Year: 1873

They were Suspicious.

 An officer of naval vessel which was on the coast of Africa, in letter says the slaves captured and confined in a barracoon wondered at the great care that was taken of them, finding them- selves we'll fed, and diverted with tom- toms and dances, without apparent equivalent on their part, picked up the notion, created by one of their number, that they were being fed to make "beef" for the white man, their bones to be converted into knife handles such as they had seen at the factory; and re- fused to take any more food or drink. They were fast sinking, all the owners little devices having failed to coax them into taking sustenance, and his own ap- petite in consequence following suit very rapidly, when a new idea came to his aid. He got number of the sleek est fellows he could find in the nearest village, who were entire strangers to the slaves, had them washed clean and perfumed, decorated with glass beads inprofusion, with bright colored silks on their loins, (the trinkets and silks to be retained if they performed their parts we'll, and sent them to the barracoon, where they danced and sang, beat tom toms, and made themselves merry gen. erally. The songs were all in praise of the white man and his fondness for the black. They persuaded the self-starv- ing captives that they had just return ed from the white mans country on 8 short visit to their Congo relatives, and were going back in the same ship with themselves, when they should altogeth- CT beat tom-toms and dance for the re- mainder of their merry lives. The white man, in his own country, thought there was nothing on earth so beautiful as a plump negro, whom he fed on delica- cies, and clothed in the brightest of colors, but did not care much for the bony ones. This device succeeded ad- mirably, and had such happy effect that, to the day of their shipment, their sole aim was to make up for lost time in getting up o condition of plumpness.

 Superheated Steam.

 Those papers given in the least to science are earnestly discussing the subject of superheated steam and wheth- CT it will or not set fire to wood. A New York professor said if the theory set forth that it would were true the whole city would have been burned up years ago! He granted that the wood might be set on fire if the pipes became charged sufficiently with dry heat to occasion degree of temperature above that of ordinary combustion. But superheated steam, when there were nc attachments to the boiler to make if dry, never did nor never could be heat. ed so intensely as to originate flames al distance from the furnace.

 The Professor here attached a rubber tube to the chandelier, and then to { drop light, which he ignited, continu ing: "Now, if the door of the furnace is closed for time and then suddenly opened there is seen within blue flame different from the ordinary yellow flame caused by the burning of coal or wood. , This assertion he illustrated with the drop light by-closing and opening the draught under the glass chimney which enclosed the flames. When the current of air was shut of the gas (carbonie oxide) was formed, and mounting rap idly upward caused higher and dis tinct flame at the top of the chimney. In connection with furnace the dam per was in the f1ue and was supposed tG be closed. The gas then might poul out of the open door and take fire ol if the door was closed, the fire banked and the damper open it might burn at g great distance from the furnace in Q flue.

 At the same meeting instances were given by practical engineers where steam had set fire to wood work.

 F

 Copper Mines.

 One of the copper mines at Kewenan Peninsula is probably the richest in the world. The metal is there found not in the condition of an ore-that is to say, it is not mineralized by sulphur or oxy- gen; but is in the metallic state. Some times it occurs in grains, scales, or masses ia true veins, which cut the beds of rock; while at other times it is scattered through the beds themselves. In certain cases it is the material ce- menting the pebbles and broken ma- terials which make up great conglome- rate beds. The Calumet and Hecla Mine, which is deposit of this latter kind, presents breadth of twelve feet of rock, containing about five per cent. of metallic copper, which is extracted by crushing and washing. The produce of this mine for the past year is about 5000 tons of fine copper, the value of which at the present high price of this metal is not less than five millions oa dollars, of which more than one-half is probably profit. This is result prob ably unexampled in the history oi mining. There are various other copper mines in the same region which are worked with advantage; though the profits are far less than the Calumet and Hecla.

 Disinfection of Air of Sick Rooms.

 The three best agents for accomplish. ing inc disinfection of air after small pox or other contagious diseases, are sulphurous acid, iodine, and carboGc I acid. The best method of employing sulphurous acid is to scatter little flowers of sulphur upon a heated shovel and carry it about in the room or rooms which are to be disinfected.

 Iodine may be used by simply placing little in an open glass or earthen yes sel, and it vaporizes readily at the ordi nary temperature of 8 house. Carbolis acid may be employed by sprinkling { weak solution of it on the floor of the room, or cloths wetted in such.

 To THOSE WHO WANT FIsH.-AI communications to the New York Com missioners of Fisheries-Horatio Sey mour, Edward M. Smith, and Robert B. Roosevelt-asking for fish to stock public waters, must describe the nature of the bottom of their waters; must give their names, situations and size, and must state what kind of fish is found 1T the respective waters at present. Young | white fish will be in Q condition to trans port from Feb. T to Feb. 10, and salmon trout from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20, The fish are delivered free of charge from the State Matching House at Roches ter.