Wichita eagle., 1889-05-17
SCIENCE NOTES.

SCIENCE NOTES.
An English firm has been using petro-
leum for fuel in a torpedo-boat and getting
speed Of twenty-one knots. The oil II
carried in the vessels double bottom.
AVENET1AN glass manufacturer is said to
be making and selling bonnets by the thou
sand. The glass cloth OF which they are
made has the same simmer and brllliancy
Of color as silk, and is impervious to water.
In paper read before the Royal Society
England) Henry HennesseY, F. r. s., says
the maximum discharge of water through
pipe of circular section, when the head Is
due only to the inclination of the pipe, is not
when the pipe is full Of water, but when
filed to about Observation-Disclosures Of its
diameter.
THE town Of Jackson, III. is supplied with
artificial gas at forty cents thousand for
lighting purposes and thirty cents for fuel
The gas is made from slack coal by new
process, and the inventors offer to supply
Chicago at twenty-five cents q thousand,
and say they could afford to give gas-ight
to every house, Office and factory IN the
city for nothing if they would use fuel-gas
at forty cents thousand.
A PAPER that resists the action Of both
fire and water has, it is said, recently been
invented in Germany by Herr Lsdowigg.
The manufacture is accomplished by mix
Ing twenty-five parts of asbestos fiber with
from twenty-five to thirty parts Of alu-
minimum sulphate, and the mixture is moist
ened by chloride of zinc and thoroughly
washed in water. 1t is then treated with
solution of one part of resin soap in from
eight to ten parts Of solution Of pure
aluminium sulphate, after whichit is manu-
featured into paper like ordinary pulp.
A CORRESPONDENT writes to the Scientific
American in regard to taking care Of the
hair: Experience has taught me that it
is best to keep all oils or grease from the
hair. Don't let BARRIERS oil it. / find wet
ting with water best. At least once week
rub the yelk of an egg, or half of it, well in
to the hair and scalp, and rinse of thor
oughly with tepid water. 1t will promote
growth and color, probably largely due to
the sulphur in the egg. This course has
started new growth of hair with me, not
very thick, but better than none at all"
A TYPEWRITER, 30 diminutive in size as
almost to justify the term pocket type
w~iter," has recently been invented. Its
extreme dimensions are four inches by
three inches, and it's weight is less than
four and half ounces. Yet it carries all
the characters necessary in ordinary COR
respondence On the inner edge Of the re-
volving disk which forms the principal
feature Of the machine. The whole frame
travels across the paper, which conse-
Queutly may be of any size, and roller, to
which a spacing-check is fitted, secures an
absolute straightness and evenness in the
line Of printing.
SOMEBODY Of an ingenious turn of mind
gives US the metric system-''not in nut
she'll" but In nickel. It is claimed that
our nickel fve-cent piece holds the key to
the linear measures and weights. The
diameter Of this coin is two centimeters,
and its weight is five just grams. Five OF
them placed in a row will, of course, give
the length of the declmeter, and two OF
them will weigh decagram. As the kllo-
liter is cubic meter, the key to the meas
ures of length, it is also the key to the
measures Of capacity Any person, there
fore, who is fortunate enough to own FIVE
cent nickel may carry IN his pocket the en-
tire meter system of weights and measures.
AN English mechanic has invented ven.
tilating tap for preserving beer and other
liquids. The object of this tap is to over
come the difficulties experienced by all
keeping beer, wine, etc, in their houses,
when by carelessness or accident a quantity
of liquid is frequently wasted or spoiled by
the vent-peg being left out. This tap is so
constructed that when the liquor is forcing
the key should only be turned quarter
round, which allows the liquor to be drawn;
but when vent is required, to be turned hall
way, which will only admit as much air as
is actually necessary to allow the liquor to
run, and by the act of turning off the liquor
at the same time effectually shuts off the
vent.
In the Voenno-Sanitarpoie Delo, DR.. ia
kov NJ Shmulevitch emphatically draws at
tention to dried potato as an important
food article, possessing some very valnab.s
advantages in COMPRESSOR with the vegs
able Ia fresh state. The advantages
claimed for tie article are these: ~ While
fresh potatoes easily rot, blacken and
sprout, dried potatoes, when kept duly pro
tected from moisture, remain in the best
condition for avery long time and (2), being
by far lighter ana less bulky than fresh po
tatoes, are by far more convenient for
preservation and transportation, which
point has great practical importance, es-
pecially in time of war. To be fit for Gull
nary use the article requires a preliminary
maceIation in water for ten or twelve hours.
H. ~ I -