Amador ledger., 1909-08-06

Water Toxins.
The peat wood patented by Helhing
in Germany. is claimed to be a great
Improvement over previous mixtures
of peat and gypsum. The wet peat
is washed, and is then mixed with
water-slaked lime and an albuminous
compound. and some times with a
olayey earth containing SULPHUR
and the m ixture is forced into molds
under pressure Of about 30 pounds
per square inch After short COM
preston, the material is taken out
and dried in open air, These arti-
fetal boards are claimed to be as
hard and strong as the best natural
wood, they are not hydroscopic. are
fungus rroof, and are slow burning.
They can be worked, polished and
painted like natural wood. The peat
wood is recommended as adapted for
great variety of purposes. such as
fioring, doors, nreproof stairs, cell
ings, cabinet work, sidewalks, root
coverings, street and factory pave
ments. decorations, furniture. ship
building, street cars, and railroad
ties
Heat sufficient to destroy life,
generated by the normal junction of
respiration, has been the surprising
discovery of Prof. Hans Molisoh, of
Prague. Freshly cut leaves we're in
sulated. in wood wool and cloth, with
therm ometer protruding, and in 9
ours they had become heated from
f22 deg to Al deg c. and within 10
hours to 81. 3 deg q. (125 deg F.) In
the next 81 hours the temperature
fell to "a deg g., ten rose TO AZ deg
g.. then, fell finally. test at AZ
deg. G showed the leaves to be still
alive. The first rise in temperature
could be explained only as result
of respiration of the leaves, and the
second rise was due tu the rapid de-
velopment of bacteria, which were
few until after the first maximum
had been passed. BY inclosing one
end of a tube of either in a mass of
insulated leaves, the effects of
vegetable furnace we're shown. The
liuuid boiis at 345. deg. C., and In
this furnace it was very soon
boiling vigorously.
An electromagnetic brake of new
type, now made in Germany for
mountain and other railways, grips
the rails instead of acting on the car
wheels.
The utilizing of the solid matter
of sewage by the methods of DIR
Grossman is being tested in the
north of England, and is claimed to
have proven hyigenic. effective, and
economical, the products more than
paying the expense. The coarsest
suspended matter being removed,
the sewage is stored a few weeks in
settling tanks. The clear liquid is
then run Off, and more water is re-
moved by pressure from the sludge,
which is then mixed with chemicals
aud distilled with superheated steam.
Ihe grease in the steam passing over
from the retort is collected on the
surface of cool water. This grease,
derived from the large amount of
soap that finds its way into the
sewers forms about five per cent of
the residuum, and is sold at about
S35 per ton. The black odorless
powder, rich in nitrogen, that re-
mains in the retort amounts to 700
to 500 pounds for each ton Of pressed
sIudge. This is in demand as
fertilizer, and is sold readily at about
81 so per ton. A flow of three
million GALLONS per day of raw
sewage yields about 20 tons of pressed
sludge, which is treated at an average
net profit of 50 cents per ton.
That much of Europe will become
all arid desert in few centuries,
unless steps are taken TO prevent 1t.
was the prophecy made a year ago or
two by a distinguished French
scientific man. 1t is we'll known in a
vague way that some parts of the
earth are drier than formerly, but
observations are lacking to show
whether this has been r,sul I
merely local conditions or is local
ly advanced stage of process going
on over a wide area. Herr Walser,