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318
[left column, 2 clippings]
TO DEMONSTRATE
A NEW EXPLOSIVE
INVENTOR OF JOVITE WILL
MAKE TEST
Party of Business Men to Witness
Trial Exhibition at Riverside
Quarries Next Tuesday--Marked
Features of the Latest Dynamic
On next Tuesday morning a newly in-
vented explosive known as jovite, will
be given a practical demonstration at the
Riverside quarries near Renton by the in-
ventor, Frederick Zorn, and a delegation
of well known business men have been
invited to be present. The inventor
claims that he has secured an explosive
100 times stronger than the ordinary pow-
der used for blasting purposes.
At the present the invention has been
developed with the object of securing a
practical explosive for blasting and heavy
charge purposes. This is the jovite that
will be used in the tests. However, it is
intended eventually to place on the mar-
ket a form of the explosive that can be
used for ordinance purposes, and this,
when perfected, the backers hope to see
taken up and tried by the government.
In Liquid Form
Jovite in its component parts is some-
what similar to nitro-glycerine, or at
least it is put up in liquid form and con-
tained in tubes about the size of dyna-
mite charges. It is the belief that it can
also be worked u in the same shape to
be used in guns. This it is claimed, will
be much more simple and compact than
the method of charging with powder in
the dry state.
Arrangements have been made to man-
ufacture jovite in the East and the fac-
tory will be located in the state of New
York. "We have given this new explosive
to the world," explained Mr. Zorn yes-
terday, "and know that its merits will
secure a proper recognition from the com-
mercial world in the immediate future."
He continued:
I have already demonstrated the power and
superiority of this explosive and have used
it under all conditions. What we claim for it
particularly is compactness, strength and
safety. The power is increased not less than
100 per cent at only a slight increase in cost,
and it will do the work with much more cer-
tainty and dispatch.
Claims Absolute Safety
One particular feature lies in the fact that
jovite is absolutely safe, and danger is really
reduced to a minimum in its use. It requires
double fulminating caps to explode and can-
not be set off accidentally by wreck or fire. In
fact it will not ignite from flames unless held
in contact with the fire for some time. This
means much to the commercial world, and is
in itself all the argument needed to prove its
great superiority over the powders now in
general use
I spent one winter at Nome and used the
explosive there under the most rigorous cli-
matic conditions. When the weather was 40
or 50 degrees below zero we found the charges
in good condition and secured the same results
as we did in the pleasant summer months.
These are only a few of the scores of reasons
why jovite is destined to become the pre-emi-
nent explosive of the commercial world.
Mr. Zorn would not divulge the com-
ponent parts of the new explosive. He
has been working on the project for years
and claims to have reached a point where
it is no longer an experiment, but is a
commodity that will prove of inestimable
value.
---
CULTIVATING COSTLY POTATOES
The extraordinary potato boom in
Lincolnshire has naturally led to the
culture of the famous Eldorado variety,
which have been commeanding such sen-
sational prices, Eldorado plants in
pots are now being extensively grown
under glass in the Spalding district.
One firm has 15,000 potato plants
growing in pots in their glasshouses.
Ten thousand are of the Eldorado
variety. Other varieties being culti-
vated are Sim Gray, Johnson's Dia-
mond, Sutton's Discovery, and Gold
Coin. Plants of the Eldorado variety
are now being sold at [GBP]4 each.
Some of the Eldorado plants are
from stock grown in Ireland, and others
from seed from the South of England.
-Daily Mail.
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[middle column, 2 clippings]
GUNS OF LONG RANGE
Heavy Shells Could Be Fired From
Dover to Calais.
There are on British warships scores
of guns each of which could, if need
be, fire a shell weighing a third of a
ton from the cliffs of Dover and land
it on French soil well on the other side
of Calais. Such is the wonderful de-
velopment in naval ordnance within
less than forty years.
A much more useful and practicable
weapon is the 12-inch Vickers-Maxim
gun which is now the heaviest and
most powerful mountd on a British
battleship. This marvelous gun weighs
fifty tons, of which fourteen tons are
represented by 120 miles of wire wound
round and round it, and is forty-one
feet long. It despatches a projectile
weighing 850 pounds--the weight of
half a dozen men--with such terrific
force that it will pierce thirty-eight
inches in wrought iron at 1,000 yards,
and only four inches less at twice the
distance. This projectile leaves the
muzzle with a velocity of over 1,610
miles an hour--twenty times the speed
of an express train at its fastest--and
with an energy equal to 40,220 tons.
More astonishing still is the flight
of this projectile, weighing more than
a third of a ton, since with the gun at
a proper elevation it would be quite
possible to send the shell over the top
of the highest mountain in the world,
coming to earth again twenty-five miles
away from the starting point. Whith
such a gun it would be easy to bom-
bard Calais from the cliffs of Dover,
while the extreme length of Scotland
and England in something like half
an hour.
Some years ago an interesting exper-
iment was made at Shoeburyness with
a 9.2-inch gun in order to ascertain
exactly how far it would send its pro-
jectile of 380 pounds. It was found
that the shell before coming to earth
traveled a shade over twelve and one-
half miles in 69.6 seconds, and that it
rose at the highest point of its flight
2,000 feet higher than the summit of
Mount Blanc. From comparison, it
will be seen how vastly superior to this
gun is the 50-ton Vickers-Maxim, with
which British battleships are armed
today.
It compares, indeed, more than fa-
vorably with the leviathan 16-inch gun
mounted on Romer Shoals to defend
New York harbor. This gun is but a
few inches under fifty feet long; it
weighs 160 tons and fires a projectile
weighing as nearly as possible a hun-
dredweight over a ton, with a charge
of 1,500 pounds of powder. It cost
$500,000 to make that mount, and each
firing means an expenditure of $1000;
but its maximum range is said to be
four miles less than that of the Brit-
ish 50-ton guns. It can be fired once
in two minutes, so that an hour's con-
tinuous firing would cost $30,000 in
shells and powder alone.
To test the penetrating power of
these mammoth weapons an interesting
experiment was made some time ago
with a 16 inch gun firing a projectile
weighing 1,800 pounds. The target
was a common one of steel, iron, tim-
ber, granite and concrete, and it was
found that the shell fired at close
range passed through a compound
plate of steel and iron twenty inches
thick, a second plate of iron eight
inches thick, twenty feet of squared
oak timber, five feet of granite and
eleven feet of concrete, and was only
brought to a full stop after piercing
six feet of brick behind them all.
---
These goods cannot be sent C.O.D. They
will be sent as ordered, and cannot be returned
to us as they are unsaleble after being cut.
[icon of pointing finger] In measuring a room for Carpet, be care-
ful to allow one yard for matching. For in-
stance, if the room requires 25 yards by actual
measurement, mention to that effect in your
order; but at the same time enclose sufficient
money to pay for an extra yard, in case the
figure of the carpet runs so that it requires
an additional yard in order to match perfectly.
Sometimes this is not necessary, and oftentimes
as much as two yards extra is required. When
not necessary, we will return the superfluous
amount; and when otherwise, will charge for the
extra quantity.
---
[right column, 1 clipping]
Curious Insurance
Risks
Some peculiar insurance risks have be-
come so common that they cease to
be curious. All celebrated artists
now avail themselves of a special form of
underwriting which is carried on in their
interestes, either by themselves or their
agents, and the figures concerned are us-
ually large ones.
This is not so strange, for if, for in-
stance, Paderewski lost one of his fin-
gers or a great singer's inimitable voice
were to fail her, the financial loss would
be enormous and would not be covered
by any ordinary provision of form of in-
surance.
Kubelik Heavily Underwritten
None of these performers is more
largely underwritten in this respect than
Kubelik, who pays $1,500 annually as in-
surance of his bow hand alone, so that if
it were at any time injured so as to pre-
vent him from fulfilling an engagement
he would receive $10,000 as compensation.
If his hand were totally disabled, so
that he could never play again, he would
get $50,000, which would enable him to
live in comfort apart from all the money
he has already saved.
Paderewski's Precious Fingers
Paderewski, the famous pianist says
that his fingers are as precious to him
as his life, as he could never play if
he lost any of them. He makes insur-
ances from time to time to cover spe-
cial risks, as when he is going on a long
journey by land or sea, but apart from
these his two hands are regularly un-
derwritten from year to year.
He pays the huge sum of $4,000 annu-
ally in this way with the result that if
anything went wrong with one of his
precious hands at anytime so that he
could no longer earn an income by his
playing he would be paid $50,000 cash
down by the underwriters.
Can Draw Big Money
Besides this, he is insured against
temporary disablement of the fingers
either by disease or accident, and in
case of anything happening to prevent
his playing for a single week he draws
as a rule a sum of $2,500 as compensa-
tion. He has done so on more than one
occasion. The organizers of his con-
certs who often stand to lose more than
the artist through any unfortunate hap-
pening of this kind, likewise take the
precaution to cover all such risks and
according to one such agent, the amount
they insure for is usually about $5,000 to
$7,500.
Patti's Costly Voice
Mme. Patti has always been heavily in-
sured when singing. The usual amount
which she has had underwritten for her
has been $5,000, for which $125 a night
had to be paid, and her voice has also
been permanently insured for $40,000
against total lost.
The condition made by the insurers is
that the loss must be due to accident,
cold, or disease, and must not be the
result of reckleess or willful conduct.
In the same way as Paderewiski Josef
Hofmann is heavily insured, according
to the special arrangements made by
some underwriters for painists. Not
only is each hand separately insured
in his case, but every individual finger
has a special policy made out for it.
Not long ago, he fell from his bicycle
and hurt his hand so badly that he
could not play for several days. The
underwriters had, as a consequence, to
send him a check which ran into four
figures.
Underwriters Are Cautious
Under the circumstances, and with
the risks so considerable, it is not sur-
prising that the underwriters are very
careful to see that their interests are
safeguarded in every possible way, and
one of the things that they most insist
on is that the strictest medical precau-
tions against loss or injury shall always
be taken by the performers. This how-
ever is naturally done by the latter for
their own sakes, apart from any con-
sideration of insurance.
When on tour Mme. Patti has some-
times as many as three special doctors
in constant attendance upon her who
understand to a nicety all the peculiari-
ties of her delicate vocal chords and can
detect the slightest symptom of any-
thing going wrong with them and treat
them accordingly. --Washington Times
RIGHT PAGE
319
[top clipping, across left and middle columns]
JUNE 29, 1904
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[photograph of men around a large steel tank with
one man climbing into the tank, in diving gear]
THE BRITISH NAVAL SCHOOL FOR THE TRAINING OF DIVERS
FROM THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
In view of the recent death of William Hoar, a diver , who was under water off the Boonton, N.J. dam almost a
week while desperate means were resorted to in an effort to save his life, the system and care applied to
English divers in the navy, as told in this week's Scientific American, is of interest.
"Every vessel in the British navy carries a diving section, composed of men expert and skilled in all kinds
of submarine work," says and English correspondent of the Scientific American. "Such a detachment is abso-
lutely indispensable, in view of the fact that through unforseen circumstances the submerged portion of the hull
of the armorclad, and especially the propellers, often require examination; while in cases of accident, such as col-
lision and running acround, a close investigation to discover any possible injury to the iron sheath of the ship has
to be carried out, and occasionally, if the damage is serious, considerable submarine patching has to be done until
the vessel can reach dry dock.
"As the first and greatest difficulty which the man has to surmount is nervousness, the training is not car-
ried out in the open sea, but in a large circular steel tank built on the shore. This tank measures about 13 feet
in height, by approximately 18 feet in diameter, and is peirced with a number of glazed portholes, through which
the instructor can follow and watch the pupil's movements. A gallery extends around the top of this tank a
short distance from which the diver makes his descents into and ascents from the water within.
"When a diver makes his initial descent, owing to the strangeness of the experience, he suffers from a
curious pulsation and gasping for breath. These peculiarities will not be overcome until the man has regained
his confidence."
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[two small clippings, pasted sideways beside top clipping]
Artificial Ivory is now made of skim-milk,
and it resembles the original article in
every respect. The milk is mixed with
borax and submitted to a high pressure.
The product is used for billiard balls,
combs and brushes.
---
The traveller's tree of Madagascar re-
sembles a huge fan with an unwieldy han-
dle. In the dry season the traveller or do-
miciled native has but to pierce one of
these trees just at the point where the
fanlike crest has its beginning and out will
flow copiously pure, fresh water.
---
[date, pasted sideways, clipping, across left and middle columns]
JUNE 25, 1904
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INVENTED THE WONDERFUL GUNPOWDER
WHICH JAPS USE TO WHIP RUSSIANS
The explosive used in the Japanese
navy bears the name of its in-
ventor, Dr. Shimose. This de-
structive explosive is thus described
by a correspondent in Tokyo: "At a
recent lecture, in order to illustrate
the explosive power of shimose, a
small quantity placed upon an iron plate
one or two inches thick would, when ex-
ploded, perforate the plate for the area
covered by the powder. At an experiment
carried out at Kugenuma, Soshu, a six-
inch shimose shot was fired at a coal
store protected with armor plate similar
to that of a certain cruister. The shot
made a hole of about three feet in diam-
eter, whereas in the case of the ordinary
shot the diameter of the hole was only
six inches. It burst on contact with the
plate, while the other exploded only when
it had traveled about three feeet after
passing through the plate. The shimose
shell was blown into 2,000 or 3,000 pieces,
while the other broke up only into ten or
fifteen fragments. This tremendous pow-
er was testified to by the fact that a
bluejacket on the Variag was struck by
more than 160 fragments of shell. The
placing of one such shot on a deck would
mean the wounding of all the crew there.
But the explosive was not intended for
the killing of men, but for the destruc-
tion of warships. One more noteworthy
feature of the shimose powder, concluded
the doctor, was the fact that its cost was
about half that of guncotton."
[portrait of DR. SHIMOSE]
---
[right column, two clippings]
To the Editor of the Scientific American:
So many persons have given their way of cutting off
glass bottles, and as I have a way I think far ahead of
any I have seen mentioned in your paper, I will ex-
plain, as it may be of some interest to your readers.
I take a piece of large wire and bend it in a circle to
fit around the bottle, leaving the two ends of wire pro-
jecting an inch or two. This wire I clamp around the
bottle by tying a cord around the ends of the wire.
Then with an ordinary glass cutter I follow the clamp
all around. Then remove the clamp and tie a soft cord
around the bottle at the cut; saturate it with coal oil.
When the oil has about burned off plunge the bottle in
water. I have never failed to cut the thickest bottle
perfectly smooth. CHARLES HUGHES
Red Bluff, Cal., May 13, 1891.
---
BIBLE TERMS.
A day's journey was about 23 1-5 miles.
A Sabbath's Day's journey was about an
English mile.
A cubit was nearly 22 inches.
A hand's breadth is equal to 3 5/8 inches.
A finger's breadth is equal to one inch.
A shekel of silver was 50 cents.
A shekel of gold was $8.
A talent of silver was $58.30
A piece of silver, or a penny, was 30
cents.
A mite was less than a quarter of a
cent.
A gerah was a cent.
An epah, or bath, contains 7 gallons and
5 pints.
A bin was one gallon and two pints.
A firkin was seven pints.
An omer was six pints.
--Philadelphia Record.
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