The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-26

quietly lifts him and transfers him to
pallet at the side of the room. This
method OF handling not only causes less
Earring to the patient than any other, but
1t saves the doctors and nurses much eX
haustive work, particularly in the case of
heavy patients. 1t is interesting to note,
as showing that the medical profession is
alive to the mechanical as well as the
therapeutic advantages of electricity that
this apparatus was designed by DIR. Lewis
A. Stimson, the attending surgeon of the
hospital.
SMELLING IRON BY ELEcTR1cIrY.-Im-
portant developments are imminent in the
iron-smelting industry. The days of smelt-
ing iron with charcoal are passed, especial
ly in districts where the cost of fuel is
high. An Oregon iron manufacturer says
that while iron is manufactured in Ger
many at S. per ton. it costs here $40 per
ton for fuel to smelt the metal. In Ala
bama, where coal and iron mines are close
together, aud negro labor is cheap, the
iron is smelted for S. per ton, and the
iron used to bring $50 to $35 per ton in Ore
gon, and finally it was reduced to
$25. This left but little profit when
the fuel cost $40 to the ton of
iron, and rendered competition with
Alabama iron impossible. The Oregon
IcSdIQS SuelGlIp ny GlGCIClClGy
as the only hope for the iron industry in
his State. By utilizing water-power to
generate the electricity it will be possible
to smelt iron as cheaply there as elsewhere.
Electric smelling works have already been
started in Portland, where piece of iron
was recently exhibited which had been
made from black sand in twenty minutes.
AN ELECTRIC GoLD-DREDGING PLANT
An interesting account has been received
OF the application of water power in pro-
duclng electricity for use in gold-dradglng
in Shotover River, New Zealand. The
water Is obtained at creek one and a half
miles distant from the dredging ground,
and brought by race cut in the side of
hill, or, in places where the ground is not
suitable, in timber fiume to pressure
tank at a level of 524 feet above the pipes
at the generator house. From this tank
| the water is carried in rolled steel pipes to
a Pelton water-wheel which drives the
| dynamos by which the dredge is actuated.
The dredge is constructed for the most
part of steel, and is capable when 'operat-
ing at depth of twenty feet of an out
put OF ninety cubic yards per hour. 1t is
worked at night by the light of arc lamps
The dredglngs are delivered through re-
volving screen for separating the stones
and coarser material upon baize tables set
at an inclination of in r.
The TELEPHONE AS A HELP TO DEAF PEo-
PLE.-Many advanced aurists are now in
vestigating the effect of mechanical and
electrical vibrations in curing deafness and
various diseases of the ear. 4 prominent
New York practitioner has invented an in
strument, which gives a sustained note of
reed-like quality over several octaves of
the scale. Close to the instrument is a
telephone transmitter, through which the
sound passes to a receiver at the ear of the
patient. The exact pitch at which the ear
is found to exhibit abnormal symptoms is
first ascertained, and then the correspond
ing note on the instrument is started, and
the concentrated vibrations are allowed to
play on the eardrum of the patient for a
specified time everv day.