The west shore., February 01, 1885, Page 59, Image 28

THE WEST SHORE.
59
SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY.
Oast Tnnv CVtt.fhy. This title mny npjvnr nnrmn
lous, but cast iron cutlery of certnin forms is fur more
common than its purchnsers gonorally imagine. And it
is not necessarily of a poor quality, although made of
nothing but cast iron. In the writer's family is a pair of
scissors of cast iron that has been used for throe yoars,
and has boon soveral times sharpened. The writer has
shaved with a cast iron razor, which did excellent work
for months. There are in Connecticut two quito exten
sive establishments which reckon cast iron cutlery as
among the important products of their work. This allu
sion to cast iron shears and scissors does not refer to the
combined cast iron and steel articles which are usually
considered superior to tho forged ones. These have a
steel innor plate cemented on each blado by tho fused
iron when it is poured into the mould; but the cast iron
shears aud scissors are wholly and entirely of cast iron,
and they are finished for the market procisoly as they
come from the mould The quality of the iron used is
the same or similar to that used in casting for malleable
iron, and for cutlery it is cast in chilla When brokon,
the crystallization is very similar to that of hardened
cast steel, and, except for lack of elasticity, it serves the
same goneral purposes. But although this cast iron is
not adapted to tools which work by blows, it is sometimes
made into ice picks and axes, hatchets and steak oho
pors. The manufacturers of cast iron sliwirs and scissors
make no secret of the material, and sell tlioir goods for
just what they am Of course they aro sold cheaper than
forged work of stool can be sold, Retailors, also, know
that this cheap cutlery is not steel, aud usually unless
dishonest they will answer truthfully questions on tho
subject But, really, a pair of cast iron snears or scissors
for ordinary household work is just as good as one of
forged cast stool. There is only one difficulty in the way
of superseding cast steel forgiugs by cast iron castings in
these implements, which is that the chill that makes the
iron hard does not always extend to a depth that will
allow of rotated grindings and rosharenings, the ma
terial crumbling before it can le brought to an edge.
But when first ground aud odgod, the shears are as keen
as those of tempered cast stool, and tho blades retain
thoir edges longer. Scienlijlo Anurimn.
He Had Him. "1 keep my eyes and ears oon all
tho while when I am travelling, I do," remarked a garru
lous passonor, by way of explanation of tho great fund
of information which he had occupied a solid hour in
giving up to his not over-patiout companions.
"And your mouth, too," observed a tirod Iislenor,
sot to voce.
" Nothing escapes me," continued the talkativo man,
not hearing tho other's remark; "I don't take much
stock iu education nohow. I believe in a man keeping
his eyes oen, learning for himself liv olmorvation. Now,
there's a horse I know all alsmt a horse, from tooth to
tail, an' 1 nevor studied none o' yer geographies nor
natund histories, either."
"So you know all a)out a horse, do you?" inquired
another listener, with a demure air, which gave promise
of a "catch."
"Yes, indeed; I know all alsmt 'cm. There ain't no
question alout a horse I can't answer. I've handled 'em
and studied 'em for twenty years, aud that's wuth mor'n
all the books iu creation. I"
"Am glad to meet yon, sir," interrupted the demure
one. "There's a point I am iu doubt alsmt, and erliHm
you can settle it. Why is it when a horse goes away
from huuiu Le goes along 'tending to Lin own kusiiioss,
annoying no one and attracting no attention, while just
as soon as a jackass gets away from home ho goes to
wngsing his enrs, braying, mid giving himself nv;;y?"
The know-it-all man suddenly remembered that his
wifo was waiting for him iu tho noxt car.
TitAtNiNO Elephants. To tho uninitiated it seems
wonderful that theso hugo creatures can bo trained at all.
But tho process is not so difficult They are first tied lc
twoon two trees, and are rubbed down by a number of
men with long bamboos to an accompaniment of tho most
extravagant eulogies of the animal, sung and shouted at
it at the top of their voices. Tho animal lashes out furi.
ously at first, but in a few days it ceases to act on the
offensive, and stands with its trunk curled up, shrinking
from the men. Hopes are now tied round its lody, and
it is mounted at it picket for several days. It is then
taken out for exercise, secured between two tame ele
phants. The ropes still remain round its body, to enable
tho mahout to hold on should tho elephant try to shako
him off. A man precedes it with a spear, to teach it to
halt when ordered to do so, while, as the tame elephant
wheel to the right or loft, tho vmhout presses its neck
with his knees, and taps it on tho head with a small stick,
to train it to turn in the required direction. To teach an
elephant to kneel, it is taken into water five feet deep
when tho huh is hot, and, umii lining pricked on the buck
with a pointed stick, it soon lies down, partly to avoid
the pain, partly from inclination for a bath. )ty taking
it into shallow water daily it is soon taught to kneel even
on land
Kkkp Out tub Col.D. Cracks in floorB, around the
mould hoard, or other parts of a room, may bo neatly
and jioruianontly filled by thoroughly soaking nowspnimrs
in panto mado of ono oiiud of flour, three quarts of
water and a tablosjioonful of alum, thoroughly boiled
and mixed. The mixture will be alxmt as thick as putty,
and may bo forced into tho cracks with a caso knife. -It
will harden liko papier-macho.
Hkihcii's toHt for sewage contain i nation in water is
simple and effective. Fill a clean pint bottle three-fourths
full of the water to bo tested, and dissolve in the water a
tcaspoouful of loaf or granulated sugar. Cork the bottle
and place it iu a warm place for two days. It iu twenty,
four or forty-eight hours tho water iconics cloudy or
muddy it is unlit for domestic use. It it remains clear it
is safo to uso.
' Tiiacino l'Ai'Kii is very oxpeusivn in the market, and
every one who would like to make his own may do it in
tho following manner: Mix well together 75 parts of
olive oil and 25 part of heii.iuo. With a brush put it
on best tissue pajsir aud hang it up for alsiut thirty-six
hours. This is a very transparent tracing paper; until
the iMtiiino has evaporated it is also extremely inflam
mable WiiKN vessels or timlwr sink to great depths iu the
ocean the pressure is so great that water is forced into
the Hires, and the wood become too heavy to rise again,
liven wlmn a ship is broken up the detached portions
sink like lead It is this pressure that makes it impossi
ble for divers to descend to any great depths.
TiL'MtNoim keyhole trimmings and door knolwt are said
to lie in great favor with the bibulously inclined trson,
and convenient for others. Tlwy are mnde of glass, ami
tho hock is covered with luminous (mint, giving forth a
light which may lie seen a considerable distance on the
darkest nights.