Cellulose
sel'u-los, a substance allied to starch and found in plants. It is the principal constituent of cell walls. One third of all vegetable material consists of cellulose. It is composed of the same elements, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that form starch, sugar, and alcohol, only in different proportions. Cotton fibers are almost pure cellulose. Linen cloth, in fact most fibers, are of cellulose. Soft, unglazed paper is cellulose. Filter paper is of cellulose; so is a hornet's nest. Young wood consists largely of cellulose. Fifty-five per cent of poplar wood consists of cellulose. When heated under certain conditions, as when wood is roasted, cellulose may be converted into wood alcohol . By treating cotton with strong nitric and sulphuric acid the cellulose is converted into a powerful explosive, known as guncotton. Collodion is formed of guncotton dissolved in alcohol. By treatment with sulphuric acid, cellulose is also coverted into glucose, the basis of cheap syrup. Elder pith and cornstalk pith are chiefly cellulose. The latter is now used as an inner lining for the steel hull of a man-of-war. A three foot wall, or padding, made of corn pith is built inside of the steel plates. If by chance a shot should penetrate the steel plate and the pith lining, the water which is admitted would swell the cellulose and plug the shot hole. See Glucose ; Alcohol ; Armor ; Celluloid
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Celonitis or Celontes
This wonderful stone is found in the tortoise, and its property is to resist fire. Its healing virtues are two-fold, similar to those of the Asinius. Carried under the tongue on the day of the new moon, and for the fifteen days following, during the lunar ascension, it inspires its fortunate possessor to foretell future events every day from sunrising to six o'clock; and in the decrease during the intervening hours.
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Celsius Scale
another name for the Centigrade thermometric scale, from of the inventor, Anders Celsius. that See THERMOMETER.
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Celsius, Anders
sel'se-us, Anders (1701-1744), a Swedish mathematician. He was a graduate of Upsala. He became a professor of astronomy in that institution in 1730. Later he traveled and studied at Nuremberg and Paris. Celsius was interested in lineal measures. He traveled to Lapland to get the measure of a degree of latitude. He was the first to propose a division of the difference of the temperature between the freezing and boiling points of water into 100 parts. Hence the Centigrade thermometer is sometimes said to be constructed on the Celsius scale. Although Anders was the most celebrated member, it is worthy of notice that four generations of the Celsius family were famous as scholars, professors, and churchmen. See Thermometer
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Celtae
A mighty race, which occupied the greater part of western Europe in ancient times. The most powerful part of the nation appears to have taken up its abode in the center of the country, called after them Gallia , between the Garumna in the south and the Sequana and Matrona in the north. From this country they spread over various parts of Europe. 2026 Editor's Note: Celtae is the Latin name for the Celts , a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe identified by their use of Celtic languages. The central territory described, between the Garonne, Seine, and Marne rivers, corresponds to Gaul, the heartland of the La Tène culture (c. 450 BC onward). (Ed: BR 2026-07-04)
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Cement Chuck
The Spickerman patent cement chuck, shown in Fig. 69, is a very handy device, as it holds and centers accurately any wheel in a watch while drilling, polishing or fitting new staffs or pinions, and all danger of injuring wheels is obviated. It fits all kinds of American or Swiss lathes. The holder shown in Fig. 70 at a, is turned down to nearly the size of the screw for the lathe and the screw cut so the holder will set as close as possible to the lathe. The face of the holder is the turned perfectly true. Put wheel to be centered in cap c, as near to center as convenient and screw on b. Then place cement face of chuck b against face of holder a on the lathe and with a lamp, warm the cement between the surfaces, holding the chuck with a stick against the pivot of wheel in the cap, and it will move to an exact center as soon as warmed sufficiently. New cement should be added occasionally between the surfaces, as it hardens and burns away and does not center as well as when new. Fig. 69 shows chuck with wheel inside ready for drilling. See also Cement Brasses.
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Cements
Cement for use in the lathe can be purchased from material dealers generally, at so small a cost that it will scarcely pay the watchmaker to bother in preparing it, but circumstances often arise where a cement is desirable for other purposes, such as attaching metal letters to show windows, etc., and the following recipes will be found very reliable;
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Cemetery
as distinguished from a churchyard place of burial, an open, ornamental, park-like burying ground. The term carries with it more or less of a public idea. Some churches, particularly the Church of Rome, and to an extent the Church of England, bury only in consecrated ground. Scottish cemeteries are open to all. The idea of a large cemetery, ornamented with trees and drives, open to all who choose to purchase lots, has become quite popular, especially in connection with large cities. The cemetery of Pere Lachaise near Paris is one of the most celebrated in the world. Many renowned Parisians lie here. Among American cemeteries of note are Greenwood, on Long Island ; Mount Auburn, near Boston; Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston; and Lakeview, Cleveland. Public cemeteries more or less adorned have been provided by nearly all American towns and communities. See Catacombs ; Pere Lachaise
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Cenci
BEATRICE (chen'chē), called the beautiful parricide, the daughter of
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Cenis
se-ne', a mountain of the southeastern Alps between southern France and northern Italy. It is crossed by the Mount Cenis Pass, 6,697 feet above the level of the sea. This is the route by which Napoleon first constructed his winding roadway over the mountain. In 1857 work was begun on a railway tunnel through the shoulder of the mountain. Workmen labored at each end. On Christmas Day, 1870, they met in the middle of the mountain and found that their borings lacked but a few inches of being in line with each other. The tunnel is wide enough for two railway tracks. It is about eight miles in length and cost nearly $12,000,000. Part of the expense was defrayed by the governments of France and Italy, and part by the Northern Railway Company of Italy. Prior to this date railroad communication between the two countries was not practicable. See Bernard ; Simplon ; Tunnel
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