Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-08-23
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
WATER FROM WOOD.

By thrusting the ends of green scrub
wood" malice Grub in the fire, and
catching the sap driven out at the other
end IN bark trough, an Australian sup
piled himself with water and saved his
life while crossing in a waterless region.
He says that dozen malice sticks, four
feet long and two or three inches in
diameter, would give pint of water in
an hour, and suggests that the same de-
vice may possibly be found of vital i'm
portance to other bush-rangers and tray
elers in arid regions.
TO CLEAN BRASS.
The government method of cleaning
brass, and in use at all the United States
arsenals, is claimed to be the best in the
world. The plan is to make a mixture
of one part nitric acid and one-half part
sulphuric acid in a stone jar, having also
ready pail of fresh water and box of
sawdust. The articles to be treated are
dipped into the acid, then removed into
the water, and finally rubbed with saw
dust. This Immediately changes them
to brilliant color. If the brass has be-
come greasy, it is first dipped in astrong
solution of potash and soda in warm
water; this cuts the grease so that the
acid has free power to act.
TEMPERING STEEL.
Water mixed with ice gives the best
temper to steel. One may insert some
small tools to advantage in lump of
ice, as jewelers. and watchmakers do
when they temper them in sealing wax.
Often oil is used, and is preferable to
water, because it is not so easily evapor-
ated. Damascened blades are tempered
in a strong current of cold air, passing
through a narrow chink, temper more
uniform than with water being thus OBJ
tanned. But OF all the means for this
purpose, it is believed the most effica-
cious is a metallic liquid, and, mercury
being the only one known, and always a
good conductor of heat, as we'll as the
best of liquid conductors, it has come to
be regarded as an unequaled bath for
the temper OF very sharp steel tools.
MAGNETIzING STEEL.
NJ. Fave has found that steel bar,
magnetized at temperature of $50 de-
grees c., and then allowed to cool,
develops on being heated again a guam
tlty of magnetism, which is indeed
sometimes as much as three times the
amount possessed after the cooling.
Some of the experiments, however, made
with view to observe the influence of
changes of temperature on the magneti-
cation of steel bars, have shown still
more peculiar results. Thus when GER
tain bars were magnetized at a high
temperature and cooled, their magnet
ism entirely disappeared, and then
changed signr so that, Il a bar had been
magnetized when hot in certain di-
rection, it was found to be magnetized
in the opposite direction after returning
to the ordinary temperature.
IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES.
The desideratum of alocomotive pos
sessing tina utmost possible power in
the way of making quick starts and stops
while drawing heavy loads has led to
many ingenious plans. According to
one of the latest Of these, no separate
tender is used, but the fuel is carried
upon the rear portion of the engine it..
self, which is extended back in the shape
of a coal bunker distance of about
seven feet, and which gives capacity for
three tons of coal. The water-tanks are
placed upon the engine and extend back
nearly to the rear end of the coal bunk
er, their capacity being from l, 200 to
l 900 gallons. The engines are double
enders, with pilot front and back, al
lowing them to be run forward and back
upon the lines without changing ends
and are also arranged with accommoda-
ton couplers for high or low built cars.
The total length of the engine is some
f0r M "A clio
drive wheels fifty inches in diameter and
with two leading and two trail wheels
twenty-six inches in diameter.
RAIN GUAGE.
An ingenious apparatus for recording
the total duration of rainfall in the
course of day or still longer time has
been devised by M. Schmeitz of Paris.
1t consists of box having rain fun
mel in its top, by which the rain can en-
ter and drop upon a band of travelling
paper which passes below within the
box. This paper is the usual Morse
strip treated in q solution of sulphate of
iron and dried carefully, then brushed
with fannie acid or powdered cyanofer-
ride of potassium mixed with resin. A
roll of it is placed within the box, and
is unwound onto another roller outside
the box. The latter is driven by chain
from the hour-hand of common clock,
so that it rotates once in an hour. In
this time, therefore, the paper has been
pulled along beneath the rain funnel a
length equal to the circumference of the
roller. The falling drops dye the paper
and indicate where the rain began and
left off. Correction is made for the in
creasing diameter of the winding roller
as the paper is wound upon it. The in
s5rument is said to work well and to in
dictate fine showers, which are lost upon
the ordinary pluviometer.
A NATURAL CONTEMPLATING BATH.
Two Years ago. at q mine onerated nv