Part 1

[Entered at the Post Office of New York, N. Y., as Second Class Matter.]

A WEEKLY JOURNAL OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION, ART, SCIENCE, MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY, AND MANUFACTURES.

Vol. LVI.--no. 9. ] [NEW SERIES.] ] NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 26, 1887. [$3.00 per Year.

IMPROVED CALORIC ENGINE.

Caloric engines have long been used by the Trinity Board to provide power for working siren fog signals in connection with their lighthouses in England. They have generally been in the past of the horizontal type, but lately a new pattern, which we illustrate from _Engineering_, has been brought out; and as the entire work of the motor consists in driving air-compressing pumps, this form of engine should give very good results. At one end of a beam stands the retort or furnace with the motor cylinder, and at the other end stand three pumps. One of these forces air into the furnace, a second supplies the receiver of the fog signal, while the third, which is smaller than the second, performs the same office, when it is desired to raise the pressure to a point too high for the larger pump to accomplish. As fogs come on very suddenly, and give so little warning that it is often impossible to get the engine into action before the vision is entirely obscured, it is customary to keep a store of air in the receiver at two or three times the usual working pressure, and it is from the accumulation of this pressure that the smaller pump is provided.

The furnace is a closed receiver, and is fed with coke. Air is pumped into it at a pressure of about 30 lb. to the square inch, part being delivered below the fuel and part above. That part which goes below rises through the incandescent coke, and appears at the surface as carbonic oxide. Here it meets the upper air supply and burns with a fierce bright flame, producing very hot gases, which are admitted to the cylinder and there expand, driving the piston before them. From experiments made by Mr. C. Ingrey with engines of this kind, it appears that they consume from 2¼ lb. to 2½ lb. of coke per brake horse power per hour, and thus provide power very economically.

The engine is regulated by a governor, which varies the proportion of air admitted above and below the fuel, and thus alters the temperature of the gases admitted to the cylinder. The distributing valves are of the conical type, worked by tappets, and the fall is regulated by an air cushion.

These engines, for there are a pair, have been constructed by the Pulsometer Engineering Company, Limited, London, for the Northern Lights Commissioners, and will be erected on a lightship, probably at the North Carr. Each engine is nominally of six horse power, but actually gives ten horse power. The motor cylinder is 24 in. in diameter, the air pump 18 in., and the compressing pumps 9 in. and 5 in. respectively, all with a stroke of 18 in.

Naval Architecture During the Last Half Century.

The annual lecture under the auspices of the Greenock Philosophical Society, to commemorate the birth of James Watt, was delivered in the Watt Lecture Hall, Greenock, on January 14, by Mr. Robert Duncan, shipbuilder, Port Glasgow. The title of Mr. Duncan's paper was "Evolution in Naval Architecture during the Reign of Queen Victoria." After referring to the early history of marine engineering, and to the intimate connection of Greenock and the Clyde with its initial stages, Mr. Duncan went on to say that up to the date of her Majesty's accession in 1837, no systematic attempt at ocean navigation by steam had been made. In 1812 steamship building began, but it was not till 1838 that the first Atlantic steam communication began. The Sirius and the Great Western made the voyage to and from New York at the same time, in the middle of that year, in fourteen and seventeen days respectively, under steam all the way. Mr. Duncan then traced rapidly the evolution of the iron ship, through the various modifications of design and proportion, and the simultaneous and consequent evolution of crafts to adapt themselves to the rapidly changing conditions. Mr. Duncan also described the influence upon the forms of ships of maritime law and of Lloyd's rules--evolution in size from the short square boxes of the early periods to the long narrow vessels of to-day; the Enterprise, for example, the first steamer to make the voyage to India by the Cape of Good Hope, being only 122 feet long, while now the cargo carrying steamer is over 400 feet long, and the express passenger ocean steamer over 500 feet. Mr. Duncan considers it possible that, ere her Majesty's reign closes, the Flying Scotchman of the sea will reach a length of 800 feet, and a speed of twenty-five to thirty miles an hour. The evolution of the man-of-war was next described, an interesting sketch given of the science of naval architecture, and a bibliography of the subject.

A Three Cylinder Locomotive.

The Dunmore Iron and Steel Company, at Dunmore, Pa., has a small locomotive in use switching in its yards which is of a novel pattern. It is thus described by the superintendent of the works: "This little engine has three 8 X 12 in. steam cylinders, four 33 in. driving wheels, two outside connecting and parallel rods, and one inside connecting rod. No balancing is needed in driving wheels. The engine has six exhausts to a revolution, and the effect on the fire is good. It is claimed that by setting the cranks at an angle of 120 degrees the slip is reduced to a minimum. This engine makes 30 miles an hour on a 40 ft. grade easily, with a light load, and is considered a good machine by those who have run her. Its weight is about 12 tons."

Scientific American.

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NEW YORK, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1887.

Contents.

(Illustrated articles are marked with an asterisk.)

Architecture, naval, during last half century 127

Armament, British, at Victoria* 131

Army, peace, of the United States 129

Aurora borealis* 135

Beam caloric engine* 127

Bench and ironing board, combined* 131

Birds, incendiary 133

Birds, phosphorescent 133

Birds, winter, our* 133

Blind stop, improved* 131

Books and publications, new 138

Boots or shoes, crimping, device for* 131

Brush and comb cleaner* 132

Business and personal 138

Charcoal as fossil 133

Chevreul's black* 137

Cocaine habit, the 128

Correspondence 133

Craze, Yankee, the latest 136

Defense of New York within thirty days' time 132

Dredger, marine, improved* 134

Earthquake, Charleston 133

Electroplating with platinum 132

Emery wheels for gumming saws* 130

Engine, caloric, improved* 127

Eruption in the Tonga group 133

Exhibition, American, London 137

Fish, meat, etc., canned 133

Guns, steel, are they superior? 128

Hats, ladies', protector for* 132

Hydraulic dredging at Washington 134

Injector, Penberthy* 132

Inventions, agricultural 138

Inventions, engineering 138

Inventions, index of 139

Inventions, miscellaneous 138

Life insurance company, a solid 129

Locomotive, three-cylinder 127

Measuring rack, wood, adjustable* 131

Medicine, preventive 129

Nervous patient, treatment, length of 136

Northern lights, the* 135

Notes and queries 138

Patent law, amendment of the, new 128

Patent, steel wire brush 136

Petroleum in Egypt 137

Plasterer's hawk* 131

Pyrofuxin--a new tanning substance from coal 128

Saw gummer, emery vulcanite* 130

Shark, frilled, the* 130

Snails, strength of 137

Sodium, producing, new method of, Castner's 129

Steel rail capacity of the United States 132

Stump puller, improved* 132

Sugar process, new 134

Sun, duration of 134

Thermoscopic balance* 134

Torpedo boat armed with pneumatic dynamite guns* 137

Torpedo, effect of, on an ironclad* 136

Torpedo experiments at Portsmouth* 136

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT

No. 582.

For the Week Ending February 26, 1887.

Price 10 cents. For sale by all newsdealers.

PAGE I. AERONAUTICS.--War Balloons.--The establishment of balloon corps in the armies of different countries; the French, English, Italian, and Russian establishments.--1 illustration 9288

II. ASTRONOMY.--Astronomical Telescopes; their object glasses and reflectors.--By G.D. HISCOX.--The dialyte telescope; practical details of the mechanical operations of construction, such as lens grinding and shaping; washing flour of emery, tests for correction.--23 illustrations 9296

Fleurials' Gyroscope Collimator.--An ingenious application of the gyroscope to fixing the horizon line in sextant observations; an instrument crowned by the French Academy.--2 illustrations 9291

III. BIOLOGY.--An Epidemic of _Micrococcus prodigiosus_.--By M. GRIMBERT.--Interesting case of bacterial poisoning, with details of the detection of the bacteria 9301

The Morphological Conditions of Heredity.--An exposition of Professor A. Weissman's theory of the "perpetuity of germ plasma;" a theory opposed to the doctrine of evolution 9295

The Third Eye of Reptiles.--The last conclusions on the pineal gland in reptiles; curious development in anatomy, the possible organ of a sixth sense.--1 illustration 9300

IV. CHEMISTRY.--Nitrogenous Principles of Vegetable Mould.--Note of the conclusions of MM. Berthelot and Andre 9302

The Lactocrite.--A new method of ascertaining the amount of fat in milk.--By H. Faber.--An apparatus for analyzing milk employing centrifugal force.--Results obtained.--1 illustration 9292

V. ELECTRICITY.--Electric Welding.--The new art in metallurgy described by Prof. ELIHU THOMSON; full details of the process, apparatus, and current required.--2 illustrations 9293

The Electric Waltzers.--An ingenious electric toy.--1 illustration 9293

VI. ENGINEERING.--Sustaining Walls. Arched sustaining walls and arched buttresses; elaborate study of French practice.--11 illustrations 9288

VII. METEOROLOGY.--Popular Errors in Meteorology. Popular fallacies; the habits of animals, the Rocky Mountain locust; the equinoctial storm 9299

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.--Beethoven's Portrait. An authentic portrait of the great musician.--1 illustration 9301

Dwarfs and Giants.--Relative sizes of men; the Austrian giant, Francis Winckelmeler, 8½ feet high.--1 illustration 9302

The Sinaloa Colony.--The Topolobampo settlement; its origin, progress, principles and prospects 9301

IX. NAVAL ENGINEERING.--Torpedo Boat Catchers. A review of recent constructions of fast light armored vessels for combating torpedo boats 9290

X. ORDNANCE.--The Use of Machine Guns in the Field in Combination with Infantry.--Abstract of a recent paper on this subject by Major A. D. ANDERSON, R.H.A.--The advantages and uses of the weapon discussed.--Advocacy of their introduction 9288

XI. PHOTOGRAPHY.--Orthochromatic Photography. By J. B. B. WELLINGTON.--Formulæ and practical directions for orthochromatic work.--The use of silver carbonate and erythrosin together 9293

XII. PHYSICS.--A New Gas Thermo-Regulator.--A simple and efficient apparatus for regulating heat in air baths, etc.--1 illustration 9292

A New Thermometer.--The principle of the Bourdon safety gauge applied to thermometry.--Fermis' new thermometer.--1 illustration 9291

Phosphorescence of Alumina.--By EDMOND BECQUEREL.--The effects of impurities on phosphorescence discussed 9294

Separation of Nickel by the Magnet.--By THOMAS T. P. BRUCE-WARREN.--The effect of copper on nickel in modifying its susceptibility to magnetic attraction.--Practical deductions as to nickel crucibles and gauze 9294

The Capillarity and Density of Liquids.--A simple experiment in physics without apparatus.--1 illustration 9294

XIII. SANITATION AND HYGIENE.--A Floating Hospital.--A new structure recently erected at Newcastle-on-Tyne.--2 illustrations 9295

XIV. TECHNOLOGY.--Employment of Acetic or Formic Acid in Bleaching.--Ingenious use of a small quantity of organic acids to decompose indefinite amounts of bleaching powder.--The invention of Dr. Lunge, of Zurich 9290

Sulphurous Acid in the Chemical Industries.--Its use in the phosphate and tartaric acid industries 9294

Tea Withering Apparatus.--A portable blowing apparatus for drying tea.--Use of chloride of calcium to absorb moisture therein.--1 illustration 9291

NEW AMENDMENT OF THE DESIGN PATENT LAW.

An amendment of the patent law relating to design patents has lately passed both houses of Congress and received the approval of the President. The object of the amendment is to correct a defect in the law, which prevented the patentee from collecting damages in cases of infringement.

Under the old law, the Supreme Court held that in the case, for example, of a carpet manufacturer who complained of an infringement of his design or pattern of carpet, the complainant must clearly prove what portion of the damage, or what portion of the profit made by the infringer, was due to the use of the patented design. It was practically impossible to make this showing. Hence the infringer could imitate the patented design without liability, and the law was a nullity.

Under the provisions of the new law, the infringer is obliged to pay the sum of $250 in any event; and if his profits are more than that sum, he is compelled, in addition, to pay all excess of profits above $250 to the patentee. It is believed that the penalty of $250, irrespective of profits, will put a stop to the wholesale system of infringement heretofore carried on by unscrupulous persons.

The following is the text of the new law:

An act to amend the law relating to patents, trade marks, and copyright.

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled_, That hereafter, during the term of letters patent for a design, it shall be unlawful for any person other than the owner of said letters patent, without the license of such owner, to apply the design secured by such letters patent, or any colorable imitation thereof, to any article of manufacture for the purpose of sale, or to sell or expose for sale any article of manufacture to which such design or colorable imitation shall, without the license of the owner, have been applied, knowing that the same has been so applied. Any person violating the provisions, or either of them, of this section shall be liable in the amount of two hundred and fifty dollars; and in case the total profit made by him from the manufacture or sale, as aforesaid, of the article or articles to which the design, or colorable imitation thereof, has been applied, exceeds the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, he shall be further liable for the excess of such profit over and above the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars; and the full amount of such liability may be recovered by the owner of the letters patent, to his own use, in any circuit court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties, either by action at law or upon a bill in equity for an injunction to restrain such infringement.

SEC. 2. That nothing in this act contained shall prevent, lessen, impeach, or avoid any remedy at law or in equity which any owner of letters patent for a design, aggrieved by the infringement of the same, might have had if this act had not been passed; but such owner shall not twice recover the profit made from the infringement.

Approved, February 4, 1887.

ARE STEEL GUNS REALLY SUPERIOR?

Admiral Porter said recently that there was little hope of building fast war ships as long as the Bureau of Steam Engineering designed the engines, for that, such was the influence of interested persons, it was not free to choose the best devices. Whoever is familiar with the workings of the Ordnance Bureau will admit that this, too, is similarly controlled. Long ago it pronounced in favor of steel guns, and like a judge who records his decision and then asks to hear the evidence, this bureau has been listening unmoved to the most convincing testimony regarding the relative efficiency of cast iron guns.

The importance of this question of steel _vs_. cast iron guns will be appreciated when it is explained that it would take at least five years after the passage of an appropriation before the first steel gun could be turned out, while only a twelvemonth would be required to establish a cast iron gun plant.

It has never been the custom among American mechanicians to blindly follow the lead of others, but rather to work untrammeled by traditions; to carefully note what has already been done, and to strike out anew in whatever direction gives the most promise. Experienced gun makers and artillerists have recently admitted that the steel rifle has not fulfilled the promises made for it. The Krupp guns, of which we hear so much, have never yet been subjected to such high pressures as have been applied to cast iron guns, and experience has shown it would not be safe to put them through such tests. Indeed, the cast-iron smooth bore guns which have been converted into rifles by the insertion of wrought iron rifled cylinders have been fired under a pressure fully three times as great as it has been thought advisable to subject steel guns of the same caliber to. An authority says: "Cast iron guns have often been fired hundreds of rounds under pressure of nearly seventeen tons to the square inch of bore, yet there has never been a failure, nor a sign of one. The United States has now a 12½ in. cast iron rifle constructed on the same plan as the 8 in. converted rifle. This gun was made ten years ago, as an experiment. It has been fired with charges as high as two hundred pounds of hexagonal or quick powder (as compared with powder now considered suitable), and is still serviceable. The United States has another experimental 12 in. rifle, entirely of cast iron. It has been fired more than a hundred rounds with high power charges (265 pounds powder, 800 pound shot), and is still serviceable."

Curiously enough, the experiments with these guns ceased at the very time when there was the most reason for continuing them, to wit, while they were giving evidence of their ability to stand a long series of continuous rounds. The mode of testing a high pressure gun, upon which all authorities agree, is to fire it, round after round, until it bursts or shows weakness. There is authority for the statement that there is not a 12 inch steel gun in Europe which has been fired two hundred rounds, and yet, just as soon as these cast iron guns gave promise of withstanding successfully such a test, a peremptory order came from the Ordnance Bureau to cease firing and stop further experiment.

The failure of steel guns in Europe is frequent, though there is good reason for the belief that we only hear of a tithe of them, the balance being kept secret. Only the other day a big steel gun exploded at the muzzle, on the French trial grounds, and news comes that both in the war ships Collingwood and Ajax a number of steel guns have been condemned.

Because of these facts it is not at all surprising that the majority in the House of Representatives, though willing to appropriate money for guns, are averse to having the outlay controlled by the Ordnance Bureau, which is wedded to the steel gun theory and others not much better sustained.

THE COCAINE HABIT.