The Washington times., 1894-07-29
THE LATEST IN SCIENCE.

There are three disks in series. as common to
registering and counting machines the disk
at the right indicating units. the next tens,
and the next hundreds, so that the three are
adapted to count up 999, and tho series may
be extended, if desired, to count and register
any required higher number. The disks are
all moved from the units shaft, to which a
rotary motion is impaired by the movement
| OF slide worked up and down by an adjust
able connection with the space key OF the
machine. The counting mechanism may
readily be thrown out of gear when desired,
and there is also an arrangement by which
the gong is struck at every hundred words.
When the capacity OF the machine is
| reached the counting discs are returned to o,
or the normal position, by simply pressing
upon a button or knob in the front OF the case.
| This counter can be made at small expense
| and in addition to its other uses, is designed
| to be particularly valuable on typewriting
machines operated to print words coming on
a telegraph receiver, where the operator
writes out the words from sound and cannot
SO easily keep the count.
| George Mayr, Of Brooklyn, has invented o
lamp for bicycles, the power for which is gen.
| Grated from the wheels. The invention con-
| sists in the combination with bicycle having
| a sprocket wheel mounted on huD of one Of
| its wheels OF dynamo-electric generator Of
bicycle frame and consisting in part of a
| gearing framepiece. a horizontal armature
shaft carrying pinion, and train OF gearing
mechanism disposed in the framepiece, the
initial driver Of the gearing mechanism being
carried by shaft having sprocket wheel
mounted upon it, and the final driver thereof
being adapted to mesh at all times with the
pinion on the armature shaft; an electric lamp
of any approved construction mounted upon
the bicycle frame, and circuit connections
leading from the generator to the lamp.
Another lamp consists OF battery and head
light complete in ore compact case and re-
sembles in appearance an ordinary oil lamp.
The battery Is improved form OF secondary
cell, and possesses the advantage OF contain
ing no liquid. This battery may be charged
by primary cells or connection may be made
with an electric circuit used for lighting pur-
poses. This style OF lamp is intended to be
used upon bicycles, but notifications OF it
exist which may be used by miners, police
men, and those who need bright light for
frequent use.
A selt-oiling box has been invented by a
Pawtucket mechanic. According to the de-
scription, the device prevents the oil from
running out on the shaft, and in this feature
presents valuable advantage IN weaving
mills where the dropping oil is liable to spoil
the goods. Another feature mentioned is the
manner in which the oil is transferred from
the reservoir 10 the shaft. making it impossi-
bic for the felt or wicEing to glaze over and
become useless. as i5 often the case after
few months run; then, too, the box is q labor
SAVIOR, in that II runs a long time without re-
filling. dust is also kept out entirely, and the
oil. continually in motion. does not thicken.
Nor is the attendant necessitated to con-
stantiy climb up to the shaft to learn how nearly
empty the box is, as the oil reservoir mas n
chamber in which is an indicator, plainly
-. al a -E.u.
pass rapidly along the line and note exactly
the condition Of the boxes.
Transparent feather has lately been per-
fected and placed upon the market in Paris
1t is considered that the process of letting
light through the hide of an OK does not unfit
it for use for footwear and il is expected
that the new material will soon appear as
the latest fashionable fad. Transparent shoes
may be welcome 10 those who enjoy cold
feet and are anxious TO give the medical
faculty and the undertakers little encour-
acement.
The good old-fashioaed drink. soda water,
is said to have been first made by man
named Austin Thwoites, of Dublin, in 1900
but it has been vastly improved upon during
the last thirty or forty years. In few other
Departments of inventive taste and skill have
greater strides been made toward perfection. |
American ingenuity seems TO lead the van in
this march OF Improvement for even the |
French. with all their skill in matters bibu- |
lous. learned something new when an enter
prising Yankee set up an American soda |
fountain at the great exposition in 1867. |
which was u decided novelty TO the Parisians |
and their guests, and met with hearty wei |
come from all. As many as 4 900 glasses were |
sold in one day and the crowd that collected |
around the fountain was so great that they had |
to be formed into line by the police. and after |
first receiving checks, went up and took their |
drinks by turns.
In the production of solid emery wheels, |
according 10 writer in Casters Magazine. |
the best cement that can be employed is one |
that binds the emery together with that de-
gree of strength which resist the centrifugal |
strain due TO the high speed at which emery |
wheels cut best-aDout 5000 feet speed per |
minute. 1t must not soften by frictional heat
nor glaze nor burst nor become brittle and |
break with cold. nor must it hold the cutting
grains until they are too dull to cut. nor re-
lease them SO readily as to waste away the
wheel too fast; it must be capable of being
thoroughly mixed evenly with the grain en-
cry, so that the wheel may not have either
hard or soft spots and be ont OF balance. and
must also be capable of being tempered to
suit different kinds OF metal or work. Great
care and skill are required in the matter of
selecting only pure and strong chemicals for
these cementS.
The telephone business has developed an
interesting fact that may check the growing
of aluminium That metal has re-
Gently been used in telephone diaphragms,
and there are signs that it corrodes under
the action OF the human breath. 1t is argued
that If such corrosion results from that |
agency the metal may be injuriousiy affected
by vegetable acids.
Some remarkable results obtained by Lea,
in subiecting salts OF various substances to
great pressure in a powerful screw wise. have
led to conclusions not heretofore recorded in
chemical Investigations. The area treated
was about one-eighth OF square inch, and
the pressure was in the proportion of over
/ 900 900 pounds to the square inch or about
10000 atmosphere-these. of course. being
calculated pressure. subject to considerable
for friction. Certain salts of iron,
silver. potassium, platinum, mercury. when
subjected TO the pressure were visibly af-
fected. the color being changed. The opinion
expressed by Lea, is that many of
the salts OF easily reducable metals, especially
of silver mercury. and plantinum, undergo
reduction by pressure; and as such re-
ductlons are endothermic, 1t consequently
follows that mechanical force can bring
about reactions which require expenditure
Of energy. which latter is supplied Dy me-
chanicai force in the same way that light,
heat, and electricity supply energy to the
endothermic changes which they bring
about.