43° 



SCIENTIFIC NEAVS. 



[May 4, iS 



RECENT INVENTIONS. 



The following list has heen compiled especially for the SCIENTIFIC 

 News hy Messrs. "W. P. Thompson afid Boult, Patent Agents, of 

 TflT,, High Holiorn, London, W.C ; Newcastle Chambers, Angel 

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

 and 6, Lord Street, Liverpool. 



Removing Paint. — A paste for removing paint has 

 been patented by M. Benedictus, Belgium. It is com- 

 posed of the following ingredients: — Water, 23 parts; 

 meal or flour, 4 ; borax or alum, i ; black soap, 4 ; and 

 mixed caustic soda and potash, 11. 



Tobacco Pipe. — Mr. J. Bennett has patented a tobacco 

 pipe. A cylinder, with a helical groove formed therein, 

 is inserted in the stem of the pipe. The cylinder may 

 be surrounded by an absorptive tube of paper pulp. 

 The helical groove may be replaced by a number of 

 circular grooves, communicating by channels. 



Polishing Powder. — Mr. R. Hutchinson has patented 

 a polishing powder. It is made of the following ingre- 

 dients well mixed together. 112 lbs. of purified chalk, 

 well washed and dried, 7 lbs. carbonate of lime, 3^ lbs. 

 phosphate of lime, 3I lbs. bone ash, 2 lbs. rouge, i pint 

 of methylated spirits, \ fib. liquid ammonia, 2 ozs. of 

 soda, \ oz. of carmine. 



Life Buoy. — Mr. D.J. H.Davis, Plymouth, has patented 

 a life-buoy. To a buoyant ring of cork or metal tubing 

 a bridle is pivoted, which, when the buoy hangs in place, 

 lies in a plane with the ring, but, when it is in the water, 

 stands vertical. One end is weighted, and the other 

 carries a flag and tube containing a signal light for use 

 during day and night respectively. Across the ring is a 

 seat of rope or metal, and to it are lashed life lines as 

 usual. 



Preserving Plants. — A process for preserving plants 

 has been patented by Mr. T. Reinherz, Bavaria. The plant 

 is first treated with alcohol in order to remove the water 

 it contains, so as to facilitate the adhesion of the coating. 

 The plant is then put into an air bath at 80° C. to drive 

 off the alcohol. The preserving fluid is then brushed on 

 at a temperature which is preferably lower the more 

 tender the leaves, green plants being treated at a 

 temperature approaching boiling point. 



Electric Lamps. — An incandescent electric lamp has 

 been patented by Mr. C. Seel, Berlin. Several filaments 

 contained in one bulb terminate at one end in separate 

 contact pieces etc., and are united at the other end by a 

 thickened centre-piece of comparatively low resistance. 

 Two or more of the filaments may be used at one time, 

 the illuminating power of the lamp being thus varied or 

 the life of the lamp may be lengthened by using the 

 filaments in succession. The filaments may be made 

 separately and afterwards cemented together, or the mul- 

 tiple filament may be made in one piece. The wires 

 connecting the filament terminals with the contact screws 

 pass through a tube provided with air holes. 



Road Sweeper. — Messrs. W. T. Carter and J. Keeble, 

 Bury-St.-Edmunds, have patented a road-sweeping 

 mactiine. The machine is for attachment behind an 

 ordinary cart, and consists of an endless chain of 



brushes, which sweep the refuse up an inclined box 

 into the cart as it is drawn along. The bottom of the 

 box is curved to allow for the " sag " or drooping of the 

 chain, and is fitted with an adjustable end which may 

 have an india-rubber strip at the bottom. The lower 

 chain wheel is driven lay the machine road wheels 

 through spur gearing. The chain wheel axle bearings 

 are adjustable along suitable slots by screws. The draw 

 bar from the cart is secured to a link over the front 

 central steering wheel. 



Tonometer. — An apparatus for assisting in tuning 

 musical instruments has been patented by Mr. A. AUam 

 Leverton-street, Kentish Town. The apparatus is in the 

 form of a flat oblong box, circular at one end. A wheel 

 is fixed at this end, in a horizontal position, so as to re- 

 volve freely ; a wire is . passed around the wheel and 

 fixed parallel and at equal lengths at the other end. One 

 portion of the wire is then tuned to a convenient note^ 

 and, the pressure being equal on both sides, brings both 

 portions of the wire into perfect unison. A bridge at 

 each end, running at an angle of 45° across the apparatus, 

 reduces one portion of the wire by half, the reduced por- 

 tion of the wire, being exactlj' half the length of the 

 longer portion, will give the same note, but an octave 

 higher. By striking the two portions of the wire at the 

 same time, the unison of the octave is produced. 



Parlour Football. — Mr. C. B. Suffield has patented 

 a parlour football game. A board has its centre portion 

 divided into equal spaces numbered o to 24 on the 

 dividing lines, commencing with o in the centre, the 

 25 th space at each end being marked as a goal ; every 

 fifth space represents a scoring point in the game. The 

 game may be played by two or several pla3'ers. The 

 football, made of leather and very small, is placed upon 

 the line marked o, a player then casts the dice, and 

 whatever number is thrown the player moves the ball a 

 corresponding number of lines towards his goal. A 

 player on the other side then throws the dice and moves 

 the ball back towards the opposite goal. Whenever the 

 balls falls upon any of the scoring lines, the player 

 either obtains a benefit or reverse, according to the rules 

 laid down. 



Air Tester. — An automatic air tester has been 

 patented by P. Pfleiderer, on behalf of Dr. A Wolpert, 

 Germany. This invention consists of an apparatus for 

 indirectly testing the purity of air in which the amount 

 of carbonic acid gas present is actually estimated, the 

 estimate being used as an indicator of the purity of the 

 air. A glass vessel is filled with an akaline solution, 

 coloured with phenol-phthalein or other suitable indicator, 

 and protected from the action of the air by a thin layer 

 of mineral oil, and a float, to which is attached a fine 

 syphon, arranged so as to deliver one drop every 100 

 seconds, is placed therein. The coloured drops fall into 

 a funnel, and from thence down a tape, string, etc., to a 

 receptacle, being bleached sooner or later by the carbonic 

 acid in the air. An empirical scale, attached to the glass 

 vessel, is also provided, so that if the coloured liquid is 

 bleached, say opposite the top division of the scale, 

 the air would be pronounced " extremely bad," while if 

 it reached down to the bottom division of the scale, before 

 losing its colour, the air would be " very pure." 



