Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1909-07-09


The Malcomess multiplication is a
novel and ingenious South African
invention for increasing the water
pumped by windmill. lt consists
of two toothed pinlons, carried in a
bracket attached to the connecting
rod of the windmill, and moving up
and down on toothed racks, of which
the center one is attached to the pump
rod, while the side racks are fastened
with the main frame of tho apparatus
to the standpipe BY this arrangement
the pump rod is made to travel twice
the distance OF the windmill connect
ing rod. In many cases. often IN
pumping from bore holes of six in
ches or less in diameter attach
mept dnes not diminish the number
of strokes of the windmill, and the
dou bles the pumping capacity.
The wet carbonlzed peat tof DIR M.
Ekenerg, as brought to the notice
of the British Iron and Steel lnsti-
tute, seems to be practical solution
of the problem OF removing the water
from raw peat by a less uncertain
process than air-drying. The failure
to remove the water by mechanical
pressure proves tn be due to the pres
ence of a small proportion of Shiny
hydr ocellulose from decayed plants.
and the discovery that this substance
can be destroyed by heating is the
basis of the new process. The pulped
raw peat is pumped through tubes
heated to 200 deg. g., and carbOnized
in the presence of superheated water.
The water is afterward pressed out by
compression of so atm ospheres. The
resulting cakes nave one-funrteenth
to one-seventeenth of the water
raw peat-or about the same as air
dried peat-and can be used direct ia
a gas producer or further dried In
Ignite briquettins plant. They prom
Use cheap and efficient fuel for electric
generation or oti er purposes.
A curious and remarkable purple
blue glow has been observed by Rev
! Ii. V. Gill IN a vacuum tube in which
strip of palladium foil is heated by
the electric current, 1t seems to be a
result of some reaction between the
gases of the tube and the disintegrat-
ed palladium.
The gasoline motor pillow of the gas
motor works of Deutz. near Cologne,
is designed to take the place or the
steam pillow, and is claimed to be an
important advance in agricultural
machinery Though gasoline Is more
costly than coal, the tuel expense for
blowing by the new method proves to
be about the same as by the old.
Steam pIows are drawn back and forth
by strong rope between two sheavy
locomotives. but the single gasoline
LOGON olive travels to and fro across
the field. pulling one of its two null
tiple blade plows at each trip. Being
reversible, with an equal pull in each
direction, the LOGON olive avoids the
trouble of turning around, a single
turn of the wheels giving the shift
through the blowing width. From Il
to % acres can be plowed in twelve
hours. and the driver does this with
onIy occasional assistance from tan
other man, while the steam pillow re-
quires the constant services nj five
men. Having only titth Of the
weight of the steam pillow, the new
machine needs no special permit for
travelling OH ordinary roads aud
bridges.
The so-called "dew ponds" on hill
tops in southern England still can
time to be perpleXing scientific
puzzle. 1t has been suggested that
thesa artificial basins, with bottoms
of straw covered with layer of peb-
ble-streWn clay, keep tho ground he
meath ahnormally cool, and cause
much dew to he deposited at night,
while preventing is from entirely
evaporating by day. This theory,
probably The best yet offered, does
not meet with general approval. Proof
Of the interest aroused IS found in
the fact that a British firm has begun
making miniature dow ponds and rain
ponds, which appear to consist essen
TALLY of one shallow metal tray in
verted within another, and it Is as
serted that these, when placed in a
garden or other open space, keep filled