This section is from the book "The English And American Mechanic", by B. Frank Van Cleve. Also available from Amazon: The English And American Mechanic.
The difference in time between high water averages about 49 minutes each day.
In sandy soil, the greatest force of a pile-driver will not drive a pile over 15 feet.
A Fall of .1 of an inch in a mile will produce a current in rivers.
Melted Snow produces from ¼ to 1/8 of its bulk in water.
At the depth of 45 feet, the temperature of the earth is uniform throughout the year.
A SPERMACETI Candle .85 of an inch in diameter consumes an inch in length in 1 hour.
Silica is the base of the mineral world, and Carbon of the or-ginlifti
Sound passes in water at a velocity of 4,708 feet per second.
Metals have five degrees of lustre - splendent, shining, glistening, glimmering and dull.
A Marble-saw requires half a horse's power.
 
Continue to: