The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
rorrs ON so1Eror AND 1nDU1rnr.

by means OF q method Just introduced IN oermany,
hides are rendered transparent and hornlike by heat.
ing tho skin in oil. vaselins or fat, this without
any previous tanuAge operations, the akin thus
treated assuming a genuine horny s%tructure. to which
. glossy appearance 10 impaired by simple polishing,
thickness IL acquired by the material during the heat.
Ing, the length OF time required for the latter de.
pending upon the structure and resistance OF the sub
stance in hand, and. this being done. the pressing.
drying and polishing follow. The skin when passed
through these processes IL, a. described by the MaA-
Vaciurer'' 6asettc. almost transparent. may have
any degree of %toughness given It, and IL capable Of
being shaped into any desired form and treated in
any convenient manner to produce articles OF com.
mercial value. Tho fact OF its being almost incom.
bustible is Of special Importance. and the claim IL
made for It Of advantages as a substitute for celluloid.
horn and wire. also for replacing hard rubber in
electrical work, being cheaper aud more durable.
Enthusisstic descriptions arc given, according to the
Philadelphia Record, of q new hand IRE engine for
use in suburban and country towns whore the public
service Is not within easy call. which has lately been
brought out in England. This machine is portable.
being mounted on a pair of strong iron wheels, and
can pump acme fifty gallons OF water per minute
against n head OF ~sxty.nvo feet. or. when used in
emergency, can DO forced to deliver one hundred gal.
ions n minute. The engine rests on four iron feet,
this position being effected by raising the handle OF
the carriage ana lowering the boiler. II ia OF tho
Quick-raising steam type. and may be run up to =
working pressure in q few minutes, which for emer.
gency work is. Of course. of great Importance. Tho
pump can DO disconnected readily.
stu another method OF metalliLing wood, ono by
which 1t becomes very solid and ~resistont and a.
sumos the appearance OF q true metallic mirror. 10
described In the Paris Monde witt. much detail.
Briefly, the wood Is FIRST immersed for three or four
days, as may be Its degree of permeabllity, in q csus.
Ito alkaline lye. and thence passes Immediately
into n bath of hydroaulphite of calcium. TO which Is
added, after twenty four or thirty.slx hours, concen-
trated solution OF sulphur in caustic potash. The du-
ration Of this bath is about forty. eight hours, and its
temperature is from nfty-nve to nifty degrees. FL
nally. the wood Is immersed for thirty or forty hours
In q hot solution of acetate Of lead. The wood pro-
pared in this manner, and after having undergone Q
proper drying at q moderate temperature, acquires
under a burnisher OF hard wood q polished surface
and exhibits a very brilliant metallic lustre-a lustre
still further Increased in Its attractiveness II the sur.
face of the wood be rubbed thoroughly, in the nrst
place. with q piece ofload. tin or zinc and afterward
be polished with a glass or porcelain burnisher.
Some notable improvements in the construction of
direct.acting engines have lately been made, an
especial point which will DO appreciated by engineers
being the attachment of Q unique mechanism for
enabling the cage and piston rods to cooperate with
each other. thus preventing the cage from untuly
turning under a thrust from eny one OF the piston
rods. In the known or usual plan OF construction,
tne cage ~ D lroe movement on the wrist pin, and,
In operation, 10 apt to oscillate or rotate back ard
and forward under thrusts from different piston rods
1t has been found. however, that such q construction
Will break tie piston rods close to their point OF connec.
tion with the cage; then, too. the lost motion OF the
piston rods, in moving so unnecessarily the cage
around tho wrist pin, renders the engire less efficient
than when the parts are provided with means fol
preventing such undue movement. The inventor
Of this arrangement. Mr.. Wallace J. Lewis, OF St
Louis. Mo-. explains that, by thus inruring the
proper rotation of tho piston rods to each other-ont
in which the necessary relation between the rods and
the cage and wrist pin ia also maintained-the full
benefit of the thrust is secured, and in this way the
engine 10 made moro efficient and less liable &c
b~reakaRe.
Another process for utilizing the waste residue Of
petroleum by solldifyinEi 1t for use as . fuel has now
been brought forward. says the Revue ScfenttdQue
by a German chemist. The main points characteriz
ing the process in question consist FIRST in the heat
ing. without contact with the air, or In superheatet
steam. ten parts of soda. tho same proportion O
fatty matter. such as palm oil. and eighty parts o.
petroleum. On boiling this for the space OF an hour
at a temperature below the boiling point of petro
leum, large quantities OF volatile oil arc thus IKE,
by Saponihcation. and when cool the mass is solid
There may also be mixed with It charcoal powder o
dust In certain quantity. and. II results of less solid
ity are desired, grease is replaced by resin or resin
Gus acids. Thus are obtained products OF more thai
90 per cent. combustible and less than 8 per cent
fixed residue.
What is claimed to be an improved method O
smuggling fabrics-one OF the most delicate of textil
manipulations-has been brought forward by OIL
English inventor, name or locality not given. and
regarded with much favor by manufacturers. Thl
novel apparatus consists OF q sheet or cast meta
Pipe fitted with two slots opposite one another; tn
pipe is horizontal. one OF the slots being at the bot
tom OF It and the other at the top. the fahri
passing beneath the pipe in such q manner q
to be extended over the lower slot. In this position
IL is brought into contact with the flame. which arise
from the mouth OF the sheet flame or slit burne
beneath the pipe. and the upper slot opens into
tube or box place. in commur' cation with a fan O
other eXhausting device. Into each OF tho two OF
remitles of the pipe a hollow bronze cylinder 1
inserted. made variable In position by means o
screws. The lower level surfaces OF these cylinder
are adapted to the selvages OF the fabric so as 10 pro
ducc a complete closing OF the lower slot. When tn
fabric is put In place the exhauster IS operated. tn
machine set In action, and the sheet name burne
lighted; the partial vacuum In the exhaust tub
causes the flame to be drawn up through the fabric
the burning OF the nun being so quick that the spec,
at which the fabric travels can DO very largely In
creased.
The plan which. as is well understood, has been In
PRODUCED TO such a considerable extent in engineerinl
practice. OF winding steam pipes over eight inche
in diameter with three.sixtesnthsinch copper wire
thus doubling the bursting pressure. ia one OF tn
most important OF recent changes. In o word. in OF
der that the thickness OF sheet copper forming tn
pipe may DO reduced to the minimum. and at tn
Same time insuring the full advantage OF wire wind
ing, the system OF manufacturing steam pipes ha
come into vogue OF simply using copper OF the thin
nest possible gauge to form the interior. or % e Of Oh
pipe, while tho body proper is composed OF stee
wire wound closely around the core. the ~interstice
being nlled in solid with copper by electro-dspositlor