Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-11-23

H n N\1
NIN-@ssxS=.Aa
Experiments with acetylene for light
house use have been carried on at
Genoa. The acetylene light was seen
ut distance Of forty nautical miles
from Genoa.
Probably for the first time in the
history of Maine logging electricity
will he used this winter in the trans
porting Of logs from the woods to Il
river landing. An electric traction
engine has been constructed for use on
tract Of land il the Dead River
'egion.
In order to supply Nome City, Alas
ka with provisions 1t has been found
necessary to erect n refrigeratlng
plant, which has the distinction Of
being the most northern plant of its
kind in the world. The thermometer
there registers eighty degrees Fahren-
heit in July and August, though in
May it has been known to register five
iegrees below zero.
Torpedo tubes made Of aluminium, in
stead of steel, have been placed ON
board of two destroyers at Ports
mouth. The use of these tubes at
present is experimental, but so consid-
cradle will be the saving in weight
al Important matter with light craft
Ike dcstroyers-that If successful
aluminium tubes will be generally used
in place of steel tubes.
A process has been invented in Paris
to make wood tireproof through the
aid of electricity. 1t Is immersed in Il
bath of magnesium sulphate. Lead
electrodes are used. one being separ-
ated from the other by sailcloth
diaphragm. A direct current of 40
volts Is then sent through the wood.
a non-imtlammaDle salt takes its place
n the pores of TIE wood.
A departure from the old groove in
adding to the efficiency of hy-wheels
has recently been carried out in South
Wales, where two wheels Of ordinary
type have been weighted by adding
additional heavy rims. The pair Of
wheels originally weighed together
twenty eight tons, while after weight
ing they weighed about fifty tons. 1t
$ asserted that great saving of fuel
and increased regularity Of work has
resulted from this rather remarkable
achievement.
A London paper credits q woman
Of that city with the invention of II
unique device for preventing false
fire alarms. 1t consists of an auto
matte alarm post, which not only rings
up the fire station, but grips with n
steel bracelet the wrist of the man
giving the alarm, blows a police whis-
tie, and will not release the man until
the officer comes and verites the
alarm. AS compensation for being
,hus imprisoned the man receives a
shilling from the machine. All this
reads much like joke, but it is not.
such contrivance, however, is not
likely to be adopted there or any
where.
A product known as the Mond fuel
yas is exciting much interest in Eng
land. 1t is made from the cheapest
kind of small coal and coal dust, called
blum nous slack, and the cost is only
about four cents per 100 cubic feet. 1t
IS not an illuminant, and its heating
power is not so great as that Of illum-
i = ing gas. but it is so cheap and SO
good for the use intended-in furnaces
md gas engines-that it seems des-
lined to be generally introduced. An
important fact in its manufacture is
the fact that large proportion of the
nitrogen of the coal is recovered in
the form of sulphate Of ammonia,
which brings about 81 for every ton
of slack used in the process.