Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-06
POPULAR SCIENCE.
Artificial Granite-Hsight Of Clouis-Maasur-
Ing Trains Speed High Polish for
Wood Hypnotism.

Our only astronomical phenomenon for
this comingin week is conjunction oil
the moon with Saturn on Friday morn
ing, the 7th. On that morning ths
moon will rise at Fort Worth not ,fsr
from CLOCK in the morning, ceRkra4
or railroad time. III -
Artificial stone is now becoming Waite
q common thing, especially in Texas, but
1t represents the lImestones more or lees.
Artificial granite has not figured hereto
| fore, but discovery has lately been
made which bids fair to soon bring
artificial granite into extensive use
1t Is made by crushing real
granite and grindi into q
fine powder and combining the powder
with other elements. When nodded
into shapes it appears so perfect that few
persons would be able TO pick It out from
the genuine stone. Takes polish aud
carving to perfection, they say.
1t is claimed by those who have
brought forward this process that all
kinds OF ornaments for architectural
purposes, such as window caps or stills.
cornices, friezes aud all other articles of
tbs nature, can be nodded to accurate
shapes aud forms aud manufactured BY
this process at oue-tenth the cost of cut
ting the same out of solid rock. They
can also be yltrifed so as to take on q
permanent gloss as fine as pol
ished granite, and at mere frac-
ton of It's cost. The composition
follows closely the color and
texture of the stone from which it is
made, Roxbury granite making a light
colored block, Quincy granite d darker
one and so on. The comuostIon can be
produced from waste stone, of course.
-.
Professor Moller, the noted scientist,
has lately published an interesting ac-
count Of his observations on clouds. The
highest clouds, cirrus and cirro-stratus.
rise on an average to q height of nearly
80, ZOO feet. The middle clouds keep at
from about 10, 600 feet TO % 900 feet in
height, while the lower clouds reach to
between 5000 and 1000 feet. The cumu-
lus clouds float with their lower surface
at height of from 1000 feet to 5000 feet,
while their submits rise to 16 200 feet
the tops of the Alps are often hidden by
clouds Of the third class, but the bottom
of the clouds of the second class. and
especially of the thunder clouds, often
enfold them. The vertical dimensions of
- eiOuN OOoci' cN Oy on the |
Netleberg has over 1900 feet; he stepped
out OF it u height Of about 300 feet. and |
high above the mountain fioated clouds |
OF the middle class, while wells of mist
lay in the ravines and clefts. The upper
clouds were growing thicker, while the |
lower ones were dissolving, and soon it
began to rain and snow.
WOOD with mirror polish is rapidIy |
coming into use for ornamental purposes.
Ii seems 10 be German invention. The |
wood is first submitted to a bath OF
raustic alkali for two or three DAYS at a
tenn perature of about LIS deg. Fahren-
heit, then dipped in hydro sulphate of
calcium for twenty-four to thirty-uine
hours. after which a concentrated solu-
ton Of sulphur is added. After another
lip In an acetate of lead solution at about
loo deg. shining metallic surface is
given by polishing when dry with lead,
lin or Zinc.
1t is stated that the speed at which a
'ailroad train is moving may be easily
by anyone With good watch.