Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-09-13
CURIOUS, USEFUL. AND SCIENTIFIC.
SALICYLIC ACID.

1t is employed largely abroad by veter-
mary surgeons as curative agent for
many diseases to which animals are sub
lect, and is found useful in checking the
spread of contagion among them. Its
most important use, however, is for the
preservation of food. During thepreva-
lence of hot weather, meat, fish, etc.,
can be preserved by it's use for several
days.
MAKING PEARLS.
A pearl-making industry has sprung
up in the ThHringian forest of Germany,
and large demand for the goods from
abroad has made boom in wages.
The secret of making the so.called
"lack-lustre . pearls was accidentally
discovered by a workman who put one
of the original samples in his mouth and
felt a tiny grain of sand upon it. Pre-
vious to this acids had been tired with
out success; but the lucky workman
tried rubbing up" thep pearls with COM
mon sand, and in less than week hun
dreds of his fellows were making good
living at the same work, and handsome
goods were produced that now ind a
ready sale in the markets of the world.
SPINNING METAL VESSELS.
The old and familiar way of manufac-
turing vessels of copper and zinc by
hammer, rivets and soldering iron is fast
giving place to a new method, that of
spinning. A circular piece of sheet cop
per of ordinary thickness is placed on
the lathe, and Ia a twinkling is spun into
the shape of a kettle, without break or
weakening of a single fiber of the
material. There are no jointures, the
kettle being formed entirely from the
original circular copper sheet. The
kettle breasts, sides, and Strengthening
portion for the spout are formed of one
piece of sheet copper metal and double
scanned to the pit, SO that the seams are
under the side of the kettle and form a
strengthening rib upon which it rests
when III the stove.
PAPER VENEERS.
Paper veneers have come to be an i'm
portant article of manufacture, the ex-
tension of the industry being largely
due to the new and wonderful processes
OF cutting. The mechanism cuts the
logs to lengths of twelve feet, which are
then halved or quartered, and bolted Sc
| curely on a revolving iron table. AS
the table and wood revolve, the surface
of the latter come in contact with a knife
twelve feet long, ground to razor edge
and perfectly true, secured on a rigid
| iron frame-the entire cutting apparatus
weighing about thirty tons. The veneers
roll off in sheets at every revolution,
of from one-ninetieth to one one-hundred
and seventy fifth of an inch in thickness,
and of the width and length of the log.
There is not the slightest vibration OF
either the knife or log, as the sheet OF
wood In such case would be either
broken or take up the spring like q
wedge. The sheets are backed with
paper.
MAKING STAINED WINDOW GLASS.
In making stained glass windows, the
coloring matter-red, green, flesh color
| or whatever it may be-is first stirred
with the glass in its molten state. When
1t is rolled into sheets and cools, il
comes out the brilliant hue desired.
Next, imagine an old-fashioned patch.
work quilt, where the little blocks OF
leaves are cut out by means of paper
patterns and sewed together to make the
complete figure. There you have the
idea of the stained-glass windows.
Artists who are adopts make large de-
sign of the painting wanted. Different
small parts of it are transferred from
this, and pasteboard patterns made from
these, like the patchwork quilt. The
glass is cut into the shape with a dia-
mond. Then the pieces are Joined to-
gether in the perfect whole. The edges
are united by means of solder and lead,
where the patchwork bits would be
sewed with needle. Thus, making q
stained-glass window is about as much
mechanical as artistic. Rare and fine
work, such as the human face and parts
OF the human figure, are painted upon
the glass, requiring the touch of an
artist.
| FLAMELESS COMBUSTION.
| At the so5ree of the Society of Chemi-
cal Industry at Owens College, on
Thursday, the 9th inst, new theory OF
combustion was practically illustrated
by Mr.. Thomas Fletcher, of Washing
| ton, the result being SO totally unex-
pected that many present would, and in
fact did, so away with the impression
that some deception was being practiced.
Mr.. Jacob Reese, the inventor of the
Reese fusing disk, has stated his belief
that, if it were possible to produce COM
bustion without fame, the temperatures
and duty obtained from any fuel would
be enormously increased. It has re-
NAMED for Mr.. Fletcher to not only
prove the possibility of fameless COM
| bustion in more than one form, but also
to demonstrate practically the enormous
ly high temperatures which can be OBJ
tanned by this means. Taking ball of
iron wire, about three pounds in weight,
Mr.. Fletcher placed it on a slab of fire.
clay, and directing blowpipe fame on
it for a few seconds he suddenly blew
the fame out. The temperature in
creased SO rapidly that in few seconds
the wrought iron fused and ran into
drops, and this temperature was steadily
maintained. The room was darkened
but the closest examination did not
show trace of fame, although the fact