Middletown transcript., 1908-01-18
USEFUL THINGS TO KNOW


1 USEFUL THINGS TO KNOW
i When clock stops it is generally TO
want OF lubricatine. a ,ough OCCASIONAL!
it has been known to stop for want Q
winding. To clean clock is very simple
1 although it may sound rather alarming
For an amateur it is mot necessary tha
it should be taken to pieces, that i
| If the clock is expected to go again alter
wards. The requirements are some ben
zine, white rag, sable brush, soms
oil little care and patience.
After coming in out OF the rain let tht
umbrella down, and stand it on the han
die, that it may dry in this position. The
water will thus drip from the edges OF thu
frame, and the cover dry uniformly
When placed with the handle upward, ai
is frequently done, the water runs to the
top Of the umbrella and the moisture il
there retained in the lining underneath
the ring, causing the silk or Fabric witt
which the frame is covered to become
tender and soon rot. Ordinarily, the Tor
of an umbrella wears out sooner than any
other part of it, and in the majority o
cases may be thus accounted for. A silk
umbrella is much injured by being left
open to dry; the silk becomes stretched
and stiff and will sooner split thus cared
for. When not in use let the folds hang
loose, not fastened down. The creases
are less apt to split from such usage.
After empting the last bits Of -four,
give the bags good shaking; later soak
them in plenty of cold water with big
handful of soda and allow them to lie over
night. Take them out and wash them,
giving all the coIored parts good rubb-
ing with carbolic soap; then put them on
boil with plenty Of soda. Carbolic soap
takes out the dye better than anything
else. Bleach and wash again and the
bags will be clear white.
Most medicine bottles can be cleaned
by washing thoroughly in hot soap suds
and rinsing in cold water; but there may
be some that will require different treat
ment. Some druggists clean narrow.neck-
ed bottles by putting in bits Of b.otting
paper torn into pulp, shaking well,
emptying, then rinsing. This will make
them very clear. Frequently bottles will
be musty when standing any length of
time, and in this case if they are filed
with cold water and allowed to stand an
hour or two the musty smell will disap-
pear. Ii the bottles are greasy, fill with
warm warm water, put in piece of wash
ing soda, let it dissolve, then shake the
bottle thoroughly, empty, rinse, and put
TO drain. A few drops of ammonia in a
bottle Of warm water will be found ex-
celIent to clean greasy bottle. Powdered
charcoal and water is good for one
hat is not greasy. Ketchup bottles are
nard TO clean, particularly if left standing
lur even short time. Fill each |
bottle with water, to which add O few |
drops of ammonia, and let it soak for one
hour; then empty, and if any particles ad-
here to the glass refill the bottle with ann
nonia water, put in an egg shell crushed
fine.shake thoroughly, empty, and rinse.
If the egg shell is not convenient. use
IN it's place, fine shot, cinders and even |
small beans.
A Cheap Fire Lighter.-When sticks |
are scarce. or when it is not convenient to
have blocks Of woed broken up, an excel
lent substitute is found in paper. Take
Q sheet of newspaper, roll it tightly start
ing from one Of the corners. When rolled |
up give it some extra twists to make il |
CLOSE aud firm.
Then tie il to circle, leaving the ends |
sticking out and space in the center TO
act as funnel. Make three or four of /
these roIe, place them in the fireplace,
arrange small coal or cinders ON top, and /
light the ends Of the rolls. They will |
burn brightly, and crack just as wosd
does.
OF the goods sold as tall wool' there is
not one-tenth that is genuine. Gener-
ally the main component is cotton.
The test for this is simple. All that is
necessary is to pull out few threads and
apply lighted match. Cotton will 20
of in blaze; wool will shrivel up. To
distinguish pure linen from counterfeit is
sven easier. The intended buyer need
but wet her finger and apply it to the goods
L they are pure linen, the moisture will
pass straight through; the spot touched
will be soaked at once and almost imme-
diateIy one side will be as wet as the other.
Frauds are more numerous in silk than
IN any other fabric, but here also the
OF adulteration is cotton. Its
presence can readily be discovered.
~ ~ g 40" slAC02c Outs Abb DIGC6S 0I
cotton will snap off short when pulled |
while the silk will stretch and permit a
considerable pull before breaking.
The boasted silk of our grandmothers
That ''stood by itself" is not necessarily
The best. Modern ingenuity has devised
means Of giving the poorest article the
body requisite for this purpose. shelIac
and other sticky substances mixed
through the fabric will produce as stiff
blk as ever graced the wardrobe Of our
ancestors. Such stuff is quite worthless,
however, SIT quickly rots.
Ii new tinware be rubbed over with
tresh lard and thoroughly heated in the
oven before il is used, il will never rnst
afterwards no matter how much it is put
q water. For cleaning stained tinware,
oorax produces the best results. II the
teapot or coffee pot is discoiored on the
inside boil IL In strong solution Of borax
or q short time and all its brightness will