Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-08-09
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
REMARKABLE PRECISION.

1t is well known that screws when used
IN soft wood are usually driven in With
the hammer, and given a turn or two
with the screw driver to bring them flush.
Recognizing this fact, a manufacturer
has brought aut new screw which is
adapted for driving, and which enters
the wood without tearing the grain.
The gimlet point is dispensed with and
cone point substituted. The thread has
a pitch that it drives in barb fashion,
offering no resistance in entering, put
firmly resisting all attempts to with
draw it except turning it with a screw
driver.
CHEAP INSULATING MATERIAL.
It is thought that the demand for a
cheap insulating material has been net
by q discovery of method by which
wood, sawdust, cotton waste, paper
pulp, and other fibrous substances can
be converted into material perfectly
impervious to moisture and acids, easily
nodded under pressure into any shape,
and capable of being worked or cut into
any form. This material is an excellent
non-conductor of electricity, and can be
used for all forms of battery cells, tele-
graph insulators, supports for electric
light leads, and telephone work. It af-
fords the means of securing perfect in
sulation at very much less cost than
ebonlte on gutta percha.
BREAKING IRON WITH DYNAMITE.
The application of dynamite to the
breaking up of masses of iron too great
to be broken by other means, was sue
cessfully tried near Chicago, recently.
A refractory chunk, salamander," of
twenty tons weight, was placed in a pit.
A hole was drilled in the iron, and
charge of dynamite was inserted. Sew
eral bars of iron, weighing tons each, were
placed over the pit IN order to prevent
small pieces of the metal from flying
heavenward. The cartridge was CON
nected with battery, stationed one
hundred feet from the pit, and after the
spectators had found secluded places,
the word was given, and i'll an instant
the twenty tons of iron that had pre-
viously stood all kinds of hammering,
was reduced to fragments. The steel
men were completely surprised, and adj
mitted that feat had been performed
that before was held impossible.
THE NEW sTEM-wINDERs.
Stem winding watches are now made
on a different plan from what has been
customary, the improved system pos
sessing, it is thought, some special adj
vantages. Thus, when it is desired to
set the hands, the stem is first drawn
out, which causes collar on the end of
1t to bear upon stud in the shorter arm
of two-armed curved lever. This de-
presses the long arm of the latter, which
turns yoke and disengages the gearing
from the handspring arbor, connecting
an independent wheel with the hand-set-
ting train, to which motion is impaired
by turning the stem. AS soon as pull
ing on the stem ceases, the yoke is
thrown back to its place by spring.
Normally, another wheel, carried by the
yoke, meshes with the arbor wheel of the
handspring, and is thus always ready
for winding by pressing down on and
winding the stem. The arrangement is
simple. $3.50 -,-,
THE BRAIN DURING SLEEP. 5l
Some curious experiments as to the
action of the brain during sleep have
lately been made upon himself by NJ.
Delaney. Working on the known fact
that the action of the brain causes rise
of temperature in the Uranium, the ex-
perimenter found that the converse of
this was true, and that he was able, by
covering his forehead with wadding
to stimulate the action of the brain.
Dreams which are naturally illogical and
absurd became under his treatment quite
natural and intelligent. He also found
that their character was much modified
by the position assumed during sleep,
whereby the blood may be made to flow
towards particular parts of the body, and
thus increase their nutrition and func-
tional activity. These experiments have
but slight value. Those whose lives are
spent in hard work, either physical or
mental, viii prefer their dreams to be as
illogical and vague as possible, SO that
the poor brain may not go on working
while the body is at rest. Chambers
Journal. es IS.
AN OPTICAL FREAK. -..-z.-ssFs
According to the La France Medicale.
DR.. Gorini relates that one night. hay
ing fallen asleep while reading book,
he presently awakened, when, looking
at the wall opposite his bed, which was
illuminated by a lamp near him, he OBJ
served it covered with printed characters
of large size, forming words regularly
disposed. and separated by lines like
those n the book which he had been
reading. Not only could he see the
text, but he could distinguish the ammo
tations in smaller characters; and,
though the whole appearance was vague
and indistinct, there could be no doubt
that the image seen on the wall was that
of the pages he had been reading when
he fell asleep. This strange apparation
continued twenty seconds, and IN. this
period was reproduced each time at