Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-10-21
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
COATING FOR GYPSUM FIGURES

prOuuc6 so admirably some or the I'm
est art products, is brought to notice
by M. Pusher. Three parts of caustic
potash are dissolved in thirty-six
parts OF hot water, nine parts of stearic
acid are added, and the resulting soap
paste is diluted with the same quaint
ty of water and ninety-five per cent. OF
alcohol. The warm solution is applied
upon the warm gypsum cast, and this,
after the lapse of q few hours, is re-
peated with q wet sponge. The cast
ing treated in this manner becomes
still more attractive if, in place of the
potash, a corresponding quantity OF
ammOniac is used.
BIG GUNS.
Continued experiments are reported
as being made by the French govern
ment with new and improved siege
guns, one Of the most recent among
these being of prodigious power-the
most effective, probably, Of it's class
yet constructed. 1t is described as
made of steel, and nearly thirty feet
in length. The tube is strengthened
with ten coils of plated wire one mil
lometer, or 1859 inch in diameter.
The composition is said to be such
that the cannon, after q few discharges.
becomes elongated to the degree of
three millometers. The weight of this
gun is fifty tons, and it projects shell
weighing nearly 800 pounds. capable
OF penetrating armor plates nearly
SIX inches thick at a range of seven and
One-half miles.
ARTIFICIAL PORPHYRY
According to the Technische Chemie,
astrong and durable artificial porphy-
ry may be obtained from furance Stag
under proper management The most
successful plan is to dig burrows in the
Stag pit having the shape of q trun-
Gated cone, and of such width as to
receive the entire amount of Stag pro-
duced IN one or more furnaces at any
one drawing off. The melted Stag is
emptied into this by means Unsuitable
channels, and the cavity may be di-
vlded into partitions, so as to cast the
mass either in one continuous block
or IN a number Of blocks of any given
shape. Care is taken to have the Stag
run under the thickened CLASSY cover
ing which forms at the beginning of the
operation, the advantage of such a.
and 1T IS even sometimes necessary to
protect the mass against too rapid
cooling by a covering of ashes, as the
cooling should occupy several days,
varying with the amount of the Stag
The result of the operation is a dense
homogeneous block or blocks of the
character of natural porphyry, and
capable of withstanding great pres
sure.
ITALIAN IRONCLADS.
1t was thought by naval architects
that the limit of naval strength had
been reached in the construction of
the italian monster ironclads Duello
and DandOlo, launched within a few
years. But the Italia and Lepanto,
the most recent additions, are heavier
yet both in armor and ordnance. The
last two carry four guns, each weigh
ing 100 tons, and capable of throwing
shells OF rising 1000 pounds weight.
But the British government is to Law
down one frst-class ironclad, which
will be armed with two guns only, but
these will be of ITO tons weight, will
require more than Compounds to load,
and will throw a Palliser steel shell
of 2, 500 pounds. The armor of this
vessel, however, will be but eighteen
inches of steel on a similar thickness
OF wood, showing that no attempt will
be made to initiate the italian meth
Cd of thick armor. The most power
full ship In the British navy, the In
flexible, has twenty-four inches of
solid iron encasing her citadel, and
twenty-four inches of solid teak back
ing, while her eighty-ton Armstrong
gun throws shot which has penetrat-
ed her own armor plates thirty-one
inches depth.
A NEW MINERS LAMP.
A safety lamp for miners has been
contrived in which benzine is consumed
instead of oil. 1t is claimed to pos
sess, as advantages over the oil lamp,
a much clearer light and of more uni
form intensity; it does not produce
any lampblack Or SCOT to clog theparts
of the lamp, and thus, by reason of it's
cleanliness, a. much finer gauze can be
employed than is commonly used in
oil lamps, which considerable Increases
the security from fire damp-it being
also particularly adapted to indicate
the presence Of fire damp, since when
the latter increases to a dangerous ex-
tent the flame goes out, while in the
case of "black damp" the benzine flame
will burn long after an oil flame would
have ceased for want of oxygen. In
the lighting arrangement of this lamp,
by simply inserting in the lamp
printing or percussion strap, which is
exploded by the action of a spring
operated from outside the lamp it
can be relighted about seventy-fve
times without reopening; and in the
event OF the lamp being extinguished
from accidental causes the miner is not |
put to the inconvenience of travelling
back to the lamp station.