26 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



diately, and the glass presents the same appearance as a new one. 

 Builder. 



CEMENT FOR ROOMS. 



A recent invention by M. Sorel, of Paris, is described to consist in 

 the discovery of a property possessed by oxychloride of zinc, which 

 renders it superior to the plaster of Paris for coating the walls of rooms. 

 It is applied in the following manner: A coat of oxide of zinc mixed 

 with size, made up like a wash, is first laid on the wall, ceiling, or 

 wainscot, and over that a coat of chloride of zinc applied, being pre- 

 pared in the same way as the first wash. The oxide and chloride 

 effect an immediate combination, and form a kind of cement, smooth 

 and polished as glass, and possessing the advantages of oil paint, with- 

 out its disadvantages of smell. 



WIRE LATHING FOR WELLS. 



W. E. Gedge, of London, England, has secured a patent for the em- 

 ployment of iron wires as a substitute for wood laths used on the walls 

 of rooms that require plastering. The wires are stretched and crossed 

 on the studs and joists and then secured in screw rings. The wires are 

 fixed at such a distance apart that the priming coat of thick plaster 

 mixed with hair will adhere to them perfectly. These wires do not 

 shrink nor warp like laths, and on this account they are said to be su- 

 perior for plastered walls. 



PREVENTION OF FIRE ACCIDENTS. 



An English architect proposes to construct buildings in an improved 

 manner by economizing the space which the staircases usually occupy, 

 and to render them fire-proof by dividing or insulating the staircases 

 from the building of which they form part. This he proposes to ac- 

 complish by arranging the stairs (which are to be made of incombusti- 

 ble materials), in a recess formed in the outer wall of a building ; which 

 recess is to extend from the foundation to the roof, and have no open- 

 ing whatever on its inner side ; but it is to be provided, where neces- 

 sary, with openings or doorways on its outer face, leading to balconies 

 (which are also to be formed of incombustible materials) fixed at the 

 level of, and giving access to, each of the floors or flats of the building. 

 By means of this arrangement of staircase and balconies, each floor will 

 be rendered totally distinct from, and independent of, that one below 

 or above it, so far as regards any internal communication therewith or 

 therefrom. 



WATER-PROOF WALKS. 



The following new method of path-making is recommended by the 

 London Gardener's Magazine, for its excellence, permanence, and 

 economy. Instead of making the walk of loose material, on the old 

 fashion, concreting is resorted to, by which the appearance of gravel is 

 retained with all its freshness and beauty of contrast to grass and flow- 

 ers, and the walk itself is rendered as dry and durable as the best 

 pavement. The modus operaudi is as follows : Procure a sufficient 

 quantity of the best Portland cement; then," with the help of a laborer, 

 turn up the path with a pick, and have all the old gravel screened, so 



