Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1880-11-03
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.

NOusVOS, OSEeUI ANO SCueVI ~.
MuLsTONEs IN THE BRONZE AGE.
The site of milestone mandatory Of
the bronze age ia thought to have been
discovered at Auvenir, near Neuchatel.
Millstones in all stages of manufacture
have recently been brought to light
there.
A NEW ALPHABET.
Bishop Eigio Cost, Mt Chang Tong,
in China, has invented an alphabet Of
thirty three letters, by means Of which
all the sounds in the Chinese language
can, it is said, be represented. The en-
peror Of Austria has been 30 we'll pleased
with the invention that he presented the
bishop with complete typographical
aparatas, 80 that the new alphabet may
be employed in printing. The charac.
ters used by the Chinese number 800.
EYE-0LAssRs.
Eyeglasses that are made of the pureet
glass can be considered safe-specks,
rays, glUbules, or other imperfections
are detrimental: Though more costly,
pebbles possess two important advan-
tages, namely: extreme hardness, render
ing it extremely difficult to scratch or
break them; and clearness; never be-
coming dull from moisture; and they are
also thought to be cooler than any other
glass. To be good and true the glasses
should likewise be, in all their parts, Of
an equal thickness in proportion to their
convexity or concavity, as well as of an
equal form: Another and easily applied
test of true glasses is that Of holding
them obliquely over print, all the letters
OF which will be found to lpreserve their
true character if their glasses are correct.
MIXING RUBBER ROLLERS.
Inkling rollers made Of India rubber
have been occasionally made use Of from
time to time for many years, but owing
to inexperience in their manufacture and
use, the results have been, until recently,
far from satisfactory. Various improve
ments, however, have been made in their
manufacture for printing purposes. One
London manufacturer makes his rollers
from red rubber, which Is, of necessity,
very thoroughly cured III order to enable
it to Withstand the action of fatty inks;
and after the rollers have been turned
true by means Of elf-acting lathes, fine
surface is given to the rubber by means
of glass paper. In order to give these
rollers the softness which is necessary
in some cases, series of perforations
parallel to the axis is introduced. For
photographic printing, these rollers have
considerable advantages over the usual
leather roller.
BOILING WATER In SHEET OF PAPER.
Nature is publishing series OF at
tractive articles on "Physics Without
Apparatus. In the lntest numbers are
given experiments for boiling water and
melting lead on piece of paper: Take
q piece Of paper and fold it up as school
boys do, into a square box without lid.
Hang this up to walking-stick by four
threads, and support the stick upon
books or other convenient props. Then
q lamp or taper must be placed upon this
dainty eauldron. In few minutes the
water will boil. The only fear is lest
the threads should catch fire and let the
water spill into the lamp and over the
table. The flame must therefore not be
too large. The paper does not burn be-
cause it is wet; and even if it resisted the
wet it still would not burn through, be-
cause the heat impaired to it on one side
by the flame would be very rapidly con.
Quoted away by the water ON the other.
A NEW ANHSTHETIC.
A Philadelphia dentist describes q
very simple method Of deadening pain
which has been successfully tested in
dental and minor surgical operations.
The method is for the patient to breathe
rapidly, making about one hundred and
sixty respirations per minute, ending in
rapid putting expirations. At the end of
from two to Ave minutes an entire or
partial absence of pain results for half
minute or more. The patient may be in
any position. but that recommended is
lying on the side, and 1t is generally best
to throw handkerchief over the face to
prevent distraction Of the patients at
tention. When the rapid breathing is
first begun the patient may feel some
exhilaration; following this comes SEN
sation of fullness in the head or dizziness.
The face is at first flushed, and afterward
pale or even blush, the heart beats
rather freely and fast, and the sense of
touch is not affected, nor is conscious
ness lost. The effect 10 produced in
females more readily than in males, and
in middle aged more easily than In the
old; children can hardly be made to
breathe properly.
REFUGEs m CoLLnRIEs.
Mr.. Latimer CLARK urges, through the
Times, the importance Of providing ref
uges in collieries. It is we'll known, he
observes, that when an explosion Of coal
gas occurs in mine, those who are in
the range Of its influence are violently
destroyed, but there is generally . GER
tain proportion Of the miners who are
working in different parts Of thecoliery.
and who escape immediate destruction
but are afterwards slowly destroyed by
the choke-damp and the stoppage Of
ventilation. To save the lives OF such
~ these, it would only be necessary TO
form small refuge caves at suitable
places, to provide these with . door
which could be tightly closed, and with
candles, biscuits, and water; and lastly,
to provide an air-pipe to each, communi-
eating with the surface. The men who
could reach ono Of these shelters would,
on closing the door and opening the air
tap, be ct once free from all immediate
danger. The engine driver at the sur
face would at once turn ON his air pumps,
and force supply Of air down the pipes,
which should be buried 80 - to be ont
of reach from injury by fire orof falls.
LENS WITH vARlABLE FOCus.
The property which the human eye
possesses Of forming distinct images of
all visible distances ia, - i well known,
due TO the power Of the crystalline lensto
alter its focal length. This action u
beautifully illustrated, says Engineering,
hx kha lons NTH ,Rariahlo foNna recently