The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-03-13
ONE THING AND ANOTHER.

'AS ~ oud pouring
etiuis OF water on their coal-heaps lust
before shoveling the coal on to their
fires, l at once told them that they
were doing very foolish thing, for
1t took lot of heat to drive off the
water before the coal would burn.
But when they told me it was mat.
ter that did not admit of An argument,
as they had proved that they got much
hotter fires when they wet their coal than
when they put it on dry, was complete
ly nonplused; and when with my
'stoker" fed the furnaces with tan
bark, etc, so wet that the water ran out
the hoppers, believe the fremen were
right.-BoStO7a Manufacturers Gazette
"A scheme has appeared in Bucharest
to found union OF the Balkan States.
including Greece, Roumania, Servia,
Bulgaria, and Montenegro The Federal
States are never to 60 to war with one
another. When any of them quarrel, the
subject of difference is to be submitted to
council OF the representatives of all the
five allies, under the presidency of Greece,
as being the oldest independent Christian
orthodox State among them. There is
to be no appeal against the decisions of
this council. The members of me union
are not to attack any Christian power,
though it looks as # they were to be at
liberty to attack Turkey In case any
are obliged to defend themselves the co.
operation of all is obligatory.
"A GREAT BRIDGE PRoJEor-The
project for the construction OF a great
railroad bridge across the Mississippi
r1var Of Nau- -,
Several of the most scientific engineers
IN the country have inspected several
points of proposed crossing and given the
opinion that the project is an entirely
feasible one. The most popular sugges-
ton Is that of bridge l25 feet above
water, with fixed spans and oantilevers,
which would admit of any vessel passing
under 1t. Mr.. Corthell, a distinguished
engineer, favors this plan.
This record is claimed for Alfred
Daniels, of Douglas County, Ga, who is
elghty-tWo years old, was never sick
day In his life, was never in bed at sun-up,
never lost tooth, has been to six log
rollings this year, lifts more than most
men, often INDUCES in coon and 'possum
hunting, has been deacon in the Baptist
church fitty-eight years, was never drunk
IN his life, and an oath has never escaped
his lips. He is the father of twenty six
children, fifteen now living.
Fire under water may be produced
oy placing a small piece of phosphorus in
conically shaped glass filed with water
and some crystals of chlorate of potash
covering the phosphorus, and then pour
ing through long tube funnel or a glass
tube few drops OF sulphuric acid down
on the mixture at the bottom of the glass.
Tongues OF fame can be seen flashing up
through the water, the intense chemical
action producing sufficient heat to infame
the phosphorus under the water. Where
! there Is sufficient heat and oxygen, fire
will burn whether in cir or water.
The authorities of the Pension Of
fee say that perpetual motion is certain
ly thing no longer to be laughed at a
Washington letter says. Chief Clerk
Liscomb insists that they have now at the
Patent Office models that do 90 until
they wear out, and they have the power
to run ill doomsday. But they are all,
so tar, practically useless, because they
can do nothing else but run Themselves.
They have no surplus power to run some
thing else. But he thinks the machine
will come that can be of practical use by
running other machines.
The only popuous centre Of the
worlds population that remains shut up
rom travel is Lhassa, the capital OF
Phibet. Only six or seven Europeans
ever set foot in the city, and none Of them
are alive. Prejevalsky, Russian trav-
eler, has made three attempts to enter
the city, and is about to make the fourth.
1t is doubtful if there is a buster
epot in the world Of the same size than
Manhattan Island. With the year end
ing with September, the elevated rail
roads in New York City carried more
than one hundred and seventy million
passengers about 40 per cent. of the
traffic Of the whole country-and it was
carried on 32@ miles OF track.
There is q water wheel in use at
Bowdoinham, Me-, which is probably the
only one Of It's kind in existence. It is
twenty seven feet in diameter, with a
foot OF its rim out of water at high tide.
the spokes are wide and set diagonally.
like the vanes OF a windmill. 1t turns
eighteen hours of the day by tide power.
running one way with the flow, the other
with the ebb. With one football of the tide