Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1888-02-18
sCILNTIFlC AND INDUSTRIAL.

An English engineer proposes by
means of electricity to condense the
solid part of smoke and send che solidi-
fled portion back to the furnace.
A coast survey of Iceland is to be made
by Denmark, at an expense OF $50, 600.
Not much is yet accurately known of
the depths and channels of many of the
great bays and inlets.
Experiments with. bearings of com.
pressed vegetable parchment, instead OF
brass, are being made on Prussian rail
ways. 1t is claimed that the material is
very durable. tough and smooth, aud
requires much less oil than metal. The
bearings are in successful use in Ger
man saw mill.
Professor Horsely alluded to the series
of experiments on the influence of alco-
hol upon plant life carried out by DR.
Ridge, of Enfield, who found that one
sixteenth per cent. of Il solution of alcohol
checked the growth of watcrcrc,s, and
that tenth solution of alcohol killed its
seeds. The position of tn" medical pro-
fcssion with regard to alcohol rs a food
was becoming more and more defined.
Some curious results produced by cx-
ploding marked blocks of gun cotton on
fiat plates of wrought iron haze been
described by Mr.. &. f.. Monroe. Tie
gun cotton blocks were placed with the
lettcrcd side down, and the letters
stampee in relief appeared in relief on
the iron after exp osion, while, on the
O,her hand, the letters dcresscd in the
gun cotton were also depressed on the
iron plate.
Moore than 200, 600 bird skins are now
contained in the Natural History Ma
scum at South kensington, London a
recent acquisition is the collection of
$1,000 specimens made by the late mar
quis of Tweedale. This was presented
nephew, who has included in his Gift the
Tweeddalc library, embracing nearly
5000 ornithOlOgical volumes, many OF
them very rare and valuable.
The value of the various condiments
in the preparation of combination dishes
is great. Used with discretion they
stimu'a ate the appetite and promote di-
gestion, red pepper being specially yalu-
able in this connection. The various
herbs and spices are exceedingly yalu-
able; sal. is absolutely necessary tC
health despite all contrary assertions of
the food cranks, and the condiments en-
p'oyed in making s,lais promote the
digestion and ass milation of all food
eaten at the same time.
A paper that res:sts the action Of both
fire aud water hls it is said been rcccntly
invented in Gcr;any by a Herr ade-
wigg. The manufacture is accomp ished
by mixing twenty-five Parts of ashcstcs
fiber with from twenty-five TO thirty
parts OF aluminium sulphate, and the
mixture is mOistcncd with chloride of
zinc and thoroughly washed in waite. 1t
is then treated with a solution of one
part of resin soap in eight to ten parts of
solut on of pare aluminium sui hate,
after which it is m inufactured into paper
like ordinary pulp.
The human race is not the only ore
that has the privilege of furnishin. CEN
tcnarians. There are several birds that
have the prctcnsion to easily I ach the
age that Mr.. Chevreul has attained.
Among the candidates for the prize of
longevity, says the Elcvcur, must be
| cited the eagle, the swan, and the raven,
which live for over IL century. The par
roquct, as well the heron i; content to
become a sexagcra:ian. The sparrow
hawk lives to the age of forty, which is
the age likewise reached by the duck and
pelican. The pea fowl lives to be twenty
five, the pigeon twenty, the crane twenty
four, the linnet twenty-five, the goldiinch
fifteen, the lark thirteen, the black
headed warbler fifteen, tke bIackbird
twelve, the canary bird twcnty-four, the
pheasant fifteen, the thrush ten, the do
rrcstic cock ten, the red throat twelve
and the wren three.