300

Many Items of Interest.

The newspaper Fire and Water, devoted to fire protection, water supply, etc., in cities, relates to singular accident, which came near being serious. In a dyeing establishment near this city a man was cleaning a flannel gown in a tub of benzine, fully 100 feet removed from a flame of any kind. He was simply rubbing the garment with his bare hands, when as he describes it, "suddenly the whole tubful of stuff went up in a blaze," and he escaped death of serious injury only by an instinctive and instantaneous backward leap. The friction caused by handling the flannel generated electricity, which ignited the vapors aristing from the benzine. This, the editor days is in its details the first instance of the kind which has yet to come to our knowledge, and the fire having been quickly extinguished by the employes, would probably never have been reported had not one of them casually mentioned it.

The American Architect relates the following incident of England's architect, Mr. John Ruskin. The other day some incautious Christians, who had built a cheap mission chapel in the suburbs of London, applied to this great man to help them pay for it. Instead of money they received some advice, of greater value, probably, than any pecuniary gift that, the critic could bestow. "Why," he asked them, "did they build churches that they could not pay for?" "Why did not they preach behind the hedges, rather than run into debt?" "And of all manner of churches thus idiotically built," he was kind of enough to add, "an iron church was to him the damnablest." Mr. Ruskin is said to have just joined the Roman Catholic Church, and this may account for his asperiry in talking to evangelical Protestants; but the story shows how cautious one must be in dealing with such person.

The Real Estate Record, of this city repeats what it has said before, that there are the very best reasons for believing that the New York Central Railroad has decided to build an underground railroad from the Grand Central Depot to the Brooklyn Bridge. The tunnel in which she tracks will be laid will run under Elm street which is to be widened and extended on one end to the bridge and on the other to Lafayette place and Fourth avenue. The work, the Record says, is to be undertaken at once, and will be forwarded in the most expeditious manner, so that the trains may be running in the early summer of 1888. There will be four tracks; two for through and two for way travel.

The cultivation of beets for sugar is making rapid progress in Chili. In one of the largest factories for making the sugar and diffusion process is employed with such a good results that the daily production is estimated by the Mexican Financier at 150,000 kilogrames.

On Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in California, at a level of 14,000 feet above the sea and 1,500 feet above the timber line, where there is no soil and no moisture save snow and hail and ice, there grows a little flower shaped like a bell flower, gaudy in colors of red, purple, and blue. It is called Jacob's ladder and its fragrance partakes of the white jasmine. It blooms alone, for it not only has no floral associates but there is no creature, not even bird or insect, to keep it company.

it has been discovered how the wholesale milk poisoning occurred at Long Branch last summer. It has been conclusively shown for the first time, says Health Monthly, that milk warm from the cow, when placed in tight cans under conditions which greatly retard the dispersion of its heat, will undergo change, with the devlopment in the course of five hours, of a poison called tyrotoxicon. Fortunately, it is customary among milkmen to cool down before transportation, and now it appeaars that it is dangerous to deviate from the wise custom. Boiling milk dissipates even tyrotoxicon and, as boiling also destroys the germs of acid fermentation, it is a good precaution for the summer time.

A writer in one of our medical journals says that it is considered by all physicians impossible to lay down any rules for health which may be followed safely by all persons. Health depends largely upon the diet. Some people cannot eat newly baked bread; others cannot eat it when stale. Much fresh meat with some constitutions induces fullness of the head and a feverish state of the system, becaues it makes blood too fast. It should therefore be discarded, and a little salt meat or fish, if the appetite craves it, with fresh fruit and vegetables, will be found probably to be just what the system requires. In truth, with health, as in many other things, each person must be a law unto himself.

Some months ago a number of persons went from Glasgow to Loch Fyne to see a large blasting operation, in which six and one-hald tons of gunpowder were exploded. A short time after the explosion many of the observers became faint, six of the number died almost immediately, one died shortly after, and five others were very ill, but recovered. The editor of Science says the cause of death is believed to have been the carbonic oxide generated from the gunpowder. It is estimated that the amount must have been 468 pounds, a quantity sufficient to occupy 6,333 cubic feet of air space, or to vitate for respiratory purposes a space one hundred times as great. There were also generated 3,575 pounds of carbonic anhydride; so that, in all there were 1,266,000 cubic feet of air rendered irresporable.

One who claims to have tried it, says that rubber may be fastened to iron by means of a paint composeed of podered shellac steeped in about twn times its weight of concentrated ammonia. It should be allowed to stand three or four weeks before being used.

This was the way a country blacksmith was seen removing that portion of an ax handle from the ax that remained in the eye, the break being close to the iron. The wood could not be driven out, and as nails had been driven in at the end, it could not be bored out. He drove the bit of a sharp edge into some moist eath, and then built a fire around the projecting part. The wood was soon charred so that it was easily removed. The moist earth so protected the tempered part of the ax that it sustained no injury.

Mary E. Tousey, on the study of insects in the American Teacher, concludes that every insect has its use in the world. many live very romantic lives--some are in the world. Many live very romantic lives--some are wanderers and some are social in their habits, all are wonderful. It is possible for us to discover the secrets of their lives and the mysteries of their homes, if we carefully study them.

The Sanitary Engineer, in reply to an architect's inquiry, how to obtain the ivory finish used so much for producing the colonial wood work effect, says that from five to seven coats of oil paint are applied. With the last two Japan varnish and ivory white are mixed, so as to give the polish. Each coat of paint is rubbed down before the next applied. With the last two coats, pumic stone is used for rubbing down. With cherry wood, five coats will dol with pine seven are needed to get the same finish.

The American Exhibition in London has added to its attraction Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which attracted such crowds at the Madison Square Garden, in this city during the past winter. A correspondent writes that everything in the neighborhood of the exhibition is becoming Americanized. The shops are all labeled on the signs "The American Cigar Store," "The American Photographers," "The American Grocery," etc.

The public will be greatly benefited if the scheme under consideration by the Hon. A.W. McLelan, Postmaster-General, for creating a parcel post system between Canada and the United States. At present there is no system whereby parcels can be sent direct to their destination. Ignorance of postal laws has caused much inconvenience to the department, as well as to thousands of people, who are daily being notified that their respective packages have finally reached the Custom House.

Many Items of Interest.

The newspaper Fire and Water, devoted to fire protection, water supply, etc., in cities, relates to singular accident, which came near being serious. In a dyeing establishment near this city a man was cleaning a flannel gown in a tub of benzine, fully 100 feet removed from a flame of any kind. He was simply rubbing the garment with his bare hands, when as he describes it, "suddenly the whole tubful of stuff went up in a blaze," and he escaped death of serious injury only by an instinctive and instantaneous backward leap. The friction caused by handling the flannel generated electricity, which ignited the vapors aristing from the benzine. This, the editor days is in its details the first instance of the kind which has yet to come to our knowledge, and the fire having been quickly extinguished by the employes, would probably never have been reported had not one of them casually mentioned it.

The American Architect relates the following incident of England's architect, Mr. John Ruskin. The other day some incautious Christians, who had built a cheap mission chapel in the suburbs of London, applied to this great man to help them pay for it. Instead of money they received some advice, of greater value, probably, than any pecuniary gift that, the critic could bestow. "Why," he asked them, "did they build churches that they could not pay for?" "Why did not they preach behind the hedges, rather than run into debt?" "And of all manner of churches thus idiotically built," he was kind of enough to add, "an iron church was to him the damnablest." Mr. Ruskin is said to have just joined the Roman Catholic Church, and this may account for his asperiry in talking to evangelical Protestants; but the story shows how cautious one must be in dealing with such person.

The Real Estate Record, of this city repeats what it has said before, that there are the very best reasons for believing that the New York Central Railroad has decided to build an underground railroad from the Grand Central Depot to the Brooklyn Bridge. The tunnel in which she tracks will be laid will run under Elm street which is to be widened and extended on one end to the bridge and on the other to Lafayette place and Fourth avenue. The work, the Record says, is to be undertaken at once, and will be forwarded in the most expeditious manner, so that the trains may be running in the early summer of 1888. There will be four tracks; two for through and two for way travel.

The cultivation of beets for sugar is making rapid progress in Chili. In one of the largest factories for making the sugar and diffusion process is employed with such a good results that the daily production is estimated by the Mexican Financier at 150,000 kilogrames.

On Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in California, at a level of 14,000 feet above the sea and 1,500 feet above the timber line, where there is no soil and no moisture save snow and hail and ice, there grows a little flower shaped like a bell flower, gaudy in colors of red, purple, and blue. It is called Jacob's ladder and its fragrance partakes of the white jasmine. It blooms alone, for it not only has no floral associates but there is no creature, not even bird or insect, to keep it company.

it has been discovered how the wholesale milk poisoning occurred at Long Branch last summer. It has been conclusively shown for the first time, says Health Monthly, that milk warm from the cow, when placed in tight cans under conditions which greatly retard the dispersion of its heat, will undergo change, with the devlopment in the course of five hours, of a poison called tyrotoxicon. Fortunately, it is customary among milkmen to cool down before transportation, and now it appeaars that it is dangerous to deviate from the wise custom. Boiling milk dissipates even tyrotoxicon and, as boiling also destroys the germs of acid fermentation, it is a good precaution for the summer time.

A writer in one of our medical journals says that it is considered by all physicians impossible to lay down any rules for health which may be followed safely by all persons. Health depends largely upon the diet. Some people cannot eat newly baked bread; others cannot eat it when stale. Much fresh meat with some constitutions induces fullness of the head and a feverish state of the system, becaues it makes blood too fast. It should therefore be discarded, and a little salt meat or fish, if the appetite craves it, with fresh fruit and vegetables, will be found probably to be just what the system requires. In truth, with health, as in many other things, each person must be a law unto himself.

Some months ago a number of persons went from Glasgow to Loch Fyne to see a large blasting operation, in which six and one-hald tons of gunpowder were exploded. A short time after the explosion many of the observers became faint, six of the number died almost immediately, one died shortly after, and five others were very ill, but recovered. The editor of Science says the cause of death is believed to have been the carbonic oxide generated from the gunpowder. It is estimated that the amount must have been 468 pounds, a quantity sufficient to occupy 6,333 cubic feet of air space, or to vitate for respiratory purposes a space one hundred times as great. There were also generated 3,575 pounds of carbonic anhydride; so that, in all there were 1,266,000 cubic feet of air rendered irresporable.

One who claims to have tried it, says that rubber may be fastened to iron by means of a paint composeed of podered shellac steeped in about twn times its weight of concentrated ammonia. It should be allowed to stand three or four weeks before being used.

This was the way a country blacksmith was seen removing that portion of an ax handle from the ax that remained in the eye, the break being close to the iron. The wood could not be driven out, and as nails had been driven in at the end, it could not be bored out. He drove the bit of a sharp edge into some moist eath, and then built a fire around the projecting part. The wood was soon charred so that it was easily removed. The moist earth so protected the tempered part of the ax that it sustained no injury.

Mary E. Tousey, on the study of insects in the American Teacher, concludes that every insect has its use in the world. many live very romantic lives--some are in the world. Many live very romantic lives--some are wanderers and some are social in their habits, all are wonderful. It is possible for us to discover the secrets of their lives and the mysteries of their homes, if we carefully study them.

The Sanitary Engineer, in reply to an architect's inquiry, how to obtain the ivory finish used so much for producing the colonial wood work effect, says that from five to seven coats of oil paint are applied. With the last two Japan varnish and ivory white are mixed, so as to give the polish. Each coat of paint is rubbed down before the next applied. With the last two coats, pumic stone is used for rubbing down. With cherry wood, five coats will dol with pine seven are needed to get the same finish.

The American Exhibition in London has added to its attraction Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which attracted such crowds at the Madison Square Garden, in this city during the past winter. A correspondent writes that everything in the neighborhood of the exhibition is becoming Americanized. The shops are all labeled on the signs "The American Cigar Store," "The American Photographers," "The American Grocery," etc.

The public will be greatly benefited if the scheme under consideration by the Hon. A.W. McLelan, Postmaster-General, for creating a parcel post system between Canada and the United States. At present there is no system whereby parcels can be sent direct to their destination. Ignorance of postal laws has caused much inconvenience to the department, as well as to thousands of people, who are daily being notified that their respective packages have finally reached the Custom House.