The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-01-27
NOTES ON SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

NOTES ON SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
What is claimed to be a ma rked inn
provement in gas regulators consists IN con-
structing the apparatus essentially in three
parts as follows A small glass flask, used
as an air chamber an U-tube, one end of
which is of rather small bore compared with
that of the other, to which latter the appara-
tus is attached for regulating the tempera-
ture and, lastly. the tube through which
the gas passes. Both limbs Of the U-tube
are nearly filed with mercury when the
regulator is to be used. When it is to be
employed with an air bath, the flask is
placed in the. bath and, by having re-
course to a plunger-inside of q piece of very
small tubing, a sole-leather disk Of the
proper size, a pin, and some sealing wax
the desired temperature is produced. and
then the instrument will automatically main
tain this temperature, without further
trouble or attention, for any length of time
desired.
An improved thermometer IS among the
recent foreign inventions, its purpose being
the rating of Temperatures of liquids which
are being raised to points above the range
of ordinary thermometers or promoters.
1t consists of a tube containing special fluids,
according to the temporal re to be noted,
water being employed for points below 45O
degrees. These fuidsauASsaise anu ncton
the machinery in the upper part, which
turns the hand n a dial face. The tube
is always within .ae liquid to be tested, and
a close opening in the cover of the vessel
allows the pro ection of the dial face above.
This does away with the uncertainty and
unreliabifity attendant upon the old method
of taking the thermometer out of the mass
to note the temperature. To the dial face is
also attached an alarm guage TO singal a too
high temperature or sudden change.
A series of measurements have been made
by a party of German engineers, to de-
termine the rate and character of the move
ment of glaciers, these observations being
supplementary to those made some time ago
by the same company. Their first observa-
tons seemed to prove a considerable and
unexpected degree of irregularity in the
movement-it being found, for example, that
the same point could have a motion in both
a vertical and horizontal direction. and that
two points not very far apart in ZONE cases
moved at a different rate, or even in opposite
directions. The later observations give, on
the whole a rather negative result, since the
motions measured were much smaller than
those measured before-those in a vertical
direction for example. hardly exceeding the
unavoidable errors of observations, the
amount, however of observed phenomena
indicating real ice movements.
A method of COMPRISING fluid steel has
attracted much attention in England. Steam
pressure is applied to the top of the mould
Immediately after the metal is poured The
steam is dra wn from a receiver fixed TO the
side of the ingot frame. the conducting pipes
having one end permanently attached to the
receiver, and the other end is joined by a
coupling with the lid of mould. 1t is said
that in practice no higher pressure than
from so to $50 pounds has appeared to be
necessary, the higher pressure being used in
the case of mild steels, It appears that
under this process, the ingots are turned out
free from porosity aud with the advantage
of a perfectly level top. In addition to con-
soiidating the ingot, the top of the latter is
also cooled by the steam, thus allowing il to
be conveyed to the relocating furnace sooner
than is convenient in the ordinary process.
One Of the hardest woods in existence is
that of the desert ironwood tree. which
grows in the dry washes along the line of
the Southern Pacific Railroad. It's specific
gravity is nearly the same as that of lignum.
Vita, and it has a black heart so hard, when
we'll seasoned, that it will turn the edge of
an axe, and can scarcely be cut by a well.
tempered saw. Ia burning it gives out an
intense heat, and charcoal made from II is
hardly second to anthracite.
To make good buns for tea, stir about
half a pound of butter with one cup of
cream and a half pound of sugar, and beat
them together until light; add four eggs.
well beaten, and at the same time STIR in
three quarters of a pound Of flour. first mix.
inc with IL a teasnoonfnI and a half IL