Tests Of Steel And Iron

Nitric acid will produce a black spot on steel : the daikor tlio spot the harder the steel. Iron, on the contrary, reinaius brigfht if touchcd witli ni 1 ric acid. Good steel in its soft state has a curvad fracture and a uniform gray lustre; in its hard state a dull,silvcry, uniform white. Cracks, threads or sparkling partidos denote batí quality. Good steel will not bear a whiie heat without íalling to piceos, and will crunible under lie haniiner at a bright heat, while at a rniddliug iieat it inay be drawn out under the hainincr to a fine poiut. Care should be taken tliat before attempting to draw it out to a point, the fracture is not concave; and should it be so, the end should be ñled to au obtuso point before operating. Steel should be drawn out to a lino point and plunged into cold water; the f rae tu red point should scratch glass. To test its toughness, place a fragment on a block of cast iron ; if good, it may be driven by the blow of a hanmier into the cast iron : if poor, ;t will orush under the blow. A soft, tough iron, if broken gradually, givcs long silky libres of lenden gray luie, whicli twist togelher and coliere before breaking. A medium even grain with fibres denotes good iron, Bad ly reflned iron gives a short blackisn iibre on fracture. A very fine giain denotes hard stcely iron, likely to be cold-short and hard. Coarse grain, with bright crystallized fracture or discolored spots, denotes cold-short, biittle iron, whicb works casily when heated and weids well. Cracks on the edge of a bar are indioations of hot-short iron. Good iron is readily heated, is soft under the hainnier, and throws out few sparks. The probate court at San Francisco, in making a partial distribution of the estáte of the late William S. O'Brien, allowed the following sums : Celia Coleman, $300,000; lsabella Colenian, $;00,000; James V. Coleuian, 9360,UOO; Ag-nes MacDonough, S3U0,U00 ; William O'15rien MacDonough, $300,000 ; Mary Pauline O'iirien, $;ioo,000; Roman Catholic Orphan Asyluin, San Rafael, $0(J,uoO ; Roman Catholic Orjihan Asyluin, San Francisco, $o0,00ü ; Protestant Orphan Asylum, Sau Francisco, $20,000. It is to be decided by legal authorityjust what constitutes a "gentleman"' in England." The elcction of Mr. Thomas Wood as member of the Local üoardof Stapleton, near Bristol, has been objected to on the ground of niisdescription on the voting papers, he having set hiuisclf down as a "gentleman,'' whcreas he is aneating-house keeper, and was so describcd at last year's election, when he was beaten. The New York Bulletin has a compilation of the lire losses in this country, which foots up over $2,000,000 a week - a rata so mach above the customary averag as to be decidedly alarming. The OOmpilation includes oiily those fires - over eighly in ïiiiml)cr-where the loss has exceeded $25,ÜÜO.