placed. A short time ago a miniature Lourdes was erected in the Vatican gardens, and news has just arrived of the institution of a second Lourdes near Metzerweis, Alsace-Lorraine, in the diocese of the Bishop of Metz. Another grotto has been established in Belgium and one in Austria, so that when Lourdes is finally abolished there will certainly be the embarrassment of a choice. —C. C. Martin in N. Y. Tribune.
To Commemorate San Francisco s Disaster.—Kuhne Beveridge (Mrs. Branson), an American sculptor, has completed at Brussels the cast of the statue of “Grief” ordered by the city of San Francisco to commemorate the victims of the earthquake. She will soon begin work on a second statue to represent the resurrection of the city of San Francisco.—Exchange.
The Headquarters Myth.—It is good for an ancient building to have a little political history associated with it. If it had merely the claims of architecture and artistic beauty to rely upon, though these might be of the highest order, things might go badly. But just a spice of politics in its history acts in the direction generally understood by “pull” in personal matters, and helps to secure the preservation of the place. This has just happened in France in the case of the Abbey of Saint Jean des Vignes, at Soissons. It is one of the finest examples of sixteenth century architecture in France, but that carried little weight. When, however, it was pointed out that Charles V. made his headquarters there during his wars with Francis, and that the place was built by Fontaine’s great-great-uncle, authority became interested. The place is now to be put into thorough repair.—London Globe.
Increased Value of Stone Product.— The total value of the stone produced in the United States during 1905, according to a forthcoming report of the United States Geological Survey, was $63,798,748, a gain of $5,033,033 over 1904. The increased output for 1905 was caused by more activity in the building trades, and chiefly by a large increase in the output of limestone for use as furnace flux, which the reopening of many iron furnaces demanded. Granite,
marble, and limestone increased in value of output, while sandstone decreased slightly. —Exchange.
The Old West Church, Boston.—It seems incredible that anybody pretending to be interested in the “advertising of Boston” to the extent of instituting a campaign of “publicity,” should for a moment tolerate the idea of either demolishing or burying up with another building in front of it the old West Church, on Cambridge Street, known to present generations as “Dr. Bartol’s Church.” It is one of the most striking and splendid architectural monuments of old Boston, beautiful and imposing, as well as dear to all true Americans for its representation of the Puritan meetinghouse architecture of the best period of it in England. It is such relics of a great past that “advertise” Boston in a way that no other American city can be advertised. Such possessions cannot be acquired by any amount of money, or “hustle,” or wretchedly congested population, or mere business clamor or political “inflooence.” Such landmarks come to be where only they belong and can have grown, and the man who uproots so majestic a product of centuries is a public enemy of the real city of Boston of our pride, whom it were base flattery to call a vandal. There is the less excuse for this proposed robbery of the city, and all its future generations, in that the grand old edifice is already performing a full share of active daily service as a branch public library. Moreover, the splendid frontage of the deep open green before the church, which so heightens the dignity of the façade, is a blessing to a part of the city that, bereft of this plot of open with its trees and shade, would be left without a single breathing space.—Boston Transcript.
Wood Alcohol Dangerous to Eyesight. —The misuse of light is not the only thing to be avoided in protecting the organs of vision. Dr. S. Strode Jeffries, in a letter to the Scientific American, has the following warning in regard to the use of wood alcohol :
“A number of well-authenticated cases have been recorded from time to time, of persons who have lost thëir eyesight from
the mere inhaling of the vapors of wood alcohol, as well as from its use externally in liniments. Painters are specially subjected to the dangerous effects of this poison, and some of the cases referred to were those engaged in using shellac varnish, who had by continued absorption impaired their eyesight and finally become totally blind. That methyl alcohol is poisonous externally as well as internally is no longer a debatable subject, and too much publicity of the fact cannot be given.”
As the use of wood alcohol as a burning fluid for phafing-dishes, curling-iron heaters, and other similar heating purposes, has become common, it will be well for those using it to exercise due care. The fact that as ordinary or grain alcohol “denatured,” that is, rendered unfit for drinking purposes by the addition of small quantities of otherwise harmless substances, can now be sold without paying the government duty of $2 a gallon, there is little to be gained by the use of the more or less dangerous methyl, or wood alcohol. The eyes are too precious to take any chances of their injury.—The Illuminating Engineer.
Coral as a “Precious Stone.”—To have coral classified in the customs list as a “precious stone” is the aim of several of the most prominent importing firms in this city. There has been this year a revival of the use of fine coral for jewelry, and efforts are being made to build up a coral-carving industry in New York. Importers have filed with the Board of United States General Appraisers protests against the classification which the customs authorities have followed for years in assessing duty on coral which has been cut, carved or polished for use in making jewelry. Such articles have been placed in a list of manufactures dutiable at fifty per cent, ad valorem. The importers now claim that they have been paying forty per cent, too much, and that under the similitude clause of the tariff law coral should be regarded as a “precious stone, advanced in value,” and that the duty should be but ten per cent. The board will begin in a few days to take testimony.—Exchange.
A Large Water-wheel.—Engineers and sightseers in Troy, N. Y., are much interested in what is called the biggest waterwheel in the world. It is sixty-six feet in diameter and twenty-two feet wide. The monster has thirty-six buckets, each big enough to hold a barrel of Scotch highballs. They call it the Burden wheel, and it was a long time coming to a finish. Work was begun on the wheel away back in 1849. The wheel was a success from the start, and ran almost continuously until about ten years ago, when the shop in which it turned the machinery was abandoned. The wheel to-day stands just as it was originally built, with the exception of a few repairs of no great importance. The big wheel made two and a half turns a minute and drove the entire plant of the Burden manufactory, which turned out new things of a mechanical character famous the world over. Burden is chiefly known as the inventor of a horseshoe machine. Some time ago it was proposed to demolish the wheel, and work was actually com
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To Commemorate San Francisco s Disaster.—Kuhne Beveridge (Mrs. Branson), an American sculptor, has completed at Brussels the cast of the statue of “Grief” ordered by the city of San Francisco to commemorate the victims of the earthquake. She will soon begin work on a second statue to represent the resurrection of the city of San Francisco.—Exchange.
The Headquarters Myth.—It is good for an ancient building to have a little political history associated with it. If it had merely the claims of architecture and artistic beauty to rely upon, though these might be of the highest order, things might go badly. But just a spice of politics in its history acts in the direction generally understood by “pull” in personal matters, and helps to secure the preservation of the place. This has just happened in France in the case of the Abbey of Saint Jean des Vignes, at Soissons. It is one of the finest examples of sixteenth century architecture in France, but that carried little weight. When, however, it was pointed out that Charles V. made his headquarters there during his wars with Francis, and that the place was built by Fontaine’s great-great-uncle, authority became interested. The place is now to be put into thorough repair.—London Globe.
Increased Value of Stone Product.— The total value of the stone produced in the United States during 1905, according to a forthcoming report of the United States Geological Survey, was $63,798,748, a gain of $5,033,033 over 1904. The increased output for 1905 was caused by more activity in the building trades, and chiefly by a large increase in the output of limestone for use as furnace flux, which the reopening of many iron furnaces demanded. Granite,
marble, and limestone increased in value of output, while sandstone decreased slightly. —Exchange.
The Old West Church, Boston.—It seems incredible that anybody pretending to be interested in the “advertising of Boston” to the extent of instituting a campaign of “publicity,” should for a moment tolerate the idea of either demolishing or burying up with another building in front of it the old West Church, on Cambridge Street, known to present generations as “Dr. Bartol’s Church.” It is one of the most striking and splendid architectural monuments of old Boston, beautiful and imposing, as well as dear to all true Americans for its representation of the Puritan meetinghouse architecture of the best period of it in England. It is such relics of a great past that “advertise” Boston in a way that no other American city can be advertised. Such possessions cannot be acquired by any amount of money, or “hustle,” or wretchedly congested population, or mere business clamor or political “inflooence.” Such landmarks come to be where only they belong and can have grown, and the man who uproots so majestic a product of centuries is a public enemy of the real city of Boston of our pride, whom it were base flattery to call a vandal. There is the less excuse for this proposed robbery of the city, and all its future generations, in that the grand old edifice is already performing a full share of active daily service as a branch public library. Moreover, the splendid frontage of the deep open green before the church, which so heightens the dignity of the façade, is a blessing to a part of the city that, bereft of this plot of open with its trees and shade, would be left without a single breathing space.—Boston Transcript.
Wood Alcohol Dangerous to Eyesight. —The misuse of light is not the only thing to be avoided in protecting the organs of vision. Dr. S. Strode Jeffries, in a letter to the Scientific American, has the following warning in regard to the use of wood alcohol :
“A number of well-authenticated cases have been recorded from time to time, of persons who have lost thëir eyesight from
the mere inhaling of the vapors of wood alcohol, as well as from its use externally in liniments. Painters are specially subjected to the dangerous effects of this poison, and some of the cases referred to were those engaged in using shellac varnish, who had by continued absorption impaired their eyesight and finally become totally blind. That methyl alcohol is poisonous externally as well as internally is no longer a debatable subject, and too much publicity of the fact cannot be given.”
As the use of wood alcohol as a burning fluid for phafing-dishes, curling-iron heaters, and other similar heating purposes, has become common, it will be well for those using it to exercise due care. The fact that as ordinary or grain alcohol “denatured,” that is, rendered unfit for drinking purposes by the addition of small quantities of otherwise harmless substances, can now be sold without paying the government duty of $2 a gallon, there is little to be gained by the use of the more or less dangerous methyl, or wood alcohol. The eyes are too precious to take any chances of their injury.—The Illuminating Engineer.
Coral as a “Precious Stone.”—To have coral classified in the customs list as a “precious stone” is the aim of several of the most prominent importing firms in this city. There has been this year a revival of the use of fine coral for jewelry, and efforts are being made to build up a coral-carving industry in New York. Importers have filed with the Board of United States General Appraisers protests against the classification which the customs authorities have followed for years in assessing duty on coral which has been cut, carved or polished for use in making jewelry. Such articles have been placed in a list of manufactures dutiable at fifty per cent, ad valorem. The importers now claim that they have been paying forty per cent, too much, and that under the similitude clause of the tariff law coral should be regarded as a “precious stone, advanced in value,” and that the duty should be but ten per cent. The board will begin in a few days to take testimony.—Exchange.
A Large Water-wheel.—Engineers and sightseers in Troy, N. Y., are much interested in what is called the biggest waterwheel in the world. It is sixty-six feet in diameter and twenty-two feet wide. The monster has thirty-six buckets, each big enough to hold a barrel of Scotch highballs. They call it the Burden wheel, and it was a long time coming to a finish. Work was begun on the wheel away back in 1849. The wheel was a success from the start, and ran almost continuously until about ten years ago, when the shop in which it turned the machinery was abandoned. The wheel to-day stands just as it was originally built, with the exception of a few repairs of no great importance. The big wheel made two and a half turns a minute and drove the entire plant of the Burden manufactory, which turned out new things of a mechanical character famous the world over. Burden is chiefly known as the inventor of a horseshoe machine. Some time ago it was proposed to demolish the wheel, and work was actually com
MINERAL WOOL
FIRE, SOUND and VERMIN PROOF
SAMPLES AND CIRCULARS FREE
INSULATOR
U. S. MINERAL WOOL CO.,
143 Liberty St. NEW YORK