Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23
FLOATING FLAT IRONS.
Sagarfes of a Quicksilver Fountain
Now ON Exhibition in London.

Vagaries of a Quicksilver Fountain
Now on Exhibition in London.
From the London Enquirer.
This complete novelty and entire depart
ure in fountains was specially designed
by Mr.. Charles Bright, F. R. s. E., for the
Queensland exhibit at Earl's Court, Of
which 1t forms one Of the principal feat
ures, the object being to draw attention
to leading produca of Queensland. The
nercury-or quicksilver. as better known
by the general public-with weight near
~ fourteen times that of water, falls from
an upper bowl, four feet in diameter, to
one seven feet below and three and one
half feet larger. Both of these basins, as
well as the ornamental supporting pillar
between them. are made of iron, painted
black to improve the effect Owing to the
great cost of quicksilver-up to about IS Cd
per pound-one of the main problems was
to so devise the apparatus as to get an
appreciable effect with the smallest amount
possible. Hence, anything like a Niagara
Fails of mercury was out of the question.
The top bowl is, in fact, filed with cement
so as to render 1T a mere table or support
with sfxty-four small channels, or chases
at intervals of two inches round the lip for
conducting the mercury In very small guam
titles over the edge. Then, again, the sup
ply is so arranged that there is only Just
sufficient quicksilver at the bottom of the
io"eI pdSlil " tiidDle some nOuSenOlQ nat
irons to foat-a striking feature which
should establish the fact in the minds of
the ordinary public that it Is mercury that
Is being dealt with and not water. From
the lower bowl there is a drainpipe, eighty
feet long and one and one-half inches In
diameter, which conveys the mercury to
tank at a slightly lower level, forming the
source of supply to an elevator apparatus
for providing the necessary head" of mer-
curry. The form of elevator adopted con-
sists of a number of small. thickly set steel
buckets. three and ene-half inches by two
and one-quarter inches. freely suspended
at intervals on an endless bicycle chain.
which is conveyed through the storage
tank. AS each bucket dips into the latter
fitting device insures 1t picking up all
the mercury it will conveniently hold. The
full buckets are thence led upward to a
reservoir tank some fourteen feet above,
where each in turn. by means of a similar
fitting device parts with its contents. From
this upper tank the mercury is conducted
by pipe, JOG feet in length and one inch
in diameter, to the upper basin of the foun-
tain Two and half tons is the amount
of quicksilver employed, its value amount
ing to 1884 sterling. Each Of the tanks has
about two cubic feet of mercury in it. The
number of elevator buckets is twenty-eight
at twenty inch intervals along the chain.
and as each holds some ten cubic inches
Give pounds) the supply of mercury is
worked at the rate of over seven tons per
hour. Both the delivery and return pipes
are lined with glass-mainly to reduce fric-
ton to minimum-and the head of mer-
curry in the reservoir tank is equivalent to
six feet above the height of the top basin.
The elevator is worked by two-horse
power electric motor of the Langdon-Davies
alternating current pattern. Both the
fountain itself and the machinery to work
1t are electric lighted. and the effect at
night of the spray. or spurs, of mercury
falling, with the light glistening between,
Is quite enhancing. The whole apparatus
is also very carefully covered in a glass
frame work, to avoid injury and waste
from splashing mercury