774 
KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
the rupture and locked in place by means of clamping-bands also of metal. 
Under a heavy pressure, and if at a fire of any considerable dimension and danger, 
the hose are liable to burst and necessitate the stream to be stopped until the 
ruptured section can be removed from the line and a new one substituted there- 
for. This may allow the fire to gain such destructive headway that it cannot be 
controlled before an unHmited amount of property and possibly human life has 
been destroyed while on the other hand, by the simple application of a patch 
to the ruptured hose, which operation requires but a few seconds, and to the 
detriment of the fire, this delay would be avoided. 
Apparatus for Producing and Burning Gas. — A steam boiler is pro- 
vided with a suitable super-heating attachment, from which a supply of steam is 
drawn as required by the process, which consists in addition to the above de- 
scribed boiler, of two or more coal-coking or gas-producing furnaces, together 
with the requisite valves and connections between the boiler, furnaces and holder. 
In the operation, gas is produced suitable for cooking, heating and other pur- 
poses, by passing air through ignited gas-producing coal in such a manner as to 
produce perfect combustion at the lower stratum of the glowing mass, thus form- 
ing comparatively pure carbonic acid, then converting the acid so formed into 
carbonic oxide, and at the same time, distilling off the heavy hydro-carbons by 
passing the carbonic acid up through the mass of coal, after which super-heated 
steam is introduced into the gaseous products, and finally passing the products 
down through a bed of incandescent carbon, by which latter operation the pre- 
viously introduced steam is decomposed and forms an additional volume of fixed 
carbonic-oxide and hydrogen. Recently patented by Mr. L. D. York, of Ports- 
mouth, Ohio. 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
This is the closing number of the seventh 
volume of the Review. We have no space 
for comment, but refer any reader who doubts 
its utility as a popular science magazine to 
the index which accompanies this issue. We 
shall hope for a large increase of subscribers 
with the beginning of the next volume. 
Please read the prospectus on fourth page of 
cover. 
We were much gratified by a day's visit 
from Prof. E. D. Cope, the eminent palaeon- 
tologist and co-editor of the American Natur- 
alist, on the 28th ult. He was on his way to 
the City of Mexico and stopped over for the 
night train. On his return in the latter part 
of the month he will, if possible, deliver an 
address before our Academy of Science in 
compliance with an urgent invitation. 
The U. S. Signal Service is engaged in a 
careful and extended investigation concern- 
ing the history, origin and development of 
tornadoes, and asks the co-operation of ob- 
servers, librarians, newspaper editors, etc., 
in obtaining facts of all kinds bearing upon 
the subject. All such items should be ad- 
dressed to Sergeant John P. Finley, Signal 
Corps U. S. A., Washington, D, C, who will 
promptly furnish instructions, blank forms, 
etc. 
