The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-14

found IN the air along with argon. En-
ception is made to this position, on the
ground that many parts of the world,
as in Britain, are not favored with fis-
sures in the earth, or with springs
which are constantly pouring q stream
of argonlferous gas into the air. The
spectroscopic lines, says Professor
Kayser, though very faint, are distinct
enough to show that it's presence in the
air is matter of no doubt. Professor
Ramsay, the actual discoyerer of hell
UNI as now known to the scientific
world, states that the most searching
attempts to demonstrate the existence
of helium as normal constituent OF
the air-or at any rate, that sweeping
across Britain-has failed entirely.
Some enterprising companies are re-
ported to be engaged in methods fer
utilizing in a practical and economical
way, in Hungary-names and localities
not stated-the earth's internal heat
for power and for the wide range of do
nestle purposes. 1t appears that for
many years the artesian wells existing
in that country have copiously supplied
hot water, which has been used for
variety of purposes, such as public
baths and buildings; also for warming
greenhouses, winter gardens &c. The
plan, however, has for a long time been
in contemplation, it is stated, of sink
ing such wells to some twelve or fifteen
thousand feet the water from such
depth would, it is believed, have tenn
perature of about two hundred degrees
c., and capable, therefore, of yielding
ct fOp a Oypil the heat
required for warming buildings.
Various plans have been proposed to
obviate the slipping of street cars on
curves, the resulting friction and re-
sistance, ordinarily, adding to the
amount of power otherwise required to
haul the load, the idea formerly sug-
gested of leaving the wheels free to
turn on the axle, somewhat as do those
of a wagon, proving entirely wide Of
| the mark. The most recent solution of
the difficulty, as proposed by Francis
Blanding of Putnam. Conn, consists in
securing the wheels to the axle, as now,
! but with the latter cut in two in the
middle, so as to allow unequal rotation
of the halves. The flange would keep
each wheel from getting too far away
| from its mate and. to prevent the inner
ends of the severed axle from wearing
| each other down, each section has fast
ened to 1t a stout collar the latter
abutting against a Sieve enclosing the
middle portion Of the axle.
Space to considerable extent is
given in the Railway Review to the
process Of producing iron discovered by
| S. r. Dawson of Dies MONIES. 1t con-
sists simply in placing wrought iron of
| good quality in crucibles and heating
| it to a pastry state; a tempefing and
huxing element, the composition of
| which is not made known, is then add
| ed, and the further application of heat
results III netting the mass, which is
ready to be poured into moulds after
| standing about fifteen minutes. A
square ingot of this metal measuring
| about two inches on q side was forged
into heavy lathe tool, this being heat
ed, tempered, and put in double driv-
| ing lathe to turn off a Midvale steel
| tire upon which a, heavy tool of Mushet
| steel had been at work. The tempering
was done at a heat high enough totally
to destroy steel, and the process was q
simple one, as no drawing Of the temper
| WIS necessary, i ilc plSNG was NiiSi'
heated very hot and plunged immedi-
ately into cold water, thus remaining
until cool and on being ground and put
| into the head of the lathe the tool ap-
parently did as good work as the
| Mushet tool it replaced. A severe test
was given it, owing to the presence Of
several hard spots in the tire and
cold chisel was afterward forged from
| the same ingot, which stood well in
| chipping cast iron. The advantage
| claimed for such metal is the capacity
for being cast into so nearly the shape
| in which 1t is to be used as greatly to
reduce the cost of forging.
A notable Improvement adopted by
the West End Railway company, Bos-
ton, is that of a fywheel on one of its
engines, a compound Reynolds
| Corliss, with cylinders thirty-tWo and
sixty-two inches in diameter, and a.
stroke of sixty inches-a wheel not
made of cast-iron segments, like most
of those in use, but of steel plates con-
Meeting the center with rim, also of
steel plates. The center, or hub, is
cast-iron, and is eight feet in extreme
diameter. On each face of this hub is
bolted disk of steel an inch thick, and
from each of these plates radiate SIX
teen web plates one inch thick, form
ing with the center two disks twenty
four feet in diameter these taking the
place of the arms employed in cast fly
wheels, and trussed together so as to
be very stiff and strong. The rim is
made up of plates of inch-thlck steel,
and two one-inch cover plates on eth
err side, making the total width of the
rim nineteen inches. The total weight
of the wheel is given as one hundred
and fifty thousand pounds, and the ad-
vantage assumed in this kind of con-
struction is that at the running speed
thus obtained, viz, seventy-five revo-
lutions a minute, the circumference
flies around at the rate of little over
mile minute, inducing strains which
cast-iron wheels would be poorly
adapted to carry.
OF late years the dwarf palm so
abundant in Africa has been profftably
utilized by French artisans, the leaves,
it is stated, furnishing fifty per cent. of
a fibre which is extensively used as a
cheap substitute for horse hair, accord
ing to the following process: The fibre
is extracted either by hand combtng or
by means of drums with needles and
knives worked by steam power. The
green fibre is twisted or curled in its
raw state, and finds several applica-
tions. The black sort is at first dyed in