Popular Mechanics 1920-05: Vol 33 Iss 5

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(7 25 Cents POPULAR MECHANICS MAGAZINE WRITTEN SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT

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feldaw.Uive & Tractor Business in the Automobile, Truck and Tractor business. Thousands of towns and w rural communities—many of them on National Highways, are with- out garages or repair shops of any kind. Start a Repair Shop ‘ With proper training a small investment will put Enormous Equipment you intoone of the best paying businesses in any community—big increase in manufacture and use of Automo- Big Money aah Bint series mobiles, Trucks and Tractors—establishment of Inter- partment since taking over an community truck and motor mail routes—has caused an enormous additional quantity of enormous demand for capable mechanics and repair men. up-to-date autos, trucks, trac- ors, block- ors and electrical cauipment wed for training | LEARN IN 6 TO 8 WEEKS ay a —_—— Rahe Scheel Ger Ge Motor Make $100 to $400 a Month Division of the U. S. Army. A Every man 16 years of age or over, who will apply himself, can learn here by the RAHE PRACTICAL METHOD. Daily work with immense equipment under supervision of numerous MASTER MECHANIC Instructors. Same practical method as used to train Soldier Mechanics in 60 days’ time during war emergency. Our method insures quickest learning and best success. ahes:. School No books used. You learn with tools on real up- to-date Autos, Trucks, Tractors, Block-mounted Motors, Electric Apparatus and every other equipment neces- % sary to train you in all branches of the business. Acres of floor space in modern, fire-proof building. Plenty of room with proper ventilation, flood daylight on all floors. Every convenience and facility for thorough work and quick learning. Special Tuition Now! Write To those who come within the at Once! next few weeks, we are makingaSpecial Low Rate for full training under regular Life Scholarship. a = Mail This COUPON TODAY for wonderful story of opportunities pes and big 64-page illustrated catalog Plenty of opportunity to earn part living expenses while here Rahe Auto and Tractor School 2892 Oak St. Kansas City, Mo. =*400 Name... Address Age INNS. 556s vs vvacicce, ncvvsseneananenan >> >> >>> > >? > Automot Automot Automob Automob Au yt Track Ball, Od: Bar Bell Beavers Benzene, Block, N Gulf Bottle C Bridge } Building Bull in ” Butter Ss Camera Canoe C, Canopy Car Con Carpet I Cattle B Cedar T: Cement TT TT eee ~—

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Popular Mechanics Magazine 6 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, U.S. A. H. H. WINDSOR, EDITOR

London: Hachette & Cie, Paris: Hachette & Cie, Melbourne, Australia: 16, King Wdliam Street, Charing Cross, W. C. 2 111 Rue Reaumur The Australasian News Co. ISSUED MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION: SINGLE COPY, 25 CENTS In United States. and its possessions, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada, per year, ame - $3.00 Tc ° other countries in the Postal Union - - - - - - 3.50 _stl subscriptions are discontinued at expiration. Flease examine the on ntend on your wrapper. Entered as Second Class Matter Sept. 15, 1903, at the Post Office at Cn: 2ago, Illinois, under Act of March 8rd, 1879. Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office Department, Cansda. Published monthly by POPULAR MECHANICS CO. Copyright, 1920, by H. H. Wixnpsor. Copyright in Australia.

Vol. 33 Contents for May, 1920 No. 5

Accelerator, Auto, Operation Made Easy by...... 754 Coal, Artificial Fuel Resembles in Structure. 654 Accident—Boiler Sheet of Exploding Locomotive on 4 Accident—Street Cars Smas MOOERORNME occcccce ountry Community, nique, by R. P, Crawtor Accidents, Automobile, Double Fences at Road- we Coeed, ting 4 %. on Beenoe Sabian at | Caphet... bo Way Prevent ..cccresrcccccccesesessesssseveese am, ighest in anada, ancouver as coves Advertisement, > BORED GH GOP OBc 0. cstiscccas 697 Dams, Soil Pressure Gauge Tests Strength of. seas 656 Aeroplane, Air Jet Nozzle to Propel.............. 730 Delivery Lockers for Kitchen Elaborated..... .. 654 Aeroplane Ascension, World’s Highest ..........-- 726 Dirigible, Rigid, Navy Building Its First R .. 670 Aeroplane Carries Preacher to Remote ~~ ee po Dirt Scraper, One — Self-Dumping. . ‘ +4 Aeroplane, Cyclist imbs Ladder Dangle rom... 641 Dried Fruit Press, Cam Action Used by. ‘atari 74 Aeroplane Fabrics, By wenn” geocvoso > ee are aise ae a Dail, — ove Come ~_ Centering Mechanism. He Aeroplane Flight, 9, ile, x Pion evn 60 & 8 ri ock ingle iner Sree - Aeroplane, Food — * an Families by.. it Drinks of Several Varieties, Huge Barrel Serves.... 717 Aeroplane, Small, to be Placed on Market......... rum, Bass, and Viol Combined in New Instrument 678 Aeroplane Starter, Propeller Shaft Spun by........ 653 Dumb-Waiter, Carton Lunches Stored on.. 708 Aeroplanes, American, Cannon Engine Developed for 672 Electric Light Socket, Two Way Tap for......... 704 Pg vat orig a any - mer of _ hey ee = on Steel Due = a Ke tte ir Service, British, Boys Trained as Mechanics for 5 ngine, New, Pistons Act as Valves in..... .. 68 Air Service—Two Dirigibles to Start Cuba-Florida Exposition, Reconstruction, at Lille, France....... 799 FOr ee EP Le ek A BS PAS 750 Farming by Electricity, Many Converts for........ 711 Airship Hangar, Largest Oe Se ee ae 647 Fence Post, Revolving, Acts as Tightenin Device. 701 — l in —_——— Se ee ey. . -- Filter —_ a Type, 5H = sae: ae quarium, Golden Gate Park to Have...... .. 764 Fires in Cotton Gins, Matches Not Cause a. ivcoe Oe Army Motor Truck Is Recruiting Station.......... 682 Fish—Stocking Mountain Brooks for Anglers, by Asphalt Workers, Trinidad, to Live in Model Village 644 es Oe Pea oe dece taka us wane wes as 89 Aotmonomers — “oaaare one +o ay ome in = vines aoe yd ~ rong puaee, ia Peemes ca = tom, Birth of an, by Rogers D. Rusk, M. A...... ying Fields merican, Uniform Rules for... ; mena a ee oe spoaeng a aes oh 656 Football, ae Eastern Coach Adopts...... 742 utomobile, Diminutive, Is ere 692 Foundlings, sylum Receives on Revolving Drum 718 Automobile Door Pockets Carry Curtains...... .. 674 Furnace, Oil Fuel and Preheated Air Make Efficient 701 Automobile Headlights, No Glare from......... .. 705 Gas, New Combustible, from Common Materials... 738 Automobile Jumps Hurdle at Horse Show.......... 655 Gas Supply, Charge for Based on Heat Units.. 682 Automobile Motor, Overhaul Stand for..... Jon: Gas Wells, Wealth Brought to Obscure Districts by 735 Automobile, Old, Track Laying Helped ay: — Gauge, Air Pressure, for Testing Engine Valves . 758 y net Pistons Seoaee ny J ny a ee xm, oe in Ripe Olive bene ee utomobile Racers e.g eae 799 ila Monster, One Bite of Fatal . oa 799 Seeaette Turntable, Pitless, Runs on Circular - ons Pictures wake bn Show Smut ‘on........ 682 pee SRE ee en ere 7 u tream Is orld’s Greatest Current. Stes, ee —_ —* ee ee arpa Grane Bearing. . p+ oe age Const, on tT » Pacific Islands 732 r Bell Exerciser, justable in NG inns 066 < andbills from Plane, Rea state Sold by.. . 732 Beavers, Open Season Gives Trappers Harvest of.. 717 Heels, Detachable, Fastened to Shoes without. Nails 713 Benzene, Vegetable Acids Obtained from.......... . 688 Highway, Million Dollar, through Indiana Dunes.. 720 “~—, Names Carved on, Drifts from Montana to Hi ~-/P New, Wonderland Revealed by, by J. se ee ee One Pere 696 eci Pe sickness cs cabs cesdeaemteones Simao ee Bottle Capper, Small, for Household Use. . — Hoist, Electric, Made for Severest Service....... _ 756 Bridge Moved by Tide into New Position... .. .. 696 Hose Clamp, Simple, Michigan giomen Devises... 694 uilding, Office, Automobile Firm Erecting....... 751 House, Cylindrical, Space Gained by.. 800 we in Treadmill Runs Milking Machines... .. — Household Devices. ......--..---ssseseeeeee re 752 — Scale, Nonrusting, Operates in Oil......... 714 Invalid Hears Sermon through Telephone........... 7290 {€amera, Photographer a oe Loan of. pe ~— eg —_ oo fh wee. ae 712 ) stume, Fashion Designers Create ........ rrigation Canal, orms Retar ater Flow in . 681 roy 5h Theater, Snow Fells during Storm........ 731 Jail Corridor, Classroom for Women Prisoners..... 741 ar Conductors, Broken Insulators Pretect......... 702 aboratory, Midwest, Erected sor Hydraulic Ex- Cc y a boon pnnaatett, Bes Revelving Drum. = ——_ ee oe posoenestascastasce ... 664 ¢ Brands, Perpetual Supply of............-... ke, Croton, Overflows Dam or First Time 703 peer Trees Cut to Save Apple Crop.............. 648 Lamp, Automobile, Vacuum in Manifold Regulates 744 — Hardening, Lime Chloride, New Form Lamp, Showcase, Imitation Daylight Shed by..... 745 . eanty “ve ere ree Tree 692 Lamps, Glass Covers Prevent Gulls from Breaking.. 737 Pind: Convertible, Has Auxiliary Rockers..... .. 666 Levee, Augusta’s, River Flood Foiled by...... .. 756 “woe en's 5, Re ere ae 760 Library, Congressional, Splendid Organization in 722 urch, Congregation wane with Cheap Materials. 691 Library, Traveling, Minnesota Town Has 714 PC PONG 6 oi554c008s sana adan tats : 748 -Liquor Smuggling Devices Resemble Life Belts.... 658 [Continued on Page 4]

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[Contents—Continued } Locomotive and Tractor Combined in New Machine Lumberjacks Who live on Houseboats, by . ea rh a eran Materials, Machine Measures Life of... Measure and Offset Funnel, Oil Vessel Is Melting Pot, Electric, for Metals Memorandum Pad, Three Part, for Office. Model of Maori Chief, Lifelike Exhibit of Motor, Air-Cooled, on Wheels for Farm............ Motorboat Passenger Fleet Suggested for Cleveland 7 Motorboats Hunt Pirates of New World, by H. H. ER as eter - Motorcycle Aids in Ice Harvest : ‘Motorcycle Engine Used as Power Mine Hoist Motorcyclists, New Records Set’ by Motors, Table for Inspection of Motorship, Largest, Launched at Copenhagen Mountain Renamed for Theodore Roosevelt . * Moving Pictures, Motorcyclist Soars 87 Feet for Moving Machine Attachment for Gasoline Tractor ‘Music, Typing Machine Writes ' Nerves, uman, Act as Wireless Antenne, by F L. Brittin : Nets, Ice Covered ‘Submarine Workers Protected by Newsboy, Mechanical, Slot Machine Is Nitrogen, Air's, Britain Plans Huge Plant to Use Nurses, Free Hospital to Be School for Oil, Southwest's, Pipe Line to Chicago for Parachutist, Wind Carries to Death in River Pavement, Concrete, Moving Belt Smooths Peanuts, Milk Counterpart Made from.. Peeler, Mechanical, for Fruits and Vegetables Phonograph Changes Record and Runs ee < Phonograph Needles, 24, Steel Disk Carries.. ‘ Photograph Negatives, Pyro Developer Intensifies or ~ eee Made Automatic 7 Ma- BE: Son pete wae bade ele ree eegs Photography, | ‘Stoneware Developing Tanks fo: Pilgrim Tercentenary, Plans for Announced Pipe, Steam Supply, over Mile Long....... Pipe Supports, Concrete and Steel, Adjustable Piston in Auto Cylinder, Easy Insertion of Platinum, New Source of Supply Discovered. Poison Gas Versus Poison Gas, by Allan A. Mac- OO ee eee Porches on Dog House as Exercising Pens Potato Bugs Exterminated New Machine Pots and Pans to be Made - Rustless Steel Primer, Electric, Gasoline Vaporized by Prune, Stoneless, Has Edible Seed............ Pump, Rotary, Friction Reduced to Minimum by Radio, British Ships Warned of Gales by.... Railroad, Pan American, Bolivia Plans Link of Railroad Switch, Emergency, Leaves Main Line In- I hs ho irate Co aia a Ae Ranges, Knockdown, Electric, U. S. Submarines Use Red Cross Battles Disease in Siberia Road, Hard, Sand Dunes Rolled into ... Royalties, Big, from Government Oil Lands. Rubber Cargo, Valuable, Western Port Receives... Rules, Printer’s Brass, Made in Interlocking Form Salesman, Mechanical, Crowds Butcher Shop...... Sanitarium, Drink, Remodeled as Radium Hospital. Saw, Band, Metals Cut by Gravity Feed with Scales, Railroad, Double Track Protects. Seal Herd, Alaskan, Doubled by Protection Seaplane Engines between Fuselage and Float. Searchlight Mirrors, Electroplate Shells Used as... Searchlights, Folding and Bascule Towers Made for Semaphore, Tall, Visible over Tops of Trains Ship, American, Explodes in Havana Harbor Ship, Blazing, Submarines Sink at Panama Ship, Box Girder on Keel of. ; Ship, Oil Burning, Shifted to Coal. . Ship “Ophir,’’ Sunken, Returns to Port.. Ship, —— Anne,”” Wrecked on Long Island Shoal “. _ Propeller Shaft for, may Turn on Ball Bear- Shire "Sunken ‘Gold, New Salvage Method to Reclaim Ships, Funnels and Plates for, Queer Truck Loads of Ships, U. S. Freight, New Standards Set by, by Lawrence William Pedrose Ships, Unusual, Ore to be Transported ee Signs, Danger, for Motorists on Ohio Highway Singing in Bath, Cadence of Water Explains Ski Jumpers Loop the Loop in Contests Te Skyscraper, London’s First, Laws Violated by Soil Sifter Worked with Motor.............. Soldiers Play Pool with Croquet Set.. ve . 649 669 708 755 656 686 . 7126 707 . 697 Sprinkler, Rural Road, Filled by Gas Engine Spur Gear Teeth, Device Prevents Wear of Stenographer, Combination Desk and Chair fo: Stereopticon, Roll Film Attachment Improves Stove, ‘‘Airtight,’’ Simple Oil Burner Improve: Street Car, Modified, Permits Quick Loading Submarine Mishap Told by Participant Submarines on Trials Exceed Requirements Sulky, Child’s, may be Folded in Small Packag: Surgery, X- Ray and Microphone Combined for Sweeper, Channel, for Barge Conmts, by Gord Gleason . Swimming, Celluloid Cylinder Aid in Table, Collapsible, Has Revolving Top Table Top, Shape Changed by Division of Taxicab, Electric, Has Limousine Body Telegraph, Intrared ney, Has Interesting | ment . Telephone, Amplifier on, Sells Phonograph Re Telephone Booth, Folding, Rests on Wall Bra: Telephone, Community Chest Filled by Using Telephones, Halifax, United States Connected wit Telescope, Nail Keg Water, Finds Lost Body Theater, Colossal German, Greek in Style Theater, Open Air, Soldiers Build and Ow: Timber Graded by Counting Growth Rings Tombstones in Rural Cemetery, Buckwheat H Torpedo Boat, Curious, Has One Man Crew Tower, Half Mile High, as War Memoria! Toy, Radiator, Climbs Rod as Auto Runs Tractors, American, Turkish Farmers Interest: Tractors, Trains Pulled over Mountains by Traffic, Fifth Avenue, Controlled from Tower Trawler, Electric, Fishing Company Uses Trees, Walnut, Methods of Preventing “Die-Bac} Truck, Auto, Freight Car Shipped by Truck, Motor, Takes Heavy Grades Trucks, Motor, Are Switch Engines during Str Typist, Bell on Dictating Machine Warns of Error ip 4 5 ike Valve, Adjustable, Fuel for Oil Burners Saved ie Ventilator, Kitchen, for Residences Ventilator, Roof, Sucks Foul Air from Buildings Violin Scroll, Eagle’s Head Replaces Volcano, Mud Poured into Valley by Vote Counting, Public Spectacle Made ot Wasps Build Homes inside Violin Water Drains, Tracks of Driveway Serve a Water Settling Plants, Small, to Purge 0O Streams . TP ‘ Weather Calendar, Los Angeles Commerce 8 ae eee ‘ ; 3 1 Wells, Deep, Desert Reclaimed by. by | ETS. 35. ahs youn ews Oe pan deer Wheels, Metal Polishing, Walrus Hide Suitable Window, Whirling, Mariner Given Clear Vic Wireless Alarm Bell, Distress Signal Rings Wireless Equipment, Many Improvements :: SHOP NOTES Ammonia for Cleaning Spark Plugs Automobile Pedals, Stick Depresses Automobile Springs, New, How to Level! Barrel Truck from Old Buggy Belts, Old, Patching Blueprints, Waterproofing Boiler Shell, Plug for Stay Hole in Bolts, Emergency, How to Make Brake Lining, Utilizing Scraps of Cement Sidewalk, Drainage for Checks, Red Ink Protects Chuck Used on Drill Press Circuits, Concealed, Faults Located in Closet for Ironing Board Clothesline Operated from Window Clover Seed, Scarifier for , Ditches, Device for Back Filling Dowel -Pin Cutter, Rapid Work Done with Drill, Grinding for Edge Cutting Drill, Power, for Slate, Marble and Glass Dustpan. Drawer Takes Place of Emery Cloth, How to Use on Round Surface Envelopes Opened with Sandpaner Farmer's Friend (Poem) ; Fence Posts from Boiler Tubes Fender for Yacht Tenders ... Funnel Attached to Neck of Bottle Fuse Casing as Box for Drills Fuses Installed in Duplicate Garage Grinder Driven from Car euisiaiiine Continued on Page 6j g ) “74 | n74 1 @ “14 a39 768 765

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652 762 759 750 746 691 687 §44 715 731 665 74! 7a Popular Mechanics Magazine REGISTERED IN U. &. PATENT OFFICE WRITTEN SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT Vol. 33 “MAY, 1920 | No. 5 Cyclist Climbs Ladder Dangled from Plane YHABBY as they have grown from much use during the last few years, words “unprecedented” and “unpar- lleled” must now be used again—this ime to label a feat achieved some weeks vo at Pablo Beach, Fla., by two ex-army iirmen. The entire action consumed ircely more time than the telling. Asa notorcycle bearing one of the principals spurted down the hard beach sand at 65 iles an hour, a biplane guided by the second airman swooped down upon him. \ rope ladder dangled from the fuselage. \s ladder encountered motorcycle, the rider seized it and pulled himself from his machine. This was of course his most hazardous moment, as an accidental dip by the plane would have dropped him to the sand. But no accident occurred. As the airplane was shaken by the weight of the motorcyclist, the pilot zoomed his ship to a safe altitude, then continued to climb as his new passenger made his way up the ladder and into the forward cock- pit. The abandoned motorcycle ran on at full speed for a few yards, then somer- saulted and stopped. Townspeople who witnessed the feat described it as more thrilling, to spectators at least, than the plane to plane transfer. The affair was filmed from first to last by a motion-pic- ture camera in an accompanying airplane. The Small Inserted Photograph was Snapped at the Moment of Transfer. The Motorcyclist has Seized the Rope Ladder and is About to Lift Himself from His Machine. The Transfer has been Effected at the Right. A Few Seconds Later the Airplane Zoomed, to Avoid the Possibility of Dragging the Motorcyclist on the Sand. A Motion-Picture Cameraman in an Accompanying Airplane Filmed the Action from Start to Finish ol

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ONE MAN IS CREW OF CURIOUS TORPEDO BOAT ECENT na- val tests have disclosed the remarkable characteristics of a new form of miniature torpedo boat, so low in the water that it has al- most the invisi- bility of a sub- marine. This curious craft is operated by one man. It is but 40 ft. long, and weighs 8,500 Ib. with its single torpedo. The entire forward half of the boat is the torpedo chamber, and that part of the hull is U-shaped to conform to the big projec- tile, while the deck above is hinged along one side to per- mit the torpedo to be hoisted in. To discharge it, the whole rounded bow plate is lifted up like a gate, flooding the chamber and per- — — | PHOTOS BY EOWIW LEVICK a Lever in the The Entire Bow Plate of the Boat is Raised b Cockpit, and the Torpedo is Ejected by Its Own Pro The Torpedo Chamber Occupies the Forward stern, but is 27 in. eller. alf mitting the tor- pedo to go forth on the power of its Own propel- ler. After ex- pulsion, the chamber is emp tied of water in 45 seconds by an automatic pump. Behind the torpedo chamber is a cockpit, con- taining controls for all opera- tions, and sur- mounted by two tiny observation towers, the size of a man’s head In a third com- partment is th« 200-hp, engine The boat runs at 14 miles an hour with flooded cham- ber and torpedo ready, and at 30 miles an hour when light. Its freeboard under full load is only 6 in. at bow and at the bow running light, and 4 in. at the stern. The Freeboard of the Craft Is S> Small That in Naval Tests It Remained Undiscovered under Searchlights Until within 1,000 Feet. 642 Torpedo Ready, and 30 Miles When Running Light It Makes 14 Miles an Hour, with Flooded Chamber and ad

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KG General View of the One-Man Torpedo Boat, Looking Aft: The Hinged Forward Deck Lifts Up to Receive the Torpedo, and the Rounded Bow is Raised to Eject It _ — SS PHOTO BY EDWIN LEVICK

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644 POPULAR SMALL ELECTRIC COOKSTOVE FOLDS UP FOR CARRYING Electric table stoves of all kinds have become common, and folding stoves using varied fuels are no longer a novelty, but MECHANICS TRINIDAD ASPHALT WORKERS TO LIVE IN MODEL VILLAGE Near the famous asphalt lake on the island of Trinidad, British West Indies, is shortly to arise a model village. Along the carefully planned oo - ‘A The Stove Set, Ready for Fry- ing, Boiling, Grilling, or Toasting Switch Sliding the Heating Element # Breaks the Circuit, Needing No and graded streets small houses will be built for all married workingmen with families. Each house will be served by the most modern of wa- ter, sewerage, and elec tric-lighting systems. Each will be set, too, in a fenced yard where vegetables may be grown for the kitchen. These homes will occupy one section of the village; in another section will be a= found barracks for uwun- married workers, and At the Left the Stove is Seen with Its Frame Folded and Its Parts Dis- assembled; at the Right, It is Completely Folded for Carrying a folding electric stove is quite an achieve- ment. Such a device is now manufac- tured, however, and though when folded for carrying it is only 6 in. square and 2% in. high, in use it is prepared to toast, grill, boil, or fry. A space underneath the heating element takes the grilling pan, or may be used to keep toast warm. The heating element is reversible to throw its heat downward for this use, and is re- movable so that if damaged it may be re- placed very easily. By sliding it upon the frame of the stove, the circuit is opened and closed, making a switch unnecessary. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ISSUES WEATHER CALENDAR First American chamber of commerce to establish a Department of Meteorology and Aeronautics, the Los Angeles body is first also to publish a weather calendar. As prepared by the head of the depart- ment mentioned, the calendar takes the form of a tabular chart on which is epitomized the history of city weather conditions since the establishment of the local weather-bureau station, 43 years ago. Glancing at the table, an inquiring stranger learns what to expect, month by month. The records embrace tempera- ture, relative humidity, rainfall, wind, and general weather. A summary of condi- tions throughout the north and south Pacific oceans is appended for the benefit of shippers and travelers. “apartment buildings” for married couples with- out children. The com- pany plans to continue the present system of apportioning one-half to one acre of the island’s fertile ground to every em- ploye desiring it for cultivation. CHILD’S SULKY MAY BE FOLDED INTO SMALL, LIGHT PACKAGE A good many types of children’s two- wheeled gocarts, commonly called sulkies, are made to fold up after a fashion, but an QOhio inventor has now designed one that is the very essence of foldability. The sulky, although of standard size and shape, weighs but 10 Ib., avd packs into a space 34% by 11 by 14 in., with all its wheels, braces, and rods inclosed be- tween flat sides. This peculiar construc- tion does not affect the strength of the little vehicle in any degree. t The Child’s Sulky, of the Standard Form Seen at the Left, Folds into the Compact Bundle of the Right Picture ee

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et Operator at Washington, Equipped Only with an Ordinary Telegraph Key and a Small -Receiving Set, Sending Out a Message from the Annapolis Wireless Station by Remote Control MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN RADIO EQUIPMENT Remote-Control Relay Enables Common Telegraph Line to Originate High-Power Wireless Message im IN the layman, unfamiliar with the uit open and eliminate arcking. It is mysteries of circuits, knows there is made to handle 50 to 60 amperes of cur- little similarity between the common tele- rent, and to move rapidly enough to send graph line and the complex and power- 40 words a minute. To accomplish this ful equipment of a wireless system. That requires more power than is transmitted it is possible for a country operator, over the land-telegraph line, so its coils armed only with a little, feeble key, to are wound for 110 volts. This necessitates send his messages directly across the At- including 2 other relay in the circuit, one lantic, in mighty surges of electric im- of the common telegraph type, with its pulse, seems well-nigh miraculous. Yet contacts designed for heavy duty. The that performance not only is accom-_ coils of this relay are connected directly plished, but with the simplest of means. to the land-telegraph line, its contacts The ordinary telegraph J _ ——_————mmue tt the cous of the big has become the agent of relay key and the 110- remote control of the volt supply terminals, largest wireless-trans- with a heat coil, or con- mitting stations. denser, bridged across The regular wireless the points to reduce sending key, since its sparking. function is merely to When the ordinary make and break a cir- telegraph operator in cuit, differs from the the distant station calls land-telegraph key only - the radio office in the in size and _ incidental regular way, and asks for a wireless connec- tion, the attendant starts the generator, tunes the sending appa- ratus, and signals “O. K.” Then the transmis- sion begins. Every time the little key is appointments. To work the radio key with an electromagnet, instead of by hand, and actuate it at a distance by wire, solves the _ problem, which is similar, except in magnitude, to that of i : the telegraph one-way §& pressed down, the feeble } repeater invented years current closes the con- ago. " ar — tacts of the small relay In principle the new Front View, Above, and Rear View, Below, jn the radio station, and automatic radi Lew te of the Big Remote-Control Relay: Its’ . ? ae . ; natic radio key 1S Armature and Heavy Double Contacts (tS contacts, in turn, simply a big relay. Its Send Wireless Messages send 119 volts through contacts, of silver, are 3% in. in diameter, the coils of the big-relay key, pounding of the double-break type to snap the cir- out a magnified duplicate of the code. : 645

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646 POPULAR. MECHANICS Rest and Flanged Lower Contact for Air Cooling The New Antenna Switch at the Left Has a Spring Contact Which Dis- connects the Sending Impedance When the Arm Is D Position. The High-Insulation Antenna Switch at the Right Performs Many Functions It is only another step to equip the land operator with a small radio-receiving set, en- abling him to hear his own message in the sending. And by tun- ing the set to the wave length used by the distant receiving station, he may take the answer to his signals direct, or hear the other station break to ask a correction. It is with this ar rangement that Washington, on the last day of 1919, sent a ‘Happy New Year” to the nations of the world, by means of a telegraph wire by Its Own New Wireless-Sending Hand Key, with Insulated Thurb_ Special Rotary Spark Gap, Driven end of an insulating base, the jaws on a spindle at the other. A_ special spring contact at the blade end, connected to the sending inductance, is pressed open by the switch arm in the receiv- ing position, and closes automatically in the transmitting position. An improved rotary spark gap, separate from the motor generator but synchronized with it, i: another development. Ii has an aluminum whee! with 14 copper. spark electrodes, and a stator with 12, with a ring ad- justment for varying all the gaps alike. Operated by a %4-hp. motor at 4,000 r.p.m. it gives 5,600 parallel breaks a second, 180° apart. An audion panel unit that can be used as a de tector, an amplifier, or an oscillator, is interest ing. A six-ohm adjust- able rheostat control and an ammeter registers th: current consumed by the filament. A _ high-resistance rheostat for the “B,”’ or op erating, battery, a stopping condenser, and a _ bridging condenser complete the unit Another remarkable piece of apparatus is a six-step ampli otor and Giving fier. This device employs but 4 own in Receiving tonnected to the big Annap- 5-800 Parallel Breaks a Second, one “A,” or filament-heating, olis radio station. While the relay key was being per- fected, other improvements in wireless equipment were keeping pace. One of them, interesting by contrast, is a new hand-sending key for large currents, its lower contact cooled by flanges like the cylinder of an airplane engine, and with a specially designed thumb rest calcu- lated to insulate the operator from pos- sible high-voltage surges. Two new antenna switches are worthy of note. In one the jaws are at the top of a tall in- sulator, the blade on a horizontal spindle at the base. Other contacts on the spindle start the motor generator and short-circuit the detector. In receiving position, it connects the antenna to the receiving circuit, opens the detector, and applies a magnetic brake to the generator. In the other switch, the blade is at one 180° Apart “Dp”? wn battery and one “Bb” battery, yet permits signals to be amplified 1,000,000 times, opening an entirely new field. Interesting, also, is a new oscillator with fixed-capac- ity condensers and a circuit re- quiring no adjust- ments. The com- bination of con- densers_ reflects back into the re- ceiving circuit any initial impulse on an oscillating cir- cuit. It receives from arcs, high- An Audion Panel Unit That may be Employed as Detector, Amplifier, or Os- cillator } | : :

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frequency alternators, or tube generator transmit- ters, takes wave lengths between 250 and 25,000 meters, and operates on circuits of a wide range of inductance and capac- While the normal rate of development of radio equipment has been very great, the stimulation of r demands speeded up e process of improve- ment to an extraordinary egree, and to this con- dition can be credited most, if not all, of the POPULAR MECHANICS 647 t OL LIE OT LOPE Te . 2 res > | : Signals are Ampli- fied 1,000,000 Times by This Six-Stage Vacuum-Tube Am- plifier L remarkable influx of new and ingenious . — equipment, which has advanced the wire- many years in a short time. A New Oscillator with Fixed-Capacity Condensers and Nonadjustable Circuit, Receiving from Arc, Generator, or Tube MODEL OF GREATEST AIRSHIP SHED ON EXHIBITION In the National Museum at Washing- D. C., is now exhibited an architect’s el of the mammoth airship hangar 1 being in proportion. It is seen that ac cess to both ends of the hangar will b« had by rolling back the great steel doors The Architect’s Drawing, Above, Shows That a Dirigible of the Largest Type will Far from Fill the Interior of This Huge Hangar being erected by the Navy Department at Lakehurst, N. J. The dimensions of this, the world’s largest hangar, were published by this magazine last Septem- ber; the model empha- sizes the magnitude of the structure, however, as statistics can never do. The model is built even the manikins and throughout ona scale of one-sixteenth inch to the foot, = each 175 ft. high. The date for the completion of the actual structure has not been an ' nounced, but it wil! probably be finished by the spring of 192] | Ground for this belie? is found in the recent departure of two naval airmen for England where they will assist in the construction of the big “R-38,” the COPYRIGHT, WESTERN NEWSPAPER UNION This Model of the Largest Airship Hangar is Rightly Proportioned in Nearly Every Detail, Including the Freight Car near the Entrance. It Is Unnecessary to Show the True Length, as the Sections Are Identical frame of which is now being fabricated The airship is scheduled for completion tov freight car in the early months of 1921,

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648 NEW BAR-BELL EXERCISER IS ADJUSTABLE IN WEIGHT The weight-lifting athlete may now dis- pose of his many expensive bar bells, of graded heaviness, and, instead, equip his gymnasium with a new bell, the mass of which can be altered to suit his require- ments. This adjustability the inventor of the new exerciser obtains by substitut- ing tor the solid sphere of the conven- tional bar bell a hollow sphere, the outer POPULAR MECHANICS half of which may be removed. Within each sphere, and mounted on the bar, are a number of iron disks. By taking out one or more of these, the weight of the sphere is changed. The remaining disks are held in place by the sphere walls. CITY’S FREE HOSPITAL TO BE NURSES’ TRAINING SCHOOL A charity hospital which will provide five nurses for every patient has been founded by the city of Chicago in the heart of the down-town district. The purpose, justified by the present scarcity of nurses, to train women for the work in the shortest possible time. In consequence, the hospital-train- ing school will be open only to graduates of the health depart- ment’s school of home and pub- lic-health nursing. Graduates taking the training, 100 of them at first, pay $50 for the three- months’ course. This income, it is thought, will give the hospital $20,000 a year, or enough to pay 1S The Variable-Weight Bar Bell is Shown Above in Side and Front Views. The Hemispheres at Each End can be Removed, Giving Access to the Iron Disks Carried along the Bar the rent, maintain the 20 beds, and meet all other expenses. ALL CEDAR TREES IN COUNTY CUT DOWN TO SAVE APPLES Between an apple tree and a red cedar there would seem to be little in common, yet in a certain county of 429 square miles in Virginia, all the — red cedars are being cut down to save the apples. The reason lies in a peculiar fungus disease, called “cedar rust,” which has the queer habit of dividing its time between the two species of tree, visiting the cedars in the summer and going back to the apples in the spring. The only cure for this _ horticultural malady is to destroy the trees that harbor it, and naturally the cedars are selected for the sacrifice. By state law, every com- mercial apple orchard is entitled to a _ cedarless zone ‘of two miles, and as there are 1,000 apple growers and some 800.000 trees in the county, practically all cedars are Celluloid; illegally located. the Head above the Water. CYLINDER OF CELLULOID IS NEWEST SWIMMING AID The timidest beginner can learn to swim in 10 minutes, it is claimed, if he wears about his neck the new “swimming This Demonstration of the New Swimming Collar Shows How It Holds The ag oe on is Made of Transparent the Water-Tight eckpiece Is of Rubber collar.” The collar consists of a cylinder of transparent celluloid, about eight inches high. Across the bottom is ce- mented a rubber sheet with a central

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POPULAR MECHANICS 649

Complete Infrared-Ray Receiving Set: A Three- Stage Amplifier at the Left, and the Detector, Potentiometer, and Inter- rupter at the Right

= = YRIGHT, PUBLISHERS PHOTO GER VICE At the Left Is the Small Portable Set, Consisting of Searchlight on Tripod, Storage Battery, Thermoelectric Detector, Interrupter and Head Telephone. In the Center Is the Horn-and-Ear Tube Receiver. At the Left Is a Close-Up View of the Three-Stage Vacuum-Tube Amplifier aperture. The edges of the aperture fit INFRARED-RAY TELEGRAPH HAS snugly about the neck. Thus the new INTERESTING EQUIPMENT swimming aid holds the head above the water, and recommends itself to fair Interesting details have just been di- swimmers because it keeps the hair dry. vulged about the system of signaling with — infrared rays mentioned in this magazine NEWEST HYBRID IS COMBINED last January. The invisible rays from LOCOMOTIVE AND TRACTOR we black-glassed transmitter, which 1S ined up by means of a sighting tube, are The South African farmers’ demand for received by a parabolic reflector. Their railroads and the absence of funds to vibrations may be heard directly if a build them in regular fashion, has there small trumpet, closed with quartz glass resulted in experiments upon a new form § and coated inside with lampblack, is held of railway. Light cars are placed upon at the focal point and connected with light rails, spiked to wooden ties in the ear tubes. The more scientific receiver, ordinary manner. The cars are drawn, however, is a thermoelectric cell, made of however, not by the familiar locomotive, a tellurium crystal with a thin platinum whose weight requires expensive road- plate fused to its point, the whole in- beds to support it, but by a “locotractor,” closed in glass with a fluorite window. as it is called, whose big, rubber-tired The delicate currents developed in this driving wheels run upon strips of road cell are sent through a three-stage vac-

metal paralteling the track. Small wheels, uum-tube amplifier, connected to an co-axial with the drivers, guide the loco- interrupter of musical frequency, a po- tractor along the rails. Construction of tentiometer for detecting disturbing local a mile of such railway costs $4,000, which currents, and a telephone. <A_ 12-mik is but one-third to one-fifth the cost of range has been attained. A portable set standard railroad in South Africa. gives a range of one to two miles.

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650 ENGLISH TYPING MACHINE WRITES MUSIC A machine for typewriting music is the recent invention of a musician prominent

By Means of This New Machine the Composer is Enabled to Typewrite His Music with Precision and at High Speed as leader of a London orchestra. In ap- pearance his machine bears little resem- blance to the ordinary typewriter. In operation and effect, however, the two are similar. All the conventional characters and symbols, as well as the letters of the alphabet, are printed with precision by means of the two keyboards. Manufac- turing rights are said to have been pur- chased by an English firm, which plans to put the machine on the market. POTS AND PANS TO BE MADE OF RUSTLESS STEEL From Sheffield, England, comes the in- telligence that the hardware store will soon display, beside its tin, enameled, and aluminum ware, kitchen utensils made of rustless steel. This metal, high in chro- minum content, has previously been used almost exclusively for knife blades; but recent experiments with accurate heat treatments, which render it more work- able, now make it available for this do- mestic use. Frying pans, kettles, and other utensils made of stainless steel are always bright, no matter how used, after immersion in boiling water. They will not scale like iron, and in consequence will not grow thin on the bottom. In- cidentally, engineers are investigating the possibilities of its use in the construction of bridges, the necessity of painting which now entails a large expense. POPULAR MECHANICS DISCOVERY BARES NEW SOURCE OF PLATINUM SUPPLY A discovery of tremendous potential value to gold miners everywhere was made recently by a California chemist. In testing native ore for gold he found that the ordinary gold treatment, with a supplementary process, extracted plati- num in the form of platinum black, and in quantities up to several ounces to the ton. The discovery suggests that thousands of gold-bearing veins, which to date have escaped attention as bearers of the more valuable material, may now yield platinum. One company which formerly treated its ore for gold and silver alone, and so cleared about $40 a ton, now is said to be securing platinum, in addition, to the value of $2,400 a ton. SIMPLE OIL BURNER IMPROVES COMMON “AIR-TIGHT” STOVE The so-called “air-tight” stove, com monly used for heating rooms, is effec- tively converted into an oil burner by a simple attachment for which patents have been asked. An air inlet and an oil pipe with a drip nozzle are located near the top at one end of the stove, and a down- draft channel of sheet metal is placed in- side. A thin sheet-metal pan, sloped slightly from the horizontal and contain- ing grooves to spread the oil, receives the drip of the fuel. In starting, a fire of kindling under the pan heats it enough F <3 act a. a. |

- Ne tt ————— The Oil, Dripping through the Down-Draft Channel at the End of the Stove, Is Volatilized by the Hot Pan to volatilize and ignite the oil. Once the pan is hot, the action is automatic. The drip pan is removable for replacement when worn out by heat and oxidation.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 651 | “SEATS| FOR 14 PERSONS New Form of Street Car Designed for Quick Loading the Picture Is the Floor Plan, Showing the Arrange Entrance and Exit Doors, at Front and MODIFIED STREET-CAR TYPE PERMITS QUICK LOADING A new form of street car just placed in service in a mid-west city appears to have considerable advantage over earlier types in the matter of quick loading and unloading. Its salient points are a front entrance door and a side exit door near the center, both 5 ft. wide. The con- ductor is stationed just ahead of the exit, and the passengers pay him as they pass going either to the rear seats or out. Seats forward of the exit. are longitudinal, leaving a broad aisle space for loading, and avoiding the delay of making change on the platform. The floor slopes slightly down toward the doors, permitting the use of a single, solid inside step. Both doors are operated pneumatically, the en- trance by the motorman and the exit by the conductor, and are electrically con- nected so that the car will not run when either is open. The entire car is 50 ft. 6 in. long, seats 59, and accommodates 125 without overcrowding. € The equivalent of 5,400,000 tons of good coal is said to lie in the peat bogs of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, Canada. The bogs cover an estimated area of 12.000 square miles. k- 5 FT. EXIT ONLY iz = SFT. IRON RAIL CONDUCTOR ‘ = = © |SEATS FOR 5 PERSONS] ates tt Satan, and Unloading: Below ment of the Five-Foot Center Respectively si | K—SFT— ENTRANCE ONLY MINATURE SETTLING PLANTS TO PURGE OHIO’S STREAMS The problem of stream pollution, pro- nounced hopeless by many _ industrial states, now seems to have been solved by Ohio’s Bureau oft Fish and Game. The an- of nouncement will bring re- joicing to the state’s fish- ermen, f and na- farmers, -— —— To Illustrate the Process, Polluted Water from the Largest Bottle is Run into the Miniature Purifying Vat Cleansed Here, the Water Flows into the Fishbowl, While Sediment is Trapped in the Bottle at the Left ture lovers, who have sadly seen hundred of Ohio’s pretty streams made so filthy

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652 by industrial pollution that vegetation died along the banks, and live stock re- fused to drink the water, while all fish were killed to a distance, sometimes, of 50 miles from the polluting source. This source, in Ohio, may be a steel mill, dis- charging a daily average of 60,000 gal. of acid solution, a coal mine adding its daily total of 10,000 to 50,000 gal. of copperas water, or any one of a dozen other estab- lishments. These offenders the bureau is going to render harmless without the least de- rangement of routine, or lessening of effi- ciency. The plan is to ask the owners’ co- operation, to the extent of about $1,000, in installing beneath the discharging end of the waste pipes, at the stream edge, a little settling plant, devised after consid- MECHANICAL CARPET DUSTER IS EFFICIENT DEVICE Highly satisfactory results have been obtained with a simple mechanical car- Mechanical Carpet Duster: As the Open-Work Drum Revolves, Material Inside is Tumbled About, and the Dust Shaken Out of It pet duster employed by a western clean- ing company, though the device was inexpensively constructed, and is econom- ical in operation. Its only moving part is an octagonal open-work drum, 6 ft. wide and 9 ft. in diameter, arranged to be turned by a 3'%4-hp. gasoline engine. Dirty carpets or rugs are placed inside the drum, which tumbles them about as it turns, shaking out the dust. This proc- ess requires only about 30 minutes, ac- cording to the users of the machine. @A three-part tunnel, for road vehicles, street cars, and pedestrians, is to be con- structed under the Scheldt River in western Belgium. It will be 6,888 ft. long and 109 ft. below ground level, with six elevators at each end. It is intended to complete the work in 1924. POPULAR MECHANICS erable experiment by the state’s experts: ach plant consists of a brick vat, which varies in size according to the work being done, but which averages about 20 ft. long, 10 ft. wide, and 8 ft. deep. In the vat is a secret quicklime solution which precipitates and holds all polluting ele- ments harmful to fish or vegetable life. This sediment can easily be removed, and used in making soap, fertilizer, or other by-products, according to the circum- stances. The water runs. off clear, and pure enough for fish to live in, or stock to drink. The operating cost of the new system is said to be less than three cents a thousand gallons; yet so thorough is its purging effect that a stream can be restocked with fish some 48 hours after the pollution is thus arrested at its source. BELL WARNS TYPIST OF ERROR ON DICTATING MACHINE Stenographers who transcribe from dic- tating machines will be interested in a recent invention that quickens work and enables them to turn out neater letters. The innovation consists of a bell on the reproducer, which is rung when the striker foot is tripped by stops on the in- dicator scale. These stops are set at the places indicated by the dictator on the correction slip, one stop being set for each error made. Consequently, in tran- scribing, the stenographer is warned of an approaching error. She stops typing, listens to the error, and then, consulting her slip, listens to the correction. This system contrasts favorably with the old, which required her to bear the indicated correction in mind while watching for the incorrect matter. A moment’s forgetful- The Warning Bell on the Reproducer of the Dictating Machine is Rung by the Stops on the Scale. These are Set as Indicated by the Dictator occasioned by some interruption usually meant a botched letter. The bell makes such a lapse impossible. ness,

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POPULAR MECHANICS 653 The Close-Up View of the Starter, at the | Right, Shows How Easily It is Carried about the Flying Field by One Man. Wheel at the End is Fixed to the Piston Rod; over It Runs the Wire Cord Which Spins the Propeller Shaft PHOTOS BY JAQUES BOYER, PARIS The ~ | Here the Little | Tank is being Se- | cured to the Tim- To the Left of the Tank is | Seen the Valve | and Handle HOTO BY CENTRAL NEWS The Starting Mechanism has peen Placed against the Propeller Hub, at the Left. When the Mechanic's Right Hand Depresses the Valve Handle the Piston will be Forced Upward by the Expanding Gas, SIMPLE PLANE STARTER SPINS PROPELLER SHAFT LIKE TOP Of the several existing types of port- able starters for airplane engines, prob- ably the smallest is a simp'e French ap- paratus. Operating on the compressed- air principle, it spins a propeller shaft as a small boy spins a top. The operating mechanism is borne at the end of a 10- ft. timber, and may thus be raised to the level of most propeller hubs. At the top of the timber is a wheel which engages, like an engine crank, with the boss of the propeller. Around the grooved cir- cumference of the wheel runs a wire cord. To pull the cord, and so spin the wheel and propeller, a cylinder and pis- ton, and a small tank of compressed car- bonic acid, are provided at the side of the timber. As gas is released from the tank, it enters the cylinder, pushes up the piston, and so pulls the cord. The whole apparatus is easily folded, and car- ried about the flying field by one man. @To handle the increasing shipments of reindeer meat being sent to the States, an Alaskan company is to erect four big cold-storage plants near Nome, the Propeller will Spin, and the Starter will be Removed TIMBERS GRADED BY COUNTING ANNUAL-GROWTH RINGS Scientifically graded timbers selected for their strength, as indicated by density, are now supplied to the government, as well as to some private buyers, by certaii western-coast lumber manufacturers. In- spectors determine density by counting the number of annual-growth rings within a certain defined space on the end of a piece. Timbers found first-grade by this method are designated by a special mark The Marks on the Ends of These Timbers Indicate That They have Passed a Scientific Density Test

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A 654 POPULAR MECHANICS HOLE-IN-THE-WALL DELIVERY SYSTEM IS ELABORATED One of the most suggestive of the many household conveniences displayed at Lon- don’s recent Ideal Home Exhibition was Groceries and Other Supplies Ordered on the Slate are Deposited in the Proper Lockers by the Delivery Boys. The Slate is ety into Place from the itchen the nest of delivery lockers for the kitch- en’s outside wall. The idea is now a fa- miliar one, but this set of lockers repre- sents a noteworthy elaboration. The de- livery boy, approaching it from without, reads the housekeeper’s order on a slate, dropped into view from within. The desired articles he places in the appro- priate locker, the door of which opens to his key. Four of these lockers are pro- vided, one for the grocer, one for the butcher, and so on. A fifth door gives access to the electric or other meter. A letter slot is also provided. ARTIFICIAL FUEL RESEMBLES COAL IN STRUCTURE From coal slack and dust, lignite, peat, and a binder of pitch, an English firm is now prepared to manufacture an excel- lent house or industrial fuel. The in- gredients are pressed into blocks of any size, and of a layered or laminated struc- ture that heightens the resemblance to natural coal. By carefully proportioning these ingredients, the manufacturer is enabled to produce a fuel of any required calorific value. As the stuff is made from materials regarded hitherto as practically valueless, the market price will be less than that of the cheapest coal. Consider- able interest in the invention has already been manifested by mining corporations of Canada, France, and Italy. Several 3ritish collieries have actually acquired licenses to work the process. SMALL BREAK IN RAIL BRINGS DISASTER TO GASOLINE CAR As an example of large consequences from a small defect, a recent accident to a gasoline car on an Iowa rail line is conspicuous. The defect was a, tiny broken spot in one rail, where a few inches of the T-head had splintered off. By slowing down, the car drivers habit- ually passed the break without trouble. 3ut finally one driver forgot to slow down. Two passengers were killed, a number injured, and the car totally de- stroyed by fire as it lay smashed in the ditch alongside the track. The Disastrous Result of Ignoring a Broken Rail is Seen in the Wreck of the Gasoline Car, Scattered about the Right of Way. The Inserted View Shows How the End of One Pail Splintered at the Head. The Cars Passed the Break Safely at Low Speed, but the Driver of This One Forgot to Slow Up

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POPULAR MECHANICS 655 A Successful Hurdle-Jumping, Gap-Leaping Automobile Performance, Staged at a Recent Horse Show, Which Explains the “Horsey” Decorations: The Car Made the Jump Twice a Day for a Week without Injuring Itself MAKE AUTO JUMP HIGH HURDLE and with increased muee. Their /_ at this time was the installation of a disap- AS HORSE-SHOW SENSATION pearing three-inch rifle forward of the [he extraordinary spectacle of a five- conning tower. passenger auto rising into the air and — clearing a hurdle more than four feet high, not merely once, but twice a day for a week, was the sensation of a recent horse show in Denver. Timber inclines, 10 ft. long and a little more than 2 ft. high, were placed at each side of the brush-topped hurdle, the gap betweerf their vertical faces being over 12 ft. The car, a light new model with a peculiar spring suspension, mentioned in this mag- izine last February, was bedecked with a horse’s head of plaster on the radiator cap, and a horse’s tail at the back. Driven y a regular jockey, it rushed up the in- cline and took the jump like a thorough- bred day aiter day, finishing the trying eck in good condition and getting itself ell talked about. LIFE NETS PROTECT WORKERS ON ICE-COVERED SUBMARINE \ novelty in dry-docking practice was ] tried out in Boston, recently, after a bliz- zard had so coated the smooth sides of the UL. 5. submarine “R-13” with ice that the workers were in constant peril. Life nets ere disposed along both sides, for the essel’s entire length, and were drawn tight by guys from eyebolts in the dock \ COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD walls. Thereafter, the fitters were able A Recent Blizzard Caught the U. S. Submarine 1 . ° , > “R-13” in Dry Dock, and So Covered It with Ice That zo about their work in entire Satety, Life Nets were Stretched to Protect the Workers

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656 ON SIDE FOR REPAIRMEN Crawling underneath an automobile to make adjustments or repairs has been a The Underside of an Automobile is Rendered Conveniently Accessible by the Cradlelike Garage Device Pictured Here disagreeable, though necessary task until recently, when a garage appliance, de- signed to turn a machine halfway over and hold it in that position, made its appear- ance on the market. A cradlelike steel frame, comprising two curved rockers, connected by a pair of longitudinal I- beams, rests on rollers at either end in such a way that it can be tipped by turn- ing a crank. The beams serve as tracks for the wheels of a car, which is secured with chains before the device is put into operation. A crane for removing motors is incorporated in the contrivance. The crane can be used only when the automo- bile is in normal position. CADENCE -OF WATER EXPLAINS IMPULSE TO SING IN BATH An impulse that apparently is familiar to many people, to burst into song when in a bathroom, is explained by a British scientist as being an induced effect of the music of running water, which vir- tually sounds the pitch for the occupant of the tub. The resonance of the room encourages the effort, giving an unaccus- tomed quality to the voice. In other rooms the furnishings break up the vibra- tions and deaden the tone. making the contrast quite conspicuous. POPULAR MECHANICS GARAGE DEVICE SUPPORTS CAR SCHEME ASSURES PERPETUAL SUPPLY OF CATTLE BRANDS The description of Colorado’s perplex- ing cattle-brand problem in Popular _ Mechanics Magazine for May, 1919, has elicited from an Australian stockman an explanation of the system which as- sures his government an inexhaustible supply of brands for issuance to cattlemen. In the state of Queensland, for ex ample, every brand is formed by some combi nation of three charac- ters, only letters and \rabic numerals being allowed. Thus, the first brand issued was AAI, the second ABI, ete. When this series was ex- hausted the transposition of two characters gave the A1A series. Then, in order, came the 1AA, _— — the BBI, the BIB, and the 1BB series. When. in the course of years all these will have been run _ through, the characters will be turned on their sides, as >Al, »B1, etc. Then they will be systematically reversed, and _ finally turned upside down. In addition to mak ing possible this almost endless variation the Australian system permits the use ot characters so small that they may be placed on the cheek, thus preventing scat ring and diminishing the value of the hide. SOIL-PRESSURE GAUGE TESTS STRENGTH OF DAMS \ method of testing the pressure 0! soil, originated by a government bureau is being successfully applied in Ohio to determining the strength and quality of dam-building materials. The vital ele ment is a small closed cell with a dia- phragm and two interior electrical-con tact points. The cell is connected by an air tube with a pressure tank and gauge, and the contact points are wired to a bat- tery and small lamp. With the lamp lighted, air is introduced into the cell un- til the filament stops glowing, when the gauge indicates the pressure on the cell. For studying dam-core materials, a 30-in. standpipe, 41 ft. high, was erected, and pressure cells were inserted at var-

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POPULAR MECHANICS . ~~ bvd4 Soil-Pressure Gauge Measures Strength of Dam Materials: At the Left Are the Gauges, Pressure Tan} The Right Picture Shows the Method of Placing the Pressure Cells Battery, and Lamp of the Test Circuit. ous depths. also Cells were buried at ree points along the core of the dam, 1 allowed to settle with the soil. The observations showed that the core mate- rial of a hydraulic-fill dam acts wholly .as luid until the mud, gravel, sand, and clay begin to consolidate, and that it is to allow the finer materials to escape with the water. Usually these maller particles are washed toward the center of the core, making it the weakest point in the dam. Accurate figures for rate of consolidation of various ma- rials, from which their durability can computed, are obtained by the pres- cell method. BOLIVIA PLANS ANOTHER LINK OF PAN-AMERICAN RAILROAD South America’s »ng-cherished contributions to the plan of a pan-American 1 railroad promise to be large in the next lew years. Ofthe direct line from Buenos \ires, Argentina, to Cuzco, Peru, as indi cated on the map published in this mag November, 1914, only about 125 | 1 : miles in southern zine in Bolivia r : Olivia remains uncom ted ind part of that is graded It i estimated that $5,000,000 will be needed to finish this stretch, and efforts are now heing made to finance the undertaking in the United States. Only comparatively short sections in Peru, Ecuador, Colom- bia, and Central America then will be necessary for a continuous line from the North American system to Buenos Aires on the east and Puerto Montt, in south- ern Chile, on the west. FASHION DESIGNERS CREATE BIZARRE CANOEING COSTUME Many fair vacationists will canoe this summer who never canoed before. In support of this sensational pictured herewith the irresistible ca- noeing costume re- Statement 1s cently originated by a large fashion house. The tal- feta smock, it will be ob ‘Sere d, is worn over the bathing suit, and adorned with the popular wool em broidery. Hat and cushion are made of the same mate rial and similarly ornamented. small, single- farm tractor ch ugged out ot Stuttgart, Ark., on night with saddle strapped upon the q\ t sea 1 rainy some weeks igo, gasoline tank, and a local doctor in the saddle. |! this unheard-of fashion the doctor co country road. attended to his returned, so accomplishing a trip tl erymen il garagemen of tl 1

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658 POPULAR LIQUOR-SMUGGLING DEVICES RESEMBLE LIFE BELTS Innocent life preservers served as models for the up-to-date liquor-smug- gling contrivances brought to light re- oT RO ETT, Counterfeit Life Preservers, Made to Pass External Inspection without Suspicion, but with an Internal Capacity of One Gallon of Whisky cently by alert customs officials at an eastern port. Two Portuguese sailors, attempting to leave their ship, were stopped and searched. Underneath their MECHANICS coats were found aluminum containers, curved to fit the body, and secured with string. Each container held about 1 gal of high-proof whisky, which was seized by the authorities. ELECTROPLATE SHELLS USED AS SEARCHLIGHT MIRRORS Great parabolic searchlight mirrors some as much as five feet in diameter, are now being made regularly of metal. As the first step in the process, the surfac« of the glass form, or mold, is carefully ground and polished, then silvered by the¢ ordinary process. In an electroplating bath the silver is built up to a thickness of several thousandths of an inch. This silver film is next backed by copper un til a thickness of about .03 in. is formed. Upon the copper, finally, is spread a %-in. plastic coating which Holds the sheet- steel reinforcement. The metal mirror is then stripped from the glass form, thinly lacquered, and allowed to dry in a dust- free room. @ The need of aerial ambulances having been demonstrated by recent develop- ments in Mexican-border patrol work, the U. S. Army authorities have ordered four “DH-4” airplanes converted for this duty. Two basket litters will be placed in each fuselage, in rear of the pilot’s cockpit. POTATO BUGS EXTERMINATED BY NEW MACHINE A mechanism that imitates the old broom-and-pan method of removing po- tato bugs from plants has made its ap- pearance on the farm-implement market. \ team of horses draws the machine along the row of potato plants, and revolving brushes sweep the bugs off into pans at the bottom From this they are con veyed to a crusher, and their destructive career is promptly ended. Th« brushes are adjusted to the height of the plants by a lever at the driver's seat. The machine is made with a cultivator attachment, so that the work of destroying the bugs, which is thorough- = ——— ly done, is accomplished Brushes Revolving in the Interior of the Machine Sweep the Potato Bugs With the cultivating, and off the Plants into a Pan, from Which They are Conveyed to a Crusher. At the Rear Is a Cultivator, Permitting the Two Operations to be Per- formed in One does not call for addi- tional labor. d

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gas o + Shad MOTORBOATS HUNT THE LAST PIRATES OF THE NEW WORLD g the Shrimp Seine in Four or I Feet of Water: The Armed Fleet of the Louisiana Conservation Department Protects These ; np and Oyster Men from the Pirates Who Refuse Pay License Fees, and So Secure Beds of Their Owr Q)' [ of the mouth of a narrow bayou, whose entrance is arched over with tted stalks of wild rice, glides a boat. Painted a pale gray, the color of the Louisiana marsh and of Timbalier Bay, which she floats, the craft, long and . but broad of beam, without mast Hagstatf, is indistinguishable from the endless haze. It is the hour between day- and dark. The oyster fishermen, leased beds are marked by stakes et in the three or four-foot water, have work; their luggers and their freighters re dim in the tance, bound left their ee 7 > > sibly three or four such reward the marauder. Then out come the long, wooden-handled oyster tongs, and the men on the gray boat work like tigers hauling the from their beds be- neath the waters of the quiet Timbalier. They fill their boat, and, as darkness be- gins to send the reflection of the moon and stars slithering across the arm of the Gulf, they turn, their motors hum, and at small boatload Oy sters 15 or 20 miles an hour, they scurry for some hidden bayou entrance, some link in the 5.000 miles of inland waterways gridiron Louisi- which western ana. for the scat- Chen, sudden- ered isolated the white llages of the ives breaking 12000 square ilver cas- miles of Louisi- cades from het i marsl long, sharp Lhe eray yse, the white boat, moving pelican on the ftly, de- blue field flut- ends on the tering from her taked_ beds. tern, nother ri and there slender gray finds a Oat breaks ‘john - boat,”’ from the shore vaded with ovs- peed oft ters, tied to a t! first craft take, the sur —— — eases the plus of the day's On the Lookout for Oyster Pirates: This View of the motors of the ovster catch by **Louisiana’s”’ Forward Deck Shows the One-Pounder, second leap to i Whose Argument Never Fails to Convince the licensed ( ke het shermen Brown-skinned men, Greeks The ma he e second boat Italians, or Manilamen, appear suddenly rl g gh 1 ‘ mn the gray boat. Her motors stop at blackening k, mot nother the first john-boat, and its contents is cond hurriedly dumped into the craft Pos aulin

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660 POPULAR from a long, gray, needlelike object on the deck of the forward cabin. He raises and lowers the slender tube, sweeps it from side to side, and, suddenly, in mid- sweep of one of its arcs, there is a sharp,

e

MECHANICS rushes up. Five or six men climb to the top of the heap of oysters, their hands in the air. The two men on the second boat swing the gray tube until its muzzle rests amid. ships of the first craft: with rifles in the hollow of their arms they cover the oyster thieves. A third man appears from the af- ter cabin and turns the vellow eye of a search light on the marauders “Surrender?” asks _ the man in the bow of the second boat, and if they fail to understand he re peats it in Greek, or Ital ian, or French,gor Span ish, or the mixture of all three which commonly passes for language in the Louisiana swamps. The men on the oyster Broadside View of the “Louisiana:” This Ship Is One of the Fastest of pile look at the gray tube the Many Maintained by the Department, and is Used for Making Extended Patrols of the Whole Coast Line tearing, crackling sound which ends, with a snap, in a dull boom. The water is broken with a miniature crash 20 feet in front of the first gray boat, but it pays no attention. Not a man appears on it, but it leaps forward again, as if some automatic power deep in the craft were driving it on. <A_ second shell from the gray tube screams out, this time a real shell, and explodes 10 feet above the water and 50 feet in front of the racing mystery. It is a drama in grays, gray sea, gray sky, gray marsh, gray boats, but this time the man at the gun means what the gun says. The first boat slows down, comes to a halt, lies to, and rocks on the tide as the second boat and at the rifles, and their answer is always, “Yes.” Another band of the last pirates of the New World has been captured by the agents of the conservation department of the state of Louisiana. How long a term these pirates spend in jail, or where they spend it, is immaterial. Now and then they show fight, but the agents of the conservation department are selected for their ability, among other qualifications, to handle a rifle, an auto- matic, or a one-pounder, with equal facility, and there have been occasions when they made very good men out of very bad oyster pirates by the quickness of their trigger fingers. Not since the famous “oyster war’ between the fisher- men of Louisiana and those of Missis-

UES ieee? Sosa

Broadside View of the ‘“‘Alexandria:” The Big Motor Cruiser Is Flagship of the Department's Patrol Fleet, and is Used for Inspection Trips to the More Distant Beds and Reservations

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POPULAR MECHANICS 661 cippi have fleets of oyster pirates appeared ‘the water front of Louisiana, which <tends from Mississippi Sound on the +t to the Sabine River of Texas on the est, a distance of nearly 300 miles, the hole Gulf coast line of Pelican State. But he individual marauders, th their single boats cupied by three to five men, still exist. iough they are being ted down so ruthless- hat only now and then oes one of the conserva- n department's fleet of med motorboats come contact with one of 1 | i + his is the only fleet ts kind in the world. consists of 12 fast mo- t, valued in the ag- gregate at about $60,000, ger manned by men _ who must be detectives, po- licemen, sheriffs, lawyers, judges, brave to legree, able to travel all of the 5,000 r cral

les of Louisiana’s inland waterways nd all the 300 miles of her coast in he darkest night without chart or pilot, and honest in the smallest de- tail. One would think that such men, risking their lives frequently to save the property of some man who is not even in American, would be hard to find, but 0 great is the attraction offered by this ife, and so pleasant the relations of the department with all its men, that there always a waiting list. \ssisted by agents in automobiles and m horseback on the land, these motor craft penetrate the streams of interior Louisiana, where they guard the fresh- vater fishes, prevent the dynamiting of treams and illicit seining: they protect on the coast, not only the oyster men, who have leased their beds from the state ind are entitled to work them in peace, but the shrimp fishermen and the salt Nearly 1,000 fish ing craft work in safety under their pro- tection, and it is estimated that the com- bined fishing industries of Louisiana oyster, shrimp, salt and fresh-water fish terrapin, frog, and crabs—are worth some- thing like $12,000,000 a year to the state Their systematic operation could not b: irried on without these policemen of the vater fisheries as well. ea. Besides these. the conservation de- partment maintains watch and ward over ll the wild fowl, which by millions move " north and south through Louisiana at the

time of the migrations. Market hunting is prohibited at all seasons in Louisiana, and only a hunter in an airplane could get by the motorboat patrol maintained throughout the marshes. The department

pe he . The “Pin Tail: This Is One of the Smaller Boats Used by the Depart- ment for Chasing Fugitives Up the Shallower Streams. Another Is the “Hawk,” a Speed Boat, Used for Carrying Offenders to New Orleans also guards Marsh Island, and similar wild-bird preserves scattered through the state, from poachers. and keeps men sta- tioned at frequent points in the marsh and lowlands, in constant touch with the patrol boats, to give notice of poachers or other lawbreakers who can be reached from the water. The vast oil fields, the sulphur mines, the salt mines, the stand- ing timber, the land game, in short all the natural resources of the state are in charge of this department, and the patrol for pirates 1s only one of the duties carried out successfully by its agents. The patrol fleet is headed by the big motor cruiser “Alexandria,” 97 ft. long lriven by two 50-hp. engines, which ts in constant’use on the Gulf, on long in- spection trips to distant oyster beds, to isit the shrimp industry, game-bird res- ervations which need the personal atten- tion of the president of the department, ind has frequently been used by th United States Bureau ot | is] eries tor co ’ ypperative WoOrTkK The patrol boat Louisiana,” 60 ft. long | eq upped with two 20-h isoline ‘ngines, is used in making extended pa- trols oft the whole coast li e. ind Is espe cially on duty as the head of the fleet for the protection of the licensed oyster fish- ermen and the “shrimpers.” It carries a yne-pound rapid firer mounted on the for ird deck ‘Baton Roug i 50-ft. boat : “Fea lin equipped with two powerful gasoline motors, and especially, designed for heavv- ‘ sea dutv, is aiso in the ovyster-protectiol

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662 POPULAR MECHANICS fleet, being provided with a similar gun a 26-it. speed boat used as a police-mes- mounted forward. It patrols the oyster senger boat in bringing offenders arrested reefs in winter, during the tonging sea- by other patrols to the New Orleans courts for trial; “Coot,” and “Teal;” all, with their equipment, being valued at approximately $60,000. So close has been the patrol maintained by these boats during the past four years, and so : efhcient have been the agents employed on them that few of the onc numerous clan of th - oyster pirates remail Long terms in priso1 confiscation of their mo torboats, which are ne¢ essarily expensive be cause they must be fast and seaworthy, and con- stant danger of death at the hands of the quick shooting agents have re- Fishermen at Work on the Shrimp Ground: Preparations are being Made duced these marauders to Here to Pay Out the Seine from "the Stern of a Licensed a minimum. The homes Shrimper. The Heavy Work is Done by a Gas Engine of a few of them are son, and guards the reservations on which scattered through the marshes, solitary the protected wild fowl breed during the structures, perched on piles, well hidden summer. This is also a heavy-sea boat by the tall wild rice, or beneath the over and frequently follows the oyster-fishing hanging cypresses of some shell island, fleets from the Louisiana beds clear to the packing plants on the coast of Mis- sissippi, at Biloxi and Pascagoula, and other points, watching and protecting the industry. “Opelousas,” 46 ft. long, but drawing only 3 it. of water, and equipped with a 40-hp. motor, is used largely in patrolling the inland waters, where the fresh-water fisheries are located. She also is armed with a rapid-firing gun, and has been in- volved in more than one long chase after the poachers. “Brant,” a 35-footer, with a 12-hp. engine, has a large territory, being stationed at Lake Charles, La., with all the area between that city and the Sabine River of Texas to patrol, looking after fish and oyster conditions, safeguard- ing the game and other resources, and protecting licensed fishermen and others from marauders. The conservation department is sup- ported entirely by its own efforts, from the licenses it imposes under authority of the state legislature and collects under the police power given it by the state. Other motorboats, some of them armed, and the rest equipped only with rifles and sidearms, but all occupied in protecting the resources of the state are “Dos-gris.” The Catch: The Contents of the Seine are being 2 Ds: ty 9 DOT ” «6 %9 Dumped into the Little Vessel’s Iced Well sranchu, Pin Tall, ‘ Pelican, Hawk, in Preparation for the Return

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POPULAR ut their work is furtive, and has become nore sneak-thievery than piracy. In fact, ‘he last pirates of the New World are ipidly disappearing from the Louisiana iarshes. Many who are known to have lowed this life prior to the establish- ient of the present department of con- ervation in 1916, have taken out leases on the oyster beds or licensed their shrimp ats, and have become the most law- ding of all the thousands of fishermen ho dwell in the great marsh. The agents he department also keep a watchful e on the varied floating population ich drifts into the settlements and the ng camps, and many a criminal from parts of the state, or even from er states, has found himself, when he ght himself most safe, confronted by tiet khaki-clad officer of the law with a rant for his arrest, and fully equipped determination to take him to the earest jail. One agent, no later than last year, found mself alone in a cypress swamp, sur- muinded by 12 fish dynamiters whom he ad been hunting. Hiding in a hollow RED CROSS BATTLES Traveling across thousands of miles of lisease-swept alien land, the “Great White [rain,” extraordinary roll- ing sanitary station of the \merican Red Cross in Siberia, has probably es- tablished a_ record, for cases handled and relief administered, not exceeded even in war time. Work- ig out from this itinerant } MECHANICS 663 tree until the lawbreakers returned to their temporary camp, he slipped in while all were asleep, piled their weapons out- side the rude shack and captured all of them at daybreak, using one of their own rifles, having clogged his own revolver with mud by dropping it in the marsh. A Chinaman, wanted in San Francisco for a tong murder, was picked out of a fishing village filled with Chinese by one unarmed agent of the department, last spring, and taken alone by the same agent, still unarmed, in a small motorboat to New Orleans. Another agent, arriving at Grande Isle, on the rim of the Gulf, at the mouth of Barataria Bay, was attacked by a Filipino, armed with knife and gun and filled with the combination of gin and claret wine commonly drunk at these settlements, when the agent refused to take him to New Orleans. The agent knocked the Filipino down, took his gun and knife, tied him hand and foot, and doused him up and down in the Bay until he was virtually sober. The news of this exploit traveled fast, and no one has since annoyed this agent. DISEASE IN SIBERIA supply base are 150 American women, a volunteer army fighting the most dreaded This Hospital Car was Operated by the American Expeditionary Forces in and near Vladivostok of enemies—the after- war scourge of typhus and cholera. Besides its corps of doctors, nurses and attendants, the equipment of the train includes clothing and Having Traveled Thousands of Miles Back and Forth across Siberia, the ind most important a American Red Cross Antityphus Train, Above, is Now Known Every- all ‘ z all, at equa = _ where as “The Great White Train” boots, blankets and furs, medical

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GbH4 supplies. So great has become the need for these latter that since the American ships began coming into Vladivostok, physicians are journeying all the way from the Ural Mountains for a little gauze, a few drugs, or an instrument. The condition that this Cross di- vision has met and conquered had _ be- come almost indescribably horrible. Box cars took the place of nonexistant hos- pitals, The floors of railroad stations and huts were the wards of a universal pest- house. Cotton and linen had long since become exhausted and old newspapers and birch bark were being used for band- ages.. Moss was the only available sub- stitute for gauze. Into this very inferno of misery rolled the beneficent train of deliverance, and the lives saved by its direct ministrations and the guidance of its expert crew number into the thou- sands. SPECIAL LABORATORY ERECTED FOR HYDRAULIC EXPERIMENTS To be the only laboratory in the middle West devoted exclusively to experiments on hydraulic problems, is the distinguish- ing claim made for the concrete structure now being completed by the State Uni- versity on the west bank of the Iowa River, at Towa City, Ia. Tlie larger units of the plant, already completed, include a canal 130 ft. long, a power house 20 ft. square, and a tailrace 35 ft. long. Dimen- sions of every detail have been decided upon only after the most exhaustive con- sideration of the practical problems to be investigated. Among items already listed Red POPULAR MECHANICS for study in the completed laboratory are turbines, orifices, channel flow, fric- tion through pipes and tiles, and the flow ot water through sluice gates. MATCHES NOT CAUSE OF FIRES IN TEXAS COTTON GINS That matches cause most cotton-gin fires, as is commonly believed, has been disproved by government experts, who, after a careful study of Texas cotton-gin fires, have placed the blame on static elec tricity. In exploding the long-established theory, the investigators conducted two unusual experiments. The first was made by placing 500 matches in a load of cot ton, and passing the latter through the different machines in a gin house. Only two small fires, both in the huller, were started by this means. In a second test, 600 Ib. of seed cotton, containing 85 matches, was treated in a similar man- ner. The resulting fires, two in number, started in the huller, as in the first ex- periment. Analyzing the figures obtained through these tests, the experts estimated that not more than one serious fire would be caused by the passage of 600 matches through gin-house machines. In other words, to start the 205 Texas cotton-gin fires attributed to matches, in 1918, would have necessitated the presence of 123,000 matches, a highly improbable number, in the material handled by the plants where the fires occurred. Fires started by static electricity, it was determined, usually oc- cur in dry weather, when the air fails to conduct charges away from machinery This Concrete Structure Is the Hydraulic Laboratory of the State University, at Iowa City, Iowa. The Plant Comprises a Canal 130 Feet Long, a Power House 20 Feet Square, and a Tailrace 35 Feet Long

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POPULAR MECHANICS The Most Notable Feature of the Great Seaplane Is the Position of the Two Engine Nacelles. Placed below the Fuselage, They Are within Easy Reach of the Engineers, Who Ride in the Wood was Used, Wings, Fuselage, Float, and Engine Mountings being Made of ENGINES OF SEAPLANE PLACED BETWEEN FUSELAGE AND FLOAT Well worth the attention of American irplane designers, for its novelty alone, is the German Dornier giant seaplane, con- structed:at the Zeppelin works on Lake Constance, and flown thence some months ago to a naval air station on the North Sea. The basic peculiarity of the great monoplane is the placing of the two power nacelles, each mounting a pusher and a tractor air screw, in the 11-ft. gap be- tween the fuselage and the single boatlike tloat. The four engines carried here give the plane a speed of about 90 miles an hour. It is noteworthy, too, that no wood vas used in the machine; wings, fuselage, float, and engine mountings are all of an aluminum alloy. The wing span is 118 ft., the fuselage length about 70 ft., and the over-all height almost 30 ft. The crew of nine is carried partly in the float and partly in the fuselage cabin. Below ride two engineers and two gunners; above, two pilots, two gunners, and a wireless operator. WHIRLING WINDOW GIVES MARINER CLEAR VIEW In increasing use on ocean liners, freighters, and pleasure craft is a newly invented apparatus that assures clear vi- sion for the mariner in the thickest weather. A window is provided, that is, which is never dimmed or obscured by flying spray, rain, or snow. The window Boatlike Float. No an Aluminum Alloy consists of a glass disk which is rotated in its water-tight frame by a little electric motor, and at such a speed that water is thrown off continuously, and trans- parency maintained. The apparatus may be fitted in place of an existing window in the wheelhouse; in its most desirable form, however, it is mounted in a revolv- hind This Centrifugal Rain Guard, er can Use His Binoculars Effectively ther. Bensath the Disk is Seen a Bearing Indicator Standing be the Observ in Any Wea ing hood, suitable for use on the open bridge, forecastle head, etc. The hood rotates, of course, as the observer moves his head and shoulders. from the Havre, to Paris, is @A great concrete oil main English Channel, at advocated by a French under-secretary for public works. Thus fuel-hungry Paris would be supplied, without burdening the railroads, with unlimited quantities of “mazout,” the heavy liquid fuel extracted from Russian petroleum.

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666 POPULAR CONVERTIBLE CHAIR EQUIPPED WITH AUXILIARY ROCKERS When a new easy chair is tilted slightly backward, the regulation side rockers with which it is equipped are lifted, and The Rear and Front Views of the New Easy Chair Show the Converging Auxiliary Rockers the weight is borne by a smaller pair, attached between the others, at the rear. This feature facilitates the operation of turning the chair, as the auxiliary rockers then serve as a pivot. It is also possible to incline the chair toward either side or to use it as an ordinary rocking-chair when it is in this position. In its normal position, the chair is held stationary, the four rockers acting as legs. MOVING BELT SMOOTHS CONCRETE PAVEMENT The growing demand for an efficient concrete-pavement smoother has resulted in the development of numerous ingenious devices. One of these, recently tested by an lowa contractor, appears to possess more than ordinary merit. A length of belting, about 6 in. wide, stretched under- neath a light wooden truss, which extends from curb to curb, is employed to remove inequalities. The truss is equipped at MECHANICS either end with rollers, which permit it to be moved along the roadway by two men, and a lever, connected to the end of the belting. With the men alternately work- ing their levers, the belt is pulled back and forth across the pavement. SHIP’S PROPELLER SHAFT MAY TURN ON BALL BEARINGS Having successfully introduced the use of ball bearings on national rolling stock, Swedish manufacturers are now pushing their general use in ship construction. experiments, financed by them, and now under way, have for their particular ob- ject the perfection of a ball bearing tor propeller shafting. A satisfactory bearing of this type will be of enormous value; but in the way to success stand many difficulties. The mechanism must be able to withstand tremendous and ununiform pressures, must require little or no atten- tion, and must remain unaffected by the ship's continuous and irregular motion INTENSIFY PHOTO NEGATIVES WITH PYRO DEVELOPER Pyro developer, the favorite of the old- time photographer, with its propensity for making “contrasty” negatives and stained fingers, has been put to a new use. It is found that a pyro negative bleached with ferricyanide, may be inten- sified to any desired degree by develop- ing it over again in pyro. Bleached in permanganate, it may be _ redeveloped with hydroquinone and finished with halt its original density. Or a negative de- veloped in hydroquinone can be bleached with permanganate and then intensified in pyro. A negative of this kind, re- developed in pyro.five times, finished with three times its first density. Rollers at Either End Permit the Workers to Push the Truss along the Curbs, and So Smooth the Wet Concrete by Means of the Belt, Seen Beneath. The Detail View at the Right Shows One of the Levers with Which the Belt is Moved Back and Forth

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POPULAR MECHANICS 667 Ships’ Funnels and Plates Form weer Truck Loads. Hog Island from Philadelphia, a SHIPS’ FUNNELS AND PLATES FORM QUEER TRUCK LOADS Strange motor-truck loads excite little omment nowadays, but the habitual hauling of enormous steel funnels and other ship parts by truck and trailer is till a stght to stop passers-by in Phila- delphia. These vast structures of plate, often big enough to hide two such ve- carry them, go all the way to log Island, a distance of 17 miles, over ' ) r} % ignways. icieS as LARGE STEAM-SUPPLY PIPE IS OVER MILE LONG Steam at 250-lb. pressure is carried re than a mile in a 12-in. pipe, in a heating installation recently completed at west-coast city. The 5,700-ft. length of pipe runs partly underground, where it insulated by a 34-in. air space, 3 in. of asbestos compound, and 3 in. of concrete, and partly on trestles overhead, covered with 3 in. of magnesia and a jacket of duck. The pressure loss is only 30 Ib. in transmitting 140,000 lb. of steam an hour. @ The little-known region of the uppe1 Orinoco and Negro rivers, in the Brazilian and Venezuelan hinterland of South America, is now being mapped by an American explorer and party, who are ilso making geological, zodlogical, botani- ‘al, and astronomical observations. istance of 17 Miles. The Huge Steel Uptake Seen Here Is on Its Way to Similar Loads are Habitually Carried over the Road SMALL AIR COMPRESSOR MADE FOR PRIVATE GARAGES The private or small public garage may now be provided with a little air com- pressor that equals the performance of the larger mechanisms, except that it sup- plies a smaller volume of air. It consists of a 1%4-hp. electric motor, coupled per- manently to a compressing cylinder of 134-in. bore. Together, these weigh only 35 Ib., and so are easily carried about the garage by the handle provided. The mo- tor draws its power f electric- trom any Weighing Only 35 Pounds, the Little Air Compressor is Easily Carried about the Garage by the Handle light socket, and turns the compressor crank at 1.700 r.p.m. At this speed the compressor furnishes 2.61 cu. ft. of air per minute,

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UXURY and comfort hitherto un- 4 known aboard freight steamers that the world’s ocean lanes are incor- orated in the latest types of vessels being built for American shipping interests, everal of which have been completed re- ently on the Pacific coast and put in ervice under the United States flag. / The better the home, the better the is a truism long recognized aboard nerican ships, which have always ex- elled the vessels of other nations in mat- comfort and care of crews, but these latest cargo carriers are tar above vthing of that type that ever traveled e trade lanes of the globe. So rapidly has America’s merchant ma- e expanded in the last two years, it been found difficult to attract enough en from shore jobs to the sea to fill the acant berths. Fetid living quarters board ship hold no attraction for the nodern youth used to the comforts of city hotels, and it found ters of nome or was FIBER OF JAPANESE SEAWEED USED TO MIX WITH COTTON grass that grows abundantly bout the shores of Japan has been found to yield a fiber which, SCa LATEST U. S. FREIGHT SHIFS SET NEW STANDARDS By LAWRENCE WILLIAM PEDROSE necessary to make the ship habitable. The living quarters on our latest mer- chant ships are placed aft and arranged in staterooms with four sanitary berths each and the same number of sanitary lockers. Each room is finished in white. ‘he shipowner furnishes bedclothes, in- cluding snowy-white sheets and pillow- slips, but in accordance with the old custom of the sea, the men do their own laundry work. Each sailor has his indi- vidual locker and key, the lockers being unusually large and capable of holding all his effects. Old salts who began their careers in the old-fashioned’ fo'e’sle with _ its crowded hammocks and lack of ventila- tion, rub their eyes when they step into the living quarters of the newest Amer- ican freight ships, and, hardly knowing whether to praise or growl, opine, “The sea ain't the sea any more when they pull these hotels offshore for a limejuicer to live in, keel-haul me if it is!” DROPPED FROM CRANE, GIRDER FALLS INTO SHOP BASEMENT Pedestrians on Regent Street, London, were moved to memories of Zeppelin properly mixed with cot- forms a thread much cheaper and tronger than one all The process of removing the rind of the eed, which has been patented by its Japanese is to dry the in lye for ton, otton. nventor, 15 lant. boil it wo hours, and cool lowly. Washing it in vater then separates most of the covering, d the rest comes off hen it 1s soaked in vater containing rice bran, and brought to the boiling point. The re- fiber, after rins- ng resembles cotton, and is ready for use. [he grass is harvested in the fall, and the fiber can be prepared by fisher- men. It is expected to have a marked effect on the price of cheap clothing, and to improve the durability of fishing nets. Its value for the latter use is proven. *.° sulting The Fallen Girder is Seen, at the Left, below the Derrick Boom from Which It Dropped. ment, at the Right, It Forced Its Way into an Underlying Basement the Head of the Arrow and Piercing the Pave- near raids, not long ago, when a six-ton girder fell many feet, in a vertical position, pierced the pavement in front of a shop, and came to rest with its lower end in t¥

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670 POPULAR the basement, and its upper a few feet from ‘a third-story window. ‘The accident was occasioned by the breaking of the ca- ble that held the girder to the end of a derrick boom. The member was to have formed an upright in the steel frame of a building going up across the street. ADJUSTABLE PIPE SUPPORTS OF CONCRETE AND STEEL To prevent pipe lines from sagging when supported over streams, novel de- vices are employed at certain points in Concrete and Steel Pipe-Line Supports: When the Conduit Sags, the Steel Rods are Tightened with the Turnbuckles southern California. Slotted concrete pillars serve as rests for the conduits. Steel rods are attached to metal cross- bars on top of the pillars, and to the pipe on either side of the latter. By tighten- ing the rods with turnbuckles provided for that purpose, the line can be straight- ened whenever necessary. It is even pos- sible by this means to raise the pipe to a higher level when its safety is threatened by floods. MECHANICS NAVY BUILDING ITS FIRST RIGID DIRIGIBLE The U.S. Navy is building its first rigid dirigible. I'rame members and other parts for the airship, which is to be a composite of the British “R” type and the Germar “L” type, are now under construction at Philadelphia, Pa., and at Lakehurst, N. J, Completion of the work is scheduled fo 1922. In this connection, it is understood that the Navy General Board has decided that the navy should have at least 1! rigids. Unfortunately funds are lacking \ second American-built ship may be ac- quired, however, if the navy finds it pos- sible to accept an offer made by certai: manufacturers of Detroit, Mich. Thes propose to build a 1,000-ft. hangar as a workshop, and there to construct a dirig- ible’ from materials furnished by them- selves, and to power it with engines ot local manufacture. All this they offer do without taking a cent of profit from the government. ELECTRIC TAXICAB EQUIPPED WITH LIMOUSINE BODY Radically different in design from tl ordinary vehicle of its type, a new elec- tric automobile is expected by its manu- facturers to become a rival of the gaso- line taxicab. The body is identical with that of a limousine in every detail. Two sets of batteries are provided, one placed underneath the hood, and the other, an auxiliary, beside the driver’s seat. Thi former set is reached by lifting the imi tation radiator at the front of the car, the cells then being accessible through th opening, as the hood does not lift up. luggage rack is located over the auxiliar battery case. Electric Taxicab Equipped with Limousine Body: The Left View Shows the Auxiliary Battery’s Location beside the Driver’s Seat. The Right Picture Indicates the Gasoline-Car Appearance of the New Electric

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ayn: coal tee Pe oar aha POPULAR 2PYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD MECHANICS 671 This Photograph, Snapped from the Plane Whose Wing Tip is Seen at the Right, Shows Both Parachutes Nearing the Water. Bolling Field, upon Which the Landings were to have been Made, is Seen at the Right. The Launch is Putting Out to Meet Parachute Number Two; Number One Sank with Its Passenger WIND CARRIES PARACHUTIST TO DEATH IN RIVER Failure to gauge correctly the force ind direction of the wind blowing across Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., re- cently imperiled a parachute inventor and cost the life of his assistant. Accom- panied by several planes carrying official observers, the two men had ascended from the field in an army plane. Both jumped when about 1,200 ft. above the field. The two parachutes opened nicely, but were caught at once by the wind. As -a result, the two men landed, not on Bolling Field, but in the waters of the Potomac River that flows near by. angled in his parachute, the assistant sank at once. The inventor was rescued by a naval launch. COMBINATION DESK AND CHAIR FOR STENOGRAPHERS’ USE Office furniture must be space-saving, as well as comfortable, to meet modern requirements. Both of these features are possessed by a new combination stenog- raphers’ desk and chair. A curved metal tube, which serves as one of the three legs of the chair, connects the latter with the desk. The chair is provided with an adjustable back, and means for varying the height of the seat. Compactly ar- ranged drawers and compartments for letterheads, carbon paper, and other sup- — Stenographer’s Desk and Chair in One Unit: Small Space is Occupied by This Combination Office Equip- ment, Which is Provided with Every Convenience, Including a Tilting Footboard plies, are included in the desk. A _ foot- board, located near the bottom of the desk, can be tilted to suit the user.

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672 POPULAR MECHANICS CANNON-ENGINE DEVELOPED FOR AMERICAN AIRPLANES That our fighting planes will carry armor- piercing cannon, is power plant is of the familiar Hispano- Suiza type, modified by the addi- tion of a reduction gear. This gearing elevates the propeller hub several inches, bringing it above the level of the intersection of the cylinder blocks. In this trough, the 37-mm. cannon is fixed, the muzzle projecting through the propeller hub. Arrangements are made at the breech for automat- ically feeding the little one-pound shells. Credit for origination of the gun-engine, it must be remembered, is due the French. Captain Guynemer, first to use it in aerial combat, is said to have brought down two German planes with the first wun wane euste two shells fired. Exploding in the breech, likely to result from the army’s recent the third shell sent the captain to the exhibition of its first gun-engine. The hospital. a Reduction Gear to the Hispano-Suiza Engine has Elevated the Propeller Hub. This Enables the Muzzleofthe37-Millimeter Cannon to Pierce the Hub . COLOSSAL GERMAN THEATER IN GREEK STYLE One of the world’s most colossal the- disks that radiate orange and blue light aters, and by far the most bizarre, is the from concealed bulbs. The auditorium great auditorium recently opened in Ber- itself suggests the Greek open-air amphi- lin. The dreary exterior of the building theater. The German playhouse is roofed, is monstrous, but gives little promise of however, not by the sky, but by a hug: the surprises within. For the fantastic un- inverted bowl of dark blue, lit by thou- conventionality of the interior one is sands of electric bulbs. The 3,000 somewhat prepared, however, by the seats are ranged in horseshoe plan startling foyer. Here the curving around an arena, or more prop- walls merge into a domed roof, erly, an orchestra. Broad steps supported by carved mahogany lead from this spacious columns. The upper por- orchestra pit to the largé tion of each column is ; stage, which can be formed by many raised or lowered in ' , independent sections. As the auditorium is guiltless of corners, or a balcony, sound carries remarka- bly well from every part of the stage. PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL PORTRAIT SERVICE The Exterior of Berlin’s Strange New Playhouse has been Left without Ornament, in Accordance with = Owner’s Desire to Avoid Even the Appearance of Luxury, So Making His the Theater for the Common People

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So Si ersnaene . ane oe banat The Stage of Berlin’s Newest Theater Extends, Arena-Wise, Far into the Auditorium. As in the Greek and Elizabethan Theater, the Spectator’s Imagination must Give the Play Its Setting, in the Absence of All Scenic Properties “a” NTERNATIONA PORTRAIT SERVICE These Two Glimpses of the Foyer Suggest the Fantastic, Oriental Air Lent by the Curving Walis, Domed Ceilings, and Fluted Columns. These Columns Are of Mahogany, with Colored Electric Bulbs Concealed in the Massive, Flowerlike Capitals. The Lights Increase in Intensity as They Near the Top of the Colum: Orange Light Alternates with Blue, No Other Colors being Used

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674 POPULAR MECHANICS The Force of the Explosion in the Oil-Burning Boiler Threw the Locomotive Clear off the Track on Its Side. The Crew in the Cab were Saved by the Crown Sheet, Which Bent Over and Sealed the Fire Box BOILER SHEET OF EXPLODING LOCOMOTIVE SAVES CREW As complete a wreck as is not often seen blocked the right of way of a west- ern logging railroad a short time ago, when an oil-burning locomotive over- heated its boiler and blew up with a deaf- ening roar. The force of the blast not Above, the Manner in Which the Boiler Crown Sheet was Forced against the Fire-Box Opening only ripped open the boiler, but threw the whole engine off the track on its side. The remarkable incident of the event was the escape of the three men in the cab, saved by the very violence of the ex- plosior, which tore the crown sheet loose from the boiler and bent it back in such a position that the fire door was sealed and the scalding steam diverted. @ Public-library officials of Madrid, Spain, have adopted the idea, well-known in this country, of placing small stocks of books in public parks about the city, to be avail- able to the people at their convenience. PROPER FERTILIZING OF SOIL SHOWN BY SIMPLE CHART Any southern farmer can easily find the exact combination of fertilizer needed to fit his soil for the crops he desires, if he is provided with a simple chart devised by an association whose object is the improvement of soil in the South. A small cardboard disk, carrying the names of crops, is pivoted in the center of a larger one, on which are printed descrip- tions of all varieties of soil. When the small disk is turned on the large one until the crop desired is opposite the proper soil condition, the correct fertilizer for- mula appears in figures in a slot. Th« figures are interpreted in a list accom- panying the chart. —_—— DIVIDED AUTO-DOOR POCKETS FOR CARRYING CURTAINS Capacious door pockets, arranged espe- cially for holding side curtains, are new conveniences on certain late-model motor cars. The inner side of the door is hinged at the bottom, and can be dropped to a horizontal posi- tion, exposing the interior of the compartment, which is divided by stiff leather partitions, lettered and numbered to des- ignate different curtains. An overlapping flap, attached to the top of the door, pre- vents dust and water from entering the pocket.

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POPULAR MECHANICS MOTORCYCLE GIVES EMERGENCY AID DURING ICE HARVEST lhe motorcycle proved again its ca- icity for hard work, when it recently helped remove an eight- inch snowfall from a frozen lake in Massachu- etts, and so allowed the interrupted ice harvest- ing to proceed. The work is done ordinarily by horses, but the con- tractor found on _ this day that no teams were to be had. So an auto truck was hitched to a large scraper. It handled the heavy snow with east This success prompted the use of the motorcycle. Fitted with skid chains, and kept erect by its sidecar, he ivy O75 the machine dragged a smaller scraper up and down the ice at a speed that taxed the lungs of the scraper man. The gaso- line consumed totaled less than two gal- lons at the end of the day’s work. Unable to Hire Horse Teams, the Contractor in Charge of the Ice Har- vesting, Hitched to a Snow Scraper Effective, Dragging the Scraper at the Scraper Man’s Top Speed his Motorcycle. It Proved FIFTH AVENUE TRAFFIC CONTROLLED FROM TOWERS An innovation in the regulation of street trafic is now being tried out by the Police Department of New York City. At a number of street intersections along crowded Fifth Avenue, it has erected small signal towers, the floor of each about 12 ft. above the pavement. These towers resemble the little structures found in every railroad yard, and in fact are similar in purpose. In place of the big switch levers found in the latter, how- ever, the traffic-control towers contain push-button controls for electric signal lamps on the roof. Three of these face each direction, one red, one green, and one yellow. When the red is displayed, traffic moves along Fifth Avenue, and that on the side streets stops. When the green is flashed, the reverse occurs; while the yellow halts all traffic to clear the way for fire truck or ambulance. @A depth bomb dropped into a stormy sea on the Adriatic stilled the troubled waters as well as a charge of oil, and made it possible to land a party from a naval ship, according to the report of an Aus- trian officer. The gas bubbles arising from the explosion formed the quieting ele- ment in the turbulent waters. COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD Like a Towerman in a Railroad Switch Yard, the Police Officer Stands in His Little Tower, and by Pressure on Push Buttons Controls the Flow of Pedestrian and Vehicular Traffic along Fifth Avenue. The Tower at the Left, with its Red, Green, and Yellow Lights, is Shown in Closer View at the Right

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THE BIRTH OF AN ATOM By ROGERS D. RUSK, M. A. HE birth of an atom is just as im- portant an event as the birth of a world, if not more so, for everything in the universe is composed of atoms, even the worlds themselves. Not long ago atoms were thought to be immutable and unchanging, but the amazing truth has just been disclosed that new atoms are born every minute, just as among the far- away stars new worlds are being born. Already certain kinds of atoms can be produced in the laboratory, and such a business would become immensely popu- lar if gold and silver could be created in the same way. This is not so idle a dream as might be thought, for already it has been discovered that all atoms are com- posed of the same kind of material—posi- tively electrified particles, and minute negative electric charges. All that re- mains is to learn how to put these quan- tities together in the proper amounts, and atoms will be produced synthetically, just as chemists now put the proper atoms to- gether and produce—though ofttimes un- der uncommercial conditions—synthetic rubber, silk, steel, artificial dyes, and the many other miracles of the laboratory. To understand how certain atoms have already been produced in the laboratory, it is necessary to remember that there are about 90 different kinds of atoms, cor- responding to the elements of which all other substances are made, and that all atoms contain equal amounts of positive and negative electricity. Just as solar systems consist of planets revolving about a central sun and are held together by the force of gravitation, so do atoms consist of negative electrical charges, re- volving around a_ central, positively charged nucleus, held together by the forces of electrical attraction. The smallest atom known is the atom of hydrogen gas, and each of these atoms has but one negative electrical charge, or electron, revolving about the nucleus. The heaviest atom is uranium, and it con- tains 92 of these electrons. Now an atom of this kind is overcrowded with electrons, and pretty soon something happens. Either a collision takes place or some other strain causes the nucleus to give way and expel a little particle of matter. What this particle of matter is no one knows, except that it is charged with posi- tive electricity, but after its speed has slowed down it picks up electrons from the air and forms an atom itself, which has been proved to be helium gas. Ra- dium and other heavy, overcrowded atoms 676 act the same way; in fact it is this con- tinual and intense disintegrating action in radium which we call radioactivity. In all cases where any material part of the nucleus is expelled the same thing hap- pens, and helium atoms are born. From some other substances it is possible to expel particles which grow into hydrogen atoms, but such particles always produce either hydrogen or helium. As radioac- tive substances are present in greater or less quantities throughout the earth, it is possible that all the hydrogen and helium gas in the air and earth are formed in this way. And so it is in the universe about us. Creation is going on all the time; heavy atoms disintegrate and other atoms grow from them, while old worlds die, and new ones are born. All this implies something still more wonderful, for if these particles which form hydrogen and helium atoms by themselves are the only products of the disintegrations of atoms, then all atoms are in some mysterious way built up of these particles. Nearly this same theory was suggested over a hundred years ago when Prout presented his belief that all elements are composed of hydrogen, but this was soon discarded on account of lack of evidence. The disintegrations of radioactive substances had never been dreamed of then, and the birth of hydro- gen and helium by such a process was beyond conception. Indeed helium itself was entirely unknown. Helium atoms are now produced in a variety of ways, not only in radioactive substances, but in an electric spark and by the passage of radium rays through a gas. Just recently Sir Ernest Ruther- ford announced that, by this latter method, he had been able to drive out both hydrogen and helium from atoms of nitrogen gas, but not from carbon or oxygen. This agrees completely with the above-mentioned theory. As is well known, if the weight of a hydrogen atom is taken as unity, a helium atom is found to weigh approximately four. Now a carbon atom weighs 12 and hence can be made up of three helium particles. So also can an oxygen atom weighing 16 be made up of four such particles. A nitro- gen atom weighing 14, however, cannot be made up of helium alone, but can be composed of three helium and two hydro- gen particles. : As can be seen from the above, adding one helium particle to an atom of carbon ought to produce oxygen if the union

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POPULAR MECHANICS 677 suld be effected. Similarly, adding a_ or nucleus and its revolving satellites. In lium particle to an atom of iridium, the case of an atom, the satellites are weighing 193, should produce gold, whose — electrical charges, relatively as far away eight is 197. . Subtracting the same _ from their nucleus as are the planets from nount from mercury would also leave id. If this becomes possible in the iture, then the dreams of the alchemists vill be more than realized, for we may turn lead or any other element into any- ling we please. Before this may be done we must learn nore about the inside of an atom. As . hydrogen atom never carries more than single electrical charge it is represented diagrammatically by a central nucleus the sun. The oxygen atom in fact is a f positively charged matter with a minute Miniature duplicate of our own solar sys- electron revolving about it. Asa helium tem with its eight electrons revolving tom weighs four times as much, it ob- about its central nucleus, just as our eight usly might be composed of four hydro- planets revolve about the sun. The rela- ven particles, but as it has never been tive smallness of the electrons compared roken up into hydrogen particles it must with the atoms themselves has also been held together by unusual forces. For shown by Rutherford, who estimates that s reason and because helium never a helium atom may be shot through a irries more than two charges of elec- thousand other atoms without hitting ricity, only two detachable electrons are anything, just as a comet may shoot laced in the outer ring; the other two through our own solar system without ire supposed to hold the four positive striking a planet. This is only possible articles of the nucleus together by their because the electrical charges are so small Diagram Representing hhydrcegen Atcr, at Left, and Helium Atom,at Right ittraction. that a billion of them would only fill a Strange as it may seem, the atom is minute space in the atom. Small as these really very similar to a solar system, ex- particles are, however, if only a few are cept in size. Each has its central sun added or subtracted, a new atom is born. AMERICAN SHIP EXPLODES IN HAVANA HARBOR THE explosion of chemicals in the hold of the American steamship “Brookland,” as it lay at its dock across the harbor from Havana, Cuba, a few weeks ago, was felt in the city, and heard for miles around. From the ship’s torn and twisted midship section immediately belched flame and smoke. Pressed down by the landward breeze, at length, these engulfed and ignited the chemical warehouses by the dockside. Ship and warehouses burning together made a spectacle that drew crowds to the Havana water front, a mile away. Officials of the U. S. Shipping Board, which owned the vessel, consider it a total loss.

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678 POPULAR MECHANICS Audience. BASS DRUM AND VIOL UNITED IN NEW MUSICAL INSTRUMENT From Moscow, Russia, comes news of a new orchestral, percussive instrument that combines the booming reso- nance of the drum with the range of the double-bass viol. In form it is a combination of the two, the four- foot fingerboard being fixed to a skin - covered drum, three feet in diameter. To play the instru- ment, the musician stands. behind it, fingers the four steel strings like those of a double- bass, and draws sound from them by means of a felt-covered hammer of about the size used with the xylophone. AIRPLANE CARRIES PREACHER TO REMOTE COMMUNITIES No tolling church bells announce to the little communities scattered through one section of America’s great Northwest, the periodic Sunday-morning arrival of the region’s most enterprising itinerant evangelist. Instead, they hear the cough- ing exhaust of an engine, as his airplane spirals down upon the village. Drawn irresistibly by the novelty of the visit, Standing in the Pilot’s Cockpit of His Airplane, at the Left, the Airman-Evangelist is Addressing a Typical Behind Him, at the Right, is Seen the Propeller and Self-Starter of His Plane. Is of the Most Modern Type, Carrying Two Passengers in the Front Cockpit It they flock to the airplane, now at rest in a near-by field or meadow. They find th: preacher on his feet in the pilot’s cockpit of the plane “Sky Pilot,” ready to begin his discourse. Explanation of this strangest of all th airplane’s uses is found in the evangelist’s decision, some months ago, that the tim: and energy required for constant travel among distant parishes was seriously cur tailing his effectiveness. He decided to defy all precedent by allying aeronautics and religion. He first subjected himself to a rigorous course of training, and be« came an accomplished airman. He then purchased his plane, selecting a three- seater of sporting type. The rear cockpit seats the pilot, and serves as his pulpit when the meetings are held in the open; the forward cockpit accommodates his two assistants, one of them a song leader BIG ROYALTIES PAID ON OIL FROM GOVERNMENT LANDS Under the regulations recently issued by the Department of the Interior, hold ers of leases on government-owned oil land must pay production royalties rang ing from 334% to 12% per cent. ‘The maxjmum royalty applies to all well: producing 200 bbl. or more, a day, of specified quality. Wells producing less are assessed at a correspondingly lower rate, down to the minimum of 121% per cent for a production of less than 20 bb! per day. A second feature of the regula tions is the denial of leasing rights to citizens of any country which does not extend similar privileges to citizens orf corporations of this country.

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MACHINES MAKE PHOTO FINISHING AUTOMATIC The business of developing and printing photos for amateurs has grown very large, but still is often pursued with little system or me- chanical aid. To cure this de- fect, a Canadian imventor has designed a set of interesting ma- chines. The developing machine, to describe one of its four sizes, is a tank 9 ft. long, 5 ft. 6 in. wide, and 2 ft. 9 in. high, divided by cross partitions into developing, rinsing, fixing, and washing com- partments. Chain conveyors run along the sides, and_ vertically over uprights at each partition, at the rate of ¥ 2 in. a minute, driven by a small electric mo- tor. The films are hung on carrier rods across the chains, and travel in the proper time through each solu- tion in turn. Another improyement is a printing desk, with its printer operated by treadle or knee lever, and having six drawers for paper, and water supply for its trays. For fixing prints, a stand with two rotating shelves is used, the up- per carrying six hypo dishes, and the lower POPULAR MECHANICS The Printing Desk, Equipped with Water Connection, Foot-Power Printer, and Drawers for Paper The Construction of the Print-Fixing Stands is Seen in the Left Picture. The Shelves Rotate, the;Upper Basins Holding Hypo and the Lower Water. for the The Complete Developing Machine, with Its Motor- Driven Conveyor Chains on the Sides and along the Uprights, to Carry the Film Holders six water pans. The print drier consists of a heated drum. with seven vertical blotter rolls arranged about a revolving shelf. @An irrigation reser- voir being constructed in the valley of the up- per Jaguaribe, near Pernambuco, Brazil, will hold about 176,500,- 000,000 cu. ft. of water, forming a lake with a surface measuring 100 miles long by five or six miles’ average width. ee NTy ~~ e ria At the Right Is the Heated Drying Drum rints, Which are Clipped to the Vertical Blotter Rolls

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VANCOUVER HAS HIGHEST DAM IN D@MINION OF CANADA A great concrete dam, probably the highest in Canada, now impounds the waters of the Jordan River, some 36 miles above Victoria, Vancouver Island. Rea- son for the construction of the dam in this mountainous, heavily timbered coun- try, is found in the increasing demand for electrical energy from street-railway, illuminating, and commercial-power enter- prises of the island’s southern extremity. Water for this newest project flows from the high mountains that form the back- bone of the island. Meeting the dam it backs up the Jordan River and its two immediate tributaries to form a lake more than three miles in length. The crest of the new dam is 891 ft. long, 130 ft. of this length being earth embankment with a concrete core wall. At the dam’s eastern end is the spillway, 305 ft. long, with its crest 8 ft. from the dam top. The total height, measuring from the crest to the bottom of the buttress foundations, is 126 feet. WORMS RETARD WATER FLOW IN IRRIGATION CANAL That small worms are able to lessen materially the flow of water in a concrete irrigation canal was the annoying dis- covery made last year by the manager of a recla- mation project in south- ern Washington. In- spection of the canal in August showed the sides to be thickly covered with small brown worms, less than %e in. thick, and %& ir. to 1% in. long. The condition was ob- viously explained by the presence of these organ- POPULAR MECHANICS 631 shipped to the Washington office of the Bureau of Entomology. Here they were classified as “cases of the caddi fly, and the cocoons and pupa shells of the black flies of the genus Simulium.” To prevent a recurrence of the larva pest this year, the manager is considering the suspension of thick cotton wicks, soaked in kerosene along the walls. These would keep a film of oil on the water, and so prevent egg laying by the female flies. PISTONS ACT ALSO AS VALVES IN CURIOUS NEW ENGINE An internal-combustion engine which outwardly differs little from the familiar automobile type, but which is peculiar for its lack of either poppet or sleeve valves, has been developed by a California in- ventor. The pistons are made very long, with the combustion chamber recessed in the head, and the lower end works through a ring with external teeth, which engages a worm wheel on a shaft in the casing. By this means the pistons are rotated as they move up and down. In- take and exhaust ports in the cylinder walls register with similar ports in the pistons at correct intervals, making valves unnecessary. The gear rings run on steel balls in oil, and the piston actuates. the connecting rod through a ball joint, which permits rotation as well as oscillation. isms. They increased the friction between water and concrete, and so decreased the canal’s carrying capacity. To exterminate them, the water was turned off for two days in the middle of September. They sur- vived this treatment; but all perished within two weeks after the shut- down of September 30. Engine with Pistons Which Act as Valves When They are Rotated by the Horizontal Worm Shaft Indicated Small nests or cocoons were then removed from the concrete walls, and At the Left, One of the Rotating Pistons with Its Worm Gear; One of the Ports for Intake and Exhaust Is .Visible. Socket Joint of the Connecting Rod and Piston, Which Permits the Latter to Rotate as Well as Reciprocate At the Right, the Ball-and-

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682 POPULAR PAFPNTS PICTURES OF GRAIN TO SHOW SMUT DISEASE In preparing a governmental to acquaint farmers with the campaign nature of MECHANICS SPITZBERGEN’S COAL DEPOSITS MINED UNDER DIFFICULTIES Coal deposits on Spitzbergen, halfway between the top of Norway and the North The Comgiate 4 ipment Is Visible Here of the Studio in the Cornfield, ainting Accurate Pictures of Grain-Smut Disease d for smut disease in grains, photography proved inadequate because color plates were needed for accurate illustrations. Arrangements were therefore made with an Illinois artist to paint the diseased stalks in their natural tints. The outdoor studio she equipped for this work con- sisted of a tall frame for canvas back- grounds, a rough table, chairs, an easel, and a sunshade on a pole. With this portable outfit, a large number of inti- mate studies were made in the heart of the grain fields, and are now being dis- tributed in the form of printed color-plate reproductions. BASE CHARGE FOR GAS SUPPLY ON NUMBER OF HEAT UNITS As a more equitable method of charg- ing for gas, new British plans call for a system of billing consumers on a basis of heat units, instead of cubic feet. Heat- ing power is now practically the only useful standard of gas quality, since open flames are no longer employed for illumi- nation. Under the new scheme, the cus- tomers’ gas meters will register in cubic feet, but the bills will be based on heat value, the gas-supply concerns being re- quired to report the number of heating unit$ per foot in all gas sold. : Pole, are now being mined by a Swedish com- pany, using explosives in place of machinery. Hu- midity and high winds, with a winter tempera- ture of —22°, made it necessary to inclose the whole coal dump and the passage to it. The wire- rope conveyor, which takes coal from the dump at 50 tons an hour, also has its upper terminus inclosed. Navigation is open only three months a year, and the coal is stored in a 50-ft. pile near the harbor. Piling for the dock had to be driven very deep to withstand the constant heaving of the ice, and the boilers of the electric-light plant, necessitated by the long arctic night, were heat-insulated to keep them from thawing the ground and sink- ing into it. RECRUITING STATION MOUNTED ON ARMY MOTOR TRUCK An unusual example of the peace-time utility of the automobile is to be seen in Washington, D. C. A_ motor truck, equipped with a special body, serves as a recruiting station, which is driven to ad- vantageous points and stopped, while the officer in charge harangues the inevitable curious crowd. COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD 4 yasmacieen Mobile Recruiting Station: The Picture was Taken in Front of the Capitol in Washington, in Which City the Vehicle is Employed

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— in The Big Automatic Telephone Switchboard Which Handled the Especially Severe Traffic Demands of the “Community Chest”’ Drive: The Board, Installed Last Year, is Given Credit for Much of the Campaign’s Success BIG TELEPHONE DRIVE FILLS COMMUNITY CHEST By PAUL H. WOODRUFF O coax a total of $100,000 from 3,600 The record established in this latest givers in 10 days, in a city of some campaign is credited largely to the excel- 15,000 population, requires unusual lence of the city’s automatic-telephone methods. Elyria, Ohio, has just per- system, installed just a year ago. For formed that feat by an intensive application of telephone solicitation. The occasion was the annual “community- chest” campaign, a _ per- manent outgrowth of the war-chest plan that so effectively took care of the various demands of 1918. The community chest is the city’s method of providing for all its charities, hospitals, and institutions in a_ single drive. The success of the 1920 effort: is the more remarkable in that the “chest” has not fared so well for the past two jam 8,6. ee TT eee 2 Le, Sa from only 700 givers be- Elyria Chamber of Commerce Rooms with 40 Separate Telephone Lines . Installed in Overhead Cables, Each Telephone being ing the 1919 result. Fitted with an Extension

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POPULAR MECHANICS COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD Testing the Powers of the Automatic Telephone in the Laboratory of the United States Bureau of Standards: The Miniature Switchboards in the Miles, in the Box on the Desk, the drive, 40 telephone lines were run into the rooms of the Chamber of Com- merce, the cables being suspended beneath the ceiling and wrapped with bunting. Each telephone was equipped with an extension, enabling the solici- tors to use team work in handling reluc- tant or intractable prospects. Teams of women to the number of 100 took the afternoon “shift,” relieved at night by an equal number of men. Each solicitor was provided with prospect cards, and COLLAPSIBLE TABLE EQUIPPED WITH REVOLVING TOP A collapsible metal dining table, suit- able for a room where space is valuable, or for the small city apartment, and pro- vided with a revolving circular top and removable leaves, is the The Revolving Table is Ready for Service, at the Left. the Revolving Top, and the Fixed, Individual Leaves have been Removed, and the Rim Folded Back. At the Right, the Table is Completely Disas- sembled nd Cabinets are Connected by an Artificial Cable of Several and the Repeater Installed Just behind It the telephones worked as fast as their dials could be turned. Besides this vigorous application, a se- ries of ingenious cartoons was run in the local papers, as well as a number of dis- play advertisements. The most success- ful of the latter featured a picture of an automatic telephone, with the legend, “Don’t wait to be called!” So even this element in the campaign only gave further demonstration of the remarkable effec- tiveness of telephone solicitation. useful invention of a Kentuckian. Five legs support the novel piece of furniture. One of these, located in the center, serves as a pivot for the top, and has hinged to it four folding legs, which extend to a stationary rim around the top. The leaves, in the form of segments, are de- signed to be attached to the rim, which is laid upon the legs. The chief advantage of the table is that dishes of food can be brought before diners by turning the top. Another is that it can be folded to oc- cupy small space when not in use. All parts are finished in white enamel. Though intended for use with the folding legs, ~ the circular revolving In the Middle, top, with its pivot base, can be mounted on any table.

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POPULAR BOYS TRAINED AS MECHANICS FOR BRITISH AIR FORCE lo develop well-educated boys, 15 and 16 years old, as expert air-craft mechanics, the British Air Ministry has opened a well-equipped training center. Two methods of admission have been ar- ranged: the first being open competitive e x a minations; MECHANICS 685 PHONOGRAPH CHANGES RECORD AND RUNS OWN PERFORMANCE The much-abused term “automatic” can be applied with full justice to a new and highly ingenious phonograph which has just appeared in a western city. This versatile instrument plays as many as 40 after one another in order, selects any rec- records, the second, ex- imination of | andidates nominated by |} the local educa- tional authori- ties. Successful ipplicants will enlist for 10 years active service, and two years in the re- serve. The first | three years the | boys will spend | at the training center, where they will be given general L. -___ — and workshop The External Appearance of the training. At the New Phonograph, Which Plays 40 Records without Attention, | ord indicated, allows intervals between _ selec- tions of 10 sec- onds to half an hour, repeats if desired, and stops at any predetermined point. It ac- complishes al) this with a com- paratively sim- ple mechanism and without springs, all the movements be- ing transmitted by cams and gears. The turntable is vertical, and —_—=—==_e tne record rack 3 : Repeats If Desired, and Stops at en d of this Any Place Indicated period, those who pass the - final tests will be promoted to the an are about it. rank of “leading aircraftsmen” in some one of the skilled trades. If a boy has shown exceptional mechanical ability during his three years’ training, he will be ranked at once as a corporal, and will get six months’ additional instruction. A select few of these youthful noncoms, finally, may be chosen for commissions, and a course at the college for flying of- Here they will stand on equal footing with cadets entered, by competi- tion, from the public schools. ay ficers. The Left-Hand View Shows the Arc-Shaped Arrangment of the Pivoted Record Rack. is arranged in When the machine is started, an arm rolls the first record out of the rack and in front of the turntable, where a plunger centers it. The sound box and needle are turned against its face, and the selection plays until the needle, approaching the center, is thrown out again. This actuates still another arm tha pushes the record back into its rack; a ratchet turns the rack to the next posi- tion, and the performance goes on. The record selector, repeater, and interval In the Central View, the Vertical Turntable Mechanism Is Visible, and at the Right, a Record Is About to Take Its Place

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686 timer are set by pointers on the outside of the case. An improvement in tone is claimed by virtue of a special mounting of the motor, which drives the turntable through a flexible shaft. CONTESTING SKI JUMPERS LOOP THE LOOP The most spectacular of the feats per- formed at the winter-sports carnival held each year by an eastern college is the va The Aerial Somersault Is a Favorite with_the More Expert of the Collegiate Ski Jumpers Contest- ing Each Year at the Winter Carnival “loop the loop” on skis. The difficult maneuver is accomplished by a surpris- ingly large number of students because of the preliminary training given each fall in the college gymnasium. In _ conse- quence of this, though a spill commonly follows the somersault, injuries are scarce. ENAMEL SCALING ON STEEL CAUSED BY OVERHEATING The phenomenon known as “fish scal- ing” which affects enameled sheet steel, causing small bits of enamel to leave the metal, is being investigated by the U. S. Bureau of Standards. More than 4,000 experimental plates have been made, using 21 different mixtures of enamel in 90 melts. It has been shown that over- heating the enamel in firing, or leaving it too long in the furnace, helps to produce the defect. The shape, weight, and character of the metal, and the composi- tion and method of melting the enamel, also have an important bearing on the product. The investigators are confident that the trouble will finally be wholly eradicated as a result of the experiments. POPULAR MECHANICS TO TRY NEW SALVAGE SYSTEM ON SUNKEN GOLD SHIPS On the bottom of Lynn Canal in south- ern Alaska, off Vanderbilt Reef, a $900,000 ship with a cargo of $100,000 to $300,000 in gold, has been lying since October, 1918. Within 60 miles lie two more ves- sels, one carrying over $2,000,000 in gold bullion, and the other worth half a million. On these rich prizes, the first of which will yield 50 per cent of its value to the salvagers and the others 100 per cent, an interesting experiment in ship raising is to be tried as soon as the late ice goes out. The method to be used is that de- scribed in this magazine last November, by which a rotary rake cuts a channel under the sunken hull and permits the insertion of hoisting cables, while the work is illuminated and superintended from a diving bell. This equipment is declared to work in water much deeper than that in which the prizes lie. The effort is being financed by some 1,400 in- habitants of the northwestern states. AIR-COOLED MOTOR ON WHEELS HANDLES MANY FARM JOBS Almost any farm job, from running a pump or electric-light plant to digging potatoes, is easily handled by a 5-hp. gasoline engine of unusual sim- plicity now on the ——- = a . An Air-Cooled Gasoline Motor on Wheels, Easily Moved from One Odd Job to Another around the Farm 2 ———————= market. The cylinder is cooled by ait from a flywheel fan, and ignited by a magneto, making it self-contained and efficient without attention. It is sup- plied with a four-wheeled base for port- ability, and special clamps are provided for attaching it to a binder, potato dig ger, corn picker, or other implement. The speed is adjustable between 400 and 800 r.p.m. by a hand lever.

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POPULAR MECHANICS A Stereopticon with the Film Attachment in Place, : — Ready for Projection: As Many as 250 Pictures | may be Shown, One after Another, Simply Moving a Lever for Each Change The Roll-Film Stereopticon Attach- ment as It Pe Open: The Film Roll at the Left Is Ready to be Placed on the Spindle near It a ee ee eS ct NOERWOOD & UNDERWOO The Roll of Film with Its Carrying Case Weighs Only 20 Ounces, and the Pictures, Each 244 Inches Wide, Are Always Right Side Up and in Proper Position, and are Protected from Breakage and Finger Marks LIGHT ROLL-FILM ATTACHMENT TRACKS OF UNUSUAL DRIVEWAY IMPROVES STEREOPTICON SERVE AS WATER DRAINS omparing a set of 250 stereopticon [wo shallow concrete troughs, extend weighing 20 oz., case and all, with ing from the sidewalk to the street in box of 100 of the usual glass slides front of a Californian home, serve a dou ighing as many pounds, gives an idea ble purpose. They not only are a conven me idvantage gained by the use of a lent driveway, providing smooth sloping v lantern attachment The device sim- tracks for the wheels ot an automobik replaces the standard slide holder of but they also act as drain Or ¢ irryin tereopticon with a compact roll-film ier. The film views, 244 in. wide, may irranged in a sequence of any numbet hout possibility of displacement. and ] lever. Be re shifted by the throw of a | th “IT easy portability, adding to the ymfort of the lecturer, the views are, ot ourse, unbreakable. always appear in he correct position, and are protected trom fnger marks and other troubles ommon to glass slides. aa — » ~ 7 d Re-marking the letters, numbers. and Double - Purpose Driveway The Concave Strips ruide lines on Serve as Tracks for the Wheels of a Motor eve-testing , Car, and as Water Drains instruments with luminous paint is recommended by in eastern specialist. This makes it pos- sible to read the results of each test as it is made, the room remaining dark. water into the gutter in rainv weather The construction is declared to have been low. cost

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688 X-RAY AND MICROPHONE PROBE USED TOGETHER IN SURGERY An interesting application of the X-ray and the microphone probe in combina- tion, for determining the exact location of a piece of metal imbedded in a pa- tient’s flesh, has just been divulged by a Chicago physician. An ordinary surgical probe, a pair of dry cells, a head telephone, POPULAR MECHANICS location a simple matter. The whok process required only a fraction of th« time usually demanded by such opera tions, BRITAIN PLANS HUGE PLANT TO USE AIR’S NITROGEN Nitrogen fertilizer, in the shape of cal cium cyanamide, is to be manufactured o an enormous scale ii i Great Britain, using th: air as a source of supp! and the waterways of Scotland for power, i present plans are carrie out. Since nitrogen, ammonium nitrate, cor stitutes also an impor tant factor in high-e» plosive manufacture, well-organized nitrog* industry is a military well as a commercial vantage. Cheap hydro electric power will per mit the use of enormo: currents in are furnace for fusing carbon an lime into calcium car bide, as a for tl cyanamide. The nitroget base Surgeons Locating a Particle of Imbedded Metal by Using an X-Ray Apparatus and a Probe Connected to a Telephone at the Same Time: Operator is Seen Wearing a Telephone Head Set and Examining the -Ray Screen and a small silver plate were connected in series, and the silver plate inserted in the patient's mouth. The X-ray tube was then placed under the cot, and a flu- orescent screen above the point of injury. On this screen both the imbedded parti- cle and the probe were discernible, and —_ _————— IMBEDDED METAL " eifagesy BATTERY aH It} PHONES SILVER PLATE Telephone Circuit of the Surgeon’s Probe Showing How Both Probe and Imbedded Particle Ap- peared on the X-Ray Screen Together the probing operation, guided by vision, was greatly facilitated. A slight click in the telephone followed contact of the probe with the wound, but contact with the fragment of metal produced a much more pronounced sound, making definite is produced by liquefying large quantities of air, separating the oxygen b utilizing its different The point of liquefaction. The nitrogen then injected into a mass of carbic heated to 1,200? C. (2,192° F.), and the result is the finished product, calciun cyanamide. In granular form, this is highly efficient fertilizer, and in variot combinations has a number of other val- uable industrial ; ges. IMPORTANT VEGETABLE ACIDS OBTAINED FROM BENZENE Of decided interest to American chem- ists is the announcement that four i portant vegetable acids—tartaric, citri lactic, and succinic—can be prepared by newly discovered process from ordinary benzene. The method is adaptable t operation on a commercial basis, too, a a cost. that will bring the artificial int competition with the natural products. The first step in the new process is the production of maleic acid by the com bined action of air and benzene under thx influence of a catalyzing agent. The four desired acids are then obtained from the maleic acid. ‘

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. pee oe Te | \'4 . : | f+ 3 » BY W. J. HUTCHINGON Workers of the Fish Commission Using Dip Nets and Seine to Capture Trout, during the Spring and Fall Spawning Seasons, for Transference to the ‘‘Ripening Pen’’ to Get Eggs for the Hatchery STOCKING MOUNTAIN BROOKS FOR ANGLERS By W. F. WILCOX "TH! mountain levelop naturally treams of Trout spawn in t do boast moving water nderful sporting wherever possible MorTtunities tor! either in a stream nding the beauti rr at the inlet of a 1] iinbow trout lake The rainbow t,if Nature were trout il the first to her own to spawn usually iethods in stock in May ind th thre stream native trout follow h e sportsmen n July istern ould s00n have yrook trot awn he brooks whipped n Octob r No ot fish. Con- nbet equently, Colorado rhe { n om vyloved 1 rathets core of fish hatch n y take th eries in which at fish ym lakes hig roduc d, and fron n | nountain vhich are taken to h ut are gath stock the streams red with a sein thout 20,000,000 fry very vear. \eccord- ind transterred 40 y 3 , ripening en ing to the fish and — vhere they a 5 a = department Taken from the Ripening Pen, the Female Trout is kept rol . _— ' experts, />9 to 9 “Stripped” by a Quick Motion of the three days until th per cent of the eggs Forefinger from Head to Tail females “ripen hatch under the care of man, while but Spawn work is done in the afternoon two to four per cent hatch when left to The fish are taken from the ripening pet as?

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690 with a dipnet, placed in tubs of water, and carried to the stripping bench. Here a man working under an awning picks up one fish at a time, holds it with the tail away from him, and strips the eggs by Various Hatcheries throughout the State. running his forefinger down the side of the fish, from head to tail. This requires but a few seconds and the fish is thrown back into the stream above the ripening pen, or back into the pen if it is too “green” to produce eggs. The eggs are caught in a tin pan and fertilized with the “melt” or “milk” from the male fish. Fresh-stripped eggs are very soft and flabby, but begin at once to take up water, sticking together for about 10 minutes and then gradually separating from one another. After separating they are washed in running water and left in a cool place for an hour, to swell and harden. The eggs are supplied.to various hatch- eries throughout the state. They are shipped in wooden cases, containing four trays for eggs and an ice tray, and thus packed can stand a maximum journey of ten days, provided they are kept constantly cool and not exposed to sudden jars. Re- ceived at the hatcheries, they are placed in wire-bottom trays, 12 by 14 in. in size, which are set in troughs of running water, uStially spring water. At a temperature of about 50° the eggs begin to show eyes in about 25 days, and hatch out in from 45 to 50 days. The young fry are usually shipped from the hatchery when about an inch or so long, and planted in streams or lakes. PHOTO ov W. 1. HUTCHINSON In Wooden Cases, like the One at the Left, the Eggs are Shipped to the Each Case Contains Four Trays for Eggs and One Tray for Ice POPULAR MECHANICS The loss of such-size fry is great, as they fall victims to the cannibalistic appetites of bigger fish. Consequently the fry ar planted in retaining ponds, either natural or artificial, until they reach the finger- ling stage, when they ar much better able to tak« care of themselves. A woman is superin- tendent of the second largest hatchery in the state, located at Du rango. This hatchery turns out 2,000,000 fry year. Here, accordin; to the superintendent young fry are fed liver exclusively. One tial of hatching, she say is that the water b clear and pure. Thi ideal temperature is 4 to 48° for trout, thoug! they can be hatched water of higher or lower temperature. But if d veloped in warmer water the fry will hatch quicker and be weak an more delicate, and if the water is colder the eggs are slower hatching and the fry grow more slowly The great need, it is asserted, is mort rearing ponds throughout the state. Wit! such ponds available, it would be pos- sible to save thousands of the fry until they attained growth and were able to withstand the swift waters and success- fully elude the ravenous older fish. The efforts of the department of fish and game are confined to the culture, propagation, and distribution of three species of fish: the rainbow, the nativ or black-spotted, and the eastern brook or red-speckled trout. The rainbo spawns first—early in the spring—and it eggs are taken in large quantities fron the adult fish in Electra, Emerald, and th Grand Mesa lakes. The natives follow also in spring—and the eggs are secured from Trappers, Marvine, Cottonwood, Grand Mesa, and Emerald lakes. T1 brook trout spawn in the fall, this keep ing the hatcheries busy with two hatches annually. Brook-trout eggs are secured at Grand Mesa, Electra, and Columbin« lakes. The water at the Durango hatch- ery is obtained from two springs, each flowing about 2 cu. ft. a minute, is pure and of even temperature. All of the hatcheries are kept to a uniform effi- esse! ciency by intelligent supervision and di- rection.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 691 CLOSE COUNTERPART OF MILK MADE FROM PEANUTS fhe common peanut is the source of a new substitute for milk, which so closely resembles ts prototype that it turns sour nd curdles, produces buttermilk when churned, and may be made into cheese. The flavor, in which the nut characteristic persists, declared to be practically its nly point of variance from ow’s milk. lhe new lacteal rroduct originated in the labora- tory of a southern university, vhere the peanut kernels are mverted into four times their olume of milk, varying from sur to eight per cent in fat con- nt, and from 2.4 to 3.3 per cent protein. The cost of produc- Laboratory in Which the Kernels of Common Peanuts are ion is said to be less than th Converted into Four Times Their Volume of Imitation Milk, ‘ ° , k a Substance So Similar to the Lacteal Fluid That It Sours and irket price of dairy milk Curdles, and may be Made into Cheese we ed CONGREGATION BUILDS CHURCH WITH CHEAP MATERIALS Ostly factors in most present lay building operations, material ind labor, were obtained without ‘xcessive expenditure for the ‘rection of a handsome church, recently dedicated in an eastern ity. Secondhand brick, old umber, and other odds and ends, vere purchased for a compara- tively small sum Members of the congregation, working with- ut pay issembled these essen- tials The cheaply constructed house of worship is covered RIGHT, UNDERW & UNDERWOOD vith stucco, which conceals its A Good-Looking Exterior of Stucco Conceals the Fact That xdd_ materials ind. includes n This Church is Built of Secondhand Brick and Discarded ; - ; : : Lumber, Put Together by Volunteer Workers Sula velfry and spit WASPS BUILD HOMES INSIDE VIOLIN After hanging on the wall for several os months, a violin -belonging to a westert musician mysteriously failed to produc: sound when its owner applied a bow to the strings. Investigating, a repairman removed the belly of the instrument, and discovered the strange cause of the trou- ble, two mud-wasp nests, attached inside in such a way as to prevent the vibration of the wooden shell. The violin was re- 'C tie {Es ae store; avine c : 2c a Two Wasp Nests Deadened the Sound of a Western t} : to pl ay ine condition by de troying Musician's Violin, Which is Shown Here with Its the nests and replacing the belly. Belly Removed. Disclosing the Mud Homes

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692 POPULAR SPEEDY DIMINUTIVE AUTO IS PRACTICAL VEHICLE A speed of 50 miles an hour is one of tke features of a tiny but complete anal a ae A Miniature but Practical Automobile, with an Air-Cooled Four-Cylinder Engine: Its Wheelbase Is 86 Inches, Its Tread 34 Inches, and Its Speed 50 Miles an Hour automobile recently made in the East. It is intended for the market, but so far has been used only for advertising pur- poses. The little car has a four-cylinder engine of 2'4-in. bore and 234-in. stroke, air-cooled. It is chain-driven, with 20 by 4-in. airplane tires, a 34-in. tread, and an 86-in. wheelbase. Despite its light weight, a carefully calculated spring sus- pension and low center of gravity give it the quality of easy riding, and it can be used where full-sized cars could not travel. Owners of large plantations are reported to have taken some interest in it as a means of making their rounds. LIME CHLORIDE IN NEW FORM HASTENS CEMENT HARDENING A newly compounded substance of white, powdery form, which is practically an oxychloride of lime, has been found to possess the property of decreasing con siderably the time required for harden ing cement. The powder does not absorb water from the air, like common chloride of lime, and can be kept in bags. When 514 per cent of it is added to the cement at the time of mixing, the calcium chloride in it is dissolved, and calcium hydrate remains suspended in the mix- ture and improves its quality. Though all cements are not affected alike, the minimum improvement in hardening was 50 per cent, 3% days’ drying giving the strength ordinarily gained in seven days. Some gains were much greater than this. MECHANICS PILGRIM PAGEANT PLANS FOR 1921 ANNOUNCED Work has now begun, it is announced, on the magnificent Pilgrim pageant, which will be the cen- tral feature of the Pil- grim Tercentenary cele- bration to be held at Plymouth, Mass., during July and August, 1921. To write the pageant the state’s Tercentenary Commission has chosen Prof. George P. Baker, professor of dramatic literature at Harvard University. He is now preparing for a tour of England and _ Holland, where he will gather ma terial for his work. In addition to the pageant the summer’s celebration will include airplane and athletic meets, a sailing regatta, and, probably, a naval demonstration. Rep- resentatives from England and Holland will be entertained by the city as dele- gates from the earlier homes of the Pil grims. PORCHES ON DOG HOME SERVE AS EXERCISING PENS Considering sunshine and fresh air as necessary to dogs as to people, the Ala- meda County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which maintains a canine home in Oakland, Calif., has added netting-inclosed porches to the building. £5 a. *. ~« ~ 7 - Pe. ~ _% : Fin. =a i ~ ee a - oe - = . '- i eae Inmates of a Modern Dog Home in Oakland, Cali- fornia, are Confined in These Netting-Inclosed Porches While Exercising These annexes serve as pens, in which the inmates of the institution can exercise under proper conditions.

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ee He IE Tne patients were kept circulating slow!y around the chlorine cyl:nder, the only sounds being the sibilant hiss of the gas released from the cylinder and the muffled voice of the instructor speaking quietly and assuringly . POISON GAS VERSUS POISON GAS The Story of the First 3y ALLAN A AN theer of the Canadian gas-service 4 orps one day hit upon the itralizing the effect of the burns, idea of and ection of clothing, caused by German ises. Knowing the chemical composi- on t the high] lethal . “| y yn ) l¢ highiy tetna mustare yas nd the rritating so-called blue-cross is vhich was chiefly used in high-ex- hells, he set out to combat their ects hlorine gas being the exact intithesis t the wo above-named, this is ected as the counteracting agent ate eatment ( irst legassing hamber” Was mist ted i cellar, 16 ft. in diameter ind 14 steps below the ground, in the Il-tor illage of Cagnicourt, France. \ \ ig qu well that he Vas fighting ré ith fire n yfiicer in harge took e! yrecauriotl iPainst leakage \ hole Vas made In the center of the Hoor, in which was placed a cyl- loor nder otf chlorine gas The was rmed by a gas-proof curtain. and the wo small windows were covered with led silk, which let in sufficient light. large sign which read Danger, * Degassing Chamber” MACFARLAN (sas Chamber, was placed at the en- trance, lest unwary new arrivals use it as a billet, which would have been tempt- ing enough in this particular area. his degassing chamber was put to its irst test on sept 29, 1918, when about 35 case officers and men, arrived from i held imbulance stationed at V illers- Cagnicourt lhe majority were walking ises Who had been through a_ severe gas-shell bombardment, and some had been brought from a highly gas-infected ector farther away Their chests and rms ere ymewhat burned ind the eves al | throats slight \ iffected iS Was their cloth ig I hae rst part of the treatment consisted 11 bathing ill affected th a xla-bicarbona solution, ¢ the throats ind treating the sterile oj Each patient was previous heet tested n the hlo rine chamber bv tl rq nstri roan ch irge The statement that the concentration f chlorine VAS Ised the degassing chambe r wa out a or gas to 500 695

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694 POPULAR parts of air as compared with the con- centration of 1 in 10,000 in the gas shells used by the Germans at the second battle of Ypres, removes all need of describing the excessive care with which the respi- rator of each patient was fitted. Of course, the patients were not informed of the actual concentration used, and they were only too glad to seek relief in the treatment provided. After being fitted with respirators they were filed into the chamber, about twelve at a time, led by the instructor, his assistant bringing up the rear. Their clothing was loosened, or removed, exposing the burns, and in many cases the boots were also removed. The ‘patients were kept circulating slowly around the chlorine cylinder, the only sounds being the sibilant hiss of the gas released from the cylinder and the muffled voice of the instructor speaking quietly and assuringly, through his mask, STREET CARS TRAP AND SMASH LAW-BREAKING AUTOMOBILE By a miracle no one was killed; but the five persons in the automobile that re- cently argued with two Chicago street cars were given plenty of time for re- flection, in the hospital, on the folly of disobeying traffic regulations. The acci- dent was unusual. Speeding along the street-car tracks on one of the city’s down-town thoroughfares, the machine overtook a slow-going car. The street seeming bare of other traffic, and the roadway at the right appearing blocked with piled-up paving material, the auto- mobile swerved to the left of the car. At this instant, a second car, previously hidden by the first, backed out on a cross- MECHANICS to the men, cautioning them not to touch their masks. He also regulated th: amount of gas discharged from the cy]- inder, knowing, by feeling the patients’ clothing, just how much gas was in th: chamber, as the clothing became sticky when a certain concentration had bee: reached. After five minutes in the cel- lar, the patients were led into the open, and when the circulation of air had re moved all traces of the ehlorine, no othe gas remained on their clothing aft treatment. The masks were then taker off and the patients returned to the fiel ambulance. Most cases were sent on “down th line,” all ranks testifying to the sooth ing effect of the treatment at the degas sing depot. In this way the work of th« field ambulance was considerably light ened, and the danger of infection to other casualties eliminated. over switch, just ahead. The automobik was pocketed. It nicked the corner < the first car, ricocheted from the side o the second, and came to a splintering sto] in the gutter. SIMPLE HOSE CLAMP DEVISED BY MICHIGAN FIREMAN Devices for stopping temporarily tl flow of water through fire hose in emer gency cases are numerous and varied, but few are as simple and easy to manipulat« as the one-piece clamp recently invented by a Michigan fireman. The tool consist of a rectangular hook with a forklike handle, and is applied by slipping th« hook around the hose from the unde: side, then lifting the handle so that th:

COPYRIGHT, INTERNATIONA The Circumstances of the Unusual Automobile Crash are Explained by the Photograph at the Right. The Machine Passed between the Cars, and Came to a Stop in the Gutter in the Condition Shown at the Left

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POPULAR MECHANICS GOD oo Se - —————— —4 ~ —— a = = 28's The Hook Clamp That Shuts Off the Water in the Fire Hose by Making a Kink in It: It is Hooked onto the Hose, the Long Handles Slipped Underneath, and Then Lifted, Folded Back, and Locked with a Chain e is caught between the hook and the tom of the fork, and bringing the indle down, thus forming a double fold in the hose. The clamp is then fas- tened in position upon the hose with a chain provided for that purpose. Any hose up to 4 in. in diameter can be handled with the device. FOLDING AND BASCULE TOWERS MADE FOR SEARCHLIGHTS Experience during the late war showed the British army the need of movable searchlight towers to raise the lights above masking hills and trees, and for coast-defense work, to compensate for the curvature of the earth. For the first pur- pose a horse-drawn outfit has been de- veloped, comprising a gasoline-electric set on a limber, a 24-in. light on an 18-ft. telescoping tower, a cable drum, and ar- rangements for remote control. Under construction, also, is a similar 60-ft. tower, mounted on an_ endless-tread tractor. For coast-defense work has been made railroad equipment, consisting of a box car and a gondola. The box car contains gas engines and electric motors that furnish energy both for the ligkt and for the propulsion of the cars. The gon- dola mounts the tower, which is of the counterbalanced type, in this way re- sembling a bascule bridge. The 60-in. searchlight can be raised to a height of 33 feet. It can be controlled from any point within a radius of 1,000 ft. TALL SEMAPHORE IS VISIBLE OVER TOPS OF TRAINS High enough to the tops of passing trains, an unusual hand-operated semaphore, installed at the intersection of two railroad lines in a western state, is visible at a great dis- tance. The horizontal signal arm, bear- ing at one end a large and conspicuous red target, is mounted on a tall standard. A lever at the base of the latter is em ployed to swing the target over the tracks clear by several feet —_—— —_+_— —~s Railroad-Crossing Semaphore: The Target is Sup- ported at Such a Height over the Tracks That It is Not Hidden by Passing Trains The novel signal is intended to prevent collisions by indicating the presence of a train on the crossing.

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696 DRIFTING BLOCK BEARS NAMES FROM MONTANA TO THE GULF On its long voyage to Mexico is now floating a Gulf of block of the little Eleven Years Ago the Block of Wood, Shown Herein Front and Rear Views, was Thrown intothe Yellowstone River by a Citizen of Glendive, Montana Another Name was Carved, Three Years Later, at Washburn, North Dakota. Recently the Block was Found in Iowa, and Started to- ward the Gulf Once More driftwood that 11 years ago was carved with his name and address, then thrown POPULAR MECHANICS BRIDGE TAKES VOYAGE IN ATLANTIC BASIN A steel transfer bridge weighing 200 tons recently took a short voyage on At- lantic waters at New York. Two pon- toons and the action of the tide enabled the bridge to make this trip in safety and in a highly efficient manner. It essary to move the bridge from to another. At its new position all prep- arations had been made, an approach built, and tracks had been laid, so that all was in readiness. The bridge was already supported at the outer end by a pontoon equipped for leveling that end with the varying eleva- tions of car floats brought to the bridge. For the purpose of the trip, another pon toon, filled with water, was placed under the inner end of the bridge at low tide. A gas flame cut the anchor bolts, and the rising tide, when the water was siphoned was nec- one pier The Beginning of the Operation of Moving the Transfer Bridge: The Structure, Still in Its Old Location, is being Lifted by the Pontoons into the Yellowstone River, by a citizen of Glendive, Mont. Found three years later on a flood plain near Washburn, N. D., the block received another inscrip- tion, and was returned to the near-by waters of the Missouri. And recently. after almost eight years of travel, the bit of wood was found, two miles from the muddy Missouri, on the bottom lands near Sioux City, Ia., where it had been carried during the high-water season. It received another name and address, and was once more committed to the care of the river. It is interesting to leary that a three-cornered correspondence has been started among the three men whose names are now being carried gulfward. out of the pontoon, lifted the bridge from its original position and floated it free from its supports. Guy lines fastened to the corners of the bridge and leading to the top of a near-by pile driver steadied the bridge. Then, with lines leading to the adjacent piers in place, the pile-driver engine brought the bridge around, and in less than 30 minutes it was in its new position. When the tide fell, the pontoon Weert rwess 8332 os eeet The Bridge has Finished Its Voyage, and is being Eased into Its New Pier with the Aid of a Pile-Driver Engine was refilled, and the bridge dropped into its new seat ready for service.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 697 ee ~ = e New Game is Played under the Rules of Table Pool, But with Croquet Mallets and Balls. The Cushions re Seen to Be Four Timbers, Properly Notched to Form Pockets, and Held at the Corners by Iron Braces SOLDIERS PLAY POOL WITH CROQUET SET The convalescents at the U. S. Army game and called it croquet pool. A sec- Hospital, Ft. Sam Houston, Tex., tion of the concrete yard is the table; commonly fond of table pool—and four wooden’ timbers, appropriately t as generally disdainful of croquet. notched, are the cushions, and croquet it croquet, played in the clear Texas mallets and balls, the cues and balls used ind sunshine, is healthful exercise for in playing the game. It is admittedly not just getting on their feet again; so so absorbing as the indoor game, but it he director of recreation devised a new brings the players into the open. MODEL AIRSHIP BORNE ON CAR AS ADVERTISEMENT \ model dirigible, 35 ft. long, and at- signed to carry one pilot and two pas tached to the top of an automobile, has sengers. Flights will be made, it is said, lately become a familiar sight about the between Kansas City and St. Louis. treets of Kansas City, Mo. Curiosity which the car arouses is_ satisfied when it is learned that advertises the forma- yn of a local airship yndicate, which has an- nounced its intention of operating eventually 35 airships of Zeppelin type, the largest to carry 200 passengers. However, it seems that ships of more moderate size will at first be used, as the syndicate is reported to have pur- chased a small nonrigid dirigible. This ship is of the type recently ex- . Sen “ re Orel hibited at the American This Auto-Mounted Dirigible Advertises the Formation of an Aerial-Trans- . portation Syndicate in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be Observed That aero shows, and is de- the Automobile Body has been Remodeled to Simulate an Airship Cabin

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The Sunken Garden of the New Temple of the Gods: Towers and }; Obelisks 50 to 175 Feet High, Impregnable Fortresses and Command- ing Castles, Even Statuary and Great Carved Images, are Discernible in This Vast Geological Amphitheater. Tufted Yellow Pines and Red Manzanita Give Permanent Color Setting to the Shifting Reds, Whites, and Purples of the Strange Figures = =

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WONDERLAND REVEALED BY NEW HIGHWAY By J. CECiL ALTER |\ the ordinary sense, no part of the United States properly can be called unexplored. But to the individual tech- ically labeled “tourist’—the mortal ungry for natural beauty—any region of irpassing wonder and interest, known yniy toa =; eager group f neighbor- iod_~=s dwellers, new’ coun- ry, unex- lored country. nd a mere en square es of such rritory, meaningless I upon a p, becomes vast reach of nic marvels the Lillipu- in scope of numan senses. ln such man- er is the New lemple of the Gods, in south- rn Utah, a liscovery. A ire 17 miles to the _ west runs the well- traveled state highway from Salt Lake City to the Grand Cafion. An old trail, branching off from the road be- tween Panguitch and Tropic, in Garfield County, and running south along the livide of the two Sevier River forks, has long led to the very spot. But none trav- eled the broken-down trail; it is only now that the Forest Service has rerouted, graded, and widened it, that the rim of the plateau, from which the new wonder- land bursts upon the vision, becomes ac- cessible to the auto tourist. The visitor who the easy trip from Panguitch to this spot in the heart of the Pink Cliff country, stands upon the brink of a plateau 9,000 ft. essays above sea level. In the distance is Table Cliff Pla- teau, source of the Escalante River; nearer, the broad amphitheater of the Paria Valley; at his feet, the New Tem- ple itself, a veritable sunken garden, about one by three miles, of exquisite daintiness and beauty. Within its tortuous walls of marl stand obelisks and towers, castles and fortresses, impressionistic statuary The Broken Edge of the Plateau at the Rim of the New Temple of the Gods: Only a Few Miles from a Busy Highway, Yet Now Accessible by Auto for the First Time, Rerouting and Grading of an Old Trail and giant sculptures, kaleidoscopic in their coloring and framed by the tufted yellow pines and the red manzanita. The startling color changes and light- ing effects of this great geological stage are, indeed, its most extraordinary feature In the shifting rays of inter- reflection, or t h e changing values of sun and cloud, the tall, slender shafts and or- namented tur- rets gleam white, g low suddenly to a cherry heat, and cool to purple black, almost while the rapt ob- server holds his breath. In the floor of the« se mici r- cular amphi- theater is a labyrinth 7 ‘ of tiny canojis, 3 Fa a few feet wide ‘ and _ perhaps 200 deep, their lower levels in night. Because few visitors who taste the de- lights of this new Mecca are willing to leave until they are satiated, the Forest Service has provided camping grounds on the rim; and already a movement i: under way to include the place of the New Temple in the great scheme of national parks. through the FLAGS ORDERED FOR AMERICAN GRAVES IN FRANCE On Memorial Day of this year, and always thereafter, the French graves of American soldier dead will be decorated with American flags. For this 80,500 flags, 8 in. by 12 in. in size, have been ordered by the officer in charge ot the Graves Registration in Eu rope. In addition, he has ordered eight flags of large size for the flagpoles of the larger cemeteries, and 350 of the smaller, or storm size, for the smaller burying grounds. The bunting will be in purpose Service France by early May.

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700 SCORE OF POPULAR MECHANICS NEW RECORDS SET BY MOTORCYCLISTS sec. for the mile. 1 min. 5.82 sec. for two miles, and 2 min. 46.88 sec. for five miles. A_ profes- sional rider on a machine with standard _ sidecar and passenger made five miles in 3 min. 25.65 sec., and one mile in 41.16 sec The amateur kilometer and 1, 2, and 5-mile rec ords also were broken with a 6l-cu.-in. ma _chine, the mile mark be ing 35.62 sec. and the five-mile 3 min. 43 sec \n electrical timer read ing in hundredths of a second was used, oper ated by three six-volt au tomobile batteries and a The Motorcycle and Sidecar standard chronometer. Outfit That Made a Mile in Less than 42 Seconds, or Over 87 Miles an Hour, on a Florida Sand Beach The extraordinary speed of 111.98 miles an hour, attained by a motorcycle for the first time last February at Daytona Beach, Fla., is only one of 22 new records set during that remarkable event. [t was in the unrestricted class, using a motor of 68 cu. in., that the highest speed was reached, leaving marks of 19.98 sec. for the kilo meter (.621 mile), 32.45 Che Electrical Timing Machine Used Instead of Stop Watches for Record ing the Performances of the Motorcycles: It Measures Time to the Hundredth Part of a Second ODDLY SHATTERED BALL TAKEN FROM CRANE BEARING Calling it the curious of many hundred broken balls encountered in his experience, an employe of a west- most steel The Two Fragments of the Curiously Shattered Ball have been Assembled at the Left. The Cylin- drical Core is Seen in the Middle ‘rn railroad has submitted to this maga zine a shattered 1'4-in. ball, taken from i main bearing of a large traveling crane lhe fragments approximate the form of hemispheres, which are similar except that in imbedded a central ibout 34 in. in diameter the odd structure is a matter of conjec ture: however, it can certainly be traced to the drawing of the bar from which the ball was formed, if, as is probable, the string-forging method was employed. This well-established practice requires the use of a power hammer, with upper and lower dies in which are cut corresponding rows of hemispherical cups or depres- one is core The origin of

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POPULAR MECHANICS 701 A Section of Wire Fencing is being Tightened, at the Right, as the Revolving Fence Post is Turned by Means of a Long-Handled Wrench. ns. Held between these dies, the bar, rod, hot from the furnace, is ham- ered and turned and hammered until fills all the depressions. It emerges rom this forging as a “string” of balls, onnected rigidly by small necks. The tring 1s placed in a trimming press, here descending punches force the balls hrough holes, and so separate the balls, and trim off the necks. The usual grind- ing, tempering, and finishing treatments IOLIOW. REVOLVING FENCE POST ACTS AS TIGHTENING DEVICE Installed at the ends or corners of wire fences, a new all-metal post, the product of an Ohio factory, provides a_ time and labor-saving means of tightening the material it supports. The post is not set in the ground in the customary man- ner, but is held upright by a frame in such a way that it can be turned with a long-handled wrench. This operation A Ratchet Prevents Movement in the Reverse Direction. Post is being Used, at the Left, as a Gate Post. The Revolving In Use, of Course, the Post is Immovable draws tight the longitudinal fence wires, which are inserted in holes in the post. A ratchet prevents reverse movement. The frame is anchored with a steel cable, attached to a buried concrete block. OIL FUEL AND PREHEATED AIR MAKE FURNACE EFFICIENT An oil-burning crucible furnace of new design has just undergone a series of tests that demonstrate it to have a re- markable capacity and efficiency. The secret of the new furnace’s success lies in its use of a large calculated volume of air, which, supplied by a positive blower, circulates about the interior walls and is raised to a high temperature before com- ing in contact with the oil fuel. The spiral flames from two opposed burners create heat sufficiently intense to fuse pits in the surface of ordinary fire brick. In the tests, brass was melted in 45 min- utes, starting cold, and after the walls became heated a melt was made approxi- Oil Fuel and Preheated Air Make the Furnace Efficient: The Arrangement of Oil Supply, Blower, and Furnace is Shown Diagrammatically at the Left, the Right Picture being a Sectional View of the Oil-Burning Crucible Furnace Itself

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T02 at a fuel cost of Low-carbon steel hour and eight min- furnace was hot in one test, the average running $6 to $7 a ton \ cold charge ot steel in the crucible was melted and poured two hours and 24 minutes after lighting the burners. mately every 2U minutes, $1.20 to $1.30 a ton. was melted in one utes after the ‘ost tor steel DAKOTA PIONEERS NAME MOUNT FOR THEODORE ROOSEVELT Sheep Mountain, near Deadwood, and one of the highest of the Black Hills in South Dakota, is now known as Mount - mer 4 <——- 14 FT. IN MEMOR} THEODORE ROOSEVELT THE AMERICAN CCTOSER 27 BS JANUARY 6 ISS | TH:S TagLCT £ The Simple Stone Tower, Pictured in Architect's Drawing at the Right, Crowns the New Mount Theo- dore Roosevelt, and Bears the Two Tablets at the Left Vheodore Roosevelt. naming is given to a local settlers, vhom were on terms of friendship with the great American during his ran days in the Che responsible, too, for the stone tower hich the eminence rhe t of rough stone, and supports I top an observation plat- form, 1 ich is splendid view of summits and divid- ing canons [mbedded in the walls ar two tablets. one showing forth the dedi- catory lines. the other the society's beau- tifulls worded memorial the re- first redit tot! society Oo! many TI close hing region society “TOWHS structure 1s yr gained i neighboring STORY OF SUBMARINE MISHAP DIVULGED BY PARTICIPANT A thrilling story of submarine adven- ture, hitherto repressed by Britain’s war- time censorship. was lately divulged in public speech by one of the participants. With other naval architects and a number of government inspectors, it was told, he boarded the then new submarine “K-13,” POPULAR MECHANICS docked on the River Clyde, near Glasgow, Scotland, for an inspection under work- ing conditions The hatch was sealed, ind the vessel, with 80 souls aboard, com- menced its dive. Immediately, a lurchéng, quickened descent warned all that some- thing was wrong. Water pouring into the boiler room forced most of the crew ind passengers to take refuge in the bow Chrough a speaking tube, water reached the switchboard, blowing fuses and set- ting cables on fire. With difficulty the blaze was extinguished. Now the ship was on the bottom, and though the elec- tric batteries were still charged, every one felt that escape was impossible. For two days and nights they languished thus, most of the time in an atmosphere that vould not support the combustion of a match. For the last six hours they were in total darkness. Fortunately, the ir regularity of the dive had been observed on the surface. Rescue work was undet taken at Only after 55 hours of strenuous exertion, however, was the ves sel raised by the injection of compressed ui! It then found that the .four inlets to the boiler room had not been ‘-losed for submergence. once Was BROKEN INSULATORS PROTECT SUBURBAN-CAR CONDUCTORS ilong its right of \t “very swatch box vay, an electric-railway company in the West has safeguarded its employes. by nstalling small insulated platforms. These ifford adequate protection against stray currents, yet are built at very slight ex- broken insulators form the pense our

Standing upon This Platform to Use the Switch Box, the Conductor of the Suburban Car is Protected against Electrical Injury. Four Broken Insulators Form the Feet of the Platform base of each platform, which itself con- sists of 10 cleats nailed to two crosspieces. Scraps of wire hold the platform in posi tion upon the insulators.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 703 CROTON LAKE OVERFLOWS DAM FOR FIRST. TIME Recently, for first time nee its con- truction 14 the t Cornell dam at Croton, . = eee errun by the iters Croton Lake, tal part of Y oT k s water- , uppiy system. rs ago, oded w he result was n artificial Ni- gara of iderable ortions and beautiful ap- earance. With ve inches of water teadily the — con- pro- t flowing over quarter- mile spillway, it was estima- ted that 2,000,- VU0,000 gal., or ” c age veer 4 wie - cet ll ae ee » etme il * Ais le 5 lan D> ae ~_ a et Hoe om Oe deel — - Boab B41 smear * + et. a ae nel sence atlantis! te nly a» tt Met : a0 . s ~ 8 ts ae : i - te + -—cilllily O08. 0 ected Se ee - - ‘ PYRIGHT UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD Two Views of the Overrun Spillway are Shown. Above, the Longer Section That Parallels the Hillside; Below, the Section, 150 Feet High, That Fronts the Croton River atenn neweraréen umos enough to sup- ply the bor oughs of Man hattan and th Bronx for a week, was wasted in thi way every day. @ That tor pa may See eleva- ssenger©rs be able to the num bers of the floors they pass it night as we'll as in the day- time, a New Y ork hotel ha installed Pice- lighted number in th rtical face of floor, at the front of the elevator shaft. This helps the tardy passenget to be prompt lec each

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704 POPULAR MECHANICS TELEPHONE BOOTH RESTS ON WALL BRACKETS Lower first cost, better ventila tion, and absence of filth-catch ing baseboard angles, are a few of the virtues ascribed to a pe- culiar telephone booth recently installed, experimentally, in an eastern railroad station. Unlike the ordinary closetlike inclosur this booth projects, when unox cupied, only 16 in. from the wall where it is supported by bracket which hold its bottom edge about 31% ft. from the floor. To use the booth, a person steps up the telephone, and following th: suggestion of a conspicuou placard, pulls a cord hanging near his right hand. At this a semi evlindrical glass door pivots o1 ball bearings through 180°, thus inclosing the occupant. A _ pull on a second cord draws the cord The Truncated Telephone Booth Rests on Wall Brackets, as back into its recess. An electric Seen at the Left. Here are Observed, Also, the Two Cords That Open and Close the Door. The Booth Only HalfIncloses bulb is turned on and off as the the Body, as Shown at the Right door is closed and opened, TESTS SHOW WORTH OF AIRPLANE FABRICS The laboratories of the Bureau of constant vibrations of flight. One end of Standards, at Washington, D. C., have the cord under trial is fastened to a developed two simple machines for test- sturdy spring. Near the other end is suspended a 25-lb. weight, which is raised and dropped 400 times a min- ute. During this test a microscopic scrutiny of the spring reveals the weakness developed in the cord by the constant straining. And by simi- larly imitating service conditions another little To Test the Strength of a Fabric Proposed for Air- plane or Balloon Construction, the Sample is Clamped like a Drumhead over the Shallow Chamber Seen in the .Center. Compressed Air is Then Admitted ing the cords and fabrics used in airplane construction. The first, called the “re- Te PG. peated stress apparatus,” was built in the hy : e ; As the Weight Rises and Falls, the Effect upon the search for a fuselage-lacing cord that Cord is Observed through the ae eg Fixed, would withstand most successfully the at the Right, to This Cord-Testing Mac hine

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apparatus tests the ability to withstand wind pressure of fabrics destined for wing and fuselage covering. The cloth is stretched like a drumhead over a shallow chamber into which compressed air is forced. It is noteworthy that a certain cheap cotton fabric was thus found to be much superior to the more expensive linen previously employed. ACCESSORY PERMITS DOUBLE USE OF SINGLE SOCKET For securing double service, that is, use of two circuits, from a single electric- lighting receptacle or socket, there is now made a simple two-way tap. To attach the tap it is held against the recep- tacle while the prongs of the plug are thrust, through the flat portion of the tap, into the slots of the receptacle. If The Two-Way Tap is being Employed, at the Left, with a Fixture of the Socket Type. Convenient Use for the New Accessory is Suggested at the Right the wall fixtures are of the socket a plug is screwed into the socket, mitting attachment of the tap. type, per- ROAD LIGHTED WITHOUT GLARE BY AUTO LAMPS IN FENDERS Automobile headlights that illuminate the road for hundreds of feet, yet give no of objectionable glare, have ised by a public official of Illinois, who has applied for a patent on the idea. The lamps are peculiar in both form and location. The reflector, carrying the bulb and lens, is at the rear end of a cannon- shaped sleeve, the smaller front end of which is mounted in an opening in the front fender. The beam of nearly paral- lel rays is thus thrown forward between the inner side of the front wheel and the apron of the fender, all makes of cars hav- ing ample space for this arrangement. Tests show that it is practically impos- sible to see into the lens from any posi- tion without stooping, so that glare is en- tirely eliminated. The lenses are suggestion been dev pro- POPULAR MECHANICS 705 tected from mud and rain by their posi- tion, and turning the wheels in steering does not obstruct the light. The reflector The Headlight Reflector, Carrying the Lamp, Is at the Rear End of the Cannon-Shaped Sleeve, Which is Mounted in an Opening in the Fender. The Light is Concealed from the Observer, Preventing Glare units are removable, and equipped with long cords, making high-power portable lights. STONEWARE DEVELOPING TANKS SPEED PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK Sixty rolls of photographic film handled in 10 minutes’ actual working time is the claim made for a system of glazed-stone- ware developing tanks now on the market. The tanks are sold in sets of three, one’ for developing, one for fixing, and one for washing. Each has a concave bottom, terminating in a brass drain cock. The last, or washing, tank is fitted also with an overflow tinuous connection, to permit con circulation trom water bottom The Many Rolls of Film are Hung from the Spider, as Shown at the Left. The Third, or Washing, Tank is Seen in Exterior and Sectional View to top. With each set of tanks is pro- vided a “spider” for holding the films, and all necessary clips and film weights.

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706 POPULAR MECHANICS WIRELESS ALARM BELL GIVES RELIEF TO SHIP OPERATOR Ordinarily a wireless message is audible only in a telephone receiver, making it necessary for operators to wear their head Demonstration of Special Wireless-Receiving Equipment for Ships, Which Rings a Bell When Another Ship Sends Distress Signals sets continuously. One of the large wire- less-operating companies has just com- pleted a system whereby an alarm bell is actuated only by the reception of a new form of “S. O. S.” signal, consisting of a series of 180 dots a minute sent out con- tinuously and automatically by a ship in distress. The bell calls the operator to the instrument after the manner of the ordi- nary telephone, relieving him of the per- petual burden of the head set. PROTECTED FOR EIGHT YEARS, ALASKAN SEAL HERD DOUBLES Sealskin will in a few years again be the distinctive American fur of general use, if the Alaskan herd continues to grow as it has since the government took control in 1911. At that time th: seal herd seemed doomed to extinction, as a census showed less than 200,000 as survivors of continued slaughterings. But gov ernment watchfulness has saved the industry from suicide. The last census, in 1919, num- bered the herd at 549,000 animals, showing an an nual increase that in on or two decades will bring the herd to two or three million. From a herd of such size the fur market could be supplied each year with a good 100,000 skins. The present value of the herd is computed at about 60 million dol lars. Its potential value, however, can- not be reckoned in dollars. FREIGHT CAR SHIPPED BY AUTO TRUCK An 18-ton freight car was the unusual load recently hauled through the streets of Medina, N. Y., by a five-ton auto truck. The car was of the refrigerator type, and had been bought by a local milk dealer Lowered upon Two Wagon Trailers, the Refrigerator-Car Body was Hauled One and a Half Miles in 30 Minutes by the Five-Ton Truck _—

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POPULAR MECHANICS 707 The Little Monoplane is Shown in Side View, at the Right. The Three- Quarter | View, Below, Shows the | Twin-Cylinder Engine Which Gives a Top Speed of 75 Miles an Hour, with a Load | of 250 Pounds. The Gaso- | line Tank Is Immediately | behind the Fuselage for storage purposes. Lifted from its trucks at the railroad yards, the big body vas lowered upon two wagon trailers, ind coupled to the auto truck. The truck tarted the big load without assistance, hanks to five tons of pig-iron ballast, nd completed the haul of one and a half miles in 30 minutes. SOUTHWEST’S OIL TO CHICAGO BY NEW PIPE LINE The oil fields of northern Texas, Okla- homa, and Kansas are to be connected vith Chicago Ly a new pipe line, which, is expected, will be in operation within a yea Independent oil men are con- tructing the line, at a cost of $25,000,000. [In connection with it a distributing center is to be established at St. Louis. AIRPLANE REDUCED TO LOWEST TERMS IN NEWEST MONOPLANE The perfection of a small, simplified airplane with a purchase price and upkeep within the reach of the average man, has often been attempted in both Europe and America. One of the latest American at- tempts has resulted in the completion of a little monoplane that measures only 25 ft. 8 in. in span, weighs but 350 Ib. when empty, yet is very satisfactory in perform- ance. The single-seat body is of the monocoque, shell type, with the four struts of the pylon rising in front of the cockpit. Bracing wires stretch from the pylon to eight points on the spars of the right and left wing. Ailerons are of the wing-tip, unbalanced variety. A twin-cyl- inder, opposed engine drives the machine, giving it a maximum speed of 75 miles an hour with a load of 250 lb. The landing speed is about 28 miles an hour. Gaso- line for a five-hour flight at 68 miles an hour is carried in a tank in the nose of the fuselage. SIFTER FOR GREENHOUSE SOIL WORKED WITH SMALL MOTOR With a small electric an old sewing-machine man of which is nected to a round motor belted to wheel, the pit- lengthened and con- screen-bottom sifter, the students of a western agricultural college have effected a labor-saving of $150 a year in the work of sifting for the school greenhouse. The sifter, mounted on an iron hoop, rocks back and forth on gas-pipe legs and fittings and the elongated pitman is made of the same convenient material. Che wheel is frame. soil supported on its ori ginal Sifter for Greenhouse Soil, Made from a Sieve, Some Gas Pipe, a Sewing-Machine Wheel, and a Motor

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708 POPULAR MOTORCYCLE ENGINE USED TO POWER MINE HOIST Although seemingly too frail for such heavy duty, a two-cylinder motorcycle en- Bolted to Its Base of Timber and Concrete, the Twin-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine Hoists a One-Ton Bucket from the Bottom of the Mine gine is giving daily service in a mine near Butte, Mont., as a hoisting engine. The installation is permanent, comprising a substantial base of concrete and timber, to which are bolted cable drum, engine, and gasoline tank. Trouble from over- heating, which might be expected from the absence of water cooling, is not en- countered, the engine being allowed to rest between loads, while gravity pulls the bucket back into the pit. SPRING GUIDE HELPS PISTON TO SLIP INTO CYLINDER Inserting a piston into an auto-engine cylinder is made a simple process by a new tool, consisting merely of a_ metal ring with four spring arms arranged about one side. The tool is placed with the arms resting on the end of the cylinder, and the piston pushed through it. The springs com- press the piston rings, and they pass easily into the bore. When working at the lower end of the motor, the ring may be opened at one side, to pass around the conrecting rod. MECHANICS STEEL COMPANY TO TRANSPORT ORE IN UNUSUAL SHIPS Distinguished by huge hatches, spacious enough to admit an assembled locomo- tive, and designed to expedite loading and un- loading, a fleet of steam- ers being built -for an eastern steel company will_be used, when ‘com pleted, for transporting iron ore from Cuba and Chile to this country The ships are divided into three holds, having a combined cargo capac 11.500 ity of tons, and each accessible through two deck openings. ©The latter vary in size on dif- ferent vessels, some measuring 26 by 33 ft., others 33 by 37 ft., and the largest 37 by 39 ft These hatches are pro vided with two-section corrugated steel doors hinged at the sides, and arranged to be opened and closed by conveniently located winches, which also can be employed for handling cargo. A single screw, driven by a 3,000-hp. geared turbine, propels the ore carriers, which have a beam of 57 ft., and are 469 ft. long. DUMB-WAITER AFFORDS STOR- AGE FOR CARTON LUNCHES A concern which daily prepares, packs, and sells 10,000 dainty lunches to govern- ment clerks, at Washington, D. C., is housed in so congested quarters that the problem of storing the filled lunch car- tons until the time of delivery became a difficult one to meet. The owner of the plant finally evolved a sort of Ferris wheel, a dumb-waiter consisting of an endless chain of shelves, on which the cartons are kept after being packed. The wheel is operated by hand, and after the last tray has been filled, the door to the shaft is closed. When the time for delivery approaches, the cartons are re- moved, shelf by shelf, from the dumb- waiter at the ground floor of the build ing, and loaded on pushcarts. Thus, this novel dumb-waiter serves efficiently both as a storage place and as a conveyor, saving not only space, as was originally planned, but also time and labor, not to mention confusion.

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the Roadbed and Rolled. Ina Mixed with a Little of the Hot Asphalt-Sulphate Mixture, Fine Sand like That at the Left is Dumped on Few Hours There Results a Hard, Durable Pavement, like This Experimental Section of the Los Angeles Harbor Boulevard SAND DUNES ROLLED INTO HARD ROAD State and county highway commission- perplexed everywhere by the present rh prices of road-building materials, re invited to consider the experimental Nigger slough” section of California’s \ngeles-San Pedro boulevard. Here heen laid a new, patented paving that st little to apply, and less to make. A 11 90 per cent of the stuff used in the was nothing but local dune dragged by scrapers to the mixer crushed rock or water was added at mixer; only a binder of asphalt, which | been heated with a small admixture sulphate, or blue vitriol. From nstruction copper the mixer the composition was hauled by motor truck to the road, and there dumped and rolled like ordinary paving material. A few hours after rolling, the road was ready for traffic. As a matter of the new paving has already given two years’ satisfaction at Kingston, N. Y., but here it is reco! d, being put to a test that cguld hardly be dupli cated elsewhere. Over the 20-mile Har- bor Boulevard, as the entire stretch be- tween Los Angeles and its seaport named, streams an endless procession of automobiles and motor trucks. The lat 1 See le eee ter carry merchandise Dune Sand for the Construction of the Experimental Road was Hauled to This Mixing Plant by Ordinary Scrapers at a Cost of Less Than One Cent a Cubic Yard

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710 POPULAR MECHANICS machinery from the city to the docks fish, lumber, and agricultural products and shipyards, and return with loads of Records kept during four months of las} - — year show that the daily inter-city tonnage aver ages 6,043 tons. Unde: the pounding of this tre mendous traffic the new and inexpensive road j standing up remarkab! well, Only the passing of years, of course, wil reveal its actual worth but today, after several months of service, th surface is practically blemished. No hollow or ruts have appeared i the hottest midsumme weather. Addition oi copper sulphate to th asphalt seems to hav produced a binder o The New Pavement is being Tested Daily by Truck. and 1 Trailer kant of Marine Machinery, like the One Above, Which Move wonderful toughness = Constantly from the City to Its Seaport strength. LIFE OF MATERIALS PLOTTED WASHINGTON STATE SHERIFFS BY NEW TESTING MACHINE GO TO SCHOOL The resilience of materials under com- That they might learn the most up pression, deflection, or elongation strains to-date and scientific methods in detect has been found to in- eS ae See ing alcohol in sus dicate accurately their durability in service. A recently devised testing instrument makes e it possible to plot the curves of both stress and reaction, and from them to compute the life of the material. The stress is applied by successively added weight units, which act through a micrometer gauge that registers the physical changes in the test piece. The weight units are then sub- tracted in reverse or- der, and the gauge readings noted. A comparison of the areas limited by the two curves thus obtained, gives figures for re- sistance, retained en- tasting oils, evidence ergy, and life. The showed, and the taste nature of the material wyachine That Measures the Life of Mate. Jasts for days. Large determines whether it tials by Determining Their Ratioof Return quantities of toilet shall be subjected to fte*Compression, Deflection, orElongation = oer and a shot of compressing, bending, or stretching strains Jamaica ginger were recommended as a for the best results in making the test. sure cure for alcoholism. picious beverages, shet iffs, deputies, special investigators, and po lice officers from vari ous parts of the stat : of Washington met at : the state university at Seattle recently for special two-day course of instruction in their line. The potentialities of flavoring extracts, per fumes, Jamaica ging¢ spirits of juniper, and bay rum _ were taken up, and the consen ; sus’ of the moon shine sleuths was that these articles were not likely to endanger th« sobriety of the. nation. All the alcoholic prep- arations contain bad-

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POPULAR MECHANICS 711 Threshing Wheat by Electric Power on a fa Large Kansas Farm: The Motor and Trans- ee — — — former Are in the Wagon in t*+ Foreground, | Electric Power is Also Used re \ and Belt Drive is Used —j Economically for Filling = fe a a Silos, the Same Wagon with - Transformer and Motor be- ing Employed At FARMING BY ELECTRICITY GAINING MANY CONVERTS The city man generally thinks of elec- rical service as a special privilege of irban life, wholly outside the pale of the ural dweller. But it is a remarkable fact that much farming in the central states s now done by electric power. In Kansas especially, the service companies have constructed a considerable network of rural lines. Groups of wheat ‘rowers find it convenient to make joint invest- ment in a motor-driven thresher and con- necting cable, which is moved from farm to farm, attaching the cable to the power wires at each stop, and using portable transformers to step the voltage down. Some service companies are prepared to rent such outfits, with an attendant. In one operation, the figures show a cost of $361.18 for threshing 8.814 bu. in 21 days, or about four cents a bushel. Steam threshing in the same section is reported to cost from 12 to 20 cents per bushel. Klectric power also removes the fire risk of steam and gasoline threshing, and has other obvious advantages. the Left Is a Close-Up View of the Motor Wagon Seen in the Other Pictures. Transformer Wagon Used to Take Current from High-Tension Lines, with a Reel of Cable for Connection At the Right Is a Type DRILL CARRIES OWN CLAMP AND CENTERING MECHANISM There is now made a portable clamp- equipped drilling machine that can be used for drilling pipes or shafts, for centering round or square pieces, and _ tor similar purposes. To drill a_ pipe, for example, the V-block jaws of the tool are clamped to the pipe, and the drill is positioned ac- curately by means of a screw adjust- ment which moves the work back and _ forth. The machine may be used as an or- dinary breast drill, if desired, by loosening several screws and sliding the clamp frame off its guide rods.

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712 *POPULAR UNIFORM RULES NOW IN FORCE AT ALL U.S. FLYING FIELDS As the regulations for all the busy American flying fields of the future will undoubtedly be modeled after the army code, considerable civilian in- terest attaches to the uniform rules, recently announced, fer all U. S. flying fields. This standardization will put an end to the confusion char- acterizing the last few years. During the war, it may be remembered, the commander of each air- service station compiled the rules for his own field. <A visiting pilot, in consequence, would often run counter to half a dozen local prac- tices in landing, and taking off from a strange airdrome. The new regulations are divided into four groups, relating to han- gars, machines, ground rules, and rules of the air. (heir scope is suggested by a few examples: “Instructors and stu- dents in flying will not wear long coats or loose clothing that might hecome entangled in the controls.” “Do not taxy closer than 100 feet to another ship unless mechanic has hold of wing.” “Machines flying into field have prefer- ence over those about to leave.” “Machines approach- ing head-on pass to the right at an interval of at least 200 yards.” “No vertical banks, steep climbing turns, or zooms will be done under 300 feet.” “All acro- batics, such as ta a Pie — - Size : : ’ 5 ’ tatue of a Maori cights, rolls, half- Chief, Now on Exhi- rolls; and_ spins,

St = the W ld. t at not less than 5 Cesemeunl Creel a 1,500 feet.” “Tn case engine fails on take-off, land straight ahead regardless of obstacles.” There are 74 of these rules in all. @A bed of 98-per-cent pure salt, running 80 ft. deep for a width of 900 ft., has been found'near Malagash, Nova Scotia. It is reported that the salt deposits of the re- gion cover some 40 square miles. bition in New York: The Unusual Figure Stands on a Three. must be completed Ton Jade Block, the Largest Mass of This praised Hand Grasps a Ceremonial Club of the Same Material MECHANICS MODEL OF A MAORI CHIEF LIFELIKE EXHIBIT A remarkable model of a Maori chief is on exhibition in the Museum of Natural History in New York. It represents the chief in one of the poses of the ancient war dance, at the instant when he is defying the onrushing enemy with his hideous grimaces of hate and scorn. His face is tattooed with blue circles and scrolls in the ancient style now prohibited by the New Zealand government. In his right hand he brandishes a “mere,” or ceremonial club, of jade, 15 in. long, the symbol of his authority as chief. The model is of life-size and an actual cast made from a living Maori—one named Hautuoterengi, who be- longed to a troupe of Maoris which a few years ago gave an exhibition of native dances in New York. Every detail of the model was criticized by the mem- bers of the troupe, so that it is probably as accurate a represen- tation of ancient Maori life as exists anywhere today. Another remarkable fact about this unique model is that the rock on which the Maori stands is the largest mass of jade, or “greenstone,” in the world. It weighs three tons, and is 7 ft. long by 4 ft. wide. It came from South Island, N. Z. Jade is one of the most valued possessions of the Maoris, and small lucky pieces made of it are almost sure to he brought back by tourists visiting New Zealand. IRON COATED MECHANICALLY WITH COPPER lron plates vith a_ strongly adherent coat- ~ ing of copper are now being pro duced in an eastern plant by a curious process. By means of huge rolls, the iron sheets are coated with a varnish made of pulverized cop per and copper oxide in crude oil, in about the proporitions of 4 Ib. of each to 1 gal. of oil. The ‘plates so painted go to a furnace, where the heat volatilizes the oil, reduces the oxide, and fuses the metallic copper to the iron. An ingenious

Be ken!

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i) Rb Mrcese Mei iy elebaibar te) BEX. = machine has been devised, in which the top plate of a stack is picked up by means of vacuum cups, aided by a jet of air be- neath it. After passing through the rolls, it is automatically bent into an arch and inserted in the furnace. The coating process is adaptable also to rods, tubes, and other shapes, and to other metals. EVOLVES STONELESS PRUNE WITH EDIBLE SEED Since the ostensibly despised but pri- tely relished prune has gained the dig- of high price, it is interesting to note vent of a particularly luscious spe- remarkable for its utter lack of a In place of the usual adamantine re is a tender, unprotected seed, with ook and flavor of an almond kernel, the whole fruit deliciously edible. e development of this curious and luable food product by a noted horti- lturist has naturally extended over a nsiderable period of years. It was olved by crossing the common French ne with a tiny Eurepean plum, acid worthless. The new variety, which ppeared only after fruiting thousands of cedlings, grows and bears better and rger than the common prune, but rinks more in drying. DETACHABLE HEELS FASTENED TO SHOES WITHOUT NAILS Several desirable features are apparent in the detachable shoe heels recently pat- ented by a southern inventor. Possibly the most important advantage is that the devices can be shifted from one to the other of a pair of shoes to prevent uneven POPULAR MECHANICS 713 wear. Another afgument in favor of the contrivances is the fact that heels of dif- ferent styles can be worn on a single pair | - Detachable Heels: The Illustration Shows How the ew Invention is Applied to a Shoe of shoes. Nails are not required to affix the appliances, which are held in place by a spring catch, arranged to engage a slot in the sole, and a metal plate, designed to fit inside a horseshoe-shaped bar. MOTOR TRUCKS ARE SWITCH ENGINES DURING STRIKE The motor truck proved the Good Sa- maritan for a number of dealers in fruit and other perishable goods during the recent railroad trouble in Los Angeles, Calif. For the first days of the strike, the merchants watched their consignments spoil in the yards, because inaccessible for unloading. Then an automobile dealer showed them a simple solution of the problem. Securing permis- sion from the rail- road authorities, he sent a five-ton truck to the yards, ray f 2 ed - - i oe ts, This Five-Ton Truck Recently Proved Itself a Capable Under- study to the Switch Engine, When Movement of Rolling Stock in the Los Angeles Yards was Stopped by Labor Trouble. It was Cred Chiefly to Extricate Cars Con- taining Perishable Goods

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w14 POPULAR MECHANICS Mobile Library: Books and Magazines are Distributed over a Township by the Vehicle Pictured at the Left. A View of the Interior, Showing the Well-Filled Shelves and the Attendant’s Desk, can be Seen on the Right and in three hours had shifted nine heav- ily loaded cars. Encouraged by this per- formance, the produce men sent their own trucks, and were soon gratified to see the impromptu switch engines in mo- tion toward the unloading platforms, with lumbering refrigerator cars in tow. NONRUSTING BUTTER SCALE OPERATES IN OIL BATH Splashing brine and the water of fre- quent cleanings usually combine to rust in short order the butter-weighing mecha- nisms used in creameries and dairies. This condition may now be remedied, however, by the installation of nonrusting scales made especially for this work. All work- ing parts of this new mechanism are hermetically sealed and entirely immersed in oil. The outer casing is given a gal- vanized or white-enamel finish. This New Butter-Print Scale Is Thoroughly Rust- Proof. “The Pan Is Porcelain, the Case is Galvanized or Enameled, and the Working Parts All are Immersed in Oil MOTORIZED BRANCH LIBRARY SERVES LARGE TERRITORY Extending its beneficial activities over an entire township, the public library at Hib- bing, Minn., has set an example for other similar institutions by adopting the auto- mobile as a means for distributing litera ture among the residents of remote lo- calities. Works of fiction and _ travel, some in foreign languages, in addition to numerous periodicals, are carried by a 35-hp. motor bus, which has been trans formed into a traveling branch library by the installation of shelves, a desk, and chair, the latter two for the person i charge. This vehicle covers a territory 160 square miles in extent, making daily trips, and visits 25 different mining camp and settlements. When a stop is made, the driver of the conveyance sounds gong to notify patrons of the library’s ar rival. Clamps are employed to hold the contents of the shelves in place when th bus is on the road. HALIFAX PHONES CONNECT WITH ALL UNITED STATES Telephone connection has finally bee: established between Halifax, Nova Scotia and the long-distance wire system of the United States, by installing repeaters a rearranging some of the circuits. The far-eastern Canadian city is therefor available by wire from even the most dis tant points in this country, and can talk to Montreal and Toronto, by way of New England, without using a relay operator to repeat the message. The telephone repeaters, similar to those now used on all long-distance lines, were placed at Halifax, Moncton, N. B., and Bangor, Maine. They increase the range by am- plifying the sound vibrations,

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* Mame DEEP WELLS RECLAIM DESERT By FREDERIC KINNEY H OW the farmers: of southern Utah are conquering the Escalante Desert d converting it into a region of fertility now being told the traveler riding to lifornia as he looks from the window a Pullman car upon soil was very rich, and taday shade and fruit trees and great alfalfa fields bear silent but eloquent testimony of success. But always as a cloud upon the prospect was the fear of a year of drought. This he wide expanse of gray, vebrush-covered land retching for miles and les southward and tward from the town lilford. He little ims of the existence ne farms and busy ements in or near desolate spot, yet lo exist on the east- nd southern border his apparently waste and they form the eer portion of a vast pment work just 1 in its initial stages, il Wi ll add thousands farms to the num- now in Utah and abundantly productive a vast area utterly useless, besides establishing new towns for the state. even years ago a settlement was ed, about 18 miles east of Modena, as Enterprise. The sturdy farmers blished themselves at the mouth of a t canon, doing so because they could there, a few miles from their town, ge catch-basin reservoir designed to sind the flood-water drainage from nountains above. Following the com- ion of the reservoir they put under essful cultivation some 5,000 acres on edge of the Escalante Desert. The \ Irrigation Pump: The Water Supplied by This and Other Similar Machines is Reclaiming a Vast Area of Worthless Land in the Escalante Desert, Southern Utah fear materialized last year, with its un- usually dry season and greatly diminished crops. Late in the summer the farmer determined to prospect for an under ground water flow, with the result that a dozen successful wells have been bored, disclosing the existence of a wonderful water supply lying upon some imperv! ous stratum deep in the soil along the edge of the desert. Cheap electric power with which to op- erate pumps is available from a power company, 30 miles distant, and there ha just being installed the first electrically driven deep-well pump to be used in re claiming the great [sca- lante Desert’s acres of rich soil. This pump, on test, delivered 500 gal. of water a minute from a well but 30 ft. deep, and experiments have proved that such a well can irri- gate 100 acres of land The Enterprise farmers have organized a com- pany and now are sink- ing a series of wells for neighborhood - irrigation purposes, holding their reservoir supply as a provision against con- tingencies. Five Hundred Gallons of Water a Minute are Raised from a 30-Foo by This Efficient Electrically Driven Pump, Which Serves to A score of miles to the northward of Enterprise, t Well Irrigate Thoroughly 100 Acres of Desert Land in the center of the des- 715

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716 ert, a venturesome farmer drilled a well, finding abundant water within a 200-ft. depth, and, pumping from this well with a gas engine, has successfully irrigated 70 acres of corn at less than $6 per acre for side of this water. For miles on either Primitive Contrivances for Raising Water were Em- ployed by the Pioneers in the Escalante Desert Irri- gation Project, This Crude Wheel with Box Buckets Being a Good Example farm stretches desert land, unquestionably underlaid with an ample artesian-water supply available at pumping cost. The upshot of this experiment has been a concerted movement to locate farms on the FEscalante’s dreary waste and drill wells for irrigation purposes. Five con- tracting outfits now busy sinking wells, and this season doubtless will wit are BULL IN TREADMILL RUNS MILKING MACHINES ——— Tethered in Holstein Bull Operates the Milking Machines. POPULAR MECHANICS the Treadmill, Each Morning and x. “5 the he and Vacuum Tank are Seen in Part at the Left of the Picture. The Hand Brake at the Right Is Worth Inspection ness the transformation of thousands of acres of gray sage into fine, growing grain fields. It is not fanciful to predict the conquest of approximately 200,000 acr of desert land within the coming four o: five years. It will be done, because arid land, which can be made productive at cost of less than $6 an acre, will not b permitted to lie untouched while the farm ers of northern Utah have to pay as high as $15 an acre for their water. Utah Agricultural College experts, wh have visited the scene, say that the soi will produce fruit, grain, and alfalfa untold quantities, while engineering « perts declare that the discovery of t underground water supply will solve th problem of irrigation. At this time sout! ern Utah farmers are taking claims t desert tracts, and well-drilling outfits as busy going after the precious water a the oil men of Texas are busy boring f petroleum. The Escalante Desert is unlike waste lands in Utah, notably the Gr Salt Desert, in that it is not a region ot salt deposits, but simply an expanse sun-baked sage lands. Splendid farn have been cultivated on the edges of th waste land, but until the Enterprise farm: proved the existence of water underneat! the surface, the Escalante was given ove to the coyote and jack rabbit. Now sout ern Utah has in prospect an addition incalculable value to its agricultural do mains, x ‘ 41 OLne The cows kept by the agric tural experiment station at Boz man, Mont., have mil] automatically and at littl pense since the herd bull was to earning his board, months ago. For minutes morning an evening, now, the 2,000-Ib. anim is tethered in a treadmill whicl turns the wheels of the milki machine, and so milks 20 to 3 cows. When first introduced to his work the proud master of the herd was refractory. He wa soon disciplined, however, by t! installation of a spring-operate whip, or slapper, that thumpe: his back as often as he stopp treading and was carried b gravity against the trigger mech anism. The exercise keeps him in excellent physical condition been Soine an hour and 2 every Pump

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POPULAR MECHANICS PROTECTED BEAVERS MULTIPLY AND TRAPPERS REAP REWARD Because of the value of its pelt, and he resentment against the mischief of is hydraulic engineering, ranged in ~? — ~> HORIZONTAL BAND SAW CUTS METALS BY GRAVITY FEED A continuously running band saw, ar- practically a horizontal posi- “common” beaver d become extremely common a few years ro. Under the benefi- nce of protective laws, wwever, the dam-build- animal has multi- ed rapidly in parts of northern United tes and Canada. Now rmers are complaining flooded lands, drowned stock, and ruined So, in some of e places a brief open has been declared, the trappers are 1 a harvest. In county of western ine, 10 diligent \dsmen took a total 5) bedvers in one th, a single fortunate idual getting 35 of em. This netted the ky trapper $1,400, out of an aggregate lue of approximately $6,000 for the HUGE BARREL SERVES DRINKS OF SEVERAL VARIETIES \n oak barrel, four feet in diameter | standing with its table eight feet high, is the latest auto- matic aid im serv- ing soft drinks. On the sides of the huge _ con- tainer are eight faucets with coin slots, and eight containers for pa- per cups. Five different kinds of beverages may be served, and a water-pipe con- nection makes it possible to mix the drinks right in the barrel, while a 100-lb. ice com- partment keeps the contents cool. rhe beverage tanks are easily kept in a sanitary condition. Band Hacksaw Mounted on a Horizontal Carriage Pivoted at One End, Enabling the Saw Teeth to be Fed into the M etal by Gravity, Giving a More Rapid Cut than a Reciprocating Saw tion, constitutes a machine demonstrated to be superior to the ordinary power hacksaw for cutting metals. The car- riage on which the wheels of the band saw are mounted is pivoted at one end, and feeds the teeth of the saw into the work by its own weight. By varying the weight, the feed pressure is adjustable to suit the hardness of different metals. This prevents forcing and overheating, nd assures an even cut. TRACTORS PULL SIGHT-SEEING TRAINS OVER MOUNTAINS Tractor-drawn sight-seeing trains are popular innovations on Santa Catalina Is land, a famous western-coast pleasure re- sort. Heretofore, many of the most beau tiful spots on the mountainous island were inaccessible to the average visitor, due to the fact that they could be reached only by traversing almost impassable roads The tractors, each pulling two 20-pas- senger trailers, negotiate these rough trails with ease. @To replace the much-used but clumsy phrase “aerial navigator,” a naval air- service weekly has coined the word “na viator.”

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718 POPULAR MECHANICS Revolving Drum for the Reception of Infants at a Foundling Asylum in Havana, Cuba: The Child is Placed on the Device outside the Institution, as Shown on the Left, and Lifted Off Inside, as Pictured at the Right, by an Attendant, Who is Summoned by an Electric Bell COPPER MINE YIELDS NATURAL MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA From Corocoro, in the interior of Bolivia, has been sent to the Smithsonian Institution a curious bit of native copper, taken from a local mine. Dis- covered in a nar- row _. sandstone crevice, the cop- per is flat as a board, and in out- line is remarkably similar to the map of South \merica. E ven the Straits of Magellan hav been reproduced by nature. coro has been the heart of a copper- mining district, incidentally, since the time of the Incas, and has always been known for the curious shapes in which its virgin copper is found. Coro FOUNDLING ASYLUM RECEIVES BABES ON REVOLVING DRUM Almost since the first time a baby was surréptitiously deserted by its mother, the custom has been to deposit found- lings on doorsteps, leaving their discov- ery to chance. To eliminate this dan- rerous practice, a foundling asylum and maternity hospital in Havana, Cuba, has COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD 4 UNDERW installed a revolving drum, accessible through two doors, one inside and the other outside the building. When a child is placed on the contrivance at the outer door, its weight puts into operation electric bell. An attaché of the institu tion, called by this means, turns the drun and lifts the child from the device at th: inner door. Many infants are left tem porarily at the asylum by needy mother STREET-CORNER SLOT MACHINE IS MECHANICAL NEWSBOY Mechanical news venders are now em ployed with success by one of the m papers in thi tional capital They take th « form of coin-o] erated machi and are placed uptown stre corners, whic! though busy, h proved unpopu with the trad seeking The machines filled regula with the lates editions by aut trucks, which al supply the neigh borhood new dealers. The initial cost of each machi is soon met by the reduced cost of tribution. new

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POPULAR MECHANICS STUDY SHOWS GULF STREAM IS WORLD’S GREATEST CURRENT Rivers are known by their banks. Be- cause it flows between banks of water, acking the physical itures that establish the character of other treams, the Gulf Stream s escaped popular rec- nition as the world’s reatest current. Yet it now definitely estab- hed, as the result of irs ot observation, ll the great rivers the globe turned into ingle channel woul | equal its tremendous Where it passes 1rough the Florida traits, its width is 40 In a single hour enormous average tal of 90,000,000,000 ms of water rolls along ; course, and the depth » which its movement xtends is 300 to 400 ft. The slight but friction of the e winds across the Caribbean Sea is credited with creating he Gulf Stream, and maintaining the pressure which carries a steady volume of warm, clear, tropical water into the orth Atlantic. ta more, constant ' ] afl AMERICAN TRACTORS INTEREST TURKISH FARMERS Given American farming machinery, d encouraged to skill and enterprise legislation, the Turkish farmer wise 719 should increase a hundredfold, during the next few years, the agricultural wealth of his backward land. The extent of the government’s intended assistance is still problematical, unfortunately, as matters Groups of Interested Turkish Farmers Follow the Tractor up and down the Furrows, at Every Demonstration , ~ =. The Efficiency of the Tractor is Always Emphasized by Comparison with the Performance of the Traditional Ox eam The Tractor is Here Plowing Eight-Inch Furrows in Land That has Never been More Than Scratched of Turkish policy usuall are: but American ma- rtain to chinery 1S Ce come. \lready tractor demonstrations: h aroused _ considerab! agrarian interest in the vicinity of Constantino ple. The wealthier farm ers, in particular, are always impressed by the contrasting efhiciency of This Is the Medieval Equipment That American Machinery should Half a Dozen Such Teams can Scarcely Supplant. Compete with a Single Tractor the traditional ox team, and the mechanical beast from across the seas.

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620 POPULAR MECHANICS t COPYRIGHT, UNDERWOOD @ UNDER Telephone Enables Invalid to Hear Divine Service: At the Left the Transmitter is Seen Installed on the Church Pulpit, While at the Right the Bedridden Invalid, with His Head Set, Connected to a Direct Line from the House of Worship, is Prepared for the Sermon TABLE MADE FOR INSPECTION OF STARTING MOTORS For thorough inspection of generators, or starting motors, the garageman may now supply himself with a fully equipped testing table. Removed from the auto- mobile, the mechanism is clipped to the edge of the table and connected to the t motor for test as a generator. A scale is then placed on a bracket shelf at the side. As current from the table’s starting battery is sent through the mech- anism, a brake arm presses on the scale table Clipped to the Left Edge of the Table Top, the Motor is Here Undergoing Test for Power Developed. Current is Supplied by the Battery Below pan to register torque. During both these tests, speed, current, shorts, grounds, etc., are indicated by appropri- ute instruments. These include a tachom- eter, the scale, generator and motor, am- meters, and several others. TELEPHONE ENABLES INVALID TO HEAR DIVINE SERVICE Most users of the telephone are far from regarding it as am instrument of worship, but in one instance in England, at least it is serving a good purpose in that con nection. A miner incapacitated by a fall ing rock has been presented by his friends with a receiver of the headband type. while on the pulpit of a church near by a transmitter has been mounted in posi tion to catch the words of the clergyman The invalid is thus enabled to hear the whole service as clearly as though he were in the congregation, without even the ef fort of holding the telephone. NEW MILLION-DOLLAR HIGHWAY TO SKIRT INDIANA DUNES The shortest route for a highway acro Indiana, from Illinois to Michigan, mu necessarily skirt the shore of Lake Mich igan and pass through the famous cou try of the dunes. Construction of su 1. highway is about to be started by tl state commission, with government ai Its total cost will run close and 12 miles of its entire 40 will within the limits of the city of Gary, while 15 miles will extend along the edge of th: Another new highway, planted to run from Evansville to Lake Michigan, also will terminate at Gary, joining that city’s main thoroughfare, Broadway. to $1,000.00 1 dunes. @ Airplanes are being used to make cli- matic surveys by the Los Angeles Cham ber of Commerce, for the benefit of grow- ers. So delicate are the tests made that the first study, on a large farm, showed climatic variations within the range of 4 few acres.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 721 AIRPLANE DROPS SUPPLIES finally succeeded in advising the mainland TO ICE-BOUND FARMERS of the islanders’ plight. The river was still impossible for boats, however, so an The airplane recently proved itself the airplane loaded with medicines and food- savior of two families beleaguered by en- stuffs was dispatched from an army air- « compassing ice jams on in island in the middle of the Susquehanna

River, near Pennsyl- vania’s southern boun- coe The families till the soil of the island, and make it their permanent 1iome, one living at the t end and the other at the west. When the er ice began to break up, a few weeks ago, no | een hee nger was feared. But the ice-burdened stream

overleaped its banks, and tumbled huge ice blocks : on the very doorsteps of a oo —~ - the f; rmhous S. Th The Condition of t the River may be Imagined from This Photograph | = ser , ~~ : © the Island Shore. River Ice has been Tumbled into the Farmyard mainland was now inac- cessible; to make matters worse, the chil- drome near by. The islanders’ much , dren of one family fell sick. Desperate, needed supplies reached them in this way fter several days of this, one of the men on that day and the ten days following CREED, IN BRONZE, PLACED allegiance, Washington's farewell address, IN NATIONAL CAPITOL the national anthem, etc. ; The room in which the bronze tablet has been placed There has recently been placed on the’ is the one in which John Quincy Adams a walls of one of the historic rooms of the died, and which now serves as office of capitol at Washington a bronze tablet the clerk of the House of Representatives. on which is embossed

“The American’s Creed,” . > ‘ 2 = “ a BELIEVE IN THE RNITED Syanes ek BRICK AS ASQS iS Ny ES DOE Dik BECRLE “B2-vheE FECPLE E> WHOSE IVE D BOWERS Alice

This bit of literature, § FERr BRON THE CONSENT GHIREGOYE ERRED- ee Which promises to be- PALE cay MAG REPUBLIC=4 SOVEREIGR DYION LNG SAL SUALES > ABERPECT URLCK Ve ixakALLIC yESTARLIS Ip UPON These 5 RINSTOL SS DS Db AEEDOD ™“ LOVUAUR: 2 IVSTACE Ant ‘ e UNERD A BO Astle AINEb JCA BATKOTS 9 , tains just 100 words. A AERIS Dmg LIVES AKL POKTUES > rather remarkable fact is wad. : HERETORS 35 EVEN ETS EN DUR TOW CoV that none of the wording : oO LO) ET, mepO SUIAHOR'Y Lis CORSWAU LL» is original with the au- PoE CuLy Rtas ere KESPCCr irs ess th 5 = te | he ne > 5 TENT Ay: BGA S1 ALL EMEMLES: MOT, S tT » as = made it a carefully uni- hed composite of the best phrases found in Ameri- can patriotic literature. In the list from which DESIGN COPYRIGHT, WM. TYLER PAGE hrase Z se > 2S Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the ‘ ere oe pro Presse pie National Anthem, and Famous Speeches are Combined in This Creed skill are the Declaration of Independence, A border representing oak leaves extend: preamble to the Constitution, the oath of around the edge of the tablet. come a classic ranking ith Lincoln’s famous retty burg address, con-

he “hh tai TATUG. atres fre WES wi Re = oe ~ >> ~ “ a

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SPLENDID EQUIPMENT AND ORGANIZATION FOUND — tome he ; lt Slain : é¢ ¢ The Congressional-Library Building, Situated a Quarter of a Mile East of the National Capitol at Washington, Is the Largest Structure of Its Kind in the World. Above is Shown the Main Reading Roem. From the Central Desk a Pneumatic-Tube System Radiates to Every Part of the Stacks, with Their 45 Miles of Shelving | ot SS SE a ee | —__—_ ae “The Cataloging of the Largest Single Library Collection in the Western Hemisphere \§ Requires the Use of Some 60,000,000 Printed Cards. While Most of These are to be |Fes Found in the Files of the Carding Room, Seen Above, Thousands of Duplicates Are in the Hands of Individuals, Business Firms, and at Least 3,000 Smaller Libraries. These Carded Bibliographies are Sold by the Cataloging Division at a Low Price; This Service is Distinguished as One of the Government’s Few Self-Supporting Activities at Pn = 4 PHOTOS COPYRIGHT

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IN GREAT CONGRESSIONAL -LIBRARY BUILDING en nd ‘te te | On the Library’s Endless Miles of Shelving, | a Typical Glimpse of Which is Given Above, | Rest Millions of Books, Pamphlets, Manu- scripts, Maps, Photographs, and Pieces of i Sheet Music. The Collection Is Rich in Orig- : inal Manuscripts of Our Colonial and Revo- lutionary Times, in Files of Leading American Newspapers, and in Other Precious Historical, Political, and Legal Documents. The Build- } ing’s Maximum Capacity is Estimated at Some 4,000,000 Volumes SS — ie ected b ae oe a ie Though the Library Is a National Institution, It is Meant Primarily for Use of the Congressmen. And for Their Convenience is Operated the Book Tunnel, Seen in the Middle Photograph. The Mechanism, Above, Speeds the Book Carrier to the Capitol in Less Than Five Minutes

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724 POPULAR PLANS TOWER HALF MILE HIGH AS PERMANENT WAR MEMORIAL Among 65 designs for permanent war memorials recently exhibited at the New SS . LIBERTY 3 STORIES, STORIES~™_ ’ het _OBSERVATORY A 10 STORIES it STORIES ” — ne i2 STORIES ANCHORAGE FOR AIR CRAFT WILL / 13 STORIES REVOLVE WITH o|5 CRAFT 14 STORIES w= aw |* 15 STORIES ding ol6 I6STORIES 3/9 N t a —_ ——=s COPYRONT BY LUCIEN MANTE This 160-Story Building Is One of the 65 Proposed Memorials to New York’s Heroes. A Full-Size Replica of the Statue of Liberty Surmounts the Structure York City Hall was one distinguished by considerable audacity of conc ption. The sketch pictures a modern Tower of Babel, just 160 stories, or 2,500 ft., in height. MECHANICS Surmounting the massive cone is seen a full-size replica of the Statue of Liberty A dozen stories below the statue is dis covered a revolving anchorage for pas- senger dirigibles. RADIO WARNS BRITISH SHIPS OF THREATENING GALES Ships at sea within range of British wireless shore stations are to be pro tected by warning radio signals, when ever gales of 40 miles an hour threaten according to new admiralty plans. Usthe a wave length of 600 meters (1,968 ft.) at full power, the safety signal will b: sent out 10 times at brief intervals, fol lowed by the warning. For the benefit of ships with but one operator, the warn ing will be repeated at the time for be- ginning the next operator's watch. MOTORCYCLIST SOARS 87 FEET FOR MOTION-PICTURE CAMERA An 87-ft. broad jump from a Los An- geles pier, into deep water and uncon- sciousness, was the experience undergone recently by a professional motorcyclist, hired to put the valued “punch” into a motion picture. Mounted on a powerful machine, the dare-devil raced onto thi pier at 60 miles an hour. Soaring from the pier's edge, 20 ft. above the water, he covered 8&7 ft., then hit the Water with a splash and sank from view. Attendant beatmen found him floating on the sur- face a moment later, unconscious, but buoyed up by his life belt. He was revived, fortunately, and was soon mounted again on his motorcycle, which had been recovered with grapnels, and purged of brine. At 60 Miles an Hour the Motorcyclist Left the End of the Pier, Soared for 87 Feet, Then Splashed into the Ocean. He was Knocked Senseless by the Impact, But was Brought to the Surface by His Life Belt and was Later Revived. The Passenger, Noted Above, Was a Dummy

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Wie ~—?> ~ t POPULAR MECHANICS MOWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENT special tools. A lever is provided for FOR GASOLINE TRACTOR lowering and raising the bar, and a pedal for putting it into operation. l'wenty Converting a small gasoline tractor into acres of hay can be cut in a day with the mowing machine is easily accomplished contrivance, according to the manufac employing an ingenious attachment turers. The tractor can be used for haul ow on the market. An t. cutter bar, arranged be driven by the itor through a geared ft, is included in the which is. de- ed to be fastened ide of the tractor ie in a brief time, hout the use of iwenty Acres of Hay can be Reaped in a Day One Man with the Tractor-Mower, Which Cuts a Swath Eight Feet in Width 1 ] 1 ng when the bar is in the elevated po sition. @ The clothes and other personal etiects of persons exposed during a recent out break of typhus in Paris were success fully disinfected and deloused by immet sion in a tank filled with chloropicrine, Mowing Attachment for Tractor: In This Picture the itarv ' . *h largwe «cir ng ; ary poison gas of which large su Cutter Bar is Shown Elevated, in Which : mil ay ee ; =e" Position It is Held When Not in Use plus stocks still exist. IDAHO TOWN’S FILTER PLANT IS MOST MODERN TYPE Perfect confidence in the purity of their flavor is detected, though all disease v is the priceles s boon con- germs are effectually destroved. hy 4 —_ 1 ey Ipp! ré | upon the peo ile alls, Ida., by ter plant of the most modern type just in- ( Recording me- ve the entire vefore it. enters the receiving chambers. here it is chemically treated nd passed to the mixing chambers, and thence to a settling basin. The cleared watet flows over weirs to the filter beds, and down through 18 in. of gravel and 30 in. of sand. Pe- riodically, to clean the filter, the flow is reversed through the beds. In the clear well below, chlorine is injected under gauging, testing, and control equipment such close automatic control that no is remarkably complete. Laboratory Equipment of the Filter Plant, Including Recording Meters, Chlorinating Apparatus, and Means for Reversing the Flow in the Filter

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726 POPULAR LONDON’S FIRST SKYSCRAPER VIOLATES ANCIENT LAWS Centuries-old municipal laws, prohibit- ing the erection of tall buildings, have kept London a skyscraperless city, in spite AY ad ' ‘ Al ae a. Fe” ae ven The Owners of This London Office Building Violated, for the First Time, Old Laws That Prohibit the Erection of Tall Structures in the Metropolis of its enormous population. That the future may witness a great change in the aspect of the city was forecast recently, when the ancient regulations were vio lated for the first time. The offenders were the owners of an office building, who added several stories to the struc- ture, making its height illegal, but provid- ing considerable much-needed floor space. General disregard of the code is expected to follow this action. @ For a consideration of about $4.000,000 the U. S. Government, through its Ship- ping Board, recently became complete Cancellation of accounts for to the land, for, possessor of Hog Island. contracts for 58 ships $2,000,000, and title $1,700,000 of this total. MECHANICS SCHROEDER CLIMBS SIX MILES, FALLS FIVE, AND LIVES Credit for the world’s highest airplan ascension passed recently to the Air Sery ice, U. S. Army, when Major Schroede: chief test pilot at McCook Field, Dayton Ohio, reached a height of 36,020 ft. abov: that city. Detérmined to better Roland Rohlf's mark of 34,610 ft. and the Frenc! unofficial record of 33,137 ft., the majo battled winds of 100 miles an hour, ten peratures down to —67° F., and, at last a tailing oxygen supply, to attain his goa His stubborn pluck carried him to height of almost seven miles. Here h fainted, and his plane fell, it is conje« tured, into a tail spin. Like a twisti: leaf, the plane dropped, unguided, fo: more than five miles. When 2,000 ft above the earth, the major revived sufi ciently to straighten out his ship, and lan it near his starting point. Here he co! lapsed again, his limbs and eyeballs stil frozen. A few days later, from the hospi tal, the indomitable airman announced hi desire to reach 40,000 ft., using again, « course, the supercharger described in Po} ular Mechanics Magazine for Octobe: last vear. KNOCKDOWN ELECTRIC RANGES USED IN U. S. SUBMARINES \s the manhole in the top of the ordi- nary U. S. submarine is only two feet o1 so in diameter, the __ use of a regular, 3 hotel-size electri cooking range has previously been out of the que tion. Such a sto would have to be placed in the sub- marine during the construction of the vessel; while a subsequent break down would neces- sitate dry-docking. and the removal of a deck plate for the extraction of th: stove, All these difficulties are now avoided, however, by the use of ; down electric stove, supplied by a known electric-equipment manufacturer. The range is disassembled by unscre wing half a dozen nuts, and in this condition is easily passed up or down the manhole as necessary. > i ail as W ell

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ar LUMBERJACKS WHO LIVE ON HOUSEBOATS oA J.B.Woods | pical Scene at a Railroad Camp in the Woods, Where Rails znd Waterways Meet: The Rafts of Cypress Gathered by the Pull Boats in the Depths of the Swamp, are Floated to the Camp along the Channels In this way several hundred sticks might NX \RLY all of us know cypress wood. 4 li never have used it for interior be towed 20 or 30 miles to the mills ut of doors, where resistance Of course these mills were located upot so that the lumber could ( OT ( ( is a virtue, we at least have read railroad lines vhere the story of the qualities of be sent to market endid material. But comparatively But the timber supply was not ever lize the tremendous difficulties of | lasting, and after some years the lumbet x the raw logs to the cypress saw men began to reach farther back into th lor the great ‘trees stand in the Swamps tor trees. \t the same time thi of southern swamps, th water cutting was done at low water, so that several feet deep about their rocts, all the merchantable wood might be ob it they must send up strange humps tained. and as steam engines were being rky wood above the water level to adapted to logging uses in other part ur. And, naturally enough, the f the country, the cypress people also who work in the swamps to cut applied steam power to their own pat aul out the logs must use log- ticular work This they did by mount ethods far litte rent from those ing donk«e \ ( 11 S ion fi thoa e drv-land neg in b« riacrt T dt m 0 ‘ ‘ rly ( ‘ ch m ch Or ge ( that ( | nto th mig t ¢ run alot out and ha ri ny na’ back bv th« e rivers and same engin nd When a | ed cel boat a rr ( e bes tor work it { oO that moored li ild float nu nea Phen tne timber le flood po ne I cain oreat »oO returned to stu oO it down 1es the 1ud to . marked trees, it 11 ) i ¢ d towed aw: gainst t] pu “Skidders,” or Donkey of the cable ie logs behind Bhiinging in the Cypress Logs with Engines on Flat Cars: The Cabies are Stretched between Tall Then ’ block are Guyed to Stumps ‘ astened to was 1 he line Cal their skiffs, But Trees at Each End of the Line, Which ne they could not cut the boles high stumps that contained much vood were left and wasted. As time went 1, they began to use steamboats for tow- and finally to make rafts. below the water level, a tree out in the woods, and t rood ried out through the block and the drum. A heavy cable, with severa “eves.” was used for hauling in the logs, each log being attached to the cable by back Lo ] ] oos

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a3 ca +s POPULAR MECHANICS means of tongs and a short line that was’ timber on either side, and when the work hooked to one of the eyes. Then, by finally is done, all the logs are gathered hauling the light line back upon the sec- from the swamp, and there is nothing left ond drum, the heavy cable was returned but a waste. During operations, as fast to the woods for another load of logs. as the logs are dragged out, thev ar Such a device could bring logs from a dropped into the water alongside the pull distance of one mile, and because of its boat. Then the boom men tow them to ‘aateadiciatinnenaasidahiaamiapias . the rear of the boat and make up booms for the steamboats which come tvice a week for loads The men who worl under such conditions at cousins to the alligator and water snakes in hardihood. Out in tl woods they wade kne« deep, or even neck-deep in the brackish water, cut ting trees into logs, hook ing the latter to the cable, and rigging the hauling tackle for new operations On the boat, they often are forced to jump into the canal to rescue other men or valuables, and the The Cypress Cutters’ Houseboats in Carsp: Because of the Growth of Water Hyacinth, the Floating Homes Seem to Be on Shore reversible feature, worked quite rapidly. boomers also spend much of their time i In a few years the timber within a a drenched condition. mile of the navigable streams was gone, The pull-boat camps, which sometime however, and the pull-boat men were are as much as 50 miles from the near- compelled to use dredges to make canals est town, contain complete living ac- into the swamps. Sometimes they commodations for 30 or 40 men. The mounted dippers upon the long booms of latter, especially the whites, who are fore- the pull boats and used the logging en- men and skilled mechanics, live with their gines to dig their canals. Occasionally families upon comfortable houseboats, a specially built dredge was used. The moored to trees beside the canal. They canals usually are 75 ft. wide and dug as come and go from work in skiffs, or th nearly straight as possible. As the canal ancient pirogues of the Acadians and progresses, the pull boat brings out the Indians. But the main boat camp is a e * A Log Train in the Woods: The Rails are Laid on Thick Masses of Brush and Trees, and Frequently ate Inundated by Floods So That Their Light Locomotives Run in Several Inches of Water. When Driit- wood Lodges on the Track, It is Pushed Off —_— Scoops or by Hand, While Enough Water Remains to Float It

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POPULAR MECHANICS reat double-decked houseboat, with tchen and storerooms and office down- irs, and the bunkhouse upstairs. The are comfortable, well fed, and very paid. Nights they organize frog nts and stalk deer with flares, bringing ch extra food to the boat larder. Gen- lly, a crew is made up 129 a frequent problem. Where railroads are built, the logging is done with “skidders,” or donkey engines. set upon strong flat cars and equipped with cables and drums like the pull boats. In fact, this type of logging calls for more cables than dos pulling, for there must be a pair of tall iif a dozen white ind 30 negroes, liv- together upon one or at least within a rds of each other, and peace. No handle a C can t camp, which ly accounts for solute concord that imong the men. when ma- enteric com- ke pt the crews re- rhe was terment of health con- in allcamps. Formerly men drank water whenever they were thirsty, at practice was forbidden, and jugs re furnished in which to carry dis- | water from the engines. All camps screened against mosquitoes, and the reens were kept in repair. Doors were \nd now there is almost no very little sickness of any xcept for its dampness and hard the boatman’s life is a continuous ¢ in an ideal climate and game +} shut. ‘ nd umbermen have begun to use through the swamps to a certain it many of them cling to the and, doubtless, the pull boats nue to left in the deep-water swamps. lly one will find camps where d railroads both are in use, re the most interesting by far. iding in such territory is a matter g down thick foundations of small and brush, and the this long ribbon. Light locomo- es must be used, and often they back and forth between river and rest through several inches of water. If driftwood lodges upon the track, it must e pushed away by means of scoops, or 1 while there remains enough vater to float it, otherwise the labor of clearing the track would be expensive and operate as long as any and Ces, logs, placine must 1 undl hand, ed to half strength, everal years ago gressive lumbermen ulted a noted south- ; rn physician and carried The “Works” of a Pull Boat, Viewed as It Lies Moored beside a Saw- t his instructions to the mill: The Donkey Engine on Board Has Two Drums, One for Winding in the Heavy Cable, the Other for a Light Line to Pull the Cable Out Again trees at either end of the line between which the cables can be stretched. The trees must be firmly guyed io stumps, and then a set of controlling lines are required for handling traveling block which brings the logs to the track. Bunches of three or four brought in each time by these skidders, their ends held in the sticks are the air and kept clear of other trees and tangled underbrush. When they have been dropped beside the track, the en gineer brings into play another cable, and as fast as a negro can hook them with tongs, the logs are loaded upon flat cars for their journey to the river bank. Such railroads are short, as a rule, and j of the camp upon the rivers edge, the wiset a Tew cated workmen prefer to dwell in their house boats where the floods cannot re them The log dump is the rail terminal, and here all trains discharge their loads into the river, where the timber is made into rafts and tov ed away b the ( nl There are scores of. lumbering cot in the southern states today owning thes« semiaquatic camps, where peopl depend more upon wooden decks than d1 for safety and comfort. @Members of the French chamber of deputies will vote by pressing electric push buttons on their desks, if a_ bill now pending, becomes a law.

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no io POPULAR MECHANICS AFTER MONTHS ON BOTTOM, SUNKEN SHIP RETURNS Like a spirit returning from the grave- bottom for four months, it was salvag: yard of ships, the | S. steamer “Ophir,” by the Navy Department, and sent bac} The Torn Plating of the Deck, like a Shell-Marked Battle Field, Indicated the Severity of the Explosion Which Resulted in the Sinking of the Steamer sunk off Gibraltar in the last days of the War, e'- tered an eastern port the other day under it ‘| he ployed as a owl Vess¢ em- transport, was attacked by ‘fire while carrying ammuni- tion on its last trip, lost most of its deck by the subsequent S power. l. explosion ot its cargo, and went down in deep water. Aft- er lying quietly on the DESIGNS NOZZLE TO PROPEL AIRPLANE BY AIR JET \ motive neither cylinders, is a curious development of attempts to | weight reduc and gain economy in fuel consumption. This engine is the in- vention ot a French sci- and was exhibited at the airplane exposition in Paris. Its essential elements are a combus- tion chamber and a spe- cial/nozzle, making it oddly reminiscent of the space-exploring rocket magazine last March. queer entist, power for airplanes that has pistons, nor propellers described in The nozzle is rather home for repairs. The bad] damaged ship, with decks open, encountered a 100-mile gal on the way, and came throu only by constant use of tl pumps to bail the seas out of it hold. Despite the storm, however the crew would not send a call f help, preferring a complete reco of unusual experience. The Ship, It had Lain for Four Months, Steamed into Port under in the Almost Deckless Condition Seen in the Picture after Its Rescue from the Bottom of Gibraltar Straits, Where Its Own Power more complex, however, consisting of a number of concentric cones of incre ing size, the outer one being elongated to tors im burned the oval combustion dischat and air ce chamber gasoline { AY COURTESY OF THE LONDON ENGINEER Nozzle Designed to Replace the Air Screw as an Airplane Propeller: The Exploded Gas Issues from the Point of the Combustion Chamber at the Right, and Passes throwgh the Small Cones in Series through a small orifice toward the cones, at a velocity of 4,000 to 5,000 ft. per sec this

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Additional air is drawn into the im and heated at each opening be- en the The final discharge at nozzle has considerable volume and ver, and tests are reported to have in- ted an efficiency superior to that of ir screw. Any fuel may be used, and weight, of course, is relatively very cones. VALRUS HIDE FOUND SUITABLE FOR POLISHING WHEELS ; tal-polishing wheels cut from. or vith tanned walrus hide have been to give better results than those from any other material. The in thickness from '% to 1'% t is very close-grained, and quite le. Because of its texture, it is an ent holder of pumice, emery, and or polishing substances. supply of hide exists in the tic regions, where walrus live in great (;overnment control will prob- increase the size of the herds. er vatries ibrasi\ e hnens¢ PRINTER’S BRASS RULES MADE IN INTERLOCKING FORM simp of ruling lify the printing-office opera- i sheets, an Ohio inventor has devised a = — method of inter- locking brass rules. The rule are made itn standard lengths, with longitudinal corrugations for stiffness, but shaped at the ends to enter sidepieces, of slotted side -in. intervals, allowing the rules to erted quickly and as closely \ as de- The resulting job is declared to inusually neat. slots. Phe brass thick, are across one DOUBLE FENCES AT ROADSIDE PREVENT AUTO ACCIDENTS double prevent automobil cidents have been built beside California ehways at points where the track runs lose to the edge of a steep declivity. It, often happens, the earth crumbles vay from the posts, thus weakening the ri1¢7 iginal barrier, a second is erected, about it. nearer the road than the first. In fences to POPULAR MECHANICS ~> ~ — case a misguided machine leaves the beat- en path, and starts toward the precipice, To Prevent Motor Cars from Plunging into the Ravine Shown in the Picture, Two Fences were Constructed near the Edge of the Abrupt Declivity obstructions from down the cliff the two plunging prevent it SNOW FELLS THEATER CANOPY DURING RECORD STORM The storm severe in a decade, which erwhelmed the north \tlantic coast, left along the Jersey shore a trail of smashed boardwalks, bath houses, and beach-front buildings. Not most recently 0 did the inland cities altogether escape, and in Newark, particularly, the hurri- cane left its marks. The most con- spicuous mishap was the collapse of a that Loadec heavy steel over a theater entrance ity by a two days’ ind sleet, the canopy was hanging lto capac- accumulation of snapped its snow steel canopy Weighted Down by Snow and Sleet, This Theater- Entrance Canopy Crashed to the Street at the Height of the Blizzard That Recently Hit the North Atlantic Coast supporting cables like threads when th blizzard reached a velocity of 60 miles an hour.

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132 POPULAR MOTOR HELD IN ANY POSITION BY NEW OVERHAUL STAND The motor of the light-weight mobile so much used by the is quickly overhauled when auto- army

The Heavy Clamp of the New Over- haul Stand is Seen atthe Left. An En. gine Isin Place and has been Tilted Back, at the Right it is clamped to a special stand now manufactured. <As the clamp is hinged at its base, the ma chinist may tilt the motor back through 45° or 90°. The clamp is on a mount, too, permitting the being swivel operator to turn the motor at his convenience through a complete circle. The motor may be en- tirely disassembled and assembled on the stand without removing the block itself. NEW HAND DRILL OPERATED BY SINGLE MINER In several Utah mines is now being demonstrated a rock drill that is oper- ated by one man, yet without the assistance ot com- pressed aif of other power. The mechanism con- sists of an up- right column which is placed about two feet from the working Here it is held by a few turns of its screw base. Clamped to the column at any desired height is a horizontal arm, one end of which bears the drill holder. The striking maul hangs like a pendulum from the other. Drawn back and released by the miner, the maul strikes the drill head squarely and with sufficient force. Change from one set-up to another is easy, as the whole apparatus weighs but 75 pounds. face.

MECHANICS HANDBILLS FROM PLANE HELP FIRM SELL REAL ESTATE Real estate to the value of approx mately $40,000 was sold recently by a firn in Baltimore, Md., as a result of the us of an airplane for handbill distributio: Public interest in the performance wa first assured by preliminary advertising the city newspapers. Then the preside of the firm flew three times above t!] city, dropping in all about 100,000 cir lars. These took the familiar but eff tive form of certificates entitling the hol to a discount on the purchase price o lot in the area advertised. ELECTRIC PRIMER FOR AUTOS VAPORIZES GASOLINE \ tiny electric-heating unit, inserted a small pipe line from the carburetor _ the intake mat ¢ fold, is a new simple attachm: for assuring tl a motor car truck will st readily in a | kinds of This primer, operate by a push butto on the dash, over comes the handicap of poor-quality fuel as well as of cold. It is already standar equipment on two high-grade cars, but may be installed by the owner withou difficulty, weathe vaporizin

BIG NEW COAST GUN ON WAY TO PACIFIC ISLANDS One of the coast-defense batteries the Pacific island possessions of United States is to have a monster gun, of 12-in. caliber and weight 116,000 Ib. The steamer “South Be: rece ntly loaded this heavy piece of freig] at an eastern port, and so expeditiou was the operation performed that | than an hour elapsed from the time th: slings were placed about it at the railv terminal to its placing in its deck cradk The two flat cars which carried their hug: load in tandem were run onto a lightet from which it was hoisted on shipboard by a wharf crane. The 300,000-Ib. carriag: ' was stowed in the hold, and is to be set on a concrete foundation before the gui is mounted. Other military material com posed the balance of the ship's cargo.

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WEAILSCAD ——“] py Hoisting the Giant Gun from Flat Cars on the Lighter to the Cradle Prepared for It n the Ship’s Deck: The 12-Inch Piece of Coast-Defense Ordnance Weighs 116,000 unds, and on Its Arrival at a Pacific- Battery is to be Mounted on a 300,000-Pound Carriage nd - (putt ng the Big u n Slings for Operation of Hoistins the xy It aboard Ship: The Steamer on Which It is to Take Its Long | Journey is Seen in the Offing. The Whole | Task of L pading was Perfor d i H _— ned 4 Close-Up of the Gun at the Beginning of the Operation of Placing It on Board Ship, with the Slings Partially Placed, and the Crane Ready for Its Burden: The Two Flat Cars on Which It Rests Are on a Lighter alor.gside the Wharf, from Which It will be Lifted Directly to the Deck

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134 POPULAR MECHANICS RAIL AUTO HAULS HANDCARS AND CARRIES TURNTABLE Fitted with flanged wheels, an old, dis- carded auto is giving remarkably effective ingenious device carried is a small three- legged crane, with two flanged wheels resting on one rail. When the spikes are withdrawn, the old rail is lifted in a continuous length, without disturbing its — bolts, and deposited at the opposite side of th track. Three men with this arrangement do th work of eight with hand, carrying bars. RURAL-ROAD SPRINKLER FILLED BY GAS ENGINE The Old |; Carrying Its Own Turntable, Hauls Workers on Hand- car Trailers Auto, Equipped with Auto being Turned Around on Its Turntable, the Parts of Which It Carries Hung to Its [he Crane Used for Removing Old Rails: Two of the Legs Have Wheels and Rest on the Track, While the Grappling Hook Lifts and Swings the Rail Over as the Spikes are Removed, Leaving It Bolted in a Continuous Length aid to an Illinois contractor in re-laying railroad track. The car hauls as many as 100 men to and from work on eight handear trailers. The oddest part of the equipment is the turntable the ancient auto carries with it. Two steel rails, the length of the car, a pair of cross timbers pivoted together, and two light tie-rods, make up this portable reverser. The ends of the rails are placed on the fixed track, the car pushed onto them and balanced, and the whole rotated by hand, Another Flanged Wheels and are sprinkled in summet —_ Not many rural road | —4 to keep down the dust However, Mesa Count, in western Colorado an exception. The cou ty sprinkles the stat road, known as the Mid land Trail, from Junction to Cameo, a di tance of 20 miles, and from Grand Junction to Loma, an equal distance altogether 40 miles, all of which is dirt road. Sprinkling is from May to September inclusive, and seven two horse sprinklers of 600 arané ] qaone gal. capacity are used with 4-hp. gasoline en vines, mounted at. th front end of the tank for pumping the watet from irrigating ditch: along the road into the tanks. A 20-ft. length of hose is used. The county has been sprinkling the rural road for six years; befor that the farmers’ had sprinkling districts and paid for the work by sub scription, but the present plan va proved cheaper and better. Man and team receive $125 a month for ni months’ work; the county furnishes gaso line, oil, and repairs. The cost of sprin kling for 1919 was $3,989.37. Fifty thou sand gallons of water a day are used dut ing the dry, hot season, and during the fruit season, when travel is greatest, sprin- kling is done also during the night. In the infrequent event of rain, the sprinklers do other read work.

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ning Gas Well in Snake Hollow, near McKeesport, Pennsylvania: A Near-By House, Belonging to the Owner of the District’s First Gas Well, was Ignited by the Flaming Column, and Destroyed GAS WELLS BRING WEALTH TO OBSCURE DISTRICT U 'EXPECTED wealth and fame were ative poverty to opulence within a fe, hrust upon a peaceful valley, known days. The territory was overrun by in Snake Hollow, on the outskirts of Me- vestors, promoters, and speculators, all Pa., a short time ago, follow- bent on reaping a harvest of dollars from discovery of an enormous sub-_ the potential resources of the new field ierranean natural Practically all icket in th ———— the wells are pro ct Public in ducing large quan- Was aroused n a wooden ck, located the mouth of rtly completed vas blown to by a sudden tremendous tities of gas. One is flowing at the rate of 62,000,000 cu. ft. per day while at least one other produce from 20,000,000 to 30,000,000 cu. ft. in of gas from the same length of ire. Since time. A smaller time, the de- well, recently pment of the drilled, has a fl has been ex- rang from 20 rapid, and there are 22 operation vicinity, pro- OOO to SO.O00 eu. f @every 4 | }

or ) more than 1 ; NOD Ci ft. in ‘ is daily period ) \ ild tement and un- 1 ! edented tive 9 “ceed | the olde r ‘ 1 I revelation. ually declini: Property owners, Credit for th | a —— 4 as { ig their hold portant discover Ing which there- = a — given toa but t ’ . 1 “ ~ ; . ] re were consid- This Rough Bowlder Marks the Location of Pennsyl- in whose door < of little value vania’s First Oil Well, Which was Drilled Not Far wa x ] , . ‘ from Titusville, in 1859. The Bronze Tablet, Set in rom compar the Stone, Bears an Appropriate Inscription the fit

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736 POPULAR MECHANICS More than 20 years ago, when he found presence of a large pocket at a greater a limited supply of gas in an 18-ft. shaft depth. He made repeated attempts to on his premises, this man suspected the interest prospectors in his idea, but not —— until last year did he succeed obtaining action. The production of the well in his dooryard caught fire a few hours after the com pletion of the bore, with the re- sult that the butcher’s home, sit- uated a few rods away, became ignited, and was reduced to ashe: in a few hours. One of the wells performs like a geyser, spouting salt water at 10-minute intervals. The wate: spurts up 25 ft. above the derrick for about a minute, and the: suddenly subsides. Many sight seers have been attracted by thi extraordinary well. In the same section of the state, near Titusville, in 1859, was bored the first oil well in Penn Snake Hollow Gas Wells, Past and Present: The Sign at the sylvania. The spot is now marked Riche Desiguates the Districts First Producer an W#-Foot Bore. with a huge bowlder, on which Pieces When It Began to Flow there is a bronze tablet. SOLDIERS DESIGN AND BUILD erection of the stage. But the supplies OWN OPEN-AIR THEATER obtained from the camp amusement offi- cer were at length transformed into a Upon their own initiative, after their stage measuring 58 ft. in width, and fur- own designs, and without a bit of civilian nished with every appointment. The assistance, a number of enter- — prising American soldiers re- electrical equipment included foot- lights of three colors, with dimming cently built a complete open-air control, and three “strips” across the theater, for the presentation of top, and one on each side of the their own playlets, at Fort Slo- , proscenium. Soldier artists, finally, cum, on New York Bay. The ca painted a curtain and seven com- biggest task was, of course, the ey. plete sets of scenery. _AS. en as The Outdoor Stage, Designed and Erected by the Soldiers of Fort Slocum, is Seen Here as It Neared Sie pletion. When the First Performance was Given, Some Weeks Ago, Visitors Found the Stage Fur- nished with Full Electrical and Scenic Equipment. The Screen was Used for Motion-Picture Shows

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a ¥ 3 5

POPULAR

MECHANICS 13% SIMPLE ROTARY PUMP REDUCES PITLESS TURNTABLE FOR AUTO disk. and the intake and ' With a shaft speed of FRICTION TO MINIMUM [Extreme simplicity marks the design of new form of rotary pump introduced by British inventor. The RUNS ON CIRCULAR TRACK Practically any level space will serve a a foundation for a new pitless automo)hil

ton is merely a disk re- ly on an ec- driving The casing is only ly larger than the 4 loose tric on the ports are close to- at one side. As eccentric revolves, the rolls around the in periphery of the cas “squeegeeing” the | ahead of it. A small liding partition between he ports bears on the lisk and serves as a valve. 000 r.p.m., the disk turns t only about 60 r.p.m., o that the friction is very | —— il

Th WH ol in Oe ee

light. A compact reduc- n gearing of equal sim- licity has been made on the same principle, using a toothed disk ind casing. GLASS COVERS PREVENT GULLS FROM BREAKING LAMPS Incandescent street lights near the heach at Coronado, Calif., were broken so frequently by flying gulls that the mu- nicipal authorities were forced to adopt some means for pro- tecting the fragile bulbs. Heavy glass tubes, with rounded bottoms, were placed over the lamps by screwing their threaded upper ends into small hoods, installed over the sockets. These de-

ices prevent breakage and exclude water, hut do not impair the efficiency of the | iit Corrosion of the socket IS pre- vented, too, by the tube. € The sound-detecting range of the “geo- phone,” described in this magazine last luly, is found to be greatly improved by the use of nickel for the diaphragm. An instrument so equipped recently located leak in a water main after all other thods had failed. No Pit is Required for This Novel Automobile Turntable, Which is Sut ported by Eight Ball-Bearing Wheels, Arranged to Run on a Circular Track. The Device can be Installed in a Garage or Driveway turntable, which is designed especially for installation in private garages or drive ways. In this contrivance, the weight is borne by eight ball-bearing wheels, four of which are attached to each end of a revolving frame, and ranged to run o a flat, circular track. Two trough-shaps holders at either end of the trame ar intended to receive the wheels, and little effort is needed to turn the car. MOTORBOAT PASSENGER FLEET SUGGESTED FOR CLEVELAND . ‘ , Speedy motorboats may simplify the lo cal transportation problem in Clevel Ohio, by reheving overburdened street \ car line . pre Oo to o on T et ¢ tive ( " oO ‘ lorie Carry as 1g l t _ ; on na ( 1f y ] it periment several years ago, but wet withdrawn from service when their ope ° 14 ation prove d unprontapnie,

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738 POPULAR MECHANICS MAKES NEW COMBUSTIBLE GAS lene, produced by adding wood alcohol FROM COMMON MATERIALS and sodium bicarbonate to the usual cal- cium carbide and water. No heat is By using the rule-of-thumb method in evolved during the action, and the spent mixing his compounds, instead of work- solution leaves no residue of salts in the production chamb«e r, the — 7 - 2 inventor claims. The gas The Glass at the Left . : ‘ ecnsedens Picador ations burns with | about the Carbide and Water; That same candlepow er a in the Center Has Soda eo , ~ . , Added; and the One at acetylene, and is declared . the Right Contains Car- to produce 2,700 heat bide, Soda, and Wood : aw ‘ Alcohol, Producing the units against QUU near New Gas for natural gas. The in ventor estimates a man ufacturing cost of less than 35 cents per thou sand cubic feet. ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN TRAWLER USED BY FISHING COMPANY Experienced fishermen shook their heads in doubt, or emphatically condemned the idea, when an ‘official of a northeastern coast fish- ing company a few months ago. suggested the construction of an = _ — : electrically driven trawl- The Inventor’s Experimental Gas Plant in Demonstration, Producing a_ er. Despite this discour- Hot, Brilliant Flame without Leaving Any Sediment in the Tank When eS : he af : the Carbide is Exhausted: The Cost of Manufacturing the GasIs,Very Low agement, the crait was built, and is now in, suc- ing them out by chemical formula, a Cin- cessful operation, the first of its type in cinnati inventor has produced a new in- the industry. Two eight-cylinder oil- flammable gas of interesting character, burning engines, each capable of develop- and has obtained patents on the process. ing 240 hp., are directly connected with The gas is practically a modified acety- two 185-kw. dynamos, which furnish cur- Electric Trawler: | At the Left Is a General View of | the Unusual Fish- | ing Craft. Its § Powerful Oil- | Burning Engines, § Whichare Directly Connected with § Dynamos, are Shown on § the Right

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POPULAR MECHANICS 139 les smaller motors, used for trawling, Mounted on a three-foot pedestal, the in loading, and for operating bilge pumps. strument is inclosed in a small box, and hree hundred thousand pounds of fish consists primarily of a sensitive trans be carried by the vessel, which is 150 yng, and has a speed of nearly 14 miles nt to the 400-hp. propelling motor, be- is sold to music shops for the purpose. hour. Sufficient fuel for a 9,000-mile da se can be carried in the 17,000-gal. oil > CONVERT DRINK SANITARIUM INTO RADIUM HOSPITAL vo physicians have conceived a new - here of usefulness for an Ohio institu- vhich, originally devoted to the task of curing the drink habit, now has out- ts function. The fqrmer sanitarium ilcoholics is to be converted into a radium hospital at a cost of $100,000. One- rth of this sum will go into altera- tions to provide for 30 patients and the other three-fourths will purchase supplies of radium. The remodeled hospital will treat all diseases for which radium is used, ill be the only one of its specialized | between New York and Chicago. The Amplifying Apparatus is Seen in Front of the Phonograph. Relayed in This Way, the Music Reaches the Prospective Customer with Full Volume AMPLIFIER ALLOWS TELEPHONE SALE OF PHONOGRAPH RECORDS Mitter. This picks up every sound made by the phonograph, and magnifies it for the The housewife who likes to order her benefit of the telephone transmitter eroceries by phone may now select her placed near by. As the record is played, phonogray sh records in the same w ay. The the salesgirl listens to the customer's com service is made possible by the use ments by means of a second receiver 1 sound-amplifying instrument which which she clamps to her ears WHEAT HIDES TOMBSTONES IN RURAL CEMETERY On visiting a rural cemetery in Penn- Grass seed will be sown this spring and vivania last summer, strangers some should produce a luxuriant law1 times expressed them- SS ee eee Ives as “shocked” to ] covered w ith buck wheat. It is true that, as the crop matured, it often covered completely the smaller stones; yet ‘ the seeming profanation was easily and _ satisfac- torily explained. The cemetery had previously been neglected; grass nd flowers had been smothered by weeds, briers, and moss. To ? remedy this, the buck- wheat was planted; and &@ . me when cut, was found to This Field cf Buckwheat was Planted in the Cem etery, Not from Motives have loosened the soil of Thrift, but to Loosen the Soil and to Rid the Lawn of Weeds and Briers. and choked the weeds. Grass will Again be Sown in the Spring and should Fare Better Than in the Past

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A UNIQUE COUNTRY COMMUNITY By R. P. CRAWFORD Fi’ FE miles from Waterloo, Iowa, is a unique country community. It boasts probably as fine a country chureh and school as can be found anywher« in the United States, as well as an unusual number of modern cotintry for the superintendent home for the janitor. Needless to Say, has all modern conveniences in the way of heat, waterworks, and electric lights besides a fine gymnasium, rooms for man ual training, and the like. 'welve busses are used to transport th children from different parts of Orang township every day, th drivers mait high-school boys who 1 ceive from $50 to $75 p: month for furnishing team. Before this schor was built, there was no high-school — instructio1 given in the townshi and only 15 or 20 stu dents were able to g and a Sseparati being Fine Churches Are Not Necessarily City Institutions. This Handsome House of Worship is Located in an Iowa Rural Community homes. Instead of moving to the city, as is the case with most retired farmers, they have erected fine homes on small acreages out here in the open country, and there are now about a dozen of these modern homes scattered along the roadside be- tween the school and the church. Let it be said that in no sense of the word is this a village—there is not a single store of any kind in the vicinity. The farmers have taken up their residence here simply to be able still to enjoy rural life with the added advantage of a fine church and school at hand. The church, an unusually fine structure, was built in 1913 at a cost of $40,000. Then came the consolidated school. The taxpayers decided that instead of having 10 scattered) one-room schools, one big building, with busses to trarisport the children to and from it, would be preferable, and that this should .be placed in the center of the township near the church, The school, at present, has an enfolltnent of 244 pupils, all’ ¢ountry_ chil- dren, with 70 in the high school, in ¢6ntrast to the old type of rural school with:no higher courses ot all. The building cost $52,000 and makes a real landmark, It is situated on five acres of ground, terraced and gar- dened in front, and with a fine bungalow 740 r- — ———EE An Up-to-Date “Little Red Schoolhouse: Ten Small Buildings, Scattered over a Township, are Replaced by This Modern Structure — away to school. The church is quit: contrast to the old-fasl ioned country church. The building heated by steam, has electric lights, and a waterworks system of its own. There a large auditorium, with 20 small Sunday school rooms opening into it. In the bass ment there is a well-equipped kitchen and dining room. On the main floor, a moth er’s rest room is also provided, with bed for the babies, and rockers and couches Here the children are cared for during services. The church has a membership of about 300 and the Sunday school ove: that number. It has been stated that this is the largest rural Sunday school lowa. The community, it may be men tioned, also has its own telephone line, a creamery, and a cooperative egg-selling association, through which a premium over the usual prices of eggs is obtained A fine band of 35 pieces is maintained in

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POPULAR MECHANICS T41 [hese Attractive Homes, Five Miles from Waterloo, Iowa, are Occupied by Retired Farmers and Their Families. A Telephone Line and a Creamery are Owned and Operated by the Residents, Who also Have a Codéperative Bus Line ' with the school, which, with the church, is the center of social life in the township. A trip to the city requires it a few minutes in the automobile ned by the members of the community onne ction LARGEST MOTORSHIP LAUNCHED IN DANISH SHIPYARD S oil-burning engines, including two 250 hp. for propulsion, and four of ller size for generating electricity, are lled on the largest ttorship ever built, the \frika,” which was nched recently at Co- Denmark. lagen, low-powered mo- are connected di-— rectly to 65-kw. dyna- os, which furnish cur- nt to 22 derricks and ' to a refrig- ng plant, and to the nches; ic-hydraulic — steer- ng vear. Heretofore, practice has been to quip vessels of this type th fewer, but higher- red motors for the uction of electricity. is carried in tanks a capacity of ms of oil, a suffi- nt quantitv to drive he craft 45,450 miles. lhe big boat has a dead- JAIL CORRIDOR IS CLASSROOM FOR WOMEN PRISONERS Since the inception, some months ago, of the educational experiment, women re- leased from the district jail at Washing ton, D. C., usually carry away with them memories, not of degrading companion ships and vacant hours, but of pleasant and profitable lessons learned. With an initial enrollment of 22 women, the school is attempting to give all of them eight capacity of 13,- 0 ge = _ ) ‘ > . an / q ‘ 4 ‘¢ ‘ \ CONS ,; is 464! > Kt. This Class in Arithmetic is being Conducted by a Prisoner in the District ng, and has a beam of Jail at Washington, District of Columbia. Her Pupils Are 60 ft. A sister ship, vhich probably will be named “Amerika.” heing constructed on the ways vacated hen the “Afrika” slid into the water. Prisoners; the Classroom Is a Whitewashed Jail Corridor instruction in grammar, arithmetic, geog raphy, and other eleme¢ ntary subi The instructors are also prisoners.

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742 POPULAR MECHANICS RAILROAD SCALES PROTECTED BY DOUBLE TRACK A western railroad, in its San Diego vards, dispenses with a separate track for Double Track over Railroad Scale: Cars are Run on the First and Third Rails; Locomotives, on the Second and Fourth a weighing scale in a novel manner. Such tracks are commonly used to relieve the scales of the excessive weight of locomo- tives. Two lines of rails are laid beside each other. The first and third rails are supported by the platform of the scale, while the second and fourth rest on ties. By running a locomotive on the second and fourth rails, and the cars attached to it on the first and third, the cars can be weighed very rapidly. A train can be run over the second and fourth rails without affecting the scales. LUMINOUS FOOTBALL ADOPTED BY EASTERN COACH Darkness seriously curtailed the pra tice of an eastern high-school footbal team until the coach discovered a simp] means of rendering a ball visible atte: sunset. Powdered phosphorus and o were mixed to form a luminous paint (his was applied to a regulation ball, an covered with a coat of shellac, to preve: the phosphorus from injuring the player’ hands. The luminous ball can on the darkest nights. be see STEAMSHIP BROKEN LIKE REED ON LONG ISLAND SHOAL Bound for New York City from No: folk and Newport News with a crew 72 and 32 passengers, the Old Dominio1 liner “Princess Anne” recently ground during a blinding sleet storm, on th shoals off Rockaway Point, L. I. Its de struction with loss of all hands was fear at first, as the shallows and high balked rescue ships, while the shore ic« prevented the launching of lifeboats from the near-by coast-guard stations. But th: storm abated its violence in time, and al! aboard were rescued. The vessel, how ever, was found to be a total wreck. broken amidships, in fact, as cleanly as stick of sugar candy. It has lately been stripped of cargo and fittings. sC as RIGHT NDERWOOD 4 UNDERKW This Photograph was Snapped from a Seaplane That Glided Down within 100 Feet of the Wrecked “Princess Anne.” The Crack That Now Divides the Vessel into Two Parts may be Traced from the Separated Plates of the Side to the Clean Break in the Roof of the Cabins on the Hurricane Deck

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POPULAR MECHANICS 143 Equipment Used When the Human Nervous System is Employed as the Receiving Antenna for Wireless Messages: A Metal Band about the Arm of the Subject Serves to Transmit the Collected Impulses to the Amplifiers and So to the Telephone Receivers 4 HUMAN NERVES ACT AS WIRELESS ANTENN/E By F. L. BRITTIN & \MPARISON often has been drawn, in fanciful mood, between the world’s work of telephone and telegraph wires nd the nervous system of the human dy. Now the pretty figure of speech uddenly has become startlingly literal ceiving circuit, while the operator takes the message in the usual head set. Two vacuum-tube amplifiers are used for the reception, one connected to the re ceiving secondary and the other to the telephone set. They are joined inductive nd authentic. It has been discovered ly by the two coils of a transformer in that the nerve cluded in the thane ‘th it TO ARM — PRIMARY GRID-. _———AUDION BULBS ---~. ; W it] c. wi 1 B. Ss ; 7 SECONDARY i/ PLATE circult. 1 I hundreds of feet m this equipment, of interconnect- 4 @ using the hu- ~ " ; ed lines, is actu- = 4 - man _ antenna, ally a highly ef- ' . © signals of full lective receiving strength aon d intenna tor CONDENSERS ~/ | clearness wet dio waves. Pe TRANBPOREAE received fro1 Che arrange- sending statior ment by which => ' 100 to 150 mil h 4 BATTERY 1 this extraordi- 6rouno CONDENSER tant iry fact is reel Wiring Diagram of the Receiving Equipment Used: The Two ; a ica demonstrated is Vacuum Bulbs, Their Filaments Heated by Local Batteries and @ An enormous whe . Their Grids and Plates Connected to Transformer Windings, § 150 CAC mely sim- Amplify the Signals Received by the Human Antenna dry dock, 1, , ple, and involves ft. long, 133 ft whatever for the living Electrical connection is estab- lished by placing a few turns of copper wire, or a metal band, about the subject's irm, just above the elbow. This band is then connected to the primary of the re- no discomfort “aerial.” t io +g wide, and 42 ft. deep at high tide, is be ing built at St. John, N. B., by the Cana dian government. The dock, which will easily hold the largest ships, is so ar- ranged that a 650-ft. or a 500-ft. section of it may be used alone.

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T44 POPULAR MECHANICS VACUUM IN INTAKE MANIFOLD REGULATES NEW AUTO LAMP A tiny bellowslike device, located be- hind a pivoted reflector, serves to vary the Vacuum-Regulated Headlight: The Bellowslike Device for Tilting the Re- flector can be Seen on the Right elevation of the light projected by a recently developed automobile lamp. Normally, the reflector is tilted to throw light downward, a spiral spring holding it in this position, which is suitable for city driving, or when passing other cars. A control valve on the dash puts the ad justing contrivance into operation by con necting it with the motor intake manifold The vacuum in the latter contracts th regulator, which pulls the top of the re flector inward, so that a horizontal ray for road driving is cast by the headlight LAND VALUABLE RUBBER CARGO AT WESTERN-COAST PORT Laden with a record-breaking cargo of crude rubber, valued at $4,000,000, in ad dition to other goods worth $2,000,000, the recently completed steamer “West Hart land” returned not long ago to Portland Ore., from Singapore, whither the shi had sailed on its maiden voyage. ° So great was the need of eastern plants for rubber, that factory rep- resentatives met the ves sel when it docked, ex pedited the unloading ot the cargo and movement of the gum through the customhouse, and chat tered three special trains * to rush the big con signment across the con tinent. Fach train car ried approximately 1,350) tons, and was operated on a fast passenger schedule. The “West ; Hartland” was built in a Columbia River ship vard, a short distance fromthe city of Portland Rushing Singapore Rubber to Its Destination: The Upper Picture Is a Scene on the Docks at Portland, Oregon, Showing the Material being Unloaded from the Steamer “‘West Hartland.” Below can be Seen One of the Special Trains Used to Carry the Bales to Eastern Factories

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POPULAR MECHANICS eae er ae on Projecting, Tapered Rail Heads That Lie on Top of the Main-Line Rail Make This Emergency Cross-Ove: Installable without Cutting or Moving the Main-Line Rails. EMERGENCY RAILROAD SWITCH LEAVES MAIN LINE INTACT n emergency railroad cross-over, or tch, that is installed in a few minutes, thout cutting or moving the rails of the line, is the product of a Minnesota entor, and is already in use on some Che novelty of the device lies in iding the portable rails with project- ends, that lie on top of the outer in-line rail and serve to lift the wheels ist enough to clear their flanges in pass- over. Requisite lengths of standard with two of these bridge-over ends nd two pointed switch ends, compose a complete set for emergency installations. Wedge clamps hold the special ends against the main-line rails. The arrange- ment is useful not only in case of wreck, hut for temporary work camps and simi- lar enterprises. An effective rerail is also made, on the same principle. SHOWCASE LAMP SHEDS IMITATION DAYLIGHT That their customers may see for them- selves how the cravat, suiting, or other dyed fabric will appear in the sun- light, many mer- chants are finding a place in show- cases and display rooms for a new electric lamp which sheds a very satisfactory imitation sunlight. No colored bulbs or plates are used. The effect is ob- tained very sim- ply, by reflecting the light of an ordinary frosted bulb from bluish glass containing carefully selected pigments. The stand is painted a dull black. One of the Clamps Used Lies in the Foreground DRIED-FRUIT PRESS USES CAM INSTEAD OF SCREW ACTION An intelligent departure from the old- style screw press is the lever press now supplied to packers of dried fruit. In- When the Open Boxes are Placed beneath the Plungers, One Downward Motion of the Cam Lever Packs the Dried Fruit Tightly stead of slowly turning a wheel, the operator of this new mechanism simply pulls down a long wooden lever. A cam at the end of the bar converts this mo- tion into a powerful downward thrust of the packing plunger. Each press is built double, so that one box of fruit may re- main under pressure while a second is be- ing compressed, thus overcoming the fruit’s tendency to swell before the cover can be nailed on.

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746 POPULAR MECHANICS =e SUBMARINE ON TRIALS EXCEEDS ALL REQUIREMENTS SUBMARINE “AA-1,” the latest addition to the United States Navy, recently finished a most successful series of trials off the New England coast. While government specifications called for a surface speed of 20 knots (23 miles an hour), this was bettered by .75 knots. Submerged, it exceeded requirements even more satisfactorily by making 12.5 knots instead of the 11.5 demanded. These performances mark the “*AA-1” as one of the fastest ships of its class in the world. The length is 270 ft., beam 20 ft., and draft 14.5 feet. These dimensions practically triple those of the American undersea boats of twenty years ago. VOTE COUNTING MADE PUBLIC SPECTACLE The city fathers of San Francisco, Calif., tables on the floor of the great civic audi- will think twice before they again make torium to count the 100,000-odd votes. a Se . But the worker ' were far outnum- bered by the spec tators. To the num ber of 5.000 or more. these crowded into the building. It was intended that they should occupy the balconies, but they showed a preference for the aisles and doorways of the main floor, hindering clerks and _ officials The Votes are being Counted before a Huge Audience, on the Floor of the Great Audito- rium election returns a public spectacle. In the days be- fore a recent elec- tion, tickets of admission were granted to those who worked for the various can- didates. At 7:30 3 on election night, “ ._ aT 1,/00 clerks gath- In This Corner of the Huge Hall, Registration Deputies Computed Totals, with ered about small Adding Machines, for the Many Candidates

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POPULAR MECHANICS T47 their work. About nine o'clock the rowd pressed into the arena itself, and nacked itself thick about tables where re- turns indicated a close race among favor- candidates. At 10:30 the condition declared a nuisance, and the police vere ordered to clear the floor. PULL OF TEAM DUMPS NEW DIRT SCRAPER he contractor will be interested in a one-man dirt scraper that is dumped pressure of the hands on two trigger ns. The sides of the scraper are piv- ed to the ends of the iron yoke. When filled scraper is to be dumped, in sequence, the laborer does not throw er by a fatiguing lift of the handles. tead, he presses the two trigger grips. action draws the retaining pawls e from their slots on the scraper sides, and : permits the pull of the team to trip the : raper. In the same way the scraper righted. This convenient dumping The Simplest Form of the Self-Dumping Scraper is Pictured in Diagram at the Top. Below is Seen an Elaboration, Which Is Always in Scraping Position mechanism is also applied to a double- iy scraper, which, when dumped, is at nee ready for refilling. KITCHEN VENTILATING DEVICE INTENDED FOR RESIDENCES Though electric ventilating fans have heen used for a number of years by hotels and restaurants to expel impure air from kitchens, it was not until com- paratively recently that these devices were manufactured for installation in private homes. Among the new contrivances of the latter type now on the market is one designed to be placed in the upper sash of an ordinary window, and to be supplied with current through a_ plug-equipped cord, which can be attached to any con- venient light socket. A notable feature of this fan is an ingenious motor-cooling — Ventilating Fan: Two Installations are Shown. The Arrangement of the Cooling System can be Seen Below at the Right system, which includes a curved pipe, extending from the motor housing to the edge of the fan guard. Outside air is drawn into this duct, and passes over the motor before being discharged through holes in the front of the housing. PHOTOGRAPHER ADVERTISES BY FREE LOAN OF CAMERA Business-getting advertising is cleverly disguised as a generous otfer by an enter- prising west-coast photographer, who an- nounces, by means of an attractive sign, that he will lend cameras without charge to those who have their finishing work —— Advertising Sign Employed by a West-Coast Photog- rapher: fiis Patrons Need to Have Only the Inclination to Take Pictures done at his studio. The scheme has brought him considerable patronage, and has proved very profitable.

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GLIMPSES OF BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL FEATURES

Living Shoots, Growing from the Stump of a Storm. Felled Bay Tree, were . Transformed into a Com- Perched on Top of Two Grotesque fortable Shaded Seat by a Totem Poles, in the Garden of a Los Angeles Gardener Seattle Curio Collector, Is a Cosy | Buggy-Wheel Tires Hold Little Bird House, Whichis Always the Branches Apart Occupied, in Spite of Its Unusual Foundation

| Set in the Top Block of 5 ) | Handsome Concrete Post, <i the Rural Mail Box Is No SSS - is Tt ae — Longer an Unsight’? Fix- i : . ture in Front of the Country Counterfeiting Nature with Concrete: A Lawn Fish Pool in Dwelling, Though Its Use- Inglewood, California, Is a Remarkable Example of What can | fulness is Not Impaired in be Produced with Imitation Stone. Realistic Rocks and Logs, | the Least Degree. If De- a Giant Toadstool, and Several Big Bullfrogs, All Made from sirable, a Gate can be Hung This Material, Embellish the Rustic Basin }

on the Post

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TO BE SEEN NEAR HOMES AND IN PUBLIC PARKS

Cobblestones and Clinker Bricks, Bound with Cement, Form a Pair of Artistic Gateposts in a California City. The Jardiniéres, in Which are Planted Diminutive Pine Trees, are Made from Small White Stones

By Roofing the Branches of a ae —y <4 Dead Tree, and Building a Plat- An Enticing Spot on a Hot Summer Day Is the form Underneath, the Attendants Pergolalike Tea House on the Lawn of a Residence of a Cincinnati Park Provided at Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Eight Persons can be Served an Odd Home for Birds on the Suspended Table, Which can be Raised to the Top of the Structure When Not in Use |

Patients in a Los Angeles Sanitarium, Utilizing the Fronds of a Date-Palm Tree, Con- | structed Some Attrac- tive Flowerpot Stands for the Institution's Entrance Squirrel’s Winter Abode: The Gable-Roof Shelters are Nailed to Trees, About 15 Feet above the Ground, in a Large Public Park at Cin- cinnati

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750 POPULAR MECHANICS MOTOR PISTONS OF IRON MADE LIGHT BY SPECIAL DESIGN Automobile pistons of gray cast iron, so designed and treated that their light- comparable aluminum, are fitted to all makes of cars by a concern. ness is with being California extremely thin walls strengthened by accurately de- signed ribs, a special system of heat treat- ment. and careful machining combine to effect this result. Use of these piston the form of which is patented, is declared to accomplish a considerable -gain in power, economy, and life, by reducing vi- bration, inertia, piston and other ills.

“slap,” TWO DIRIGIBLES TO START CUBA-FLORIDA AIR LINE Daily dirigible service between Jack- sonville, Fla., and Havana, Cuba, is to be inaugurated, according to the plans of a famous American industrial corporation, as soon as the 50-passenger airships can be constructed. Two will be built, each 330 ft. long, and driven by Hispano-Suiza or Liberty engines at about 70 miles an

VOLCANO POURS MUD INTO VALLEY LIKE MU hour. Specifications call, also, for the provision in the passenger gondolas staterooms, dining saloons, and observa tion platforms. The proposed operatin schedule will require daily 20-hour tri; between the two cities, this time includ ing a 12-hour stop-over. Erection hangars at the terminals will probab! be begun soon, as options have alread been secured for the necessary land. 1 take charge of the air line the corporatio; has engaged one of the pilots who ticipated in the U flight. pa S. Navy's transatlant THREE-PART MEMORANDUM PAD NEW OFFICE CONVENIENCE Small sheets, bearing old or worthk notes, can be removed from a new tyy of memorandum pad, designed for th a ae ven DUuSiness man’s desk, wit! out damagit those still po sessing value. .Th block of paper divided into thre parts by tran verse cults, an<¢ perforated neat the left-hand side. An inclined metal base, shod with rubber, supports the pad and serves as a holder for a calendar o an advertisement.

SH INTO BOWL D'!GSGING into the volcanic mud and ash that covers their homes are seen the few inhabitants of Barranca Grande, a village near Vera Cruz, Mexico, who survived the earthquakes that recently rocked the regior Though the valley in which lies the village is here from four to five miles wide, the eruptions accompanying the disturbances filled the valley from side to side for many miles. forlorn diggers had yet to find a trace of their church steeple, which once rose 9 When this ——— was taken, the feet above the ground

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POPULAR MECHANICS 751 - ee. 4 Sete ffi iid APA FTL the Architect’s Drawing of the Gigantic Office Buildin Michigan: The Structure will Cover 155,000 Square DETROIT AUTOMOBILE CONCERN ERECTING HUGE BUILDING Stupendous figures must be employed to describe an enormous combination of- fice building and laboratory being erected in Detroit, Mich., for a large automobile- manufacturing company. The ground to be covered by the structure, 155,000 sq. ft., will be greater in area than any site in the world occupied by a similar building. The main portion, which will comprise 15 sto- ries above ground, and a basement, will be 250 ft. wide and 500 ft. long. Its entire floor space, 1,450,000 sq. ft., will be used for office purposes. At the rear of this structure will be located a four-story lab- oratory, 60 ft. wide and 500 ft. long. Fif- teen thousand tons of steel, 450,000 cu. ft. of exterior stone, and 10,000,000 brick will he incorporated in the building. It will have no less than 5,000 windows and 31 passenger and freight elevators. DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SPUR- GEAR TEETH FROM WEARING _ The wear caused by the combined slid- ing and rolling movement of engaged spur-gear teeth is declared to be prevent- ed by a simple appliance recently patented in Europe. A small metal block, convex on one side and flat on the opposite sur- ice, and a flat spring, with which the block is attached to the face of a driving- and Laboratory Now under Construction in Detroit, eet, and will Cost Approximately $10,000,000 to Complete gear tooth, compose the device. When a driving gear equipped with these blocks engages a driven gear, the flat side of the blocks slide first down, and then up on the faces of the driven gear teeth, while the convex sides act as surfaces on which the driving gear cogs roll as the gears re- volve. Thus the formation of a wedge of oil between the gear teeth is facilitated. The contrivance also can be applied to worm-driven gears. DISK OF THIN STEEL CARRIES 24 PHONOGRAPH NEEDLES A piece of paper- thin spring steel, stamped in the form of a wheel with 24 long, sharp teeth, - —— or points, around its circumference, is a mew and in- genious phono- graphic accessory. The wheel is car- ried on a little rod which is bent at right angles to fit | ee into the needle socket. Here it is held by the usual setscrew. A new “needle,” or point, is brought to playing position by the release of a clamping nut and washer. As the wheel is turned through a small angle, a spring pawl automatically posi- tions the next point. A stud on the twenty- fourth point prevents further turning.

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SOME NOVEL AND LITTLE-KNOWN ACCESSORIES ; POTATO . NE RIE, 28° 5:30 This Set of Knives, Each Designed for a Separate Pur- pose, Makes a Place for Itself in Any Kitchen. Confusion is Prevented by the Names on the Handles The Transparent Shade of This Odd Lamp is Rotated by Clock- work. The Pointer is Held Im- movable, and So Indicates the Hour and Quarter Hour on the Shade Rim Eyeglasses cannot be Broken in the Vest Pocket When the Case is Fitted with This Little Wire Stiffener. It Stige into Any Case of the Type ictured There fs Room for Just One under This New, Nonsymmetrical Sun- shade. It is Meant to Cover Only the Head, So Is Small and Made of i Less Fabric and Metal Than the This Coffee Percolator Con- Ordinary Parasol. It Is Particu- sists of Two Aluminum larly Convenient in a Crowd Containers, the Lower One Tapered to Fit Any Coffeepot. Boiling Water is Pouredin atthe Top le, e ee ae The Flat Bottom of This Heavy- Leather Hat Box is Provided with Loops through Which Straps may be Passed for At- tachment to the Running Board of an Automobile Opened, the Newest Camping Accessory Becomes a Table with Convenient Drawer and Tray Closed, It is Seen as a Box in Which may be Carried Provisions and Dishes. It may be Strapped to the Running Board or Trunk Rack / ty

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ance” INTENDED FOR THE HOME AND ITS MEMBERS This Nailbrush Has {pst One Row of Bristles. To Darn a Stocking with This Sewing-Ma- chine Attachment, the Housewife Stretches the Fabric as at the Upper Left, Then Places It beneath the Needle, as Below ; ertical Backing Alines the Nails So That All are Cleaned Simultaneously The Ang Table Lamp Becomes a Floor Lam hen Placed upon This ransforming Pedestal. The Neutral Finish Harmonizes with a Lamp Shade of Any Color The Upper Tray of This Shoe Cabinet Holds the Shining and Blacking Equipment. Use of the Polishing Rag is Made Easy by Provision of Rollers on Either Side of the Foot Rest ; f - Matching in Nov- elty the Lady’s Parasol at the Left Are These Two Cane Heads, Meant for the | paggg gt Same en. The Heads } are Carved in Many Forms, a Dog and a Rabbit being Pictured Here Dame Fashion’s Lat- est Caprice Is the Cane Parasol. When Closed, as Pictured Above, the Parasol is Carried on the Wrist, or is Swung as a Walking Stick WIDE WORLD PHOTOS This Water Heater Burns Kero. sene. The Two Coils are Heated by Powerful, Wickless Burners, Independently Controlled “

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T54 NEW ACCELERATOR FOR AUTOS MAKES OPERATION EASIER Foot accelerators, as commonly in- stalled in autos, keep the driver’s foot in a rather strained position, from which Above, Plan Diagram of Auto Front, Indicating How the New Accelerator is Installed: At the Left, Cross Section Showing the L-Head Form of the Accel- erator, Responding to Foot Pressure in Any Position rough roads are likely to displace it. A North Dakota inventor has just patented an accelerator whose pedal turns hori- zontally instead of pressing down. The driver's foot may therefore be kept on the floor in a position both restful and steady. Depressing the pedal also ac- tuates the accelerator if desired, and an adjustable stop is provided to limit the movement and consequent speed. An offset ring connects the rod with the car- buretor valve, so that moving the pedal either to right or left has the same effect. ELECTRICALLY OPERATED POT FOR MELTING METALS While recognizing the danger attend- ing the melting of lead, babbitt, and other similar metals or alloys with a gasoline torch, workers in the past have employed the device simply because no better means was avail- able. tlowever, this deficiency no longer exists, as there is now on the market an electric melting pot, which is de- clared to be per- fectly safe, and more convenient than the torch. A no- table feature of the new contrivance is the heating element, which is designed POPULAR MECHANICS to reduce automatically the current pass- ing through it, when the contents of the pot are melted, in this way preventing overheating. The device can be installed on a bench, or placed on the floor, and operated by an ordinary lighting circuit. AQUARIUM TO BE BUILT IN. GOLDEN GATE PARK Popular knowledge of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean and the inland waters of the Pacific coast is soon to be increased by the erection in San Francisco of a $250,- 000 aquarium, The site adjoins the loca tion of the museum now existing in Golden Gate Park. Present plans call for the usual complement of glass exhibition tanks within the building, and in addition, for outdoor pools in which will be: dis- played seals and other aquatic mammals found in western waters. SMALL BOTTLE CAPPER MADE FOR HOUSEHOLD USE For household, shop, and laboratory use is now made a little machine that caps a crown-finish bottle of any size. This adjustability is secured by mounting the seal- ing mechanism slidably on an up right standard. Application of the hand to the lever, clearly seen in the illustration, easily develops at th sealing head a pressure of 750 Ib Prior. to the downward stroke of the lever, the cap is held beneath the sealing head by a magnet. A coil spring raises the handl when pressure is removed. BOTULINUS GERM IS CULPRIT IN RIPE-OLIVE POISONING Enough fatalities have resulted in the past year from eating canned ripe olives to subject that food to careful scientific in- vestigation. Chemists now report that the poisonous element is the botulinu: germ, a ptomaine developed in decaying foods. This bacillus appears to have ex- traordinary vitality. It resists boiling for several hours, and steam at 15-lb. pressure

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POPULAR for 10 minutes does not kill it. Steriliza- tion an hour a day for three days, with the cans sealed between times, seems successful, as does the addition of more than two per cent of lemon juice and an hour’s bath in boiling water. Assurance that the fruit is perfectly sound before canning it is, however, the safest measure. ODD DIVISION OF TABLE TOP PERMITS CHANGE OF SHAPE There is an old puzzle in which a square is changed to a rectangle by dividing it along certain lines. An English inven- tor has designed a table on the same principle, so that } it may be altered from short and °- , | wide to long and , narrow at pleasure. | | ae | The top is divided by a zigzag or step-shaped cut, making a perfect joint in either position. Two of the legs are fixed, the other two being mounted on pivoted arms to adapt them to the change of form. The halves of the table lock together as rigidly as though the top were solid. PLACE UNUSUAL DANGER SIGNS ALONG OHIO HIGHWAYS Standardized signs for the guidance of motorists are being installed at points where they are necessary along certain much traveled Ohio roads. All the de- vices advise slower speed, and present the reason for this admonition in both let- ters and symbols. For example, the prox- imity of a school is announced by a sign that includes a picture of a schoolhouse. Railroad crossings, curves, crossroads, and other dangerous places are designated by appropriate boards. The contrivances are mounted on 7-ft. posts, which extend 4 ft. above the surface of the ground. State and inter-county highways are be- ing marked in an unusual manner, the signs used for this purpose consisting of outline maps of Ohio, inside which are painted the route numbers. MECHANICS 759 MEASURE AND OFFSET FUNNEL COMBINED IN NEW OIL VESSEL For the garage man or oil dealer is now made a copper-plated utensil that is at once an oil measure and an offset funnel. A brass valve, form- ing the connection between spout and container, is operated auto- matically as the spout is moved; when the spout is i= CLOSED STARTS a OPEN vertical, the valve is closed; when horizontal, the (Loo valve begins to e open, and in the last pesition pictured, full flow of oil is obtained. RADIATOR TOY 9 CLIMBS ROD AS AUTO RUNS A miniature airplane § that mounts a vertical rod as the auto mobile in- usual radia- tion. At any hour, wind slanting machine, and A rudder creases speed, is an un tor toy of recent inven speed over 15 miles an pressure against the wings will lift the little turn the tiny propeller. keeps the toy nosed ‘into The rod measures 14 in. and the upper wing of the plane is 8 in. from tip to tip. @The embalmed heart of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Po- lish patriot and aide to Gen. ‘| George Washing- ton, is to be returned to Warsaw, Poland. Tt will be recalled that when Kosciuszko died in Switzerland, in 1817, his body was taken to Poland, while the heart re- mained behind. Since 1887 the heart has occupied a place of special honor in a Swiss museum, the wind, in height, DANGER DANGER N [DANGER] [Go sto | GO 60 SLO | GO MSLO I 7 * Boom ROADS | fayenss Bec CURVE. || GOSLO | | | SCHOOL Ui Wy u U Oto Road Signs: Words and Pictures Clearly Indicate to the Passing Motorist the Need of Cautious Driving, or the Presence of Danger Ahead. At the Extreme Right is Shown a State and Inter-County Highway Marker

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756 POPULAR MECHANICS MECHANICAL SALESMAN CROWDS BUTCHER SHOP Clever both psychologically and me- will You Have for Sunday Dinner?” chanically is an advertising display which on recent Fridays and Saturdays has been Below this sign is a large vertical disk with a sector of 45° cut away. Seen on drawing passers-by to the window of a_ a shelf behind this gap is an answer to city meat market. In I: large letters that The Butcher Shop. Advertising Display is Shown Here in Front and Back View. The Driving Mechanism is Seen to be Quite Simple the query; perhaps it is a roast of beef with price shown con- spicuously. But this is only one of four solutions offered by the enterpris- ing butcher. As _ the crowd watches, the disk revolves through 90°, hides the roast, and ex- poses a plump fowl. After a moment’s display of the bird, the disk passes to the next exhibit, and so on. The actuating mech- anism is simple, involv- ing only an electric motor and a_ reduction gear. The intermittent action is obtained by filing most catch the eye of every passing housewife is the familiar and perplexing query, “What of the teeth from one of the gears, thus allowing it to idle during the greater part of its revolution. NEW ELECTRIC HOIST MADE FOR SEVEREST SERVICE For use in structural shops, foundries, and other industrial establishments where continuous rough service is demanded, One Section of the Hoist’s Dustproof Casing has been Removed Here to Exhibit the Wind- ing Drum, and the Threaded Shaft on Which It Moves. Other Working Parts Are ety Accessible there is now manufactured an electric hoist with* several noteworthy features. Fouling of the cable is pre- vented, for instance, by threading the winding drum on a statagmary shaft, and feeding the load cable through a bushing in the bottom of the hoist casing. As the drum rotates, it travels horizontally, in consequence, and the cable is always fed directly into its groove. The motor, gears, brake, and all other vital parts are in- closed, too, in a dustproof casing of di- mensions so small that it may be moved about in the most crowded quarters. In addition, motor and rheostat, each a unit, are readily accessible and easily removed. SAVANNAH RIVER FLOOD Floodwater in the Savannah River at Augusta, Ga., reached a height of 36 ft. a few weeks ago, affording the first real trial of the city’s new $1,000,000 levee, which withstood the test in fine shape. The large amount of property damage above and below the city demonstrated the value of the big water wall. Back- water at the hydroelectric plants up- stream caused so great a reduction of volt- age that ornamental and sign lighting, as well as a number of street cars and some industrial plants, had to be temporarily discontinued.

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7 of Operation rs a: gusttt ad . a NS “ wy uae * ll The New Channel Sweeper for Barge ; Canals Consists of Two Boats, 15 » Feet Apart, Joined by a Platform. {| |, The Rail That Sweeps the Bottom © is Suspended by Chains from This Platform and from Steel Tipping Bars at the Bows of the Boats. Winches Regulate the Rail’s Depth Fiat CHANNEL SWEEPER FOR CANAL-MAINTENANCE WORK By GORDON P. GLEASON HE maintenance of the New York State Barge Canal, and particularly of those portions of the new channel located in canalized rivers, will require much equipment not heretofore de- manded for the old canals, which were constructed on a different principle. Hence, the authorities of the state of New York have been giving the matter of maintenance equipment careful con- sideration and have found that, for the first few years of operation and until the rivers have adapted themselves to the changed conditions due to canalization, a considerable amount of dredging must be done each spring. As time goes on and the banks disturbed by recent excava- tions assume their natural slopes, the need of such dredging will become less. Investigations, however, show that with- in one year sufficient material may be deposited within the canal to make the available depth of water considerably less than the prescribed 12 ft. An example of this was found in the channel east of Oneida Lake. This was completed to a full 12-ft. depth in 1909, yet, in 1917, it was so washed in with sand that it was necessary to remove thousands of cubic yards of this material. To aid in the locating of such obstruc- tions, the state engineer has designed a novel channel sweeper, and boat builders have been asked to submit estimates as to the cost of these so that three of them may be placed on the canal in the spring. The new sweeper consists of two boats, each 18 ft. long and 6 ft. wide. These are placed 15 ft. apart and joined by timbers. An operating floor, 30 ft. long and 5 ft. wide, will be constructed near the stern, and suspended from this will be a 60-lb. rail, 30 ft. long, held by two chains at each end. These chains run through sheaves and are connected with winches to enable the operators to raise or lower the rail to any desired depth. Running from the bow of the sweeper to the rail are two other chains, one on each boat. These extend back to the rail and are held in place at the bow by a notched- steel tipping bar 4 in. wide. This is held in a slanting position on a block of wood. The free end of the tipping bar is weighted down by sandbags, while the notch at the other end holds the chain in place. The sweeper is to be towed through the channel at a very slow rate, the rail being lowered to a depth of 12 ft. When

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758 obstruction it will The pressure will the rail strikes an naturally swing back. pull the chain at the bow, tipping the bar and releasing the chain which will then have free play backward as it runs through a 5-in. sheave. As soon as the chain is released from the bow the tow- ing boat will stop and the operators will then raise the rail until it passes over the obstruction. By means of graduated rods which are securely fastened to the rail, the operator can determine the height of the obstruction by reading the figures on POPULAR MECHANICS the rods, whose upper ends run through 3-in. eyes fastened on the floor. If a sand bar of considerable extent is encountered soundings will be made from the sweepei to determine its extent. The barge canal has a minimum bot- tom width of 200 ft. in the beds of canal- ized rivers and lakes, and in using the sweeper the operators will mark the points where obstructions have been found with red-painted anchored buoys for the benefit of the dredge which fol- lows the sweeper.

SMALL AIR-PRESSURE GAUGE TESTS ENGINE VALVES The power of an automobile engine de- pends on the air-tight quality of its valves and pistons. An attachment for

Left, Top View, and Right, Sectional View of Air. Pressure Gauge for Discov- ering Leaky Auto Valves: ~<a The Chamber is Clamped to the En- gine Block and Air Pumped intoIt ‘}

testing this function has been devised by two Missouri inventors, who already have applied it to the improvement of a num- ber of cars. A small metal cylinder has a rubber-faced opening at the lower end, and an air gauge at the upper. At the side is a valve nipple, similar to that on a tire. The rubber-gasketed end is clamped solidly to the face of the engine block, over the valve to be tested, and air pumped in at pressure. A leaky valve is indicated by the gradual fall of the gauge pointer. SEVEN-SPEED MOTOR TRUCK TAKES HEAVY GRADES Two round trips from Oakland to Los Angeles, Calif., a total of 1,700 miles, on a road running from near sea level to 4,230 ft. above it, a speed of 46 miles an hour in places, and a final ascent of a 25-per-cent grade, marked the recent per- formance of a 3% to 4-ton truck. Its ability to handle all these conditions came from a special transmission, of five speed: forward and two reverse. No more gears are used than in the regular four-speed truck transmission, but a countershaft of ingenious arrangement gives a low-gear ratio of 3.13 to 1, decreasing the speed and increasing the tractive power 91 per cent. BOX GIRDER ON SHIP’S KEEL IS TUNNEL FOR PIPE SYSTEM With the use of oil fuel for marine propulsion, designers find it necessary to pierce repeatedly the transverse bulkheads of the modern steel ship to provide pas- sage for the many pipes required. This practice clearly lessens the efficiency of the bulkhead as a water-tight protective wall. To end this practice, it is now planned that a tunnel or passage be pro- vided from end to end of the ship’s bot- tom, forming a double keel that is really an enormous box girder. This construc- tion leaves the bulkheads intact; it also protects the pipes from damage, and makes them more accessible for inspec-

The New Double- lied Here to Two ransverse Frames Single Keel System is Ap- Different Types of for Ships with Bottom

tion. The rigidity of the girder adds to the strength of the ship, and lessens the danger of breakage on grounding.

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POPULAR MECHANICS FIND METHODS OF PREVENTING INJURY TO WALNUT TREES In early spring the tops of black-walnut trees are sometimes found to have been killed, the injury being called “die-back.” Investigations by a western university show one cause to be early fall frosts, which denude the young twigs, exposing them to subsequent sunburn. Stopping irrigation in the late summer remedies this condition by forcing maturity. Drought in winter may bring about the condition by drying out the shoots, the corrective measure being winter irriga- tion. Too high a water table, and alka- line soil or water, are other causes. ADJUSTABLE VALVE IS FUEL SAVER FOR OIL BURNERS For attachment to the oil burners used in machine shops, forges, etc., there has been invented a valve that delivers oil of any grade to the point of discharge in the quantity most effective at the mo- ment. Flexibility of control is of course the feature of the attachment. As the furnace or forge grows hot, for example, the valve opening is adjusted by means of OL INTAKE 7 AIR INTAKE The Valve has been Fitted, Above, to a Standard Oil Burner. The Discharging Head Is at the Right, the Regulating Handwheel at the Upper Left a small handwheel. Another adjustment permits the fireman to move the entire valve back and forth until in just the right relation with the burner face. WHIRLING KNIVES PEEL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES OF ANY SIZE Apples, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables of any size, are economically peeled and sliced at a speed of 20 to 22 bu. an hour by a machine of recent in- vention. The original apparatus has eight peeling units, but any number may be driven by a simple extension of the power 759 shaft. Each unit is composed of many small knives that form an upper and lower cup, adjusting themselves automatically to the shape of the fruit or vegetable. per Cups of the Peeling are Brought into Play as the Depresses the Foot Bar Below Machine Operator Placed by the operative in the lower cup, the apple, for instance, is held as in a clamp, while the upper knives descend upon it, revolve, and so remove one-half of the peel. Then the upper cup is used as a clamp while the lower knives revolve. Peeled, the apple is then ejected, and rolled past a cutting disk, which slices it to any desired size, and drops it through a chute. Meanwhile a stream of water has carried away the peelings. PATRIOTIC EMBLEM REPLACES VIOLIN SCROLL An American eagle’s head, carved from wood, and substituted for the scroll of his violin, is the unique manifestation of pa- triotic enthusiasm on the part of a Mis- souri druggist. Carved during the fer- vid days of 1917-18, the little object takes on even more interest when it is known that the carver is a direct descendant of Col. Samuel Washington, eldest full brother of General George Washington. The Eagle’s Head, Replacing the Scroll of the Violin, was Carved by a Direct Descendant of George Washington’s Eldest Full Brother

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CHILDREN’S PICTURE-STORY DEPARTMENT

Youthful Students in a Mechanical-Trades School at Kansas City, Missouri, are Building a New Assembly Hall for the Institution. Here can be Seen a Force of Amateur Brick Masons, None over 18 Years Old, at Work on the Structure

Two Notables: The Boy Is the Smallest Saxophone Player in the orld, and the Instrument Is the Largest of Its Kind Ever Manufactured. Both Appeared Re- cently at a Music Show in an Eastern a City

‘i : Electric Roller Skates: Cur- J a Sana <a —— : rent is Supplied to the Driving This 181-Year-Old Kentuckian Was a Small Boy When ¥- Motors by a Compact sng 28 George Washington Died, and His Age Prevented Him , Battery, Located between t . from Becoming a Soldier during the Civil War, but He Is Pair. The Speed -Reguraiine Still Very Much Alive, and Strong Enough to Turna Switch is Carried in the Wear- Grindstone for His Five-Year-Old Son er’s Hands Meas _

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OF MODERN Spirited Push-Ball Contests Afford Healthful Exercise,as Well as Exciting Sport, for the Little Boys and Girls Who FrequentGolden Gate Park, San Francisco ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS AShopping Basket on Wheels, Now Popular in London, Isa Real Convenience for Children Who Like to Deliver Their Own Parcels Pony-Power Airplane: Juvenile Pleasure Seekers Experience, in Imagina- tion, All the Thrills of a Real Flight When Riding along the Beach at Atlantic City in One of These Unusual Vehicles By Replacing Chairs with Rocking- Horses, a Children’s Barber Shop in New York has Rendered the Operation of Hair Cutting a_Pleas- ure, Instead of a Trying Ordeal, for Its Young Patrons

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162 POPULAR MECHANICS ROOF VENTILATOR SUCKS FOUL AIR FROM BUILDINGS Wind changes do not affect the opera- tion of a new roof ventilator, according r SS = aA i eee = } oe Down Drafts Are Impossible with This Roof Venti- lator. One of the Deflectors and the Arrange- ment ot the Device are Shown on the Right to the manufacturers, who claim several other advantages for the contrivance, which is designed to remove foul air from buildings by suction. Two deflec- tors are included in the device. One of these, placed inside the other, is intended to prevent down drafts. The outer de- flector is shaped so that it will not collect or retain snow, ice, or water. When a current of air strikes the ventilator, a vacuum is created, with the result that air is drawn through the pipe to which the appliance is connected, and is dis- charged outside. SHIFT OIL-BURNING VESSEL TO COAL IN FEW HOURS Several barrels of fuel carried by an \merican oil-burning ship on a recent trip to Africa were smashed by stormy seas and spilled their valuable cargo upon the troubled waters. When the vessel reached port, not enough fuel remained to run the donkey engines. With typical resourcefulness, the engineer cut some steel plates into grate bars, installed them on channel irons, built brick supports, and took out the fire-brick arches of the oil system. In 21 hours the ship was on its way, burning coal. At the nearest oil station, 1,000 miles away, it was changed back again with equal celerity by remov- ing the grate and replacing the arches. @Relayed by army airplanes, a govern- ment message recently was carried from srownsville, Tex., to Nogales, Ariz., 1,000 miles distant, in just 510 minutes. Not one mishap marred the performance. NAIL-KEG WATER TELESCOPE FINDS LOST BODY A nail-keg water telescope recently solved a mystery that promised to baffle the firemen and police of a Connecticut city. For two days these officials had vainly towed their grapnels over the weedy and invisible bottom of a deep pool outside the town, in search of a After Two Days’ Futile Dragging, the Pond Bottom was Inspected and the Body Found by Means of the Extemporized Water Telescope, Used as Shown Above suicide’s body. As a last resort, dynamiting was decided upon. At this juncture, however, a glimpse of an old nail keg on the shore recalled to one of the searchers a trick sometimes used by fishermen. He kicked the bottom out of the keg, and lowered it over the bow of a rowbveat When the lower edge was three or four inches below the surface, a coat was thrown over his head to exclude light from above and he peered down his improvised tele- scope. In a few minutes the body was seen in about eight feet of water. Torn weeds about the spot showed that the grapnels had often touched the body, but had as often been deflected by the sui- cide’s rubber raincoat.

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eid @ iA ry " ia " Shop 7 “f C) Stes I | \ \ HH] NA uw aT wer ) Slecinetien as to where to oviain any specince materials or parts for making objects described in the following pages may be had, on request, from our Bureau of Information.—Editor. A Clothesline Operated from the Window By FRANK E. LEITCH lil’ back-breaking work of hanging ash arm, and, if possible, clinch the pro- clothes on the old-style clothesline truding ends. Bend the strap iron into has been the means of bringing forth , —_ many devices to overcome the difficulties. FM [) 1 piece of strap iron, % 3% in.; 1 Sheee of ash, 1 by 1% by 36 in. POSITION WHEN CLOTHES entan. oF caves Fic.3 Fia.4 ; Set the clothesline hook in the window After the Clothes are Hung, the Rope is Merely Thrown frame, as shown in Fig. 1. Screw the over, a Hock, and ine, Wooden. Arm i Set ; me : A . three screw hooks into position on the ae ee a Se eee eee

the bracket form detailed in Fig. 4, and screw it to the window frame, as shown in Fig. 1, Place the device on the farther side of the window frame from the pole to which the line is attached; that is, if the pole ASH ARM is to the right, place the device on the A left side of the window, and if it is to o_o the left, at the right side of the window. To operate, draw the ash arm inward; place it on the bracket, as in Fig. 2, and hang the clothes in the usual way. When the line is filled, catch the rope over the central hook, and remove the arm from the bracket to the position shown in Fig. 3. Never try to remove the rope from the hook without first placing the arm on the bracket, as in Fig. 2. When the line is not in use, and wet ——* weather makes it necessary to loosen the — ae en ae rope, simply remove it from the central With This Simple Homemade Clothesline Holder, It hook, as in Fig. 1, and it will hang qane Is Not Necessary to Go Outside to Hang Clothes loosely.

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164 POPULAR Grinder Made from Churn Parts The hand grinder shown in the photo- graph was made from parts of an ordi- nary hand-power milk-churn frame. The Parts of an Old Churn were Utilized by a Farmer in Rigging Up This Hand Grinder, by Which an Abrasive Wheel was Driven at High Speed short shaft extending across the top of ‘the frame was removed and discarded. The dasher rod took its place, mounting on the nearer end the pinion which meshes with the large gear. The 3-in. bevel gear, which was formerly mounted on the end of the short shaft, was at- tached to the other end of the dasher rod, where it meshes with a small bevel pinion. The emery-wheel shaft is driven at high speed by turning the crank at a very moderate rate. The wheel can be changed for one of different size or coarseness when required.—L. M. Jordan, Wallace, Ala. Quick-Action Auto Jack For holding the wheels of a light auto- mobile off the floor so as to diminish de- preciation of tires, four jacks can be made, by a little labor, out of some pieces of heavy plank. These pieces are all formed to the fork shape illustrated, and two bolts are inserted; one at the top being merely to strengthen t he wood, and a heav- ier One at the bottom as a pin or pivot. This lower bolt runs also through the central piece of 1'4-in. lumber, the upper end of which is placed under the hub to be raised. This is done while the handle is lying on the floor; as the handle is lifted, the hub is forced up a short dis- tance, sufficient to take the weight off the FOR 30” TIRE Ei ~ Wy’ BOLT 1x8" PLANK MECHANICS tire. To insure against jarring the car loose from the jacks, tie a short piece of cord or rope around the handle and around the rim of the wheel; if it is de- sired to save the time of tying and untying the cords, some metal hooks can be added. The lower ends of the fork can be shod with strips of flat iron, or short spurs can be driven into the ends, if they show any tendency to slip.—E. E. Rhodes, N. Attle- boro, Mass. Zinc Strip Forms “Oilstone” A substitute for an oilstone that is not easily appropriated, or lost, consists of a strip of zinc or aluminum, attached to the edge of the workbench with screws, A paste of finely powdered emery or car- borundum and oil is smeared over the face of the metal. The small particles of abrasive become imbedded in the ma- terial, and cut as well as the average oil- stone. To Hold Center Punch Erect In laying off work in the machine shop for the drilling of holes, especially jigs and gauges, prick-punch marks are made reamnenne- where certain STEEL PUNCH lines _ intersect. Unless the punch is held perpendic- ular to the work, the mark will be slightly off its cor- rect position. The use of a _ center punch mounted in a base, as_ illus- trated, will cor- rect this difficulty. The base is a piece of mild round steel, turned down on one end, and knurled for a grip. A center hole is drilled through in which a steel center punch makes a sliding fit; the bottom is finished off true, perpendicular to the punch. A V-shaped slot, preferably cut with the sides exactly at right angles to each other, permits che workman to locate the punch point at the desired center. It is then struck with the hammer as usual. KNURLED FLAT BASE Removing Old Wall Paper A piece of wall paper which had re- sisted all common methods of removal, including water, hot paste, and scraping, was finally taken off by the use of a mix- ture of one part of fine sifted sand to

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POPULAR two parts of clay, reduced to a thin mor- tar by adding water in the proper amount. After lumps had been worked out of the mass, it was applied directly to the wall paper with a trowel. Two hours later the paper came off clean, an old butcher knife being used to separate the soaked paper from the wall. The process has been found successful even where several thicknesses of paper have been on the wall for years. The good results of this method are attributed to the fact that the water is applied constantly to the paper by the mortar, and soaks through it gradually. Cleaning Motion-Picture Frame One of the greatest difficulties of the moving-picture operator is keeping the frame of the macliine clean. An ordinary wire hairpin may be converted into a tool that permits cleaning while the machine is in operation. The hairpin is first straightened out, and about 1 in. is bent to form a right angle at one end of the wire. The other end is wrapped with insulating tape, to form a _ handle. Dirt that accumulates in the frame is easily hooked out, without shutting down the machine or interfering with the pic- ture.—Chas. F. Craig, Afton, Iowa. ™ wiRE HAIRPIN Ruler for Brush Work Straight lines can be made with a brush by using the device illus- trated. It com- prises two. ordi- nary rulers, fast- ened together with nails or brads. Fuse Casing as Box for Drills A strong and serviceable box for drills and taps may be made from an old 500- volt cartridge fuse. The screws are re- moved, the metal caps taken from the fiber tube, and the fuse terminals sawed off flush against the metal caps. After the interior of the fuse casing has been cleaned out, one of.the caps is replaced and attached with its screws as before; the other is fitted over the end and forms the cover of the box.—Bert Kretchmar, St. Louis, Mo. IECHANICS Faults in Concealed Circuits By proceeding as follows, much of th: time and annoyance usually experienced in locating trouble on concealed lighting ()< v4 . _ pret RECEIVER X -(o) 1A )} eo ~ + , LAMP c OUTLETS » ‘HOT SIDE » y, i (eo) (6 . —e J , TO LINE (nov) ‘FUSE BOX \ FOREIGN GROUND? A ay oo Receiver, Being Sensitive to Very Small Iternating Electromotive Forces, Is an Aid in Locating Faults circuits can be successfully ‘eliminated. The circuit grounded is opened at the most accessible place, preferably at the fuse cabinet. The “hot” side of the line is connected through a lamp to the bad wire. If the trouble is a short circuit, open only one side of the line, and in- sert the lamp, leaving the other side closed. There will then be a continuous flow of current through the lamp to the trouble. If an ordinary telephone re- ceiver is now connected in parallel with the bad wire at different points, as shown at A in the drawing, a sound will be heard in it, due to what is known as drop in potential. In other words, while most of the current flows through the wire, a small part of it will be shunted through the receiver, causing it to vibrate. When the tester has reached a point, as shown at B, flow will be direct to ground, and the receiver, having passed out of the par- allel circuit, will receive no current and produce no sound. Handle for Draftsman’s Scale A metal paper clip of the kind shown will prove quite a timesaver to the draftsman, if it is at- tached to his scale to indicate which set of graduations is being used at the time. @A new treatment for the “road hog,’ applied successfully by one motorist, is to carry a toy popgun in the door pocket, and when other measures have failed, fire it for the hearing of the delinquent. The latter stops to examine his tires, while the owner of the popgun moves past.

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-2 oO o Straightening Connecting Rods sent connecting rods are often respon- sible for automobile-engine knocks. An explanation of this can be seen in Fig. 1. DISTANCE ROD SLIDES SIDEWISE—~ a teat SS e iil \ ket | — BENT CONNECTING ROD — CRANKSHAFT en be Fic. :errect OF BENT CONNECTING ROD EXPLOSION STROKE INTAKE STROKE PISTON PUSHING ROD ROD PULLING PISTON —~———} - ‘ GAUGE OF STEEL ROD FOR ' ff——— TESTING PARALLELISM OF ROD ENDS MANDRELS BENT CONNECTING ROO Fig.2: TESTING FOR BEND POPULAR MECHANICS Fig. 1 Shows How a Bent Connecting Rod Produces Knocks in an Automobile Engine, While Fig. 2 Illustrates a Test for Alinement During the explosion stroke, the piston pushes the rod, while during the intake stroke, the rod pulls the piston. When the ends of the rod are not in alinement, the rod slides sidewise on the wrist pin and crankshaft during the explosion stroke, and in the opposite direction on the intake stroke, due to the pressure of the explosion, in one case, and to the vacuum pressure pulling the piston up- MANDRELS STRAIGH TEDGES TESTING ON SURFACE LATE WITH STRAIGHTEDGES FOR ST CONNECTING ROD Fic. 4: STRAIGHTENING ROD iN VISE WITH BLOCKS Twisted Connecting Rods can be Tested as in Fig. 3. A Vise and Blocks are being Used in Fig. 4 for Straightening a Bent Rod ward, in the other. This produces noise, and wears the parts unevenly, thus doing its .part in shortening the life of the car. To test the rods, two mandrels of the exact diameter of the rod bearings are inserted, as shown in Fig. 2. A gauge made from a piece of steel rod is used to determine whether the mandrels are the same distance apart on both sides of the rod. If they are not, the connecting rod is bent. To determine whether the rods are twisted, a surface plate and two straightedges are employed. The straight edges are placed edgewise on the plate, as indicated in Fig. 3, and the rod, equipped with mandrels as in the first test, is placed on them. Distortion is indicated if the mandrels do not rest firmly at four points. ; A strong vise and several small blocks are useful in straightening connecting rods. The method by which this is done can be seen in Fig. 4. The blocks can be arranged differently, according to the distortion of the rod. After pressure is applied, the rod is tested. It may be necessary to perform the straightening operation several times to obtain satis- factory results. Stump Burner from Old Boiler The drawing shows a simple arrange- ment for burning stumps, made from an old range boiler. The ends are cut off and the boiler is cut to the length desired. A sheet- iron cone, to which is attached a length of stove- pipe, is riveted to the upper end of the boiler. At the bottom a hole is cut and a door made to fit, which is riveted to the boiler. To operate this burner, oil is poured over the stump, and_ the burner is set over it. The fire is set off at the bottom door, which is then closed. Earth is piled around the bot- tom to prevent entrance of air at this point. The increased draft obtained by an apparatus of this sort speedily burns out the stump, and even much of the larger root system.—Wm. E. King, Mon- essen, Pa. Fy

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Hand Truck for Towing Car An automobilist had the misfortune to skid and break one of his rear wheels. As it was impossible to tow the car thus crippled, he borrowed an ordinary hand truck, such as used for handling ireight. After jacking up the rear axle he placed the truck under it. The jack was removed and the truck handles were raised against the underside of the running board and held with ropes—James E. Barkly, De- troit, Mich. Fender for Yacht Tenders Every boatman soon learns the impos- sibility of effectively fastening a rope fender along the gunwale of his tender. One of the best fenders is made 4 of strips of car- / pet, heavy canvas, felt, or uphol- sterers’ webbing. The . strips, cut to the required width, are sewed end to end until the piece is long enough to go entirely around the boat. The strip is stretched long the gunwale and across the tran- som, making a complete circuit of the hoat. Copper or galvanized tacks, about 1 in, apart, hold the fender in place. Two or more layers may be used, so that when the outer strip becomes worn or dam- aged, the other layers will not need to be disturbed—Wm. F. Crowell, Providence, Rhode Island. HEAVY CANVAS, Fd /f ¥ rd Repairing a Printing-Press Cam _ After years of wear, a cam on a print- ing press became worn to such an extent that its operation was jerky and extreme- ly noisy, ing the press had gone out of business, and it would have been necessary to have a new cam made to order at heavy ex- pense, a simple and economical repair was effected. The exact location of the rough spots was accurately ascertained and the places marked. Then, with a hammer and cold chisel, the bumps were chipped down level with the rest of the cam sur- face. Removing these rough places not only eliminated the noise, but improved the operation of the press to a surprising extent. POPULAR MECHANICS As the company manufactur-, 767 Cement-Sidewalk Drainage Proper drainage of cement sidewalks is a problem in many localities, as puddles CEMENT WALK ORAIN CMANNEL (RON Good Sidewalk Drainage, without Inconvenience to Passengers in the Automobile, is Provided by a Drain with a Channel-Iron Bridge across It of water, gathered on the cement, make bad walking in the rainy season. It has been found effective to form a cement drain channel, as illustrated, along the side of the walk next to the property line, and to keep this channel clear of dirt so that the water can flow along it to a drain pipe. Where automobiles drive over the drain to reach a private driveway, a piece of channel steel of proper size should be inverted in the drain so that cars can drive over it without a jolt. The steel is not fastened down, and can be lifted readily to clean out dirt. It can be pre- vented from moving endwise by properly forming the cement—S. E. Gibbs, Ames, 4 Quickly Replaced Steam Joint The sketch shows a joint that is suit- able for connecting a pipe with a steam boiler or an air tank. It can be Goon mre broken or re- Y placed easily and quickly. The studs are screwed per- manently into the boiler plate, and the joint is made tight by turning the nuts. If nec- essary, the flange can be set at a small angle to the boiler plate, as the ball joint between the latter and the flange fits in different positions, and will continue tight, even when the angle is varied. WASHER BALL JOINT

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(68 POPULAR Offset Wrenches for Removing Connecting Rod The drawing shows a set of two wrenches which will be very useful to the garage mechanic. The dimensions given kK—3”° —>» aT 1 COLLAR ~ 2-24 ! MACHINE SCREW 3g END VIEW OF SOCKET x t WASHER ‘ / FRAME maces: gXtK3" {RON PIN GEARS TO SHAFT 14” BUSHING IN CENTER GEAR | DRILL AND TAP FOR 12-24 MACHINE SCREW as A Fic. 2: Fic.}:. STARTING WRENCH SPEED WRENCH Two Special Wrenches, Readily Made in the Mechan- ic’s Spare Time, will Save Him Much Time and Trouble on a Job Frequently Encountered are those applicable to the job of remov- ing the fourth connecting rod in a popu- lar make of automobile engine. Such a set of wrenches will be useful, however, in many other places where it is impos- sible to reach a nut or bolt head with an ordinary socket wrench. The simpler wrench, shown in Fig. 1, is used to start the tight nut. To make it, draw a full- size pattern on a piece of paper, and use this as a guide in forging the wrench from a piece of pipe or tubing. bee socket itself can be formed by driving a hexagon head into the end of the t tine g, while hot. The speed wrench, shown in Fig. 2, is made from an ordinary cheap brace wrench. Cut this tool in two with a hacksaw, about 3% in. from the wrench end. A collar is first pinned onto this short piece in the position illustrated, to take the end thrust when using the wrench. Then shape the two frame pieces, which are identical and have holes at the ends to make a good running fit on the wrench shafts. The center hole takes a machine screw, which forms the shaft for an intermediate gear. The two other gears make a tight fit on the shafts, and are pinned to them. The easiest way to do this well is to drill a small hole lengthwise, half in the gear and half in the shaft, then press in a tight-fitting pin. For the center gear a bushing must be made, a trifle longer than the gear, to prevent binding when the screw is tight- ened. MECHANICS To use these wrenches for removing the connecting rod, place the rod at the top of its stroke, remove the cotter pins, and loosen the nuts with the first wrench. Then spin them off with the second one. The whole operation should not take over 10 minutes.—Vernon Orr, Pomona, Calif. Waterproofing Blueprints Two pieces of muslin are soaked in melted paraffin and allowed to cool unti the wax hardens. To waterproof the blue- prints, they are placed between the two pieces of muslin, and a warm iron is passed over them. This melts some oi the paraffin on the cloths and causes it to be absorbed by the paper. Funnel Attached to Neck of Bottle Convenience in handling bottles in the laboratory, which are used for storing rea- gents, will be pro- moted by fitting each of these bot- tles with a funnel mounted on a metal clamp, as shown in the illus- }* tration. alae \ SOLDERED TO FUNNEL. Temporary Plug for Stay Hole in Boiler Shell It had been observed that water was trickling down under the shell lagging of a boiler, about a foot below the level of the com- bustion - chamber top. The lagging ZF —\., Was stripped off, ough SA) and there. wa: found to be a (ie COPPER leak from the tell- tale hole in one of the combust-on- chamber stays, de- noting a_ broken stay. The usual remedy for this, when under steam, ts to drive a taper pin into the hole, cut it off flush, and rivet it over, to stop the leak until the boiler can be shut down and the stay renewed. In this case, on riveting ‘the pin, the stay started to leak around the edge; calking was tried. but ‘ “TAPER OF BOILER Bow this operation failed to make it tight, so - ~en

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it was decided to cut the boiler out. To attain this end, the fires were drawn and the feed check valve opened up, lest the stay should blow out before the pressure was off the boiler, and cause an accident, as it now seemed quite loose. In about an hour and a half, the pres- sure was off the boiler and all shut down; then a few blows from a hammer knocked the broken stay into the boiler, as the body had broken and sprung out of line. As the thread in the shell plate was gone, putting in a new stay meant tapping the hole a size larger, which is not always , successful operation, so we resorted to the following, shown in the accompanying drawing. A taper bolt, large enough to pass through the hole, was found and threaded up to within 1% in. of the large end. This was inserted in the hole, and a piece of copper pipe, the same size as the hole, was placed over the bolt, like a sleeve, projecting a little on either side of the plate. A washer and nut were then put on, and the whole screwed up tight with 4-ft. lever on the wrench. The harder it was screwed, the tighter it became, un- til it seemed solid. The boiler was filled up to working level and the fire rekindled; there was not a drop of leakage from the repair—W. R. Calver, Brooklyn, N. Y. Gauge-Glass Reading Made Easy It is very difficult to make an accurate reading of a water gauge located in a dark corner of the boiler room. To overcome this difficulty, attach a strip of white Bristol board, painted with heavy, diagonal black and white lines, behind each of the gauge glasses. As illustrated in the pho- tograph, the water in the glass will cause the diag- onal lines to appear approx- imately horizontal. Look- ing at the glass from any angle, the water level can thus be plainly distin- guished, even in locations where lighting is poor. ‘ Kelle” Ye * \: N N N N \ CA safety kink for smokers, which may prevent many a fire, is to form the habit of holding the cigar between the second and third fingers when lounging about the home or club. Then, if one dozes off, the cigar will not drop to the floor. POPULAR MECHANICS 769 Trucks on Runways Unload Cars Caught short-handed and with pros- pects of demurrage charges for holding up the freight car, a contractor had to ———— The Unloading and Mendiing of Heavy and Bulky Materials is Facilitated by This Simply Constructed Gravity Unloader devise some means of unloading a car of cement without loss of time. The situa- tion was met by the gravity unloader il- lustrated, which was built on the spot. The track and car of the unloader are substantially constructed of wood. The cars are joined together by a rope, which passes over a pulley at the upper end of each track. The weight of the loaded car hauls the empty car up the incline, to be reloaded. The tracks may be elevated, so the loading may be done directly from the freight car to truck or platform.— Chas. Brocksmith, Bicknell, Ind. Protecting Checks with Red Ink A simple method of protecting checks is to write the amount in red ink on the signature line, and to sign the name in black ink over this. The remainder of the blank is filled in with black ink in the usual manner. While both the amount and signature are legible, it is almost im- possible to change the former withoue affecting the latter.

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Methods in Drilling Slate, Marble, and Glass tl OR electrical workers the process of drilling holes in slate and marble is quite an important one, for this work is encountered on almost every installation job. Knowledge of proper tools and ma- \ \ BALL BEARING CASTERS ” 2 A Firmiy Mounted Power Drill, Together with a Rigid Table, Preferably without a Top, will Give the Most Rapid and Satisfactory Results in Drilling Slate and Marble nipulation to give best results in this work is not, however, as widely understood as its importance would seem to demand. Holes that must be drilled in these ma- terials consist mainly of, first, small holes about ¥ in. in diameter and 1% in. deep, which are plugged with lead or wood to form supporting points for screws hold- ing cleats, and, second, the larger holes which are drilled entirely through the panels to accommodate terminals or con- ductors that must extend through from face to face. Even when the best practice is followed, drilling slate will usually be found to re- quire 50 per cent more time than a similar job in iron, and twice as much metal will be worn from the drill. Moreover, the drill used for slate will frequently over- heat and lose its temper, and wil! require frequent regrinding. For small holes up to 1% in. in diameter, the ordinary bit brace can be used with satisfaction, in connection with the ordi- nary twist drill. However, for cleat screw holes about % in. in diameter, it is pref- erable to use a geared-up brace drill. os (Copyright. By C. V. RADLEY Such a tool may indeed be found better than the bit brace for any work where either would be applicable. But with both of these devices there is difficulty in re- taining the drill in accurate alinement. The drilling rig suggested in Fig. | maintains the drill and the panel rigidly in position, and therefore produces more accurate as well as more rapid work. A blacksmith’s drill can be purchased for the purpose, for about $10, if it is not de- sired to invest a larger sum for a more permanent outfit. Hand power is satis- factory where no great amount of work is to be done, but for economy in a larger job, a 1-hp. motor should be provided, with the drill geared to a speed of about 175 r.p.m. A heavy table is to be desired; if it is made without a top, as shown, there is no danger of injury to it when the drill comes through the work. Sub- stantial ball-bearing casters should be set in each of the legs, so that the table can be quickly moved. This kind of work has also been done with a suspended drill, as shown, and without any table at all; the panels were simply laid on the floor and the drill mounted on a hanger piece, a few inches above the floor. For laying out the holes to be drilled, an indelible pencil and a prick punch are convenient. Holes not exceeding %e in. in diameter can be made with one drilling. For holes up to % in. in diameter, two drillings are usually required, and for those up to 1'% in., three drillings should be expected, unless a special boring tool is used, as described below. There are two reasons why the large drill must be pre- Y Yt Uy Yi Y YJ Y MAM Yj YéMitiii BROKEN-OUT EDGES ‘SLATE PANEL Fic. 2: EFFECT OF CARELESS DRILLING CAST-IRON cAsSiNG ~™ SLATE BEING _ DRILLED YYy Y Ld Figs. 2 and 3 Ilustrate the pees Which the Drill Hole Is Likely to Assume with Improper Methods, and Also a Means of Aveaee Irregularities Such as This All rights reserved) Fic.3: aim BLAST | wile a

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Seer trad POPULAR ceded by a small one: First, the small hole serves as a guide for the larger drill; second, and probably more important, the small hole provides an exit for the slate dust cut off by the larger drill. It is good practice to bore through first with a %4-in. drill, unless the ultimate hole is of a quite large diameter, in which case a %-in. drill may be used first, followed by the boring bit described below. Where great accuracy is necessary, and no drill press is available, it is probably best to start with a %-in. drill, using then a %4-in., and afterward as many drills as necessary, each 14 in. larger than the preceding one, until the required diameter has been ob- tained. This is, in fact, the most rapid method as well as the most accurate, un- less mechanical power is available. The result of failure to observe proper precautions in drilling these materials is shown in Fig. 2, A hole with a somewhat funnel-shaped top and a broken-out bot- tom will usually result, and it is likely to be not exactly circular. It can, where necessary, be trued up with a rat-tail file, and the chipped or broken-out bottom edges can be filled with plaster of Paris. But for high-class work, it is much better to avoid entirely these badly shaped holes. Besides the method of repeated drillings outlined above, the air-blast arrangement of Fig. 3 has been tried out and found successful. The air blast effectively dis- perses the slate dust, keeping even rela- tively large holes clean enough so that the work can be accomplished with one drill- ing, even without the necessity of raising the drill to clear off the dust. The air blast is, however, rather expensive to in- stall and maintain, and has not, so far as the writer is aware, ever been generally adopted. It is almost impossible, too, to make the casing around the nozzle so tight that the slate dust will not be blown out into the atmosphere, interfering with other work. The more practical methods, therefore, lie in the direction of proper grinding of the drills, though it is neces- sary in using them to remove the drill trom the hole at frequent intervals, and even to lift the dust out of the holes with a little spoon-shaped tool. Of the several forms of cutting tools which can be used for making holes in slate or marble, the three most important ones will be considered here: the flat drill of Fig. 4; the twistdrills of Figs. 5 and 6, and the boring bit of Figs. 7 and 8. The flat drill shown in Fig. 4 is a sort of makeshift tool. Although not an eco- nomical one, it has the advantage that it can be forged by any blacksmith from MECHANICS w71 hexagonal tool-steel stock, which is nearly always available. It appears to work to the best advantage if the two cutting edges are ground to the angles given. This seems to promote clearance, thus giving better results, even though only SQUARE SHANK FOR BIT BRACE ) ORILL GROUND TO SPECIAL ANGLE Fia.4:FORGED FLAT DRILL Fia.6: SPECIAL TWIST DRILLS Figs. 4 and 6 Show Drills Which Are Applicable to the Smaller and Less Elaborate Jobs one of the two edges actually does cut- ting work. The twist drill of Fig. 5 is of the com- mon type, except that its flutes are 50 per cent wider than those in the ordinary twist drill, to provide for plenty of room in which the slate dust can rise. This form of drill has been tried out in several instances, and the wide flutes seem to give a decided advantage in slate and marble cutting. It has been found, however, that the angles at which the cutting edges are ground also have a great deal to do with successful operation. The ordinary 59° drill requires careful hand feeding, and after it has been used a few times, it will be found that the pulverized slate has formed into hard cakes in the flutes of the drill, and that considerablt heat has been developed. Of course, even with a prop- erly ground twist drill, it is necessary to have the guide hole, as previously de- scribed, in order to dispose of dust, but it is found that if one of the cutting edges of the drill is ground off to an angle of about 48°, as shown to the right in Fig. 6, the results are decidedly better. This, of course, leaves but one cutting edge on the drill, as in the case of the flat drill already mentioned, but plenty of room is provided under the 48° edge for slate dust to slide around and fall out, and the material is,

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772 POPULAR MECHANICS to a considerable extent, prevented from binding in the flutes of the drill; the num- ber of times it must be lifted out of the hole can thus be reduced to:a minimum. FORGED 70 FIT CHUCK S_ PANEL GUIDE ROD Fic. 8.0PERATION OF BORING BIT GUIDE ROD Fig. 7:BORING BIT Figs. 7 and 8 Show the Construction and Operation of a Boring Bit, for Use on Larger Jobs of Drill- ing, and Where High-Quality Work is Required When the 39° edge is worn down so that it is no longer useful, this edge is ground to 48°, and the other is ground to 59°, This alternating of the cutting and clear- ing edges is continued as the drill is con- sumed. It is not practicable to employ auto- matic feeds for drilling in slate and marble: the operator must be constantly on the alert, with his hand on the feeding wheel or lever, ready to pull out the drill ‘if it clogs. Nor is it possible, so far as has been discovered, to prevent the “burn- ing up” of the cutting edges of drills. A compizratively high expense in grinding drills must be expected. High-speed steel drills have been tried for slate and marble, but they have not been especially success- ful. Too much speed seems to burn these drills just as quickly as the common ones. An experienced operator can almost en- tirely avoid the chipping out of material when the drill comes through, as illus- trated in Fig. 2. Such an operator will put on a strong feed until the hole is al- most through; then he proceeds cautious- ly and carefully. With the special drill ground to 48°, it is possible to use a heav- ier pressure without chipping out the slate. The angle should, however, not be less than 48°. Another . method of grinding a twist- drill point for slate and marble is shown at the left in Fig. 6; it consists in grinding a notch into the center of the drill point. This has never been given a trial by the writer, but it would appear that it ought to work satisfactorily. Two small drills for guide holes are required, both of the same size. One has the ordinary point, and is used to start the hole; the other has the notch cut in its end. After the guide hole has been completed, the large drill, also notched, is fed through. For large holes, about 1% in. in diam- eter, twist drills can no longer be used ef- fectively. The special boring tool, shown in Fig. 7, should then be employed; it is not a commercial product, but can readily be made in the shop. A %-in. hole is pro- vided for a line guide; this maintains the boring bit in correct and rigid alinement, as shown in Fig. 8. The cutting portion of the tool is forged from tool steel, with a shank to fit the drill-press chuck. A tool of this type will work accurately without creepage. It will, when necessary, bore a hole which intersects another one; this cannot be done with a tool which has no guide rod to prevent creeping. Drills operating on slate or marble should always be lubricated with plenty of water, it being the practice in certain cases to keep a stream of water playing into the hole, and onto the drill. This tends to keep the slate dust washed out of the hole, and keeps the drill cool. It is claimed by some that the addition of am- monia to the water, when used as a lubri- cant for drilling in slate, will make 77 wi /! SHARP _— FACET the drill take hoid "ees S_; ¥ | — Point and cut very Ze) rapidly. Ze It is sometimes [———44-— necessary for the electrical wireman to bore small holes through class. This is readily done by means of a driil made like that in Fig. 9. An old three-cornered file, with the end broken off, is ground down to a facet point. The three faces are whetted on an oilstone until the edges are very sharp, and the tool is fitted into a wooden handle. The glass to be drilled should be laid on a horizontal surface, with a pad of blotting papers or néwspapers under it, to prevent breakage. The drill should then be dipped in turpentine, and, held perpendicular to WY ANY Fig. Q:oniiL FOR GLASS erate

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POPULAR the glass, slowly rotated with considerable pressure. Apply plenty of turpentine to the front of the drill with a feather, while operating. The outer surface of the glass will soon be pierced, and progress will then be more rapid. When the drill is nearly through, turn over the glass, and MECHANICS ~? -~? Ce complete the hole from the opposite side. A broken-off twist drill, tempered glass- hard by heating to a cherry-red and then plunged into a block of sealing wax, is also useful for drilling glass. It can be used in a bit brace or breast drill, and like the file drill should be kept very sharp. Make Bolts; do Not Buy Them The farmer can avoid keeping a large stock of bolts for repair purposes, if he will provide himself instead with a set of bolt dies and a die stock, together with an assortment of ordinary round bar iron. By threading both ends of a piece of iron ot the proper length, and running nuts on both ends, a very good bolt for emer- gency repair is quickly made. Stick Depresses Auto Pedals When the automobile repairman is working at a one-man job which requires a continued depressing of one of the pedals, a notched stick, such as the one shown in the drawing, will be found NOTCHED STICK almost indis- pensable. The end of the stick, bearing against the seat, should be pointed so that it can be set in the angle between seat and floor, to pre- vent its slipping up- Closet for the Ironing Board When the iron- casina— ing board is p66. we if hinged to the wall L of —an arrangement v3 found convenient in many house- holds—it is a good plan to provide a separate closet for it. This may be an opening be- tween two of the studs, lined with thin boards, with an outer frame, and a door with suitable hinges. , 4” DEEP >4 eS od oe ee tRONING BOARD To insulate the wheel handle of a steam valve, wrap the rim with a hemp cord, or old clothesline. Wire the ends to the wheel with light galvanized-iron wire. One-Man Truck Moves Gas Engine The usefulness of the gas engine of small horsepower is increased many times 4" IRON PIPE, I2" LONG STRAP IRON BENT FOR BEARINGS ROLLER The Foundation Timbers of a Light Gas Engine can be Utilized to Form a Truck for Moving It over, if one man can move it easily to where the power is needed. A roller ap- plied as shown is almost as handy as a truck for moving, and the cost is almost nothing. A piece of iron pipe is fitted with hardwood plugs, driven in tightly. Bore a hole in the exact center of the ends of the plugs, a little smaller than the rod, and drive in the rod as shown. Most small engines come equipped with wooden bed members, or these can be prepared of hard wood and the engine mounted upon them. Round off both at one end to form handles, and attach the roller to the other end, using two pieces of strap iron bent as shown. These serve as bear- ings for the axle rod.—Jas. P. Lewis, Golden, Colo. A Noncracking Binders’ Glue The ideal glue for coating the edges of pads is one that dries quickly, but will not crack and allow the pad to come apart. To make such a glue, strip the composition from old printers’ rollers, and cut it into small pieces. The roller com- pound is placed in a kettle, and gently heated until dissolved, when it is applied to the edge of the pads with a brush. On hardening, this glue is tough, pliable, and immune to cracking. It is handy for the small print shop when a lot of forms or letterheads is to be padded.

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POPULAR MECHANICS Clover-Seed Scarifier Clover seeds are protected by a thick coat, which makes the penetration of moisture slow, and thus germina- were vet AGITATORS INSIDE DIMENSION P OP BOX 8X8" “x4 NAIL LINED 5 BOARDS - REVOLVING BOX ra N AGITATORS Scratching the Thick Outer Covering of Clover Seeds Permits Moisture to Penetrate, and Facilitates Germination tion is retarded. By mechanically scratch- ing, or scarifying, the seeds, germination is not only facilitated, but a larger num- ber of seeds will germinate. The illustration shows a scarifier, con- structed from odd materials found about the farm. When the box has been com- pleted and the four agitators put in posi- tion, the whole inner surface is covered with coarse sandpaper, using glue to hold it in place. A suitable stand for the box is made as shown. The crank is of heavy wire, bent to shape and fastened to the box with staples. A wire nail serves as an axle for the opposite end. In use, the cover is raised and the box half filled with seed to be treated. The lid is hooked, and the scarifier is revolved slowly from left to right. A few min- utes’ operation will be enough to scratch the surface of the seed sufficiently. Some seeds require more treatment than others, especially sweet-clover seed, which is per- haps the most heavily coated. The scari- fied seeds may be inoculated with liquid cultures, if desired —B. Francis Dashiell, Dunkirk, Md. Fence Posts from Boiler Tubes An idea gleaned from the railway con- servation campaign is the use of tubes from old boilers as fence posts. The tubes, which are commonly about 214 in. in diameter, and 18 or 20 ft. long, are cut SANDPAPER: to length either under a power shear or with an oxyacetylene torch. If shears are used, the ends of the tube are flat- tened by the shear to about the proper form, but if a gas torch is used, the ends are flattened down under a power ham- mer, or by hand hammering. This flattening of the ends is done in order that the post may be driven more easily into the ground. The drilling of the small holes, to receive the wires for at- taching the fence, completes the post, unless it is to be painted, in which case it is generally dipped in a tank of heavy roofing paint. Self-Supporting Window Cards One merchant, who used window show cards by the thousand, adopted the method of cut- ting the cards in quantity to the shape in the dia- gram, and _ bend- ing them on the dotted lines, so that the ends of the card formed supports. Nocut- ting or gluing was necessary / with this scheme. “™_;: an Drawer Takes Place of Dustpan BEND ON ‘ DOTTED LINES To avoid the trouble of using a dust- pan every morning to remove floor sweep- ings, a hole may be cut in the floor near a corner, where it will be out of the way. It may be covered with an oak grating of the kind used over the cold-air (SAseecene ! “GRATING 7FLOOR Yi = Nik sii A Drawer beneath the Flooring, Covered with a Grating, Saves Many Trips to the Ash Barrel BRIDGING vents in a furnace-heating system. The grating fits between two joists, with a small drawer beneath it, so that the sweepings may be removed by way of the basement once a week.

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POPULAR MECHANICS Leveling Automobile Springs When an automobile spring is broken, and a new one ts installed, the probability is that it will be so much stiffer than its older mate that the car tilts to one side, giving it a decided list to the side sup- ported by the old spring. The difference in height thus caused is usually about an inch; when the exact distance is found, a remedy is provided by inserting a wooden block of that thickness under the old spring. Longer spring clips may be re- quired to allow tor the thickness of the block. Owing to the compressibility of the wood and the possibility of wear, the clips under the raised spring should be tightened frequently —G, I. Collins, New York, N. Y. Amber Spectacles as Ray Filter \mber-colored serve as a ray spectacle lenses wil! filter if one of them is fastened over the lens of a camera. Ex- cellent pictures of clouds can be obtained y this means. The exposures should be rom twice to five times as long as with filtered light. Grinding a Drill for Edge Cutting Cases where it is necessary to cut or drill semicircular curve or hole into the ge or surface of a piece of metal are fairly com- mon. It is possi- ble to do this work with a twist drill, pro- vided the drill is ground, as shown in the upper il- lustration. In the piece illustrated, it was practically impossible to cut the curve by means of a shaper, but the upper plate acted as a jig, or bushing, to guide the drill, and the concave grinding made the work easy. The cutting face acts as an end- milling cutter. A slow feed and a fast speed are used, and holes may be car- ried for some distance along the side of the piece, when desired. The hole should be started with the usual pointed drill, and if no part is present to act as a bush- ing, a plate should be made and clamped on while the work is done.

CUTTING FACE OF ORILL ~ GROUND CONCAVE

POINTED DRILL SLIDES SIDE WAYS z ‘ Steam Separator of Pipe Fittings Three inexpensive steam _ separators, made from pipe fittings, are shown in the illustration. If the reducing ells are — STEAM INLET OR OUTLET AT EITHER ELBOW . REDUCING ELL , OUTLET pl INLET ¥ wssr6r... —? ae | 9 ¢ a " | ‘RIGHT AND LEFT- THREADYNIPPLE BRANCH 7 — REDUCING COUPLING ——

VALVE — ( ie: ‘T<— ore a fiet | Fig.2 Pipe Fittings Make Cheap but Satisfactory Steam Separators. How the Devices are Assembled is Shown in the Drawing - Fiue.3 7 } omitted, the inlets of the separators pic- tured in Figs. 1 and 2 can be attached to vertical pipes. The gauge glasses are of the type used in hot-water heating sys- tems. Water collected in the devices is released by manipulating the valves. The separators made in any desired size. can de Cleaning Out Lathe Centers A quick and sure method of removing chips and dirt from lathe-center holes be- HAND DRILL HACKSAW A Rag Turned Rapidly by a Hand Drill, Is a Rapid Cleaner for Lathe Centers fore inserting the centers, is to use a piece of 1%4-in. rod, about 6 in. long, slit one end with a hacksaw about 1 in. deep, and insert a rag in the slot. The other end of the ‘rod is clamped in the chuck of a hand drill; the cloth is then wound on the rod, and run through the hole while the dril! is being rotated —H. H. Parker, Oakland, California.

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POPULAR MECHANICS I AM THE FARMERS’ FRIEND By FRANK W. ROTH If all I was intended for Was just to bale up hay or straw, I guess I’d get along as well, But then this tale I’d never tell. I once embraced a bale of ha And now the shaft of the one- esse shay. Or where the farmer, through mischance, Has burst a button off his pants; You'll find me there when duty calls— Where the buckle was on his overalls. I'm often used to patch his fence, So the old muley cow cannot wander hence. The farmer has twisted me, on his door, To keep it from saggi down to the floor; — out upon the old plowshare eplace the bolts no longer there; You 1 hardly find a rein or trace That’s old, wherein I have no place. I’m twisted in the young pig’s snoot So he no longer loves to root; I’ve braced up wobbly kitchen chairs, And spread apart the feet of hares The farmer skinned when short of meat; I’ve even laced the shoes on his feet. On the old washtub I’m a nifty handle; I’m ready to hold the camper’s candle; When the handle splits on ax or pick, I’m _ wound around it pretty quick; Or I couple the break = the telephone line. So you'll agree it’s mighty fine That though my real jo ign long since done, My_ usefulness has just begun, And it seems that the farmers will never tire Of finding new uses for old baling wire. Using Emery Cioth on Round Surfaces When a round piece of wood is to be smoothed off with emery cloth, it is con- venient to turn back the two shorter edges of a. piece of the cloth, so that when it is laid with its back side to a long rag, the roughness of the turned-back ends will prevent it from _ slipping easily. The cloth is then applied as in the _ picture, making the work easier than if the emery cloth alone is used in this way, and in ad- dition enabling the workman to utilize the abrasive more completely than as usually applied—W. W. Parker, Fire- stone, Colo. Melted Sulphur Repairs Pulley One material which has been little, if at all, affected by the rise in prices, is sul- phur. It can be used, especially by’ the woodworker, in many places where a “_ substance, which will adhere to wood, required to fill up a cavity. n example of such use is in the case of wooden-spoke pulleys which have be- come loose. Where this has progressed to such a point that it can no longer be remedied by tightening the various bolts, melt some sulphur until it runs freely, then pour it into the space around both ends of the spokes. This is where the looseness usually occurs, and when the sulphur hardens, the pulley will be found to be in good shape. It should, of course, be carefully centered on the shaft, and clamped firmly into position, before the sulphur is poured—Paul L. Fetherston, Ottawa, II. House Painting by Lantern Light The writer knows a man who painted the trimmings of his house at night after his day’s work was done, by the light of a lantern hung on a hook from the wood- work of the house. The hook was double-ended, with the upper end sharp- ened to a fine point. This sharpened end was stuck into the woodwork at any con- venient point, so that the lantern, hung on the other end, shed its light to the best advantage. When a move was made, the hook and lantern were taken along, and placed where they were needed. Even a strong wind, though it swung the lantern violently, failed to dislodge the sharpened end of the hook from the point where # was caught—L. B. Robbins, Harwich, Mass.

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POPULAR MECHANICS Heating System Provides Fire Protection Insurance regulations for machine shops, flour mills, and similar establish- ments require that barrels of water be kept filled on each floor of a building not equipped with a sprinkler system. These barrels are a source of trouble from freez- ing in winter, and in summer the water hecomes fetid, and the barrels have a tendency to leak. Again, wherever a gas engine is used to operate such plants, a ereat deal of heat goes to waste, and in very room outside the engine room the workmen are handicapped by the cold. In connection with its gas engine, a flour mill successfully installed a system that cools the engine, warms the upper rooms of the mill, and keeps the water tanks filled with water for use in case of fire at all times. A covered steel tank is installed n each floor above the first, and each tank is fitted with a handhole large nough to dip out a pail of water. The ater is pumped through the engine acket and into the upper tank, whence it returns by gravity through the lower tank to the pump. The water is pumped rom the bottom of the tank, in order to lraw off the coldest water first and run it through the engine. In the summer time n outdoor cooling cistern is used most of the time; the water being circulated in the tanks just enough to keep it clean and fresh. The pipes are so connected that it is impossible for water to overflow, and aside from the negligible extra power re- quired to drive the pump, the system operates without expense or trouble. Chuck Used on Drill Press tr When it is de- sired to hold drill- press work in a chuck, a piece of shafting is threaded to fit the chuck, and fastened in the same manner as the table is fastened. The chuck is then mounted on this threaded piece, just Nort press aS in the lathe. @A spark plug can often be cleaned by holding it about 1 in. above the flame of a gas burner, and heating it until it stops smoking; then give it a rap on the metal! portion, and the drop out. unburned carbon will Kinks in Making Lag Screws When lag screws with special heads are required, it is the usual practice to cut off the heads of ordinary lag screws, and weld » CHUCK TOOL WITH CUTTING EDGE AT LOWER SIDE |} (LATHE SPINDLE SCREW TOBE MADE SHAPE OF TOOL Special- Headed Lag Screws can be Made on a Lathe by Running the Machine Backward, and Turn- ing the Cutting Tool Upside Down on special heads. This method is ex- pensive, and seldom makes a neat job. It is difficult to thread lag screws in the lathe, when the machine and tool are used in the regulation manner, because of the tapering points on the screws. However, if the threading tool is turned bottom up, with the cutting edge on the lower side, and the cuts are made with the lathe run- ning backward, the work is much simpler. The tool is fed radially by hand when the tapering points are made. The bar of stock is held in the lathe chuck while the screw is machined, and each screw is finished before it is cut off. Tire-Tape Repair for Chair Back The photograph shows a portion of a chair back which was repaired by winding tire tape, and then en- ameling. The chair has been in service for eight years since the repair, which, how- ever, was not origi- nally intended to be for other than tempo- rary use. ity Lubricating Gas Jets In homes and buildings equipped with gas jets, the gas should be shut off at the meter at least once each year. While the gas is turned off the gas cocks should be unscrewed, cleaned out and lubricated with vaseline, and replaced, setting them up moderately tight.

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778 Subirrigation Eliminates Ditches To supply moisture to their gardens and lawns, two neighboring families joined to An Irrigating am. of Interesting Design, Which Furnishes Moisture to Adjoining Residence © Properties, without Unsightly Ditches install an interesting subirrigating system. A reinforced-concrete tank and trough were built on the joint property line. From the trough, tile conduits lead off at 5-ft. intervals, as shown in the drawing. Each outlet in the trough is provided with a stopper, by which the flow of water, as well as the area to be moistened, is con- trolled. Water is supplied to the tank at the rate of 110 gal. per minute by a 2- in. centrifugal pump. The conduits are made of 3 by 12-in. drain tile, laid about 10 in. underground. The ends of the tiles are not fitted closely together, and conse- quently water escapes at every joint. The ends of the conduits are stopped with bricks. Each of the lots, on which this system is installed, is 80 ft. wide, which requires a continuous tile conduit 165 ft. long for each outlet. Both lots cover a little more than an acre, which in two hours is saturated enough to show mois- ture on the surface—Arthur Marquardt, Garfield, Kan. Concrete Haystack Platform Most farms have at least one haystack outdoors the year round, and much of the hay is spoiled because the layer next the ground collects moisture and becomes soiled and moldy. By providing a circu- lar base, or foundation, of concrete that slopes away from the center, most of this waste could be avoided. The base should be about 3 in. thick at the edges, and from POPULAR MECHANICS 6 to 10 in. at the center, according to the diameter. A good underfilling of crushed stone, or cinders, should be pro- vided before the concrete is poured. Ex- pansion joints, which may be made of thin wood strips, should be provided from the center to the edge, dividing the base into segments.—J. H. Van Nice, Chicago, Illinois. Opening Envelopes with Sandpaper In order to save time in opening the daily mail, a clerk in charge of this work discarded his paper knife and substituted a wooden block covered with sandpaper of medium coarseness. A bunch of 40 or 50 letters-is taken up and tapped on the level surface of a table to bring the top edges even. When the letters have been thus arranged, the sandpaper block is drawn longitudinally across the pile with a slight sweeping motion several times, and the letters are opened. A very little practice makes this a quick and easy method to follow.—A. G. Bairnholt, Port- land, Ore. Cutting Dowel Pins Rapidly Rapid and accurate work is done by the dowel-pin cutter shown in the accom- panying sketch. A hole, of the same diameter as the dowel stock, is bored through a block of hard wood from end to end. In the middle of the side of the block is cut a slot, large enough to ad- DOWEL BEING CUT HARDWOOD BLOCK FLAT CHISEL DOWEL STOCK The Job of Cutting a Large Number of Dowel Pins _is Readily Handled without a Lathe mit a flat chisel. A groove is made in the bottom of the block, as indicated, and a metal plate is fastened to the grooved end. Dowel stock is fed into the device by means of a drill chuck. As the mate- rial is revolved, the chisel is pushed against it. The finished pins drop out through the groove, ready for use without further work upon them—Arthur A. Richardson, Quincy, Mass.

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POPULAR Water Separates Metal and Sawdust In a large printing plant type-metal waste became mixed with sawdust, and was thus difficult to separate. It was saved by an accidentally discovered proc- ess. After air-blast and burning-out methods had failed, it was found that when water was mixed with the sub- stance, the wood dust floated, and the metal sank to the bottom. Old Table for Cleaning Stair Walls An old table, strong enough to support the weight of a person, can be used with safety in cleaning the walls and ceiling of a stairway. After deter- mining the pitch of the steps, two of the legs - are cut off, as shown, to make the table level. Thus prepared, the table can be used anywhere along the length of the stairs, and may be stored in the attic or basement when not in use —Dale R. Van Horn, Lincoln, Nebraska.

LEGS CUT / TO FIT ~ Radiation Pyrometer Makes Use of Lamp Reflector A radiation pyrometer is a useful in- strument around almost any plant, and one can readily be put together by the use of a parabolic mirror from an old- fashioned auto lamp. A thermocouple, or thermopile, is placed in front of the mirror so that parallel rays are reflected and con- centrated at the junction, which is also at the focus of the mirror. The electro- motive force is read either by a poten- tiometer or a direct-reading galvanom- eter, which has been calibrated to read temperature. The usual points of radia- GALVAMOMETER Maso waa 7 AT FOCUS a OLD REFLECTOR The Reflector from an Old Auto Lamp will Focus Heat Rays on a Thermopile, Thus Forming a Pyrometer

_ -_— HEAT RADIATION ie FROM FURNACE

tion pyrometry are to be taken care of in this instrument.— Hobart M. Kraner, Columbus, Ohio. MECHANICS Garage Grinder Driven from Car A power grinder, designed to be oper- ated by an automobile, and suitable for use In a garage, can be constructed from GRINDER CLAMPED ON WASHERS RUNNING BOARD { JACK UNDER REAR AXLE SHAFT BEARING —— SHEET-METAL BRACKET <j 4 ——— TUBING EMERV WHEEL ~ SHAFT Automobile-Driven Power Grinder: The Device Costs Little to Make, and Is Extremely Handy in the Private Garage a few inexpensive and easily obtained pieces of material. A length of cold- drawn steel is used as a shaft. At one end of this an emery wheel is held in place by a nut and two washers. A fan- belt pulley is attached at the opposite end. The shaft bearing is made from a piece of steel tubing. This is bolted to a sheet- metal bracket, shaped as shown in the drawing. In use, the device is clamped to the running board of a car, with the pul- ley engaging the tread of a rear-wheel tire. When the wheel is elevated by a jack placed under the axle, and the en- gine run slowly, the emery wheel is re- volved at a fairly high rate of speed. Barrel Truck from Old Buggy The need of a barrel truck, or water cart, is easily filled by using the front run- ning gear and shafts of an old buggy, which is turned upside down, as shown. A crosspiece is bolted to the shafts, and two curved pieces from the felloe of an old wheel are secured to the crosspieces of the shafts to hold the barrel. In use, the barrel is rolled up the shafts, which serve also as skids when unloading. —— 1gk3 CROSS: _ PIECES CURVED PIECES

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780 POPULAR Simple Trap Catches Many Mice Mice by the dozen, and even large rats, have been caught by this trap constructed of waste tin cans. All that is required is a coal-oil can without holes, a small round tin can, a piece of wire, and a short board. To con- CUTTING LINES COAL-OiL CAN Fio.3) TWISTED WIRE ROUND CAN BACON RIND Fic 3 A Rat and Mouse Trap, Made of Old Cans, may Catch a Large Number of the Animals without esetting or Other Attention struct, the coal-oil tin is laid on its side, and cut and drilled, or punched, as shown in Figs. l and 2. For the roller, illustrated in Fig. 3, an evaporated-milk tin is probably the best size. A hole is punched in the center of each end, large enough to allow the small can to turn freely. A narrow strip of bacon rind is then fastened around the middle, and the ends of the wire are passed through the holes on either side of the coal-oil can, and fastened. This should bring the small can about 2 or 3 in. from the edge of the large one, and about level with the top. A short piece of board leads up to the end of the coal-oil tin nearest the roller, and a few inches of water in the bottom completes the trap, as seen in Fig. 4. The mice run up the board and jump to the small can to get the bacon rind. The small can promptly turns over and throws the mice into the water, where they drown. The trap has been used very suc- cessfully in granaries, etc., where there are a large number of mice, and it is impossi- ble to keep a number of small traps set.— Geo. P. Melrose, Vernon, B. C., Can. @A wooden arch over a driveway, carry- ing a tackle block under which wagons can be driven for loading, will be found a“useful item of equipment to many a farmer. MECHANICS Holding Painted Metal Sheets Apart While walking through the paint room of a sheet-metal plant, I observed a novel method of keeping freshly painted sheets apart while the paint was drying. Smali blocks of wood, about 2 by 3 by 6 in., were provided on one side with saw cuts the same thickness as the sheets. After painting, the sheets are stood on edge, and the upper edges are slipped into the saw cuts. In this manner a number of sheets are held parallel with each other, the distance between them depending upon the distance between the saw cuts in the block. Not only are the painted sheets prevented from touching by this arrange- ment, but with the free circulation of air on all sides, drying of the paint is hastened.—Kenneth Coggeshall, Webster Groves, Mo. Utilizing Scraps of Brake Lining When brake bands are relined, the short ends remaining, or sections of the old lining removed from the bands, can be advantageously used for various purposes. The woven wire and asbestos material, oi which brake linings are made, is re- silient to some extent, and besides affords a firm nonslipping surface, so one auto- mobile owner, who experienced some dif- ficulty in keeping his feet on the clutch and brake pedals after the corrugations had worn smooth, cut two lengths of brake lining, the same size as the pedals, drilled two small holes through each part, and fastened them in place on the pedal faces with two split rods. Pedal faces were provided from which the feet will not slip, regardless of whether the pedals are worn smooth or the soles of the shoes are wet. It the body of an automobile is se- cured with bolts where it rests on the frame members, the car is likely to squeak Mil | . — Brake Lining Is Useful for a Number of Purposes around the Car, Owing to Its Frictional and Slightly Elastic Properties

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POPULAR and groan, especially when it is driven on an uneven road, which causes the body to weave and twist. By slipping a short piece of brake lining over each bolt be- tween the frame and body, and then drawing the bolts up tight, much, if not ll, of the squeaking is silenced. Then again, these spacers can be ised to overcome body sag, which causes doors to bind or refuse to latch. lwo or three spacers placed under the extreme rear of the body, will raise the end sufficiently to have the door latches atch. If the doors bind, two or three spacers under the center of the car will remedy the trouble. Fire-Hose Scraps Protect Rope The rope with which paper boxes are tied onto trucks and wagons often cuts into the cor- ners of the boxes. To prevent this, the experi- ment has been tried of using bits cut from old fire hose as padding on the corners. This keeps the rope from penetrating the edges, and prevents dam- age. Four short lengths of the hose attached to ach tie rope are sufficient, and they can readily be slipped along to take care of the varying sizes of boxes which are likely to be encountered.—Stanley W. Todd, Brooklyn, N. Y. Ammonia for Cleaning Spark Plugs Very + : few motorists are aware of the tact that ordinary household ammonia is an excellent material for cleaning spark plugs by immersion. Ammonia is poured into a wide-mouthed bottle to the depth of an inch or two. The spark plug is put into the bottle, which is sealed to prevent escape of the pungent fumes. Al- low the spark plug to soak for several hours, or overnight, when it will be found that carbon, dirt, and oil accumulations have been removed. It is not necessary to take the plug apart, if this method of cleaning is followed. MECHANICS 781 Device for Back-Filling Ditches When the ditch is dug and the drain tile laid, the farmer’s work is only half ——$—$$_$___— By Building the Device Shown in the Photograph, a Farmer Filled Up His Ditches with a Great Saving of Time and Labor done, for the dirt must be shoveled back into the trench. Desiring to get his ditches filled with the least possible de- lay, a farmer constructed the device shown in the photograph. The runners are made of 2 by 6-in. hard wood, securely bolted to the platform and braces, as shown. Weights are piled on the plat- form between the runners, and two horses are hitched, one on each side of the ditch, to the corners of the scraper—C. M. Baker, Wooster, Ohio. Fuses Installed in Duplicate The advantages of a fuse circuit con- nected as in the diagram will be appre- ciated by anyone who has wasted much time in the dark finding and replacing fuse plugs. When a circuit is provided with duplicate fuses, as shown, it is pos- sible to change from one set to the other merely by throwing the reversing knife FUSE _ BLOCK aT 2 = 7 mi Seal | Ft —~ FUSE BLOCK Troubles Due to Blown tS are Minimized hen Fuses are Installed in Duplicate DP.OT KNIFE SWITCH ~% The switch to the other position. Both fuse blocks should be kept fitted with good fuses, so that when a fuse burns out, the switch can instantly be thrown to the other side, thus giving light while the other fuse is replaced.—Neil D. Cameron, Powerscourt, Que., Can.

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POPULAR Stropper for Woodworker's Tools The annoyance suffered by fine wood- workers in attempting to get and keep the edges of their tools, especially “spoon CLOTH BUFFER ~ ~ FACEPLATE “LEATHER FACE y_}(+}} A Device for Mounting between Centers on the Lathe will Take the Place of a Polishing Head / b \ SPINDLE 3 ( Ory LATHE gouges,” in a satisfactorily keen condi- tion, will be diminished by this device, which makes it possible to produce a highly satisfactory job in a minimum of time. The cloth buffer, when dressed with a little oil and polishing rouge, im- parts the finest of edges to freshly honed tools, and will restore used edges several times before it becomes necessary to re- sort to the oilstone or grinder. The radial leather face on the faceplate is for straight chisels, and the backs of inside-ground gouges. It, too, should be dressed with oil and rouge to insure best results. In using the stropper, care should be taken to have it revolve from the tools. Small Hand Truck for Heavy Loads The hand barrow shown in the photo- graph is mounted on motorcycle fly- wheels, and is used in a garage for handling storage batteries. These bat- teries are heavy, unwieldy things to handle, but with this little barrow the labor is much reduced. A pair of old motor- cycle flywheels can usually be picked up for their value as junk metal in the scrap heap of ‘any motorcycle shop, and Cat # This Hand Barrow is Mounted on a Pair of Old Motorcycle Flywheels, and Frequently Transports Loads p to 200 Pounds in Weight can be attached to a hand barrow, as shown, or to one of the small trucks now so common in shops. To mount them, drill out the tapered holes in the center, to fit the size of the’ axle selected, and MECHANICS fasten them with hardened washers and split pins. The truck will give good service anywhere, but especially in a con- crete-floored shop.—John Edwin Hogg, Los Angeles, Calif. Patching Old Belts The usual practice in applying belts is to cut out a piece when the belt becomes slack. This is necessarily wasteful, since the cut end has to be squared up, new holes must be punched, or new fasteners applied. A far superior method is to cut the belt 1 ft. or 18 in. short, and insert an extra length. By having a supply of various short lengths on hand, it is a simple mat- ter to take out the extra piece, and insert a shorter one when the belt becomes slack. The piece removed is returned to the storeroom for future use. This scheme is applicable to all types of fasteners used with belts, and particu- larly where metal fasteners are used. By using belts of standardized widths, the supply of extra pieces can be kept down to a reasonable number. They are used over and over, as occasion demands.— Thos. W. Benson, Philadelphia, Pa. Measuring Wagon Tire Accurately A slight difference ih the length of iron stock for a wagon tire will result in too much or too little “dish” in the wheel. When using the ordinary tire-meas- uring wheel, par- ticularly when making the meas- urement on broad stock, or on a broad wheel, it is difficult to run the measuring wheel in a straight line. A crooked line re- sults in the stock being cut too long. The chance of error will be minimized by the attachment of a gauge, such as that shown in the drawing, to the measuring wheel. A piece of stiff sheet iron is bent into the form shown. A hole is drilled at the upper end, for attachment to the measur- ing wheel. The lower end has attached to it a free-running hardwood wheel. The small wooden wheel should extend only a slight distance below the line of the measuring wheel, to permit its use in tak- ing measurements from either the bar stock, or the wheel to be fitted—E. K. Wehry, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. TIRE -MEASURING

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Nai oS a n eur.Me Dearethe te re. & 7 G ——— Information as to where to obtain any specified materials or parts for makin the following pages may from our Bureau of Information.—Editor. objects described in e had, on request, Simple Microphotography By FREDERICK C. DAVIS HE wonders revealed by the micro- scope can be recorded permanently by . very simple process. Ordinarily, micro- photography is used only by the scientist, hy means of an elaborate system of cam- eras and microscopes. However, nothing more is necessary than a camera and a microscope. What kind of lens the cam- era has is immaterial, for it will not be used, and the microscope can be of any make or price; those selling for as low as $5 being us- able with excellent re- sults. It is best to operate in a dark room; a ruby lamp is very helpful. Set up the microscope, place a slide carrying the object to be photo- graphed under the lens, and focus the instru- ment in the ordinary way. Then, place. Obtain a piece of oilpaper, or ground glass, and hold it close to the back of the camera, so that it will serve as a view finder. Then place an electric- light globe on a level with the microscope body, so that the light will shine through the tube of the microscope, and throw a circle of light onto the oilpaper or - ground glass. By push- ing the standard of the camera back and forth, the size of the circle is varied. While the back is thus removed, focus the object again, then place the film in place. After closing the shutter, wind the film until “1” appears at the window. With a 25-watt lamp, an ex- posure of from two to three minutes will be necessary,depending on the density of the speci- when the speci- men is focused to advantage, turn the dia- phragm of the microscope un- til the best pos- sible relief is obtained. Remove the CAMERA (LENS REMOVED) MICROSCOPE men and its color. A_ red- tinted specimen will require a long exposure, while a_ white one will require the shortest. Once the film is wound in place, back of the camera, and the lens. Then open the camera stop to its largest aperture, set the shut- ter for time exposure, and open the shut- ter. By- tipping the microscope on its side and placing books under it, it can be made to lie so that the eyepiece is directly oppo- site the lens-opening of the camera; that is, the light which passes through the mi- croscope will pass on through the camera body and strike the film when wound into Using a Camera Merely as a Holder for the Film, Priced Microscope for the Lens System, Interestin Photographs can be Taken by the Amateur. The M graph Shows a Lily Stamen, Magnified 200 Times it is unneces- sary to focus on the ground glass, as the image on the film will be in focus if the specimen is in focus when viewed through the eye- piece with the eye. Moving the standard back and forth merely alters the size of the circle of light. To prevent fog, when the exposure is made, drape a black cloth over the whole apparatus, except the light globe and the slide. and a Low- Magnified icrophoto- 783

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784 POPULAR Paper-Roll Desk Tablet A convenient desk scratch pad may be made to use paper in roll form, such as adding-machine tape. A piece of sheet — ROLL a t SHEET METAL ’ — TO INSERT PAPER ROW uUFT WIRE SOLDER Adding-Machine Rolls Are Useful as Scratch Paper When Mounted in a Neat Metal Frame metal is cut to the shape indicated, hav- ing a narrow portion which is to be bent around the roll, and a wider portion which is to form the base of the pad. The edges of the wide part are bent over as shown, and a metal strip is soldered on for tearing off used paper. The roll of paper rests on the metal base, and is held in position by a loop of wire, formed as illustrated. The wire loop is raised when a roll of paper is to be changed. A piece of blotting paper may be glued to the base under the part of the paper to be written on. An advantage of this kind of scratch pad is that a large amount of paper can be kept handy, without having a pad too thick for comfortable writing. —H. E. Gifford, Medford, Mass. Catching an Electric-Lamp Thief The custodian of a _ building was greatly annoyed by the mysterious disap- pearance of electric-light bulbs from his various circuits throughout the building. The method de- Bost ek seribed for de- ecting he pil- = OOOOSD ferer was hit upon, and proved successful. One 8€u circuit, which RHEOSTAT supplied _ six lamps, in which \) more losses had occurred than in the others, was selected for the trial. An alarm was wired to it, as shown in the diagram, the bell being located in a room adjacent to *he one where the lights were located. A 200-OHM RELAY ory ceus> MECHANICS low-resistance variable rheostat was wired in series with the line, and a 200-ohm spring-type relay, similar to those used in telephonic work, was wired in multiple to it. With all the lights turned on, the rheostat should be adjusted to a point where the magnetism is just sufficient to hold the relay contacts closed, after being placed in the closed position by hand. These relays are quite sensitive, and the margin of current between holding and releasing is small. If one of the lights is removed from its socket, the amount of current flowing through the relay winding will be reduced and the relay contacts will fall back, closing the local circuit and ringing the bell, which is operated by two or three dry cells. Simple Anchor for Small Boats The “killick,” or Indian anchor, is much used along the New England coast for anchoring small boats, par- ticularly canoes and light rowboats. It is made by fastening a stone of suit- able size in the crotch of an oak branch, as shown in the drawing. The branch should be green enough to bend easily around the stone, and the ends should be left long enough to be tied underneath, as in- dicated. A _ piece of a branch is left projecting, and forms a convenient hook for securing the rope. In the absence of rope, such an anchor may be attached to a long, slender vine or sapling. Turn Car on Side for Adjustment A busy farmer, who has plenty of help but not much time, employs a peculiar method of tightening the connecting rods and main bearings on his automobile. As it is necessary to get at these parts from the bottom of the car, he and two other men catch hold of one side of the machine, and turn it over on its side. The work can then be done very quickly, and the body or fenders are not imjured in any way, if ordinary care is used.— Maurice S. Williams, Milford, Tex. GA piece of felt or sheep’s wool, glued to the underside of the draftsman’s pencil pointer, furnishes a handy means of cleaning the point after sharpening. ox tions Mba eae: * lg Be halle

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Paper Weight from Steel Ball A neat and attractive paper weight may be made of a large steel ball from a ball bearing, by grinding a portion of it to form a flat surface. <A piece of felt, or rubber, may be glued to the bottom to prevent scratching the desk top.—Geo. Papadakos, San Francisco, Calif.

A Greenhouse for Every Plant The roots and stems of many plants are not greatly affected by frost or low tem- peratures. However, low temperatures do retard the growth of both branches and blossoms. By pro- tecting the upper part of the plant in some manner, roses and other early- blooming flowers may be brought into sox blossom some- what earlier than usual. For this purpose, a_ gar- dener devised the individual green- house shown in the sketch. It consists of a simple box having a sliding glass front. The box is attached to a stake, and a slot is cut in the bottom to accom- modate the stem of the plant.

GLASS FRONT

Photographing Alternating Current The electric current used in many households is known as “alternating.” When alternating current of 60 cycles is used, there are 120 alternations a second; that is, the light blinks on and off that many times, but on account of their rapidity, these changes are invisible to the eye. However, the camera can catch the alternations so they will be plainly visible. To make such a photograph, turn on the light, stand about 10 ft. away with the camera, and open the shutter at “time,” as though making a time exposure. Swing the camera so the light will make a streak across the plate or film, and close the lens. On developing the negative, the streak of light will be seen as evenly spaced light and dark spots, which show when the light “blinked.” For this in- teresting experiment a tungsten lamp is best, as an under-exposed negative will surely result if a carbon-filament bulb is used, POPULAR MECHANICS

Clamps Hold Rug for Beating Rugs hung on a line will not slide or wrinkle while being beaten if the simple

WOOD PEGS CLAMP AT EACH END OF RUG TO POST HEAVY WIRE CLOTHESLINE

Held by These Simple Clamps, a Ru will Not Change Its Position on a Line While being Beaten. The Device Is Effective with Thin or Thick Rugs clamps illustrated are employed to hold them in place. Two wooden pegs are in- serted in holes near one end of a stick, and fastened with nails. At the opposite end, a length of stiff wire is looped through a hole, and bent as indicated. The pegs are placed one on either side of the fold where the rug passes over the line, near the edge of the rug, while the stick is held at right angles to the line. The stick is then pulled toward the line, and attached to it by the wire, causing the pegs to grip the rug and line firmly.

Flashlight Bulb Illuminates Clock Persons who like to have a small light to illuminate the alarm clock at night may get an idea from the photograph of an outfit made for this purpose. One or two dry cells can be placed in the box under the clock, from which wires run to the bulb, in a standard miniature socket attached to a wood projection just over the _clock. In_ series with the bulb and the battery is a push button which may be provided with long lead wires so that it can be placed under the pillow. The maker of this out- fit found that a battery lasted nearly a year before becoming exhausted —E. M. Iams, Wheeling, W. Va.

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786 Table Lamp Made from Shell Casing Many soldiers returning from over- sea duty, have brought with them, among other things, artillery shell cases as souvenirs of the war. Ilhese can be trans- formed into use- ful articles by the addition otf a few inexper sive items. In the sketch is shown

a SHELL ,- LIGHT FIXTURE SWITCH CORD ~ EMPTY RIFLE CARTRIDGE

FELT ty. WOOD DISK IRON DISK Souvenirs of the Great War, Brought Home by a Returning Veteran, Make an Attractive Table Lamp a table lamp made from a French “75” shell case. The electric fixtures are stand- ard, and can be purchased from any elec- trical-supply house. The turned wooden base should fit snugly around the shell. An iron disk and a circular piece of wood hold the latter in place. Felt is glued to the bottom of the base to prevent the lamp from marring polished surfaces. The lamp cord may be passed inside the shell through a hole in the side of the latter near the bottom, or through one in the center of the shell base. Empty rifle cartridges are attached to the switch cords. Any number of lights may be placed on the lamp. The shell should be polished, and may be engraved, if desired. —Richard F, Lufkin, Charleston, W. Va. Getting a Light from the Auto As a substitute for matches, to be used in emergency, motorists should carry a wax taper of the kind used for lighting gas. To obtain a light with one of these, the wax should be removed from the cot- ton for about 1 in. from one end. That end is then dipped in the gasoline tank. One of the spark-plug wires is discon- nected, and the engine started. The end of the wire is held close to the binding post of the spark plug, so that-a spark will pass between them. When the gaso- line-soaked end of the taper is held in the gap, it is ignited by the spark. If a taper is not available, a small piece of cotton cloth will serve instead. POPULAR MECHANICS 0 Prevent Shoe Tongue from Shifting Many have discovered to their discom- fort the tendency of the tongues of their shoes to shift to one side and make sore spots, if not blisters, on their insteps, One of the simplest means of eliminating this undesirable and uncomfortable shift- ing is to make two vertical cuts in the tongue, about % in. long and 4 in. apart, just below the top eyelet. The slits make a loop through which the shoelace is passed just before lacing it into the last eyelet of the shoe.—Carl H. Spatz, Nut- ley, N. J. Right-Angle Wire Connection Connecting wires at right angles to the supply main is quite frequently done in a rather careless and slipshod fashion, the line- man depending on solder to hold the connection A twisted connec- tion, much more satisfactory than that usually made, is shown in the draw- ing. Several turns are made around the main on the right of the tap. The end of the tap wire is then run across to the left side, and twisted around the main in the opposite direction, as shown. The loose end is then bent over and twisted around the tap wire. Wires connected in this manner are not likely to pull loose from the feed line. Tap a MAIN Stop for Chair Rocker A rocking-chair would be more useful

at times if it did not rock, especially a : chair in the bed- Paar.’ \\ room, By fitting ws =. 7 \ a‘ rocking-chair \L_—=— with the hinged — ; ; a —- blocks shown, it can be kept from <4 — HINGE, rocking when de- “Bsa screw TO sired. An _ or'li- ROCKER * OcKER t€G nary strap hinge is bent to the shape shown, and the short end is attached to the upper side of the rocker, so the hinge will open If necessary, additional screw BLOCK POSITON , WHEN NOT IN USE —— outward. holes should be provided in the long end of the hinge, for attaching the wooden

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block. This block should be shaped to -onform to the bottom of the rocker. The narrow point of the hinge should be bent, indicated, to fit around the rocker nugly. When the chair is to be used as a rocker, the blocks are swung ip, as shown. When it is desired to throw clothing over the back of the chair, or prevent the chair from rocking, a movement of the foot places the blocks inder the rockers. Both rockers should be fitted with blocks, as otherwise the chair would be likely to tilt—F. E. Leitch, Brooklyn, N. Y. Glider Made from Shingle Shingles, to the juvenile mind, generally call up unpleasant sessions in the wood- shed. But an aerial glider, made from a shingle, will provide the youngsters with endless amusement at small expense. A piece of shin- gle is whit- tled into the form of an ar- row, and cuts are made in both the head and tail for the insertion o f the tin strips which form the gliding planes. The arrow is balanced on the knife blade, and a notch is cut where it balances. A flexible stick, 12 to 14 in. long, having a stout string tied to one end, is provided. A knot is tied in the loose end, to engage in the notch of the arrow. Everything being ready, the knotted cord is placed in the notch of the glider, which is held in the left hand. Holding the stick in the right hand, draw the cord as tight as possible and then give a quick forward jerk on the stick, at the same time releasing the glider, which will shoot forward and glide for a consider- able distance—H. E. Kirvan, Plainwell, Michigan, »/ NOTCHED / ARROW FLEXIBLE STICK -——— RIGHT HAND —— Oil-Petcock Wrench for Small Cars In several makes of light cars it is necessary to reach under the car, and turn a petcock in order to tell whether or not oil is needed. This process often results in soiled clothing, and is always inconvenient. By cutting a broomstick to a length of 21% ft., then sawing a slot in one end, a wrench is made which will allow the driver to turn the petcock with- out reaching under the car. POPULAR MECHANICS 787 Swinging Flowerpot Bracket Nothing is better for potted plants than rain water, and it is a common sight to see the solicitous owner of a nice collection WINGED NUT AND BOLT c an Gm on v pes > ~ DETAIL OF EXTENSION COLUMN xk T]| FLAT IRON ( ) e oy we kw 4 A Swinging Bracket for Potted Flowers Makes It ossible to Move the Plant as Desired, to Receive Light and Rain of ornamental plants hurry to set his specimens on the pavement or porch steps at the first indication of a downpour, to receive the benefits of the natural mois- ture. In some instances, the swinging bracket, shown in the drawing, will be found particularly convenient in adjust- ing large plants, such as a well developed fern, to receive the rain. With such brackets the location of the plant may be changed from time to time, to receive the greatest amount of light and moisture.— P. P. Avery, Garfield, N. J. Queer Photographic Background Various strange and interesting back- ground effects, such as the one shown, are frequently ob- tained by acci- dent. This par- ticular back- ground was made by paint- ing, or “block- ing’ out, the dark background around the fig- ure on the nega- tive with India ink. Before the ink had com- pletely dried, the negative was placed 6 or 8 in. [% away from a —__— | -—— 100-cp. electric lamp, and the rapid drying of the ink caused the emulsion to crack in the strange pattern shown.—Vance S. Utz, Effingham, Ill.

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A Powerful Mole Trap To make a stout mole trap, two 1-in. boards are joined together at one end by a strap hinge. The drawing shows how

K« 18” —™ a Yao j- ml o000 at I A ke Ss | 7g HOLES \ ‘ , | ” \ Ye x

= ” #12 < 20 : BRASS : | SPRING es - 4 WIRE + | ' J _— #10 STEEL <—5’—» BOTTOM BOARD . GUIDE WIRE ._-— 1 «KX —+40 — jr | —_ STRAP IRON NOTCH ypeEe TRIGGER STICK #10 WIRE STAPLE SPRINGS <———~_ #10 STEEL WIRE, 4 penny HINGE

STRAP [RON — In the Illustration are Shown the Various Parts of the Homemade Mole Trap, as Well as a View of the Assembled Device coiled springs are installed on guide wires above the top board. Teeth are placed in the lower side of the top board near its edges, by driving them into small holes that are bored three-quarters of the way through the plank. Nails are driven into the edges of the latter to tighten the teeth. The trap is controlled by a modified “figure 4,” the principle of which is gen- erally understood. The trigger stick is pivoted in a slot cut in the center of the free end of the bottom board, by means of a staple made from steel wire. The staple passes through a hole in the center of the stick, and its pointed ends are driven into the end of the bottom board on either side of the slot. <A piece of strap iron, preferably galvanized, serves as the upright member of the assembly. The narrow end of this piece fits into a notch in the underside of the slanting stick, while the wide end bridges the slot in the bottom board. To set the trap, about 6 in. of the mole burrow is leveled by tamping it with the foot, and the trap is staked down in such a way that the teeth are directly over this portion of the burrow. The stakes are passed through wire loops on the edges of the bottom board, but do not in- terfere with the movement of the top POPULAR MECHANICS — A | in ean ab vb T a ’e board. When a mole digs under the trap, the “figure 4” is released, and the teeth are driven into the ground, killing or captur- ing the animal.—C. A. Black, Jr., Hights- town, N. J. Soap Bubbles That do Not Burst Bubbles that will last indefinitely can be made from a mixture of acetone, which can be obtained at any drug store, pow- dered or flaked soap, and celluloid. The first two materials are mixed, then poured over the celluloid, which is placed in a wide-mouthed bottle. The celluloid dis- solves in one or two days. The mixture should then have the consistency of thick sirup. If thinner, more celluloid must be added. The bottle should be kept tightly corked at all times, and should not be opened near a flame, as the mixture is highly inflammable. An ordinary pipe can be used to blow bubbles with the mixture. If a finger is held over the end of the stem for a short time after a bubble has been blown, the bubble will attain a surprising hardness. Effect of a Falling Gas An interesting experiment with gases heavier than air is conducted by placing three candles of varying length in a wide- mouthed bot- tle. Another bottle, of about equal height, is pro- vided with a close - fitting stopper through which a bent glass tube is passe d, as shown. The second bottle is half filled with a mixture of one part of strong vinegar to two parts of water. Throw into this solution two or three spoonfuls of ordinary baking soda, and at once place the cork with the tube in it. Light the three candles and arrange the tube so that the end of it is over the jar When the soda is added to the acid solu- tion, carbon-dioxide gas is freely gener- ated, and passes through the tube into the adjoining jar. This gas, being consider- ably heavier than air, will go to the bot- tom of the jar, and the candles will be extinguished one after another, begin-

ning with the smallest, as the gas accu- mulates end forces the air out of the jar.

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AKING bamboo furniture for porch i or house may be undertaken with confidence of satisfactory results by any- one familiar with the use of a few tools. A solid table, or workbench, will be needed as well as a fine-toothed saw; also, a push drill and an assortment of small drills; a hammer, some small brads, tacks and some round-head wood screws of various sizes will be required. The ma- terials will consist of a bundle of bamboo poles, from % to 3 or 4 in. in diameter, a few yards of matting, and such lumber as used for chair seats, shelves, etc. Chairs being the most important articles of porch furniture, the constructional de- tails of only this one piece will be given, since it embodies all operations required to make any piece of bamboo furniture. The seat is first provided. Holes are drilled at the front corners for legs. Cir- cles are scribed with a compass at the back corners and cut out to fit the back legs, as indicated. When this has been accomplished, the seat is covered with matting and neatly tacked to the edges with small-headed tacks. When cut- ting the back legs of the chair, care should be taken to make at least one cut of each on a joint; otherwise, the bamboo being hollow between the joints, holes will be left in the top ends, and the appearance will not be good. The crosspieces are cut to the proper length and the ends neatly concaved with a half-round wood rasp, to make a close fit against the legs. When this has been done, the ends of the crosspieces are plugged, or cored, with a tight- fitting plug of soft wood, at least 24 in. long. With the push drill, several small holes are drilled at right angles through the bamboo to the plug, through which small brads are driven to prevent its working loose. The cross- pieces are joined with screws driven through the upright members and the wooden plugs, as shown in the detail drawing. Mark each place where a screw or nail is to go, and drill a hole with a bit of the same diameter. Under no cir- TIS Tt BAMBOO. Furniture iS cumstances try to drive nails or screws into the bamboo without first drilling a hole, as the material will surely split. Bamboo may be bent to almost any shape by holding the part to be bent in a flame for a tew minutes. The heat softens the material, which remains in the bent position when it has cooled, which requires but a few minutes. To bend pieces to the same shape, nails are driven into a heavy board in the form of the curve, and as soon as the bamboo has been heated, it is held against this form until cool. A twist drill is used to drill holes into the back supports and crosspieces, for in- serting the small ornamental pieces which carry no strain and do not require to be END ROUNDED OUT TO MAKE NEAT FIT WITH HALF -ROUND WOOD RASP cD SRI QW xn. fr Detail of Method Used in Joining Pieces of Bamboo at Right Angles: A Hole must be Drilled for Every Nail or Screw, to Prevent Splitting ' plugged, as do the larger and more im- portant members. After the chair has been assembled and the parts joined together, a piece of 1-in. bamboo is split with a knife. The split pieces are smoothed off at the joints and used for finishing off the edges of the chair seat. The phonograph stand and record cab- inet is made of wood, covered with mat- ting and strips of split bamboo for orna- mentation. By plugging the bottoms of the legs, casters or rollers can be used, thus allowing the cabinet to be moved with ease. The interior of the cabinet may be used for storing record albums, 789

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DETAIL OF ARMCHAIR -MATTING , BOOK TROUGH MATTING Ae ; COVERING i: i DETAIL OF RECORD FILE TABLE LAMP Bamboo Is One Material That is Easily Worked by the Amateur Craftsman, as It is Readily Bent into Any Desired Shape by Merely Heating and Holding It in Position Until Cool. Nothing could Be More Appropriate for Furnishing the Porch, or Summer Home, than the Bamboo Articles Shown in the Drawings. After One or Two Simple Pieces of Bamboo Furniture have been Constructed, the Amateur Workman Finds Almost Limitless Possibil- ities for the Exercise of His Newly Acquired Skill

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AND SEAT atin fe; . waren’ _—— a WN Y/Y © 4 TELEPHONE TABLE PIANO LAMP

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792 or fitted with a record file, as shown in the circular insert. With few exceptions, the parts, such as chair legs and other members that have considerable weight to support, are best made from 1'%-in. bamboo, while crossbraces are preferably made from 1-in. material. Small pieces that contribute little or nothing to the strength of the POPULAR MECHANICS article and are used solely for the purpose of ornamentation are made from %% or 34-in. stock. After one or two simple pieces of fur- niture have been built, many others will suggest themselves, and the amateur craftsman finds almost limitless possibili- ties for the exercise of his newly acquired skill. Bar Prevents Fowls from Roosting in Nests The poultry raiser, from experience, knows that if they are permitted to do so, his fowls will roost in the nests at night instead of on the perch. He would not object it it were not for the untidy habits of the occupants, which make frequent cleaning necessary. By providing the nests with a bar, such as shown in the drawing, they can be closed, by swinging the _ bar over the entrances. The bar is hinged to the lower part of the nest box with a nail or screw, and a stop is provided to hold it in place when lowered. During the day, when the bar is lowered, it makes a convenient perch for the birds to light on. The outer end has a hole drilled in it, through which a pin is inserted into a corresponding hole in the nest. This holds the bar in the closed position whenever desired.—Oliver Nagard, Fulton, III. CLOSED FOR NIGHT Pump Screen from Old Bed Spring The outdoor pump is seldom a very sightly object, and sometimes actually clashes with the general landscape effect. An old woven-wire bed spring may be used to screen the pump. Two stout posts are set in the ground. The length and distance apart of these posts is regu- lated by the size of the spring. A 6 by 1- in. board is nailed across the bottom of the posts, so that the lower edge of the board touches the ground. With one side resting against this base, the bed spring is placed against the posts and securely wired in place. The woodwork is given a coat of paint. The woven wire furnishes a good hold for climbing vines, such as Virginia creeper, woodbine, Dutchman’s pipe, and others, which may be planted around the base. As the vines grow and cover the bed-spring trellis, the pump is effectively concealed behind a mass of pleasing foliage—John T. Bartlett, Boul- der, Colo. Vise Made from Wringer Clamp A handy vise H : can be made from : an old_ clothes- wringer clamp. The device is held in position by screwing the threaded exten- sion into a hole bored in a bench. LO WRINGER CLAMP Ornamental Lanterns from Tin Cans Attractive candle lanterns for lawn par- ties, camps, and summer cottages are eas- ily and economically made from old tin cans. The tops of the cans are cut off smooth, and open- ings of various shapes and de- signs are cut in the sides with a pair of old shears. The ragged edges, made in cutting out the openings, are flattened out by placing the can on a round stick and hammering. Sheets of waxed, oiled, or varnished paper are rolled up and slipped inside the can. An old wood bit is used to make a hole in the center of the bottom to fit the candle used. The tops are small tin funnels, attached to the cans with solder or wire loops. A wire ring is run through holes made in the neck of the funnel. The candle is in- serted in the lantern through the hole in the bottom, and is pushed up as it is con- sumed. WIRE RING

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POPULAR MECHANICS Clips Hold Cover on Baby Carriage As every parent is aware, the robes of a baby carriage are sometimes pulled off by the young occupant or blown off by the wind, to the discomfort of the child and consternation of the parent. To pre- vent the coverings from becoming dis- arranged or removed, steel clips may be bent from pieces of heavy clock spring after the style of bicyclists’ trousers guards. These clips are used to hold the cover securely to the edge of the baby’s carriage, and they may be covered with ribbon or other material to harmonize with other furnishings—William Ernest, Chatham, Ont. Mysterious Wooden Ball A wooden ball, such as a croquet ball, may be made to perform puzzling stunts. Two points diametrically opposite are marked on the outside of the ball. From these points, holes are drilled into the ball at an angle. These holes should cross each other, as shown, at one side of the ball’s center, mak- ing a continuous angular hole through the ball. A long piece of stout twine is threaded through this hole, and a button is attached to each end, to pre- vent the string from being pulled out. To operate the ball, one end of the cord is placed under the foot and the other is held in the hand, the ball being at the upper end of the string. By allowing the cord to go slack, the ball will slide to- ward the bottom, but is stopped at any point by tightening the cord. SECTION THROUGH WOODEN BALL Taking Photos of “Ghosts” _Photographs of “ghosts” are very mys- tifying, but their production is quite sim- ple. Two exposures are made, each one- half as long as is necessary to obtain an ordinary negative. During the first ex- posure, one person poses before the cam- era, and remains in exactly the same posi- tion for the second, which is made with another person in the scene. The result shows the second person with a semi- transparent, ghostlike body, though the remainder of the picture is no different from a common print. Phonograph Operates Toys When building toys,such as merry-go- rounds, windmills, and other familiar de- vices, from the “builder” ‘sets, the satisfaction of the young constructor The Family Phonograph Converted to Operate the Children’s Mechanical Toys would be greater if he had some means of operating his works. One clever youth makes use of the family phonograph for this purpose. The record turntable is removed, and an empty spool is tightly fitted to the spindle. If the machine is equipped with a horn, it also is removed, and the instrument is set on its side, as shown in the photograph. By connect- ing the toy to the spool pulley on the phonograph with belts made of cord, or twine, any such toy can be operated. The speed may be controlled by varying the size of the pulleys, or by manipulating the speed regulator with which the in- strument is equipped—Elmer D, Janzen, Geneseo, Kan. Holder for Dry Batteries It is often desired to place the one or two dry cells demanded by the doorbell, furnace regulator, or other electrical ap- paratus, in an out-of- ]'@ —» y the-way corner of the = house. Sometimes a im suitable support for the batteries is con- venient and ready for use, but more often a shelf must be made, or other means re- sorted to, for holding them. A good holder is made by bending a piece of heavy iron wire into a spiral, us- ing the battery as a form. An eye is turned in the upper end of the wire, for hanging the holder to a nail or screw. The lower end is bent at right angles to the coil, as shown in the drawing, to prevent the battery from slip- ping out.—James P. Lewis, Golden, Colo. — HEAVY

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POPULAR Hidden Steel Balls Lock Puzzle Box The amateur who considers himself quite skillful with tools, so that he can turn out pretty accurate woodwork, may ELLIPSE 4x2)" A Puzzle Box, That will Tax the Skill and Patience of Anyone Attempting to Open It, is Locked with Two Conecaied Steel Balls be interested in trying the problem pre- sented by the puzzle box in the drawing. The object consists of three blocks of wood, cut to the shape shown at the right. These are called, respectively, the key, the cover, and the body of the box. In the body is made a round cavity which serves as the “inside” of the box; to open the box so as to gain access to this cavity is the object of the puzzle. Any close-grained hard wood will be suitable material for the work. The three blocks are cut out, and fitted to each other; the dovetail tenon may be fastened onto the body by a brad and a drop of glue, in- stead of forming it out of the same piece. Where the wood screw is to be, which holds the box together, it is best to drill at first a very small hole, to be used as a center in locating the two blind holes and the groove. One of these blind holes is in the key, and one on the opposite side of the screw hole is in the cover. Both these blind holes are just large enough to contain a %e¢-in. steel ball, so that it will come flush with the surface. The groove in the cover is of the same depth, and is long enough to contain two such balls in addition to the %-in. screw, as seen at the upper left. To unlock the box, proceed as follows: Turn the box upside down, and turn the key until one of the balls drops into the hole in the key. Continue turning it a little farther, so that the ball will remain in the hole when the box is turned right side up. With the box right side up, con- MECHANICS tinue turning the key until the ball drops into the hole in the cover. This disposes of one of the two balls which prevent the cover from being slipped back from the tenon. The other ball is then re- moved from the groove in the same way, except that it is merely held in the hole in the key. When this is done, the cover can be slipped back and swung around, thus exposing the inside of the body, However, a person who is not familiar with the ball arrangement which locks the trick box, may work for many hours before discovering the secret—Guy E. Waite, Ottawa, III. Timing Photo Prints by Sound When photo prints are exposed by the use of an appliance which does not elim- inate the dark room, it is a strain on the eyes to time the prints by observing the second hand of a watch. For short ex- posures, timing by sound is found more convenient. This may be done by any of several instruments. The easiest to use is a metronome, set at 60 so as to beat seconds. Nearly as convenient is an alarm clock; most of these tick four times per second, so that by counting every fourth tick the proper length of exposure is easily obtained. Many of the cheaper watches also tick four times per second, so that they are also useful for the pur- pose. More expensive watches tick five times per second, and it is difficult to count every fifth tick. One method which has been used is to remove the bobbin from a flat telephone receiver, and mount in it a watch giving 4 ticks per second. The tight frame was found to increase the sound of the ticks so that they were easily counted.—Frederick C. Davis, St. Joseph, Mo. Valve Cap Forms Pump Coupling A repair for a lost or damaged tire- pump coupling is made by taking an old valve cap and drill- ing a hole through the solid portien, as shown. The small end of the cap is_ inserted into the pump hose, and held in place by wrapping it tightly with wire. With such an arrangement, the coupling is screwed over the outside of the valve stem, instead of inside.—Louis Ferrary, New York, N. Y. RUBBER RUBBER HOSE

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POPULAR Seeds Used for Beads Attractive and unusual bead effects are obtained by using flower and vegetable ceeds. The seeds are thoroughly cleaned of pulpy matter and dried slowly, to pre- vent shriveling. A hole is bored in each seed, a large needle being used for the purpose. Should the natural color of the seeds be unattractive, they may be painted with gold, silver, or other paints. A quick way to do this is to pour a small amount of the color into a saucer and stir in a quantity of the seeds, until each is well coated. The seeds are then spread on heets of paper, to dry.—S. Leonard Bas- Bournemouth, Eng. Wire Support for Plants The usual method of driving a stake close to the stem of a plant, to support a long, siender stalk, frequently results in damage to the plant. This is par- ticularly the case where bulbs are concerned. By twisting a piece of stiff wire into the form shown, a support is made which cannot in any way injure the roots. The wire is doubled at the center and twisted from the end, to the desired length. The free ends of the wire are arched in the form of a semi- circle and the ends inserted into the earth, just inside the rim of the pot. Swatter Gets Flies on Ceiling To clear a room of flies with the ordi- nary swatter is almost impossible, owing to the inability of the wielder to reach those that take refuge on the ceiling. However, by mounting an FLY SWATTER ordinary fly swat- ter on an exten- sion handle, as shown in the drawing, it will be possible to reach and kill without difficulty the insects that may be on the ceiling —Carl De _ Vilbiss, Patterson, California. coro LONG POLE MECHANICS Tricycle Made into Bicycle There comes a time in the life of every young owner ofatricycle when he wants a _ bicycle, not necessarily an elaborate ma | chine, the only require / ment being that it has two ee wheels. For- tunately, for the \gaie’ parental purse, the youngster’s _ ambition — ts easily gratified, » The wheels and rear axle are removed from the rear F of the out- grown veloci y pede, “or tricycle, and the frame members : . are bent together at the end, close The Youthful Ambition to Own a Bicycle is Easily Gratified by Converting the Velocipede, or Tricycle, into the Two-Wheeler Shown in the Photograph enough to take one of the old rear wheels. A shorter axle will be required, and for this purpose a bolt of the proper length may be used. A new coat of paint will complete the bicycle. Auto-Camping Refrigerator One ingenious motorist, by reconstruct- ing an old doll’s trunk, added an exceedingly - convenient re- i frigerator to his touring equipment. Very little work was in- volved in con- verting the trunk for the purpose. [t was thoroughly insulated with mineral wool, although ground cork or sawdust may be used, and given an inner lining of galvanized iron. The interior was di- vided into two compartments and fitted with small metal trays. Strap loops were riveted to the outside for attaching the box to one of the running boards of the car.—Searle Hendee, Winnipeg, Man, —

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POPULAR Bookshelf Built into Floor Lamp Nothing could be more appropriate than to have the library reading lamp support the books oftenest used. This is not so i 20" TOP VIEW WITH SHELF REMOVED Nothing could Be More Appropriate Than to Have the Library Reading Lamp Hold the Books Most Often Used difficult to do as it may appear, and the drawing shows the pleasing and effective result of one such combination. The shelf may be made to any desired size, if the purpose is to accommodate a particular set of books, although the measurements suggested will be found ample for most requirements. Lamp and shelf may be made of any material and finished as desired, although for the style shown, fumed oak would be the most ap- propriate—W. C. Ristow, Toronto, Ont, Canada. Spoon-Bait Polisher on Boat Regardless of what kind of fishing-they are used for, trolling spoons are vir- tually useless unless kept well polished. At least one salmon fisherman has found a method of polishing his spoons that is far superior to the usual practice of using a rag and polish. He has fitted an ordi- nary jeweler’s buffing wheel to the pro- peller shaft of his motorboat. While cruising to the fishing grounds he applies a little polishing compound to the buffing brush. The trolling spoon is then held against the revolving buffer, and in a few seconds a brilliant polish is obtained. MECHANICS Old Hose as Bicycle-Tire Filler When a bicycle tire becomes worn to such an extent that it will no longer hold air, it can be kept in service by the in- stallation of a length of garden hose, which serves as a filler. A Slit, 3 or 4 in. long, is cut in the tire on the side which fits on the rim. The hose is inserted in the slit, and pushed around the tire. Wire is used to fasten the ends of the hose to- gether, after which the tire is cemented to the rim.—Forrest Benson, Boulder, Colo. Artistic Concrete Flowerpot Using wire netting, which is easily bent into almost any shape, as a foundation, and coating it with concrete, one is able to produce an infinitely large number of forms, and the artistic flowerpot shown in the photograph is-a specimen of the results obtainable with this medium. The various parts are first cut out of netting, which is bent into the desired form and assembled with soft wire. When the netting form is completed, it is given two coats of a mixture of 1 part cement to 2 parts of sand and a little lime. The first coat is roughened to receive the sec- ond coat, which is applied when the first has dried. The second coat is rubbed, while still plastic, with a soft, wet rag, to smooth out irregularities. The interior and bottom are coated with cement, to conceal and protect the netting. When the second coat has set, a coat of pure cement, without sand or lime and about %e in. thick, is applied after first wetting the work. Neither inside nor bottom re- quire this coat. The hangs, protected by rubber gloves, make the best tool for ap- plying the cement as well as for finish- ing. Imitations of bark, and other de- signs, are made with the point of a small trowel while the finishing coat is still = Using Wire Netting, Which is Easily Bent into Any Shape, as a Foundation and Coating with Cement, a Large Number of Attractive Forms may be Produced

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POPULAR wet. The sides of the well are permitted to set partially, and lines, to give the effect of irregularly shaped stones, are scratched while the cement is still “green.” Various colors can be given the cement by mixing dry pigments with a_ small amount of copperas and clay in water. These colors are thinned as desired and applied to the surface with a brush, or rag. The imitation tree trunk is colored by dashing over with black and lightly tinging at places with thin yellow and brown.—Hjalmar Lindquist, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Shovel Handles on Garden Tools Thé work of gardening is made con- siderably less laborious by altering the handlés on the garden tools, as shown by the drawing. The tool handles are first cut off to a con- venient length, and shovel or similar handles are fitted to the ends, as indicated. These handles can be applied at little expense, and with them, the hands will not become cramped as when pulling on the long, smooth handle usually employed—Wm. Mallett, Glympia, Wash. SHOVEL HANDLE ~ Draftsman’s Ash Tray An ash tray that affords a convenient resting place for the draftsman’s cigar- ette, without danger of soiling his work, is shown in the sketch. Every T- square has a hole, near the blade end, for hanging. A disk of wood, or other ma- terial, slightly less than the thickness of the square, is made to fit this hole. This disk is fastened to the bottom of a small ash tray. In this manner the ash tray may be inserted into the hole of the T-square as shown.—C. Nye, New York, N. Y. MECHANICS Wire Mesh Prevents Waste of Poultry Feed The accompanying photograph shows the manner in which poultry men may equip their self-feeders with wire netting, to prevent the young chickens from scratch- ing out the mash and wasting it. Pieces of ordinary wire cloth, of Pieces of Wire Netting Placed in the Self-Feeders Prevent the Chickens from Scratching Out the Feed and Wasting It from 1% to 1l-in. mesh, allow the fowls to pick the mash from the floor, but effectively prevent them from wasting it or scratching it out. The wire cloth is made to fit the inside of the box, and is laid on top after filling with feed—C, M. Baker, Wooster, Ohio. Shears for the Bench Vise Sheet metal which is too heavy to be cut by the hand shears, or snips, can be readily cut with a pair of shear jaws, made as_ illus- trated, and fitted into a bench vise. Light brass bars EDGES HARDEN 42ND SHARPENED RIVETS ~ have also been cut by this method. The jaws, which are riveted to the S § { iV sheet-iron holders, : may be made from a, old lathe tools, or sm me other available — HFA scraps of carbon = a+ steel. They should be hardened, and tempered rather high, to avoid excessive wear.—G. A. Luers, Washington, D. C. Holder for Medicine Dropper A screw eye, attached to the side of a bottle cork, serves as a holder for a medicine dropper when the cork is in- serted in a bottle. This keeps the drop- per and medicine together, and makes it almost impossible to mislay the former when not in use.—Mrs, Grace E. Willey, Concord, N. H.

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798 POPULAR Cap for Enlarging Camera A focusing cap for the enlarging camera, that is always to be found without groping around in the darkness, is at- READY FOR USE HOLE TO FIT OVER LENS Hinged Cap for Enlarging Camera Prevents Disturb-4 ing Focus and Regulates Exposure tached over the lens of the shown. Two wooden rings are cut from a piece of %4-in. board, large enough to fit over the lens. The front section con- tains a piece of ruby, or orange, glass, set in a groove provided for it. Both rings sare joined, at the top, with a light hinge, tas shown. When focusing the image on the sensitized paper, the glass cover is turned down over the lens; it is raised when the exposure is to be made. Ex- posure is stopped by lowering the cap in front of the lens. In the absence of ruby glass, a piece of clear film may be used, by staining it with a mixture of equal parts of red and yellow transparent colors, such as used for tinting photographic prints—N. P. Lewchuk, Canora, Sask. Double Boiler Made from Cans On a recent camping trip it was dis- covered that no double boiler had been jbrought for cook- ing the morning cereal. In the emergency a Satis- factory substitute was made by sus- pending a coffee can inside a one- gallon pail. Holes were punched near the rim and on opposite sides of both vessels, through which a piece of stiff wire was inserted to suspend the small can within the larger one, as shown. Another wire may be run at right angles if greater rigidity is desired. By setting the inner can slightly lower than the outer one, a loose-fitting cover may be applied. WIRE re pp HOLES ui CAN PAIL camera as. MECHANICS Poison Bran Mash for Grasshoppers Poison bran mash is used in some parts of the West for killing grasshoppers which are very destructive to crops. To prepare the mash, 50 Ib. of bran and 3 Ib of Paris green are mixed thoroughly, and to this mixture is added another, com- posed of 5 gal. of water, 1 gal. of sirup, and 10 lemons. The juice of the lemons is squeezed into the liquid, after which the skin and pulp, chopped into small pieces, are added. The mash is scattered broadcast over the fields, as thinly as possible. The amount produced by the foregoing recipe should cover six acres, if properly applied—Warren F. Wilcox, Montrose, Colo. Scaring Birds from Fru One of the best means of scaring birds from ripening fruit is a bell which is set to ringing by the slightest motion oi the branches. Th: bottom is re moved from a bottle by marking with a glass cut- ter, or file, start- ing a crack and tollowing around the mark with a piece of red-hot iron. A tightly fitting cork, hav- ing a small hole pierced through it, is put in the neck of the bottle. : A piece of stout string is threaded through the cork, and a large knot is tied, to prevent its pulling through the cork. The lower end of the string, which should come about halfway to the bottom of the bottle, has a small stone tied to it. The outer end of the string is tied to one of the slender branches of the tree, and the slightest breeze sets the glass bell tinkling and frightening the birds. Window Boxes Fastened with Brackets Iron shelf brackets provide a cheap means of holding window boxes in posi- tion. The box is laid on the sill with the brackets above the box, one at each side, the longer arms being screwed to the win- dow frame and the shorter arms to the box. If the sill has a sloping top, use blocks to keep the box level—Frank W. Harth, New York, N. Y.

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POPULAR MECHANICS 799 a ee AMERICAN SUBMARINES SINK BLAZING SHIP AT PANAMA F IRE aboard the American vessel ‘“‘Marne,’’ bound from New York to Australia with a cargo of refined oil, recently imperiled shipping at Cristobal, C. Z. When it was seen that the blaze was beyond control, tugs towed the doomed ship from her berth at the government pier and into the harbor. A series of explosions in the hold aemed tank even there, however, the cargo was a menace to neighboring craft. From one of these ships a wireless call for help was sent. In response came three American submarines and four sub-chasers. These made the flaming hulk their target, and were able to sink it at the fifty-fourth shot. The vessel now lies in about 20 feet of water, the main deck just awash. The punctured condition of the (hull will make refloating difficult. OPPORTUNE ANNOUNCEMENTS Whenever prize competitions mentioned on this page are conducted by a public institution, the name and address will appear with the announcement Industrial addresses will not be published, but may be obtained by written request, mentioning the title of the article and date of publication.—Editor HOLD EXPOSITION AT LILLE, FRANCE, IN or left-hand drive Ir vitatior to ente have been INTEREST OF RECONSTRUCTION sent to more than 200 individuals and car manu facturers, prominent racers of England, France, and [he vigorous work of rebuilding the devastated Italy being included Besides the prize money, it reas of northern France has progressed so far that is probable that ccessory manufacturers and _ tire one ¢ the afflicted cities, Lille, is shortly to be the concerns will offer a numb of interesting bonuses ene of an ambitious international exposition This to the winner general fair, held in the interest of reconstruction, Is to open in May and continue until October Al NINE-THOUSAND-MILE FLIGHT MAY WIN ough f organized by and under the jurisdiction of e city of Lille, it is indorsed by the government FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS of France. Notifications are being sent by the pro The airman who succeeds in fiving from Great moters of the enterprise to a number of Americar Britain to India in not more than 288 hours. and business concerns hack again in the same time limit, with a 1,200-11 es cargo, has ; hance to win S50.000 The prize is ASTRONOMERS’ SOCIETY INCLUDES offered by a ” Eounies newspaper It is open to all AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS Se ie eae Seen, Wren ee Silas t ona 1cronauth Tedaeratior il \ rnc 1« ns are Amateur astronomers are adding their observations particularly invited to compet: The conditions are to those of the professional watchers of the skies, in a that the trip must be made entirely by air, and be coOperative association formed some time ago with head undertaken some time between May 1 and October 1, quarters at the observatory of the university of Vir this vea s ginia. Members of the organization, which is known a the American Meteor Society, have already complete: BITE OF ONE GILA MONSTER FATAL, ome 22,000 observations, supplying data for a num > ber of scientific articles The society is desirous of HOSPITAL RECORDS SHOW dding to its membership list the names of all per Every time a rule is stated, up bobs n excep- ons interested in practical astronomy, whether they tion The University of Arizona worked hard to follow it as a vocation or not establish the harmlessness of the not ous Gila . Te monster, as related in this magazine last February, FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS IN PRIZES ind a reptile expert who has known hundreds of the FOR AUTOMOBILE RACERS big lizards testifies as to their excellent. disposition ' and utter lack of defensive weapons Nevertheless, Prizes aggregating $50,000, of which $20,000 goes along comes a hospital report from Los Angeles, to the winner of first place, are to be divided among telling of a circus performer who essayed to put the 10 leading contestants in an auto race at Ir a Gila monster through bis paces on the stage, was lianapolis, Ind., on May 31. The race will be the bitten by the indignant reptile, and died in 24 hours first ever run under the new speedway rules. which in terrible agony As the coroner’s jury concurred limit entries to cars of 18%-cu.-in piston displace in placing the blame directly on the lizard, the con- ment nd 1.650-1b veight, nd allow either right troversy apparently is open again eae ee ee z = 2. ao a. °32 GP Be Aa an

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CYLINDRICAL HOUSE GAINS SPACE ON SMALL += \ CHINA CLOSET CLOSET t BEDROOM PARLOR COLONNADE ee BOOKCASES = O} / — 4 a = as ay |; — ay OOP OL IDLE IOP EL PETE EEE = / DINING =— L / MALL / Room \ wait BED~ Vs liisiiidclseeee ih ————— At the Top Is a General View of the Cylindrical Concrete House. The Picture at the Left Indicates Its Appearance from the Front Sidewalk, and the Floor Plan Shows How the Curved Walls Accommodate Built-In Furniture A HOUSE can be no wider than its and perched in the center of the root lot, but it may be wider than its’ like a turret, is a little sleeping porch foundation, and roomier by several feet lhe roof itself is a segment of a cylinder, than the dimensions of its site would extending over the front porch. betoken. In proof of this, a Kansas City Inside are four good-sized rooms, and man has built a 22-ft. house on a 25-ft. a large hall, which serves as a spare room lot, and has 7 ft. of yard left—3% ft. on by virtue of a built-in bed occupying the each side. He accomplished this nc tinh curve of the wall. Built-in furniture is able feat by making his house cylindrical. quite a feature of the house, the peculiar Far from sacrificing any element of wall form giving opportunity for installing beauty to the unusual design, the appear- closets, cupboards, buffet, and dresser. ance of this novel dwelling is entirely An added advantage of this construction pleasing, outside and in. The foundation is the dead-air space gained along tlh measures 18 ft. wide and 36 ft. long, with outside walls, conserving fuel and con its walls vertical up to the swell of the’ tributing to summer _ coolness, The evlinder The basement windows are commodious bathroom, with tu and round portholes, giving a nautical effect, shower, is in the basement. IN accordance with the editorial policy of this magazine never to accept compensation in any form for what appears in our reading pages, and also to avoid all appearance of doing so, we are obliged to omit the name of the maker or the seller of any article described. This information, however, is kept on file and will be furnished free, by addressing Bureau of Information, Popular Mechanics Magazine, Chicago. [Editor.]