A Weekly Journal of 11'J
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A WEEKLY JOURNAL OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION, ART, SCIENCE, MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY, AND MANUFACTURES. Vol. XLI.-No. 11'J [$3.20 L NEW SERIES.] NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 13, 1879. [POSTAGEper PRE Annum.PAID.] LENSES. ing eyesight, and has, in many other ways,_ contributed to a great amount of practice, and a peculiar adaptability to fine There is scarcely anything more admirable than a bright, our comfort nd pleasure, and to the advancement of I mechanical work. The glass used for fine lenses is mostly im a well finished lens; to the art that produces these beautiful know ledge. ported from Europe. That used for achromatic lenses is made objects we are heavily indebted, for it has enabled us to peer The process of making a lens is extr mely simple, so much by the celebrated firmof Ohance & 00., of Birmingham , Eng e into other worlds. It gives us the means of seeing objects so so, indeed, that a person observing the manipulations of an laud. It comes in pairs of disks, one of flintand one of crown minute that without some visual aid their existence would optician might conclude that almost any one could make a glass. These disks are tested as to their refractiv power, and e be unknown. It has prolonge d the usefulness of our fail- passable if not a perfect lens; but this is not so. It requires [Continued on page 162.] THE MANUFACTURE OF LENSES. © 1879 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC 160 � cirutific �mrtinlu. [SEPTEMBER 13, 1879. THE AMERICAN WAY. say, 460 feet for the largest cradle. Assuming a maximum One of the secrets of the variety and success of American load of 9,500 tons, 432 trucks, or 1,728 wheels, would be manufactures is the readlllesswith which the manufacturers needed-a result substantially in accordance with that arrived customers. a b y at by ESTABLISHED 1845. receive suggestions from their If u er from a Mr. Chanute. distance says that an artrcle would better meet the wants of As a method of supplying power for the transportation of his certain alterations cradle, Mr. suggests MUNN & CO., Editors and Proprietors. locality if were made, the American the Smith the Belgium wire rope towage hastens supply him wants. maker to with the thing he Not system. If pnssible, level grades should be carried up to the PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT unfrequently he will send a competent man to study the con· base of the summit hills, and then by concentrating all the NO. 37 PARK ROW, NEW YORK. ditions of the distant region, that the required adaptation grades at one point the cradles could be moved over the sum may be more certalll and efficient, or an entirely new con mit by powerful stationary engines. If the summit can be MUNN_ A. E. BEACH. to ppl a grade O. D. trivance invented su y the need. passed, however, with maximum of 20 feet per mile, In English and other European shops the man who wants then movable engines, drawing the cradles and themselves TERMS FOR THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. d al' e steel in of . Sometlllng n w c nstructe , or an teratlOn mad' In some by wire towlines, laid the middle each traek, and One copy, one year, postage included.............. .......... ... .... $3 � � One copy, SIX months, postage included ...... ...... 20 standard artICle, IS very apt to be snubbed. They have no passing over and grasped by "Fowler clip pulleys" attached Ciubs.-One extra copy of THE SCIENTIFIC AMER.......ICAN .....willbe ... su p1plied 60 tI e t on . to be gratis for every club of fivesubscribers �t $3.20 each; additional copies at m t 0 was e suc' I expenment ·s, and even 'f th e new ed- each engine, will the most economical method of loco same proportIOnate rate. Postage prepaId. a1 I to vice' should prove slight improvement , they think it motion in all probability. The power needed to transport IFSinglecopies of any desired numtJer of the SUPPLEMENT sent ODe ay to' '- the curves of address on receipt of cents. I wouldn't p alter patterns and machinery to make it. greatest load, with 12,000 feet radius and grades Remit Dostal order.10 Address I The result IS,. are by MUNN CO., Park Row New York. Amenca. n manufacturers not only monop- of 20 feet per mile, would be 200,000 pounds, requiring steel The Scientific Alllerican& Snpplelllent31 olizing the home trade by the superior quality and fitness of ropes of lYz inch diameter cach. However, as these is a distinct paper from the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. SOPPI.EMENT . would is issued weekly. Every number contains 16 octavo pages,TH]] with handsome theIr products to meet home wants, but by the same tactlCs form a costly part of the outfit,the relative economy between e o �g;§t��:t�!'r'eJ�,�i� oo��!<;';�'b�i��� t������;:bsc�I£�: f �;:'���'i,��8,�I. they are gaining a permanent footing in foreign markets. this system and that of the loeomotive engine, for this pecu cents. Sold by all news dealers througho ut the country. A . .. y a be 10�ombine.l tes. - 'l'he SCIE' TIFIC AME�ICAN and SUPPLEM1(NT charaetenstlc. '11 ustratlOn IS fUrlllS h ed b correspon- liar service, can only determined by exact calculations. e ita . 1 a g �c!i��� gJ Both the London 1 imes, Flad, t� :;�e�Jd��:/; r �ile���t :d����;'�� i r . seven d<Jllars. dent of writing from Sydney, New South Mr. Henry C.E., writes that he has taken pains to ���e�: e t r t order. or registeredletter. I Wales. He I�:l.:::s �U�'\f � '6on:W;lrg ii�w�w ¥. says: inform himself in regard to the surveys and estimates for Scientific Alllerican Export Edition. "It is a great thing to get control of the market, and the ship canals across the Isthmus, and has carefully estimated A N x r n rg s n oJi';'':L�����JJ���e :r:;���� \ r?c� ����� C�i:t � ���gt r,�� l�N��� firstthing is to get a good footing, and the Americans are the cost of construction, maintenance, and operation of i ' a [a.rge quarto pages, profusely illustrated. embracing Most of the . I pUS I or a WI' an h a tIcast d e· Briefly stated, as plates and pages of the four preceding weekly issues of(1 .the) SC[]<:'Tn'lc certalll Y lIng f th t th energy 'h'IC ship railroad. his opinion is follows: h l a Vi (}��!�<;.�r:;l,'t�"a d���,i'g ;;''it�gf��g:i;;:����g;c�;:.,�:'s d:n:i!l.f�:?��u��s� serves success. Our railway departmcnt is putting tngether 1. That the first cost of the construction of a ship railroad s f t . a o be one fourth of that a ���� gfn��':,�F�le��1 ��':tt:'5 � )'i��,i'{a�tFr� !�J otg�rsP;�� 'iI�;i�� three large nOlWloeomotives from Philadclplna. Their design will not of ship canal. e e r e e layed an the of 2. a can ��u";g:rit e��:��gll�h':,� i:t'l;ljs��1gd� ;t a ��:\-,::;�g:�,!fe llo�t�p - is result close personal observation of our precise wants That ship railroad be constructed in probably one e c by of Co. I to a lali�� �g��f����:r�\�\'Wi��:�g����g���'hi':���rJg X�����:�n�� ui one of the partners in the firm Baldwin & am third of the time required construct ship canal. CO.,37 Park Row, New York. not prepared to say whether these engines wlll prove in every 3. That ships can be transferred on such a railroad with respect better than those which we get from England, but I absolute safety, and with the same dispatch as through a ship XLI., Thirty-fifth Ye ar _ VOL. No. 11. [NEW SERms.] do not remember any English firm taking the same pams to canal. study what we want to deal most successfully with-the 4. That the cost of maintenance will be less for the railroad NEW YORK, SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 1879. 13, steep gradients and sharp curves of our railway on the Blue than for the canal. Contents. Mountains. Perhaps it is not worth the whllc of thc English 5. That although the cost of transferring ships by ship rail- to attend of a (Illustratedarticles are marked with an asterisk.) makers to such petty dctmls, but the Americans road will exceed that passi ng them through ship canal, be . .. think differently" thc difference will insignificantcompared with the saving Alarm, electric [34].......... ... Mississippi River commissiou . American Science Association.. l6l172 Music oUhe spheres, the 16l And, we may add, American manufacturers do not eon- of interest on the first cost. .......... 169171 ' " American way, the ... ....... ... 160 New bOOkS .. .................... '1 ' ' 1 1 . 6 Assaying. bookson[37].... .. .. 172 �PJt��ft��6\���\�s:::::::: :::: : m SI d er suc h detm s petty. T s an d mac llllery are some- . TI IUt t h e sh' lp '1 roac1 '11 tlle ref ore 0ff or a b etter and ... and in00 I'm Wl �m��;;�Jr�tio';'[i71:: ::::: Objects of study, the .............. 168 what like animals plants, needing to be thoroughly safer investment for capital. r : :: .. :: m a ���'i:!�;a��. ti.�������::::::::::: i�� ���!:;;��h1p ¥�ii;;,ay:iirojjos�(C )� adapted to their environment. The difference between an The unanimity of these experienced and able engineers a of a h p �l,'�iig�;;;'d;iii"COV;;ry·in:. : ::::: i�� �gg��r;��l����'c� J'nli;; sea'::': i�� organiRlU which thrives in England but will not in Australia. with regard to the feasibility and economy s i railway n st e l at gcnus Isthmus the grt�'h �r��:��� .� .���:�e, ��!:::.�;U ��:�:n:��;u.������:.��� .�: ��� }�� and one of the same which will thrive in Australia, for the is, to say least, noteworthy and eneourag h be Like all grand presents g��:;;-i�.ii���ro�P��e';;'t';�·::::::: }A� li�;��s�'i!S.,t�:'?P�������.�.�:::: m may inappreciable to 1 he unskilled observer; but it is vital, ing.