The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-15
How a Railroad LOCOmO-
tive Was Weighed.
Effect of the New Suffrage
Law in the Netherlands.
Remarkable Old Woman-Japan
and Her Bounties on Shipping.

No. $40, Belonging 10 the New horh Seh-
trail Railroad has recently been made at the
company's shops at West Albany, and
in the results the mechanics OF Rhode
Island will be interested. Some months
ago this large engine. which, In the
opinion of many well informed railroad
men, excels even the famous Wa' was
taken into the shops and completely over
hauled. 1t was taken apart completely
and every part of the engine from the
massive driving wheels To the very
smallest bolt and nut, was separately
weighed. The heavy portions wera
weighed in the shops and the small parts
were taken to Watervliet avenue phar-
macy. where they were weighed on the
pharmacists scales.
When every part OF the engine had been
weighed u force of the best skilled me-
chanics were put TO work To reassomble
the engine When il was complete again
iu was put into active service.
A short time ago the engine was taken
back to the shop again and machinists
were nut To work to dissect it. Once more
every part was weighed. The scales OF the
pharmacist were brought into service
again When every portion had beon
weighed the record was compared with
Buchanan knew just how much the
engine had lost in weight through the
wear Of a known amount OF work. The
reo 1rds OF the weights OF the separate parts
showed which parts were subjected TO the
most wear. The test cost many hundreds
Of dollars
Half a century ago an eleven-inch re-
fracting telescope was the largest In the
world. The lens Of the Ycrkes telescope
has diameter of forty inches. Ii required
great care TO grind such a lens. lt con-
sists of two disks of optical glass. ono OF
crown glass and the other OF flint glass,
the former double convex, the latter con-
cave on cne side and nearly flat on the
other The nicety of curvature Is what
Is startling When the late Alvan Clark
received the rough slabs OF glass for the
Yerkes lens from Paris. before him lay
the task of grinding until every ray of
light passing through ths great circle of
glass should be bent and brought TO
focus at point sixty-one feet distant no
larger than small dot. lt took him fiye
years to accomplish his task. A fault of
1-l00, 000th of an inch would be serious.
The crude casting OF glass Is first treated
with sand, TO remove toughest projec-
tions. Then coarse emery and down TO
tre finest Rouge Is used in polishing
The last stages of treatment often take
an optician two years. sometimes tho
amount To he removed Is so inhnitesimal
that n little rubbing with the finger on
the hard glass will do what is necessary.
The first election under the new pop
ular suffrage law has just taken place In
the Netherlands. The number OF the
electors Is believed TO have been about
doubled py the tate reform bill. Th"v
were 3oO 0U0; they are now 200, QD0 y he
result ms in the parallel cnse OF Austria,
has been quite opposite TO that which
used to be anticipated from franchise
extension. Time was when reform bills
were favored as matter OF course by
Liberals and opposed as matter OF
course by Conservatives. But in some
countries where the franchise has lately
been lowered the change has worked ont
in a way which has gone far to disahuse
Liberals OF all desire TO see electorates
enlarged. In Austria wider suffrage has
Jed 10 triumph OF clericalism.
There is living In the Island Of Guern-
sey n remarkable old woman. She is LOG
years old and walked on foot To view the
decorations of the queens jubilee, In the
town of IT. Peter Port, and then drove IN
middle of the night to witness n display
of fireworks, whish included an excellent
fire portrait of herself as we'll as one
of the Queen. Mrs Heave. which
Is her name. Is the widow Of n
military officer, and lady of consider
able independent means. She is one of
the most popular people on the whole
island and as far as her mental and ply
sical vigor Is concerned she seems 10
promise to live for quarter OF century
longer.
Japan does not appear to profit very
much from her shipping bounties The
law for the encouragement of navigation.
was to have revolutionized the commerce
of the world, and TO have made Japanese
ships supreme In the Eastern, as we'll as
In the Westernl sens. The Nippon Yusen
kaisha. which now possesses sixty five
steamers of 135, 600 tons, and has twelve
new vessels under construction, Is said 70
have lost 100, 600 yen. on every voyage
hitherto made to Europe and America, and
is said further to have decided 10 stop
running to these countries unless it TO
ceives a special grant of 3 800, 900 yen to
enable 1t TO kill opposition.
In view OF the fact that the sojourners
mt Narragansett Pier are stiirAd up over a
story printed In New York papor about
the bathing customs at that seaside re-
sort 1t is interesting TO note that discus
sion has arisen In England touching the
propriety of mixed bathing. The facts
published are worthy OF attention. At
Ramsgate the miDgling of the sexes in the
water IL not allowed. but the corporation.
having very large powers. may shortly
frame regulations by which mixed bath
ing Will De permitted "under more agrco-
able conditions. At Lowestoft the sexes
are not allowed % bathe together cir
cumstance the chronicler of this fact much
regrets. las he feels sure that many of
bis lady friends VINO visit that charming
place every year would gladly avail them
selves of the opportunity to learn swim
ming from n competent instructor
AT Exmouth the sexes are rigidly keIt
apart. At Swanage mixed bathing is