386 Miscellanies. 



had very little effect upon the road. From the manner in which the 

 blocks are surrounded by the broken stone, which has, during the 

 late, season been carefully placed along the line of the rails in large 

 quantities, it is presumed that the action of the frost will be success- 

 fully resisted. 



4. JVotice of Li flammable Gas issuing from ivater pipes in JVeio- 

 York ; by Wm. N. Blakeman. 



New York, Oct. Slh, 1831. 



To THE EDITOR. — S'^V, — I havc just observed what to me appear- 

 ed a phenomenon which may be worthy of your notice. It occur- 

 red at the corner of Bedford and Carmine streets in this city. The 

 corporation are laying down pipes for the conveyance of water about 

 the city to extinguish fires ; the pipes are about ten inches in diame- 

 ter, and extended from the fountain at the junction of the Bowery 

 and Thirteenth streets, at which place they were filled with water 

 from the fountain by means of a steam engine, which raised the wa- 

 ter from below the surface. The distance is about one mile from 

 Bedford street, one half of the distance was filled with water, the 

 other with air; at the end was a stop cock, on the side is an orifice, 

 to which was attached a piece of hose with pipe, the orifice of which 

 was about one half inch in diameter. 



When the water was let into the pipes, the air began to rush out at 

 the small orifice in the pipe attached to the hose, with a noise resem- 

 bling the letting off of steam from a boiler; after a few moments, a 

 blue "flame was to be seen issuing from the tube which continued for 

 fifteen minutes, about three inches in diameter and two feet in length. 

 The sun^s rays were at the time partially obscured by passing 

 clouds. After the air had all passed out, the water followed with 

 a force sufficient to elevate it to a height of about fifty feet. The 

 quantity of air imprisoned, was about one half mile in length, and ten 



inches in diameter. ^ 

 9 



5. Remarks on the Fine Arts; i^/ Prof. Gimbrede of the Milita- 

 ry Academy, West Point; abridged from a lecture delivered to the 

 Cadets. — Volumes have been written, to describe many of the rare 

 productions of genius in the fine arts. 



It is my task to direct your efforts, in selecting from nature, some 

 of the best forms for imitation ; and while engaged in the per- 

 formance of this duty, I shall, 1 trust, virtually prove the necessity 



