The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 9, 1896, Page 25

FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 189 25 NEW style of phonograph, that seems to possess qualities which render it thoroughly practical and within the reach of all, says La Nature, has just been devised by Mr. Werner. The different apparatus hitherto described in these columns have given excellent results, but have not real- ized as well as the one under considera- tion ail the desiderata that we have a right to expect from a family apparatus. The principal parts of the ‘“‘loud speaker” do not differ essentially from those of the primitive phonograph. We find therein the wax cylinder of the same form as that of the usual Edison model; parallel with this a carriage, A, to which 1s added the The Werner Phonograph. 1. The portable apparatus with its cover. 2. General view and internal details of the ap- registering disk or the speaking one and the cornet for allowing s}\eccu or song to be heard by aroom full of or, i preferred, a thin tube of rubber for indi- vidual listening. In figures 3 and 4 are shown the two principal parts, the register and the trans. mitter, which have been greatly improved | since the Edison invention of 1878. The | essential part in both is a disk of mica | losing a small ebonite box surmounted | tube of the same material, which is | eople, or, if ted to the carriage, A. The latter carries a bent tube ana the vari parts | for the registering or reproduction of the | sounds. speech or song upon the disk carrying a small kn (8) is used. The cyhinder is set in motion by ungear- | and one | places an inch_or so from the mouth a | small cornet fixed to the extremity of a | ijusted | ing the clockwork movement, flexible tube, whose other end is to the free part of the carriage. ‘When it is afterward desired to repro- stered, the v ihe first, aiff the small from the other, in tha blun is not in the center of the vibrating disk, but at the side, and is connected with the center through a lever. These arrange- ments have been especially studied, and it is to them that i e the purity of the articulation and the intensity of the sound {-hat the apparatus under consideration wives. Tle resuit is sueh that, even with- out the addition of any accessory, what the apparatus says may be understood at & distance. The clockwork _contributes in a large measure toward rendering the apparatus practical. It is so constructed as to be entirely hidden in the base of the apparatus, the dimensions of which are 10 by 6 by 5 inches. The regulating part, although not abso- lutely new, is very interesting. It consists of a ball governor, D, which causes a disk, P, to approach or_recede according to the velocity of a stop, I, forming a brake. The osition of this stop is regulatable at will g_v means of a lever, C, which is acted upon by a screw, B. The starting or stopping of the motion is effected by means of the handle, M, which, through a flexible rod, acts directly uvon the lever. It is, therefore, very easy to vary the velocity of the registering cylinder, and nothing is more curious than to make it rapidly repeat what has been slowly pro- nounced. When, especially, one listens to his own voice, the effect is exceedingly surprising. SOMETHING W IN SHOES. An improvement on the old and time- honored method of fastening boots in front with a *‘tongue” to keep out the dirt and wet, has at length been made. As our New Style Shoe. engraving shows, one side of the upper is folded over the other, like a flap, and. they are fastened tozether by a lace which runs through the eyelets, and hooks intoa hole in the top of the boot. By this comfortable device the boot may be easily removed from the foot or tightened upon it through simply loosen- | ing or pulling the lace. A NEW MOTOR. Hermann Ganswindt of Berlin is con- stautly improving his peculiar motor sys- tem, which really coasists of the use of leverage and transmissions in a way not before attempted. One of his latest inno- vations is a motor-plow, which is worked by one man, although three plow-shares are employed. Working in the fields with this plow will cost less than a fourth of plowing by steam, and less than a sixth of plowing in " the pld way, em- ying human labor. The manner in ich the apparatus .is employed ex- ins itself in the accompanying Ganswindt motors are now be- When it is desired to inscribe | linder a mica | point that rests unon_ the cylinder ing universally applied for industrial purposes, and many manufacturers are constructing transmissions and treading attachments to foot-power machines ac- cording to his designs, paying Ganswindt a handsome royalty. One of these appli- ances is a bottle-washing machine, which is constructed by Otto Vogel of Berlin. Whereas in his old apparatus the work- men had to pedal 110 times a minute to obtain 800 revolutions of the brush, the present apparatus enables the workmen to obtain 1200 revolutions and trundle the { pedal but 10 or 12 times within a minute. | The saving of labor is considerable and | the additional cost is paid back in very little time. THE ROENTGEN “PHOTOGRAPHY.” Discoveries like that of Professor Roent- gen, which, for want of & better term, may be approximately called photographing the invisible, are startling because they are such unexpected triumphs in man’s perpetual struggle with the forces of | nature. Like a blast in a mine, which blows out the rock wall and reveals a new and unsuspected vein, they not only add a new resource to those already possessed, but suggest the possibility of gaining many more advantages which have hitherto been considered absolutely impossible. * Unlike the successive discoveries of serums and Iymphbs for the cure of dis- eases, which are only aevelopments of Jenner’s discovery of vaccination, or the recent addition of a new element to the three of which the air had been supposed to consist, which was suspected long be- fore it was found, Roentgen’s discovery is notonly new in itself—for the few pre- vious experiments in this direction cannot | be said to have revealed but it deals | with an entirely new principle. A new force has been found in nature. It proceeds by means of rays, but it is not lignt, for it penetrates where light cannot; nor beat, for it does not warm. It has some connection with electricity, but it has no influence on the most sensitive magnetic instruments. The discoverer calls the means by which it operates “X rays,’’ because he has no better name for them. Other scientists call them ‘‘cathode rays,” becsuse they seem to proceed from the cathode, or end by which the current leaves a galvanic cell. | Doubtless more will be known about the new force in a short time, for the best students of electricity and kindred sciences are now hard at work on it. As yet, it has only been discovered; it has not been de- veloped or described. It seems pretty certain, however, that | while it will enable us to see many things hitherto invisible, such as the sknll of a iving creature, or abnormal conditions in various parts of the body, it will not show them to us so clearly as to facil- itate minute study of them. Strictly speaking, it will not enable us to see the actual objects at all, but only images of them printed on a sensitive plate by a process which is provisionally called photography, though it is not phoiogra- phy, but only something analogous to it, ut these images are in the nature of shadows, and shadows, though they may be sharp in outline, aredim in details. They | are indefinite and vague, and, while it is | impossible, of course, to predict what will | be accomplished in the future, the nature of the rays and the manner in which they are said to work, by recording simply the varied resistance of the different media through which they pass, seem to pre- | clude the supposition that a bright, well- defined picture can ever be obtained in this way. Certainly, the reproductions of | the views already obtained are very shad- owy and lacking in detail. If they were offered as ordinary photographs they woula be rejected at once as unsatisfac- tory. Aynew principle in nature has been dis- covered, and it may lead to revelations of which theré is as yet no expectation or even suspicion, but it is best not to count upon it too strongly at first, and to let the scientists work out its problems before calculating too closely upon its adaptations to the various branches of science.—Phila- | delphia Ledger. A BATTLE - FIELD LAMP, A new lamp, the invention of Ludwig Durr of Bremen, is being tried by the Eng- lish military auothorities. The light is originated by evaporation and superheat- ing of the vapors from ordinary petroleum. Air is drawn into the lamp between the gesifier and an external cylinder, and a smokeless flame of great brilliance is pro- duced. In short, vapors are produced by intense heatand converted into gas, which upon being burned yieids a light ranging from 3500 to 14,000 candle-power. The ap- paratus is self-acting and does not necessi- tate the employment of compressed air. It is so constructed that & lamp and reser- | voir capable of holding ten liters of pe- troleum, and supplying a 3500 candle- power light, can be strapped on the knap- sack of a soldier. The lamps can be car- ried about when burning, or may be fixed in any position. | A NEW PAPER-CUTTER. | Thelittle device here illustrated is in- tended for the use of private parties. It Paper-Cutter. operates on the same principle as the large paper-cutters used by binders and station- ers, but1t is much more simple, and it should be for home purposes. It consists of a board marked with a scale of inches and provided with a steel edgeé)lace, against which the knife de- scends. The paper, or engraving, to be trimmed is Iaid on the board, and the part to be removed is allowed to project over = T sz —_—— SIX-BLADED PLOW WORKED e : . BY A GANSWINDT MOTOR. AND the steel-edge. When the knife is bronght down the paper is cut away. SOME CURIOUS TOPS. Iam in the habit of bringing home from awdy in a drawer, afford pleasure to my little nephews. Being desirous one day of getting a little order into this collection, I found therein a number and variety of tops’ that surprised me, and I set them aside. The idea occurred to me to ex- amine them in detail and to compare them, and, in doing so, I was struck no less by the ingenuity of the manufact- urers in introducing an element of novelty into a plaything so ancient and so simple in its primitive form than by the scientific interest of .certain of the combinations realized, I have adhered to the strict definition of my travels a few playthings, which, put | the top, that is, a revolving body held in winds up in the little cage and the top re- volves freely. sir A The **Flora” top (Fig. 22) is likewise set in motion in a peculiar way. Itis mounted upon a screw thread and takes on the mo- tion of the upper axis, which revolves in a curyed piece beld in the hand., After-the cord is unwound the axis is arrested, and the top unscrews and continues to spin. The petals of the fanciful flower that it represenis open under the action of cen- trifugal force, the flower expands and then! gradually closes under the action of small springs when the motion begins to slacken. Thave two air tops, one of which, called “ZEolian,” is shown in Fig, 23 and the other in Fig. 24. i The spring tov (Fig. 25) merits special mention on account of the simplicity of its operation. It is too well known to need a deseription, In a variant of it (Fig. 26) the spring is applied beneath at the lower part of the axis that serves as a bearing point for the top. This latter 18 nothing more than a ring provided with four wings. ‘When the spring is freed, the top CURIOUS TOPS, equilibrium upon its vertical axis through the rotary motion that is given it, and have thus had to exclude several very curious playthings, and especially the “air turbine” and the ‘‘magic box,” as well as various others in which the object setin revolution is not a top, properly so called, bunta flywheel whose axis is held by sup- ports. I have divided my tops into two great classes: I Those which revolve, ag I may say, simply in order to revolve, or, in other words, those in which one has had in view merely the rotary motion and the momen- tary equilibrium resulting theretrom. I have divided them into different categories according to the way in which the rotary motion is given them. I1. Those in which the rotary motion is applied in order to produce another effect— optical, acoustic, mechanical or otherwise. In thecaseof simple tops, I place the fol- lowing: 1. Tops get in motion by hand. This category comprises the teetotums. I have, in the firet piace, the ordinary teetotum, set in revolution through the upper part of the axis, That of Fig. 1 has the preten- sion, I think, to represent a dancing dervish with arms swinging. The *‘top’”’ teetotum the fingers grasp it by the point. The “‘domino” or ‘‘die” teetotum (Fig. 3) may be used for different plays. The ‘“‘centrifu- gal” teetotum (Fig. 4) and the “cyclone’’ | teetotum end the list of these forms of the top. g. ‘Whiptops—I know of but two char- acteristic types of these—tbe common one (Fig. 6), whose conical form is one of the oldest ~ known, and the ‘‘mushroom’ (Fig. 7). 3. Pegtops—These are the tops of col- lections, the “‘short point” top (Fig. 8), the “long point” top (Fig. 9), an Lge “'flat” top (Fig. 10). Fig. 11 shows a variant of Fig.8. The cord, instead of being free, remains fixed to the top, while at the same time allowing it to spin. S These varieties do not differ in form only, but are thrown differently, The short point top is held in the hand, the point downward and the forefinger resting upon the stem, and is thrown by a down- ward motion of the arm; the long point top is Held-inverted, the pointin the air, and in throwing it the arm describes a semicircle from back.to front, like the hammer of the blacksmith. The fiat top is held with the arm lowered and is thrown with a horizontal motion, analogous to that of the ricochet, in drawing the cord toward the body. 4. Humming Tops—In this category the retary motion is piven by the curs, drawn rapidly with one hand, while the top is beld in place. The ‘“Dutch” top is held in a handle provided with an aperture, with which either engages the upper part of the frolonged axis (Fig, 13) or its point (Fig. 1 L, and from whieg 1t is disengaged after it has been set 1n action by the cord. A top of an analogous system (Fig. 15) but of metal and provided with a movable cover, is sold as & sugar-plum box. In other systems the bearing pint is taken upon the top itself, or else the top around which the cord is wound and its axis are interdependent. The “REiffel tower”’ top (Fig. 16) belongs to the first type. The penny top of the shops (Fig. 17) and many other analogous ones have axis independent. To thissecond type be- longs also the “acrobat” top gig. 18 In the ‘‘Protean” top (Fig. 19) the glass cbne that forms the top is held at the moment at which the cord is drawn by a movable axis independent of it. Finally, in the ‘“gyroscope” top (Fig. 20) the rotary motion is given to the interior flywheel in holding the external ring in hand. 5. Tops of Various Systems—The top having'a to-and-fro motion (Fig, 21) is very ingenious. With one-hand is held the small frame beueath, in which the axis turns freely, and with the other the cord whose extremity is fixed to the axis, and alternating ro motions are then given the top. After the top has been set spinning it is left to itself, when the cord (Fig. 2) differs from the preceding, in that | rises slightly in the air, and then falls back to the ground and continues its revo- lutions. In another variant (Fig. 27) the spring is also beneath, but forms part of a support upon which the top is capable of continuing torevolve. Ihave also asEring top (Fig. 28) that is very well balanced and spins for a long time. The helix has like- wise been applied to the setting of tops in motion. The ‘““Archimedes” top (Fig. 29) is a simple disk provided with a point. A traveler forces it to descend along the helix, from which it escapes in Tevolving. In another top, called the ‘““Alternative,” the motion is inverse, and it is the helix that | is displaced vertically (Fig. 30). In the class of compound tops are the following: 1. Acoustic Tops—Among the tops that I have arranged in the first class, all those that are hollow produce more or less acoustic effects. They whistle, sing or hum under theaction of the air in the apertures with which they are provided. In the wooden pegtop (Fig. 31), a variant of No. 2, the play of reeds is at the upper part, and the spinning of the top produces a draft of air through properly arranged apertures. The same is the case in top 32, the cheap model of the shops. The play of teeds is here in the interior. In model 33 the axis is independent of the body of the top. It carries a fly- wheel which 1s provided with wings, and that revolves in the bell-shaped portion. The ‘“harmonic” or ‘‘choral” top (Fig. 34) produces changing tones. The prin- ciple of model 85 is different. The axis terminates in a sort of claw that renders it immovable, and a revolution of the top is established upon the axis that remains fixed. The latter carries a tongue that strikes a play of reeds carried by the top, and the result is an air analogous to that of the music rattles sold under the name of “rivoltellas.” * 2. Optical Tops—I mention in the first place the “spectral” too (Fig. 36) serving as an advertisement to Pear’s soap. Itisa simple cardboard disk carrying lines fig- ured in black upon a white ground. When set in a motion in a good light, the concen- tric circles assume the colors of the spec- trum, and the order of which is reversed according to the direction of revolution. The “chameleon” top (Fig. 37) was one of the first to popularize the effects of the Helmholtz colored disks. It is a spring top.. The tc:ip shown in Fig. 38 is what is ca?led the “dazzling’ {%}3. Whatis called the ‘‘enchanting’’ top (Fig. 39) lends itself to various optical experiments. The point revolves on a support, and, thanks to this arrangement, the rotary motion and equilibrium persist for a long time. 3. Tops Producing Magnetic Eifects— The “induction” top (¥ig. 40) has already been described in these pages, as has also the ‘magneto-electric” one (Fig. 41). The ‘“‘Sultan’ top (Fig. 42) is a small one with a very light, spring. 'After it has been set spinning there is placed near the axis u mnanetfzud bar to the rounded end of which it adheres and continues its revolu- tion while suspended in the air. 4. Tops Producing Dynamic Effects— The ‘“hydraulic’” or ‘‘water-jet” top is shown in Fig. 43, and the “screw-spin- ning” top in . 44. The “puppet’ top (Fig. 45) consists of & disk set in revolution upon a pivot by means of a movable handle and a cord. Above is suspended a jointed puppet made of ‘cardboard. The project- ing radii of the disk strike the feet of the figure and cause it to dance a sort of jig. Fig. 46 represents the ‘“carrousel” top. A small table carries the carrousel, upon the axis of which there is a disk provided with bristles. The top being in its equilibrium of revolution the carrousel is placed near it, when the circular brush rubs against the striated conical portion of the top, and the carrousel enters into a rapid motion to the musical sound of the top, which is pro- vided with a play of reeds. 5. Various Tops—The “‘gyrograph” top }Ei .'47) consists of a metallic disk’of some ittle weight elevated upon qrnite a lon, gointfomed ‘of a sharpened lead pen: 'he top is spun upon a sheet of paper and, as it is difficult for it to assume a vertical equilibrium, the pencil point draws spirals upon the paper that may be varied by in- terfering with the top’s motion. * The ‘*‘stork,” also called the ‘‘para- chute,” top (Fig. 48) is formed of a series of cones that set into one another. When the upper one. is removed, _after having once been set spinning, the little cones of various colors separate and revolve around it. > Next come various dancing tops, such as the “waltzer’’ (tig, 50) and the ‘‘dancer” (Fig. 49). The waltzer shown in Fig.51 is very graceful and of a pleasing effect. The motion is given with a single revolu- tion of the cord upon the part forming a hollow pulley at .the foot, and is trans- mitted to an’internal lywheel. The body of the dancer is -carried along through the impulsion, and every time that the roller under the second foot touches the ground there occurs a displacement of the axis and a waltz movement. —J. J., in La Nature. LAST OF THE RUNNING FOOTMEN. Sam Cliffe, who claimed to be the sole survivor of the race of running footmen,was interred this week in the City of London Cemetery in the presence of fifty-four of his descendants. Born near Shrewsbury on November 10, 1803, he rerained his fac- ulties up to the last, when sudden senile collapse terminated his existence. Asa boy he was accustomed to act as gate- opener for the Shropshire pack, and attract- ing attention of the riders with those hounds by his knowledge of the country and his powers of endurance, he soon ob- tained more lucrative employment,and for years was employed in the old posting days to secure relays, numbering amon his patrons Squire “Jack’ Mytton an Corbett, the Earls of Witton and Balcar- res, the Marquis of Queensbury (old Q.), and later the Marquis of Waterford and his set, of whose mad freaks he was never tired of telling. His general run wassixty miles a day. On all the great roads from the north to the metronolis he was a well- known figure, and his supplies en route were furnished without demur, and the cost charged to his patrons. pr to the last he was in receipt of a pension of £1 a week. He aied on Monday at the resi- dence of his great-granddaughter at Forest Gate.—Westminster. Gazette. WEIGHT OF A HUMAN BRAIN. “Some interesting facts,” says Dr. D. G. Brinton in Science, ‘‘were developed by Professor Ranke at the last meeting of the German Anthropological Society, in rela- tion to the relative weights of the brain and spinal cord in man. It is well known that man has not the heaviest brain of any animal; the whale and the elephant ha ve heavier. Nor has he the heaviest in pro- portion to his weight; some singing-birds, various small apes and the mole have pro- rtionately heavier brains. What Ranke ggings out is that the weight of the hu- man brain 1s greater in proportion to the weight of the spinal cord than in any other vertebrate; and this, therefors, con- stitutes an anatomical distinction of man, strongly contrhsting him with all other animal forms.” A PUMICE-STONE LIFEBOAT. In England trials have been made with a lifeboat made of pumice-stone, which a report, made by the Lighthouse Board, states to be most satisfactory. Notonly is the material of great lightness ana strength, but it is easily worked into any shape. The boht remains afloat and will support %uize a load even when full of water. The Enrts are made 1nterchange- able, and when a part is injured the simple loosening of a bolt enables the re- pairer to remove it and put in another. A BIG LIFE BELT. The ever-present dangers of the sea— dangers illustrated almost daily by ac- counts of collision, fire or other disaster, 80 often attended with loss of life—have prompted the invention of many more or less ingenious life-saving devices. One of the simplest, and yet most valuable, is that lately introduced by William Brandt, a sailmaker, at Lubeck, Germany. Substantially it is a reproduetion, on a very large scale, of the life-saving belts or rings commonly found aboard ships. But besides its greater carrying capacity it pre- sents some novel and sensible which enharce its value. Numerous partitions divide the belt into water-tight compartments, so that dam- age to any part does not materially affect eatures Lifebelt Holding Many Persons. the efficiency of the whole. The great elasticity of the belt reduces the danger to a minimum. Despite its great size it is very light. One man can easily roll it along the deck and fling it overboard, 1t does not matter how it strikes the water— it invariably turns right side up. The m}dgle space is taken up by a strong net- work. An important addition is that of ropes made fast to the periphery of the belt, and kept afloat by corks, so that persons sev- eral yards away from the buoy can draw themselves toit. Seven large men stand- ing on it do not appreciably sink the deviee, and when it is considered how small the weight of a person partially supported by the water is it will be seen that one beit can saye a large number of people.—New York World. AN ELECTRIC RIFLE. The practice-of firing big guns by elec- tricity is already well established, but hitherto no practical attempt has been made to explode the shells of small arms electrically. An electric rifle has recently been designed by J. F. Blake of New Haven, Conn., in which 1t is sought to carry out this principle. The sourcé ct the current is a battery, A, which is fitted into the stock eitker from the side or from the ends. The holes, B B, are connected to springs, C C, from which the wires, D D, run respectively to a spring, M, bolted at I to the lockplate, and to theinsulated ham- mer, H, fixed on the upper part of the trigger, G. Q is the shell containing an in- sulated pin, the head of which, O, projects beyond the base of the shell. If necessary, two pins can be placed parallel with each other and insulated until their points nearly meet. Between the base of the A MOUNTAIN.-CLIMBING LOCpMOTIV]&. cartridge and & hammer is a pin, K, encircled by a spring and riveted into a crossplate, J, at one end, the other end being fitted into an insulated thimble, L, the point of which nearly touches the shell pin-head, 0. When the cartridge has been inserted and the gun closed, the spring, M, rests on the metal base of the cartridge. As the trigger 18 pulled, the hammer strikes the plate, J, forcing the point of the thimble, L, into the point of the pro- jecting end, O, of the cartridge-pin. An arc is established at P O, which explodes the contents of the cartridge. The point of the firing pin, P, can be placed anywhere within the explosive powder of the cartridge, but by extending 1t near the bullet, as shown in the illustra- tion, a more- effective explosion of the powder is secured.—Electrical Engineer. A TOUCH REGISTER. In playing the piano, after a certain skill has been attained, it becomes very difficult for the master to distinguish the inequali- ties of touch on the part of his pupil, and hence MM. Binet and Courtier have in- The ‘Touch Register. vented an apparatus for recording them, which we illustrate in Fig. 1. It con- sists essentially of an indiarubber tube, T, which runs beneath the keys and com- municates with a drum, D, so that when a key presses on the tube a pulse of air causes the drum to expand, and make the pencil, P, draw a corresponding pulse, or wave, on a ribbon of traveling paper, R. The play of the keys is thus recorded on the paper, and can be studied atthe time or subsequently without any inter- ference with the player, who isnot em- barrassed by the tube. The apparatus can be applied to any piano without alter- ing its external appearance, and in the record shows the faults of the player. Although these are inappreciable to the ear, it is of great service in teaching. The inventors also claim that a register of this kind will enable composers to indicate slight changes 1 the time which cannot be marked on written music. Another invertion, which may be useful to musi- cians who possess a talent for improvisa- tion, is the music recorder of M. Rivoire, which we illustrate in Fig. 2. 1t is entirely mechanical in its action, the keys when played working a system of levers which press marking wheels against the traveling band of paper, P, shown be- neath the keyboard, and mark it with hor- izontal lines corresponding to the notes. A little practice is sufficient to enable the musician to read these marks like ordina music. The device does not interfere wig the player, but allows him to be carried away by the inspiration 6f the moment.,— Cassell’s Magazine. NEW OPTICAL TOY. A new optical toy gives much pleasure to Parisian little onessince it came out, about a month ago. Two panes of glass set in a wooden frame form a reservoir, which is filled with water. The forward pane is made of wavy glass, while the rear is an ordinary plain window-light. When Optical Toy. this reservoir is filled with water anda picture placed in the rear of it the- latter appears as if moving. Thus a fignre cut out of cardboard representing a man will appear walking toward the onlooker. A picture showing a clown with his cap poised on his nose will haye the appear- ance as if lie were exerting all his cunning to keep the cap there, balancing himsels as well as the cap with very clever motions. horses move, little dogs dance, and all these motions are reproduced so true to THE ELECTRIC RIFLE. nature that considerable amusement is de- rived for little as well as big children. A DOUBLE LOCOMOTIVE. The locomotive shown In the illustration on this page is probably the largest and heaviest of all the engines of this kind. It | was designed for the Mexican Central | Railroad by its chief engineer, . W. John- | ston, with special regard to the conditions | of the road and the trafhc thereon. This | engine is to be used for the propulsion of | freight trains between Tampico and the | City of Mexico, which is the most difficult | section of the road on account of its steep <‘ grades and its many curves of short radius. The locomotive is double in all its parts, | except the locomotive cab; one single stiff frame carries the two boilers ,and driving mechanisms, each machine resting on three axles, which are placed close to- gether. The total weight of the engine is 260,000 pounds. In order to enable this colossal engine to run over com- | paratively sbort curves the driving wheels of the trucks carrying the fore and rear parts of the locomotive are arranged to accommodate themselves to the curves. Ia spite of its great length tais engine can therefore go around curves of a much shorter diameter than an ordinary single engime. The mechanical arrangement of the driving wheels was, however, a matter of considerable difficulty, The ecrank shafts of these driving wheels were pro- vided with universal ball joints near the cylinder heads, o that, when the driving wheel assumes an angle other than ninety degrees in reference to the frame, the crank shafts connecting with the cylin- der heads and the driving wheels could follow the movement of the wheel with- out injury to the engine. An exact de- scription of the detail of this construe- tion is impossible without special designs which are too technical for ordinary read- ers. The engine is one of the compound system, the steam expanding consecu- tively in two cylinders. The high-pres- sure cylinder has a diameter of 13 inches, the low-pressure cylinder of 24 inches; the steam pressure averages 12 one-half atmospheres. The boilers are of steel and have a diameter of 4 feet 6 inches, each one being provided with 201 steam tubes 15 feet long. The engineer controls hoth engines with one lever, but it will remain for the future to show whether this style of locomotive is all that is claimed for it in practical use. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. In some experiments reported as having been made abroad lately on the seli- ignition of cotton waste, a few facts. of special interest to textile manufacturers were developed. A handful of cotton waste was dipped into linseed oil, squeezed out, placed in & wooden box and the tem- perature observed closely by means of a thermometer introduced into the box. | The tem perature sur:iunding the box was kept at 70 degrees Céntigrade, and in a short time after the temperature in the box was found to have risen to the height of 173 degrees, and smoke issued there- from; then, when opened so as to admit air, a flame burst out at once, while a box, from which the air was perfectly excluded, consumed after five or six hours. In an- other experiment, in which the. cotton waste was saturated with rapeseed oil, the box burned after ten hours. With an outer temperature of 56 degrees Centi- grade, gallipoli oil caused the spontaneous combustion of cotton wrapped in paver; castor. oil required twenty-four hours, spern oil four hours, train oil two hours, for a lively combustion THE WATERS OF LODORE., Few tell a better story than the Dean—of “Rosechester”—who has brought home some good ones from his “Little Tour in America.” Dean Hole is responsible for the following anecdote of one who was born and lived close to the cataract of Niagara: When he came to manhood he had the opportunity of reading.Southey’s poems and the well-known verses on the waterfall of Lodore excited his curiosity. “Ah,” he sighed, as he put down the book, “what if some day I might see Lodore!” That day came; he was among the lakes, and, wearied by fruitless wanderings in search of the cataract, he sat down on.a bank, and seeing a countryman approach he addressed him. ‘‘Friend, I have come between 4000 and 5000 miles to see your famous cataract. Tell me where, oh where, are the great waters of Lodore?’ And the rustic drew nigh and said°- *“You be a-sitting on it.”—Household Words. Strange Things Going On! All the Folks Surprised ! Mem.—A man pounded his finger; lost fifteen minutes’ time, curing it. Another got a whack square in the ] eye. He was docked one hour's pay—could then see out of it and went to work again. Still another had sat up nights with Felons, tried cocaine and opium, but ‘the agony had got there first and would not yield. Finally his wife, who had cured her tender feet, gave him a pointerand Hubby's Agony. Found a Master, _For he says he “Was Asleep in Ten Minates.” No “Royal Purple” After either accident. MrrcreLL's Maerc Lotiox did the business for them all. Money in Your Pocket To have it around, for nobody knows when or where the Lightning Is Going to Strike. Any Druggist can get it for you— 25¢, 50c and $1. Be sure and read the directions.