Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-07-14
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

Astronomical observations tend to
confirm the spectroscopic researches
in regard to Sirius, namely, that it is
intrinsically much brighter than the
sun, and must therefore be of n high
er temperature. Age n, taking the
measures of the position of the com
panion of Sirius, it seems that the
time of complete orbital revolution
is probably nearly 200 ears. Taking
the paralax of Sirius as 022 sec,
the distance of the companion from
the principal star is about fifty times
the earth's distance from the sun;
this would give the mass of Sirius
as only three and one eighth times
that of the sun, while the amount Of
its light is estimated at more than
200 times the light given forth by the
sun.
The fact is familiar to metallurg-
lists. that steel which is very flexible
when cold often breaks at the blue
annealing temperatures 1t has also
been generally considered that the
purer the irCn is. the less subject it
becomes to this defect; it appears,
however, that the workmen of the
Ural Mountains. who use iron of re.
markable purity, have often observed
the same fact. 1t has also been
found, on investigation, that the
metal in question becomes powdery
mt u temperature between 500 deg
and 700 deg. F., or the temperature
at which willow twigs take fire. This
phenomenon would seem to explain n
large number of accidents-as. for
example. the breaking of tires under
the action OF brakes. and the fracture
Of riveted moulds and of machine
arbors, which become heated by fric
tion-hitherto regarded rs unac-
countable.
A very brilliant polish to nickel
plating is now obtained. according TO
tho Bavarian GeWerbe Zeitung. by a
simple process, devised by Nj. kaizer
He prepares bath of pure granu
lated tin, argols, and water, heats it to
boiling, and then adds q small guam
tity of red-hot nickel oxide. A por-
ton of the nickel, rs is shown by the
green color which the solution as
sumes, that is, above the grains of
tin. is Immediately dissolved. If u
copper or brass article be now i'm
mersed in tlis solution. it almost
Immediately becomes covered with n
silver-like coating, which consists of
almost pure nickel. If little cobalt
carbonate or cobalt tartrate be add
ed to the bath, a blush tint is pro-
duced. and this will he lighter or
darker according to the quantity
that is added. On the article thus
treated being finally rubbed with
dry sawdust, or with chalk, the brill
liant polish referred to is the result
The attention of the French Acad-
emy of Sciences has recently been
called to a specimen of electric light
ing wire which, according to the
various trials thus far made of it,
would appear to answer the purpose
of preventing fires. The article con-
sists of copper wire insulated with
asbestos and threaded through q
lead pipe. Among the experiments
to which this design has been sub
jected are those made ut Paris, by
NJ. Lippmann, engineer to the Faure
Electric Accumulation Company, u
specimen of the conductor of this
kind of wire having been entirely
volatilized by powerful currents,
without any effect on the leaden
pipe. Thus, the volatilization takes
place in n mere fraction of second,
and the lead does not begin to fuse:
moreover, there is the additional
advantage of the asbestos acting as
u good insulator for ordinary cur
rents.