Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1880-03-27 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

NEW WAY OF HEATING RAILWAY CARRIAGES. It is reported from Lyons that the Compagnie ParisLyon-Mdditerranee is now trying anew method of heating in express trains. The method was proposed by M. Ancelin, an engineer, and consists simply in the use of acetate of soda in the foot-warmers. The substance has considerable latent heat; dissolving at a certain temperature, it thus absorbs a large quantity of heat, which becomes sensible during crystallization in cooling. All that is required is to fill the ordinary cases with asufficient quantity of the acetate, close them, and place them in a stove at about 109 deg. The cooling of a case thus charged and heated takes 12 to 15 hours. The warmers are thereafter taken from the compartments and placed in a stove (where the crystals of soda acetate are re-dissolved); they are then ready for fresh use. The advantages of such a system are obvious—no necessity of changing warmers every two or three hours, or of maintaining a numerous body of men at stations to attend to them; economy in cost of heating, &c. Moreover, most of the existing foot-warmers can be utilized. Acetate of soda is not very expensive, and it could be easily manufactured in ..much larger quantities than at present if the demand required it. The new system has been tried on the express train No. 5, leaving Paris at 7.15 and reaching Perrache at 4.31. The compartments were each supplied at starting with two warmers containing acetate of soda. At Perrache most of the warmers were still so hot that one could not apply the back of the hand to them. From Lyons to Marseilles the train was heated on the ordinary system.  AN EVEN Timich—The other day two strangers were touting their shins on opposite sides of a big stove in a ferry wharf saloon, and it was noticed that they often looked at each other as if almost certain that they had met somewhere before. Finally one of them got up and said: "Stranger, I've seen a face almost like yours. Did you ever have a brother Bill!" "Yes." "Was he a sailor?" "He was." "Did you hear of him last about ten years ago?" "Yes, just about ten years ago." "Stranger," continued the first, seeming greatly affevted, "I've sailed with your brother Bill. NVe were wrecked together on the Pacific, and before help came I had to kill and eat him! I knew you must be,related. I'm awfully sorry it was your brother, and though I was driven to it and the law can't touch me, lam willing to pay you damages. Be kinder fair with me, for Bill was old and tough. About how much do you think is fair?" The other wiped a tear from his eye, and replied: "Stranger, where is your dad?" "Been dead these twelve years." "Died in Nevada, didn't he?" "Yes, out there somewhere." "Well, I killed him! I knew you were his son the i minute I saw you. He and I were n a mine, and one day as we were going up in the bucket I sawthat the okl rope was going to break under the strain. When we were up about two hundred feet, I picked up your old dad and dropped him over. It was bad on him but it saved me. Now you ate ray brother Bill, and I murdered your dad, and I guess we'd better call it even, and shake to see who pays for the drinks." They shook, drank, and the old lake captains who could not tell a lie had to bit back and realise how sad it was they were born with such tender consciences.