The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-06-03
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SOIENTIFIC.

slNE OF the recent German inventions con-
sists of q new kind Of cloth, which. is COM
posed principally or entirely Of sponge.
In its manufacture, the sponges are first
thoroughly beaten with a heavy hammer, in
order to crush all the mineral and vegetable
impurities, 30 that they can be easily washed
out; they are then dried and pared with q
sharp knife, the parings being sewed to-
gether. The fabric which is thus obtained
is described as being free from all the dan.
ger which sometimes arises from the absorp.
ton Of poisonous dyes into the system; il
absorbs without checking the perspiiration,
50 as to diminish the danger Of taking cold !;
it is bad conductor, and therefore helps to
maintain q uniform surface temperature !;
it can be moro readily cleansed than the Of.
binary ma woollen garments; its fexibiity de-
creases the liability Of chatting; and the
ease with which it can be employed in shoes,
stockings, drawers, undershirts and other
articles of clothing, Will, it is thought rem.
der the new material especially useful as
protection against rheumatic and pulmonary
attacks.
LARGE quantities Of pottery are mAnufac-
tured in Brazil from the hard, silicious bark
OF the caraipe tree. In the process, the
ashes of the bark are powdered and mixed
with the purest clay that can be obtained
from the beds of the rivers-this kind being
preferred, as it takes up larger quantity Of
the ash, and thus produces a stronger kind
of ware. Though the proportions of ash
and clay are varied at the will of the maker,
and according to the quality of the bark, a
superior kind Of pottery is produced by a
mixture of equal parts of fine clay and ashes,
AL sorts of vessels, of small or large size,
for household or other purposes, are made
of this kind Of ware, as are also vases or or
namental articles, many, of which are painted
and glazed. These articles are all very du-
rable, and are able to stand almost any
amount Of heat One secret of the strength
of the material is that the cells of the sepa-
rate layers are silicated to greater or less
degree, the silex forming in the cells when
the bark is young or immature.
IT is now found practicable to relieve zinc
plates or sheets of their rigidity, and thus
facilitate the working of the same into the
various forms desired. In the treatment of
sheet zinc, with this in view, a bath of lin
seed oil is prepared, and into this the plates
are plunged, these being subjected to the
action of oil while in state of ebultition for
some thirty minutes, more or less, accord
ing to the thickness of the metal; the plates
are then removed from the bath, and after
the oil is thoroughly drained from their sur
faces they are well cleaned, and are then
ready for the market. Plates which have
passed through this process are represented
to possess great ductiity, and to be capable
Of receiving and retaining high polish on
this account, they may be advantageously
employed as a substitute for lead or pewter,
at q great reduction Of cost. in variety OF
cases among these, for example, being the
Innings Of sinks and cisterns and the cover
ling Of counter and other surfaces requiring
metallic protection.
a PARIS novelty just now is the, "mata-
fuegos," or fire extinguisher. It is filed
with water, to which is added charge OF
bicarbonate Of soda and some other ingre-
dents; and small cylinder, inside the
large, is filled with solution of tartaric
acid, &c. When it is required to bring the
appliance into action, communication is
made between the acid and alkaline mix.
lures by opening a valve by means of han
die and screw, when carbonic acid gas is
evolved, which, by pressing on the surface
of the water, caused it to issue in jet Of
fifty feet, the extinguishing action Of the
water being of course aided by the carbonic
acid. The tartaric acid does not corrode the
metal as sulphuric acid does, nor does it in
jure woodwork, &c. A pile of logs impreg-
mated with tar and petroleum, and another
Of tar barrels, were set wei on fire, when
one ordinary No. 8 of these appliances ex-
tinguished both in one and one-quarter min
utes.
IT is stated that France now calls into &C
ton the enormous amount of ], 100, OOO
horse power, representing the effort of no
Jess than IA, 100000 men that is, in fact q
population actually greater than that of the
workmen Of the whole country. Thus, the
work accomplished by machinery gives man,
other things being equal, the means of de-
voting to intellectual and social improvement
much time which would otherwise be occu-
pied in e1acting manual labor. It is calcu-
lated, too, that the machine or motive force
employed in flour mills is equal to that OF
sc, 900 slaves !" attached !" to the milestone
in ancient Italy. The transport of force,
in modern times, to q distance from the
place of its production, is the chief artifce
which has made it possible to substitute ma
chinery for men. Since the transmission
shaft was invented, great progress has been
made.
DYING TOGETHER.
A touching incident occurred in the death
of two aged people, Mr.. and Mrs. Dickson,
at Oskaloose, Iowa, recently. For conye-