The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-09-18
BITS OF SCIENCE.


proaDed paper. a substance which, it is
remArked, hes almost perfect powers
a Foa1stAnce to IRE.
The dryest -four contains from 9
70 Z per cent. OF water, Snd the
average percentage would be from IL
= Is as from II TO II per cent. can DO
driven out by heat OF about 800 de-
grees F.
u. Jamin attributes tho cold nights
usual in April and Nay to the fact,
which he deduces from the expert
monts OF Mr.. Glaisher and others, that
the minimum of vapor in the stmos.
phere prevails then, tho maximum be-
Ing In August.
Tho bromide OF ethyl appears to
promise we'll as an an@sihetic In labor.
One writer reports III cases in witch
1t Wes used, without 2ny fatality, TOR
mothers, and with but three deaths In
children, mono of which could no at.
tributed to its action.
In communication to the London
Royal Society, 1t has been shown that
iron bars are elongated by magnetiza.
ton; that steel bars are elongated, but
not 10 the same xtent, soft ateol being
otOn8a'ed moro than hard bteel and
that nickel In shortened.
After giving an exposition OF tho
chemical composition and alimentgry
value Of the different portions OF the
grain uf whea', M. Aiino Girart con-
Cludes that 1t Is advisable to reject, In
30 FAR az II Ia mechanically possible,
tho outer layers Of the grain, and re-
serve for human food tho iarinacsous
portion only.
Granulated cork Is an excellent non
conductor of heat, and IL on this nc.
count \ very desirable material In the
construction OF refrigerator oars. 1t
10 also used in tho floors OF passenger
cars gs o "deadener" of the noise OF
the running. gear. IL ia made by run
ming Tho scraps in cork factory
through mill which reduces them 70
. coarse powder.
La Nature gives the formula OF a
now alloy, which is especially adapted
70 many important uses in tho arts. 1t
melts In the low temperature OF lG0
degrees r., or considerably below that
at which the magical spoons of long
ago melted In cup of tea. Its com.
position IL: Blsmuth, As; cadmium,
13; lead, 10; tin 90. The alloy will
Withstand severe pressure.
Stove polish 10 made from plumbsgo
some OF tho richest mines OF which
are In Guaymas, Mexico. Tho plum
ha9o comes from The miues weighing
100 pounds each. 1t is then crushed
and separated by the Cse of huge pans
tho coarse quality being sent through
inc crusher again, and only the very
hne going into the bine, to be mixed
with oils andtnado into stove polish
A factory with q capacity of u ton Of
blaoking per day has just been started
IN San Francisco, the first and Only
one on tho Pacific coast.
between ordinary rain and thundoi
rain, Il. Palmterl says, tho only differ
ences ~ tho moro abundant develop.
mont OF electricity in what has 10.
ceived tho namo OF thunder rain. Gen
orally, Tho raining cloud must DO re-
Rsrded as II constantly flowing source
Ofelectricity. There can be no light
ming without rain and thunder. The
s0.called "harvest lightning" Il
merely q distant stern. Tao sound OF
Thunder eau not bs heard beyond 81
ki!ometers, while lightning la per-
coiyod nj u creator distance.
M. CASTOR Trouve IL said'to have
CONSTRUCTED u portable electric glow
lamp, intended for use whore thore Ia
an explosive atmosphere. This lamp
IL tntondsd to bo OF service In mines
celluloso factories, flour miila, spin
ming mills, etc. us automatic in &c.
ton, and it Is statad 20 bs very eimple
IN construction. Thero are two yarie.
ties of tho lamp msde--one OF which
Will only light itself whom tekon up IN
the hand; tho other when 1t Is hung AZ
or put down. Tho current Ia produced
by battery contained in tho lamp.
Paper, IL Ia said, is taking the place
OF cedar in tho making Of lead pencils
NAVAL fnr h.o q.
In tho manufacture of gas pipes, In
addition 20 being absolutely tight and
smooth and much cheaper than iron,
these pipes arc Of great strength,
for when tho sides are
scarcfiy threo.tlfths of an inch thick,
they viii Btand aprassure OF more than
ID stmospheros. Ii buried UNDER
ground, they will not be breton by
Hottla'nent, nor whom violently shaken
or Ierrod. Tho material being bad
-cond nctor OF heat, tho pines DO not
readily freeze.
M. Dlouleiait has been inauirinr
why thore Is 30 much sulphur ia stone
GOAL, and why there Is 40 little offrse
alkaiino carbonates In tho ashes. For
tnat purpose no has analysed the sur
wing. species OF the families o; tho
coal plants, particularly the Eguise.
tsce@,1nd has found in them y greater
than tho usual proportion OF sulphuric
acld. Hence, he deduces MS the answer
70 MS questions, that the coal plants
Mero moro highly charged with sui
pnnr than most existing plants, aud
that for that reason their alkaline con.
stituents assumed tho iorms OF sui
pilates instead oi oarbonatos.
Experiments made under tho d.
rection or tho administration of tue
Dutch State railways with various
paints on iron plates are reported 10
haveproved that tho red-leed paints
rossss atmospheric influences much
better than those OF brown.red and
Iron oxides. The rod.lead paints nd.
hored closer to tho metal and DOS
sessed greater elasticity than the
others. IL was also found that better
resolts wero obtained II before tho
paints were applied the plates were
picklod, instead of being merely
scraped and brushed. Tho test plstcs
wese picked with muriatic acid,
wsshot with water, thoroughly dried,
and, while warm, carefully oiled.
In Ills instructions rotating to sower
construction. Sir X, Rawllnson OBJ.
serves that Portland cement and Has
ZINES make good hydraulic mortar.
sand should not exceed two and a hall
parts or clean, sharp sand TO one part,
" measure, of ground Portland co.
ment or Has lime. IL clean furnace
ashos or siag should DO available there
may DO two parts OF sand and one. Ina /
part OF ashes or Stag employed, tho
whole TO DO mixed IN q revolving Ban,
each painful 10 have 20 minutos' grind,
Ing. In making mortar or concrete, IL
J, OF tho utmost Importance TO use
clean materials. Tho watOr for wet
ting bricks and for mixing mortar or
concrete ought 10 DO FREQ from salt,