TECHNICAL REVIEW.
The White Star Line is having
Marconi wireless telegraph outfits
installed in its vessels. The first
one to be equiped is the Oceanic.
A German patent has been taken
out for an electrical apparatus by
which shoals of fish may be detect
ed and their extent estimated. A
microphone connected with an elec
tric battery and telephone is 10-.veied
into the wafer. The constant tap
ping of the fins against the micio
phone produces sounds which im
mediately betray their presence.
The Scientific American of Jan.
14th contains an interesting aitlcle
on a recent comparison made by the
State Railroad of France between
two French locomotives, one of which
was of the celebrated Be Glehn
compound type, and two American
locomotives, one of the simple type,
the other, the Vauclain. The coal
consumption per horse power, con
trary to the generally accepted
opinion, is shown by these tests to
be about the same for the American
as for the French locomotives ; the
American compound burning 3.3
pounds of coal per horse power
hour as compared with the con
sumption of 3.24 for the French De
Glehn engine, and that of the
American simple engine being about
the same as that of the French simple
engine, the respective figures being
4.45 and 4.4 per horse power hour.
From further tests the French offi
cials claim that the American loco
motives exhibit a low boiler effi
ciency; that there was excessive
priming; that the the steam was not
utilized so economically in the cylin
ders as in the French locomotives,
and that in consequence of lees care
ful construction, the internal resis
tance of the American locomotives
was greater than that of the French
type. Furthermore they claim that
while the American piston valves
have certain advantages, they are
difficult to keep tight, causing much
loss by leakage. Again, the French
single-expansion engine averaged 85
per cent, of the normal power, while
the competing American single-ex
pansion doing the same work de
veloped only 63 per cent, of its nor
mal power. It was, therefore, not
working under such good economic
conditions as its competitor. This
is largely accounted fo- by the fact,
that in American locomotives which
are built for rougher work and
heavier grades than the French, the
steam is not cut off until the piston
has traversed from 40 to 50 per cent
of the cylinder length, whereas, in
the F; ench engines it occurs when
about 25 per cent of the distance
has been covered.
In accepting ihe results of these
tests it must be considered that the
American locomotives were handled
by French engineers who were not
so familiar with them, and perhaps
not so cabable of getting the very
best results from them, as American
engineers would have been.
The Use of Copper Sulphate in
Purifying Water.
The fact that copper sulphate in
water wi.l ki.l certain germs has long
been knorv, but the fear of its
poisonous effects has prevented its
coming into geneiai use. Recent
tests have indicated that one part of
copper su’phate in eight mi'lionparts
cl v ill ki.l a.l microscopic
growths. After several days the
copper is eliminated by precipitation
but even before ic falls there is no
danger to human life or health, for a
person using water so treated would
have to drink forty gallons in a day
to swa’low a medicinal dose of the
chemical. Tnus it is seen that we
have a compound, which, placed in
the hands oi one who understands
i.s use, could be effectively used for
purification of our iake water. —Case
Tech.
Library Notes,
Books added to the Library, Jan.
16-23, 1905.
Osmund —Charles II
Airy,
(New Ed.)
American book prices current
Benjamin, L. N. —The St. Al
bans Raid.
Japan in the Beginning of the 20th
Century.
Madison, James —Writings, v. 5.
1787-1790.
National Educational Association*
—Yearbook, 1904-5.
N. Y.—-Merchants’ Assoc. —Pass-
enger Transportation Service in the
City of N. Y.
Nicholson, J. P. —Pennsylvania at
Gettsyburg. Revised ed. 2 v-.
Rhodes, J. F. —History of the U.
S. from the Compromise of 1850.
v. 5, 1864-66.
Scherger, G. L. —Evolution of
Modern Library.
Tribune Almanac & Political Reg
ister, 1905.
Ward, IT. A. —Catalogue of the
Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteor
ites.
Warren, F. M
of the 19th Century
Wilcox, D. F. —Municipal Gov
ernment in Michigan & Ohio Chem
istry Department.
Blyth, A. W. & M. W.—Foods:
Their Composition & Analysis,
Ed. 5.
—Ten Frenchmen
Dennis & Whittelsey —Qualita-
tive Analysis. ,
Lengfeld, Felix —Inorganic Chem
ical Preparations.
Vulte, H. T. —Laboratory Manual
of Inorganic Preparations. 3d ed.
Books added to the Library Jan.
9-16, 1905.
Daily Tribune Index for 1903
Kurtz, Fred. Sr. —Centennial his
tory of Centre county, 1800-1900.
Miller, John—Metaphysics, 3rd
ed.
Porto Rico—Register for 1903
Theobald, F. V. —First report on
economic Zoology. (British Mu-