Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-12
@ POPULAR SCIENCE.

It is said that a fine quality Of
brandy has been made from the seed
of the California beet plant.
Silks are "weighted" in Europe in q
far larger proportion than cotton
sometimes up to 400 per cent.
Trichine are by no means confined
to pork. Two French soldiers died
lately of trichinosis contracted by
eating geese. DR.. Gleudenning has
detected the dangerous parasites in a
pike caught near Ostend. --.--z
The Journal Of Science says that as
the use of pals and mourners' cloaks
at funerals furnishes very. efficient
medium for the spread of infectious
diseases, their use has been sfefaaally
abolished among the JewisAcommun
ity.
1t is said that in girl who died re-
Gently at the Hotel Dieu, of Caen, the
whole of the thoracle and abdominal
organs were found completely invert-
ed, the heart being at the right side,
and the liver at the left, while its
usual position was occupied by the
stomach and the spleen. as NJ
Gustav Engal has experimental up
on animal and vegetable substances to
ascertain the principles involved in
dyeing. All the experiments agreed
i'll proving that the facility with
which substances absorb and retain
dyes depends almost entirely upon
physical structure, and especially up
on capilarity. ..ft.. ~.
The new metal, norwegium, discov-
cred by Dahl, in 1878, some calcite
gangue found i'll the small island OF
Otero, near the town of Kragero, on
the Skager Black, seems to be present
in American refined lead, according
to paper published by G. A. Pro-
chazka. Norwegium bears close re-
semblance to bismuth. so far as melt
ing point, atomic weight, and specific
gravity are concerned.
An examination of earth that had
become saturated with coal-gas has
been made by DR.. E. Koenigs. He
worked up samples of the soil into a
paste acidulated with sulphuric acid,
and passed current Of steam into the
mixture. The gases and vapors given
off were collected in glass receivers.
1t was found that the bulk of the
product consisted of naphthalin, and
that there was no trace of carboliC
| acid.
An improvement in the Bunsen
battery, which results in less consump-
| ton of the zines, in an intensity OF
current equal to the old arrangement,
and in very great constancy, has, it is
said, been effected by NJ. Azapis. In
stead Of dilute sulphuric acid in the
cell containing the zinc or positive
element, 15 per cent. solution of eva.
nidc of potassium, caustic potash, ma.
rine salt or ordinary sal ammOniac is
employed. There is no necessity fol
employing amalgamated zines.
| Herr Wohler's aluminium galvaniC
battery, which is capable of raising
q platinum wire to incandescence ane
| of decomposing water, is thus de
scribed: A roll of sheet aluminium i
placed in round glass vessel contain.
ing very dilute muriatic acid or dilut,
soda lye. Within this large roll o
aluminium is placed porous cell con
tanning concentrated nitric acid and ,
smaller roll of aluminium. Each rol
has lug or projection which is in
serted into circular cover of ebonite
and thus kept in place.
Oils and fats exer. very destruc
tive action upon india rubber, the fol
lowing recommendations by MI
Thomas Bolas to those desirous o
securing oil-resisting properties i
the case of vulcanized caoutchouc ma
prove useful: /. The use of higl
quality of rubber, 2. Thorough cur
ing. 8 The absence of free sulphu
in the finished article. 4. The pres
ence Of such pigments as litharge, ret
lead, OF white lead. 5. The incorpor
alton of q trace of glycerine with til
materials. 6. Curing in glycerin
bath placed in an ordinary steam vul
canizer.
/