Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-03

of the hard metals. All the world learned
with shudders Of horror the dramatic details
CT that tragic catastrophe. when on stormy
Christmas eve the Tay bridge opened in it's
center and trainful of holiday passengers
was precipitated to an awful doom. The
storm had only trifling share in the dis
aster. 1t was the capitalization of the steel
supports on the bridge which caused the
dreadful calamity.
An Italian electrical engineer, Signor
Emilio Faelli, who made a fortune in this
country and has now returned to his native
land to enjoy it, has Just made a discovery
which is Of the utmost interest in the pres
ent connection. Signor Faelli has found out
a means Of effectively preventing crystalliza-
| ticn, and one, he says, which is just as
| applicable to sky-scrapers as to bridges or
| ordinary machinery.
The subject had engaged his attention
| while he was yet in this country, but 1t was
only on his native soil that he was able to
devote that study to it which has finally
resulted in success.
| 3D., "Tired" Bridges Collapse.
| A bridge at Setro Ponente, about ten miles
to the north of Genoa. collapsed on three
| different occasions within a dozen years
Another bridge near Pavia had only Just
| been constructed and was being tested when
i
sons ran the risk of being drowned. Both
were metal bridges, into the construction Of
which steel supports largely entered Over
the former bridge heavy railroad traffc
daily passed, and the latter was parallel and
quito close to a stone bridge used exclusively
for goods trains.
Signor Faelli's reasoning was that crystal
lization OF the steel had begun in both cases
and that, at least in part, 1t must have beer
due to the shock or vibration caused by the
great railroad traffic. On this hypothesis h.
started to study the exact nature of crystal
lization and the remedy that might be ap.
piled to 1t.
'Steel," argued the engineer, "lies
obviously on the borderland Of crystaliza
tion. 1t Is, however, the metal which, from
its wonderful quality of tenaoity, is mcst ap
plicable to the general run of metallic struc
lures. That very tenacity is mainly due t.
a slight admixture of carbon. And the actor
of the carbon can only be to change tn
/, ordinary molecular structure of the origina
iron. The effect Of vibration consequently
, can only be to disturb the molecular ar
! rangement produced by the carbon. Tn
{ property Of tenacity is then lost. and the re
suit In the new disposition of the atoms
termed by us crystallization."
How He Began to Search.
r The Italian engineer started his researche
o by endeavoring to find something which b
,. admixture with crucible iron would prever
e oxydaton, On this he has had much sue
t cess. He hopes to take out patents on hi
e discoveries in the matter and lis conse
a quently not yet ready to make it public.
e But the subject wherein he has achieve
J. a veritable triumph, and which is now fc
9. the first time published in the preser
II article. namely, the solution of the mysteI
n of capitalization, was due at the outset
IS a mere accident.
:. Awaiting his turn in barbers shop
IS Pavia one day few months ago he hear
'f the knight OF the razor grow vehement
y abusive because his best blade would not
l. Its ordinary work. In America he had heal
BARRIERS talk OF tired razor" and here
a was in the presence of similar phenom
sr non, and 1t set him thinking 1t is a lor
N time since 1t was first observed that his
II grade razor sometimes gives out, and tn
ic all the stropping in the world and all Il
IN coaxing will not induce 1t TO cut a sing
re hair BARRIERS say that the razor In tn
IS. case is tired" They put II away ON she
I'd fer month or two, and on trying II aft
III that period of rest they find that 1t has 7
m covered all its pristine worth.
sisnor Faelli jumped at the conelusi