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George Dragan, for the last six years em- ploye.d in the shops of the Mad River Railroad, was killed at Sandusky on Thursday morning last, by the explosion of a barrel, into which he had put unslacked lime for the purpose of cleansing it. On pouring boiling water upon the lime and shaking the barrel atter closing the bung, it exploded with great force, and so badly shattered the German's head as to cause his death in a few moments. He leaves a wife and four small children. Here then is another question for savans " will lime explode. [Ex. [This is no question for savans at all ; everybody knows thaWime will explode by pouring boiling water upon it. The gas given out by lime when water is poured upon it, 1852 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC is active steamone exceedingly sensible of heat, and which has a most extraordinary expansive power. A large cast-iron cylinder of great thickaess, which was employed to contain carbonic acid gas in the Polytechnic Institute ot Paris, exploded with terrific force, killing the assistant lecturer in an instant. If carbonic acid gas burst an iron cylinder as thick as a cannon, what is to hinder steam from bursting a barrel. A reader of the Scientific American would have known this, for the information has more than once been propagated through our columns.
