MECHANICS AND USEFUL ARTS. 101 



which, after succeeding- well in all other operations, I employed in 

 the harvest-field, and being fully satisfied with them in this capacity, 

 I soon discarded every wagon from the farm. New York Farmer and 

 Mechanic. 



LONDON COAL EXCHANGE. 



THE desiccated floor of the London Coal Exchange consists of up- 

 wards of 4,000 pieces of wood, of various kinds and qualities. The 

 great feature of the affair is, that the whole of these pieces were, 

 only a few months since, either in the tree in the growing state, or 

 cut from wet logs, and were prepared for use in the course of a few 

 days, by a new method of seasoning. The names of the woods thus 

 introduced are black ebony, black oak, common and red English oak, 

 wainscot, white holly, mahogany, American elm, red and white wal- 

 nut (French and English), and mulberry. It is mentioned as a proof 

 of the rapidity of this mode of seasoning, that the black oak is part 

 of an old tree which was discovered and removed from the bed of the 

 Tyne River about the latter end of last year. The mulberry- wood, 

 introduced as the blade of the dagger in the city shield, is no less than 

 a piece of a tree which was planted by Peter the Great, when working 

 in this country as a shipwright. The patentees state that no one piece 

 of the 4.000 occupied more than ten or twelve days in seasoning. 

 London Builder. 



FIRE-AXXIIIILATOR. 



A NUMBER of experiments have been made at the London Gas 

 Works, with " Phillips' s Fire-Annihilator." These were preceded 

 by an explanation from Mr. Phillips of the manner in which he was 

 led to the discovery, and of the principles upon which its success de- 

 pends. He stated that, while watching a volcanic eruption in the 

 Mediterranean, he observed that the huge column of water which was 

 discharged from the crater did not extinguish the flame which accom- 

 panied it, while the smoke of a brushwood fire swept by the wind put 

 out another brushwood fire near it. He then introduced the " fire- 

 annihilator," which at once extinguished very large fires fed by the 

 most combustible materials. The extraordinary speed, ease, and cer- 

 tainty with which the invention acted, excited the surprise and admi- 

 ration of many scientific gentlemen who were present, and there can 

 be little doubt that the " fire-annihilator " is a very valuable addition 

 to the discoveries of the age. In construction and application, it has 

 the great advantage of being extremely simple, and it is quite porta- 

 ble, and capable of being placed where it would be most accessible 

 when needed. The gases which it evolves, and which are found so 

 efficacious in extinguishing flames, are produced from a compound 

 of charcoal, nitre, and gypsum, which is ignited by breaking a bot- 

 tle containing sulphuric acid. The acid drops upon chlorate of 

 potass and sugar, and instantly a large body of vapor is evolved with 

 great force from a tube connected with the metal chamber in which 

 the whole materials are inclosed. Tins vapour extinguishes the flames 

 with a rapidity which is truly marvellous. London Athenaum, Sept, 



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