SCIENTIFIC NEVS^S. 



[Mar. 23, 1 888. 



RECENT INVENTIONS. 



The folhwing list ha.'! beencompiledespecially for iheSciKNTlTlC 

 News by Messrs. W. P. THOMPSON and BoULT, Patent Agents, of 

 323, .ffi^A Holiorn, London, W.C.; Newcastle Chambers, Angel 

 Row, Nottingham; Ducie Buildings, Bank Street, Manchester ; 

 and 6, Lord Street, Liverpool. 



Boiler Fluid. — A fluid for preventing and removing 

 boiler incrustation has been patented by Mr. J. Cooke, 

 Folly Head, Huddersfield. It is prepared in the follow- 

 ing way — I oz. of Irish moss is dissolved in 3 lbs. of 

 water, to which is added 4 ozs. ot caustic soda, 2 ozs. of 

 carbonate of soda, and 2| ozs. of molasses. 



A Carbon. — Mr. W. R. Johnstone, Clanchattan, Nairn, 

 has patented a carbon. This invention consists in manu- 

 facturing carbons for electrical and other purposes by 

 moulding moist paper pulps into the desired forms, sub- 

 jecting it when necessary to pressure and afterwards 

 drying and carbonizing. 



Galvanic Battery. — Messrs. M. Bailey and J. Warner, 

 London, have patented a galvanic batterj'. It consists of 

 a porous cell filled with a paste formed bjf mixing to- 

 gether plumbago and nitric or other " oxacid " ; a carbon 

 rod, with a terminal, is embedded in the paste, and the 

 cell covered with a lid. Sometimes the carbon rod is 

 made hollow and filled with nitric acid; or the paste may 

 occupy the external cell and the zinc be placed in the 

 internal porous pot. 



Levelling Apparatus. — An apparatus for levelling 

 grounds for lawn-tennis courts has been patented by 

 Mr. J. H. Walsh, Montserrat Road, Putney. The 

 apparatus consists of a long trough, on which are 

 mounted wheels and a handle. In levelling, say, a tennis 

 lawn, the surface is covered with a fine dry mould, and 

 the apparatus drawn along the ground — the trough being 

 previously weighted with bricks, stones, etc., or with 

 liquid, and the handle lifted so as to take the wheels off 

 the ground. 



Road Sweeping Machine. — Mr. H. Whiley, Man- 

 chester, has patented a road sweeping machine. The 

 leading feature of this invention is the employment of 

 two revolving brushes mounted obliquely to the track, so 

 as to sweep the street refuse into a line in the middle. 

 At the centre, towards the rear, a train of brushes and 

 elevator rnay be applied for collecting and conveying the 

 refuse to a receptacle in front, where it may either re- 

 main for removal or, by means of a mechanically con- 

 trolled false bottom, be deposited at intervals in heaps. 



Stretcher for Pianoforte Wires. — An apparatus 

 for stretching the wires of pianofortes has been patented 

 by Mr. A. J. Creswell, of 12, Hucknall Road, Carrington, 

 Nottingham. The invention consists of a lever pivoted 

 near its centre on the downward projection of aT shaped 

 metal bracket, a portion of the upper end of which, 

 nearest the framing, is reduced to fit into the ordinary 

 peg-hole of the piano framing, while the opposite end is 

 provided with a fine threaded vertical screw, which acts 

 on the outer end of the lever. The wire is attached to 

 the lever at the end near the framing in a special manner, 

 and by depressing the outer end of the lever, by means 

 of the fine threaded screw, the requisite amount of 

 tension may be obtained. 



Distance Register for Cabs. — Mr. H. P. Baron Celli, 

 Kennet Road, St. Peter's Park, has patented a distance 

 register for cabs. An eccentric is rotated by one of the 

 wheels of the vehicle and actuates a rod with a slotted 

 head, which is attached to it by means of a set screw. A 

 " pin " on a lever fits into the slot and actuates, by means 

 of the lever, a counter, which thus shows the distance from 

 which the fare can be calculated. The ends of the slots 

 are padded with india-rubber, or springs, to avoid shocks 

 due to the wheel jolting. By loosening the head from the 

 rod the counter may be actuated by hand before each 

 journey, and thus set at zero, or the distance travelled 

 may be determined by simple subtraction of the read- 

 ings at the beginning and end of the journey. 



Gas Burner. — Messrs. J. F. and G. E. Wright, Essex 

 Works, Aston, have patented an atmospheric gas burner. 

 The pipe which forms the burner tube is cast with a 

 longitudinal slot into which fits a tongue provided with 

 grooves through which the mixture of gas and air passes. 

 The tongue is made deeper at the end where the gas 

 enters than at the other end up to which the bottom edge 

 tapers ; the grooves are also narrower at the entrance 

 end. By this means the flow of gas is equalised all 

 along the burner. The burner is pivoted in the frame- 

 work of the stove at one end and supported in a bearing 

 at the other, and by means of a crank worked by a 

 lever it may be turned through an angle of about 90 

 degrees so that it may be used either as a boiling burner 

 with vertical jets, or as a grilling or toasting burner 

 with horizontal jets. 



Registering Till. — Mr. J. S. Bobbett, London Road, 

 Tunbridge Wells, has patented a registering till in which 

 the registering paper-strip passes from one roller to 

 another roller over the usual table under a slit in the 

 lid of the case. These parts are mounted on a spindle, 

 so that they can be revolved by turning a handle from 

 outside, a detent checking the rotation at each half revo- 

 lution by entering notches in a disc. The teeth of the 

 wheel fixed on the spindle of the first roller engage with 

 a fixed rail formed of two semicircles, one larger than the 

 other, by the pitch of the teeth. When an entry has 

 been made on the paper strip, the table and its attach- 

 ments are turned half round for the customer to inspect 

 the sheet, the teeth ot the wheel sliding round the' 

 smaller semicircle, and no motion taking place in the 

 strip. On continuing the revolution, the wheel is ad- 

 vanced one tooth, and a blank space on the paper strip 

 brought under the slot in the lid. The spindle of the 

 external handle, by which the revolution of the table is 

 caused, carries two cams, one of which depresses the 

 drawer catch. The drawer being then thrown open by 

 a spring, the other actuates a signal bell by means of 

 a sliding spring-bar carrying the hammer at one end ; 

 this bar also operates a flap by which the coin is re- 

 tained for inspection, during a portion of the operation, 

 behind a glass window. 



New Insect Powder,— Air-slaked lime and carbolic acid, 

 both valuable about the poultry yard as disinfectants or 

 deodorisers, make a splendid insect powder if mixed in the 

 proportion of a teaspoonful of liquid acid to a gallon of lime. 

 On account of its cheapness, this powder may be used quite 

 liberally in nests, in the dust bath, and on adult fowls, if 

 necessary. It is also said to be a remedy for gapes — by 

 placing the chicks in a box covered with muslin and dusting 

 some of it through the muslin. 



