The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-02-06
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

III - e110 tn1t Ton por cont OF alum,
added to plaster Of paris while being
burned, renders 1t as hard Is marble ON
setting, and capable Of taking : One
polish.
London Truth says that the art Of
the working goldsmith is disappearing,
owing to the cheapness Of diamonds.
Every one who buys an ornament insists
now upon precious stones, and estimates
it rather BY the value Of the stones than
by the beauty of the workmanship.
Experiments with . new explosive
called ecrasite, which 10 to dynamite Is
100 to 70, have recently been made in
Austria, and are said to have succeeded
90 we'll that the invention has been pur-
chased for military purposes exclusively.
Considered as food tho strawberry
would hardly be rated IS very nutritious.
The small amounts Of food constituents
present are SO diluted BY the ninety per
cent. Of water, that to sustain life very
large quantity would have to be con-
sumed. -
Photography has attained recog-
nized position in medicine. There are
amateur photographers on the star of
nearly every hospital, and the extern
sions now being carried ON At tho En-
glish Royal College of Surgeons compre-
hend "photograph-room." Before long
the surgeon will think no more about
carrying his camera than he does now OF
carrying his stethoscope.
Edison has invented-a new battery
cell for the use Of telegraph companies.
1t is described as simple cylinder Of
zinc in which is placed q thick stick Of
caustic soda, and the cell is then filled
with water. It is said to possess mar
velous potential energy, with q mini
mum of internal resistance. and . bat
terry will work Is we'll in wet weather
as in dry. There is no polarization and
the zines never require cleaning $3.50
Corn husks are utilized in Austria
in the manufacture Of paper. The
husks are boiled with IN alkali in tubu-
lar boilers. The glutinous matter is
pressed out from the fibers. The short
flbers are used. making paper stronger
than the same weight made from cotton
or linen rags, being specially adapted
for pencil drawing, stenographic writ
ing. and water colors. In point Of dura-
bility it is said to exceed paper made
from any other material. When the
gluten is left in the pulp the paper is
exceedingly transparent.
The quantity of timber used yearly
in the mining industry is enormous. In
the Anaconda mine alone. near Butte
City, Mont, 81, 900 feet of timber are put
under the ground daily, OF At the rate Of
10000, 900 feet year. At the smelling
works ut Anaconda, belonging to the
same company, there are $50 cords OF
wood used daily, or IS, 700 cords year.
Nearly 1000, 600 cords of wood are kept
on hand. All the timber used for mining
purposes can be legally cut from govern
ment land, and the mining companies
never fail to avail themselves of the
privilege when possible.
Slate is usually quarried either by
blasting it out in large slabs or by split
ting it of with wedges. The slabs are
split into sheets by driving wide thin
chisels between the layers, and these
sheets are in turn cut up into the sizes
required. In this country machinery
especially adapted to the purpose is
used in cutting and trimming slate.
Large slabs for nantes, table-tops and
other ornamental purposes are cut out
with circular saws and then planed with
machines which greatly resemble those
used for planning metals. Roofing states
are split out rough and squared and have
two small holes made in one end for the
nails with which they are fastened to
the roof.
-Bromine as disinfectant is said to
be coming to the front. 1t is an inex-
pensive by-product Of the manufacture
of salt, selling at about seventy cents :
pound, and in solutions containing one
part in weight to about eight hundredsof
water it may be used freely without at
fecting any thing which it may touch.
A few gallons used daily will remove all
ammoniacal odors from stables, or a few
quarts will thoroughly deodorize the en-
tire plumbing system Of an ordinary
house. The undiluted bromine is
strongly corrosive, and If it touches the
skin causes painful burn.