'SCIENCE, MECHANICAL INVENTIONS, ETC

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12401, 24 October 1903, Page 4 (Supplement)

'SCIENCE, MECHANICAL INVENTIONS, ETC

- A COLOSSAL GUN. The recent" successful trials of the new : United States army 16in breech-loading gun have proved this weapon to be one of the most powerful pieces of ordnance in existence. The total length of the gun (says Page's Magazine) is 49ft 2.9 in, with a draaneter of tne rear portion of 60in, the forward part gradually diminishing from 60m to 28: in at tne muzzle. The length of main bore is 37ft 4.5 in, with a diameter of loin. Other rifled guns of large calibre heretofore constructed are the Italian gun, calibre oi 17.75 in : the French guu, of j\6.bin calibre ; and the Armstrong gun, of 16.25ia calibre, which is carried on the battleships Benbow and Sans l'areil. Not one of these compares, in energy and range, with the loin U.S. guu. ... '• • ELTSCTRICALLT-MABfi-STOEL. \ The problem of smelting steel by electricity has for some time attracted tne attention of inventors, and many experiments have been made to achieve tno desired end. In the beginning of the year 1900 an electric steel furnace, withoue elcctrocics, was Jbuilt it Gysiuge, in Sweden, and its action watched with considerable curiosity as to lis successful operation. ".After a few experiments, the first ingot was produced and the steel was round to dp- of an excellent quality. Thus, the problem was solved in a- technical way, although considerable progress was necessary before the process could be consider; eel a commercial success. In November, 1900, a large J. furnace was built on the same Jines as the fijst one and proved much more successful than its predecessor. In August, 1201, both furnaces were ruined by fire and the firm experimenting with thou decided to build a steel work. This information comes from the Trading and Shipping Journal, of Gothenburg!, Sweden. in tne new works a 300-horso power dynamo, directconnected to a turbine,, will furnish the cur-. rent. The new furnace will h01d'.3970.1b, and its yearly output, is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of ,1500 lons, if charged with cold, raw material. The steel made under this proceses is said to be of a superior quality, characterised by •Mrrgth, density, uniformity, toughness, anil the e;>se with which it can be worked iu ct>ld, unhardened condition, even when containing a very high degree.of carbon. Tungsten steel manufactured by this process is said to make stronger magnets than other tungsten steel, and does not warp in the hardening. Microscopic experiments have shown thai the electricalrymade steel is not different in any way from crucible steel. 3IETAL IN* YACHT CONSTRUCTION. The hulls of large racing yachts present »iany problems other than the general design and the lines. The quest of maternal is one v.'hicfi*eonstantly troubles he marine architect. It now seems that aluminiumyuid manganese bronze are to have a competitor, if the accounts in the newspapers prove to foe worthy of credence. It is said that a new metallic element (?) lias been discovered and has been christened " selium." From the information available it seems that the new metal has certain properties which will ren-' tier it invaluable tor airship and yacht construction. It is said to be lighter and •stronger than aluminium, and the cost is • oulv one-twelfth as much. On August 8, 1903, .aluminium 99 per cent, pure, m ingots, was quoted at 33 to 37 cents a pound in tou lots. This would make selium 3 cents, a pound. It is not, however, its cheapness which will commend it to the .yacht designer. It does not rust and takes a fine polish like nickel. If it should be found that it will not pit under the influence of sea water and that no electrolytic action sets in, it will be an ideal material for the maker of hulls to conjure with. —Scientific American, '£ NICOTINE HAS BEES 3USJUDGKD. Smokers will be interested to learn that the aroma of tobacco and the effects which tobacco produces on the smoker are not due -to uocotine, but to a quite different chemical body, an alkaloid. Dr. Freakel, the,originator of this theory, has observed that the action of tobacco does not correspond to the amount of nicotine which it contains, and he mentions that certain kinds of Havana tobacco which are poor, in nicotine exercise a greater effect on the human system than -other kinds which are rich in nicotine. The • alkaloid is characterised by highly volatile properties. If the conclusions which. Dr. Frenkel arrives at are proved to be correct, the British Medical Journal thinks there is reason to hope.that smoking will be freed from, some of its evil effects, for it may be possible, in contradistinction to the case of nicotine, to remove Atom tobacco the property which acts deleteriously on the devotee of .the "weed." For our part, however, we have no great hope in this direction, for with the alkaloid would go the aroma. ANOTHER GEEAT HYDRAULIC-ELECTRIC - rOWER PLANT.

No strougei evidence could be afforded of the great development which' lias taken placs in the last few years of -electric installations than the fact that a great 50,000horse power plant, should have been planned and built with such little ostentation that it .■'has only recently, as it.neared completion, attracted the attention which its size and importance demands.' It seems but a few years ago that the world was filled with wonderment at the announcement that sufficient water was to be diverted from the ■ Niagara River to operate a series of large ' turbines, whose" aggregate'power should reach the then enormous figure of 50,000horse power. The project was regarded with much curiosity, and there was no little •foretelling of disastrous failure, while the day of its opening was regarded as one of the most momentuous in the history of the industrial world, xhis event occurred less than ii decade ago; yet, so great was the success of 'the venture, that its capacity has already been doubled, and another oHe of far greater size is under construction on the "opposite shores of the river. So many similar installations of large aggregate horse power are either planned or under actual construction that the building of a 50,000horse power house, like this one in the upper valley of the Hudson, seems to* call for little more than a passing remark. The indications are that within, a few generations there will not be a natural waterfall or rapids, ex-t-epfr in the unsettled portions of the country, that will not resound with the hum of the turbine and the generator. .-.- NEW SOUTH WAXES' MINERALS.

Drought.is «i serious obstacle not only to the progress of agriculture in Australia but, , '.in' large measure, also to almost all the , manuiacturing industries find thus, says '■■■ Engineering, when the most prolonged drouoght which has ever visited Australia culminated in twelve months of minimum rainfall during the past year, the mineral industries suffered as extensively as cattle, grain,, and woolgrowing. Contemporaneous with the dry season there was a sharp decline in the value of silver and of lead, while the prices of copper and zinc had also ■-»: downward tendency ; so that, all round, the mLse-owuers, notably in New South "Wales, have not had a satisfactory year. There was almost a complete cessation of prospecting work. According to the annual report for 1902 the value of all mineral productions in the New South Wales colony for the past year was £368,490 less than in the preceding year, and nearly one million less than in 1900." The total value was £5,638.145, whereas, ten .or eleven years ago, it was as high as £6,656,985 ; since then, however, there have been severe fluctuations, the total having been as low as ■,;{ £4,500,000 in 1896. As to gold won by all processes of mining, the total shows an in- . crease in value of £159,491, due very largely ■ to the augmented production of gold by the smelting of auriferous ores imported from other Australian colonies and from New Zea- '. land. Were it not for this, the total value of gold would have been less than in any V, year since 1893. The total value of produc- ' tion, including that from the imported ma- , terial, was £1,080,773, while in some pre- , vious years it was as high as £1,751,00 C. The total amount of silver, lead, and zinc . ' i- produced during the year was £1,498,462, which is £460,000 less than in the previous year. Coal, gold, ironstone, silver, and oil i shale, says Enginering, showed satisfactory f K increases ; the gain was more than nullified ',' . by the reduced value of coke, copper, iron, . lead, silver-lead., and tin manufactured in - - the colony. The total amount of metals and ;'.';./=, ; minerals "produced in the colony from tire commencement is. adds Engineering, £152,280,000, of which over £50,700,000 have'been got from gold, £41,700.000 from ' coal, £33,780,000 from silver, £10,980,000 from'tin, and £8,815,000 from copper, so ibftfc these minerals have produced about 95 per cent, of the total.