124 



Lamp for burning lard. — Thunder Storms. 



Vol. VII. 



of an uninterrupted admission of oxygen ; 

 the exclusion of those foreign agents which 

 are always found in a soil that contains cor- 

 rupted vegetable matter; and finally, the 

 volatile alkali of the snow, — all these causes 

 combined, effect the remarkable appearance 

 of germination in this process." — From The 

 Friend. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Lamp for burning Lard. 



Having noticed in the last Number of the 

 Farmers' Cabinet, some remarks respecting 

 Lard oil, and the subject attracting at the 

 present time very general attention, I am 

 induced to mention the experience I have 

 had in the consumption of lard itself, to fur- 

 nish a beautiful and brilliant light. Being 

 lately on business in Boston, I called at the 

 store of a friend in the evening, and to my 

 surprise noticed his premises finely illumi- 

 nated : this, however, was soon and readily 

 explained by the fact, that he was interested 

 in the sale of " Southworth's Patent Lard 

 Lamp." The article in use was the com- 

 mon tin, or glass lamp, with a wick, just 

 such as is used for burning Sperm oil, only 

 with the addition of a flat copper heater, 

 which comes up closely in contact with the 

 flame, and descending to the bottom of the 

 lard, returns again nearly to the top. The 

 copper is thus heated by the flame, and it 

 being a good conductor, the lard becomes 

 completely liquified; and the contents of the 

 glass lamp, after it had been under way for 

 a short time, looked like the finest bleached 

 oil. My friend stated that lard at eight 

 cents per pound, in this lamp, would cost no 

 more than the very best Sperm oil at fifty 

 cents per gallon, and would give as much 

 light. At his suggestion I bought a couple 

 of beautiful parlour lamps for use, and on 

 trial, find them perfect; the light is pleasant 

 and bright, there is no disagreeable smell, 

 and the wick requires to be trimmed or 

 snuffed, only once in an evening. The ap- 

 paratus for heating is so complete, that not 

 only lard can be used, but tallow, or any 

 other fatty substance. 



And if this lamp should obtain general 

 use, it appears to me the farmer would be 

 spared the trouble of making candles. If 

 he wishes to use tallow or lard, all that will 

 be necessary, is for him to obtain one of 

 Southworth's Patent Lard Lamps, put in 

 the wick as he would to any other lamp, 

 then just before he wishes a light, melt the 

 tallow or lard, fill up the lamp and light the 

 wick, and my word for it, he will have as 

 pleasant a light to read the Cabinet by, as 



the oil from the whale will give. And then 

 he has the whole within himself; — he need 

 no longer be dependent on the success of the 

 Whaleman ; he can set quietly at home and 

 enjoy his domestic light, and read with in- 

 difference of the poor success of this or that 

 voyage, in search of the monsters of the 

 deep. 



Before leaving the subject it may be as 

 well to say, that Ellis S. Archer, at 32 N. 

 Second street, Philadelphia, has a Patent 

 Lard Lamp, which is highly spoken of by 

 some who have used it. V. 



Philadelphia, Tenth month 11th, 1842. 



Thunder Storms. 



As we are so often visited by these storms, 

 which are usually of great severity, and sel- 

 dom pass over without some damage to life 

 or property, the following facts relating to 

 them, will be read with interest by those 

 who have never before had them, and will 

 serve to refresh the memories of those who 

 studied these principles in their philosophy. 



The distance of a thunder storm, and con- 

 sequently the danger, is not difficult to be 

 ascertained. As light travels at the rate of 

 about 66,420 leagues in a second, or nearly 

 200,006 miles in one second of time, its ef- 

 fects may be considered as instantaneous, 

 within any moderate distance. Sound, on 

 the contrary, is transmitted only at the rate 

 of 1,142 feet in a second. By accurately 

 observing, therefore, the time which inter- 

 venes between the flash of light and the be- 

 ginning of the noise of the thunder which 

 follows it, a very accurate calculation may 

 be made of its distance, viz. : when you ob- 

 serve the lightning, and ten seconds elapse 

 before you hear the thunder, you are two 

 miles out of danger; if five seconds elapse 

 between, one mile out of danger; but if you 

 only distinguish one second to elapse be- 

 tween the lightning and thunder, then you 

 may estimate yourself, only 1,142 feet from 

 the dangerous fluid, and the nearer to the 

 light you hear the thunder within one se- 

 cond, you may count yourself in danger; by 

 having a knowledge of these things, there 

 is no better means of removing apprehen- 

 sions. If the thunder rumbles seven se- 

 conds, you must be aware that the electric 

 fluid has passed through the atmosphere to 

 the earth, a distance of nearly one mile and 

 a half Sometimes the fluid skips from one 

 cloud to another, before it comes to the 

 earth. There is no danger to be appre- 

 hended from the thunder, but that it ope- 

 rates as a warning, when well calculated. 

 — Cheltenham Chronicle. 



