Science and Invention.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 440, 8 September 1904, Page 7

Science and Invention.

. ~—_*_— ANEW system of heating railway carriages has recently been put into practice on the London Midland Railway, pipes conveying steam from the engine running right round each carriage, and thus dispensing with the unsatisfactory and clumsy foot-warmer. The system will, when adopted entirely, it is said, effect a very great saving. The only matter for surprise is that such an obviously convenient method of warming railway carriages—has not been adopted before. SAFETY CATCHES IN WINDING SHAFTS. Some interest is being excited in the Cramlington district by an invention which is about to bo patented by a young man named Campbell, of Cowpen. This contrivance is a safety catch adopted in winding shafts, and its purpose is to hinder the descent of the cage in case of the rope breaking. Experiments have proved its efficiency ; and some of our local mining engineers are so satisfied with its utility that they are giving the inventor their hearty support. Seeing that every now ard again wo are being startled by the loss of lives owing to these accidents, we look forward with interest to the publishing of full particulars of this new piece of mechanism, and wish our young friend success in his enterprise. ' * QUICKSILVER IN ITALY. The output of the quicksilver mines of Italy in 1902, including those of Abbadia San Salvatore, Cornacchino, Siele and Montebuono, was 529 metric tons, The ore treated arhounted to 44,266 tons, show, ing a recovery of 5.85 kg. per-ton. SULPHURIC9ACID IKgRUSSIAi Being the largest producer of petroleum in the world, Russia's consumption of sulphuric acid is enormous. By far the greatest part of this acid is either imported or made from Scandinavian pyrite, in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. A small, quantity of acid is also recovered as a byproduct from zinc ores in Poland. Comparatively little native sulphur, found "at various places, is consumed, although last year the imports from Sicily totalled to 15,068 tons. FUMELESS EXPLOSIVE FOR WINING. A fumeless explosive for mining has long been wanted, as in underground mining the fumes of blasting compounds are dangerous, and entail loss of time. Experiments with a new explosive called ' Herculite,' made at Fishponds, near Bristol, seem to indicate that the need has been met. . A mass of over thirty tons of rock was displaced by a single ' shot' of 120z.,".and no fume was detected. It is claimed for the new invention that it is both more powerful and much cheaper than the hydraulic and nitro.glycerine compounds in use.

■ Aji IMPROVED FUEL, With certain changes in fireboxes, it is claimed that the petroleum briquettes of a French naval officer make possible the suppression of smoke, and will give a fuel of which lib. will be equivalent to 41bs.-of coal; The briquettes are made by adding to the petroleum oil, for each litre 150 grammes of ground soap, 150 grammes of resin, and 300 grammes of caustic soda lye. The mixture is heated, and stirred with certain precautions until near solidification, when it is poured into moulds, which are placed in a stove for ten or fifteen minutes, and the briquettes are ready for use after cooling a few hours.., Greater solidity is given by the addition of a little sawdust and a little clay or sand. EXPLORING THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Two machines invented by an Italian for submarine investigation are both unusual and plausible. One is a submarine worker for use at greater depths than divers can endure. It is a big steel egg, built so strongly as to withstand great pressure of water, and equipped with steel arms and hands for moving objects, on the sea bottom. It carries two men, who. look out through heavy crystal window's and see whatever is insight. It has a telephone which communicates with the surface, and is furnished with electric power, by means of which it proceeds on a single wheel over "the sea bottom wherever its governors choose. It holds air enough to last a moderate time, and when more is needed it can be supplied from the surface. In like, manner it can be' furnished with light. The inventor ber lieves that his machine will be highly effective for the recovery of sunken treasure or articles of any kind that have been lost in the sea. In the case of a sunken ship he proposes to go down in his machine, find the ship, put dynamite in it in the right place, blow off the deck, and direct the operations of men at the surface in getting out the ship's contents. He will be able to mark the position of treasure chests or heavy, articles by line and buoy, so that they may be grasped by grapnels and hauled; up. His other invention, the hydroscopej is an apparatus for searching the sea bottom from the surface. The inventor has not yet disclosed how it works. The laws of optics govern its construction, yet. it is something much more than an instrument which reflects images from one mirror to another. That it does work, and well, is attested by a group of competent persons who saw it tried in the harbour of Genoa on Jan. 26,1903. They certified that through the hydroscope they were able to see clearly objects in the seabed in their true form, colour, and '.position, and that the instrument did its work well. Its inventor says that down to a depth of 100 metres his apparatus will sreveal the sea bed by natural light, and that graater depths than that will require artificial light. The Greek government has made a contract with him for the recovery of works of art sunk two thousand years ago in Greek waters near Cerigotto, some of whidh he has already brought up. The English Government, too, has contracted with him for the recovery of specie from the Black Prince, lost during the Crimea War. Pino thinks his hydroscope will be used by steamship companies for the entertainment of their passengers, who no longer will be satisfisd to see only sky and water when they can easily enjoy a curious and extended subaqueous prospect. ' They will see thousands of fishes play and flee before them,' he says, ' while deserts, fields, forests and mountains will pass like the figures of a cinematograph; daily, and nightly, too, for when the natural I light faiUj.eleotrio light, will replace it.'