Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-06
Curious, Useful and Scientific.
IRON AS JEWELS.

Curious, Usefu! ana SclentlAs.
IRON As JEWELS.
Iron was So scarce in England during
the reign of Edward iii. that the pots
spits and frying pans of the royal kitchSI
were classed among the kings Jewels.
srBTERIANEAN TELEGRAPH WIRES
The French government IL laying sub
terrancan cables from Nancy to PARIS.
This telegraph line IL composed of IL III
suluted wires placed III large tube OF
cast iron. For each length Of 500 metres
doors have been arranged SO that any sec
ton can be removed and replaced without
having to open the ground, which IL nee
essary in the German system of laying
the cables in solid bed Of asphalt.
DIET FOR 4 CONSERVATIVE.
The diet Of the consumptive, says a
writer in an English medical paper,
should be simple and nutritious. Very
strict rules as To- special articles are un-
called for. unless the stomach should
have exhibited signs of imperfect power.
Meat should he taken once or twice day,
with good allowance Of fat. Fish Is
nutritious. especially oysters. Milk Is
very nourIshng, and two or three plnts
may he taken in the course of the day.
VALUABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL.
A valuable plastic material has been in
troduccd in Germany for ornamental and
other purposes. Five parts OF sIfted
whiting are mixed with a solution of one
part'of glue, and, on these two being
worked up into paste, proportienate
quantity of Venetian turpentlne Is added,
IN order to prevent brittleness; small
amount Of linseed is also put with the
mixture, to prevent its clngins to the
hands, and the mass may be color
ed by kneading III any color that may ba
desired. The substance thus formed
may be pressed INTO shapes, and useed
for the production of has reliefs and other
figures, and may he likewise worked by
hand into models-the hands to be rub
bed with linseeI "il, and the mass to be
kept warm during the process. On be-
coming cool and dry which takes place IN
n few hours, it is as hard rs stone.
| PROGRESS oFTHE TELEGRAPH.
In 1874 there were 10 miles of line and
no wires.
| In 1S4S there We're 1000 miles 'f line
and 1000 miles of wire.
In 1853 there were 1869 miles of line
and %, 0l3 miles of wire
| In 1860 there were 7,5S2 miles of line
and 26, ,37j miles of wire
In lS66 there were 29, IL miles OF line
and 81, 294 miles OF wire.
| In 1870 there We're 81, 1O3 miles OF line
and 107 24J miles of wire.
| In 1877 there We're Ill So miles OF
/ line and 257 ,974 miles of wire.
In 1850 there were 142 ,36l miles of limo
and 350, ,0lS miles OF wire
The first line Of telegraph III the United
States was established between Baltimore
| and Washington in lS44. This was the
Morse plan, which has Since become the
almost universal system Of the world,
| Fifty million messages were sent during
the year 1850. The companies employ
q. 900 persons, and have II, 900 Offices.
ARE KEROSENE BARRELS DANGEROUS.
A recent accumulation Of some 10000
empty kerosene barrels for shipment i'll
Hamburg, gave anxiety to some people
living near the place, on account OF dan
ger from fire Herr Ulex, who inquired
into the matter, considers the danger in
such case much exaggerated. The lay
er OF size with which the oaken kerosene
barrels are coated inside is SC impervlous
tor very little) saturated with it. Tho flame
Of "A match or candle will not alone set an
empty kerosene barrel on fire. Herr
Ulex applied candle flame for an hour to
the interior of cask, set at Is degrees.
without setting it on fire He next put
an empty kerosene barrel on bright fire,
and when it was thoroughly heated,
brought lighted match to the bung-
IL ha
.io Aplosinn took place, nor was there
any after~"ll, when the fire burnt holes
III the barrel. Thus IT would seem that
the danger from heated kerosene barrels
was not alarming,
LIGHTING AND PUTTING OFT LAMPS.
The curious uses to which inventors
are applying electricity are almost end
less. Two ingenious pieces of electrical
apparatus for lighting and eXtinguishing
lamps have recently appeared. In one OF
them { NJ. Margret's systeml the oil lamp
stands on base which Is II horizontal
electro magnet From the armature of this
two PARALLEL curved rods of copper, JOIN
ed ut the top by platinum spiral, which
is rendered incandescent by battery cur
rent, and brought III that state to the
wick, where the armature is attached. In
this movement toward the wick, a small
bellows is compressed giving puff of air
through tube rcbounding on the wick.
In the case of lighting the lamp, this puff
has no effect, but when the lamp has been
burning, and is To be eXtlnguishcd, the
puff produced by II momcntnry passage
Of the current blows the flame out, and
there is not time for the spiral to relight
the lamp In the other system dhat of
NJ. Ranquey, platinum spiral is
brought to the wick, much i'll the same
way, but the lamp Is put out 10y an ex-
tinguisher at the end of n curved and
pivoted wire The contrivancc is such
that the extimgiisher is brought down to
tho wick, or raised from it Through at
traction of the armaturel according MS the
flame Is to he put ont OF lit.
DEBILIrArEp DIGESTION.
In the memoirs of Count Segur"
there is the following anecdote: My
mother, the Countess de Segur, being
asked by Voltaire respecting her health,
told him that the most painful feeling she
had arose from the decay of her stomach
and the difficulty of finding any kind of
aliment that 1t could bear. Noltaire by
way of consolation, assured her that lie
was once for nearly year III the same
state, and believed to be incurable, but
that, nevertheless, II very simple remedy
had restored him. 1t consisted in taking
no other nourishment than yolks of eggs
peaten up with the flour Of potatoes and
water" Though this circumstance took
as far back as 80 years ago and respected
30 extraordinary II person as Noltaire, 1t
il astonishing how little Is known, and
how rarely the remedy has been prac-
ticel Its efficacy, however, IN cases of
debility, cannot he questioned. and the
following Is the mode Of preparing this
valuable article of food recommended
by Sir. John Sinclair
Beat up an egg IN II bowl and then add
six tablespoonsful OF cold water mixing
the whole well together, then add two
tataespoonsful OF farm Of potatoes; let 1t
he mixed thoroughly with the liquor i'll
the bowl. Then pour IN as much boiling
water as will convert the whole into
Jelly and mix it we'll. 1t may he taken
| alone or with the addition of little milk,
IN case of stulnarhic debility or consump
tive disorders This dish IL light and
easily digcsted extremely wholesome and
nourishing Bread or biscuit may be
takenwlth 1t as the stomach gets stronger
Products OF TOBACCO.
Dr. Le Bon continues his researches
regarding the products of tobacco. The
new alkaloid found IN tobacco smoke,
with other aromatic principles, and prus-
sic acid as we'll NJ nicotlnel, is II liquid Of
very agreeable AMI penetrating oior, and
as POISONOUS as nicotine. tho twentieth
part of one drop suilicing Ia paralyze and
Kill frog. 1t is the prussic acid and the
various aromatic principles that cause
headache, giddiness and nausea i'll
smoking certain tobaccos that contain lit
tie nicotine. Other tobaccos rich i'll nico-
tine have no such effects The tobaccos
contnning most prussIc ncil nnd collidine