The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-29
SCIENTIFIC.


The Hotchkiss revolving gun already
adopted in the French and other great
navies, has been ordered for use lately
in the German navy, the ships TO "be
armed with this weapon in such man
ner that every point surrounding each
vessel may be protected by the fire OF
at least two guns at minimum range
Of 200 metres"
l. has generally been supposed that
when carbolic acid is mixed with chor-
ide of lime the former is liable TO be
destroyed by the latter, with loss OF &c.
tivity on the part of both, when applied
for disinfecting purposes. Diamin finds,
however, that mixture OF these Two
substances possesses notable greater
antiseptic energy than either OF them
has separately.
A common process for discovering
the presence of vegetable fibre in wool
en- goods is to take half a dozen sticks
of caustic potash and put them into
gill of water, which boil Put the
sample into the boiling solution, and
let it remain for about twenty minutes,
in which time all the animal tterwill
be dissolved, and that of vegetable
will remain intact.
At the last meeting of tho Maryland
Academy of sciences DR.. Theobold
showed species of beetle (b0i6o
cerUS fdyctUS) which was observed by
him to move small tray. He gave
the following interesting figures: Weight
of beetle, 2 grains; weight moved, 81
ounces-2,640 grains, or 1920 times
the weight of the beetle. A man weigh
ing $50 pounds, endowed with the
strength ofthis insect, should, therefore,
be able to move $4,000 pounds, or
nearly 100 tons.
The so-called Spences metal, says
Prof. j. w. Mallet, in the american
Chemical J0maai, fused mixture of
iron pyrites or other metallic sulphides
with excess of sulphur, seems worthy
Of some attention, especially for making
the joints Of water-pipcs, etc, although
the claims put forward on its first an
nouncement were rather extravaganza.
Its melting point is reported as low as
100 degrees centigrade, it has con.
siderable amount of cohesive strength,
1t resistS exposure to air and water,
and it costs very little.
1t has not BEEN supposed that sewage
gas could exert any corruding influence
on metals, yet Investigations show that
holes are actually worn in lead and
zinc pipes by such gases. From all
that appears, the gas which proceeds
from the drain is the most dangerous
Observation-Disclosures of this character
exercising their daily influence both by
pertorating the pipes which contain
them and then issuing through these
apertures to mingle with the respired
air. Substantial iron pipes, well ven
tilated and joined in the most perfect
manner possible are considered the best
protection.
There is new instrument going into
use in England for the purpose of re-
ceiving Greenwich time signals at tele-
graph stations, ETC. Hitherto, the pas
sage of the time signal current along
the lines gave no other indication of its
presence than a detection of the
needles Of ordinary instruments and
corresponding movement Of the arma-
ture OF the Morse ink-writer, and
sounder, at 10 A. NJ, and the eye had
to be kept constantly on the instrument
to learn the exact time. In the new in
strument there is an arrangement
which rings bell and at once arrests
attention when the frs: part OF the time
signal is transmitted
A patent has been obtained in Ger
many TO produce fannie acid in the
form Of crystalline needles. For this
purpose spirit, or ether solution of
tannin is evaporated in copper vessel,
or in vacuo, till sample, when cold,
can be broken without adhering TO the
fingers. This mass is brought into
vessel provided with a double bottom
for the admission Of steam, and con-
tanning a number of holes through
which the warm and therefore soft tan
mic acid goes, and as the apparatus is
five metres high it forms thin thread
This falls through the warm apparatus
on wooden or metallic cylinder, kept
in quick motion, from which the thread
is taken and broken into small bits.