SCIENCE AND INVENTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15906, 1 May 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

SCIENCE AND INVENTIONS.

:...... » . . . ! PRODUCER-GAS •' LOCOMOBILE. A French inventor, J. B. Chatteau, has produced !a • novel locomobile which 4 . contains a veritable producer gas plant with gas engine and • radiator. is On the '• front of the' chassis is a suction gas-producer fed by? anthracite or';■ various coals, ': being provided with a scrubber. v ' This latter sis ed from :.' a • 100-gallon tank Jn': tho car roof. : , At the rear', of; the chassis is ■ tho gas • engine/ with', a large r flywheel i pulley for belt ; drive to 'any needed device. Between 'engine, and producer's..'ia vertical wing-tube, radiator of automobile type,' provided with an 'air fan and v watet, pump. Economy ,and easy handling .make such locomobiles superior to ) the'- usual 'steam engine types, it is claimed. .•

' - , A BOAT' ON LEGS. In the harbour, of Port Weller,. the Ontario entrance of the Welland ship canal, the surveying staff use a flat-bottomed boat that can lift itself clear of the water. It is a drill' boat-.. or sounding scow, of catamaran model, built particularly for the work of finding tho elevation of the rock that underlies, the bottom of ■ the river. In order, to nave a steady platform on which to work during rough .weather, the surveyors had the scow made with a slot at isach corner through which a very heavy spud or post can be raised or lowered. The .lifting, mechanism consists of a wheel on top of. each post, over which a wire cablo passes from-tho sido of the scow to an individual engine. When the, scow heaves and sways in the water too much, workmen start the four'engines,. and presently the scow is standing firm, with its four stout legs, on tho bottom -of the river.

HOW THE IRON CROSS IS MADE.

The iron cross, a decoration created in 1813, at the time of the German wars of Liberation, and revived ' in' 1870, during tho Franco-German war, is the most highly-prized recognition of valour in tho present conflict. _ While the decoration and the spirit animating those on whom it is conferred have remained tho samo as 100, years ago, typically modern methods have been adopted < in making the crosses. In fact, an extensive use is made of electrically operated machinery for the various stages of manufacture at tho workshops entrusted by the German Amy authorities with producing tho Iron Cross. Iron Crosses are by no means produced by casting. Rectangular pieces of sheet iron, stamped out with a punching, machine aro struck with steel dies on powerful presses in accordance with the rules laid down by the order committee. The coining press is provided with, a big electric driving motor. After being thus prepared and tested, the Iron Crosses are taken to the silversmith's where the soldering is done, a fine silver border added, and the finishing completed. ATLANTIC ICEBERGS. The triangular form -of Greenland contributes to the formation of three noticeablo currents which influenco the number i and movements of icebergs. The one ' flowing along the eastern coast is an overflow from the North Polar -Basin, and is I not responsible for many bergs, for the larger number ground and break up in the shallows while still in the northern latitudes. The West Greenland current passing round Cape Farewell runs northward as far as Smith's Sound, and carries numerous bergs into the inlet of Melville Bay, whence they drift in all directions, apparently haphabard, but aro probably controlled by the two main currents that pass down Davis Straits, and. joining, form the.Labrador current. These currents are the main carriers of the field ioe often encountered, which is set free in summer in Boffins.Bay, and combines with the ice formed along the coast of Labrador. Its -. extent, as * H well as , the dumber, of herps, will be decided: by,the prevailing - winds, which again will'-de-pend upen the barometer gradient, When the conditions; arc favourable.; for easterly winds, much' ice and many bergs may be expected to travel southwards, because the bergs are driven away from their birthplace on tho west • coast'; of Groenland, and, meeting tho Labrador current, follow its course. With.eithjra 'strong northerly or southerly component in the- wind direction,, a year- poor in , bergs may be anticipated,- ; f.' ;,

t ; ; THE PERISCOPE. ' ,'[■ It is stated by some; writers that tho periscope,, tho eye of.tho submarine, 4 was invented by the French. The first device of this kind to be used in naval warfare was invented by Thomas Doughty in 1864. He was at that time, acting chief engineer in. the United , States >Naw., During Banks*'.. Red • River ' .expedition,' Doughty was. on. the turreted<moniter Osage. ■„ The gunboats were annoyed by bushwhackers and Confederate cavalry picking off .their men. i Doughty rigged, up a sheet iron tube extending from, a few feet above the "deck to the engineroom below, with openings near tho top andj bottom, and by ; arrangement of mirrors. he could bee on "shore. When attacked, he would signal the', gunners ,to turn loose, dad the enemy soon learned to give tho Osage a wide berth. He little realised that his invention would be utilised in the world's greatest war. On the Indianola Doughty ran the batteries at Vicksburg, and his vessel was gunk in j the' fight near Grand Gulf, and he wts captured. After W exchange ho. was assigned 'to tho Osage, which was blockading tho mo'.ith of the Red River. While on this duty ho took 20 men and captured two large 'Confederate transports, for which he was complimented by Admiral Porter. Ho distinguished himself in the Red River expedition and subsequently at Mobile. He wa? one of the old-time, resourceful engineers of the Mississippi River,- and after tho war he resumed his profession. He died in St. Louis in 1896.

THE GERMAN 16JIN SIEGE GUN. The ability of tho Krupp works to turn out 16£ in siege guns, possessing a certain limited amount of mobility, is duo partly to the undoubted skill of tho designing department and even more to the great advances which have been made of late v»ars in the an of gun-steel manufacture, fhe prime consideration in binding a 16in siege gun for field operation was to reduco the weight to the lowest point compatible with tho requisite strength. The Germans have not given out any details regarding this pieco; but this much is certain, that iii order to make such a gun practicable, it was necessary to employ low pressure in the powder chamber and to make the gun barrel of a special quality of steel, embodying great tensile strength in proportion to its weight. Probably tho barrel is forged from one of the now steel alloys from which such remarkable results have been' obtained in the various arts, and particularly in gun manufacture. Lieutenant Cleland Davis used for the barrel of his torpedo gun a vanadium-steel alloy, from which lie obtained' excellent, results. Possibly the Germans are using an alloy of this or kindred character for the 16in siege gun.' The production of gun-steel is a long and 'tedious and costly, process arid calls for tho greatest care in making up the composition of the steel, in casting it, and in forging tho ingo't to the required rough shape ready for tho lathe. It is a prime requisite in gun steel that it shall be perfectly homogeneous throughout. Also it must ho absolutely free from irregularities due to segregated material, incipient flaws, seams, etc. These qualities are secured largely in process of forging, and in order to abtain that thorough working of the material which conduces ,so greatly to its toughness and strength, it has long been the practice to forge the gun barrel upon a central mandrel which is inserted in an axial hole through the forging, when it is brought white-hot from the furnace and placed in the hydraulic press. The material is squeezed between tho mandrel and the press, tho ingot being given a slight turn between each squeezing, by means of a chain which passes -v-jund the forging, and is operated by the gears in the upper bight of the chain. Gradually 'the piece is reduced in diameter and drawn out to proper length, until tho desired final size of 'tho rough gun barrel ' is reached, •