M. TECHNOLOGY. 609 



EXPLOSION IX A FLOUR MILL NEAR GLASGOW. 



A recent explosion at the Tradeston Flouv Mills in Glas- 

 gow was explained on the theory that minute particles float- 

 ing in the atmosphere became so mixed with oxygen as to 

 form an explosive gas, and this conclusion has been corrobo- 

 rated by a similar explosion at the Park Brewery during the 

 grinding of a quantity of malt. A small flint was introduced 

 into the malt between the iron rollers of the mill, and a 

 spark being struck, the floating dust immediately exploded 

 with a loud report. 18 August 1, 1873, 604. 



SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF OILY COTTON WASTE. 



Experiments by Galletly show how dangerous it is to al- 

 low greasy refuse to lie, even in small quantities, in warm 

 places. He found that such waste, dipped in boiled linseed- 

 oil, and wrung out, required, at a temperature of 170, only 

 one hundred and five minutes at the most to take fire, and 

 that the bulk need not be very great, as a match-boxful, at 

 167, took fire in one hour. With raw linseed-oil it required 

 four to five hours; "with rape-oil at 170, over six hours; 

 w'itli castor-oil at 185, over a day; with olive-oil, one and 

 two-third hours ; and wath sperm-oil it would not take fire 

 at all. The heavy coal and petroleum oils were found to re- 

 tard oxidation by excluding the air. Silk waste did not take 

 fire, but gunpow^der placed in it was fired in an hour; and in 

 cotton, under similar circumstances, only after one hour and 

 a half. 6 C, April 10, 1873, 140. 



PHOSPHORUS BRONZE. 



The result of three years' experiment, on the part of cer- 

 tain manufacturers in Europe, of the use of the phosphorus 

 bronze, tends to afiix a high value to this alloy. In the in- 

 stances referred to it has been used to much advantage for 

 the great bearings of the plates in general rolling-mills, and 

 for conical ecearinsc in imiversal rollino-mills, in cases where 

 the rollers weighed five tons. It w^as found that the gear, 

 when made of hard cast iron, broke frequently; this was re- 

 placed by w^heels of ordinary bronze, and then by those of 

 phosphorus bronze. The duration of ordinary bronze wheels 

 did not exceed, on an average, five months, while those made 



Cc2 



