after the water hat
IT. ovaporated from the plates some remark
q able crystalzations, like needles, were
il found, consisting of combinations in whicl
.r the oils employed formed the principa
part.
THE theory of the sun being cold nu
cleus surrounded by an intensely ignitet
photosphere, and thus revealing, unde
certain conditions, the phenomenon of SUI
VI spots, is combated by M. Kirchof, on tn
IL ground that such photosphere must, if
u exist, radiate head toward the suns bod
81 as well as from it, and that, therefore, ever
10 particle of the upper layer or opake atmos
VI phere will thus be heated to temperatur
aS at least as high as that to which it woul
W be raised if placed on the earth, expose
~ ~ to the SUMS ray, in the focus of circula
w mirror whose SURFACE, seen from the focus
H. is larger than hemisphere. The les
III transparent the atmosphere is, the quicke
80 will this temperature be attained, and tn
81 smaller will be the distance to which tn
G. direct radiation of the photosphere wi
's' penetrate into the mass of the atmosphere
nj and, what degree soever of opacity the al
II mosphere may possess, it is certain tha
ey in time the heat will be transmitted, partl