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Scientific American magazine Vol 2. No. 3 Oct 10 1846 The Advocate of Industry and Journal of Scientific, Mechanical and Other Improvements

Various

2009enGutenberg #29411Original source

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University.







THE NEW YORK
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

_Published Weekly at 128 Fulton Street,
(Sun Building,) New York._

BY MUNN & COMPANY.

    *    *    *    *    *

RUFUS PORTER, EDITOR.

    *    *    *    *    *

TERMS.--$2 a year--$1 in advance, and the remainder in 6 months.

[Illustration: hand pointing right] _See Advertisement on last page._


=The New Roman Road.=

[The present Pope has given his consent to build railroads in his
dominions, which the former Pope was averse to. The following lines
are predicated on his consent.]

    Ancient Romans, ancient Romans--
    Cato, Scipio Africanus,
    Ye whose fame's eclips'd by no man's,
    Publius AEmilianus,
    Sylla, Marius, Pompey, Caesar,
    Fabius, dilatory teaser,
    Coriolanus, and ye Gracchi
    Who gave so many a foe a black eye,
    Antony, Lepidus, and Crassus;
    And you, ye votaries of Parnassus,
    Virgil, and Horace, and Tibullus,
    Terence and Juvenal, Catullus,
    Martial, and all ye wits beside,
    On Pegasus expert to ride;
    Numa, good king, surnamed Pampilius,
    And Tullus, eke 'yclept Hostilius--
    Kings, Consuls, Imperators, Lictors,
    Praetors, the whole world's former victors,
    Who sleep by yellow Tiber's brink;
    Ye mighty names--what d'ye think?
    The Pope has sanctioned Railway Bills!
    And so the lofty Aventine,
    And your six other famous hills
    Will soon look down upon a 'Line.'
    Oh! if so be that hills could turn
    Their noses up, with gesture antic,
    Thus would the seven deride and spurn
    A Roman work so unromantic:
    'Was this the ancient Roman Way.

      With tickets taken, fares to pay,
    Stockers and Engineers, perhaps--
    Nothing more likely--English chaps
    Brawling away, 'Go on!' for Ito,
    And 'Cut along!' instead of Cito;
    The engine letting off its steam,
    With puff and whistle, snort and scream;
    A smell meanwhile, like burning clothes,
    Flouting the angry Roman nose?
    Is it not Conscript Fathers shocking?
    Does it not seem your mem'ry mocking?
    The Roman and the Railway station--
    What an incongruous combination!
    How odd, with no one to adore him,
      Terminus--and in the Forum!'--[Punch.


=Good Advice.=

Somebody lays down the following rules to young men in business. They
will apply equally well to young and old. 'Let the business of every
one alone, and attend to your own.--Don't buy what you don't want. Use
every hour to advantage, and study even to make leisure hours useful.
Think twice before you spend a shilling; remember you have another to
make for it. Find recreation in looking after your business, and so
your business will not be neglected in looking after recreation.--Buy
fair, sell fair, take care of the profits; look over the books
regularly, and if you find an error, trace it out. Should a stroke of
misfortune come upon you in trade, retrench--work harder, but never
fly the track; confront difficulties with unflinching perseverance,
and they will disappear at last, and you will be honored; but shrink
from the task, and you will be despised.'

    *    *    *    *    *

In Russia, coffins are generally brown, but children have pink, grown
up unmarried girls sky blue, while other females are indulged with a
violet color.

[Illustration: Barnum's Safety Apparatus]

INTRODUCTION.--Much has been said of late in and about New York on the
subject of the adoption by steamboat proprietors of some apparatus
that will in some measure secure the passengers against such
casualties as have occurred on board the Excelsior and several other
boats. There have been a great variety of inventions introduced for
the purpose of preventing explosions; but from the best information we
can obtain on the subject, we are of the opinion that Mr. Barnum's
apparatus takes a general preference over all others. It consists of
an arrangement of machinery, partly within the boiler, and which is
constructed on such a self-regulating principle as to keep up a supply
of water within the boiler, without any attention from the engineer;
and in case that the apparatus itself should become impaired or cease
to operate regular, the engineer becomes instantly notified thereof.

EXPLANATION.--It is inexpedient for us to give a full and minute
description of the several points and peculiarities of the mechanism
of this apparatus; but we may so far explain as to say that a
horizontal lever inside of the boiler, being mounted on a pivot near
its centre, and connected to a buoy or float at one end, as
represented in the engraving, (a part of the surface of the boiler
being omitted for that purpose, and not, as some might infer, to
represent the apparatus attached t

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