The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-22
ENGINEERING AND SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

It's report for 1870. From the carefully compiled
data given Il appears that "a. o0O. 600 has been spent
on the 20 called repair and construction OF the roads
In that State during the lastten years YSat present
Il Is estimated that the annual loss TO the farmers
Of the State due directly to poor roads that Ia, the
excess cost OF hauling on the present roads over what
Il should cost on good roads Is S3,ooo.ooo The
United States Department Of Agriculture In a re-
port made a few years ago giving data from Zoo
counties In various States. showed the average cost
OF hauling one ton one mile on the ordinary Amer
lean dirt road to BE- IS cents; this Is Just three times
IS much as the average cost OF the same hauling on
the macadam roads OF SIX European countries. II
the loss from bed roads to the farming Interests OF
the one State Of Maryland 10 o.. 0O0, 900 annually
the total loss In the United STATES must be enormous.
Substances used - %renectors. metals. &c, vary
greatly In reflective power. that Is. In the amount
or percentage Of light falling upon them that they
will reflect. Rejecting power varies also with the
color OF the incident light and the nature NJ the re-
necting surface. Thus gold. which reflects only
81 per cent Of green lignt, reflects rs per cent OF vel
low light and 90 per cent. OF deep red light W all
substances polished silver has the highest rejecting
power. varying from 81 10 rs per cen, according to
the color OF the light. For yellow light various sub
stances have the following percentages OF rejecting
power: Silver. oab; nickel. s2.6; steel. Sai; gold.
TAI: copper, 50. s: glass mirrors with silver backing.
- 10 IS: glass mirrors with ordinary or quicksilver
backing. ~.
Last month the railway town Of CreWe, In Eng
land. enjoyed a holiday and festival, the occasion
being the completion ~ the four thousandth loco
motive built In the grea, rail say shops there,
In Europe there Is much Interest In the subject, OF
-i-...i. .-.s-- a. --.-l. Al. ~. DVn ais
Government has been carrying on u number Of eI-
p~ehments on a short length Of the Fnow Canal. con
Meeting Berlin and Stettin. More than $4,000 boats
pass through this canal each way every year. The
majority Of the boats are tow barees, 1872 feet long.
IS or 10 feet beam and carrying $50 TO us tons at a
draught OF about 5 feet As the boats generally
20 toward Berlin loaded, returning empty. II has
been customary 10 mploy horses for towing nthe
Berlin trip and men as tow animals on the return.
Tho speed has averaged about Il. miles an hour.
Along the experimental SECTION, which was chosen
because Il is the mos, difncult on the canal. being
full Of curves and spanned by bridges, a light rail
way Of metre - feet So inches was laid, the outer
rail OF Is. pound steel and the inner Of only 9pound
section. on the larger rail was bolted a steel rack
10 give the towing locomotive the necessary resi-,
tance. as the weight NJ the locomotive wa insufficient
IN cause very powerful adhesion, The locomotive
was electrical. driven from A trolley wire suspended
above the track In the usual Way. while the ex-
periments have only Just beg IN they have progressed
far enough TO show that electric motor lowags viii
work more economically than the Older methods and
give much better results.
-
Abou, the middle Of this century 1t Was the uni.
versal custom to face the white keys Of pianos and
organs with ivory, and 10 max. the black ones Of
ebony. Long ago ivory became too expensive for
any nm, IN. en,s, k.vho,rds r.lluloid taking IL,
nl,c. Now .honv also ba, ,d,,nccd I, mice 40
tina, a substitute FOR #, is in demand Dopyoot has
b,,n found IN ,,ry. IN. purros. ,xc.u.u,Iy. As IT can
n. s,,,n.d n An. h,scl and ouet and ,,l,sb,t until
I, .orsls ebony both in DURABILITY ana sp,,oranc.
The industry NJ cutting and marketing dogwood
once , ,slu.le.s ire. IN, mis- nut,ose is already yuy.
,ng .mploy n,n, "a n on.iderable nun, her OF people
, 40. u.., u..or.,., ,h., ,ho r,,,.u,r. ,.,s
n. -. 49,. 4. .,,nh,rr ,t.m.n.I. sab
a., -. -. ..,uu.,u a..
ma,.., 49,. -, d.,.,,,,. ,,.tan .,, ~, mos,
,,.on.n, .,cns. 10, sn.c,,rlss IA merely . slim,
.,,,o,,Lo, =, Int l,,s 4, h,. Ice, surg.s,sd ,h,,
treatment WIN u lo"rf'ui nhaVne' pioI'''' app'ou
MAY ttN'Ih III Forcing Tue 'ehs M" proper shape' "'
aea>'m s''a"S 'emeu' '"s Il u'''""o"'
One NJ the newest nseS OF aluminium II as an agent
The affinity OF the metal for oxygen is such that IL
ahsorhs fl almost vreedl, even from a., rombina
t,ons with other metals. II osicc Of bsrium Is mixed
with powdered aluminium the mixture can be lgulira
with , match or other small fame. and burns Win
intense brIllianc. Al A yer, bigh TEMPERATURE. Mixed
with A pulypriyed oxide Of iron powdered aluminium
burns with ~sufNr,rnt energy to mel, small iron Obj
jects lnbedded in the mass. by ,arying the pro
por,ions of aluminium poxdrr and iron oxide the ten.
n.rs,urr n, m. burning mass NAV b. exactly r.gu.
lated I, hs. b.en p,ono..d nv Dr GoldschnLd,.
IN. ,nvsntor M the nrocex, IN spnly Ito th. joInt,ng
=, ,.,l. .,ch a . trolley a track rail. whore a yielded
.,ir, having hiuh electrical conduc,,v,,v Z. nj, much
n,n roua., "a nscL.a around the ,,in, and a small
Lawn =, n,,,ru o,,d. and Aluminium nowdc, mi,
,.,. 49,, a., ~. .u,,.,. -, III. n,u ri. ,.,,o,
,.,s., ,,.. ~ .,.,, ,hc hu,r,,c ~ 10 u,n,.d
-, A.. - ,n,.. u,,r,.. ~. ,.u .ra. u. h.,
-. A., ia ,or.,h., ,ra., un,, ,..
A.. go, 4. .i,o,d, 4, rl,c. ,nc s,na,.,o, dr. IN
a.. -. r.. an .rl. ,m,,n u.,.,.u,
..,s.m ,or.,n., ,n,oa so.t.,,.,o,, w.L,.a L,n,
=
by d~issolying r-lluloi' In ac~tone or acetic ether
a transparpnt varniSh Is made " hich will take \ high
poIiSh and resist hot water. II Is ~particula tIy adapted
To metal objects, such As hlcy Giles. and can he made
n vehicle for any desired enlorlng matter
The part played ny atmospheric resis'an"' In I'M
pcdinR the motion OF railway ra'ns mas always mem