Dec 1st, 1887.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



221 



Aluminium Steel. — A large number of steel companies 

 " are experimenting with aluminium to produce sound cast- 

 ings. Among them are the Cleveland Rolling Mill Com- 

 pany, the Lindon Steel Company, the Pittsburgh Steel 

 Casting Company, the Otis Steel Company, the Alliance 

 Works, and the Chester Works. They use an alloy of iron 

 and aluminium, manufactured at Lockport, N.Y., by the 

 Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminium Company, cast in 

 thin slabs, and carrying from 510 10 percent.ata costof 4dols. 

 per pound of the aluminium contained. — Railroad Gasclle. 



The Purity of Soap-Powders. — For this purpose a very 

 simple method has been given, which requires neither 

 chemical skill nor the appliances of a laboratory. It is 

 merely necessary to put about 15 grains of the sample into 

 a narrow phial of clear glass, and pour upon it rather more 

 than half a fluid ounce of a mixture of 85 parts of alcohol 

 and 15 parts of acetic acid. If the solution be clear the soap- 

 powder is pure. If there be an effervescence an excess of soda 

 in some form is present, and if there remains a sediment 

 undissolved the sample contains steatite, kaolin, or other 

 soapy minerals. 



Nickel Crucibles. — It is well known that pure nickel is 

 one of the toughest of metals, and that it fuses only at a 

 very high temperature. It has a very fine grain, takes a 

 high polish, and is very compact and unalterable. These 

 qualities have led to its being employed for crucibles and 

 evaporating dishes. They stand the action of alkalies re- 

 markably well. Cold hydrochloric acid, whether dilute or 

 concentrated, may be used to clean out these crucibles, 

 and no alteration in weight is the result. Cold oil of vitriol 

 is likewise without action ; but concentrated nitric acid 

 attacks them, causing rapid loss of weight. — Horological 

 Journal. 



The North-East Wind. — The most singular feature in 

 this somewhat exceptional year has been, meteorologically 

 speaking, the predominance ot the polar current. In most 

 seasons, Kingsley's "mild north-easter" does not persecute 

 us after summer has set in. But this year it has been ob- 

 served during thirteen days in August, fourteen in September, 

 and fourteen in October — a decidedly exceptional state of 

 things. The occurrence of a temperature of 19° Fahrenheit — 

 or, in other words, 13 degrees of frost — as early as the begin- 

 ning of October, and in so southern a locality as within six 

 miles of Southampton, is scarcely within the recollection 

 of the public. 



Magnetic Filter. — A magnetic filter for cleaning oil 

 which has been used for lubricating machinery has been 

 brought out by the Electric Filter Company of Chicago. 

 The filter consists of a vessel contracted in the middle and 

 surrounded at that point by a coil of wire, through which an 

 electric current is caused to circulate. This portion of the 

 cylinder contains iron filings which are magnetised by the 

 current and thus attract the iron particles and other metallic 

 partifcles of magnetic tendency. The oil is further clarified 

 by passing through other filters, such as felt cloths and 

 sawdust; and is received in a purified condition in the 

 lower receptacle. 



Adulterated Flour. — Adulteration ot flour by potato 

 flour may be delected by means of acids. Take a spoonful 

 of flour and pour upon it a little nitric acid ; if the flour be 

 of wheat, the colour will be changed to an orange j'ellow ; 

 if wholly of potato flour, the colour will not be altered, 

 but the flour formed into a tenacious jelly. If, therefore, 



the flour be adulterated with potato flour, it will not be 

 difficult to decide. Again, take a spoonful of the flour, and 

 pour upon it a little muriatic acid ; if the flour be of pure 

 wheat, it will be changed to a deep violet colour, without 

 odour ; but if potato flour is mixed with it, it will then have 

 an odour like that of rushes. — Scioittfic American. 



Colouring Copper and Nickel. — According to thcjunrnnl 

 dcs Appl. Elcctriqiies, a variety of tints can be produced upon 

 copper and nickel. To do this the articles are thoroughly 

 cleaned and polished, and placed in the following solution : 

 Acetate of lead, 31 grains; hyposulphite of soda, 93 grains; 

 water, i quart. The bath must be heated nearly to the boiling 

 point before the copper or nickel articles are placed in it, 

 when a greyish tint is first produced, which changes succes- 

 sively to violet, chestnut brown, red, and blue, including the 

 intermediate shades. When any desired colour is obtained, 

 the articles are withdrawn from the bath, washed, dried, 

 and varnished. This process is especially adapted to the 

 colouring of buttons or similar small metallic articles. 



Extermination of Rabbits. — The Government of New 

 South Wales are advertising a reward of _^25,ooo to any 

 person who will make known and demonstrate at his own 

 expense any method or process not previously known in 

 the colony for the effectual extermination of rabbits. The 

 conditions are : — (i) that after 13 months' trial the experi- 

 ment shall receive the approval of a Board appointed for 

 the purpose by the Governor; (2) that such method or pro- 

 cess shall not be injurious, not involve the use of any 

 matter, animal, or thing which may be noxious to horses, 

 cattle, sheep, camels, goats, swine, or dogs. The Board 

 undertakes not to disclose the particulars of any method or 

 process unless it decides to give the method or process a trial. 



Electro-Plating with Aluminium. — Herman Reinbold, 

 in the Jewellers' Joiintal, says a plating bath can he prepared 

 as follows : — 50 parts of alum are dissolved in 300 parts of 

 water, and, added to 10 parts of chloride of aluminium, are 

 heated to 200° and cooled ; 39 parts of cyanide of potassium 

 are then added. The object to be plated must be clean, and 

 absolutely free from grease. It is then suspended in the bath 

 over the electro-positiveelectrode,a plate of metallicaluminium 

 being suspended on the negative pole. The electric current 

 should be weak. The deposit, when polished, will be equal 

 to the best silver-plating, having the advantage of not being 

 oxidised or getting black when brought into contact with 

 sulphurous vapours, which would make it especially 

 valuable for plating spoons and table ware. 



The Last Alpine Vulture. — According to the Swiss 

 Journal of Ornithology, the Liimmcrgeier, or Alpine vulture, 

 may be regarded as extinct in Switzerland. A solitary 

 female specimen dwelt for the past twenty-five years on the 

 Biotschhorn, in the Upper Valais, and escaped countless 

 attempts at capture. But a little time ago, when the severe 

 weather set in, a poisoned fox was left below the clift", and 

 proved a successful trap, and the bird was found dead. 

 The body was stuffed and placed in the museum at Lau- 

 sanne ; it measured across the wings 2\ metres, or nearly 

 88i inches. Possibly one or two solitary specimens may 

 still linger in remote eyries ; but it is quite certain that a 

 nest is not to be found any longer, so that this much- 

 dreaded species may be considered to have disappeared 

 within the Swiss territorj'. 



Temperature of Scottish Lochs. — The Scotch Meteoro- 

 logical Society have found that shallow lochs, such as the 



