Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican, Volume 8, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1876 — MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC. [ARTICLE]

MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC.

—From some observations made by M. Bredichin, in the neighborhood of Moscow and at the Observatory of that city, be concludes that the theory of ascending and descending currents is sufficient to explain the formation and development of color faculte and spots; that if on any pdrtion of the solar surface an increase of temperature takes place, there must at that place soon be an ascending current, and the head of, this ascending current will form a cleud as soon as it reaches a proper height; that the lower portions of the chromosphere flow from all directions toward the base of this column of ascending air, and subsequently they ascend the solar surface and flow off to one side, thus continuing the circulation. —Experiments continue to be made in France to test the efficiency of an engine of peculiar construction. This engine is described as having no wheels, but js provided instead with what may be called legs. It does not roll; it walks, jruns, or gallops. It is like an ordinary engine, witli straight rods terminating in broad circular skates. There are three legs in front and three behind. The moving cylinders, instead of turning wheels, raise the feet. The invention, it is claimed, is particularly adapted for carrying great weights up an incline, as a convenient substitute for the meanjs now employed. One of these, which is at present atwork on a French railway, weighs ten tons, and goes four to five miles every hour, but can accomplish, if desired, eleven or twelve miles.

—Within the last few yeqrs, some French chemists have been experimenting on the flax fiber, with a view to making it finer, all such fiber, as is well known, being somewhat coarse. These chemists, knowing vefy well the nature of the fiber, that it is simply a hollow tube, tried soaking it in an acid solution, then washed this out, after which they employed a certain alkaline solution, soaking this in a solution of a carbonate, some carbonate which had a great deal of carbonic acid, etc., in it, the object being to burst open the fibers. The result was that the flax proved very much finer than it otherwise would have been. In this way the cottonized flax, as it is termed, was made. It was supposed at one time that this article would be brought into general use; but, for some unexplained reasons, the article is used only to a very limited extent, notwithstanding its acknowledged Value.

—A new and ingenious arrangement for car brakes has been introduced, consisting chiefly in the combination with a worm or screw thread upon the car wheel shaft, or of an adj ustable pin to a lever arm, this being also provided with ritht angular arms, which are connected with the traction rod through which the brakes are applied. This pin is adjusted so as to be raised above the worm upon the shaft, or depressed so as to register therewith aud move the lever arm, in which it is contained, laterally, for the purpose of applying the brakes through the riglitarras, as elbow levers. The devices for operating the adjustable pin are equally unique and simple. There is a rock shaft which has an arm attached to a sliding collar that raises the lever carrying the pin; and then there is a second arm, attached to an indented disk, and so combined with a ratchet wheel and pawl as to remove the pin by the same move,, meat.— NPY. Sun.

Duping the five years ending December, 1875, says the Hew York Time*, there were 281 homicides committed in the city of New York. Some of 4hem were premeditated, many of them were unprovoked, and a large majority were utterly without palliation. Nevertheless, put ot all this appalling number of man-killers, the perpetrators who suffered death were only §mn. Only twenty-four were sen* to prison for life. Ana reviewing this dreadful list, we discover that ihore than one-fourth of’ the criminals-were never brought to trial at all. Some of them escape, and are never followed up and arrested. A few have ended their own worth less lives after they have committed crime, and more evade detection. These are in hiding to this day. Possibly some of them, variously disguised, -return to their old haunts and live seeurely, in the bfeltef that “ the* thing has blown over. ”