The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-12-20
ODD lNoENUiTlEs.

= An Atlanta, Ga, man has applied clock
work to the running Of . sewing machine,
A FRENCH engineer has recently inverted
IN improved koy, which simplifies s,,d
renders lasting the tuning Of stringed in
struments.
a NEW YORKER has invented cash sys-
tenn which admits Of no mistakes. II you
hand clerk i've dollar bill it will bo ut
terly impossible to make him believe 1t was
Item.
A MACHINE by which the interest on any
sum, from ten thousand dollars to one dol
Lar, from ten years to one day, ct any rate
per cent, may be determined in thirty sec
onds, by simply turning knob, has been
patented recently.
AN ingenious inventor has devised q new
screw-half nail and half screw; two blows
OF the hammer, two turns Of the screw
driver, and it is in. Its holding power in
white pine is SAID to be $50 pounds, against
29S pounds, the holding power Of the pres
ent screw.
A KANSAS CITY carpenter has invented
new chamfering instrument, by the aid Of
which he claims to cut . corner to the de-
sired angle at one stroke. There il no -
petition OF the planning process, tho ma
chine being passed only once over the cor
ner to be chamfered.
A RUSSIAN sergeant of the Semonovsky
Regiment has invented a method for the
rapid construction of boats from tents. In
thirty minutes, under the designers direc-
ton, detachment of men improvised sew
eral handy boats with the aid Of green
wood from a nclghbering grove. Each boat
readily supported four to six fully equipped
soldiers.
A STRIKING improvement in clocks was
exhibited and described to the British As
ISOLATION for the Advancement Of Science
by noted inventor. The new feature con.
sists in the use of a torsion pendulum,
| which, with lover and escapement, may be
applied to ordinary works, and by its slow
rate OF vibration makes it practicable to
convert an eightday clock into one requir-
ing winding only once year.
| AN Italian inventor has succeeded, it ap-
pears, in applying electricity to the playing
Of musical instruments. Numbers Of brass
and other instruments are suspended in
mid air, separated from one another a.
much as the size of the hall will permit.
Signor Bozza then, by means Of an inge.
NOUS electrical keyboard, plays on any or all
Of them, producing at will the full effect Of
a band Of thirty or forty performers.
camphor, half drachm of pure saltpetre,
half drachm of muriate Of ammonia and
two fluid ounces Of proof spirit, placed in q
glass tube or narrow vial, makes an excel
lent barometer. In dry weather the solu.
ton remains clear; stormy weather is indi.
Gated by q very disturbed condition Of the
chemical mixture, and on the approach Of q
change. minute stars will rise in the liquid
A NEW ENGLAND genius has recently
discovered cheap method of dissolvine
zinc by combining it with hydrogen and
producing a solution called zinc water
This liquid, if applied to certain woods
notably whitewood, makes it absolutely
fireproof and at o low cost. This discovery
is regarded as one Of the most important o.
the age, and one that will surely revolution
lie fire insurance, as well as immensely de
crease the loss by fire. The invention il KEEP
secret for the present.
A NEW invention is reported for drying
buildings. A Russian engineer has In
vented an apparatus for drying buildings
which is said to have proved very effective
It Is based on the principle Of carbonic 90,
rapidly absorbing the moisture Of the air
and to this end the inventor has con
structed closed stove burning charcoal b,
the introduction Of air into it direct from
the open through two tubes. A steady cur
rent of dry, warm carbonic gas is allowed
to escape into the room to be dried, which
rapidly absorbs the moisture IN the air, and
escapes in the ordinary manner through
the chimney.
Advice has been patented for use in
transmitting bottles through the mails o.
otherwise, with view to preventing injur,
to goods which may come in contact will
them from the breaking Of the bottle ant
spilling of its contents This mailing cast
consists of round wooden box with
screw top, there being inside the box I
thick lining of absorbent material, which
in case of breakage, will quickly Absorb
the liquid and prevent damage that might
otherwise occur. As q result of this con
struction it is claimed that the breaking O
the bottle is not followed by the escap'
from the mailing case Of any Of the bottle''
contents.