The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-07-26
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

r n
The light which falls upon the earth
from the satellites of Mars Is about
equivalent to what q mans hand on
which the sun shone at Washington
would reflect TO Boston.
A valuable fiber called d-pita or
bromelic grows wild in Honduras. 1t Ia
said to be the strongest fiber known,
and can be used, half and half, with silk
or wool. Machinery has been made to
prepare it for manufacturing purposes,
and Il Is said 70 be worth, when ready
for market, 81 900 a ton.
Prof Carlo Pavesi, an italian, .hs,
produced disinfectant which thelmed.
ical papers of the Old World heartily
-commend.-It 1t Is composed of chloride
of lime, camphor and glycerine. The
mixture can be used in all cases where
phenic acid is now employed, and is les,
disagreeable, less irritating and less
toxic than that acid. ,....5,.-- 80.
y Diving for black pearls employs o
large number of men and. boats off the
coast of Lower California. Traders sup
ply the vessels and diving apparatus
upon the stipulation that the pearls thai
are found are to be sold to them at
specified rates. These jewels are OF
much beauty and highly priced "A
years production Is worth on an aver
age from $500, 900 to 81 600, 900. .g,T
b Straw has long been used for the
manufacture of paper, and it Is now
made into lumber of any desired length
and width. 1t holds nails as we'll as
wood, and is susceptible of higher fin
ish aud polish. Like papier-mache, Ii
Is waterproof, and can, therefore, be
used for external as well as internal pur-
poses. Samples resemble hardwood,
nearly as dark IS oak, but moro dense
In texture, and with specifio gravity
one-fifth more than that of black walnut.
1t Ia cheaper than wood, and will in the
future largely take its place In building.
--OAicago Journal. i,.ia 81 $50
The following is cheap and simple
non-condueting covering for steam
pipes: Four parts of coal ashes, sifted
through riddle of four meshes to the
inch, one part calcined plaster, one part
-four, one part fine fire clay. Mix the
ashes and firesclay together 10 the thicks
ness of thin mortar, in mortar trough !;
mix the calcined plaster and flour to-
gether dry, and add TO it the ashes and
clay as you want TO use it; put it on the
pipes in two coats, according to the size
OF the pipes. For q six-inch pipe, put
the first coat about IA inch thick; the
second coat should be about 1 1-2 inch
thick Afterward, finish with hard fn-
ish, same as applied to plastering in a
room. 1t takes, the above about two
hours and half to set on o hot pipe
Gernlantoson Telegraph. =. ...,7'.7--..-,
An engine giving off a total of sixty
horse power was found by the indicator
diagrams to be using twenty-fve-horse
power to get rid of the exhaust steam
from the cylinders, and had been work
ing in this condition for years, the loss
Of so much power never having been
even suspected till the indicator dia-
grams revealed it. Many engines are
running in this country, close beside
streams of water, and exhausting the
steam into the air, when by the addition
Of a condensing apparatus, q large in
crease of power could be obtained, or o
saving of fuel effected. In an engine
taking steam at sixty pounds pressure,
and cutting off at half a stroke, the gain
of power by condensing would be about
32 1-2 per cent, of which 2 1-2 per
cent. would be required to drive the air
pumps. .-Hr...n ~-r .... F.e...... HU r.s.t IA