mixture of oxygen, dioxide and moisture cannot obtain access to the metal.
It is customary in many Continental countries to paint, with a mixture of red lead and linseed oil, all constructional work before it leaves the mills where it is rolled; but this applies to large pieces, and even then much is left to be desired with regard to the quality of the oil which is used as a vehicle. When the heavy pieces are moved the paint—however closely it may adhere— will be rubbed off in some places, and exposure of the metal occurs. It should, however, be remembered that the large pieces of ironwork are not so important, as regards corrosion, as the small pieces; and, moreover, they are, for the most part, in full view, and the process of gradual destruction by rust can easily be watched. No doubt it is wise to take all needful, precautions with these, but of themselves, however carefully they may be protected, they will never save a structure of which they form part. “Take care of the pence,” says the financial proverb, and a corresponding engineering proverb must run, “Take care of the bolts, and the beams will take care of themselves.”—Yorkshire Post.
Technical Oxygen. — Consul-General Richard. Guenther, of Frankfort, reports that a French engineer has . succeeded in separating oxygen and nitrogen in atmospheric. air. The Consul-General writes :
“It is telegraphed from Paris that the civil engineer George Claude informed the Society of Engineers, at its meeting on December 1, that he had succeeded in separating oxygen and nitrogen in atmospheric air. M. Claude declared that the liquefaction of air had made the solution of the problem possible. At the price of two centimes for a cubic metre, it will be possible to reach unknown temperatures in metallurgy. The Mittag, a Berlin paper, says that the invention of George Claude is of tremendous importance. Several attempts have heretofore been made to solve the problem of separating oxygen from the nitrogen of the atmospheric air. Prof. Raoul Pictet, of Berlin, deserves the credit of having worked on this problem for a series of years, and having attained great success of late.
“As far back as 1889 Professor Pictet constructed a plant in England intended to separate the two elements. But at that time the results were not satisfactory. At the
recent congress of naturalists, held last September, Professor Pictet delivered a lecture in which he stated that he had succeeded in separating nitrogen from oxygen by liquefying the air and then allowing the nitrogen to evaporate, obtaining in this manner a product containing about 50 per cent, of oxygen and which he will put on the market as ‘technical oxygen.’ From recent reports it is learned that Professor Pictet has been successful in increasing the percentage of oxygen still further, and also cheapening it to a price of about one pfennig (about one-fourth cent) per quart. This statement, however, requires verification. If it should be true, then Professor Pictet will have done better than George Claude.”
Watt’s Paint-brushes. — Brushes, of course, were as unsatisfactory to him as to other men. According to Mrs. Barrington: “Quite new brushes were almost useless to him. He would wear the outside bristles down on a background, or by merely rubbing them on a hard surface till they became a stiff little pyramid, the shape of a stump used for chalk drawings, and then they became great treasures. He said he believed the worst thing to paint with was a paint-brush—‘except the wrong end.’ He would use a paper or leather stump or the handle of an old tooth-brush filed down to a point, but the best of all, he thought, was the finger. When the putty-like pigment which he put on the canvas in distinct touches was nearly dry, he would sometimes take a paper-knife, and, using the flat part, would rub it over the touches, smearing them together. He would not touch the painting again till the smeared surface was quite dry. Then he would work partially over it.”
Wilhelm II. is Artist.—The Kaiser has just designed a magnificent electrical candelabrum for a new church at Strasbourg. The metal-work, of beaten brass, consists of seven huge branches in a highly complicated pattern. The four Evangelists are represented in them. The Kaiser’s idea is symbolic; he wishes to say the light of the world comes from the Gospels. A short time ago, when the elaborate ornamentation of the chief door of the new cathedral at Metz was unveiled, it was noticed that among the figures of Apostles and Prophets upon it was a model of the Kaiser as the Prophet Daniel. In the new cathe
dral at Worms the stained-glass windows contain figures of the Kaiser’s seven children as cherubs. The artist used photographs of the children when about six years old. When the Kaiser was asked to give his permission he said his children were far too bad a lot to be displayed as cherubs as there was nothing cherubic about them, but if the Empress would consent he had no objection. The Empress gave her consent. Finally, in the parish church of Wilhelmshohe, the favorite summer residence of their Majesties, there is a window with the Empress’s picture as St. Elizabeth.—New York World.
“Golgotha.”—Any one desiring an oilpainting of the comfortable dimension of 190 feet in length, may secure it at a low price from the customs officers here. It is a panoramic view of “Golgotha,” and was executed by Jan Steyka, who boasts of it as the largest oil-painting in the world. It was intended as a mural decoration for exhibition at St. Louis, but owing to differences between Mr. Steyka, who is a Pole, and the Russian Government, the contract was not carried out. Mr. Steyka and his managers then decided to tempt the artistic temperament of Chicago with a public exhibition of the canvas and it was imported at New York, March 26, 1904. No inspection was made at that port for the painting, although crated in sections was a cumbersome piece of property. Two flat-cars were filled with its sections and shipped to Chicago. When articles of this kind are entered for exhibition a bond is required, and in this case the proper papers were made out, making the owners and bondsmen responsible to the extent of $4,000. The venture proved unprofitable, however, from the beginning, and the owners seem neither able to sell the painting here nor pay the expenses of its return to Europe. Ou;r customs officers hold it for the payment of $2,000 duties, and it will be offered for sale by public auction. Unusual competition for its ownership is not expected.—Washingt m Correspondent of the Boston Transcript.
A New Version of the Industrious Apprentice.—Three men were at work on the roof of an old building within easy view from a certain office on the top floor just across the street. Two were full-fledged plumbers, one an apprentice, who was occasionally called on to drive a nail or two for
It is customary in many Continental countries to paint, with a mixture of red lead and linseed oil, all constructional work before it leaves the mills where it is rolled; but this applies to large pieces, and even then much is left to be desired with regard to the quality of the oil which is used as a vehicle. When the heavy pieces are moved the paint—however closely it may adhere— will be rubbed off in some places, and exposure of the metal occurs. It should, however, be remembered that the large pieces of ironwork are not so important, as regards corrosion, as the small pieces; and, moreover, they are, for the most part, in full view, and the process of gradual destruction by rust can easily be watched. No doubt it is wise to take all needful, precautions with these, but of themselves, however carefully they may be protected, they will never save a structure of which they form part. “Take care of the pence,” says the financial proverb, and a corresponding engineering proverb must run, “Take care of the bolts, and the beams will take care of themselves.”—Yorkshire Post.
Technical Oxygen. — Consul-General Richard. Guenther, of Frankfort, reports that a French engineer has . succeeded in separating oxygen and nitrogen in atmospheric. air. The Consul-General writes :
“It is telegraphed from Paris that the civil engineer George Claude informed the Society of Engineers, at its meeting on December 1, that he had succeeded in separating oxygen and nitrogen in atmospheric air. M. Claude declared that the liquefaction of air had made the solution of the problem possible. At the price of two centimes for a cubic metre, it will be possible to reach unknown temperatures in metallurgy. The Mittag, a Berlin paper, says that the invention of George Claude is of tremendous importance. Several attempts have heretofore been made to solve the problem of separating oxygen from the nitrogen of the atmospheric air. Prof. Raoul Pictet, of Berlin, deserves the credit of having worked on this problem for a series of years, and having attained great success of late.
“As far back as 1889 Professor Pictet constructed a plant in England intended to separate the two elements. But at that time the results were not satisfactory. At the
recent congress of naturalists, held last September, Professor Pictet delivered a lecture in which he stated that he had succeeded in separating nitrogen from oxygen by liquefying the air and then allowing the nitrogen to evaporate, obtaining in this manner a product containing about 50 per cent, of oxygen and which he will put on the market as ‘technical oxygen.’ From recent reports it is learned that Professor Pictet has been successful in increasing the percentage of oxygen still further, and also cheapening it to a price of about one pfennig (about one-fourth cent) per quart. This statement, however, requires verification. If it should be true, then Professor Pictet will have done better than George Claude.”
Watt’s Paint-brushes. — Brushes, of course, were as unsatisfactory to him as to other men. According to Mrs. Barrington: “Quite new brushes were almost useless to him. He would wear the outside bristles down on a background, or by merely rubbing them on a hard surface till they became a stiff little pyramid, the shape of a stump used for chalk drawings, and then they became great treasures. He said he believed the worst thing to paint with was a paint-brush—‘except the wrong end.’ He would use a paper or leather stump or the handle of an old tooth-brush filed down to a point, but the best of all, he thought, was the finger. When the putty-like pigment which he put on the canvas in distinct touches was nearly dry, he would sometimes take a paper-knife, and, using the flat part, would rub it over the touches, smearing them together. He would not touch the painting again till the smeared surface was quite dry. Then he would work partially over it.”
Wilhelm II. is Artist.—The Kaiser has just designed a magnificent electrical candelabrum for a new church at Strasbourg. The metal-work, of beaten brass, consists of seven huge branches in a highly complicated pattern. The four Evangelists are represented in them. The Kaiser’s idea is symbolic; he wishes to say the light of the world comes from the Gospels. A short time ago, when the elaborate ornamentation of the chief door of the new cathedral at Metz was unveiled, it was noticed that among the figures of Apostles and Prophets upon it was a model of the Kaiser as the Prophet Daniel. In the new cathe
dral at Worms the stained-glass windows contain figures of the Kaiser’s seven children as cherubs. The artist used photographs of the children when about six years old. When the Kaiser was asked to give his permission he said his children were far too bad a lot to be displayed as cherubs as there was nothing cherubic about them, but if the Empress would consent he had no objection. The Empress gave her consent. Finally, in the parish church of Wilhelmshohe, the favorite summer residence of their Majesties, there is a window with the Empress’s picture as St. Elizabeth.—New York World.
“Golgotha.”—Any one desiring an oilpainting of the comfortable dimension of 190 feet in length, may secure it at a low price from the customs officers here. It is a panoramic view of “Golgotha,” and was executed by Jan Steyka, who boasts of it as the largest oil-painting in the world. It was intended as a mural decoration for exhibition at St. Louis, but owing to differences between Mr. Steyka, who is a Pole, and the Russian Government, the contract was not carried out. Mr. Steyka and his managers then decided to tempt the artistic temperament of Chicago with a public exhibition of the canvas and it was imported at New York, March 26, 1904. No inspection was made at that port for the painting, although crated in sections was a cumbersome piece of property. Two flat-cars were filled with its sections and shipped to Chicago. When articles of this kind are entered for exhibition a bond is required, and in this case the proper papers were made out, making the owners and bondsmen responsible to the extent of $4,000. The venture proved unprofitable, however, from the beginning, and the owners seem neither able to sell the painting here nor pay the expenses of its return to Europe. Ou;r customs officers hold it for the payment of $2,000 duties, and it will be offered for sale by public auction. Unusual competition for its ownership is not expected.—Washingt m Correspondent of the Boston Transcript.
A New Version of the Industrious Apprentice.—Three men were at work on the roof of an old building within easy view from a certain office on the top floor just across the street. Two were full-fledged plumbers, one an apprentice, who was occasionally called on to drive a nail or two for