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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1877)
July. THE AVE ST SHORE. 209 DANGER IN VINEGAR. There are more kinds of so-called vinegar in the market than brands of family flour. The New York Tribune thus alludes to one of them: The Board of Health of the District of Colum bia has condemned five car loads of vinegar sent there from Chicago, on the ground that it il not a genuine article, and is injurious to health. An analysis of the so-called vinegar has been made. It appears, according to the report of the Hoard of Health, that the vinegar ..ontains f4 "4-IOO grains per gallon of anhy drous sulphuric acid, combined with lime to form a sulphate of lime equivalent to 117 36 100 grains of gypsum per gallon, ami Iwaides that, live grains of free sulphuric acid per gal lon. The Board also report that this sample was taken from an invoice of more than 1,000 barrels brought there to be sold as vinegar, and that it is likely to find a ready sale on account of .W low price. 1 lie report concludes as follows: "When We think that oil of vitro (sulphuric acid) can be bought at live cents per pound, and that a jiound of said acid would render a barrel of fluid as acid as the strongest vinegar, the wonder will cease that it is Bold cheap. This, therefore, is a fraud upon commerce, and a dangerous substitute for vinegar. " The fraud and danger are more general than the great mass of people will readily believe. It is as serted that probably one-half the vinegar sold at city groceries is a rank poison, with either sul phuric or other objectionable acids for its base, from which the acetic principle is evolved, the ame as in the manufacture of aromatic vinegar .r the acetates used in calico printing. Acetic .acid is present in all vinegars, although they seldom contain more than five percent, of the absolute acid. Their color, flavor and value depend materially upon the ingredients from which they are ma le. In England, honest vin egars are usually made of malt; in France, of Trapes; in Germany, of grapes, beetroot or pota toes; in this country, of apples and grapes. DANGER IN SELF DOSING. There is a fiost of people who Bcem to have little else to do but to consider their physical condition and to administer doses for its im provement; people who are positively dissipated and intemperate in their use of medicines, anil appear to think this world not so much a vale "if tears as a vale of drugs; people to whom a new prescription allbrds a delight only equaled by that which a savant would experience from the possession of a bone of the extinct megathe rium. If they are in the least under the weather it never occurs to them to allow Nature to work out her own salvation, but they take her affaire into their own hands, and having small acquaint ance with her processes, the result resembles that of a novice attempting the tasks of a superi or, and making them more ditlicult for that su perior to accomplish. One of thopoOuHar pleas ures of such persons consists in persuading oth ers to try tbeir methods of cure. The most deli cate compliment you can pay them is to a wallow eome nauseating mixture upon their recommend- ation, which all the while lears a strong fami ly likeness to that of those who, with bad com plexions, assure you that snap is wholesome, for the skin, or of bald people who extol the virtues of certain washes they have employed. This art of dosing does not Interfere, however, with the usefulness of the family physician, but rather supplies him with practice by laying the loundation for positive disease. The stomach which has lceu uu righteously corrected roliels at length; the nerves that have been too often arti ficially toothed finally refuse to acknowledge the power of the charmer; the strength engen dered by stimulants proves hut a broken reed; appetites fortified by frequent tonics surrender -onie day without reserve. If the science of medicine itself is as yet only experimental, must not amateur dosing, beyond question, Itelong to the most objectionable elass of empiricisms? Dr. Holbrook, WEDDING JOURNEYS. When a young man and woman marry, they generally think they must take n wedding trip, of greater or less extent, according as their purses are long or short. The idea is well enough in its place, if carried out in accordance with the laws of hygiene ; hut this is not always the case. We have just received a notice of the death of a friend, a beautiful am) noble young lady. The cause was a cold caught on her wedding tour. Such case are not rare: but even when death does not result, injuries which last for life may l received. It would be far licttor to give up the wedding trip than to injure the constitution by it. There is never a time more unsuitcd to journeys than just after marriage. The feelings are then at their highest pitch, and they advertise the fact by every look and movement, so that they are recognized wherever they go as a newly married couple. There ought to be reform in this matter of wedding tours. Physiologist and hygienists should set the example. Let them be conducted strictly "in accordance with the laws of hygiene, or given up altogether. It ia aid that the daughter of Dr. Hammond, recently married to an Italian marquis, has set a good example in this respect. The father, an emiuent physician, stamped the idea of a wed ding journey an something larharous and uti physiological, and bo, after the marriage, by his advice, the couple were left m quiet at their own home. If this is so it is an example well worth imitating. At any rate, let no newly married conple violate every physiological law by a wedding journey that may injure the health past allreeovery. IlrraM of lltalth. TJDU. -Dr. Ixmly, of Philadelphia, at a recent meeting of the Academy of Science, ex hibited a specimen of tape-worm said to have teen taken from the inside of a large encumber. This was the tint time he hail heard of one of theae worms having been found in a vegetable. The specimen has all the characteristica of a taps-worni, but belongs ,q i mnm ly to an un known iptcica. AN HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY, Now that the lines of progress on the Sand wich islands are drawing them nearer to us in trade and international comity, it is interesting to take a look occasionally at their life, at their industries and their amusements. They had last month a sort of national holiday which they call "Kamehamehft day," and they had differ ways of celebrating it. The sports were chiefly athletic, and in this way we must own were vastly superior to Borne of the insane customs we Americans have of observing our holidays. The Hawaiian Ocuette sayst "The sports were altogether native, and illustrated in a striking manner to the observation of foreigners, the ancient skill and prowess of Hawaiians." Kamehameha day was celebrated on the 1 th of J line last. Among the sjiorts were swim- V.'!"' fwkS i''u mljina end sun riding. We select the last for illustration on this page, as it is something which does not come within the list of our sports in the way the Saud wich Islanders practice it. The Qaxttte gives the following spirited description: "The surf riding, the pre-eminent Hawaiian sort, attracted an earnest attention, as the dignifled Governor Moehonua had his chair planted, like King Canute, in order to observe more closely by the sea marge, where the far-lapping tide came to wet his feet. I'oepoe, the champion surc rider of Hawaii, took part in this contest, and there was a murmur among the spectators as this splendid athlete appeared on the beach with his lioard that the judge of the games might as well give him the prize at once. Hut there was another, and very special mat ter of interest in this contest; a woman was to contend with men in this daring ami dangerous pastime. Though past her vouth, yet this woman was of comely form, "which was but slightly concealed by the scant pa n. Her Ion;: flowing hair, and well rounded limbs glisteneu pleasingly through the green translu cent white-crested combers, through which she THE SCIENCE OF FLOOR SCRUBBING. "Top-dust" can be washed off without great labor. Have the water only moderately warm, especially when the Boot is of soft wood, because hot water sinks in so rapidly, anil occu pies so much more time in drying, than cool water upon wood. Drain the mop pretty well before putting it upon the floor, thus wetting the floor but little. The object is to wijie up mm HHVI M MIlMUUgUl US pOSSIOie, HUSlUg it Otl from the mop into the water, and changing the v,l,,,lu ,t:'J ouch, it jou put much .....v. n,.,.,. unsay uoor, you nave a uifl troublesome mud-puddle to top up or rinse away. Experiment has convinced me that a floor of pme or bosswood looks beet after cleaning. If a small amount of water baa been Hilt Oil each nnrfelnn it .. n. I. . a you please on the w hole floor, the more the better, if you wash and wipe only a imall por tion at a time, and then throw out the dirty water, and begin the next division with clean water Tha s., r mntt tl better it looks. 1 have seen women work very ....... h, oiiuoit iniu or oisswoou iioor white and the NM ill I hu 1...... A I. They would put a great deal of water noon the flour ii. ,1 tl.m, uiTnl. 1.- L-Cj , : v rr "" uiwnu nam ami l.m... .ift..i. H, o .......1.1 .11 r ii. ii .. Bl - v,,,a "vitm Biei mu Ol UW Ull'tV water out, and rinse the floor with as many wiwj wutu auom. nen at last the weU-eoaked floor was dry. it was undoubtedly clean, but it looked dark and somewhat weather beaten, in consequence of remaining wet so long. It fs a question of health with uu in winter, to have a floor dry as soon as poisihk-. A little lye in the water has an excellent effeot uium iiuun, ii may ue poured uirccllv upon decided greasy (quits, but the whole tloor is jr" v' ii. mi mooing, ii a small amount of lye is mixed with the water, Too much makes the boards yellow. How mueh should be used depeuda upon its strength, Never put lye into the water with which you wash a painted floor, else you gradually but steadily remove the paint with each cleaning. PACIFIC COAST COAL MINING. Tho only coal fleld in the State of California which has hithorto been profitably mined, is the Mount Diablo coal field, now, how ever, nearly worked out, Tho mines in this field have, according to Mr. Goodyear, in his "Coal mines of the Western Coast," J ieldod since 1881, a total of 1,875,069 tons of coal, of 2,340 pounds to the ton. These mines are the priuci pal ones in the State, as although it is easy to lind coal in many localities on the Coast range from one end of California to the other, as well as at certain joints in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, yet it generally happens either that U quality is poor or its quantity small, or else that it is situated in the heart of the mountains, so far from market that the cost of transportation alone w ould far exceed the value of the coal. Umoerninil the cost of HNutaaslnn f M. Mount Diablo mines, Mr. Goodyoar, whose work we noticed last week, has had excellent oppor tnnitios of olwerving. and the following extract will be found of value to those interested in this kind of mining : " The cost of mining and transporting the Mount Diablo coal has varied verv tFinntlv nn only between the different mines, but also at auiereiu limes ana uu.ier varying circumstances for the same mine. Tho differences in this lied have been so on-ut m.l 1 ti.ut single statement of the actual eost for any par ticular mine at any definite time would 1h of no value whatever as an index of the cost at the same time for a different mine, or for the Hume nunc at a diiicrent tune. This fact is well illustrated by the history the Black Diamond Coal Company. At their mines, the monthly averages of the cost (ht ton for labor alone n mining the coal and putting it into bunkers at the mines, exclusive of the eost of tinilier and all other supplies, have ranged at different times since 867 from a minimum of ahiMift 12.874 to I maximum of very nearly )4; or say, K ""IT1""' bhhihi pawofOffcout or a little more, per ton. Within the same tune, the monthly averages of the cost of the railroad transportation from the mines to the landing hare ranged from 86 or 80 oente to over 81.00 pet toni while the cost, also of the water transportation from the landing to San Fran cisco has varied between 87 cents and gl.ffi) per ton. Scientific lre. SURF RIDING IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS lightly made her way seaward, along with three stalwart male companions, till they readied the outer line of surf swell. This s m l' is grand at times at Lihaina; and the old gods wanted the old capital to have a treat this day. The tow ering, combing waves rushed and thundered like an avalanche upon the beeoh. Then were alternations of greater and lesser wavus. Now those bold navigators on their tiny craft are waiting for a great swell. Here it comes up ward, the swelling long liquid ridge arises. It towers aloft and rushes onward to engulf the shore. And onward came the children of old ocean coming sliding, and dancing on her crests. Poepoe with outstretched anus like un ancient warrior about to hurl a spear, comes erect on his swift flying keel, but where is Nukooko, the woman? Keeping her tiny eraft well aslant the iusurging tide, she shoots like a flying fish through the whitening foam, and fts though Thetis would favor her daughter, she jostles the champion on his wonted plank of victory, and so the flowing hair and the rounded form came in foremost amid the out-cries of a delighted multitude glad that the woman had Thi GuK.uKsr Wan Bran. RogUeb. ex changes tell us that a bold advance in the OOnetrUOtion of ironclad shiM has )een decided upon by the Italian government in reiqiect to the two vessels which are to exec) the Initio and the Dandokx The new ships are how le gun, hut it will probably lie six years before they are complete. They are to lie unrigged turret ships, projielled by twin screws. They are to I"- much larger than the largest ships in the British navy, and much faster, in addition to which they will be much more costly. The most Hwerful engines in her Majesty's fleet are those of the InnrsitiU and the Drnuinon'ihl, working up to between K.OOO and D.00U indi cated horse-power. But this enormous amount is to lie at least doubled by the engines of the Italian war ships. According to thu present conclusions, the armor will lie steel, preliahly a meter thick, or fully half as thick again aa the maximum armor of the InjirribU. What guns these coloasal ships are to carry ia as yet unde termined, but it is not unlikely that in ord nance as well aa in other respects the forthcom ing ahiM will trans. -end all predeceaaora. The streets of Iodon, if placed in one line, would form an avenue of 7,000 miles in length. In the daily cleansing of the streets about U, 00O men find employment, and 6,000 hones and 'J.4O0 carta. The engineer-in -chief has a salary of 2,000. The work goes on ilay and night but the actual sweeping doe nut com mence until 8 t. h. If you let an unexperienced hired girl have her own way with a painted floor, she will probab ly use her boiling suds upon it, and soon re move nearly all ol tho liest paint. Clean warm water is lust for painted Honrs. If you have a nice hard-wood floor, be tlmuki'ul, esiecially if it be of white ash, but never let its spotless. Reel become dearer to your heart than the fami ly pence. You team by experiment how much nicer one of these hard floors looks, w hen wash ed with clean suds, than when washed with the boiling suds of Monday. let those who like get down upon their knees, and Bomb their floors with brushes and floor cloths such work is not for me nor mine, and 1 consider it pitiful business for any one. I hear of lnnu-handled scruhhim' hruslics. and doubtless these are suitable for human beings in the work of floor-cleaning. What I most want is a cheap and easy map wringer, for I dislike extremely to put my hand into the mop ping water. Of men a wringer I have heard, but have had no experience of its merits. A ScTUbbtT in Ki fhmujf, Grv CorrOK. -The following instnietions i...... it..i.. i : i r u :?. . iwiu ibhi; ul-vii wun i wi .... compressed gun cotton: (1) When time jiermits, the sim plest way of drying gun cotton is to eXVOH it to tho air of a dry room until it ceases to lose weight, or to place it in the open air during dry weather in situations where it will be eXpoeed to nn or wind. With a dry atmosphere gun eotton may lie dried by exposure to open air, even without sun, in alsmt five days. CJ) When it is desired to dry gun cotton quickly steam heat should be used, and a special appa ratus has been constructed for use in the field and at stations for carrying out this Operation safely and exeditiously. This apjiaratus ODD' sitts of a boiler and a drying-chamtM-r, w inch are placed, when required for use, with an in terval of about Ii feet lietween them, and are connected by means of an imlia-nibl-er tube. AuxutrAN AswociATlux Mkktini;.. .The 86th meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science will lie held at Nah villc, Tennessee, on August SStk Seniuous will take place in the Capitol. Special arrange ments are Wing made for decreased railroad faros, etc., and for the accommodation of mem bers in the city. The jwrmanent luloectiona of chemistry, microscopy and anthropology are to he continued, and the co-oncratiou ofitu- denta of theae sciences is requested. The I n tomological club will meet on the day preceding the meeting of the association. Nomx are too wise to lie mistaken, but few are so wisely just aa to acknowledge and cor rect their mistakes; and especially ths mistake oi prejudice, - narrow. I'LOSK Woi;k, It is well uii.lerst I that in maltln i fining gold and silver bullion in the process of coiumn iii mid minis, mere is usual Ij eonsutura hie. loss incident to tho handling in tho dillerent processes. The percentage of loss is pretty well known, and the Government allows a legal limit for such loss, of course the officials, if bonesi and capable, can come within this limit, hut the closeness with which the work lias been done this year at the branch mint in this city, accord ing to a statement furnished by the i lo'v'ornmeiit officials, is somewhat remarkable. The flgures speak for themselves. The whole mount of gold bullion delivered tp and charged Frank .1. Cicott. coiner, during the fiscal year S7li 77 was as follows: Standard ounces, 8.407808,8P0l value, & i.'),07S,-lS7.os The whole amount returned and credited him during the same period Ii 8,487(884,80(1 ounces value, ftir,07lt,l7S..".'-. Loss, i4,01 ounces value, !,H0N.7li. Legal limit of loss, l,74S!)SI ounoeej value. 888,83(1.88. The Whole Amount of (lver bullion delivered to and charged him during the same period is 82fi87i38L88 standard OUnoMl value, 18,077. 480.80, Tile whole 111 it returned and cred ited him during the same period jj 838, 80s 080 ,21 ounces; value, 28,070;087.8l1 Loss, 8,178 .:u ounce-.; value, 80,488 DO. Legd UmltofloM 83.887.89 ounces; value, 838,077,43 Tho whole amount of gold bullion delivered to and charged Alex. Martin, inciter and re liner, during the necal year IS7fl 77 was :i,filS,. 318,800 sUndard ounces; value, i7,;i."i,(i01f.7i The whole amount returned and credited him', during the same period was :t,lilS, 174, 7lHstand ard ounces, value, li7,:il4,H7H.47. Is)ss. 44,- 148 ees; value, 8831,28. Legal limit of loss, :t,fiS,'HI ounces; value, 887,818,70, Thu whole amount of silver bullion delivered to and charged him during the same period as above was 881888118,8 standard ounces; value. 888,407,205.68, The whole amount returuisl ami eredlted him during the same period was 88,681,878.08 odhohj value, fM.HiijiH.M. Leas, 4,440.83 ounceei value, 88,888,18 Ugnl limit of loss, 86,464,17 MUKWei value, 944,- MO.m. .S', Minhnj mui Seirnlitie I'rtM. To OoDMTBSUtTr THI Iiimim ., tViifa The Ihirrrhr-lifatt (as traiisUle.l by the poly, trchnir BtvitvA gives a recijio for a solution whiiwii RWUI ailllospliere upon walls. A wall exmed to cold ami moist- , "" w iwi a uf impound of three quarters of a pound of soap dissolved in ton iMiunda of lioiliiig water, care being taken in applying it to avoid the formation of bub, hies. A little alcohol assists in dissolving the froth, and causes the solution to imnetrato uwn iiimj ir,.- waii. t second , waling isull cd efter twentV'foni hours. ,i t . .i tioii of siilphatc of aluuiiiin, alHiut half ,. naatxl in :) D0KH of water. The coating obtained is, it u added, lmpewMante If the first coat is not dry and hard in twenty-four hours it must lie left a lonyer tune, The anUmi .til npOO here is the formation of an insoluble alu mina soap. Tn Aeon. M -. . - ' rnwJiiJfl. - ii you WISH to sleep well, eat sparingly of Uto supiera. Avoid a II irinmi.-iita ,.r i-. ... I... , ... I ...11 15 . o mmmimm uiiiuciw near nigni, as theae are likely to have a had effect upon MM who is troubled with aleeplflwneu ,.t ekhl Avimf havm., .......k ft 7 , , SrSBBI BJH IIIMllllg Ol friends that sleep doirU for a time. There u r ... ui.-f, ,,, f cultivating s tranouil mind, than esereiae in tho open air. By observing theae simple rules, sleeplessness, in the majority of instances, may be cured.