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Page: of 431
April’ 12, 1873.
MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS.Underground Irrigatton.
This is a subject every day commanding
mote and more the attention of amateur cultnrista as welt as tha general farmer. It is a
means by which our gardens onn be efficiently
irrigated and made to present a perpetnal and
anvarying growth of plants, vegetables and
fruite, and our lawns and parks a perpetnal
green, and thie without tha unsightly and inconvenient process of enrface irrigation, with
ita malarious influences,
In onr illustration we present a viow ofanew
invention and its application to the pnrposes
of undergronnd irrigation. It coneiats of pipes
of peonliar construction and their arrangement
in euoh manner as to secura tha purposes
claimed and desired. Tha inventor in hie description of hie appliances, nnd in his application for a patant, says:
“This ie an invention for tha condnet of
water underground long distanoea without
waste, for tha purpose of irrigating the soil to
promote the growth of plants, trees and growing crope.
The lower part of the pipe being whole or
tight, no water can escape until the pipes are
balf foll, if laid level. The pressure of the
water being equal it will issue from the cnts or!
holes in the upper half in equal quantity at all
points. The large box, No. 1, is the snpply
receiver, to ba placed under a pump or hydrant, recciving the condneting pipe nt A,
whioh conducts the water in any direction
in astraight line; where the direction is to he
changed the pipe enters nsmall box-well,
No, 2, which receives similar pipe running
in other directions, If the ground is inolining and we wish to extend our pipes,
and at the game time retain the same depth
in the ground, we are forced to change our
level. This is accomplished as represented
by box-well No. 3. The pipes enter this on
the’same level, letting the wnter out on the
other side into pipes on a lower level.
The water in the pipes is controlled and
directed by means of valves covering the
ends of the pipes in the wells, No. 2, 3
and 4,
No, 4 represents a box-well for conducting water from the upper terrace to a
lower terrace on terraced grounds. The
pipa enters at O, on the upper terrace, letting the water into the pipes laid on the
terrace below, at B, controlled by valves,
reached by opening door, F. The wells are
made deeper than the pipes, to receive
and hold any sediment contained in the water,
and which may be removed when necessary.
These pipes will also answer the purpose of
drainage, draining the soil above the level of
the pipesof any excess of water during the
winter season. By simply removing the plugs
in the ends of the pipes we reverse this operation and they become drainage pipes. As the
pipes become exhausted, water will enter them
at the points where it is forced out by pressure
in irrigation,{and ns it flows out at the ends it
ean be conducted into drains or sewers. This
operation will leave the soil above the level of
the pipes in a fine condition for the rapid and
healthy growth of plants. The pressure of the
water in the wells comiug from the supply pipe
Keeps the valves closed, they can be opened
the operator by means of a rod attached to
them, carrying the whole volume of water in
any direction.”’
VaLue or Human Lasor.—Some idea of the
peouniary value of human labor may be had by
noticing the enhancement acquired by iron as
it passes through the hands of its skillful manipulators. Crude pig metal at (say) 20 per Ib.
becomes worth $500 per Ib. in the form of the
finest hair springs. The cheapest metal thus
becomes fer more valuable than gold, through
the application of human skill, The one value
is 25,000 timea that of the other. This is a
startling leap, but we can take in the truth better by following the metal throngh its different
stages of refinement—refined pig, bar iron, terne
plate, shear steel, penknife metal, razor steel
and surgical instrnment steel, etc—and so accustom ourselves to the steady gain.
And then the tenuity of the thread on which
the enormous value of the finest produot depends . Suppose that, while this pound of metal
more precious than gold was in the melted state,
a careless workmen should drop a match ora
pinch of sulphuruponit, The mere nddition
of so minute a quantity of an injurioue element
would destroy at once the worth of the whole.
The Spectroscope and the Stars.
The fonrth of the series of leeturos ou the
epectroecope, iu conrse of delivery hy Prof.
Neri st the hall of St. Iguatins collego, was
listened to by a large and attentive audience,
and illustrated hy numerons beautifal and instructiva cxperiments by moans of diagrams
projected on a screen by the electric light.
The previous lectures having fally expluined
the prinoiples and powers of this new and wonderfn] instrument, the present ono was devoted
to acousideration of its application and results
to solar chemistry.
Whal the Spectroscopo Telis us of the Sun and
Slars.
Heretofore man’s only knowledge of the eharacter of the heavenly hodies has been derived
from falling meteors; hut the testimony which
thoy bring is very uncertain. But the spectroscope, beeides revealing au intimate knowledgo
of the character nnd composition of torrostrial
substances, has also been found competent to
reveal the character, elements aud pbysical
constitution of all heavenly bodies, which cinit
light sufficient to render them visihle by means
of any nstronomioal instrumeut. That there is
no mistake about this—that the spectroscope
is no uncertain teacher—wae distinctly shown
by a series ofinteresting and thoroughly convincing experiments and demonstrations,
In additiou to receiving and taking in the
light of the sun, it also seizes upon the smallest
poe light, from the dimmest star, comet or
nebnia, and, by a peculiar arrangement of
bright, and the term ‘‘lines’’ in reference to
those which are dark.
In exumiuing the spectrum of the snn we ece
both dark lines and bright bands. Some 3,000
of the former, besides many of the latter unre
observed upon the eolar spectrnm; hut we are
not to infer from that fact that thore nreso large
a nomber of different elements in the eun; for
a single clement often gives several bands or
lines, as the case may be. For iustance—iron
gives some 600 lines, all of which are due to that
single elomont.
The stndy of these lines and bands upon the
various spectra is far from being completed.
Many lines which at first were snpposed to be
single, by improved instruments are now found
to be douhle, and often a large number of very
small lines ie found to makeup what was once
supposed to bo one very broad linc.
A Myslery.
When we examine metnis or other clemeuts
in the laboratory, by means of the speetroscope,
wo invariably obtain bright lines ou the spectrum. Those linos alwaye occupy a certain
place, never varying their positiou. ‘Thns by a
series of experiments, the place on the spectrum forthe lines of each of the different elements hus been definitely fixed, no one ever
interfering with or occupying tbe place of
another. ‘These facts were learned early in the
history of the spectroscope.
Subsequently, when Frauenhoffer tnrned his
spectroscope to the sun, and began to examine
the solar spectrum, he fonnd a large number of
dark lines. He nt once commenced a study of
those linee—what were they? Could they be
the linos of earthly elements? No, for they
were dark; while the lines of the earthly elements, ns examined in the laboratory, were
AIKEN’S UNDERGROUND IRRIGATING APPARATUS.
prism-, disposes or spreals out that ray 30 as to
bring it within ready examination, and separates its light into a spectrum of prismatic colors; aud if that ray is from a highly heated vapor or an incandescent body giving out highly
heated vapors, it projects upon that spectrum, as
a back ground, certain dark or bright liues,
or bands, as they are sometimes called, which
lines determine the character and constitution
of the body under examination,—one or more
lines appearing in a certain position for every
different element whose light is thrown upon
the spectrum.
If the spectrum we obtain is a continuous
one, merely spread out like the colors of the
rainbow and without any bright or dark lines
across it, we know that the body emitting the
light is either an incandescent solid or liquid
one, and not a body of iucandescent vapor or
evenjone giving off yuch vapor.
If bright liues appear across the spectrum we
know that the body is composed of highly
heated vapor, and that the lines (nccording to
their places on the epectrum) represent some
given element.
If instead of bright we have dark lines, we
know that we are examining a body capable of
absorbing certain rays of light, thus giving rise
to what is called an absorption spectrum—the
dark lines being simply shadows of the various
elements which they represent,
The different characters of the spectra thus
determine certain general characteristics of the
bodies suhmitted to their test. The hright lines
upon tho spectra tell us, by their numbers,
position, ralative brightness and color, how
many different substances or elements there
are ina luminous body we are examining. By
comparing these lines with the spectra which
we obtain from earthly elements, we are able
to name them as far as they correspond.
Of earthly elemente found in thosun we have
already discovered iron, titanium, calcium,
magnesium, nickel, cobalt, chromium, barium,
sodium, copper, zinc, hydrogen, in large quantities, aluminum, selenium, casium, strontinm,
and probably iridium.
No indicatious have yet been found of gold,
silver, mercury, platinum, lead or tin in the
sun.
In speaking of thelines or bands upon the
spectrum, the term ‘‘band’’ is generally employed, when referenoe is made to those which are
bright. Further examiuation, however, showed
that many of these dark lines corresponded exactly with the bright lines of the metals. Still
another mystery! How wasthis? Here wns
a myetery indeed. Was the spectroscope, after
all, to teach ue only an uncertain lesson ?
Scientists in continuing the studies of these
lines, discovered that it was impossible to pass
through an incandescent vapor of anysubstance,
the rays of light which that substanoe is capnble of emitting. If now we employ the spectroscope to project the spectrum of sodium, ou
a screeu, with the sodium flame or vapor intervening, we shall have a black band on the
spectrum in the place of tke bright sodium
line, which the eodium flame alone would give-this black line being in reality a shadow cast
by the incandescent sodium, in the white light
which we are analysing, in consequence of its
passage through the sodium vapors in the
fiame.
This discovery made by Frnunenhoffer proved
one of the most important in connection with
the history of this instrument--for continued
and multiplied experiments in this direction
finally led to a full explanation of the
Mystery of lhe Dark Lines on the Solar Speclrum
And proved that those dark Hines represeuted
elements corresponding to the bright lines observed in the laboratory. The lines of the different elements appeared dark, when coming from the sun, because its ght had to
pass through the incandescent vapors, of such
elements, thus projecting a shadow instead of a
bright line upon the spectrum. Thenceforward
man has possessed an iustrument as surein its
results of the analysis of the snn or any other
heavenly body, as is the crucible or other iustruments applied to ordinary analysis in the
laboratory.
In illustration of the phenomena of ahsorption, whereby the dark lines are made to nppear on the solar spectrum, the Professor gave
some very interesting experiments showing the
Philosophy of Differenl Colors in Glass,
Or other media through which light can but
imperfectly pass.
Ared glass intercepted all but the red rays;
a yellow all but the yellow rays, etc. This was.
proven by first throwing a spectrum of all the
rayefrom a luminous substance upon the screen,
and then throwing upon the soreen only such
through a redor yellow glass. In the latter
case the spectrnm of euch transmitted light
wonld chow, strongly, only the light corresponding to the color of the glase, or other media,
with & very smal] amount of some complementary color, the transmission of which was dne
simply to imperfections in the coloring matter
of the glass, This experiment shows that colored glass does not color the rays of the sun,
but merely etopu all but the rays corresponding to the color of the glass employed.
_. This, like each of the previous lectnres, was
illustrated by numerous experiments nnd diagrums thrown upon the screen by means of the
electrio light, and added largely to the interest
of what was ssid, by making almost everything
perfectly comprehensible to the eye as well as
the understanding. The necessary absenee of
saoch dingrame from our report will not admit
of auything like justice being done to the subject or the lectnre. Professor Neri is peculiarly happy in his manner of treating a ecientifie
subject before a mized nudience; whieh fact,
with the extensive philosophical apparatus, at
his command, enables him to keep np the interest of his hearers, make everything clear
and well understood and withal present a most
enjoyable treat of what is usnally, on snch oo
casions, a dry and uninteresting detail of philosophical facts. The fifth and concluding leoture of the season wlll be given on Thursday
evening, the 24th inst.
Notices of Recent Patents.
Among the patents recently obtained through
Dewey & Co.’s Scientific Press American and
Foreign Patent Agency, the following are worthy of mention:
ImpRoveMENT IN Cutmnzys.—J, Browell,
8, F., Cal. This invention relates to that
class of chimneys or fines for houses, in
which two pipes, nn inner and an outer
one, are used, Mr. Browell’s improvements consist, first in the employment of
earthenware pipes or tubes for the inner one
instead of sheet iron, as heretofore constrncted,and secondly in 4 novel arrangement
of stay rods and snpports for holding the
chimney in its place, no matter how many
joints or sections it is composed of. The
patent covers a very nice arrangement for
a chimney.
CHANNELING and Epomae Toou.—Louis
Bauer, 8. F., Cal. Mr. Bauer patents a
combined channeling and edging tool for
leather workers, its object being to provide
a tool which will at one operation trim the
edge of n piece of leather aud cut nn angular channel in the leather near the edge, in
which the stitches of a seam are bedded and
protected.
Pump.—Ira D. Cross, Petaluma, Cal. In
this pump one pipe full of water is mada to
balance another pipe full, so that no matter
how high the water is to ba raised, the two
halancing pipes are carried up to the point
where the water is to be discharged. ‘Cha two
pipes are so arranged that by giving them an
alternate motion up and down, they take in
water at the bottom and discharge it at the
top. Thus it will be seen that as the pipes
balance each other the operator has to lift onl:
the amount of water that is discharged at eac
stroke. The patent covers a peculiar construction of the oylinder, piston, piston-rod
and inlet-pipe at the bottom of the well.
Water Wueet.—N. J. Coleman, Railroad
. Flat, Cal. This invention relates to that olass
. of water wheels which is peculiar to California,
. the “hurdy gurdy’’ wheel, and it consists in a
. novel arrangement of the buckets, whereby the
water is made to exert its foree upon the full
length of the bucket, and by whioh the power
is not lost by the centrifugal force caused by
the high velocity of the wheel which in ordinary
water-wheels reduces the power of the water to
the result of its first impact upon the buckets.
Prrvters’ Leap Racr.—O, A. Dearing, S.F.,
Cal. This invention will be nppreciated by
printers—job-printers, especially. It consists
of a rack or oase having graduated pigeon
holeg, in which the different leugths of printers’
leads are kept separated. The rack is provided with a soale, whioh servas to aid the comositor in determining the length of each laad,
In order that he may readily place it in its
proper pigeon-hole. Mr. Dearing is the inventor of quite a number of devices for facilitating the work of compositors. He will have
his reward.
Cxzuinper Wacon.— George Coffee and William M. Bernard, Dixon, Cal. This invention
relates to a one-wheeled or unicycle wagon.
The wagon is not intended for n pleasure vehiole,
nor would it answer in a very satisfactory manner as a trottiug sulky, but as a wagon suited
for doing heavy farm work or as a road wagon
it would seem to be quite convenient. It consists
of asingle broad whee! or drum having an
axle (or shaft) passing through its center.
The pole or tongue is attached to the opposite
ends of this axle or ehaft so that the pull upon
it causes the drum to revolve. The bed is
placed u pon ways or slidee inside of the drum
so tha! as the drum revolves the bed will kee
at the lowest part of the ciroular ways by slidinguponthem. Thie wagon will also answer
as a land roller and for varione other farm purrays from the same substance as would pass. poses.
‘
ut