The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-04-09
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

The underground surveyors in the
hot Comstock mines, as well as the
miners, use respirators filled with ice.
The contrivances are made of gauze
wire to fit over the face, and piece Of
ice put inside the mask keeps the air
cool.
"A common process for discovering
the presence of vegetable fiber in wooden
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 re.
main about twenty minutes, in which
time all the animal matter will be dlS
solved, and that of vegetable origin will
remain intact.
The manufacture of cheap candies
from white earth, or terra alba, mixed
with little sugar and glucose, is car.
ried on extensively in New York. A
census taker who investigated the con.
fectionery business reports that rs per
cent. of most candies is composed Of
these substances, and some Others, no.
tably "gum drops" contain still less
sugar.
Its reported that a wild plant, which
grows so profusely on high lands in
Louisiana that the planters have tried
for years to exterminate it as a pest, has
been discovered to yield woody fiber
closely resembling jute, but of much
finer quality. 1t is claimed that the
process of preparation is very simple,
and far less expensive than that of jute
or ramie. The planters name for it is
the American or Creole tea plant.
Prof. Carnelly of Sheffield has
shown that liquids can be reduced to
solid or frozen state and still retain their
heat. In order to convert solid into
liquid, the pressure must be above GER
tain point. As long, therefore, as the
necessary pressure is maintained, no
amount of heat will liquify it. By OBJ.
serving this law, Prof. Carnelly succeed
ed in freezing some water in glass
vessel which remained so hot as to burn
the hand.
Some observations made at Giessen
last winter by Herr Hoffman throw light
on the way in which plants are injured
in time of hard frost. The great ad-
vantage of a billy position was then ap-
parent; the plants so situated took little
or no harm, while in the valley there
was extensive injury. The injury, too
decreased in proportion to elevation
above the valley. Still more INSTRUCTIVE
was the fact that one and the same bush
was killed in its foliage on the south side,
while on the north side it remained
| Tho at1thA,, s,,fa hot ~ IL mt a
particular degree of cold that kills
plant, but the amount of quick thaW'
ing. p 'tN p @.it' - .''
The "resonator'' is the name given
by Signor Bach to his new invention TOT
increasing the volume and power OF
the human voice when singing. This
appliance is based on the Office per
formed by the hard portion of the pal.
ate, which acts as a kind of sounding
board when the mouth is open for sing
ing, and it is for the purpose of incress-
ing the efficiency of the palate in TINS
respect that the res0nator has been ue
signed. 1t consists of gold plate htteu
to the roof of the mouth, close above INC
upper teeth--much in the same way ~
the gold plate of q set of artificial teetn
the plate having attached to it another
gold plate which is convex downwardln
both directions. A hollow sounding
board, as it may be termed, is thus
formed, and is said to have a remark@
BILE effect on the volume of sound pro-
ducible by the person wearing the M
strument. 1t is also stated that the ap'
paratus has no prejudicial effect uPoa,
the distinctness Of articulation, and t9s
it can be used without the slightest III
convenience after moderate practice