Scientific American Volume 20 Number 24 (June 1869) . t to the use and storage of petroleum, and ontie modes of preventing the disasters which are of such fre-quent occurrence. Most persons suppose all such cases to be due to one causeonly; namely, to the highly inflammable nature of the vola-tile ingredients contained in these oils, which, by admixturewith air, form explosive compounds. This is a cause of realdanger, but the above-named chemist calls attention to a hith-erto unnoticed reason for many fires and accidents. This he attributes to the very great expansion in bulkwhich mineral oils
Scientific American Volume 20 Number 24 (June 1869) . t to the use and storage of petroleum, and ontie modes of preventing the disasters which are of such fre-quent occurrence. Most persons suppose all such cases to be due to one causeonly; namely, to the highly inflammable nature of the vola-tile ingredients contained in these oils, which, by admixturewith air, form explosive compounds. This is a cause of realdanger, but the above-named chemist calls attention to a hith-erto unnoticed reason for many fires and accidents. This he attributes to the very great expansion in bulkwhich mineral oils undergo by increase of temperature. Ifpetroleum has been barreled during the cold season, it willexpand largely with the first appearance of hot weather, andwill then burst the containing vessels, on the same principlethat ice ruptures our water conduits and hydrants. The in-flammable material then oozes out, often without being no-ticed, and is a lurking cause of danger. It is well knownthat the burning of petroleum refineries and storehouses gen-. JIow Bronze Statues are Cast. Among the various branches of fine-artmetal work, the casting of bronze statuary,a chef-dwuvre of Blkingtons establishment,possesses perhaps as many points of inter-est as any. A leading process of bronzecasting is known, says the Engineer, as thecire perdue, or wax process. A structure ofiron bars, forming the skeleton of the,statue, sustains the core. This rough an-gular outline stands on a kind of platform,having a fire-hole beneath for the purposeof melting the wax when the statue is com-pleted. A mixture of clay, pounded brick,,and other material, capable of being easilyworked when moist, and very solid whendry, is then used for building up the skele-ton, so as to present the general contour ofthe figure, but less than the proposedstatue by just the thickness of the metalto be employed. Over all this is placed anequal layer of wax, on which all the details are expressed bythe sculptor. When, says
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