Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-28

1 - ~.S eASS"uoioho WHICH lEe puOIc nave
a right to demand for their security and
comfort from the companies whatever
that may imply.
One field for the regenerative gas system
is still unoccupied- firing of steam
boilers. Some Germans have recently
shown that by gas firing, 80 per cent. Of
the fuel will evaporate double the quantity
of water in given boiler. This simply
means that any concern can double its
steam producing capacity at very trihiug
cost, and with no increase OF plant. Il En-.
gineer Metcalf.
A new nut lock for railway track coup.
lings has been patented by J. A. Soley, OF
Winnipeg, Manitoba. 1t is called the
Peerless" and is intended to supply an
apparent defect in these couplings. The
invention, consisting of fiat plate, with
square holes bored to fit exactly over the
nuts, thus prevents their coming un-
screwed and also does away with the neces-
sity of screwing the bolts up too tightly.
A small pin holds the plate in position and
prevents it from falling off.
One of the greatest practical advantages
of the steam engine above other forms of
prime-movers, Is its steadiness and speedy
adaptation of motion under varying loads.
Provided an engine is large enough to do
all the work required in special case, with
given number Of revolutions, the work
can be decreased suddenly, and if the gear
and governor are in proper order, the inlet
OF steam fluctuates almost instantaneously
with the amount of work required, and the
number of revolutions do not vary. While
this, of course, is almost automatic knowl-
edge in regard to the steam engine, it is
none the less true that this axiom is not
always as generally appreciated as it might
be. Other forms of prime movers are also
designed to vary with the load, retaining
constant rate of revolution, but as fact
they do not accomplish this result in the
satisfactory manner common to the steam
engine. Indeed, some forms of prime
movers are practically dependent, almost,
on change in revolution for a change Of
horse power. There are cases, where a
slight, or even great variation in revolu-
tions does not matter, but these are rare.
As general rule one of the principal
requisites of prime.mover for power pur-
poses is invariable mode of revolution,
under intermittently and suddenly varying
amounts of load /; and for the accomplish.
ment of this result the steam engine is
unsurpassed and not equaled by any other
form of prime. mover.
A singular dogma has lately been pro-
mulgated by somebody to the effect that
weak or poorly constructed boiler is safer
at high pressure in the charge of an intel
Ggent engineer than strong and well con.
structed one in the hands of reckless and
ignorant man at far less pressure. This
statement has just the least tinge of super
stition as regards the effect of intelligence
on the strength of material, and should be
accompanied by an explanation, which
would probably amount to this: that the
intelligent engineer having such a boiler in
his charge would Immediately stop it and
take measures to render it safe, which, no
doubt, the ignorant man would also do if
told of his danger by the intelligent one.
Two hundred pounds of intelligence is
just as heavy on weak ice as the same
avoirdupois of ignorance, but the wise man
might perhaps cross safely where the fool
would blunder into an air.hole or stamp
himself through. -[Scientifc American.
In the third annual report of the Jersey
Bureau of Labor Statistics, just published,
it is shown that machinists have higher
earnings than any other tradesmen, the
average for machinists being .S779 10 per
year, against general average of S42S IS
for all the trades. Bricklayers, masons
and come other tradesmen may, perhaps,
receive higher wages than machinists, but
they have work only portion of the year,
which good machinists can find plenty of
steady work, be it summer or winter, wet
or dry, hot or cold. The machinists' trade
is one not likely to become overcrowded.
In fact, the demand for more machinists
has become chronic, and any young man
of mechanical tastes cannot do better than
learn that trade in thorough manner
[American Machinist.
VIXEN rubber plates and rings are used
for making connections between steam and
other pipes, leaking of joints may be pre-
vented by using cement prepared by dis
solving shellac in ammonia. The pulver.
lied gum. .shellac is soaked in ten times its
weight of strong ammonia, when a slimy
mass is obtained, which, in three or four
weeks, will become liquid without the use
of hot water. This fastens well both to
the rubber and to the metal or wood, and
becomes. by volatilizatiou of the ammonia,
hard and impermeable to either gases or.
fluids.
A German chemist, N. Kellner, makes
use Of the following process for purifying
lubricating oils and SO renders them fit to
be used again He first puts the liquids
into the lower part Of reservoir, closed
at the top by a perforated lid the residue
is deposited at the bottom. BY raising the
reservoir at one end the oil passes into
second reservoir, then into two boxes
joined together, filled with very clean
cotton waste, and separated by vertical
perforated plate. The air circulates freely
in the different apparatus, and the oil is
then in condition to be used Immediately.
La Nature, of Paris, gives an account OF
an apparatus, designed by NJ. Ganchez, for
utilizing the force of waves, and consisting
essentially of float, weighing from 80 to
95 tons, which is connected with bell
shaped compressor by ropes or chains pass.
ing over pulleys. The float is submerged,
and rises and falls with the waves. When
it falls it raises the bell, which has pre-
viously been below the water level, and as
it empties itself of water the air rushes
into it through openings in the top. AS
the float rises again, the bell sinks, the
water rises in it and congresses the air,
driving it out into pipes which conduct it
to reservoirs on shore, whence it can be
distributed as required.
1t is reported that French gentleman,
NJ. Bottelier, has made new telephone
which consists OF cylindrical copper box,
about five inches in diameter and two
inches high, in which the different parts
are placed, and covered with lid having
hole in the center A mouth. piece is fixed
near this opening, and the emitted sounds
strike vibrating plate screwed to the lid.
The vibrations act on magnet suspended
to the sides Of the box by three steel wires,
the tension Of which can be regulated at
will. Owing to the elasticity of the wires
the magnet may oscillate slightly in the
came direction as the vibrations Of the
plate by which it is attracted, and as the
magnetic action increases proportionally
to the square of the distance, the ampli-
tude Of the oscillation increases until the
tension of the wires, on the one hand, and
the elasticity of the plate, on the other,
equilibrate the attraction.
A comparatively new industry, that Of
copper spinning, has been introduced in
Lawrence, Mass. A circular piece Of sheet
copper OF ordinary thickness is placed on
lathe, and in q twinkliDg, without the
use OF hammers, shears, rivets or soldering.
iron, is spun into the shape OF kettle,
without break or weakening of single
fiber OF the material Ladies' and other
utensils in copper and zinc, cuspadores,
etc., are formed In the same manner.
A couple of Russian engineers have
brought torpedo boats to great PRACTICABLE.