[Improvement in Boats.]
There is a model of a steamboat to be seen on the Chesapeake, invented and constructed by Cyrus Williams, Esq., which is exciting considerable interest among steamboat men. It is in the usual form of a boat, but more flat-bottomed, and much longer in proportion to its width, than the boats now in use, giving it a greater surface to the water, and of course a lighter draught. The improvement is in applying the bridge principle of bearers in supporting length of boats. It looks perfectly feasible. Mr. Williams thinks it will be a great saving of expense, as it takes much less timber, and all of it can be sawed in a mill, being straight stuff. He offers to build a boat on this model, furnishing one third of the stock, and if it does not make 25 miles to the hour, he will forfeit his share.
[Casting Iron Cannon by a galvanic Process.]
A hoaxical looking article, under the above caption, is going the rounds, and represents that successful experiments on this subject have been recently made at Berlin. As no description or illustration of the process or principle is given, we leave the subject for those who are ever ready to swallow whatever appears in a newspaper, without regard to probability.
[New Shingle Machine.]
Among the patents particularly noticed in the Commissioner's report, is one for a shingle machine, which cuts the shingles in a peculiar form. The shingles cut by this machine does not taper from one extremity to the other, but the taper is confined to about half the length of it at one end, the faces of the remaining half being parallel to each other. This shape of the shingle avoids the bending which is incidental to those of the ordinary form, when nailed upon the roof--an object well worthy of attainment.