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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1889)
FARM. m I Kot Only Com fort lint I la AIM 4 tny Economic t'r. Tho majority of farmers look on ice as a luxury only to bo enjoyed by the rich who live in cities and regard an ice-houso as a needless extravagance. Ico in summer is a luxury, but it is also u substance that promotes health and comfort and which has many eco nomic uses. Unless iv farmer has a spring over which he can build a milk house lie will find it difficult to make Drst-olass butter if ho has no ice. He will also experience much trouble in keeping the butter in a condition to be sent to market. With ice ,nI1L- nnAH "butter can bo kept in good condition lie trouble. Cool milk is a with but little most desirable drink during the sum mcr, and one that should be used to a i greater extent than it is. An ice-, house or an ice-box is the best place for keeping eggs, vegetables and small j fruits. Fresh meat, poultry, fish and I game can also be kept in one for many , days. A supply of ico promotes ecou-' omy more than it does luxury. It en-1 nbles one to save many things that , xvould otherwise be wasted. ! Ice saves fuel during the summer bv c1!minthSnr lh nmm.nt. nf iwiUjJ 1 11U OllllJIJlVl I Inrr tt.i i, ,im, ,in,. u i...l times each dav. All kinds of cooked provisions as well as those that are not cooked can be keep a long time in an ice-box. During the summer we desire food and drink that are much warmer or much cooler than tho temperaturo of the air, and it matters but little in which one of these conditions theyarc in. At a hotel table in a city about half the persons will call for ico tea for supper, while the other half will take that which is nearly boiling. To oe grateful to tho taste its tempera ture must be much above or below that of the body and the surrounding air. During the summer the majority of persons prefer frozen cream to hoi puddings, and with a supply of ico it ia cheaper. Thero is no good reason why farmers should not havo ico cream on their tables during the summer. They have milk and eggs in abun dance, and the salt that is used for forming a freezing mixture can be utilized on a farm. Ever' farmer who has a crook, lake or fish pond on his placo can obtain a supply of ico from it at tho cost of cutting. If, howovcr, ico is put up for commercial purposes within one day's drive from his fnrm ho may find it more economical to buy it, as it costs very little. An ice-houso need not bo an oxponsivo structure, and if it is only intended to preserve ico enough to supply ono family thoro is no occasion for having it of largo size. Ulocks of ico that form a cako of ten foot will supply a family for 11 vo months. A building to hold ico should bo so constructed as to leavo a space of from eighteen to twenty-four inches on each sldo of tho ico to bo filled with sawdust, grain chalT, or straw chopped very lino. A double wall is not neces sary. Exporioneo has shown that It is best to havo tho sawdust or other ma terial conio directly against tho rnko of ico. As ono pleco of ico Is taken out tho material employed forprosorv; ing It fulls and occupies its place. A tight roof, good drainage, and small doors In tho gables that can bo opened and shut at pleasure are necessary. Thero is economy in largo ice-housos. Thoy uro cheapor to build and to fill. There mut bo tho same thickness of 8nwdust or other material around a small cako of ice as around a large ono. It costs but littlo moro to con struct a building that will contain ico enough to supply ton families than one that will supply Ico to but ono family. Somo creamery and cheoso factory companies have arranged to supply milk at h low price to all thoir patrons. A block of ico two foot square will or dinarily supply a family for throo or four days. In hoiiio places a dozen or more farmers havo united in building and filling an icu-housc. It is located at some central spot and tho farmer living nearest to it has the euro of it. Tho general plan Is to havo it oponod ono hour In tho morning on alternatu days. This gives every farmer an opportunity to get Ico and prevents waste. Where this plan has ben pur miod it is always found that consider able ico can be sold to persons who are not connected with the enterprise. Chicago Time. Good Floors For Stables. A great deal has been written about clay, stono, concroto ami brlok as ma terials for the floors of stalls and lono boxes. Tho theory is that earth Is soft and moist for tho horse's feet and that next to tho original soil other cool moist material is desirable. In praotloo a Btall or box with no other floor than clay soon becomes an of fensive quagmire, a stono floor is cold and hard, concroto Is soon broken up b tho continual stamping of tho Iron bhod foot, and bricks absorb olTonslvo fluids to a grositor oxtont than wood. A floor of good sound. Hpruco or pino planks, thoroughly soaked through with crude petroleum, will resist dampness ami decay for a long tlmo and keep clean and vvholusomo. in a stall a double floor is laid, tho lower course transversely of tho stalls, and tho upper ono lengthwise and extend ing back only us far as tho stall itself. Thoro should bo a very slight slope to' tho roar for dralnago. It is a se rious mistake to mako tho slope too .stoop, ad It compels tho horso to stand in an unnatural position with a con stant strain upon jho rear tendons ol iho logs. American Agriculturist. --Mud on tho cows should not be jiliowotl. Uju (ho brush. A uot tljould bo kpt us clean us u horse. ICE ON THE SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. pastern woodworkers are using naphthaline ns a wood preservative It is said to be verv effective, leaving the wood dry and with only a faint aromatic smell. The Austrians are constructing portable electric-light plants to bo used in entraining and detraining troops at night, and the Germans are going to have a similar portable plant attached to thoir siege trains. The saving which will result in i substituting electricity for horseflesh on the street railways of this country ' , , . ... . i . .1 . i . nimea hi oy mo iaut umi me uneru- ! tion of ono street ralwa)' in Enirlnnd i by electricity will result in saving G0.- tWJ par annum over ana aoovo tne present host of operating it by horses. --A Swedish scientist claims to hare discovered tha secret of petrify ing wood by artificial processes. Ho thinks it will be possible ere long to construct edifices of wood and convert ihcm into stone. As it takes three mouths and eost3 about $."09 to petrify a block of wood of th dimensions of one cubic inch, it will prob.ibly be some time before his process will ba generally adopted. The curious fact has bfscn deraon- ste" bv Sir John Lubbock thtrt ' certain kinds of ants are unable to exist without keeping other ants as slaves, though why this is so ho has not tound out. On removing tho slave? from a nest of fifty slave-holding ants ho found that the latter immediately commenced todieolT, and wore speedily reduced in numbnr to six. When the slaves were returned the mortality ceased. A new Parisian industry is the manufacture of hoar-frost glass, which Is covered with feathery patterns ro jcmbllng those naturally produced upon window-panes in cold weather. The glass is first given a ground sur face, either by tho sand-blast or the ordinary method, and is then coated with soft varnish. Tho varnish con tracts strongly In drying, taking with it tho particles of glass to which it adheres, and this reproduces very accurately the branching crystal ol frostwork. A single coat gives a deli cate elToct. and several coats yield a bold design. A lecturer In the Koyal Institution, London, attempts to "define poison ac curately" as follows: "Any substance which otherwise than by the agency of heat or electricity is capable of destroy ing life either by chemical action on the tissues of the living body, or by physiological action after absorption into tho living system." Tho fact would scorn to bo that "poison" is a question of quantity, not quality. Very small quantities of aconite, hydro cyanic acid, etc., sutllco to destroy life out usou in limiteu quantities tnoy are valuable drugs. Ono woll-known definition of poisons is "substances which derange tho vital functions and produco death by an action not mo chanical." A curious photographic apparatus, in which a camera is raised by a rocket and lowered by a parachuto. Is being developed by a French inventor. M Amedeo Donisso. In its experimental form tho cylindrical camera has twolvo lonsos round its circumference with a sensitive plate in its center, and Is pro vided with a shutter which opens and instantly closes as tho apparatus com tnencos to fall. Tho descent is eased by tho opening of tho attached par chute, which is drawn hack to tht oporator by a cord attached before the firing of tho rocket. For securing blrd's-oyo views tho photo-rocket offers, several important advantages over balloon photography, such as compara tive cheapness in oporating and free doin from risk in case of usu for mili tary reconnoltoring. How to Obtain Health. Tho groat secret of unvarying health is before every thing, to have a body In a high state of vigor, and onco hav ing that to keep it. Thoro is loss wis dom in studying tho ways of curing an ailing frame than in giving your at tentlon to those of obtaining a hearty ono that never becomes ailing. A proper physique sheds pains, aches, disorders, Illnesses, diseases, epidemics as a duck does water, and enables its owner to laugh at doctor's bills. It confers upon its possessor happiness amid the heaviest misfortunes and gives tho surest promise of longevity. To obtain It, havo somo regular bus'l- noss that will give you an interest in life and make you allvo all over without over-working you; shun caro and worry; bo systematli) in your habits; avoid dissipation; sleep enough; oat plain, wholesome food, the best of the kind, and, above all, devote yourself methodically to sotno athletic pursuit, such as will give yoa exoroiso all rounil, ami spend all tho time you can in tho open air. Thou forgot you havo a body that can by anj possibility got out of order, and novor think of your health. Xewburypoi'l Herald. John Wcntworth' Sobriquet, Long John Wentworth, who recently died in Chicago, used to toll this story of how ho got tho name by which ho was so well known: When I was goln to school down in Connecticut 1 was tho longest and skinniest boy you ovor saw, 1 was fourteen years old. I used to havo u habit in those days of getting my hools up oa tho scat, so that my knees towurod above my hoad. 1 was sitting that way ono day in school, when ono of tho examiners camo uround. Ho said to tho teacher; What's that boy doing stadlng up on tho bonchP Why don't you mako him alt down?" Tho teacher said I mu Hitting down. "Who is ho?" asked the or.amlnor. 'John Wentworth." said tho teachar. "UVa a rotty long John," miid th examiner: iumI evi since that d ty llio name Las tUvk U mo. .Y. V. bun. UNCLE SAM'S GOVERNMENT. X Description of tlir Kircutlre Powers of the Different Department". ' The great mass of work Imposed upon the Executive Power of the Gov ernment embracing so many distinct subjects, and requiring so many thou sands of agents to perform must bear ranged and treaied in an orderly and systematic manner. To expect the President to give it his close personal attention and directly superintend tho doings of each agent, would be absurd Ihe magnitude and diversity of the work demand its separation into parts, and tho general supervision or manage' ment of each part must be intrusted to a separate olllcer. On this business basis, and in accordance with the de sign of the Constitution, Congress has divided tho work among seven ex ecutive departments, each in charge of a general officer or "head of depart ment." known, respectively, as the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, tho Secretary of War. the Attorney-General, the Postmaster-Gen eral, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Interior; and (he work of each department is still further subdivided and distributed amoug "bureaus and "divisions ' and minor "ofllces." in charge of lesser heads or chiefs, designated as "commissioners," "superintendents," "directors," and by various other general or special titles, An executive department, then, prop eriy means one of the grand divisions of Government work boldlv marked out or suggested by the express pro vision:' of the Constitution. J'heso grand di visions readily arrange themselves. Tho sovereign relations of the Repub lic with foreign powers, and its oflicial intercourse with the Governments of tho States at home may bo regarded as ono distinct grand division; accord ingly, wo have tho Department of State. Tho coinage, currency, revenue, and general fiscal affairs suggest another great branch of work; hence, we have tho Department of tjic Treasury. The mention of armies suL'trest work that in time of trouble is likely to tax the energy of a separate division; thus, we very appropriately havo a Department of War. I ho prosecution of offenses against tho Unite I States, and other judicial matters wherein the interests of tho Republic are concerned consti tute a genoral division, represented by tho Department of Justice. The postal service, as ono of the most intricate and important branches of Gov ernment work, certainly forms another grand division; therefore, wo havo tho Post-olllco Department Maritime protection, like the military or land dofense, forms a separate di vision; and thus wo havo tho Depart' ment of the Navy. Tho various mat tors of domestic concern, not covered in these other departments, but con tcmplated by tho Constitution, such as tho census, public lauds, patents, and "odds and ends," may bo conveniently grouped into another general division; and thus wo havo tho very miscel laneous, yet not misnamed, Depart ment of tho Interior. To somo of thoso executive depart ments are intrusted matters which, on their face at least, do not strictly bo long to tho grand division to which thoy havo been assigned by law. For instance, tno "eatnor miroau is a bureau of tho War Department; tho work being intimately connected with tho peacoful interests of agriculluro and commerce, it is very generally de manded that it should be taken from military control and placed olsewhoro. Edmund Alton, in St. Nicholas. Witchcraft in Germany. A farmer in Germany lost several hoad of cattlo within afow months, and his family agreed that this could only bo tho result of witchcraft, oxerciscd by a nolghbor with whom they wcro not on friendly terms. A miller from the vicinity, famed for his power ovor evil spirits, was consulted, and ordered the doors to bo painted with a certain ointment. Tho evil-doer, ho said would bo tho first porson to enter thereafter, and could only bo kept from further mischiof by having his or her nose squeezed between the door and tho jamb until tho member was crushed. The first porson who ontored was tho neighbor's wifo, who was duly captured, and who, though tho attempt at crushing her nose was un successful, received somo serious wounds on the head in hor attempt to escape hor torturers. Chicago Times. What They Eat. The tailor Boast gooso. Tho builder Plumb pudding. Tho druggist "l'izun" things. Tho baso-ball man Fowl. Tho carpenter Piano food. Tho stock-raiser Bred. Tho actor Supo. Tho printer Pi. Tho singer Oys tor Pattl The old maid To mate. O. Tho Quaker Peas. Tho prisoner Coll-ory. Tho profane Cussud hard. Tho acrobat Turn-ups. Tho Mucker Pipe plant The roal-estato man ColToo grounds. Tho dry-goods clerk Flannel cakos. Tho tramp Hag out of voal. Tho debtor Owo it meal. Tho public speaker Toast. Tho funny innii Cliostnuts. II'mi- ington Post. m Sho (looking over tho nutumn landscape) "Isn't It jiorfectly beauti ful, GoorgoP" Ho "It Is simply de licious! 1 could gnxo on it for hours. Do you know that ovory tlmo I look on h gloriously tinted tuitumu leaves thoy remlHil mu of your" "In wlmt way?" ' Thoy look ns if tlmy applied to ono to Ik- pressed." ttoston Courier. JEWELERS' CUSTOMERS. How Various Sperlmeii of Femininity Do Their Shopping. "Whom do we have the mosttroublo with? Why, ladies, of course. I'll guarantee that two-thirds of the time our clerks spend behind the case they are occupied in answering the conun drums propounded by members of the gentle gender. This would naturally be a pleasure provided a sale followed, but such is not often the happy sequel. During the day I suppose at least half a hundred ladies come here with goods purchased elsewhere and use our em ployes as experts to determine their quality and value. "There are three distinct species in this class of visitors. First in order comes the matron. Her husband has given her a watch or a piece of jewelry. She at once asks the clerk whether the works are of the best quality and what such a watch should cost. There is no beating about the bush with her. Her manner is business-like throujrh and through. Sometimes it happens that the gentleman who is in charge of our watch department (he is married, by-lhe-way.) out of a freak of sympathy for the husband of his tormenter, places the value of the article at double its proper figure. He feels that if he told the truth and informed the matron that the wutch was of inferior quulity, her better half would catch it.1 "Next we have the charming misses. A pretty girl with eyes brightened at the prospect of marriage with the man of her choice, but at the same time remembering that all is not gold that glitters, brings in her engage ment ring. Does she say it is her en gagement ring? No, sir. She is even smarter than the matron in finding out what she wants to know. In the calmest manner possible she will in quire: "What will you make me a du plicate of this ring for?'1 The clerk feels that he has a customer and he forthwith examines the stones with the greatest care. Probably ho will ... ..II T ii.!..! , ...... .1....K..... .. lujfi,), "uu, i ilium u i;iu uui'inuii; it for 5.0.' That settles it. With an 'oh. thank you,1 sho smilingly departs. Hut if sho be informed, 'why, these stones are paste,1 sho shuts off any further negotiations by stamping her shapely foot and frowningly hurries out. Woo unto her intended, for after that evening ho will be her intended no more. In either event she buys noth ing. "Thirdly, we have Mrs. Shoddy, who has a visitor from the country upon whom she desires to make an impres sion of her wealth and standing in society, She remarks that Mich and such a reception is soon to take placo. and sho really must get a diamond necklace. From one store to another sho journeys the whole afternoon, ex amines goods costing thousands of dollars, but strange to say she finds nothing to suit her. The friend goes homo with an idea that the city lady has more money than she knows what to do with. And yot not a single pur chaso has been made." Jewelers'1 Weekly. PERNICIOUS WEEDS. How Their SimmIh A v.t .-iitl ereil bv the Colli Wlnils or Winter. Thero is a kind of winter seeding not generally entering into tho plan of the average farmer. Winter is in thought associated with a period of rost and comparative death in the vegetable world. Tho winter wheat lies dormant in its frozon bed beneath the white blanket of fallen snow, and the ears of corn soleoted for next spring's seeding are stored out of tho reach of tho mice in tho crib. All meadow and pasture land sleep on until wakened by the silent quicken ing of tho spriug. Novortholess thero is a work going forward through the short days and long nights of tho se vere months in tho dead of winter. Every gust of wind that hurries by the street corner and dies away In momentary calm; ovory giant galo which conies down from tho frozon North and sweeps whole States with a bounn of relentless fury, mav carry with it tho germs of weeds and deposit them in some secure place where the spring sun finds and quickons thorn Into now life. All sowings aro not confined to the nowly-harrowed field or tho rich and mellow garden. If it wore so, farming and gardening would bo a less serious matter than it is Many seeds like thoso of tho dreaded Canada thistle aro provided with light, feathery up pendages by which tho ripened seeds take long flights in tho upper air like so many miniaturo oauoons. utiior plants, as tho burdock and bogger's lico, rely for transportation upon the passing animals to which they adhere by hooks, thus stealing a ride. Other- still aro loft without any special struct ure for migration, and must thorofore dopond in part upon tho favoring con ditions of winter. Tho various sorts of tumble weeds broak up into a number of parts, or by a decay of tho main stem at Its union with tho soil the whole plant is sot freo and blown by tho wind where it listoth. Thoro aro many woods which remain upright with thoir sood-boaring portion above tho fallen snow and when tho smooth crust of ieo forms ovor all, tho seeds, loosoned by tho oloinonts, are blown for miles ovor tho frozen surfaco only to And lodgment in some ditch, hollow or other place of safety. This helps lo explain how marvolously weeds spring up in cultivated ground. American Agriculturist. Never sort apples whun first pick rd. If kept somo weeks they must bo tortod again, as somo good onus will khow defotitb ltttr. Grade with care. Six poor (tuples will HiTcct the grndt o; an uitirc barivl. OPENING A MINE. i An Operation Which Deroan Many Thon- J and or Dollars. , Working a gold mlno sounds very ; nice, but very few people are aware of the difficulties and expense attending , this operation. I There are plenty of men in this city J who have been "bitten" in small mining schemes, and who do not now under stand whv they were failures. It is a very common thing for some hopeful prospector to stumble across "crop pings" that show free gold, and that, from all appearances, could be worked to advantage with tho expenditure of a little money. The first thing the prospector does is to "think up" some capitalist friend whom he thinks would be willing to invest in tho enterprise. He then writes a letter something after this fashion: "I have one of the finest propositions you ever heard nf T hnvfl ilisnovpreJ cronnintfs that in- j dicatc the presence of a ledije 8 feet wide, and which I am certiin will bs found permanent. ' "The cropplnss show that the ore wilt mill at least i5 per ton. Lt us s iv then that the ore , will only yi-ld half this amount. This mine can be worked hit Is. the ore can be mined and milled at a minimum cost of 13 per ton. This will leave a net protit of. say, to. Now the cropplnjs show along the surfaco for-JO) feet, and are so situated that a tunnel could be run S01 feet below. There is no doubt that the ore will hold out. and after the tunnel Is run there will be 'in sight' practically 25.003 tons of ore, which, at $3 a ton, will, as you will readily see. yield a profit of S-JDO.OjO. "All I need Is enou?h money to run this tun nel, lean then haul the ore to a custom mill (there Is one about a mile distant), and after that the mine will pay for Itself. I only need f.'UO i at the outside, and If you will put up this amount you may have a half interest in the property." On paper this is a fine proposition. A sure fortune for $3,00D. Tho capital ist is caught and up goes his $3,000. The first thing to be done is to drivo a tunnel into the solid rock some 8 feet square and a distance of 200 feet. A double shiftof men. sayeight, are hired, also a blacksmith to sharpen the tools, men to clear away tho ground, etc. This can easily bo accomplished for $50 a day. A house or cabin has to bo built, but this will only cost somo $300. Powder, tools, timbers, lumber and provisions will make the first $1,000, to use a popular expression, "look awful sick." For the first few days the work progresses favorably, and tho capital ist receives tho mo.st encouraging let ters from his raining friend. After that the letters are less frequent and not near so encouraging. Tho miners havo "struck a horse." This is generally somo rock about as easy to drill through as so much cast steel. A hole six inches deep may be drilled into the rock in about ten hours, and when the giant powder cartridges are put into this hole they shoot out as if from a cannon. Thoro may be 10 foot of this sort of work, thero may bo 50; at any rate, before the ditlicultv has been over come, somo $2,000 or more will havo been sunk in the enterprise, and tho ground scarcely scratched. Of course moro money will bo de manded, and thon still more until the capitalist becomes disgusted and quits th thing all together. This is tho way it generally works. Ditllculties aro not only encountered in ruuning a tunnel or sinking a shaft, such as tho caving in of tho work, rebellious rock and others too numerous to mention; but it is often discovered after tho tunnel has been run tho do- sired length that it should have been run in somo other place. To estimate tho actual cost of the opening up of a mino from tho "grass roots" would be a very difficult matter. Under tho most favorablo circum stances, however, unless a pocket or bunch of very rich oro is encountered, from$G0,000 to$75,000 may bo set down as a very close figure to put a mere "prospect" in paying condition. As much sometimes ns $200,000 aro spent In oponing up a mine before any "money" is taken out. All this refers merely to thoso "little" mining propo sitions or "flyers," as thoy aro called, in which tho uninitiated, in tho hopo of becoming millionaires on a "dollar" investment, tomo out in almost every instance at the small end of tho horn. X. V. Herald. Safe Burial of Bowlders. Having buried many largo stones, I nfllrm that tho dangers incurred is very slight if tho work is attempted in tho right manner. Do not dig uiidor it nt all. Keep tho excavation about six inches from tho nearest sido of tho stone. Mako it long enough, wido enough and deep onough to contain tho stono with room to spare. When tho nolo is dug, thon with long-handled tools carefully romovo tho six-inch sholl of earth as low as you can reach easily without taking any risk of boing crushed. A plank laid along tho furthor edge of tho hole may glvo you somo advantago in digging. Next dig a nar row trench along tho opposite sldo of tho stono from tho excavation. Mako this trench closo to tho stono and part ly under it. Now pour water into tho trench, and keep on pouring until tho carta underneath is softoned into mud, when tho Mono can usually bo slid without much troublo into tho hole. A lover can bo used to give it u start Farm Life. According to Engineering, somo oxporlmonts conducted at tho Ports mouth (Eng.) dockyard, with a vlow to determining tho roslstancoof motals nt different tomporaturos, indicate that tho strength of iron Inerougos uni formly up to 500 degroos F while tho ductility diminishes up to about 300 dogroos; it thon increases until a some what higher tomporaturo U reached, and thou remains nearly constant up to a tomporaturo of nearly 500 dogreos. Stool, similarity tested, showed no diminution of trngUi up to 400 do-gre-s. but at this point hi ductility wu reduced ou.'-hulf PONDEROUS MACHINERY. Preparation Maile ror Work on Unci Sm Army and "ry. Every year the machinery in tha Iron mills at Pittsburgh, Pa., is being made more ponderous. Tho necessity for this lies in tho demand for immense castings. Every thing is growing larger than in former times. Ships are big gcr, locomotives are more powerful, iron-front buildings are higher, antf agricultural implements are vastly larger. The development of mill nj paratus to meet this increase has been gradual, but within the hist two years a wonderful impetus has been given the forward movement by the building of the n -w war vessels for tho United States navy. Andrew Carnegie has just completed the building of a mill at Hraddock, one of the suburbs of Pittsburgh, expressly intended for the manufacture of this government work. Thero is not a 3ingle bit of apparatus in it but what is the largest of its kind in tho world. The shours, which snap a bar of iron in two as though it were tissue paper, exceeds any thing in size that has over been known by the sons of Vulcan. The lathes are greater, the rolls aro longer and heavier than any thing tho remain der of the country can show, and even the steam boilers are tho largest over made by the hand of man. In the Black Diamond steel works. Thirtieth street, Pittsburgh, thero is tho largest stenm hammnr in tho United States. Tho blow of fifty tons, which it strikes every second of tirao that it is in opera tion, shakes tho earth for two squares around tho mill. Yet it is so easily controlled, and so nicely adjusted, that the hammer-man has placed on the anvil block beneath it a delicate wine glass containing an egg and, turning on the steam full force, would let tho ponderous weight above fall until at a certain distance, and then shut tho steam ot7. In this way the hammer has been kept for several minutes gently tapping tho glass and egg with out breaking them. But now tho Government itsolf is going to throw all these marvelous achievements in tho background by tho improvements at tho navy yard in Washington City. They will transform that quiet place into the most power ful workshop in tho universe. For in stance, there was not found in the mills and foundries of tho whole United States "traveling cranes" big enough tomove about tho immense castings and wrought iron parts of large cannons which the war and navy departments have prftjected. These cranes are very familiar objects in the yards of iron mills everywhere. They aro simply a block and taeklo arrangement so fixed upon a steam-car that they will pick up a heavy piece of metal and rush off speedily to any part of tho building with it. The largest of these "travel ers" in Pittsburgh will carry a burden of thirty tons with safety to the ropes and rigging. In tho Midvale steol works, Pennslyvania crane of twenty-six a travoling tons capacity has been erected to handling of castings war ships. Thoso arc facilitato tho for the now now tho two largest apparatus of tho kind in tho country. But work will soon bo com menced on a traveling crane for tho Washington navy yard which will havo a carrying capacity of 110 tons. This is intended for use in the manufacture of -a 110-ton gun, which, when finished, will be the largest in tho coast defense of tho United States. To "turn" this wonderful cannon a lathe is now boing made which will surpass all other lathes in size. The machine will havo to be 120 foot long and will have a "tread" of nine feet. Tho gun itself will bo fifty feet long and to turn and bore it the latho will of courso bo re quired to bo doublo that longth. All tho tools and machinery to mako this big cannon aro boing made pur posely for the job, so largo and strong must they be. The contract for de livery of the necessary steel forging has been concluded with tho Bethlohom steel works of eastern Pennsylvania. But before that company could mako tho forgings thoy had to erect a now plant large enough for tho big sizes. The 110-ton gun will bo of 13-inch caliber, will require a charge of 1,000 pounds of powder, and will throw a projectilo weighing 2,000 pounds. To oven make theso projectiles will neces sitate larger machinery in that lino than is now in oxistonco. Thon, to transport tho gun finally ovor tho dif ferent lines of a railroad (if tho ocean route is not taken), would require strongor iron bridges than are now in uso. So tho work of enlargement goes on almost indefinitely. Pittsburgh Cor. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Origin of Electrical Terms. j The technical terms used in regard to electricity rofor to units of various nature. Thus tho unit of enpaoity is one farad; tho unit of nctivity, ono watt; tho unit of work, ono joulo; tho unit of quantity, ono coulomb; tho unit of current, ono nmpero; tho unit of re sistance, ono ohm; tho unit of mag netic Held, ono gnuss; tho unit of pres sure, out? volt; tho unit of force, ono dyne. Thoso names nro mostly de rived from tho uamos of man who havo boon famous in tho Hold of oloctrical research. Thus Michaol Faraday, Jhiuos Watt, and Jnmos P. Joulo, famous English dlscovorors, glvo thoir names to tho first throo units men tioned; Charlos A. Coulomb and Andro M. Ampere. Fronoh invontors, to tho two units following; G. S. Ohm nnd Carl F. Gauss, Germans, namo two uioro units; and tho. volt is nnmod irorn t.i Italian disoovwor. VolUi. Tho u In- , l1 d. . . ... i- v,..i fi-.,iii the root word of t ( ni--aiiw,-force, (Mtinao