Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-02

THE CARE OF ROLLERS

| salu that no boiler on his works had been
Clipped for the last fifteen years. This
was simply, 1lue to his keeping the water
supplied to the boilers alkaline, by add
ing from time to time little carbonate
OF soda or soda ash. DIR. Kasman finds
that zinc, introduced into steam boilers
to prevent incrustation, effects the pur-
| pose where the waters are scientific; but
where the waters contain carbonates of
lime, magnesia and iron, zinc first be-
comes brittle and porous, and then is
rapidly reduced to powder.
IMPROVED MILITARY PRoJECTIE.
M. Lamarre is the originator of an i'm
proved military projectile, the invention
consisting of balls to be projected by the
guns of fortress, for the purpose of
throwing strong light on the enemy's
position during night time-a principle
object of such an arrangement being to
prevent the digging of trenches or the
accomplishment of other military opera
lions. Shortly after leaving the cannon,
the Lamarre fire ball discharges light
sufficiently bright and lasts long enough
to enable guns to be pointed OF the
works. The projectile has also gren-
ade, which explodes after certain time.
thus keeping the enemy away, and pre-
venting their interference with the light
SPEED VS.. FUEL
Some experiments recently made by
the French government with torpedo
boats present the interesting fact that O.
distance somewhat more than 500 miles
was steamed in thirty-four hours, the
mean speed maintained per hour being
fifteen miles. The consumption of coal
was eight tons, this being the amount
the boats are designed to carry without
requiring fresh supply-that is, 525
pounds an hour, or thirty-fve pounds
per mile. These data show that long
distances can be accomplished by small
craft of the kind, provided an excessive
speed is not required. Should speed
OF twenty-three statute miles on hour be
wanted, the consumption of fuel would
be at the rate eighty-three pounds per
hour.
NEW PAPER MATERIAL.
Some time ago the people of Kunipu-
ra, in the Punjaub, were driven by the
scarcity, to obtain livelihood by pre-
pairing fibre from the prickly pear. The
process adopted by them was to first cut
off the blades at the stem, to separate
each into thin stripes with the hand, to
tie these stripes up into bundles, and
immense them in water for ten days or
30. This is said to be most repulsive
task, on account of the eff1uvium given
off, and the juice of the plants is so
acrid that it is difficult to protect the
hands and feet from it. The fbres are
of yellowish-whit color, as coarse as
hOrse-hair; the material is very strong,
and makes excellent ropes and mating;
but, owing to its coarseness, it is only
with much difficulty that it can be con-
verted into paper.
NEW DIVING APPARATUS. .
Hitherto when professional diver
him with air. But Mr. Fleuss has
patented process by which an expert
enced diver can remain under water for
hours, having within his helmet and
dress supply of compressed oxygen
gas, diluted with nitrogen, which is nat
urally present in his lungs and in the
diving dress when he assumes it. The
exhaled carbonic acid being brought into
contact with caustic soda, the deadly gas
is transformed into simple carbonate of
soda. 1t is asserted that numerous ex-
periments and tests have conclusively
proved that Mr.. Fleuss' system is attend
ed with no inconvenience, and the ex-
pense is one-half that of the old method.
Mr.. Fleuss is only %. His process has
been brought out since the Tay bridge
disaster.
LUBRICATION.
Improved methods of fabrication are
constantly multiplying, the latest being
French device. In the case of shaft,
the oil is poured into reservoir below,
and screw placed slantingly in the tube
raises oil to the level of the shaft, whence
it is distributed by channels over the
breadth of the journal; the axis of the
screw rests on the bottom of the reser-
voir, and it's head turns in bearing
fixed in the tube. Motion is communi-
Gated to it from the shaft by means OF
gearing with helicoidal teeth. The i'm
purities at the bottom of the reservoir
are neither stirred nor carried up. The
velocity of the screw is adapted to the
fabrication required. Ii the shaft has q
high velocity, that of the screw is dimin-
ished, since the shaft is subject to slight
pressure; but if the shaft turn slowly,
the velocity OF the screw is increased, sc
as to raise more oil because of the strong
pressure.
| ORIGIN OF THE PLOW.
In a paper on the origin of the pillow,
DR.. Taylor states that the first agri-
cultural implement seems to have been
pointed stick four or five feet long,
such as many savage tribes still carry
for the purpose of digging roots, knock
ing down fruits and unearthing animals.
At latter day the stick was bent and
used as hoe, the point being hardened
by fire. In the southern part of Sweden
large tracts of land give evidence of early
cultivation, which is attributed to the
prehistoric people called by the natives
"the hackers, "who are always associated
with the giants of mythology, and whose
rude hoe was fir pole, with short
projecting branch. There came into
use afterward larger instrument of the
same kind, which was not used like the
hoe, but dragged by men or oxen. In