Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-05
BITS OF SCIENCE.

The solid emery wheels have made pos
sible wonderful advance in the surfac-
ing and polishing of metals in the shop, in
truing centres, sharpening tools, and in
other processes.
1t is stated in the COsmOSleS MOndeS
that in the city of Utrecht, which is sup
piled with an exceedingly pure water, it
has been found necessary to make use
of tin service pipes coated externally with
lead.
A German invention, it is said, will
protect iron from rust. Ordinary oil
paint, mixed with 10 per cent. of burned
magnesia, baryta of strontia, as well as
mineral oil, neutraliZes the free acid OF
the paint, and the alkaline reaction protect
the iron from rust.
D. S. Troy, of Montgomery, Ala, has
devised a. mode of propelling vehicles by
compressed air. The axles are hollow
and connected, and serve as a reservoir
for the air as we'll as the body of the We
hicle. They are charged at a station and
move off on an independent basis.
The organ of hearing is generally dOu-
BILE, but not always located in the head.
In the clam it is found at the base of the
foot; some grasshOppers have it in the fore
legs, and in many insects it is on the
wing. HOLSTERS and crabs have the audi
tory sacs at the base of the antenn9.
A man during a lifetime of so years, ac-
cording to a paper recently read before
the Academy of Sciences, Paris, sleeps
away an aggregate of 5000 days, works
away the same period, eats away 1000
days, walks away 800 days, is i'll 500, and
amuses himself with the remainder Of his
half century on earth.
A grass seed harvester has been pat
o11fa cd l,vyM n off IF
ter, KY. The invention consists in comb
teeth of peculiar form, peculiar elevating
devices, and novel guides and bearing
blocks for the axle so the comb may
guard itself from being choked by large
weeds and quickly raised or depressed
to follow the heighth of the grass.
To clean marble: Mix one-quarter of a
pound OF soft soap with the same of
pounded whiting, one ounce of soda, and
a piece Of stone blue the size of a walnut;
boil these together for fifteen minutes, and
then, while hot, rub it over the marble
with piece of flannel and leave it on for
twenty-four hours; then wash it off with
clean water, and polish the marble with
piece of coarse flannel, or, what is better,
piece of an old hat.
Some recent attempts with white pine
appears to give 1T value as an ornamer-
tai wood which its common uses have not
heretofore suggested. The softness of its
texture and its susceptibility to injury
may have had some influence in prevent
ing its general use for ornamental pur-
poses, but the wood can be ''filled," so
that much of this objection is removed.
Its pure white color-whIte as compared
with other wOods-recommends it for pur
poses for which holly has been heretofore
used.
A report is going the rounds that Ger
man electrician has invented a battery
which will do wonders if its plans could
only be fully carried out. The electric
battery is to be worked by sunlight most
ly, if not entirely, and the cost of the
other elements could be reduced to a
minimum. If cheap and portable aecu-
mulators could be made tor storing the
electricity the sunlight of a single sum-
mer could be made to store up force
enough to drive all the mills and railroads
for years.
To polish fine carved wood take halt
pint linseed oil, half pint of ale, the white
of an egg, one ounce of French spirits, one
ounce of spirits of ammonia. Sheke well
before using. A little is to be applied to
the face of a soft linen pad, and lightly
rubbed for minute or two over the arti-
Gle to be restored. which must afterward
be polished off with an old silk handker-
chief. This polish will keep any length of
time if well corked. 1t is useful for cabi-
net work, and is also recommended for
papier-mache work.
An engine of a novel type, designed by
Charles b. Coventry, has recently been
constructed by the Brooks Locomotive
Works, for the Chicago Locomotive
Improvement Company. The headlight
is placed where the stack generally is,
while the stack is at the rear of the boiler
and close To the cab. The boiler is one of
the largest manufactured what is known
as 6O-inch SHELLY, and the smoke, gas,
etc., traverse it twice, along the bottom
and over back on top to the stack. This
makes such a good combustion that the
finer particles of fuel, the gas, and the
smoke are almost entirely consumed, and
when the engine Is going at full speed, it
is impossible to see any smoke.