Progress of Invention. 65 



at the rate of one spoonful every hour. The doses and intervals 

 between them must be regulated, to some extent, by the susceptibility 

 of the patient. The raw meat is supposed to have a reconstituent 

 action, and the alcohol a direct effect on the hematose. Persons 

 very far gone in consumption, and some even who could not have 

 survived more than a few hours, are stated to have been completely 

 recovered by this combination of curative agents. 



Formation op Steel by Gases. — The process of M. Berard for 

 the formation of steel from cast iron consists in the alternate oxida- 

 tion and reduction, simultaneously, of different portions of the cast 

 iron. The oxidation is effected by the introduction into the fused 

 metal of atmospheric air ; and the reduction, by the introduction of 

 a mixture of hydrogen and carbonic oxide, previously freed from 

 sulphur. After twelve or fifteen minutes the processes are reversed ; 

 the portions which had been submitted to oxidation being then sub- 

 mitted to reduction, and vice versa. This alternate action is con- 

 tinued until it is found by testing that good steel has been formed, 

 the last process being invariably that of decarburatiou. The oxida- 

 tion changes the metals, whether earthy or proper, into oxides ; the 

 reduction brings the iron into a metallic state ; and both of them 

 change sulphur, phosphorus, etc., into acids, which escape by the 

 chimney. 



New Application of Centrifugal Force. — The chief pecu- 

 liarity of Guerin's steam engine consists in the transmission of the 

 steam, after it has done its work in the cylinder, into a fly-wheel, 

 the arms and rim of which are hollow ; it is there condensed by a 

 jet of cold water, and the condensed steam and condensing water 

 are expelled by centrifugal force : or the steam is merely driven out 

 by it. In either case the resistance which the waste steam offers to 

 the motion of the piston is supposed to be greatly diminished, the 

 effect thus produced being so much clear gain. 



Storage of Dangerous Substances. — The terrible accidents 

 which have recently arisen from the accidental explosion of gun- 

 powder, and the conflagrations produced by the ignition of petro- 

 leum, etc., have caused such serious and well-grounded alarm, that 

 an anxious consideration of the subject could no longer be deferred:, 

 and, as a natural result, measures have begun to be adopted which 

 will greatly diminish the danger, and seriously mitigate the conse- 

 quences of explosion or combustion should they occur. Floating 

 stores have been constructed at St. Ouen, for dangerous substances. 

 They consist of cylinders made of boiler plate, about sixteen feet 

 high and seven in diameter, with convex tops and bottoms, and 

 manholes. They are arranged in rows of twenty-five, are strongly 

 bound together with iron, and are covered down to the water line 

 with planking. They ordinarily lie out in the midst of a spacious 

 basin ; and when they are to be loaded or unloaded, are brought to 

 the bank, pumps being used when their contents are liquid. 



Casting of Metal Tubes, etc. — A new, ingenious, and very 



simple way of casting tubes, etc., has been invented by Auguste 



Larson, a young French workman. The mould is something of the 



form of a closed cylinder, which, however, is capable of being taken 



VOL. VIII. — NO. I. F 



