Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-04-07
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
A GATHERING COMPOUND.

CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
A GATHERING COMPOUND.
Four parts of copper sulphate and one
part of borax, triturated together, are
said to form mass that can be rolled in
to sticks at pleasure for cauterizing pur-
poses.
A NEW PROTECTION FOR SUBMERGED IRON.
Sheet iron covered with gum of the
euphorbiacea, common and luxr1riant in
tropical climates, was immersed in Chat
ham (Eng.) dockyard, where everything
rapidly becomes foul and when taken
out was found quite clean. The gum is
intensely bitter and poisonous; hence
marine animals avoid 1t.
ORGANIC MATTER IN WATER.
In paper on the detection of organic
matter in water T1emanu and Preusse
consider it very probable that disease
ferments are present in polluted water,
but deprecate the inference that all impure
water must necessarily prove pernicious
to health. When water becomes PERM
cious, neither the physician nor the
chemist can decide, though both may
point out when the water should be
avoided as suspicious.
NEW LACUsTRINE FIND.
A bank, commonly called Hafner, in
the Lake of Zurich, and situated at
distance of a few thousand feet from the
Mansion house promenade, is now being
infinitely investigated by order of the
town authorities It appears that re-
mains of prehistoric pile-dwelling are
coming to light at this spot, consisting
of a quantity of coarse and fine clay yes
sells, Goals, few bronze Implements, &C.
The piles upon which the old colony
rested are particularly numerous ND
tire.
NOVEL EXPERIMENT.
The Photographic NeaOs reports that
M. Raoul Pictet is about to try, on an
extensive scale, an experiment having
for its object the dissertation of the
metalloids by means of the suns rays
By the use of huge metallic mirror he
hopes to bring such concentration of
sun rays to bear upon the metalloids as
will enable him to definitely determine
the truth or fallacy of the theories of
Messrs. Lockyer and Victor Meyer The
experiment will probably be made at
Geneva, and will, by reason of its magni-
tude, be unique for research of its ma
ture.
RED PRINTING INK.
The Engineer gives the following
recipe for making red printing ink:
Bill hnseed oil until smoke is given off.
Set the oil then on the fire and allow it
to burn until it can be drawn out into
strings half an inch long Add one
pound of rosin to each quart of oil, and
one-haf pound of dry brown soap cut
into slices. The soap must be put in
cautiously, as the water in the soap
causes violent commotion. Lastly. the
oil is ground up with sufficient pig
ment on stone by means of a muller.
Vermillion, red lead, carmine, Indian
red, Venetian red and the lakes are all
suitable for printing inks.
CEMENT FOR GLASS;
A good cement for glass, and one
which completely resists the solvent
action Of water, may, it is said, be pre-
pared by the following process: From
five to ten parts of pure, dry gelatine are
dissolved In 100 parts of water. To the
solution about 10 per cent. of concen-
trated solution of b1chromate of potash
is added, and the liquid is kept In the
dark. When articles joined by this
cement are exposed to the light the gela-
tine film is acted upon by the chemical
rays, the chromate being partially re-
duced, and the film of cement becomes
tough and durable.
AN INTERESTING GAME.
The Nature says that NJ. E. Lavasseur
has invented an amusing and instructive
geographical game called s'Tour du
Monde" 1t is played on large terres-
trial globe divided into 232 spherical
rectangles, each of which has number
corresponding to a number on list in
dicating gains or losses, In accordance
with the nature of the rectangle to which
it belongs. The game is played with Is
flags, corresponding to the principal
states In the world, from China, the most
populous. A brass slip from pole to
pole contains Is holes, into which the
flags are successfully placed by the
players at each revolution, commencing
at the south pole and moving northward.
The gains and losses correspond with the
nature of the facts indicated in the same
space above which flag may stand when
the globe stops revolving. Thus Lon
don counts 80, Paris 20, and SO on &C
cording to population. A coal mine, a
Manchester cotton factory, grain CEN
tire, all count for gains; while meeting q
Zulu or lion in Africa, storm In the
Atlantic or Pacific, crocodile In the
Nile, being caught in Polar ice, ETC.,
count for losses. This it will be seen
the new game is calculated to afford con-
siderable excitement as well as instruc-
ton. - fs - ~ &keH7@ =
PRESERVING ORGANIC SUBSTANCES.
NF