504 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



the oil passes through a pyrometer, by which its tempera- 

 ture is indicated, and by means of dampers, etc., to the lire, 

 the heat can be regulated to any required point. The heat- 

 in- medium is turned on or oft" the jackets in the same man- 

 ner as steam, and as the rate of flow can be checked or aug- 

 mented at will, the temperature is perfectly under the con- 

 trol of the operator. 



In the model which has been employed the pyrometer gen- 

 erally indicates from 600 to 700 Fahrenheit, while a satu- 

 rated solution of chloride of calcium is maintained at the 

 boiling point in a shallow stone-ware pan. No smell of oil 

 is perceptible in the room, and it is stated that the same oil 

 may be used for years without deterioration, or causing any 

 deposit in the pipes. As contrasted with steam heat, the in- 

 ventor claims for his process a saving of thirty per cent, in 

 fuel. It is obvious that the large amount of heat necessary 

 to convert water at 212 Fahrenheit into steam at 212 is 

 hereby economized. 1 A, June 10, 265. 



THE CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE, 



similar to that used in American sugar refineries and' laun- 

 dries, is now successfully used in France to extract the juice 

 of apples and grapes for the manufacture of cider and wine. 

 The machine is represented as acting more rapidly than the 

 ordinary press, and extracts more juice. Thus with grapes 

 the machine will in two hours do more work than the press 

 in seventeen, and the juice is all of the same quality, while 

 by the old process only the first running will make wine of 

 the best quality, as the remainder is injured by the contact 

 with the skins and stalks. The same results are obtained in 

 extracting the juice from apples. The motive power neces- 

 sary to drive the apparatus, it is reported, is not large, as a 

 three-horse engine will give a thousand turns a minute to an 

 ordinary sized machine. 



ALCOHOL FROM LICHENS. 



The use of lichens and marine alga? as a substitute for 

 grain in the preparation of spirits appears to be extending in 

 Europe, especially in countries like. Sweden and Norway, in 

 which these plants abound, and in which the cereals are raised 

 with difficulty. The general process consists in converting 



