Popular Mechanics 1928-01: Vol 49 Iss 1

Page 1

Popular Mechanics Magazine 200 E. Ontario Street, Chicago, U.S. A. H. H. WINDSOR, Founder London: Hachette & Cie., 16-17 King William Street, Charing Cross, W.C. 2 H. H. WINDSOR, Jr., Editor and Publisher Paris: Hachette & Cie., 111 Rue Reaumur Melbourne: Gordon & Gotch 509-513 Little Collins Sr. — ISSUED MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION: In United States and its possessions, also Canada, Cuba, and Mexico, per year, postpaid - $2.50 To all other countries in the Postal Union - - « « 8 All subscriptions are discontinued at expiration. Please examine the date printed on your wrapper. Entered as Second Clase Matter Sept. 15, 1903, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3rd, 1879. Entered as Second Clas* Matter at the Post Office Department, Canada. Published monthly by POPULAR MECHANICS CO Copyright, 1928. by Popular Mechanics Co. SINGLE COPY, 25 CENTS Copyright in Australia. Copyright in France = Vol. 49 idents—traffic, the most dangerous hour —Berlin, loops the loop on his head tomatic steering gear increases safety brake on propeller to aid in landings British Schneider cup winners carry ballast nade more stable with vane controls “sea flea’ for ocean flight develops high speed » fy straight up Ambergris—wealth from Amusement Parks—there’s money in it, but— Aquarium—used as rural church Archeology—digging up Bible lands Architecture—artistic brick buildings show German skill Army—portable footbridge of pipe aids drills Army Maneuvers—blanketing the sky with curtain of death pers aia aoe Art models in glass pictures chiseled in brass latest fad Automobiles gearless car run on turbine principle springs as long as the car add comfort striping made easy with pencil painter Automobiles—Accessories baggage carriers like car body compressed-air jack operated by turn of wrist disappearing bed adds comfort folding luggage trunk serves as trailer heated windshield wiper map like roller shade Automobiles—Driving ball in tube tests brakes “game” tests skill limitless-speed highway in Italy overhead straps warn of crossings Automobiles—Equipment and Supplies battery filler keeps water at right level glare shade for mirror aids safer driving Automobiles—Lighting—light shines around curves Automobiles—Tires — air-service station eliminates gauge Aviation dummy flyers help make air safe fiexible-cable landing light prevents damaging plane 1 flying boat links Hamburg to London life raft inflated by gas as parachute drops to be helped by movies of air currents Awning—adjusted to sun to protect goods Basket Ball—without lacing Bears—hunting with camera Blotters—black, for banks, to defeat forgeries Boats and Boating—rowing drill in one-man tank Bridge—new $30,000,000 for New York Building Material—excelsior blocks for homes Cactus Apples—raised for jelly and candy afe—in form of large shoe recalls nursery rhyme Calculating Machine—solves problems too deep for rain Canaries—that sing jazz gain in popularity . Church—ancient, built without nails Cigaret—that lights itself lock floral, helps draw trade , Sway of high building stops Cookstove—concealed in cabinet, reduces odors tton—rival seen in ancient plant Contents for January, 1928 Crime—rogues’ gallery of movies to help catch crooks Dance Hall—like monoplane is resort novelty Disease camera shows how eyes reveal menace of fly’s footprints revealed by microscope weird image health guards abandoned in Korea Doughnuts—cooked at table in electric mold dg gn nce a year Egg Timer—sandglass, rings bell when done Electric Generator—giant “‘hoop’”’ for, is marvel of welding Electricity—electrical ‘‘man”’ obeys voice on phone —— Lights—plug in ceiling socket aids in cleaning amps Electric Power—load fluctuations shown by solid model Elephants—royal Indian wear gem-studded robes Engine—burns oil and water Eyes—40,000 glass used yearly in U. S. Fair—taxicabs and camels meet at oriental Fingerprints—duplicated with machine Fire Engine—tractor fitted as, for forest service Fire Fighting—spray nozzle on hose to reduce damage Fire Prevention—in the home shows good housekeeping Fish and Fishing catching big game fish from small boats fish from tropics travel in luxury to zoo the stickleback fans its young to supply oxygen wrecking of old ships urged to improve fishing Floods—caging behind steel and concrete Flooring low-cost parquetry, easily laid maple, beauty shown by stain Te Flowers—‘‘sick”’ revived by artificial sunlight .... Football—stop watch to end disputes Furniture is heavier in summer toy cardboard, child can build Garage electric hands move cars in tall in electric liner latest travel aid Gas—to be made at coal mines and piped to cities Gas Mask—efficient as diver’s helmet Gold giant nugget kept by bank as reserve that turns biack, found in Australia Gold Mining—eight-cent digger earns millions Grapes—canning aided by stem remover Grass Seed—‘‘fiddle”’ that sows helps golf-course keeper Guns—trigger guard prevents bruised fingers Hay Fever—victims aided by pollen collectors Hearing—tester of children’s Household Devices House Plan Hydroglider—steered by motors, to cross Atlantic Ice—chemical used to freeze water pipe Ice Cream—weird architecture helps sell Imagination—putting to work Industry—center of Insulation—removed from wire by timesaving tool Jewels—that aided Columbus valued at half million Kite—shaped like monoplane Laundry—uses steel boxes to collect packages Life—oldest living things Light—invisible used at garden fete Locomotives—sixty-five years of progress in Lumber—skylining our Lunch Car—moved on giant casters Mail—air, dropped from plane for forest patrol [Continued on Page 4] No. 1

Page 2

Mirrors—help deaf children learn to talk 79 Money—air driers speed output of 96 Moving Pictures camera and projector take pictures on paper 89 of birds and insects teach flying secrets ; 55 waves made with boxes 48 Museum—Philadelphia art, millions spent on curves that fool the eye 32 Navy—uU. §&., breaking the world’s big gun record 66 Occupations—the most dangerous jobs 49 Ocean—Monaco, home of its story 97 Oil—search for, leads to sea on California coast 113 Orchids—grown under glass rival tropic kin 49 Pansy—four-inch blossoms 58 Playground Apparatus—fire escape as child’s slide 25 Police—models help teach street location 39 Radio—short waves cast shadows 1 Radio—Aerials—ball antenna kit 124 Radio—Applications—voice starts and stops train 112 Radio—Batteries five dollars builds A-battery and charger 121 homemade fuses on cable 124 snap terminals on leads 130 testing kink 131 Radio—B-Eliminator—resistance C-bias for B-elimi- nator 133 Radio—Condensers—fixed midget easy to wire 133 Radio—Installation—efficient radio ground 134 Radio—Pictorial - 125 Radio— Receivers bunched leads for sharp tuning 132 controlling tone and volume 133 selectivity feature of aero-dyne six 127 superheterodyne kink 132 Radio—Repairs—trouble-shooting kinks 134 Radio—Tubes light-sensitive 136 new tube is self-neutralized 135 output impedance for power tube 131 power tubes used as detectors 132 Razor—safety, blade moves like mower’s 10 Reindeer—herds of Alaska to supply future meat 102 Rubber ; longer life for, seen in new treatment 78 as upholstering substitute for springs 114 Saws—motor bone, saves work for butcher 120 Seasickness—gas latest cure a wage Gas—as fuel to drive electric generator 94 Shale—makes concrete light without strength loss 114 Sharks—ship hunts sea terrors to make shoes 108 Shaving Accessories—lather bulb replaces brush 33 Ships and Shipping running a seagoing hotel 18 speed boat to cross Atlantic in four days 8 when a ship is arrested 65 Siphon—employs bulb to start and stop 71 Skin—registers emotions 79 Skyscrapers—have they reached their limit? 34 Sled—with roller runners speeds over bare ground 74 Slippers—paper, given to hotel guests 45 Smokers’ Accessories—pipe cleaning set in holder car- ried like pen 113 Smokestack kept dark to protect birds 46 outline hidden with steel framework 57 Snowflakes—icy jewels of winter storms 116 Statue—Lincoln shown as lawyer 89 Steel—better and cheaper, by new process 103 Sugar from wood 99 used as medicine in early ages 88 Swimming bathers’ push wheel adds sport to ; 88 spinning wheel adds sport 33 Taxes—aerial maps cut city 17 Television—fashion designs by radio 42 Tires—faults revealed by superspeed photos 81 Tongs—to remove clinkers save coal and dirt 14 Toothbrush rotary, aids dental hygiene 39 with replaceable head, cleans between teeth 100 Towels—hotel, are popular souvenirs 120 Toys endless track for train, novel window display 107 miniature castle doll house 17 Traffic—street guide, at curve, saves extra police 94 Trousers—protected from storms by waterproof covers 86 Tunnel—ten-mile under-sea (Japan) 16 Typewriting—chart to teach, saves students’ time 112 U mbrella—growing handles 45 Vacuum Cleaner—hand-size, simplifies housework 99 [4] [Contents—Continued] Voice—defects in speech recorded to aid speakers Volcano—model is feature of exhibit Washbasin—for industrial plant, pedal saves time and water Washer—has even grip to defeat vibration Wasps—raised to fight codling moth Water Pipes—why hot freeze more readily than cold Weather—insects are prophets Weather Vane—grasshopper, honors business man Whales—tagged to aid study of habits Wood—walnut trees grafted for beautiful grain re more today despite shorter hours 0° animals’ health guarded by special weather sailors’ pets form collection : sight-seeing bus for small boys AMATEUR MECHANICS Aquarium—top for Automobiles eliminating alcohol odors locking Ford windows Automobiles—Driving—natural gas for starting Automobiles—Repairs—lamp for locating short circuits Baby Chair—non-tipping Bicycle—with auto steering wheel Clock—how to level Clothes Hanger—moth-proof Clothesline—detachable reel Door—silencer for sick room Kitchen—filing cabinet aid in Latches—for outside cellar doors Lath—spraying speeds work Mirror—campers’ shaving Paste—to squeeze from tubes Photography—loading box aids field work Rat Trap—simple way of deodorizing Ship Models—‘‘Flying Cloud” Skating—skate-sailing is thrilling sport Sled—barrel stave Snowslides—prevented by wire loops Soap Bubbles—blowing giant Valve Springs—uses for old Wool—how to shrink darning SHOP NOTES Aluminum etching on how to mend with zinc Automobiles double wheels conquer soft dirt packing for Ford window glass Automobiles—Repairs—restoring contact of third gen- erator brush Automobiles—Tires—vulcanizing inner tubes Belting—softening hard leather Coal—easily built portable bin Commutator—tool for cleaning Crankcases—machine for lapping Crucible—improvised electric Draftsmen accurate perpendiculars with a 2-foot rule a timesaver for reading glass for Drawings—protected front being soiled Drilling—vertical holes without drill press Dumb-Waiter—how to build Eave Trough—combination hanger Fertilizer—continuous for the garden Furnace—easy way to fill water pan Garage—Equipment and Supplies—small crane Gaskets—renovating copper asbestos Handle—to operate two cocks Hay—baled, dolly for handling Iron—drilling chilled cast Lathe—fitting, to do job requiring larger swing Paints—effective tool for stirring Pipe unscrewing thin tubing well, removing driven Piston—ring compressor Pliers—have stop for bending wire Potato—better plants Pump—old, making new Sandpaper—using in plane Saw Frame—farm, uses for Saws and Sawing—case for the tool chest Tank—hot-water, insulating Vegetables—handy containers for store Wire—coiled by aid of copper pipe eases RP LS Aa A no 1]

Page 3

uits | gen- 7 25 i . 83 na a ezese = alae cle ale AS + enact 142 ,* Vaasa) Latin 2 F neta A ea ae Popular Mechanics Magazine REGISTERED IN U. S. PATENT OFFICE WRITTEN SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT Vol. 49 JANUARY, 1928 No. 1 RadioWaves diCast ») ADIO waves so short that, light , they cast like visibie shadows behind build- or even men, are being employed riments that in wireless, promise to ¢ on with The w ypen al 1eW particularly in communi- airplanes. aves are so rt that they bring home the point, which neers have often tried in vain to em- ize, that radio is only another form ight, and not a brother of sound. l‘ive-meter eriments conducted by the ectric laboratory at Schenectady, ite the fact that they are giants c« red with light waves, the two act \ uch the same. The average visible li e is only about one fifty-thousandth of thoug inch in length, but, ke nearly 10,000,000 of them, placed end to equal one five-mete end, rh it we r wave, waves are being used in the General and, yIn- er\ elt uid the lio signals of that length emulate light traveling in a straight blocked when they ouse or any other being ing rarely cast shadows, line as meet a obstruction. (he radio waves used in ordinary broad- because well hill, of Shado Preparing to Hoist a Radio Transmitter to the Top of a Tall Tower; It Is Endless Cord, and the Small Meter on the Aerial Rod Is Read with a Telescope Tuned from the Ground by an

Page 4

POPULAR MECHANICS Elevated to a 300-Foot Mast, the Transmitter Will Have a Clear Line of “‘Vision’”’ to the Receiver atop the Woolworth Building on Distant Manhattan Island their great length. There are occasional exceptions, as wlien a near-by mass of metal, such as a gas holder, will block re- ception from a broadcasting station on its other side. The long waves bend as a rule around very large objects, just as vis- ible light waves may be bent around atoms. On the basis of their comparative size, a house or othce building is no more to the long radio wave than an atom to the fifty- thousandth of an inch light wave. Because of their straight-line propaga- tion and the shadow effect of interfering objects, unusual arrangements were nec- essary in the experiments with the five- meter waves. The transmitter, instead of being housed in a building or placed on the ground, was swung in the air from the top of a 300-foot aerial mast at Schenec- tady. An endless rope, running over a pulley on the condenser dial, made tuning possible from the ground, operating much like a chain hoist. The small output meter, fixed to the antenna, was read from the ground through a surveyors’ transit. Wires dangling from the transmitter con- nected to the current supply on the ground. The receiver used was a miniature “ham” set, consisting of regenerative detector and one audio amplifier. No antenna was necessary at the receiving end for the phone cords furnished wire to pick up sut ficient energy. The tiny grid-tuning coil contained but five turns of wire, a half inch in diameter, and the tickler coil was a quarter inch long and a quarter inch in diameter, inside of the grid coil. Two very small condensers were used, and to keep the leads short, they were placed as close as possible together. They were so close, in fact, that, in order to use stand- ard-size vernier dials, extension shafts were necessary. The condensers were placed at an angle to each other and a false end was built in the receiver cabinet to accommodate the angle of the. dials. Tests were first made over a distance of thirty miles. On top of a hill, with a clear “line of vision” to the transmitter the signals came loud and clear, but as the portable receiver was carried down the far side of ‘the hill and passed out of the straight-wave range, the signals faded and disappeared. Following a survey of topographical maps for the country from Schenectady to New York city, arrangements were made to place the receiver on top of the Wool- worth building, as the survey showed that, from its great height on lower Manhattan island, the transmitter atop its 300-foot mast at Schenectady would have an un- TI - ion + at

Page 5

1et icc eT the the the ind aps few yol- hat, tan ‘oot un- POPULAR MECHANICS structed path for the radio waves, pass- over the Catskill foothills. he short waves used have extremely h frequencies, a five-meter signal rep- enting approximately 60,000,000 cycles econd. A four-meter wave would have frequency of 75,000,000 cycles. In the (0,000-cycle space between four and Le » meters, every radio station now in use teur, naval, broadcasting and com- ial—might be operated without inter- nce from overlapping signals. It is enormous number of possible wave nels in the low waves that promises olutionize wireless. Experience has n that a separation of at least ten es, or 10,000 cycles, is necessary by stations. On that basis t ) meters are between 200 and 5 rroadcast wave band—only some 1 possible wave channels, though they a 350-meter band, while the single meter band between four and five contains 1.500 wave channels. experiments are continuing, to de- ne the usefulness of the short waves ideasting over fairly limited dis- Radio engineers have been aware me years that short waves are best ne-distance transmission. One of teresting facts already learned is that hort-wave bands are practically free ‘ar around from natural static, but by the ignition man-made static, such as that caused mobile, is partic TRACTOR FITTED AS FIRE ENGINE _ ifornia forest to HELPS GUARD FORESTS a six-speed trans a three-speed pu aking various alterations in a fa- the trailer. a 1 1 ians of a Cal- is being ledtoa been afforded the guar so ys a = », =e r \ “1 tig, BN BR > eas » . OF “ee *, Forest-Fire Engine, Made from Tractor, with Trailer Carrying the Emer- gency Water-Supply Tank rrand of tractor, an efficient engine water. This ma w Condensers Are Set at Angles to Get Short Leads, While the False Front Panel Makes the Use of Big Ver- nier Dials Possible € ) - al pa 2 1 ce le bat fire It] pne tir s of hose and, « oe 5) S ¢ 1 1 e tne 1 ther 7 + l l é oO ti ) ep 2 t T ‘ ‘ ( S o ‘ art When t ( ( 5 ‘ e fT! ) 1 1 , 1 »at tv-T¢ 7 7 i@ 1n ) veal

Page 6

POPULAR MECHANICS P Taking the Sea. THREE HUNDRED MILE AN HOUR Ls sickness Cure on PLANES CARRY BALLAST Deck; Gas Admin- Cilinier Ie Said te English speed planes, which took tl Relieve the Malady Schneider trophy away from Italy tl year, were so fast that they had to be sp cially weighted on the right-hand side t overcome the tendency of the plane t turn with the propeller. The winnit plane, which‘averaged 281.49 miles an hou on the closed triangular course, attains a speed of more than 300 miles an hour ; times on the straightaway. The winner, Supermarine equipped with Napier en gine, had a right-hand pontoon consider ably longer and heavier than its opposité mate, as shown in the center sketch on th opposite page. It was unusual in sever particulars. For one, the fuselage W built of sheet duralumin without any 11 ternal bracing or reinforcement, derivin strength from its tubular shape alone The engine was water-cooled and the 1 diators occupied practically all the lead ing edge of the very short wings. Speci ventilation was provided to blow tl GAS FOR CURING SEASICKNESS burned oil fumes and other eases out | the fuselage, to. keep them from overcon LATEST TRAVEL AID ing the pilot. Another of the English e1 Comfort for the traveler who suffers tries, which, however, crashed on its tri from seasickness is seen in a gas remedy flight in Italy, carried all its gasoline in a German physician has prepared. It is large tank in the right-hand pontoon t carried in cylinders like those used in a offset the engine twist while in flight. The dentist’s office and the patient inhales it third type of British ship, of which tw through a flexible tubing and cone. Treat- were built, was the Gloster Napier, the onl ments can be given on deck and are said biplane entered, the others being of th to be effettive immediately. low-wing monoplane type, in which th ee wing is placed below the fuselage instea “FIDDLE” THAT SOWS GRASS SEED of above it. The Glosters were unusual i1 AIDS GOLF-COURSE KEEPER that the powertul engines were geare i down to fairly slow turning. Wing strut Maintaining grass vere of duralumi " on golf courses is simplified with a hand-operated sower introduced in England. It works by pulling a “bow” back and forth as though playing a because strengt! equal to wood cat be attained wit!l considerably thin ner sections. Th: wing radiators, use to cool the engin: water, were supple mented by radiator in the pontoons which utilize th sea water for cool By Working the Handle Back and Forth, Disk Is Re- ing while the ship volved and Seed Is Distributed from the Bag are on the surfac: cello. This action causes a disk to ro- tate and scatter the seed which falls uponit froma holder above.

Page 7

SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST SEAPLANES POPULAR MECHANICS _. Paited Rudder Gap

Page 8

POPULAR MECHANICS ELECTRICAL “MAN” OBEYS HUMAN VOICE ON PHONE - ee tne? Tie fig ‘j hf ‘ wet answers the machinery, An electrical machine that telephone, and Stops reads the water reservoirs and can be made to perform an infinite num- constructed gauges at has been government en- of the Westing- Three of the ber of other tasks, by Dewey M. Radcliffe, a gineer, and R. J. Wensley, house staff. automatons have been installed in the war department at Washington, taking the place of nine watchmen who patrolled three water reservoirs. When the official in charge wishes to know the depth of in any of the reservoirs, he calls cen- laboratory water tral on the telephone, gives the proper number, and the mechanical man answers, reads the gauge back the depth. A similar machine, demonstrated at the Westinghouse and reports recently, offices Left, Mechanical ‘“‘Man,’’ Which Ope: and Closed Doors, Rang Bells, Turr Lights Off and On and Responded Other Spoken Orders, and, Below, Master Voice That Calls Up Three Wa ington Reservoirs and Reports Back Amount of Water Each Contai \ the First Practical Job the E trical ‘“‘Robot’’ Has Undertake turned lights off and on, started an stopped an electric fan, oper ited a searcl light and an automatic sweeper, and eve! A laborator’ human opened ind closed a door. model worked by the speaking into a telephone transmitter, deli Was voic cate selectors and relays responding to cet tain tones and syllables. For practical in stallation, the human voice has been re electrically operated tunin desired note placed by forks, which transmit the The mechanical man grew out of the nee for a device to control distant machinet without the prohibitive expense of main over lon taining special private wires distances. At the control office in the wa department, the telephone stands on small box, which has on it three push but tons. When the waterworks official want

Page 9

NS POPULAR MECHANICS

E heck the water level in the reservoirs, GAS MASK AS DIVER’S HELMET ills the number of the reservoir, the WOULD AID IN RESCUES rator completes the connection, and the

it the other end rings. The signal | tes a relay that lifts the hook and t a buzzer that sends back through l ° ° . " le transmitter a signal to advise the caller , ontact is established and also the ed information. BLACK BLOTTERS FOR BANKS TO DEFEAT FORGERS using the blotter that has been ap- : | to a signature, forgers have some- hioned an accurate reproduction e writing, but with a tvpe of blotter being employed in banks, they will | Per be able to do this. 7 he blotters ck, so that the ink is almost com- lost in the color. Besides this ad- ; pear nye: tage, thev are not so easily disfigured. TURN OF WRIST WORKS JACK Submerging to Test Fireman's Gas Mask as a Diver's Helmet, Wearer Stayed Under Twenty Minutes WITH COMPRESSED AIR ; : : : a That a fireman’s gas mask can be su sing a car with a twist of the wrist in ea P ‘a ee , ‘ Is aaa Bs atanal wap cessfully used as a diver’s helmet was de ae Se agg cago 7 7 onstrated recently by Capt. C. H. Virdin pressed-alir jack now on the market. - 3 1 ’ , ha : _ of the Los Angeles department. W«* operated from a service-station air , _" ' oe fer ; Aaa ing one of the masks, he remaine or with a small container of air com- . ee sap ' 7 ; merged for twenty minutes. It is thou; ed to 120 pounds and released from 1 . 14 , “ie that the equipment would prove of speci 1 t tube into the jack. ene . i ae : service to companies detailed along é fronts or where emergency calls for cues of drowning persons are likel CENTER OF INDUSTRY MCVES an % . ale TOWARD THE WEST cl even | Centers of industry and populat tor. the United states are eradually moy woice | westward toward the center of ul deli and the latter, in turn, is a bit nearer tl cer geographical center of the country t lin was a few years ag L he 1 ( 1 re ter has m ved seventy-five ning nd west in the last els hte en v¢ =" . ' : P , note ae { now in northern Ii ina e cent nee oe of population is also in Indiana, in O net “2s county, 170 miles south and slight! Nain of the industrial center and almost at thi lon Illinois state line. The agricultural center is about thirty-five miles southwest - Wa on bu Jack in Place and About to Raise the Car When Com- vant pressed Air Is Released by Twisting Tube Handle Hannibal, Mo., and the FCOLTAT hi il cel ter near the middie ot the northet ound Ol Kansas ciose to Nebra

Page 10

SPEED BOAT TO CROSS ATLANTIC IN FIFTY HOURS Trips between New York and Paris in fifty hours are anticipated by a French in- POPULAR MECHANICS slight that they cannot be considere “earthquakes” in the accepted sense of th term, and fewer tensity to cause of population. still possess sufficient in great damage in center Just a few weeks severe quake was ago, £ OO} reg eday instruments i! parts of tl was tered on various world. It believe to have occurred some where under the ocean ot Alaska. reported, hence the quak is not recorded as a ca No damage wa tastrophe, although it wa a severe shake. Betwee1 Sept. 1, 1924, and Aug. 31 1926, 551 notable disa ters in various place were tabulated in “Thi W orld’s He ilth,” recently Eight-Motored Speed Boat for Rapid Trips across the Atlantic Is to Be Built after This Model ventor in a boat he has designed to rival aircraft. It is in the model stage so tar and shows similarities to-a submarine, be- ing fitted to travel under water for a con- siderable time. It is to have eight motors, six for forward and two for reverse trav el, with a total horsepower of 2,400. A max- imum rate of over eighty-six miles an hour can be attained, the designer believes. THOUSANDS OF QUAKES YEARLY BUT FEW PERIL MAN published in Paris. Thi list included earthquakes, four vol nine avalanches and land slides, 197 floods, 148 cyclones, eight tida waves, twenty-three droughts, forty-eight big fires, seventeen famines and thirty-on plagues of locusts. sixty-si canic eruptions, DEFECTS IN SPEECH RECORDED TO AID PUBLIC SPEAKERS Embryo orators and actors at the Uni versity of Southern California, have means of studying the defects and good points of their own voices in an instru ment that register As many as 30,000 earthquakes may occur yearly, but not more than thirty what can be considered catas- are trophes so far as concerned, according to R. M. Wilson, of the geo- man is logical survey. Sen- sitive seismographs show that the earth is almost constantly quaking and trem- bling somewhere, the tones as they are spoken and repeat them as a phono graph does. It is es sentially a combina tion recorder and repeater, and the voice is sufficiently amplifiel as it is rendered by the ma- chine, so that a | number of person can hear it at time in a classroom one or other place. The volume may also be but hundreds of the disturbances are so diminished to suit a smaller area. Speech Repeater in Use; Tones of the Voice Are Re- corded and Amplified for Study of Defects

Page 11

POPULAR MECHANICS 9 LIMITLESS-SPEED HIGHWAY IS BUILT FOR SAFETY strade. All cars are checked on entering and What is claimed to be fastest public high- y in the world for leaving these highways tor vehicles has been The control gates are in : eloped in the vicinity charge of watchmen who Milan, Italy, with such exact a moderate toll “A ess during recent from users, note the num e ths that plans have ber and name of the cat n projected that call and, of course, are in a . the ultimate addition position to exclude an Les manv hundreds of drivers who may be, of such highway. some reason, incompe e are known as tent. Because fast trath« " trade.” Believing isanimpossibilit . t speed in itself is no through towns and \ s us hazard in modern lages, these new road e ir travel, because have been laid out 1 he e high degree of me- avoid all intermediat: hy cal reliability of centers of population. In hi e vehicles, the Italian the year just passed, tl id ivy builders have average daily trathc on ” ted roads leading to the thoroughtare d ir divergent points, amounted to about 2,000 la r Milan, on which case and the Pe r] ¢ Ss or tne t¢ t mn £D ni Ol ru e1 are “ats ' no es } na an«| the One of the Concrete Bridges on the Bergamo Branch of the “Autostrada,” and a Futuristic “Billboard’’ Figure atl y It Attracts Attention Even When Motorists Drive at High Speed - re are no speed restrictions. On these are now contemplated will be similar ro —_— road, smooth thoroughfares, motor cars to Brescia and Venice ae vel from fifty to eighty miles an hour — - on :; a wine scmente witwihle cn wr Pte ords sige: nan recog CIGARET LIGHTS ITSELF ident factor. The engineers have re _— duced the number of curves to a minimum Self-lighting cigarets have been intro- lhe nd eliminated all grade crossings. Fur duced by an English dealet \ tiny dis » be hermore, the road is well protected by containing paper and an igniting material suit fences which shut out possible intruders is attached to the t Strike tl here are no abrupt grades in the auto against the packet and they are lighted

Page 12

10 CLOCKWORK IN SAFETY RAZOR MOVES BLADE SIDEWAYS — Operating the Clockwork Razor in Which the Blade Mov ves Rapidly from Side to Side ais Shaving with a safety razor recently 1n- like oscillates somewhat the’ blade stead of remaining sta- respect to the holder. This a clockwork mechanism troduced in I[ngland running a mower, for from side to side in tionary with is accomplished by in the handle. pecially adapted to stubborn beards. The razor is said to be es- AIRPLANE TO FLY STRAIGHT UP THIRD OF A MILE A MINUTE Realization of one of the fondest dreams of aviation is anticipated in a plane that, it is hoped, will be able to rise vertically at the rate of 1,900 feet a minute, make perpendicular descents in safety with the motors dead and thus permit landings in restricted areas. The ship is not a heli- copter, engineers report, but is classed as a vertically rising airplane. So far, its possibilities have been judged wholly on the basis of wind-tunnel tests with a model of the plane. So convincing have these demonstrations proved, however, that a large aircraft company is reported to have voted $75,000 for the construction of a full ed ship from the model plans. The small unit employed in the tests had four wings, but it is expected that the big ship vill have only three. They are to be ina horizontal plane and will rotate at a speed POPULAR MECHANICS of 120 to 135 revolutions per minute. Each of the wings will have a thirty or thirty five horsepower motor to turn it and will be mounted on a vertical shaft above thx 1 be no propeller in fuselage. There wil front, the forward motion of the plane be ing attained simply by tipping it forward This the since they are set for climbing, their revo lutions will tend vives wings a new angle, and to send the plane ahead Comparati\ ely slow speeds will be from fifty all that down, the wings revolve, even if the mo made to seventy miles an hour being is promised. As the ship come tors are dead, creating a breaking drag against the force of gravitv. This feature is expt cted to prove of great aid in forced fogs, for instance, or in ] landings, through in confined alighting in spaces such as the tops of buildings or ship decks. LIGHT SHINES AROUND CURVES FOR SAFER AUTO DRIVING Hazards of driving the automobile at night are reduced by so adjusted that a a special headlight ide beam 1 projected to both sides of the road, without glare to approaching cars and with better illumi- the curves. The lamp plainly shows the road before the turns. It is nation of highwav on take the place of the regular spot or headlights, driver not intended to but for special service on winding roads. Wate Front and Rear Views of the Car Equipped with the Broad-Beam Light; Above, Illumination on Curves

Page 13

e— => Lal \ 7 lractors Equipped with Winches and Steei Cable Handle Enormous Logs Which Would Have Taxed the Strength of Many Teams and an Entire Crew of Men a Few Years Ago . e Ts last of the great industries toaban- to a winch on the front of the machine. C lon man power has been converted to The tree rises again, is guyed into place hinery. Oil and gasoline engines, elec- and becomes what is known among thi ric motors and the law of gravity, applied lumberjacks as a “spar tree.” the forests, have brought out more logs From its top, or from the top of another vear than men ever moved before, high tree, a gang of men, with the aid de of lumbering an organized industry, the tractor’s winches, runs a steel cable t d left undamaged thousands of square another tree, probably half a mile a iles of new-growth timber to replace down the hill. For a radius of 500 feet } it which men and mules and oxen had _ around the spar tree, the tractor and it impled into the slopes of our mountains. portable saw cuts trees, as a man with a \n endless-tread tractor, tanklike, but mower might cut wheat. As fast as one uipped for peace instead of war, rolls . falls, it is trimmed and shot down the hill to the forest, three men riding it. In With two tractors and six men, one Cal e midst of the grove, the great machine fornia lumber company has cut and de ’ ft ts, a portable saw is unloaded and __livered, to the pond at the mill, 40,000 feet laced against a towering pine, three feet of lumber a day. Approximately thirty hick at the base. Power is applied from men with four or five ox or mule team he engines. In fifteen minutes the tree would have been required under the old lies on its side. Again the saw is moved man-power system, to get out that much long the log, taking off the branches one’ timber in two days—instead of one. | a time. Block and tackle, with a run- When the logs arrive at the base of the ning pulley, is attached to the upper end. mountain—for most of our forests are \ pit is dug at the base. Thetractor backs now on lofty mountainsides—it may be away, picking up the slack in a steel cable that the mill is still miles away. If there e running from the top of the fallen trunk is a large stream, the logs are rolled int

Page 14

12 POPULAR MECHANICS it and floated down. But here, machinery has eliminated not only labor, but danger. If the logs jam, a cable from the tractor is thrown around the key log, and with sixty horsepower strain ing at the steel line, that particular timber is jerked out, and the jam freed. No longer do men with canthooks risk their lives amid the tumbling logs, and dynamite is no more needed to free he crossed timbers in the stream. If logs run wild, as they do in high water, sliding over the dam at the mill, the rhodern lum- berjack, turned into an imitation cowboy, “ropes” them as they whirl in the stream, and the tractor does the rest, pulling them gently to the bank and snaking them back up to the mill, Where there is no stream at the bottom of the aerial railway, several new mechanical means of getting the logs to the mill have been put into use this year. Ifa large area is to be logged, a single-track railroad is laid without much grading, and over it comes a train of great flat cars, pulled by what seems to be an interurban express car. As a matter of fact, it contains a Diesel engine, direct-connected to a generator, providing current for electric motors on the wheels. This is an entirely new factor in logging, which has been tried during the past year with great uccess. But, if a track cannot be laid to the base of the moun- tain, the tractor is called in again, and, by several methods, the logs are taken to the mill. First, there is the “bummer,” a four- wheeled dolly, of which two are towed behind the tractor, a third of the log being raised up, also by tractor power, and rested on the bummer, while the remainder trails behind. Then there is the old and simple method of “snaking” the logs out, by means of chains attached to the tractor, as many as six or seven logs being handled in this manner in tandem by two men and tractor. a” With the “Spar Tree’ Set Up and Rigged, the Tractor Is Able to Handle All the Logs for 500 Feet Around, and Later Skyline Them to the Read or Railway

Page 15

POPULAR MECHANICS 13 ylining, Showing How the Aerial Tramway Works, and, Inset, a Huge Log Crossing a Ravine fore recently, “high-wheelers” have en applied, in which the log is picked between the wheels of a two-wheeled eleton trailer and towed by the tractor. is is particularly effective where there e many stumps or bowlders, since the s are carried high enough to clear +h ground obstacles. In the swamps, here there is mud all the way out, floats skids, made on the ground from iller logs, are towed out by tractor. j en the donkey engine, which in some mber camps superseded the team, in irn has been virtually put out of busi- ss by the portable power plant, with winches filled with steel cable, and its ility to move itself anywhere. Fire inger from the old-time “donk” also removed. Other mills, in Montana nd California, similarly situated on the »wnhill sides of their forests, use chutes flumes. Running sixty miles from ountain mill to railroad, in California is will make available approximately half a e longest lumber flume in the world. It billion feet of lumber, sufficient to occupy indles cut timbers by a stream of water, this mill for the next eighteen years. The he lumber being halted at any loading distance is about ten miles. One 200,000- tation by ropes and, snubbing posts. pound electric hoist will drop the lumber One large lumber company has now in laden cars into the canyon, where another | process of construction, at a cost of similar hoist will lift them out. The cars } 250,000, an incline railroad down one side will slide down and climb out at a virtually ; ol a deep gorge and up the other, to be uniform speed of 600 feet a minute. ) | yperated by electricity. This installation Lumbermen agree that profit in their in-

Page 16

POPULAR MECHANICS logs back by ordinary methods, since the stream was too swift for naviga- tion. There was danger of damage to the irriga- tion dam, and for this reason the time-worn use of dynamite to break the jam was impossible. A tractor, with winch and steel cable, was called in, the logs snaked out one at a time, and then picked up by high-wheelers and carried back to the mill at comparatively small Three men rescued all the logs, working cost. a 10b 100 men under old-time methods of logging could not have accomplished. TONGS TO REMOVE CLINKERS SAVE COAL AND DIRT Clinkers are easily re- moved without from the furnace, useless shaking of the grates and break- 5 | ing up of the fire, with a Two Views of a Sixty-Mile Flume, dustry depends on three factors: first, get- ting the fallen tree to the mill at the lowest possible cost; second, with speed that will increase volume, and, third, with least pos- sible damage to. standing and voung timber. The supplied by the new grow th first two 1 mecn have been anical devices. The third is being materially helped by the elimination of large numbers of men orking in gangs, the removal of long teams of mules or oxen, and the complete toppage ol sparks and other fire izards bv the use of oil and gasoline engines and electric motors. ] But these mechanical devices have not taken all the adventure out of the life of the lumberjack. Half a million feet of logs ntly escaped from a main boom 1 at Merced Falls, Calif. during a sudden ise in the river and jammed against an irrigation dam three miles down the lere Was no way to § stream. T] get these Built at a Cost of $3,000 a Mile, t Carry Lumber from a California Sawmill to the Railroad special pair of tongs now on the Sharp prongs powerful gripper, operated by a lever, afford a con- venient and efticient tool for getting hold ~ 1 market. and a of the most stubborn piece. Gripping Tongs That Clutch the Stubborn Clinker, to Effect Its Removal without Shaking the Grates

Page 17

POPULAR MECHANICS 15 MACHINE SOLVES PROBLEMS TOO DEEP FOR BRAIN J J Where Answers to Profound Problems Are Ground Out by Machinery; the Electric “Brain” in Operation; ; It Is Described as an “Adding Machine Carried to an Extreme Design” ie \nswers to mathematical problems, too and future of the things in which he de plex for the human brain to master, The machine works especially in this field ground out with ease on an electrical of graphs and curves. It is virtuall a . , Pee trument devised by eastern engineers. man-made brain which transcends humat Ww | . iti r +} ‘ahi +t - om 1 readil lot | t en the conditions of the problem, it reasoning and readiiv pilots the answet ) - “3 , tes out the answer as efficiently as an- some classes of problems that cannot n¢ 1 ; ' ; : er machine takes in lumber and chem- __ be solved by formal mathematics. l- ‘ ~ . - d s and produces finished boxes of ee Fh. ( + * ° : tches, the authorities report. It is led the “Product Integraph.” Dr. Van- ARTIST WHO MODELS IN GLASS var Bush, of the Massachusetts Insti- PRODUCES NOVEL EFFECTS | te of J echnology, ' ne of its makers, | vs that it might be ssed “as an add- machine car- | to an extreme ‘sign. Where irkers in the busi- ss world are ordi- rily satisfied with ldition, subtrac- tion, multiplication id division of num- bers, the engineer ‘als with curves | all and graphs which | represent for him » to Cae ee: Interpreting Nature in Glass; at the Right Is a Tiny ws 134 ay ae © past, present Tree of Delicate Design Which he has mad — ——E af ’

Page 18

POPULAR MECHANICS Preparing to Lower the Caissons for the Submarine Will Be Ten Miles Long and TEN-MILE TUNNEL UNDER SEA TO LINK JAPANESE ISLANDS An engineering task, rivaling anything of its kind in the world, is under way in Japan, where builders are at work on a ten-mile tunnel that will connect the cities of Moji and Shimonoseki, now linked by ferries and boats that ply between the islands. In places, the water line of the tunnel will be eighty feet below the sea bed, and difficulties, such as soft strata and other obstacles, are being encountered. ENGINE BURNS OIL AND WATER FOR CHEAPER POWER Oil, water and air are mixed and burned to run an engine developed by a western inventor for electric power and for the cheaper production of many pur- An essential unit of the apparatus other poses. is said to be a springless mushroom valve that works successfully under the 5,000 pounds’ pressure required to prepare the proper emulsion for combustion. The mixture is also suitable for fuel in home- heating plants. The engine employed by the inventor to demonstrate the perform- ance of the fuel was a one-cylinder, ten- Tunnel That Will Link Japanese Cities; the Passage Will Supplement Ferry Service horsepower unit of an old model. A low grade of oil, air and water were pumped in and compressed to 5,000 pounds in a small steel cylinder. The engine was first started with gasoline and the mixture cut in later. The exhaust from the emulsified fuel was free of carbon and noxious fumes, and was cool, according to reports. BASKET BALL WITHOUT LACING TO IMPROVE GAME Absence of lacing, anda valve for inflating it, features of a basket ball in- troduced this side are season. The bladder is at- tached inside and air introduced through a valve screwed into an opening in the cover. When the valve is removed for little rubber flap closes the The slit through which the bladder is put in, playing, a hole. is sewed up, making a smooth surface, and the stitches do not have to be undone except to remove the bladder and put in a new one.

Page 19

EE" AERIAL MAPS CUT CITY TAXES Using aerial maps to ‘ate tax dodgers has oved successful in five nnecticut towns, ac- ling to the depart- ent of commerce. In ldletown, the first to ve an aerial photo- iphic survey made, © buildings which re not on the tax lists re disclosed by the p. Seventy-nine stores ted on Main street ne were in the list. As result of the survey, ich cost $4,000, the ddletown tax list was ised from $20,500,000 to 31,500,000 and the tax te reduced from thirty ills to twenty-four mills. Rocky Hill, nn., increased its tax list from $1,500,000 $4,000,000 by locating buildings which id escaped taxation, and as a result low- red the tax rate from twenty-two to eight nd a quarter mills. AUTO BED THAT DISAPPEARS ADDS COMFORT TO TOURS Entirely concealed when not in use, and ily exténded, a folding automobile bed nvented by a southern man is hidden der the rear-seat cushion, when closed, nd pulls out over the front seats. It has mfortable springs and keeps the bed- ng shielded from dust. When Not in Use, This Bed for the Auto Tourist Folds Up under the Rear-Seat Cushions Doll-House Castle Which Visitors Pay to See POPULAR MECHANICS 17 F & : MINIATURE CASTLE DOLL HOUSE ATTRACTS CROWDS Built in one summer as the result of a hobby for model construction, a minia- ture doll house in the form of a castle proving a source of revenue for its owner, a California man. He charges admission for inspection of the curious three-story abode, and visitors gain access by stoop- ing low under the doorways and squeez- ing through sidewise. The house was is built after he had seen a similar model owned by a friend. LAUNDRY USES STEEL BOXES TO COLLECT PACKAGES Steel collection boxes, resembling the large-size parcel boxes of the post office department, are used by a Nebraska laun- dry to collect the bundles of its patrons. The boxes are scattered through the citv on private property, usually a corner oc- cupied by a gasoline-filling station. They attract laundry customers to the filling stations, and make it convenient for them to deliver their laundry while getting gas service. The laundry-collection wagons make regular rounds, and the finished vork is then delivered direct to the cus- tomers’ homes.

Page 20

a» Just-a Portion of the Broad Sports Field and Promenade Grounds Furnished by the Boat Deck of a Modern Liner; Here Tennis and Other Games Can Be Played at Sea = your way across the Atlantic is a far different matter now from the days of clipper ships. There is no mention of salt beef or hardtack in the neat menus found in the modern steam- ship dining rooms. Modern refrigeration changed the en- tire plan of catering on ocean liners. The passengers of these days can be served anything they desire in the way of fresh salads, eggs, milk, fruit and vegetables. The refrigerating plants of the large ships are as big as good-sized city apart- ments. Each room is set aside for a par- ticular kind of that the chefs never have the unfortunate experience of the housewife who finds that her butter tastes a bit like salmon. On a ship there is at least one room for vegetables, one for butter, one for fish, one for beer and sev- eral for wine on European liners. Catering on shipboard smacks of a science in its exactness, and like the sciences, it is careful with figures. The 18 food. so have estimated the number of ounces of food required for each pas- senger on a voyage, and they know the cost of serving meals within a quarter of a cent a meal. The food served on the liners is bought by the purchasing departments of the companies which own them, in most cases under the supervision of stewards. stewards former chief The ships of American regis- try buy a large proportion of their sup- plies on this side, but foreign ships buy their staples abroad and try to confine their buying in this country to fresh sup- plies. Despite this rule, one liae, in which most of the ships are of foreign registry, bought $2,000,000 worth of food in New York last year. America excels so much in some foods, the stewards say, that even foreign lines buy these foods in New York for both east and west-bound passages. These toods are beef, coffee and several fruits, including grapefruit and oranges.

Page 21

The Dream of Liner Architects and Decorators Is to Simulate a Land Hotel and Hide Sea; This Main Dining Room of the “Ile de France” Achieves That En

Page 22

20 The stewards say that the earmark of the American passenger is his insistence on grapefruit for breakfast. After the grapefruit he wants a cereal and then eggs, perhaps with bacon or ham, and toast and coffee. The Englishman is more likely to ask for a grilled bloater, ham or a rasher of bacon, a couple of fried eggs and oceans of tea. The stewards have to provide for every national taste in their international bills of fare. Some standbys, such as roasts of beef, turkey, chicken and lamb, boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, turnips, string beans and cold meats, are on every menu. ships cold meats are a feature on sailing day; a table heaped with decorated cold meats is placed in the dining room. The average menu for dinner in the dining room includes soup, fish (small portions of each of these), an entree, a roast, a salad, sweets, coffee and cheese. Most of the largest ships, for instance the “Majestic” and “Olympic,” carry French restaurants. The meals in the din- ing room are paid for by every passenger On most POPULAR MECHANICS when he buys his ticket, but some prefe to eat in the French restaurant, whic costs them an average of $10 a day eac! Those who prefer the restaurant are prin cipally the society people on board an those who ape society’s manners. Those who eat in the dining room hav: breakfast between eight and ten o'clock The lady who has her meals in the Frenc] restaurant is likely to order coffee and rolls in her room about 10 a. m. She comes to the restaurant for her first mea at 12:30 or 1 p. m. At 8 p. m. she has ar elaborate dinner, remaining at the table for a couple of hours. She will order delicacies, such as arti- chokes, braised chicory, salads of tender young vegetables, romaine, hearts of let- tuce, snails, plover’s eggs in jelly, steak SS Chateaubriand, which is a steak cooked between two steaks, a great variety of shellfish, pheasant and grouse. The waiters in the dining room on Eng- lish ships are English, in the restaurant, French or Italian. These waiters, or rather stewards, are paid about forty-five The Punch and Judy Show Has Almost Disappeared in the United States, But the French Liners Have Pro- vided the Immortal Manikins to Entertain Children, and Grown-Ups, Too ar

Page 23

he Play Room of a Modern Liner Even Includes a Small-Size but Electric-Driven Merry-Go-Round; 3elow, Church Serv- ices of Various De- nominations Are Regularly Held at Sea; This Is the Altar of the Chapel on One of the New French Liners POPULAR MECHANICS

Page 24

1 dollars a month, in addition to their board. The normal tip for a dining-room steward is from five to ten dollars a passenger for A steward thirty to sixty dollars He will month, from a voyage in tips. a voyage. will collect average about one round trip a working three weeks and staying ashore one. Che smoking-room stewards make more in tips than tl chief steward of 1e dining-room men. The a ship is not tipped but the second steward finds nothing in tra- dition to keep him from taking that is everything offered. It is not unusual for a second steward to receive a tip of as much as $100 from a wealthy passenger. The chief steward often makes more in round- about receive advice on investments, from some financier whom he has served on many voyages, that will be worth more to him than all the tips re- ceived on a voyage by all the are under him. Americans, the stewards say, great liking for sweets. pastry ways. He may men who have a All the ships carry and confectioners, cooks compe- POPULAR MECHANICS tent and well-paid men. One of the most important jobs of the confectioner is t make fancy birthday cakes for passenge: who have birthdays on the Atlantic. A good chef is paid at least $5,000 year. The chef on the “Majestic” ha under him seventy cooks, including a first second and third meat cook, a first and third fish the tastes of more than they , second cook, etc. 7 hey cater t passengers, who eat mucl do on shore. The stimu lation of salt air and other factors of ship life whet the appetite. The stewards insist that few passenger miss meals because of seasickness, on the largest ships, and say that they expect and prepare tor every passenger on the ship’ list at every meal. On exceptionally roug] voyages in the winter, however, there are many vacant chairs. A housekeeper would be staggered by the job of caring for the kitchen and din- ing-room equipment on the “Majestic.” There are dishes and cooking utensils and more than three seventy-five tons of tons of silverware and cutlery. What Is It? Just a View, Looking Downward, of the Circular Stairway of a New Liner, Built to Descend Many Decks into the Depths of the Ship, and Yet Save Room

Page 25

POPULAR MECHANICS It Is Hard to Imagine, When Dining in This Luxurious Room, That One Is at Sea on the Stormy Nort! Atlantic, for There Is No Hint of Sea in Room or Decorations

Page 26

POPULAR MECHANICS needed to stock the “Ma- jestic” for a round-tri; voyage over the Atlantic. The ship can carry total of 4,100 passenger and has a crew of about 1000. To feed these 5,100 people for a single round trip, the ship’s re- frigerators are stocked with seventy-five tons of meats in addition to ten tons of ham and bacon, twenty-eight tons of fish and about eighteen tons of poultry. The vegetables served with these meats will in- clude thirty tons of po- tatoes, seven tons of car- rots and turnips, ten tons of cabbage, several tons of onions and half a ton of hot-house tomatoes. Stores for a voyage in- clude 1,000 each of plover, quail, snipe and pheasant, 750 each of partridge and The “Ile de France” on Her Maiden Trip; Although Not So Large as Many American and English Liners, She Is One of the Most Luxurious The steward has in his charge more than 10,000 tablecloths, 45,000 napkins and 5,000 aprons for the use of the cooks, stewards and stewardesses. If the napkins were hung on a single line, side by side, the line would have to be seventeen miles long, and the tablecloths would occupy a line nineteen miles long. If the ship’s linen, including the bed- room linen, could be hung on a line at the rate of six pieces a minute on the basis of an eight-hour day and five-and-a-half- day week, it would take twelve weeks to complete the job. There are 80,000 pieces of china and crockery carried by the ship, including 30,000 plates, 16,000 cups, 13,000 saucers, 10,000 cooking dishes, 2,700 pitchers and 2,400 tea and coffee pots. Glassware totals 29,000 pieces, including 8,000 tumblers, 7,000 wine and spirit glasses (one notes that water seems to be more popular than wine), 7,000 salt, pepper and mustard con- tainers and 1,600 water bottles. Food by the ton and by the carload is grouse and 500 wild ducks, a total of 6,000 game birds. The chef has for his menus 600 boxes of apples, 400 boxes of oranges and grape- fruit, sixty boxes of pears and a ton of hot- house grapes. To prepare his desserts he has a ton of American ice cream, and has three tons of jams and marmalades. The baker has for his ovens thirty-five tons of flour. The lst of supplies includes eight tons of sugar, five tons of butter, three tons of coffee and tea, 80,000 eggs and 500 gallons of milk. Smokers on board need not fear lacking cigarets. They are consuming a supply of 250,000 cigarets and 2,240 pounds of to- bacco on a voyage, which ought to be enough for any reasonable group. .GIANT NUGGET KEPT BY BANK AS GOLD RESERVE ‘Weighing more than eighty ounces and valued at $1,408, a gold nugget forms part of the reserve for a national bank in Baker, Oreg. It is one of the largest nuggets ever found and was mined near by.

Page 27

uw POPULAR MECHANICS 2 ~ fa. VOLCANO MODEL IS iy FEATURE OF ke EXHIBIT as - (Although Mt. Lassen, - ilifornia’s active vol- om no, is more than 10,000 le et high, it was graph- i. lly portrayed to visi- me rs at an exhibition in a in Francisco in a model, on tv-four feet high and ae th a base 300 feet long. ie he contours of the peak ice ere faithfully repro- uced and trees were ed iced about the model lene such a way that, from lias listance, it could hardly an e distinguished from the a. eal mountain. ns on COTTON RIVAL SEEN S. IN ANCIENT PLANT in- P a, . Ramie plants, the ary yrous stalks of which xr ere used to clothe the e es ld gyptian kings and to ‘ Pe, Pap 100 eave fabric coverings we r their mummies, are The Fire-Escape Slide for Outdoor Playground Gives a Much Longer of eing cultivated in Cali- and! Vuawe Const a rnia today. Inthe opinion of one grower, FIRE ESCAPE AS CHILD’S SLIDE “a e crop holds great promise for the future GIVES HEALTHFUL SPORT he 5 a source of textile material that can be ile ised instead of cotton. An apparatus has One of the most popular units on an een devised for cleaning it in large quan- outdoor playground is an old fire-escape - ties and at little cost. chute that has been converted into a slide les 4 for the children. It is securely attached to er a substantial scaffold, and a flight tall ae leads to the entrance. Being higher than o the average slide, it affords more thrill ng ply FORTY THOUSAND GLASS EYES on USED IN U. S. YEARLY be The United States imports 40,000 glass eyes annually, according to official reports. Many of them are works of art and so closely resemble the natural organs t they can hardly be distinguished from nd them. Safety experts are recommending art the universal wearing of goggles by er, er dustrial workers, pointing out that |! ets -ultivating the Ramie Plants; Growers Believe That oe noe ae SeeEEEHRS Ont the Fibers May Be Used as Cotton Substitutes non-hazardous with respect to the eyes.

Page 28

Shepherds in Flowing Robes Still Guard Their Flocks by Night in Palestine, Just as They Did More Than 1,900 Years Ago When They Saw the Star over Bethlehem

Page 29

Workmen Who Are Reviving the Famous Faience Works in Jerusalem: They Shape Their Jars on the Potter’s heel, One of the Oldest Pieces of Machinery in Existence By HAROLD J.SHEPSTONE, F.R.G.S. te PALESTINE is at present the scene of an intense campaign of 1 here are no fewer than eleven different expeditions in the field, representing seven lifferent nations, Great Britain, America, France, Italy, Denmark, Germany and \ustria. Under the Turks, excavation work in Palestine was not only costly, but the re- trictions imposed were irritating. Today, under the British, every encour- igement is being given to a scientific ex- ploration of the mounds and sites which ire known to mark places of historic in- terest. Furthermore, valuable work is be- ng undertaken in preserving the existing very ruins. One feature of this work is the reconstruction of an ancient Synagogue at Capernaum, believed to be the very one in which Christ taught. Jerusalem itself has heen the scene of much activity during the past few months. excavation. On the site of Ophel, to the south of the present walls of the city, excavations have been made to the ancient level, and a part of the wall th at inclosed the aricient Jebu- site city has been discovered. It is built in the slanting manner, each course of stones being farther in than the one be low it. This is the same kind of Canaan- ish fortification as h _ as been rou! | at an- cient Jericho. ie Canaanitish wall con tinues southward, but just next to the b tion is seen a corner tower of a very dif- ferent type, built of larger stones and better masonry. This is Davidic work, and, as it intervenes in the gap in the Canaanitish wall, is thought to be the “breach,” which David is recorded to have built up, and may be the “Millo” which is often mentioned in the Old estament, and which actually means a “filling up.” To the east of this, there is a wall of a 1 iater period, which li outside of the

Page 30

tn > wt % var ae > = - — 4 - tal

4.1-.—wE yes Steps That Were Carefully Matched from Natural Rock, in Biblical Time, Still Render Good Service in Palestine Canaanitish rampart. It is virtually the finest of all and is attributed to Hezekiah. It has been suggested that it was between these two walls that Zedekiah and his men escaped when the city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. which has been carried out by the Jewish Palestine exploration uncovering the foundations of the third, or northern most wall of Jerusalem, built by Interesting also is the work societv in e Agrippa [, grandson of Herod. The next task will between the third wall and the line of the second wall, be to discover a connection which inclosed the city in the days of Christ the course of the latter wall could be ascertained, it would at once set- tle the vexed question as to Church of the Holy marks the alleged site of the Crucifixion Sepulcher, which and Burial, lay outside the city or not. Mention should also be made of the recent find in Solomon’s Quarries those huge subterranean caverns close to the Da mascus gate, from whic] it is thought Solomon ob tained his stone for the erection of the Temple Here has been found a wall which experts be lieve was a hiding place used by the Jews during the siege of the city by Titus in 70 A. D. There are signs of places for self-defense, as if the refugees who were hid fortified them- selves against the be- ing had siegers. In actual field work the American universities are taking a leading part and are carrying out valuable excavations at Kirjath Sepher and Mizpeh, as well as at Bethshan. Ever since the discov- eries in Babylon and the Hittite country of clay tablets, hopes have been entertained that in Pales- tine similar finds may come to light. The site that especially at- tracted attention was Kirjath Sepher, for the name i iplies the “town of books,” or library. It is referred to in Joshua in con nection with the story of Caleb. one of the two spies who brought a good report of the land. But no one knew for certain Dr. W. F. Albright, ot the \merican school of arch- where the ancient city stood. eology in Jerusalem, was successful in lo- cating it some fifteen miles to the south- west of Hebron. Here he has been toiling with most in teresting results. He has laid bare a por- tion of the old city wall and two well pre served gates, practically the first of the early Israelitic period yet found in Pales- tine. The sloping walls, which varied from ten to twelve feet thick, and probably tow- ered thirty feet in height, not only date

Page 31

POPULAR MECHANICS 29 Above Is the Monastery of Ste. Catherine at the Foot of Mt. Sinai; It Dates from the Year 530 and In- cludes Churches, Chapels, Belfry, Living Quarters and Other Buildings, All Protected f¥om Raiders by a Stout Wall; Below Is Herod's Gate in the City Walls, Now the Sheep Gate, as It Is Used by the Shepherds for Their Flocks; under the Post- War Regime and the Back- to-Palestine Movement, the Ancient City Is Awak- ening Again

Page 32

POPULAR MECHANICS ‘the existence of any clay tablet Some seven miles to the north o Jerusalem, not far from Ramallal Dr. W. F. Bade, of the University of California, has been diggin over the site of ancient Mizpel It is known from the sacred nat rative that Mizpeh was a strongly fortified position, and it was here that Samuel judged Israel for twenty years. Quite early in the work a city wall was struck, so massive as to alter all precon ceived notions of the strength of ancient fortified Pales tine. The wall averaged sixteen feet in cities in thickness and this width is considerably increased at points where towers and citadels formed part of the ramparts. This de- fensive structure is undoubtedly of the Age and erected long before the Bronze was Hebrew A num- ber of silos, or grain bins, were occupation of Palestine. also discovered as well as ancient cave tombs, from which many pieces of pottery were taken. Excavations are to be re- sumed at in Galilee. expedition Bethshan, or Beisan, In 1925, an American dug over the site when the two temples of the Phi- Rebuilding the Pillars of the Synagogue at Capernaum in Which Christ Preached back to the Canaanite period, but resem- ble those found at Jerusalem and Jericho. The buildings were evidently made of white, compact, sun-dried bricks, such as have not A couple of hundred pottery vessels of various shapes been met before. and sizes were found, as well as weavers weights of clay, dyeing vessels, pestles, mortars and sling stones. A shaft sunk on the site, reaching down to the level of the base of the wall where it was laid bare, seems to indicate that there five periods of occupation, each followed by the burning of the city. The third, fourth and fifth destructions were probably the work of Othniel, Caleb’s nephew; Shishak, king of Egypt, in the time of Solomon; and Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. however, the were So far, search has failed to reveal listines mentioned in the First Book of Chronicles, in one of which the armor of Saul was placed and in the other his head, found. The finds then made have now been examined and the report makes most interesting reading. were Beisan and the surrounding districts are replete with Bib lical associations. On one side of the fer- tile and picturesque valley in which the city reposed, rise the mountains of Gil- boa, on which Saul took his life, and on the other side the lower slopes of Little Hermon. Near by is Jezreel, where Jez- and also Saul consulted the witch. Along the roadway through the valley here the Philistines brought the headless body of Saul and his two sons, and here came the bloody chariot of Ahab bearing his lifeless body to Samaria. All that remains of Beisan today is a large mound, 200 feet in height, which covers the ruins of several cities. ebel lived, Endor, where

Page 33

POPULAR MECHANICS 31 Mother-of-Pearl Workers in Bethlehem, Above, and Workmen Removing the Tombstone of the Crusader Knight, Sir Philip d’Aulngny, near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - Armenian Girls Decorating Faience Vases p in a Factory on the Reputed Site of Pon- tius Pilate’s House, Above, and, at Left Carving of a Quaint Structure on Wheels Believed to Represent the Ark of the Cc enant, Found in the Ruins of Caperna an ;

Page 34

POPULAR MECHANICS MILLIONS SPENT ON CURVES THAT FOOL THE EYE Straight Dotted Lines, Above, Show the Amount of Curve in Two Walls of the Philadelphia Art Museum; Below Is a View of the Vast Building as It Ap- pears from a Distance me, 3 7 A vast stone building, to be used as an art museum, costing $11,000,000 and spreading over a hilltop in Philadelphia, is nearing completion—without a single straight line in it. Every wall bows in or bulges out, the roof has an artful hump, and the massive columns of the porticoes lean at the top toward each other and also toward the building. Yet so carefully out of the straight and plumb has each piece of stone been cut and fitted that, to the eye, the building is perfect, whereas if it really were as straight as it seems, the eve would be convinced that the columns were too thin in the middle, that the roof sagged and the walls were bent. forty great stone columns, feet high, in the porticoes. There are each Each column eighty

Page 35

| ch to if he ns of ire ity nn POPULAR MECHANICS 3: ~ about four inches, that straight lines n upward through centers would all t about two and a half in the air. Walls eet in length, vary as as five inches at the nt of greatest curva- and even the terra- roof is built concave 1 ister on the eye as a ht line against the on. The late Prof. H. Goodyear, of .oklyn institute, ed out the correc- to the building, and his figures a scale lel was first built. The te parts were so ked, it seemed impos- hev could be hid- but when thev were all assembled the could only be detected by one who here to find them. LATHER BULB REPLACES BRUSH TO SIMPLIFY SHAVING tead of a brush, a rubber bulb and ut that produce lather for shaving, e been introduced for greater conven- e and cleanliness. The lather may be lied directly from the spout to the face queezed into the hand and rubbed in the fingers. Dangers of infection m unclean brushes are practically elim- ted with this outfit, which is also said ive time and do away with the need of ing an extra package of soap. Riding the Inclined “Ducking Wheel”; Many Persons Can Enjoy It at One Time, and Contests May Be Staged upon It SPINNING WHEEL FOR BATHERS ADDS TO BEACH SPORT Amusement and healthful exercise are afforded bathers in a targetlike w orm near the shore e of the wheel, t at an angle on a platf e By crowding one sit other one is spun upward, throwing pet sons clinging there into the water. As the outfit is adaptable to shallow beache it is safe and easily rigged. The wheel itself is about twenty feet in diameter and is strongly constructed. AUTOMATIC RUDDERS ON PLANE INCREASE FLYING SAFETY To keep airpl ines on an even keel and help prevent accidents, a German inventor has introduced an automatic steering-geat arrangement which is said to have proved efficient in actual tests. It consists chie ot iT vid] rotating top to conti | i ve tical rudder, a lead weight and a mercut pendulum of special construction to ern the other controls The rig is sa be easil fitted to anv machine and fu tions b ( ising a motor to correct t steering to compensate 1 n dena from the course decided up @ Approximately 20,000 | ( eetle t are found in North Ameri

Page 36

POPULAR MECHANICS Street of the City of the Future, with the Arches of a Vast Suspension Bridge, Such as Has Been Started across the Hudson to Link New York and New Jersey, in the Background Have Skyscrapers Reached Their Limits? The Higher Up They Go the Deeper ihewe the Foundation and Sometimes There Is No Bottom By UTHAI VINCENT WILCOX I AS the skyscraper reached its limit? Is ¢] 11 +42 e tall building becoming impos- sible for human beings to inhabit ? There is some evidence to indicate that American cities are about to call a halt on these tall structures that reach into the clouds and down into the earth. Even the physical limits are proached. ‘The being ap- her the building, the deeper the foundation must go. That is understood, of course. But it is not al- ways so easy to keep on digging to finda solid rock bottom that will sustain millions of tons of concrete, steel and marble. The thirty-four story skyscraper of the Albany, N. Y., state capital discovered this to be true. For nearly a vear the offices has have been trying to find a solid bottom to support the great building. More than 2,000 con- crete piles have been sunk into Capitol Hill, and the bottom needed isn’t there. The vast excavation is construction crews getting deeper and in places has not yet approached the tops of some of the concrete piles which have riven into the hill. Meanwhile ter floors of structural storag awaiting something stable to support then While the troubles of the Albany col tractors are many, engineers tell of sim that are encoun tered as the height of buildings increase heen d steel are in ilar conditions being Geologists say that many cities are locate on mounds of earth that are just short o liquid in their consistency as far as prope skyscraper foundations are The troubles of trated by the bany. concerned. contractors are illu amazing experience at Al It was estimated that concrete pile imbedded thirty-seven feet into the eart! would each support thirty-five tons, and with enough piles the building’s height would be assured. sent the concrete log down to within one inch of the thirty-seven foot depth. It took three blows of the five-ton hamme: to drive the pile the last one inch and there was but another inch to go. came down once and presto! the pile simply disappeared The great pile driver The hammet and hit the pile again ——

Page 37

POPULAR MECHANICS 35 , , he a , a e ) nn sr coe fg J LIVING QUARTERS AND # WW! PLAYGROUNDS ~ _ OTA Ar if f Ah ; ' : ' bs it Gibize" aa + LAIRCRAPT LANDING FIELDS abet } ake -?. t?; ' . - if ee 4 4 : ; ns * - 18 4H es P f ve anny : eRe: ty I OFFICES | ™ — ~ = a age em on im un ite: t ol pel d. lus Al- ile irth and cht ive! one SH Sn G4 ae —\- 0a i Soper 9 ’ TS \- ere aie "SF ae ae = ey met rain = Cross Section of the Future City as Mr. Corbett Sees It, with Many Traffic Levels Underground: Top, red Street for Pedestrians Only, and Airplane Landing Fields, Above

Page 38

36 POPULAR FE Oe hits. Soe sdiist are Block of Buildings Rising in Terraced Masses into the Skies, and Topped by Airplane Beacon Lights to Guide Passing Flyers MECHANICS resul Other piles showed the same There was not enough resistance and tl piles disappeared into the soft earth belo Then the engineers placed a twelve | twelve timber on top of one of the cor crete posts and set the pile driver to worl The pile, as a consequence, went dow: 112 feet before it hit hardpan. Geologist who were watching said that solid roc] was down still farther. The Albany building is not a great sky scraper as such buildings are known. | is designed to be but thirty-four storie high, and such a height is dwarfed in thes: day s. While New York is located on soli rock, some geologists claim that the weight that can be piled on this rock is limited. Meanwhile other cities continue to pla giant buildings. Harvey Wiley Corbett noted city planner, who champions th skyscraper, predicts that American citi¢ will soon have buildings twice as high a those of today, which many people ar: claiming as tall. Major Henry H Curran, also of New York, opposes M: Corbett and points to the impossibilitie of such buildings in terms of human hap piness as well as construction. Mr. Corbett as an architect shows what he believes New York will look like i: 1975. There will be other cities like it- Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis perhaps. too cities will be posed of gigantic towers,” he destrian traffic will vated highways moving in “The big cities will be modern Venice with canals. “American com “Pe be separated on ele from vehicular traffic “canals” below. says. motors instead of water filling the The big stores will have two en automobiles and one on the second-story level for pede trians. Shoppers will be able to from store to store undisturbed by traffic The open park plazas will be lifted to a level with the pedestrian lanes and the space below will be used for automobiles. trances, one below for walk parking “The step-back skyscrapers of the fu- ture will have moving stairs on the out- side of the buildings instead of elevators, with facilities for passengers to alight at any floor,” Mr. Corbett declared. “There will be airplane landings everywhere. Art ficial light, now in its infancy, will revolu tionize our life, turning night completel)

Page 39

POPULAR MECHANICS 37 Elevated Sidewalks May Connect Various Levels of Blocks of More or Less Uniform Skyscrapers, While ely the Lofty Bridges Will Be Carried over the Tower Tops

Page 40

POPULAR MECHANICS sections of the that countr matter, t] or for world. these ne with no smoke where the heat, the powe and the light are all sup plied by burning coal the mine that is trans formed into electric powe and sent to the citie where the upper portion of the buildings are mor: attractive than the lowe: where we take ad vantage of terrace and use them for our gar dens, But there are problem other than that of foun dations to offset such great dream, says Major Curran, “Tmagine cities can our if we wish.” who is counse for the New York cit club and member of th New York board of aldet men and himself an au thority on city activitie Even with the Street-Level Drives, Pedestrians May Be Cared for by Ele- vated Sidewalks in Colonnades into day. The cities’ business hours will be twenty-four instead of eight or ten; people will work in six-hour shifts. The churches will be located atop of the great commercial buildings, commanding atten- tion, or be buried in nondescript buildings below.” Mr. Corbett bases his prophecies on a lifetime of leadership in designing great buildings, and is a world authority. He continued: “Buildings cover entire blocks, reaching in series of lifts and towers to supreme heights. “Some of the skyscrapers will be a half mile high and will house small-sized cities. will occupy floors. Then will come banks of floors devoted to of- fices. Atop of this section will be the residential part, floors where those who are employed in the business division of the structure might live. Schoolrooms, churches, theaters and social features will take over the next section of floors. The roof will be used for airplane landings will Stores lower or station stops for air transit to various Major Curran the skyscraper the cause « much discomfort. “There are everyday workers who count their rib sees ll on release from its elevators and the sub ways that take them to their offices. The must pop out of kiosks like prairie dog and move in the center of crawling motor that spit fumes from curb to curb.” Major Curran continued: “Now a Nev York architect building ot 110 stories! This inverted spyglass is to rise 1,200 feet in the air, thus outstripping not only Detroit's effort but also the Eiffe Tower in Paris, which is still the highest piece of construction in the world.” The physical difficulty of digging into the earth may deter the super-super-super skyscraper. Perhaps a great accident will have its effect, for as the new building’ foundations must be dug, the old must be watched carefully, and frequently a new foundation must be placed beneat! the adjoining structure. Such complicated underpinning and transferring of loads running into thousands of tons are accom- plished in the face of the ever-present menace of flood, fire and explosion. announces a ones

Page 41

mM in OT POPULAR MECHANICS 39 MODELS HELP TEACH POLICE STREET LOCATIONS i TE io ea German Policemen Studying Model Section of Berlin, to Learn Location of Streets, Alarm Boxes and Other Details; the Plan Is Especially Helpful to New Recruits urately constructed models of sec- of Berlin and suburbs are used in ing the police recruits the location reets, buildings and patrol boxes. are also of service in explaining regulations and give the candidates ir idea of the beats thev are to travel. BALL IN TUBE TESTS BRAKES FOR AUTO SAFETY a quick and accurate test of the ef- ency of the automobile brakes a sim- ple little gauge, introduced in England, has given satisfac- tory results. It consists chiefly of a glass tu 1 mounted on the DB instrument board 4 in a fore-and-aft ‘ction and at an angle to the horizontal. tube contains a steel ball which nor- vy rests at the bottom of the tube but, hen the car is slowed down by the brakes, 17 s to roll upw ard. The extent of the vement shows the _ efficiency of the ikes One advantage of the gauge i it the measurements do not have to be taken on a level road as moderate gra- dients do not affect the performance of the ndicator in anv appre ciable degree. ROTARY TOOTHBRUSH GIVES AID TO DENTAL HYGIENE Pull a little lever in the handle of a toothbrush and the bristles revolve, saving the hand movements and more thoroughly cleaning between the teeth, the manu- facturers assert. New bristle fillings mav be quickly inserted when the old ones wear out, the handle being intended to last indefinitely. Spring-Driven Rotary Toot! h with Re eable Bristle Wheels, to Clean Teeth Thor

Page 42

40 POPULAR MECHANICS ee | taining aniline dys glowed under the ult violet stimulation, the crowd was amused see teeth and eyeballs « riously affected by t rays. In addition to th novelties, use was m of rubber balloons animal-shaped sh the ordinary lights so t] ades the garden, in places, transformed to a min ture zoo with glowit animals and shining ba loons that enhanced tl weird aspects of the minous decorations OVERHEAD STRAP; WARN AUTOISTS OF CROSSINGS ‘ . : | For the further prote —- --- ' tion of motorist ifet Courtesy Ger Electrte ( experts have gone to t Where Lighting Engineers Produced Unusual Effects; Part of the Garden railroads for an addition Scene at Outdoor Party When Ultraviolet Rays Were Used ; device to warn driver MAGIC OF INVISIBLE LIGHTS 0 hazardous grade crossings. This ut ADDS TO GARDEN FETE is the overhead strap line, similar to used on the railroads for many years For the first time in history, invisible approaches to tunnels and low viaduct lighting emploved for the outdoor warning brakemen, or other ontop ott decorations and displays at a garden party cars, to duck their heads. The string in ( rl » OD ngs Spe — a ( | uit € cl o ept the lawt ubbet \ ( | t been treated 1 chem Cals so tf each eal | ind t y ed unde the rays of the unseen light, and the water in a fountain contained chem- 1 ! 1 ! Re ‘als which .made the stream sparkle in multi- colored brilliance. Sou- venirs, also treated with luminescent materials, were distributed among the guests who enjoyed the novelty of the chang- ing effects as they passed in and out of the invisible = beams Dress soods, To Rouse the Indifferent Motorist to the Danger of the Railroad Crossing nartioniariy iat particularly those con- Ahead; the Straps Are Always on Duty

Page 43

V2 Wy UY POPULAR MECHANICS he automobile road hang low enough h the top of the car close to the face and so warn him, by day or o look out for the crossing which r ahead. HE OLDEST LIVING THINGS far as is known, the oldest living n the world today is a tree. It may of the giant sequoias of the Pa- t, an East African baobab or one cypresses of Mexico. A tree of kind, near Oaxaca, is said to have 6,000 years. It is forty-one feet 1 rh the trunk and, though its exact nnot be determined without cutting runk and counting the rings, an ap- mate reckoning is made by compar- vith others of the same kind. By ng the rings, it has been found that f the sequoias have lived at least ae vears. Among the animals, the at lived generally are supposed to t] e big tortoises of the Galapagos is- ~ hich are estimated to be 200 years er Carp, kept in ponds, have lived to in ). and parrots have lived eighty vears 7 ptivity. The longest-lived insect is ocust, but it spends all but a month of - enteen-year existence in larva form. t} ng PICTURES CHISELED IN BRASS — LATEST ART FAD nteresting stencil pictures can be made brass with comparatively little work, the results are unusual, since there is pportunity for decorative backgrounds ley elopment of detail. In the accom- ving illustration of the national-capitol cil, a black base the brass em- sizes the propor- s of the building shows how the ire structure has enaccurately sug- sted by using only e strongest and iplest features. he work of cutting e stencil con- nell umed about three sing ys, and it is imed under glass. Stencil Picture of the National Capitol, Cut in Brass and with Black Background, to Emphasize Detail 41 ROYAL ELEPHANT WEARS ROBES STUDDED WITH GEMS State Elephant of the Prince of Mysore, Decorated Gold, Velvet and Jewels for the Royal Procession When the Maharajah of Mysore re cently celebrated the twenty-fifth versary of his coronation, Europeans i vited to the cer the most India is noted. E which vitnessed one ¢ emony gorgeous processions tor whic ven the roval eley ] the participated in parade, clothed in plush, gold and precious gen The beast w | 1 bore tne dah of the n ihara jah had golden ring on his tus] nd hi head, wi ception oi holes for the eye *Was completely, covered by a jewel studded and gold ornamented head dress, with a floral design painted on it in brilliant colors.

Page 44

42 POPULAR MECHANICS Receiving Paris Fashion Designs by Radio Marshall Field & Cc FASHION DESIGNS BY RADIO SPEED STYLE CHANGES Dress sketches and Marchall Jlarshna looking at the d Paris made their . three hours later, designers in visitors in Chicago Field’s store in were rawings, for they were sent by radio and registered on a screen by the latest wireless-picture methods. The innovation was staged in connection with the celebration of the store’s seventy- made the more models in old-fashioned fifth anniversary and was impressive by the costumes who paraded near the wireless machine while the latest Paris patterns were being received. BEAUTIES OF MAPLE FLOORING SHOWN BY SPECIAL STAIN Hard-maple floors, in a wide variety of colors to accompany special schemes of decor n, are now possible by using a transparent stain and wear-resisting var- nish. The finish is especially adapted to hard maple, since this wood has fibers so closely woven together that the stain does Floo may be prepared one day and used the ne because of the rapidity with which the m terials dry, It is said. not change color when applied. WASPS RAISED TO FIGHT MOTHS THAT DEVOUR FRUIT By cultivating a wasplike parasite tl destroys the codling moth. a Califor: man hopes to reduce damage done to walnut crop and to apples in many pat of the country. It has been known f some time that this parasite preys on moths, but its efforts could be enliste only where weather conditions were favor able, for the insects could not survive t] winters. A plan has now been wot out whereby the “wasps” can be rais by the million and shipped to any secti of the United states. Moth eves are c lected and put on coated cards in a “pat asite cage” for three days. At the « of that time, the parasite has imbedde its own egg in each moth egg, which pt vides food for the developing insect and at the same time, destroy s the egg. The cards are easily shipped by mail so th an orchardist, bothered with the mot! pests, can receive the services of an it vading “army” through the post office The parasites are said to be everything else but the codling-moth eggs harmless t Ravages of the Moth Larva in Walnut, and Disks o1 Which Eggs of Helpful Parasites Are Shipped

Page 45

OO ne t} iT sat c pat This Whale Is Worth About $4,000, a Humpback Variety Common in the Pacific but Never Known to Be a Producer of Ambergris e ~ and you were walking along a piece of hess ean beach, and something assailed tl r nostrils—a smell like all the musty, not use-infested cellars of the world rolled it ) one overpowering odor—you'd prob- fice y do what most people would do under st a circumstance—flee. But the per- rege who does that risks walking right ie vy from the possibility of sudden and expected wealth—a mass of ambergris hed up-by the sea. A small fragment it is worth $1,000. Larger masses have ught $25,000 to $150,000. While ambergris may be unknown to majority of people, it is the base of rfume’s hemical pleasing fragrance, as well as element which makes the t perfumes expensive. How a nce that smells like nothing else on th can be transformed into the roses, violets, lilies of the vallev, and her delicate fragrances of the most ex- lisite perfumes, is merely one of the icks of the trades, and it is one as effectively as the ancient alche- sts of turned nto gold. \mbergris is a product of the sperm hale. If there is romance in the pros- ecting of mountains and deserts for gold — ind other valuable minerals, the searching , of, ( re sub- odor chemical fairy tales base metals e seas for ambergris is infinitely more Id By JOHN EDWIN HOAG romantic. The “prospecting ground” f this substance is the whole.seven seas, and every mile of the shore line of all the con- tinents and islands. It is naturally abundant in the waters inhabited by sperm whales, most which usually prefer water that colder than that chosen by other whale Ambergris floats, and the occasional piece of it which becomes dislodged from the body of the whale may drift for thousand of miles by wind, tide and currents. Onc: ashore, it mav remain on the be ch to dis- integrate, or to be picked up by the lucky finder who is able to recognize it. ; — ‘ . , = The world’s supply of ambergris has never been sufficient to lower the market 1 value to a point to make the search for it ] No satis- substitute for it having ever been price is always high. For mat ket purposes, the substance is divided into ess romantic than it is today. factory found, the two classes, black and gray, which Serve to indicate both color and quality. Gra ambergris often has brownish tinges, o1 may be mottled to a sort of pepper and salt color. best quality, and is therefore most in demand. Only limited quantities of gray Gray ambergris is the amberegris have been available during the past year, with the result that the latest New York quotation upon it is now $35 per ounce. Driit t] ambergris, the kind that the sea

Page 46

POPULAR MECHANICS ~— _ the markets, from the bodies ¢ sperm whales taken by the crews of whal comes ing ships. When a sperm whale is caught the Peses ‘mS nena fece of ambere: tor even the smallest piece of ambergris The wealth find divided the shi carcass is always carefully dissecte: derived from such a between the owners of andthe crew. The world’s greatest source of drift ambergris, where it is usuall | ‘ > . picked up at sea before it ever reache shore, is in the Indian ocean and the Chin sea. These infested with thou sands of Chinese junks, East Indian and Malay “proas” “sampans’”’ hundreds of seas are Ing canoes ) (native sai and other craft, manned by Asiatic coolies, who ply their trade as fishermen, but who are always or the watch for any floating object that ma look or smell like ambergris. Considering the varvinge color, weight and consistency of ambergris, the onl fairly reliable identification left for on who knows nothing about it is the smell So, when one is at sea, or along tl beaches, the source of an unusually un pleasant smell may always be considered Into Port with a Whale, and Lump of Ambergris That Brought Fisherman $6,720 washes up on the beaches, m: be found almost anywhere the land and sea meet. In the United States it is more abun- ; dant on the Atlantic coast than on the shores of the Pa- cific. This is for the obvious reason that sperm whales are scarce in the eastern Pacific while fairly abundant in the the Atlantic. ambergris is usually western of D rift found in sm: part I 11 ° ° il! pieces but quite frequently in masses of sixt to 250 pound On the Pacific coast there are six com- worth investigating. It may no! be am mer¢ial vy haling stations. rhey are scat- bergris, but if it is—vour financial worries tered from Mexico to Alaska, with two may be ended. in California. These stations have been - in operation for years, and report only @Popular Mechanics Magazine does not ighteen sperm whales taken among the publish the name of the maker or seller of el 1 ] i several Yet, finds of ambergris have been made there. 1undreds caught. noteworthy As may be surmised, the greater part of 1 | he commercial ambergris now reaching + described in its but i this information is kept on file and will any device pages, be furnished free upon application to our Bureau of Information.

Page 47

‘GAME” TESTS AUTOISTS’ SKILL FOR DRIVING LICENSES yple sitting at a table and apparently ng & game with tiny automobiles on del street is a common sight in the yr-vehicle license offices at Los An- But the “game” is a serious one, the persons about the table are being ed as to their ability to solve traffic lems while driving an automobile. examination is part of the formality nected with issuing drivers’ licenses before permission is vranted to op- te a car, the candidate must prove he can satisfactorily manage the little ss and answer the problems put to about how he would drive his own His solution of the questions is illus- ted with the models. GROWING UMBRELLA HANDLES hree years of careful attention are ually required to shape the young trees it are to be fashioned into umbrella ndles. At the end of the first year, the ee is trimmed back, quite short, and the ood twisted into various shapes. The rvings are sometimes made at this stage, nd the designs swell as the tree grows. /ne of the chief tasks of the cultivators is keep the sap flowing and to prevent the POPULAR MECHANICS 4 uw Candidates for Auto-Driving Licenses Taking Tests at the Traffic Board;° Model Street and Cars Represent Actual Conditions Autoists Would Be Required to Meet tree from dying in its crippled condition \fter cutting, each stick is sun-dried and then given a vapor bath to soften the wood for the final shaping. PAPER BEDROOM SLIPPERS GIFT TO HOTEL GUESTS Bedroom slippers, Japanese style, made of paper, and inclosed ina paper envelope are being provided for guests in mat hotels The slippers have a sole of card board and toes of a heavy crepe paper, th: edges being bound with a narrow tap sewed on, so that it also holds the toe - _ f place. The envelope, made « Souvenir Bedroom Slippers of Paper for Hotels to Sup ply to .Their Guests heavy crepe paper as the toes, is fitted with a snap-button fastener.

Page 48

Cactus Plant with Some of the Apples Used for ing Jellies and Candies RAISE CACTUS APPLES ON FARM FOR JELLY AND CANDY Near r., is a large farm devoted to the raising of cactus ap- ples, the pulpy product of one of the spe- cies of the familiar desert plant. The ap- ple is used for the making of jellies and candies or is eaten in its natural state. It Mak- San Fernando, Calif., has a sweet taste and is about eighty per cent water. An acre of land will produce 500 to 600 boxes of the apples, which were selling for $1.25 a box last season. WORKERS PRODUCE MORE TODAY DESPITE SHORTER HOURS Sixty-seven workers, in 1923, were pro- ducing as much as 100 men did in 1899, in spite of the POPULAR MECHANICS ; organization. ing made by Today, iron screws are bx automatic machinery at ratio of 1,000 to every one formerly mai by hand. The ratio for spikes is abo 200 to one, and in various other branch: of the metal trades, many articles are be ing made by machine methods at the rat of fifty to one by the old hand process¢ In the automobile industry, thirty worker in 1925 could do as much as 100 in 1914 the board discovered. In the productior of tood food products, seventy fiy persons in 1925 performed as much worl of all kinds as did 100 in 1899, and BIG SMOKESTACK KEPT DARK TO PROTECT BIRDS The 506 foot company smokestack of a coppe in Great Falls, Mont., ordinari lighted at night with flood lamps, is being kept dark part ot the time to protect m birds. For exerted an attraction on erating reason, it ha birds and hun have been killed by flyin Small birds, geese and other larger kinds, some dreds of them against the shaft. ducks, met as well a hay When the Boy Scouts learned of the conditions, death in this way. they re quested the company officials to keep the stack in darkness bird migration. during the seasons of AUTO HAS TWO EXTRA BODIES FOR ICE AND BAGGAGE Render carriers for ice and luggage are exact duplicates of the body of the auto mobile on a car Even the vindows introduced in California handles similar, the have real door are glass, backed by cur tains, and the top is hinged at the rear, the “sun visor” making ai a — Baggage Carrier on Running ; : oe ; horter hour Ss pre Board Is Replica of Real Car yal convenient ; han vailing five years die. The carriers in ago, according to a this stvle are less survey of produc- conspicueus than tive efficiency in the manufacturing in- dustries by the na- tional-industrial conference board. This accom- plished by the de- velopment of chinery and la- better the ordinary type said to be more eificient the with which they can be opened and the extra protection of- and are be - cause Ot ease feredthe contents by their construction.

Page 49

Ves POPULAR MECHANICS 47 CAGING THE FLOODS BEHIND STEEL AND CONCRETE Two Million Dollars Have : Been Invested in This New | Dam, 383 Feet High and 600 Feet Long, to Protect the Fertile San Fernando Valley of California from Floods That Threaten It When the Snows Melt

Page 50

By Rocking These Boxes on Pivots, Realistic Waves a Motion-Picture Scene on WAVES ARE MADE WITH BOXES FOR MOVIE SCENE By means of weighted boxes on levers, realistic waves were produced on a quiet pool in the Los Angeles river for depict- ing a South Sea island motion-picture The disturbers carefully moved to give the waves a long rolling ac- tion, as much like those of the ocean as scene. were possible. The illusion was strengthened by imitation tropical vegetation on the beach. CHEMICAL ICE FREEZES PIPE WHILE THE SUN SHINES Use of chemical ice solved a perplexing water problem in Washington, D. C., re- cently, saving much time a and and mak- ing it unnecessary to shut W ork off the supply to George- town. It became neces- | sary to cut in an exten- | sion to one of the mains, but this could not be | done without first stop- ping the flow and there were no shut-off valves | convenient for that sec- | tion. have halted the '! supply have entirely would seri- resulted in a ous water famine over a 3ig Casters POPULAR MECHANICS Were Location near Los Angeles The Lunch Car on Its An engineer suggested that the piy be frozen on either sic large area. of the place where tl break had to be Ice and salt were packe about the main but the mace only chilled the water. Finally, a chemical com- pany was appealed to Thev brought out small box of chemic ice with a of 160 temperature d eereecs belo W hile the quickly zero. the sui shone on worket they pipe, the entire proces troze tiie taking less than twent minutes. cut in, The extensior Produced for was the sun wa allowed to thaw the pipe out again, and a tie-up in service, th might have cost many thousands of dollar and much inconvenience, was avoided LUNCH CAR IS EASILY MOVED ON GIANT CASTERS What are said to be the largest casters constructed have made for a sixty-foot lunch car to simplify the task of getting it in and out of difficult places at carnivals, race tracks, fairs, and the like. The units each weigh 425 pounds, are more than twenty-five inches high and the wheel itself is twenty inches in diameter with a six-inch tread. moving, and there is a special locking de- vice to keep the car steady. ever been Roller bearings facilitate Left, Close View of One of the Supports

Page 51

ters ra ask ices ike. ore 1eel ha fate de-

One POPULAR MECHANICS 49 <CHIDS GROWN UNDER GLASS RIVAL TROPIC KIN

ples of Cultivated Orchids, Various Stages Growth of Plant, and inside the ‘“‘Nursery, ere the Tender Shoots Are Grown Until They Approach Maturity irchids grow wild in parts of the pics, but cultivating them under glass i California farm is a task requiring and patience, for it takes nearly five irs for a plant to mature from the seed | only about one seed in a million pro- ‘es blossoms. The flowers will remain sh and colorful for three weeks to three mths, if left on the plant, and from ten to two months in water after cutting. ‘althy plants can be counted on to live fity to 100 vears if properly tended. successful cultivation has reduced ices 1s shown in the case of one variety it formerly sold for $1,250 a plant. It

can now be purchased for $15 he ( fornia producers are trying to orchid twelve inches acr THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS Firing a railroad locomotive stand among the most dangerous Ameri cupations in a table prepared by the | bureau. The percentage of deaths frot accidents among this class of workers 43.6, while that of the highest. drivers i coal mines, is 82.1 per cent. Powder makers are second and railroad brakemet and electric linemen third and fourth.

Page 52

_S Automatic Recorder to Measure the Muscular Control of a Pianist While He Plays; the Bellows on Each Wrist Actuates the Pair of Pens Which Mark the Revolving Chart By DONALD A. LAIRD (Professor of Psychology, Colgate University) an in- With hard work. sufficient Ww [ chances have I to be ventor?” knowledge, and a harnessed imagination the chances are good. Inventors differ from the rest of us only by having better success at putting their We all have imag- ination, but not all of us have yet found how to make use of it. When we look into imagination to work. a show window, or a radio set, we are using our minds tor discovery. Dr. Robert S. Woodworth, head of the 1 department of read a magazine, or examine psychology at Columbia university, says that as soon as we use imagination our mental processes change from discovery into invention. 50 W hen discharge 1 watched tl and the ash of lightning, he was using his Franklin crude batteries Benjamin Irom min for discovery. Franklin stepped out of th when he put his these di + imagination and crow d work on coveries made i! ventions. There are conditions which hel; the use of imagination for invention: Youth is a five condition. The best. 1 master the favorable ages from twenty to forty are the Under subject; after twenty is the time to ust this knowledge through the imagination for invention. Good physical The world’s geniuses are not twenty is the time to condition is essential. weaklings,

Page 53

ish the common is that they are. ceniuses haye lived and better than erage run. ery of the subject » necessary. There ery few “lucky” in- ms that have been accidentally. other requisite is Iness. A pessimist ely an inventor. The entor has to have 1 imagination and dence to take a nce. Lindbergh was ing to take a chance. entors should re- their imagination definite problems. ncis Galton, the first entist to studv imag- mn, found that in- J ntive mechanicians had iderable imaginative C1 he best work- P are those who vis- A Measure of Hitting Capacity Is Obtained with Mallet and a Scale ach e the whole of what propose to do, before they take a tool has been found, should have a good imag- heir hands,” he said. This power to ination for sounds. things in the “mind’s eve” can be helped The value of imagination-developing ex- the ne systematically exercises the imagi- ercises is shown by eminent composet the tion. Day dreams are merely the play insisting that pupils compose music with- nine magin ition, not exercises. Reading out the help of an instrument, using onl f the sand picturing in imagination the con- paper and pencil. They must be able to me te r of the roads, the appearance of the compose by “hearing” the notes on! » ‘te untains and the positions of the cities imagination in order to become really rood exercise. Practice studying blue- great composers = so that you can see the completed Beethoven lost his hearing, but had such hine working in vour imagination. a well-developed imagination for musical The ‘rcise your imagination to see how the ~ sounds that he was able to write some of best. iture in your room would look if it his most triumphal symphonies by hearing the re rearranged. Odd moments can be’ them only inwardly in his imagination. use d to profit on exercises such as these. Not all of us have the auditorv imagi- ; [low people are different in their imag- nation and other mental abilities to make ition I | g g abilities is astonishing. Some people’ us great musicians, but each person has easily imagine how things would look some strong points in his imagin ition Ol ey could be seen, but are totally un- which he should make the most use. ntial. ings, to imagine sounds. The musician, it There was the case, for instance, of a wm

Page 54

highly educated merchant who was born in Vienna. He was master of German, and Latin. His remarkable. He ht of things than, in his imagination, they stood before Spanish, French, Greek visual imagination was no sooner thoug persons or him with all the clearness, sharpness and object. . He could 1 liffie 1 | , Ge “pp I , Pine add dithcult columns of figures by seeing accuracy of the real a eee “<~ ee 1em solely in his imagination. lo depend almost entirely upon one a handicap. One of the masters knew this and, rm of imagination is often in teach- ng art, had his pupils not only draw from visual imagi- also had them follow the objects by moving their memory to cultivate their nation, but out- lines of pencils iround in the air to force them to culti- vate their muscular imagination. \ curious application of this is cited by a foreign observer, wl visited by some North rhe lose quarters were American Indians. drawings in magazines which they saw there struck their fancy, and one of them, who wished to make a similar draw- ing on returning to his wigwam, followed the outline of the drawing with the point could carve it better on of his knife, so he 1 } lis return home.

Demonstration of Apparatus Used by Scientists to Measure the Subjects’ Powers of Observation; dustries Use Such Tests in Picking New Employes D2 POPULAR MECHANICS

are some inventors whose mu that are unable to construct the machines invent. them or There lar imagination is so defective They have to make drawing them to a good muscular imagination who bi the models. It is imagination which is greatest help for invention. Some v derful cause they describe someone visual mechanics are poor inventors have cultivated their musci The ] than tests cultivate your imagination but also t: velop it: rather visual imagination. lowing may help you not on Where is the strong part of your i1 nation’ Grade yourself from 0 to each question as follows: 0, if you are unable to imagine it 1, if vou can imagine it only faint! 2, if vour imagination strong: 3, if it is as vivid as though it were act ally present. Visual imagination: Try to imagine the west side of the you are now living in. How is bouquet of carnations and roses? your imagination of a mi

Many In

Page 55

In- POPULAR MECHANICS 53 ee edn A ee e Ability to Withstand Fatigue Is an Important Factor in Many Lines of Work, Which Tire Some Mus- cles Excessively; Here Is a Woman Receiving the Fatigue Test (;et a mental image of the appearance of hoolroom you have known. learing imagination: igine a four-cylinder automobile mo- th one evlinder missing. (;srade your imagination as you recall ice of your favorite radio announcer. low strong is your imagination in re- 1e sound of a coarse file at work luscular imagination: igine you are winding your watch. listinectly can you feel the ratchet he increased resistance of the spring he watch is almost wound? low vivid is your imagination of the cle strain in throwing a ball with all ur strength? o get a total for each variety of imagin- power add the grades you gave your- a Peingticn- each of the three sections ‘ate and comparing the sums. Use your imagination to fill in thes nks so the paragraph makes sole sense : When Fulton the first steamboat on Hudson river a couple of . men living by ferrying . from ew Jersey New York. A few operating were engaged the steamboat bitterly that a few they were doing and that most of é sailboats up the river. These fought would do all the vould lose their How many words can you build the letters e, b, a, h, t, m? A fertile imagination will be able to see many words using only letters inclu this list. LOCK WASHER HAS EVEN GRIP TO DEFEAT VIBRATION St awe R 1 1 D T » I washet th 1o- whee edges, that | which they are ap- | plied with numer- } ous points about their rims. are said not to pread or hy ela } jar loose and per- mit the use of shorter bolts As thev are thinner than the usual kind and light in weight, they ses ind aTe are adaptable to many specia fitted for any part subjected to vibration

Page 56

4 POPULAR MECHANICS Pupils Receiving cy Test with Aid of Phonograph Record: Sound Is Transmitted panars eeliieens i Writes Down Words He Hears; and Each C TESTER OF CHILDREN’S HEARING ELIMINATES GUESSWORK hearing are lent that transmits Accurate tests of possible with an instrun sound from a phonograph record through ; ae eS +9 : | ee eee a number of headphones the children wear. The record is simply a series of numbers spoken through a reproduction of the hu- man voice and in constantly diminishing volume. The subjects write down what they hear, the results giving a faithful re- in both method elim- ittending or- dinary whisper tests and other experi- ments port of the acuteness of hearing the right and left ear. This inates the guesswork usually where the acoustics of the 1 room, the nervousness of the child and other taken into con- sideration in the final judgment. factors are not properly SPRINGS AS LONG AS THE CAR ADD RIDING COMFORT A new fort idea to increase the riding com- of the small aut 200-inéh proy ides For Smoother Riding in the Small Auto; Drawing to how the “Cantilever” Springs in Place Volume of Tone Can Be Varied springs which reach from one axle to the other, while the car is carried by a fulcrur joint just back of the engine. The spring designed for a car having cross front and cantilever springs at effect of double The front sprin; and part of the rear sprins The car body is fastened to th rear, give the suspension. is discarded retained. rear spring and pivoted at a point nea the dash. It is claimed the springs elim inate the usual swaying of the body and give the small car as good riding qualitie as a high-priced automobile. AIRPLANES MADE MORE STABLE WITH VANE CONTROLS Promise of safety in stabilizer arrangement reported to have proved successful in number of tests. Its chief service is t automatically adjust the ship to correct the pressure of air currents and change in engine s so that it serves as a silent pilot when the operator, for any relinquishes control greater flving i seen in a which 1 peed, reason, of the stick, yet it is said not to interfere with his actions when he assumes The apparatus con sists chiefly of a pillar mounted on a uni- versal joint and with two vanes at the upper end. It is placed clear of the pro- peller and where no parts of the ship are likely to cause eddving. two sets charge. At the lower end, one pair of wires are connected,

Page 57

uw wn POPULAR MECHANICS 2 ning fore and aft to the elevator con- = | hich govern the ship’s climbs or The others are connected to e guides which affect the airplane's vements. In actual use, the per- nee of the unit is somewhat as fol- Assuming that the ship is going ty miles an hour and flying level, the | pressure on the vane facing the direc- of flying, drives it back against the | nm of the adjustable fore and aft ng [lf this has been set to the proper fness so that the plane is balanced at miles an hour, when the nose tips and speed is thereby increased the s driven farther back, tension on the ng relieved and the elevator in the k comes up, leveling the ship again to ven keel. Should the plane point up, reasing the speed, the vane, subjected ind pressure, comes forward, pull- th it the control in the rear to tip it gain when the normal speed rate is the red Phi : as ae oe ed ls same principle also 1s ap- rut 1 ar ;, e operation otf the aileron con- ne the le ‘ > ] : , Feat 5 ] e side vanes being helpfu in bal- Glue and Wooden Pegs Hold This Norwegian Chur he ship in turns and banks in ac- Together; St Wes Erected neany S80 Tene Ag rin; ) CHURCH BUILT WITHOUT NAILS Stabilizer in Place on ring Airplane Wings: It EIGHT CENTURIES OLD . the Tends to Correct the , Ship’s Position with One of the sights of Oslo. Nor nea Respect to Air Pres- : a ee i : Be sure at Various Speeds wooden church, 800 veai old and bu ‘lim teste 7 7 ee ; an entirely without natis. Glue, woocen pe: « ( ° ’ 1 tei and braces hold the structure together itie Its queer, pagodalike form illustrates tl style of architecture peculiar to the period MOVIES OF BIRDS AND INSECTS TEACH FLYING SECRETS ig i he Motion pictures of the dragonfly a in humming bird have been prepared by the is te British government in the hope that the rrect films may reveal flying secrets that will en- nges able engineers to design more successtiul ilent helicopters and other aircraft. The drag- ason. onfly and humming bird are masters of the it is art of pausing in the air and this is one vhen of the feats man has been attempting to con imitate in his airships for a long time. uni- The pictures will be analyzed carefully the when shown, in an effort to learn the wing pro- and other movements. The humming bird ) are is regarded as one of the miracles of na- ne. rdance with the wind pressure to which — ture because of its skill in balancing in the pair they are exposed. air without apparent effort.

Page 58

56 POPULAR MECHANICS SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS IN LOCOMOTIVES . ee a ; ‘ . Pee : - Bead bie th How Far the Iron Horse Has Grown — ~~ in Recent Years Is Illustrated by the |— al . Delaware and Hudson’s Latest te ee Pisa Freight Engine, the “John B. Jervis,” A as Compared to the ‘“‘William Crooks,” f ? Which, in 1862, Was the First Loco- motive to Enter the - Northwestern ee States; the “Jervis” Weighs 314 Tons and Is Just a Half Inch under Sev- enty-Five Feet in Length

Page 59

NEW THIRTY-MILLION BRIDGE TO SERVE NEW YORK on another bridge for New York link the boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx and Queens, and to cost ap- imately $30,000,000 has started and is ted to be finished in four vears. The ture will be 16.850 feet in all, the main ill have facilities for the operation eht lines of vehicles and the Manhat- connection, six lines. There will be ve-foot walks for pedestrians. The ve has been designed to harmonize the Hell Gate arch bridge and will e a central span, 1,100 feet long ide spans, each 500 feet. The por- over the Harlem river will consist of ible-leaf bascule affording two chan- each 150 feet wide, and a vertica nee of fifty feet at mean high water. 1 will be charged for passage across the luct, which is expected to prevent -congestion crisis that might de- p, due to the increase in communica- retween Manhattan and Queens with opening of the new artery at West street. FOOT LEVER ON WASH BASIN SAVES TIME AND WATER \ddition of a foot lever by which the iter is turned on, is the latest improve- ent on the circulaf wash basin popular large industrial plants. It leaves both nds free to use the liquid soap which is uppled from nozzles in a center rack. 17 utomatically shuts the water off when the + 1 is released, to event waste, and mplihes the clean- of the basin. ater is poured rth as a fine rcular spray, and so distributed hat ten men at one me can wash con- eniently and thor- ughly with no ore water than or- inarilv would be ed by one man vith an old-type ingle nozzle, con- tinuously running. POPULAR MECHANICS Steel Lattice around High Smokestacks, to Shield Their Unsightly Appearance in Residential Dist: STEEL “DRESS” FOR SMOKESTACK IMPROVES CITY’S LOOKS lo hide the 1 > outlir tO Hide Tile mare Ooutimmes + +] 1 r)] ¢ > icKS ON a pouwe®r Pian ie \" 1 district in Ne Yo ‘ \ +1 1 t stee eel bu i ' 1 é ture \\ ( etl moKe ’ + . } € 1) Tif 1 t ( ect , 1 1 ms e neig rl WINDSHIELD WIPER IS HEATED TO DO BETTER WORK Men Turn the Water On with Their Feet as They Wash at This Big Basin, Large Enough for Ten -e { t ») ~ tc ure ’ ‘ e ‘ - eate | e e ’ but has ’ element In contact ’ ‘ Ziass, Kee mM et ind sf) 1 the e water ict

Page 60

POPULAR Brake Mech- anism Which Enables Pilot te Change Pitch of Pro- peller and So Slow Plane Down Quickly BRAKE ON AIRPLANE PROPELLER TO AID IN LANDINGS \irplanes can be stopped within a space 1 . 1 1 | MN e . ce their length when landing, ac- cording to claims of a western inventor for his propeller brake. It consists chiefly of a small motor, with push-button reg- the propeller can be made to push the air in- ulator on the contro stick, vherebyv stead of draw ng it back This 1s accom- plished by changing the ] itch of the blades with the motor apparatus. It is expected that the device ll also be of aid to the pilot when the plane strikes air pockets or other “bumps” along the sky ways ROGUES’ GALLERY OF MOVIES TO HELP CATCH CROOKS Short film, showing the subject in different poses, will pieces of motion-picture rogues’ gallery in Chicago, if present plans of be filed away in the the police de- partment are carried out. It is believed that the movies will greatly help in iden- titving suspects, as they will show how MECHANICS a man walks and performs other move- ments which would give additional clue to their ide ntity. FOUR-INCH PANSY BLOSSOMS PRIZE GARDEN FLOWER Pansies with blossoms four inches acros and with stems eighteen inches florist in large They are the result long, are grown by a Connecticut i numbers every year. of selection of seed and care, but the grower declares that anvone could pro- duce equally handsome flowers by proper I vethods. The seed is planted outdoors in summer and the plants are ret: hothouses at the approach ot cold loved to weather. are reset in soil in which the flowers » been grown before, and. at the 1e season, the soil is entirely re placed by new Ordinary fertilizers are used, but one of the mysteries of the 1. . , ’ 17 ’ plants 1s that they will grow to such larg s1zZe only in certain localities and, aitel having produce blossoms for a 1 1 huge number of vears, tl their ley will and quality. suddenly lo e size These constitute some of the hazards of the pansy-produc ing business the grower declares. In good seasons, however, he may ship aS many as 75.000 blossot ns in one day. Huge Pansies beside Stack oi Books, and Rule to Show Their Enormous Size

Page 61

POPULAR MECHANICS ~ a6 The Prince of Wales and Lady Mountbatten, in the Front Seat, Getting Ready to Emit Shrill Squeals, J Like Any Other Customers at One of Coney Island’s Rides By HOMER CROY ies * 4 7% ENTORS of .amusement-park de- prints, got in his best build ae ices gamble on human nature. And _ chanics and set to worl It was to bet in nature is a queer fish. No one higgest and finest achievement of é nows when it is roing to bite. At last the device was done and it fe Consider the case of William F. Man- flat as a porous plaster. els. He has been the inventor of amuse- “Why did it fail?” I asked him. ent-park devices ever since he was a “Because it was paced too and has more than fifty patents to his was ten vears late.” redit. He built the “Razzle-Dazzle,” the The public wants speed, he « lickler” and the “Whip.” The latter is a The automobile has complet levice of cars, fastened on a drive, which _ tionized riding devices 1 e used t ivel comfortably along a flat track until be willing to poke along, but now whet hey get to the end ofa straight run, when’ they go out for a good time they want it hey whip around the corner with a sharp = quick and fast. ip, from which it takes its name. It Xeturning to the “Whip,” the idea is tried out in Luna park, Coney island, of it has intrigued many an inventor. The n 1914, and has since traveled all over the favorite plan has been to add to the thr orld. The royalties on it have amounted and give the public an extra motion. One to $300,000, is to make the car, when it aroun But last year Mangels got the biggest the corner, turn completely around. One ’ dea of all. It was much better than the inventor added an up-and-down motion s Whip” and had a novelty which the public The funeral was impressive. The re id never seen. He drew up his blue- was that a person out for pleasure can't

Page 62

60 POPULAR stand two motions at the same time. in tead of thrilling people, as the inventor had hoped, it made them seasick. What will go and what will not, what will succeed and what be a headstone, cannot be predicted. Before the World’s ‘ai Chicago, in 1893, an in- air ventor came to the board of managers and opened in isked for a concession ment device. The his blueprints to put up an amuse- management looked vy didn’t think he blueprints called for some sort of wheel extending up into the over; they much of them, as t iir, With seats arranged across it. He was idvised against it. “People aren't going to risk their necks on a thing like th at,” they told him. But he posted the advance money and ahead with the idea. The man’s name was Ferris and he called his riding Wheel.” To the astonishment of the board of went invention the ‘Ferris managers, people rushed to risk their necks on it and the device became almost instantly world- famous. The day the fair closed, the “fool” who had invented it counted up his MECHANICS money and he had taken in just $726,000. caught the public fancy but it was an exotic flower that, financiall new, it It was bloomed only once. The wheel was take to St. Louis with the expectation of mal ing a million, but it took in only $450,000 At each succeeding exhibition its return grew less. Ferris put out other invention but none of them pleased the ever-fickl public, and he died on the fringe of want ‘he wheel, however, still appears in smal size in the suburban parks, but the mas todon which amazed Chicago has joined the silent dodo. In the world of outdoor-amusement 11 iti ventions, you never know which way the “cat is going to jump.” Some years ag ¢ in architect's office in Nashville. Tenn., at te: there was a young boy workin dollars a week. A fair was going up Nashville is iam wmrac Seacad tae +41 Nashville and a prize Wa otrered 10 l best architect's design for one of t 1 buildings, and the young man entered When the announced it drawings under another name. award of $2,500 was found that a lad, still in his teens, by the Noah’s Ark, One of the Successful “Walk Through” Entertainments Which Lets the Customer Do Most of the Work of Amusing Himself, While He Pays for the Privilege

Page 63

pleasant tinkle of money vent to Buffalo, where he to the Moon” again and money still continued to ceived and built Luna park. He made money

of

POPULAR MECHANICS 61

me of Frederic Thomp- n. had won it. He took wealth and went into irtnership with an usement man and put an attraction at the <hibition. He made oney, and then went to her fairs and cxhibi- ons. Sometimes he won, sometimes Once he rented an old mine at the edge of fair grounds, lined it th red cotton flannel, in some weird lights, lled it the “Cafe de la lort,”’ and heard the oming his way. Next he it on “A Trip to the loon,” which made the erris wheel look like a eanut stand. And then, ith banners flying, he irched to Coney island, ie Mecca of amusement en. He put on “A Trip Il in. And while the vorld was still dazzled by 1 is brilliance, he con-

with both hands and __ Sliding Down a Hill Has Just as Much Allurement for Grown-Ups as It Holds spent it with a shovel. Money meant nothing to him and he died comparatively poor man. Where do the invention ideas come from hat make the money—sometimes—at the imusement parks? Where do the fairies come from?—from the sky, from the louds, from the flowers. Sounds ridicu- lous, doesn’t it? But there is history to fall back on. During the years of the Queen's jubilee, . tired inventor went over to England to get a rest. On the way back he came up on deck one day and lay gazing idly into the sky and letting his mind wander pleas- antly among the clouds. Overhead, sea- gulls floated. “If I could give people the idea they vere flying, they would like it,” he thought. for the Children The circling of the seagulls gave him the idea of working out a device which would fly in a circle. How’ With some sort of a center pole supporting the cars. He took the idea to R. S. Uzzell, an old hand in the game; there were discussions, blueprints, promotions and the airplane swing, to be found in almost every amuse ment park, was born. There are now about 1,500 of them in the world. A man in Portland, Oreg., sat on the floor one evening watching his son spin a top: The lad wound it up, pushed it out of the holder and set it going. The man pondered on the fun the boy was having “If I could invent a top that grown-ups could play with, I'd make a fortune,” he thought.

Page 64

62 POPULAR MECHANICS The idea was alluring. “People are only Seemingly the ‘hildren grown tall.” he reasoned, and be- seagull idea, but van to turn the idea over in his mind. At the amusement last, he worked out a principle by which Recently thet i huge top could be constructed with cars and when the st on which people could ride, while the top people ventured pun merrily. But there was nobody in balanced on the Portland familiar with the amusement and ropes were vame; getting on the train he went to curious people starteu walking throug! New York. The men old in the business it to see what whimsies the storm ha looked it over; it was a fine idea: pas- played. As they walked through the tilt- senget ould be pleasantly pleased, but ing house thev had a curious sensation its cost would be prohibitive He was they « iplained of being dizzy at he told it would require bout $18,000 to they came out. the talked ibout ho build, and he raise 1 the monev hin selt creepy it fel The house became quite a It is the wav fortunes are made ind lost local attraction When the tirst top wa Cl ipleted if One day in ! ene pa | i 1 cost $37,000. |] s put up at Cone through it, a1 is he ked he mnndered ‘ ind I e “Giant ) twas illed The Here Wa i 1cl¢ peopie K€ r ple nevit rie ha pene | © Tp ple liked ould pav money et t \l » he the sen O1 t had the psve logical had a house 1 using the ¢ ea a ippeal that amusement devices must have that of é lore dwellit He | but too mu r a] concentrated in the floor ~ Nn o the nao Ss set me place. Crash! The point broke, and o that when a perso1 ilkee the houss i Oma! ind « | eTe in} re i1 | two et med not i n € ¢ bu te! he dan ive sult l \ ed | co $3,500 to d W ilked i € steps r t 1 > it raise the top again ind » Start 1t going it must be a terrible night at ea H once more, to s nothing of the money feet had the curious feeling of stepping o1 that went out in the lawsuits. The man nothing and they stumbled around like with the ide failed; his home Was lost children who had been too long at ring he amusement field. around the rosy “tems *% A Baby-Size Whip in the Children’s Park at Coney; Trying to Improve on This Device Has Wrecked the Fortunes of No Less Than Eight Different Inventors in Recent Years

Page 65

POPULAR MECHANICS 63 he explanation was simple. Every- GEARLESS MOTOR CAR IS RUN was set at such an angle that the ON TURBINE PRINCIPLE on going through the house had noth —_—— o orient himself by, and he had the ge and creepy feeling of a world gone The house was given various names, m the “Mvsterious Knockout” to “Dam Under such names it is operating JRGE WRECKING OF OLD SHIPS TO IMPROVE FISHING \ plan for converting useless old ships assets is under consideratiot by the : lersev fish and game commission. It een found that fish are attracted to ¢ SO If ie idea f the commis- nk worthless craft off the coast re thev will not be a menace to ship- ng and so draw the fish that feed on ; e marine animal and vegetable life that umulates on the old hulls, Adapting a Principle of Steamer Propulsion to the Auto- t = mobile; the Car with Turbine Drive ‘ HOW THE EYES REVEAL DISEASE __esesInstead of a system of gears an autom | IS SHOWN BY CAMERA bile devised by a Scotch inventor operate ' . on the turbine principle. Power from the S nstead of tapping you on the chest and engine is transmitted to the drive bv means n iking you say “ah,” doctors may peer of sets of revolving blade through the tently into your eyes and take pictures j,ediym of a liquid. g vhat they see with a special camera, if instrument recently introduced be- es widely adopted. It is the product FIND GOLD THAT TURNS BLACK | t Swedish experts, and, with it. physi- IN AUSTRALIAN MINES ins have traced the symptoms of various All gold is not alike. The Australian eases in thousands of persons. The gold is redder than that found in Califor- rves, the blood vessels and the “seeing nia, while that fr m the { 1 untains iver” of the eve are ected by maladies 1K 1 way, the holars sav. that e changes are reg- ered on photo- hic plate and be interpreted i skilled doctor. \ concentrated eam of light that aid to reveal mi- ute blood vessels nd nerves in the ve with the clear- ness of an X-ray, is utilized in connec- ion with the cam- * rates: making the Examining Patient with the Eye Camera Which Is — — varieties pictures. Said to Enable Physician to Detect Disease found elsewhere

Page 66

POPULAR Cleaning One of London’s Unique Weather Vanes; the Grasshopper on Top of the Royal Exchange GRASSHOPPER WEATHER VANE HONORS BUSINESS MAN on the Royal Ex- At the tip of the staff i huge grasshopper chang London, is a figure which serves as aw eather vane and Thomas Gresham, who founded the institution during the reign of Queen honors Sir Elizabeth. Once a year, the vane is given a thorough cleaning by a steeplejack. LOW-COST PARQUETRY FLOOR IS EASILY LAID Parquetry flooring can be installed at ibout the same cost as strips, it is said, joined to- all ith specially prepared units, with sether tongues and grooves on sides. ‘| he blocks are m ide in two sizes, one eighteen inches and the other thirteen and one-half inches square. ‘They are matched and it is claimed requirements are needed for subfloor, which be the composed ot carefully pieces ready for laying, no special the that prepared for the strip flooring. May same as MECHANICS smaller FAST MOVIES OF AIR CURRENTS TO HELP AVIATION With a camera that can take 20,000 pic- tures a second, movies of-air currents have been prepared for reference study in avia- tion. moving at fift miles an hour, are revealed so clearly that a3 oan Details of breezes the movement The flight of Zn . ‘ve can easily follow various obstacles. a pistol bullet through an ] bulb looked like the slow bending and fit the around electric-light of the gl Currents o a windmil air around disintegration LSS. air from l and the passage of the airplane wing 1. The film was recently exhi in New York, after being prepared Japan ] e “super slow-motion” pic ure ca developed there Che instru ment the outgro 1 of research by G man scholars and crattsmen It has t parallel disks, one with a large number « small mirrors ich reflect the image ob tained through the lens of the other dis} which holds the films. FLEXIBLE-CABLELANDINGLIGHT PREVENTS DAMAGING PLANE By anchoring the landing lights on hi: field to that bend struck, a Texas manager has found a way aviation flexible cable supports over without breaking when to preserve the lamps and prevent damage to airplanes. The plan was adopted after several accidents had occurred, when ships struck the rigid standards. Planes May Strike but Are Not So Likely to Break This Light, as It Is Attached to Flexible Cable

Page 67

POPULAR MECHANICS 65 ILLEN COLLECTORS HELPING HAY FEVER VICTIMS old saying that it is an ill that blows no one good is illustrated in the case of two rprising former students of niversity of California, who uct a profitable business in ing pollen to be studied by iv-fever experts. The tiny are bottled and sold for $l per gram, depending upon variety. The pollen is ana- = A J V Veighing Pollen, and Some of the Plants Collected for the Dust; the Pollen Is Believed to Spread Hay Fe and a Curb Is Sought by Destroying Plants That Produce the Harmf Kind din laboratories to determine if it is a come kind that contributes to hay fever rest to the captain and 1 thre ubles and, if found “guilty,” efforts are to the 1 he 1) then I le to eradicate the weeds that produce prisoner According to British 1 ritim or serums and other substances are pre- ( yma ed oO combat it. tne s » Sut a r\ aN r ‘ | rONe\ even mm S waneenee . , cdemand pavment ft : ‘ "Ve WHEN A SHIP IS ARRESTED et ay ae Sage this 1s not torthcoming } est Dp \ccordine naritime law hit like : eet — , cording to maritmme aw, § Ps, like ire all rized, a g 0 can be arrested for failure of. the trument can be taken to the a oO ners to pav just claims against them. the claim. When a ship 1 er. ¢ 1 : 2 - . le large ports have a specia dock fouls it and ther e h is used as a sort of marine lockup. ing good the damage. it 1 be arre ] ise Of an arrest, a sheriffs otficer usu- thin tl

Page 68

Triangular, Three-Sided Targets Used at Sea to Give Speedy Destroyers and Swooping Airplanes a Chance to Attack ffom Any Side, Making Complicated Maneuvers Possible By G. K. SPENCER QMASHING a thirtv-foot target in the b sea, eighteen miles sight of her Virginia” away and out of the U.S. S. “West recently has passed all funner;rs, world’s Though the gunners did not have the slightest glimpse of their ob- jective, owing to the curvature of the earth's surface, the co-operation of the fast resulted in the ‘ achievement, which broug!l gunnery records. observation planes it a great sum in prize money to the gunners and the control forces. The system by which this firing was made possible is one of the marvels of modern gunnery. Upon receiving infor- that their ship would be called upon to fire an unusually difficult schedule, in common with other vessels of the battle- mation ship divisions, the gunners were practiced assiduously in the southern drill fields of the Pacific ocean before they entered the Atlantic through the Panama canal. “Gen- eral quarters” was sounded frequently and the men drilled by day and night at the great guns. The exhibition of morale was astonishing, but one of the most amazing 66 elements of all was the fact that not o1 the gunners, but the entire ship's compar in a divine service to which attendat was entirely voluntary, prayed for the su cess of their guns in the firing to come. “The ship was in high morale that da officer, wl the firi declared a gunnet quietly commented an 10 Vv asked to explain the result of ‘All hands helped us,” “they gave us perfect ranges from t! tops, the toy radiomen caught perfectly, the engineers gave us just right amount of steam and power to tl fraction of an inch of ship movement, tl plotting room didn't single mi hip’s whet make a take, the “bridge” swung the s accurately to keep our guns on the target our captain trusted us—he knew the s] was right.” This gunner really epitomized the oper ation of the great ship, by which 1.40 men each perfotmed a scientific task wit] perfect accuracv—and helped the gunner He indicated that it is no longer sharp eved gunpointers who are solely respor sible for hitting a naval target at sea, but

Page 69

pires, on a Platform Erected on the ‘“California’s” After-Turret Rifles, Watch the by the “West Virginia,’”” While the Turret Motors S g Them At ee) were going over the target or fall- targets do not wait, but are t ed rapid mi rt of it. by another vessel, which nece tes ve whee e of firing is preceded by month fine adjustments to hit the e irgé ctice drills. All hands must be per- te O1 no nervousnes her sl t their stations \ slight error may be pertect ng of all ope the lives of a hundred shipmates The turret is tormed of three separate ope! rudgery of the work is relieved by decks ded in a great circular 1.40% hts and hopes of the co1 le * hoot.” mored shaft « or On the tor ‘ wit] not only include the gunners, but gunners stand on a narrow tio ail in spor! mditions; the hospital corpsmen are raised bv electric elevators: « 1 1 " ‘ 1. but vattle dressing posts. the carpen- leck bel ; the 1 wider 1

Page 70

68 POPULAR MECHANICS to Sea for Target vhich powder is also raised to the guns mn electric elevators Phe whole system is adjusted to a point where the men in the powder and shell is Operate their small elevators so that, as soon as the shell is rammed into the breech of the gun by an electric ram, the powder elevator 1s rising with the powder. In case of serious accident, every man in the turret is willing valves which will tso- to throw the proper the turret, spreading. The flooded, and the men in them ;: late flood it and prevent fire magazines, too, may be ire ever will- ; ing to die themselves if it be When the the loss of necessary to “Mis- twenty-one save the ship. 2, ee suffered men in her No. o, the entire ship was saved from de- sissippi’ i Three turret three years ag struction by because one of the men flooded the mag- His hand found firmly clenched to the valve handle. a magazine explosion only 1 azines as he was dying. was Such accidents are now believed impos- sible, the navy having developed a system of creating air pressure in the turrets, so Practice after the Ar nm * the 2 l = | 77) XTyT sil . 1 projectiie, open aiter hring one pressure trom the inside is stronger t that trom without, and the air rusnes through the gun’s barrel carrving a burnt powder and other hot debris 1 1 all ouid rush into the magazine 1 t » t le thronol the ot } 17 tne UuTSICeE { ougn Cile¢ fun muz ao. és carrving the hot powder particles into I there were space where pounds of powder bags awaiting the loading. The big day arrives! The ship shoot at noon! Up on the boat de where the anti-aircraft guns are mount the officers are making a final checl " everything. The “director” crews aloft, for now the United States navy u the scientific “director fire” method wh was first used by the German navy at t Jutland. A ready, chalks a fanciful name on his grt ‘Battling Betsy,” instal and an old officer, standing bi gunner, stand battle of for weapon, brings

Page 71

POPULAR MECHANICS nuz nto ount | 1eCK Ws vv u 1 whi at t The End of a Target; the “California,” from Which the Picture Was Taken, Is Tow- ing the Target, While Shells from the ‘‘West Virginia,” Eighteen Miles Away, Have Just Smashed It Naval Spot Corrections, Th the Smoke Screen Up by the Destr the Shots ar Aircraft Aloft, t 1d Rad is Defeatir Th yers The “West Virginia” Firing a Broadside Salvo Which Can Be Brought to from All tither Side Her Big

Page 72

POPULAR MECHANICS The Breech of One of the “West Virginia’s’’ Turret Guns; the Trough in the Foreground Is the Wheele Cart Which Brings the Huge Shell Up to Be Slid In Where the Sailor Now Rests evelids toa stiul | ilf-close He remem- bers that the American navv has named its guns thus from the days of Paul Jones. “(ood Pu ¢ he hin] “ “fine boy. and navv to the core \ geh-school boy from the middle west. blot | ung All hands are iction station the ship is st ed for wa High up on the signal brie o€ ¢ in ng office S pace awaiting word from the adi l. Signal- men stand ready to haul down the “com- mence firing” signal flag, and hoist the blood-red pennant which signifies the ship is manning her guns. The radiomen are tuning their sets to the airplane wavelengths. On deck the | catapult n en are plane from the ship with powder, as though the plane were gun lhe plane is hoisted to the cat: hooked on—mechanics carefu lv test all all then the off their khaki forms and carefully buckle their connections, try ‘ ; Vaives, tighten a there ; here and ' come on deck in chutes, on which they sit when aloft. Suddenly a flash of red bunting breaks from the bridge and rapidly shoots ird The aviators scramble into tl plane. Another signal flag, this tims reen one, flashes upward to the n ruck of the foremast and the pilot rai is hand. J and 1 iri other ships planes of the same type ri h; he catapult is fired plane dips and begins to take the air. they join and take battle station in the ; ominous machine guns pok aft to protect other planes wh v lower. The commanding officer of air takes command and all the planes f and obey t surface he new co vho is in turn instructed by rad miral on the “West Virgini Che fleet is eady to open fire. Deep in the bowels of the ship, the ra nen are tense at their instruments. observer in the planes tunes in the pre } on determined wavelength, which will chan, as the battle progresses, in order to co any the tu he big steel guns rest calmly in the —110 tons of dormant destruct power. It is the calm the for these 16's are as loud as they are po fuse listeners In rets, t “enemy” carriages stor! befor }

Page 73

e sound of their discharge is ] ry iit to. describe. Not just an e@ar- ng crash, but an infernal supet er that reverberates long after the speeding on its flight. The writer een on deck behind a turret when the ns were fired and the feeling is as | h some giant hands were crushing hody from all sides. h aloft, the speeding planes await the shot. first They see the target rapidly. | ng of the fornia’ towing the o close to the target that vould believe -it a lands- inconceivable that battleship, eighteen miles away, | | hit the bit of canvas without at least eering her. but naval gunfire is so te today that there actually is no = | 1 \ man might appear in a row 200 feet ahead of the target and be ate so long as he could keep listance awav trom the target. “West enly hear their call sign and begin to radiomen in the Virginia” 1 directions from the planes in the POPULAR MECHANICS 7\ NOVEL SIPHON EMPLOYS BULB TO START AND STOP Small Metal Si- phon Designed to Extract Cream from the Milk Bot- tle, and a Big Tube for Barrels hteen miles away. They hear, “100 A novel siphon built of aluminum tub ~ r.” and immediately yell it into a voice '"& and equipped v ith a rubber ay b - hich reaches the bridge and gun- Which it can be started without the usu ficer. Instantly the turrets change ucking has be patents by a Chi a v of their guns and fire again. Again or es setae rH th onster guns crash out, and this time ‘%™4!! enough to extract the cre ) sta ines radio, “straddle”! the mill ie, Some le » to = euns are “on” and the welcome p! vor big en ne, Sree me ind gaso ral from the planes, “no change,” de- — barrels \ - vec —, s dt t the waiting crews onthe guns. These ‘tO the container, ane a ee eee ee ee Fr e the words passed that memorable day GOWN Over The outst to provide the » e ronaives oft the Haitian coast when the let. rhe sg KC 5 ole 15s On the Bara S . he a t Virginia” made her record of — bend in tl . ( ont uner. \ ite a t okit iphon is inserted, the rubber bulb whi } é pressed once to expel the nd of t OLD AQUARIUM USED AS CHURCH [ th liquid Xe nouns cn SERVES RURAL COMMUNITY the bulb force e i ( ( ( co } ! 1 -rad Hav ing? been ] ( ) yinia idoned asa “a . or fish, an - nans radi quarium In an pnke TI » citv was fre- | ‘ ‘ , le pre eled into a com- ean hb shang uty church. Its ped p col e afforded a squeezing t ie tu auditorium, _ n the the only alter- antett -ucti made were - 1h stor! ntrance and a i hact ‘ e pow Aquarium Transformed into Church in Ohio City l re bet |

Page 74

a | bo

POPULAR MECHANICS —_—

times. Much of the me chandise is hauled to t] fair in native carts. T] wheels are interesting d tails of these vehicles, t] felloes being fashions stick fro a single pole and bent int circular shape. Althou; the few automobiles th have appeared hav proved popular in ger eral, the exhibitors do ni like them, for the ma chines frighten the horse and oxen. of a wooden FISH FROM TROPIC TRAVEL TO ZOO IN LUXURY Scarlet fish, hern crabs and jazz fish jour- nevyed in luxury recent! from the Madeira islan to the London zoo, fo: they swam in big tant filled with continuous!

flowing steam-heated s«

Courtesy George C. Hanson Where Modern Manufacture Is Competing with the Old; Hut and One of the New Variety TAXICABS AND CAMELS MEET AT ORIENTAL FAIR What spectators declare is the most rudely picturesque bazaar in the world is the Gandjur fair held at Barga in Man- churia, the meeting place of east and west. A camel market is a conspicuous feature, introduced and one taxicab said to made $2,000 in six operating his car day and night, hardly stopping for food or rest. Ready-made but automobiles have been driver is have days, houses, manufactured by resembling in the mail-order variety popular in this country, have also appeared. They are made of wood, the parts being stand- ardized for quick assembling. The native Mongol dwelling is known as a “yurt.” It is constructed of skins with a hole in the domed roof for the smoke to pass out Europeans, and some re- spects from the fire, which is built in the center of the earthen floor. Foreign-made furni- ture has displaved in recent also been water, to duplicate as e Native Mongol actly as possible their nat ural surroundings. Near ninety specimens were successfully tran ported. A large wooden tank was divide into compartments and fitted with stea: pipes, while fresh water was pumped int the tank and kept at constant temperatur: by the steam. STRIP INSULATION FROM WIRE WITH TIMESAVING TOOL As a substitute for the slower of removing insulation metho wire wit pliers or othe: tools, now on from a strippe the mat ket is intended t Save timean-< work. It has tw notched steel jaw

which are snappe: around the wire simply by depressing floor pedal. This cuts the insulation with out touching the wire, and an easy pul slides the covering off.

Page 75

‘an ide Teal int ture POPULAR MECHANICS CATCHING BIG GAME FISH FROM SMALL BOATS Coming Home with a 143- Pound Tuna, Caught after a Hard Fight from a Sixteen- Foot Skiff, Above; Below, an Enormous Black Sea Bass Landed from a Little Out- board Motorboat; the Fish Weighs as Much as the Boat or the Fisherman Landing 175 Pounds of Hammerhead Shark in a 200-Pound Boat, an Ex Catch in the Pa- cific Ocean Pounds Mor Scales at 145 Tuna Is One Fighters i: The Big Tuna Rod and Reel f Small Outboard Weighed In at Just Eight Fisherman, W . Caught with rom This Motorboat e Than the ho Tipped the Pounds; the of the Best Salt Wate

Page 76

74 POPULAR | WHEEL CARRIE ES | -ED OVER De ¥ BARE SPOTS | Bare Spots in the Coasting Slide Have No Terror for This Sled with Wheeled Runners SLED WITH ROLLER RUNNERS SPEEDS OVER BARE GROUND —_— 1 5 PS - *11 ¢ Bare spots on the coasting slide will not stop a roller-runner sled now on ket. Inserted in each when bare ground is permit the sled to pass priory over, yet do not interfere with the speed on snow. : soa ‘ ; If the soil is not loose or muddy, the sled mav be used for ummer coasting and, when so emproved, Is Ca v steered Dv a heel on the guiding arm. This has a : hee Sage eae i 4% etek 0 tu spring that acts aS a shock absorber if the wheel strikes an obstruct ion. MAKING WEATHER FOR THE ZOO GUARDS ANIMALS’ HEALTH The hippopotamus is apparently a | hardy creature. but it must pe given special care when winter comes to the zoos. The ippo’s bath must be kept at a temperature -five to sixty degrees. Monkeys suffer from colds and rious more se ung troubles if not kept in temperatures equal to those of their native haunts, so the air cleansed and moistened by blowing it - MECHANICS Preparations winter quarters late in September or the part of October. will stand much colder its cousins cloths. 1e animals in commenced early through damp silk for putting tl are The Siberian tiger temperatures than from Africa, so the first few days are not likely to harm it. col d Mani f-the tropical birds learn to acclimate re aiogi ote to the rigors of chilly wind and storms, and many of the animals display longe ur-bearing Tr or shorter coats ac cording to the season, after thev have been in captivity for a number of vears, althoug] in their native ] surroundings thet or no variation in their f AIR-SERVICE STATION FOR AUTO ELIMINATES GAUGE No gauge is needed in using an aut matic air-service station for inflating the tires. You turn an he desired pressure, pull out the simply a convenient spring reel, apply the to the valve and, while the tire is bei: filled, a bell rings. It stops wher proper amount of air | flown i hose is then released and ci self u on the concealed reel. The unit is an P —— Filling Tire from the Automatic Air Station, Which Shuts Off Supply When Proper Pressure Is Reached service sta usual veled air tractive addition to the tion and has a bulb lal at the top qd Bars of Great Britain. iron were used as money yeat ago in

Page 77

an ht Cent Gold Disger

72 th v SF, ” $ ¥ l j Rta Tag ~ sD ’ a 4 ~ st . si P ” 7 at ~ = thin . ¢ od

a , Twenty-Five-Ton Steel Miner That Can Earn Big Profits from Worked-Over Gold Sands That Wouldn't Have : Kept a Forty-Niner Supplied with Food; Five-Men Operate the Dredge - By H. H. DUNN ( UT of the great piles of sand and_ ing the California mountains, digging their | eravel discarded as worthless by the own paths, floating on their own rivet “Argonauts of Forty-nine,” intheir search piling up gravel and rock embankment | for gold in California’s mountains, new mil- nd searching out evel leck lf lions are being taken every vear by a novel { gold to a depth of more than eig mechanical process, which does away with feet below their steel bottor lore prospecting, makes mining a certainty and than 200 men are required to operate puts the yellow metal back as one of the and keep them in repair; they work nig! most important products of the state. and day, and consume as much elect: ‘rom ancient and often buried river beds, power every twenty-four hours as a ¢ as well as from the mine dumps and tail- of 60,000. They are built in the form o ings, handling nearly 100.000 tons a day, dry-land dredges, but they also operat: these great machines, the first of their on water. kind in the world, are wringing wealth Sifting a ton of sand and gravel to get for their owners from sand and gravel eight cents’ worth of gold would have | running as low as eight cents atonin gold. been too delicate a task for the fingers « <a These are the lowest-grade gold deposits the miner of “49, and the result ou ‘ick ever worked by man. The mechanical not have kept him in beans and bacon ed miners that have reclaimed them are the to mention flour and molasses, since he largest in any branch of the mining in- was not able to “pan” much more thar 4 dustry, yet their operations are as care- ton of earth in a week. But the great au ully and as delicately carried on as those scoops of the steel miner get it all, at a of any microscopic investigation ever un- rate which has produced more tha irs dertaken ina laboratory. $50,000,000 since the dredges went to work. There are six of these machines work- In that time they have handled approxi-

Page 78

76 POPULAR MECHANICS

diggers’ oO ners cl: im . to be permanent holdin ls, between whic] lood vaters and I eshe are ( irried away I the agricultural lands « either side. \ll the work so far a complished has been do on the barren waste ulings, which accum

, , tricte adraulic minin en m on Ort vare ( 5s Waste matef§fria lhaenit ] nn 1] , ( ] ped an Wail Lito ' , | © Wppdel reaches ott ’ ‘ 17 rivet vhere tl ' ‘ LO € 1 mec il met d of mining is b Ing ap] | icl oO tne ix d eda 1S lat req t] 1) 1 im ] + - qaeep-sea met r¢ 165 eet lo Os ‘ , ‘ f ng a 7 7 > iV) } ) 2 mn et Oo uge tee SCOO lyvdy Or ' en lle sc Ea Bucket on the Excavating Chain Weighs 4,400 Pounds and Can running over the “trun Descend Over Eighty Feet below the Water an hat the channels, furnishing what the gold- sends its great trunk down as much as

Page 79

POPULAR MECHANICS “J N cents’ worth of gold. volving at a steady fine material from the coarse and discards The Miner, with His Pan and Burro Supply Train, Could Handle a Ton of Gravel a Week, Day Miner of Today Extracts Gold from venty feet farther—all in search of eight Sand and gravel rought up by the scoops are dumped first nto a huge steel hopper at the very top { the superstructure of the dredge hence they pass to a screen, which, re- the pace, separates the latter. Water under heavy pressure is then iutomatically sprayed on the gravel and the finer, gold-bearing sand is thus washed rough the screen into a distributor, from } vhich it flows in a-‘slow stream over rows { riffles, improvements over the sluice oxes of the hand miner who first worked these “diggings.” In these riffles, quick- lver lies in wait to pounce on every grain gold, so that, when the sand and gravel river bed or ing on swings a al hold and the down to tinues It 1 “walking” est 1 | her toe, out resume hunting for mated oreat cy a 15,000 Tons a eave the device, t In the meantime trol which the t had tallen away passed onto belt it over long art or to the rear o engineer of this move, he shifts other of two forty called pus ] buries its point f \ on e ) \ ) hi e i 1 re or € xion ] rhe on ( rt ent ; rn € i UU ton econ ( ne € s twin s Whereas the Steel uc en

Page 80

is POPULAR MECHANICS

Cutting a Channel 500 Feet Wide, the Great Dredges Need Only Eno For the Water Goes Along as They Move Forw

ert e( »\ Yi Q eri oO! Lnce I <€ 1] ) l r ) ’ 1 ( t 1 r ( é ie oO ( o | i I ( 7 7 T é \ ( é or¢ O .e é ( ( re] | | 7 ’ cle ) ( Tile nce 5 T ( té ¢ é ( — 1 t ¢ Fry 1853 to 1909 4) iF ] of] e r ire \ , ] 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 (HW) CMM) 1 sold i oc] ed by ( ' re o 1 cl ¢ oiten € , . : 1 . ] ] ] -e ° Te: lining et le from t é NOSE to he t t < 1 1 . . 1 old ] ¢ St e eI ¢ s he- —_ lieve that there are at least fifty, and prol SANDGLASS EGG TIMER RINGS bly one hundred. cur -e and buried-1 a a ‘ ee ee ee apes? BELL WHEN DONE e ed which never have been t ul eq by | Tt tho 9 ¢ Oo 1 « ¢ 1 I ) b ¢ } t » lo ) | C up ft e 1C¢ a ft er operate LONGER LIFE FOR RUBBER SEEN ; ; been introduce IN NEW TREATMENT Be i Riki a Chemists have developed a new treat- Imost any inter ment rr rubber goods, to rrolong the val under five, and e oO 1e 1 te il b countera gy the as the S ind run . 0 OoOAvyeen ] r¢ cle r hat ¢ veight causes t] me rubber at “4 would tact t : s releases anothe were it not for tl] ré ts or wWwergnt at the proper time lab rin 1 trom tl ires ir in- ss e don

Page 81

POPULAR MECHANICS 79 AS TO BE MADE AT THE MINES AND PIPED TO CITIES that the gas industry is still infancy, engineers predict that gas be produced at the coal mines ped into distribution centers, sav- he costly transportation of coal and erection of large plants on expensive The chief problem in the way at the nt is a means of successfully trans- ing the gas long distances and, when is solved, it is believed that the gas try will be able to take over a much er percentage of the home-heating cooking tasks than can now be done + + lat gas will be used much more ex- ively in manufacturing. Another lem that must be solved is the profit- lisposal of by-products. Many of J SS e materials have a limited market at Correcting His Own Lip Movements with Aid of the ; , Mirror; Deaf Child Learning Speech ent. How the gas industry is already ng aviation was shown by the an- TALKING MIRRORS HELP DEAF a “ement t 1,500 companies are IN LEARNING SPEECH to mark their huge storage tanks insignia that will help guide pilots. So that deaf children may more e ew England states rep rted that the learn how to place their lips in correct po imber ot installations ot home-heating sition for pronouncing svilables, use nts using gas had increased from 1,308 made of mirrors in a school at Atlanta, 2,600 in a year. Ga. The pupils strive to imitate the 1 } teacher and with the aid of the reflectors + +) DANCE MAL: 225 woo Oe Oe errors. LATEST RESORT NOVELTY SKIN REGISTERS EMOTIONS Closely resembling a huge monoplane the exterior, a dining room and dance Recent experiments by David Wechsler, in Fort Worth, Tex., has attracted a New York psychologist, have further | derable attention. It is sixtv feet shown that the skin is an emotional ba ig, twenty feet wide and accommodates rometer, so that the familiar descriptio1 tairly large crowd with comfort. of “thick-skinned” and “thin-skinned” per sons has some basis in fact. HH: , + ¢¢ pa ae ever, the difference in behavior depends not so much on the que tion of relative t ckness as o1 the electric resistance « e sk Of all tissues he skit Ss oO1 ot the best insu ors and ( other materials, it offers le ( S1s nee to electricity Vv en n Under various emotional stra perspiration is nduced, nd the consequent increase in moistness resuits in greater conductivity o1 ; current. Pra cal use ¢ ( — 1 en 7 y + ‘ ove \ mas veen o. « . | It Doesn’t Fly but Dancers Enjoy It: the “Airplane” Hall near , . Fort Worth, Tex., for Dining and Dancing held o

Page 82

MECHANICS POPULAR SU

1 1 the date al ] | Cé vhe 1 | tne w Li¢ s killed ( e! il le ive yration ) the big fi , 1 i\ r€ ( ecked. | , scient { ope to oO] 1 ne ride oO! he whale fe. the numbe , ves, and the let ot ] S ] t ¢ Althou 1 ] } 1 lV i © i 9 : | l¢ | tc’ mated b once the ¢€ dence there nN ca 1 1 ‘ that ¢ I ( really 1 > poly nou Be s ti the es. t] Cc ectec 1 Ine Te bie thern seas : lep h | eF€ I yscove e I e Special Car That Takes Them around the Zoo in Har hii oa ~ + oat ~ ‘ 4 burs Iwo Cents Apiece é : the ice pack, , — , : ‘ hy 7 > _ mo Tt t¢ tT 1 Ch ) ec ) e ¢ SIGHT-SEEING BUS AT THE ZOO ng two hick backed } + wt TO é ure ( t SERVES SMALL BOYS m ee ae | S = it ¢ oce Nn Do hide tae me os Bia JEWELS THAT AIDED COLUMBUS f = hs gin ea ae ERT = VALUED AT HALF MILLION h r | idult i ‘ an elevated € ‘ ele t] Queen Isabella of Si ef take them all ut ft ne to 1! ¢ l ¢ bathe I teen passenger Columbus 1 | \ Mt ( WHALES TAGGED WITH DARTS = they are worth many times that TO TRACE TRAVELS viewpoint of their historical in et con 2S) t 0 ‘ , , sli © ( ) ¢ dart ito lun- ca s L tine t d ond C re . © ‘ ¢ ( , 1 , , ne ¢ il I 1ci¢ ind ucie l ( 3 l sC1len- StS have Y el ( ec 1 e t org ‘ ¢ T 8) ( ¢ e€ i11e tory ¢ tiie mo” seal bas ) | e\ Spe { oO Ve In he , ctic seas is in tl ta 1 old ) LWiscove ‘ wl h was used by both Scott and S] ( eton on tive € plorations if the southern ice continent. The , <7, , r ‘pe on as (| ected Vv the ryovern ent of the British co Oonv ° 1 Ss = a n e | ind islan center of 1 ] { 1 the w Li€ 1 maust ( te 1 1 1 S S | € \ Li@is l Y peen é j Some of the Jewels That Helped Columbus Reach America ) TT 1) \ , to ret a ul I of Queen Isabella’s Diamond Collection

P

Page 83

(); i test POPULAR MECHANICS $1 ‘SEA FLEA” FOR OCEAN FLIGHT DEVELOPS HIGH SPEED lf plane and half boat, an odd-looking . called the “Sea Flea,” has been con- ucted for a flight across the Atlantic designed to skim close to the surface te s will he ter and forced landing 1 is pre izard, as the rig is constructed to ndefinitely. A speed of seventy-five iles an hour can be reached, the = 1: 1 it is Claimed. flea crossed from France ) England, a distance of twenty-one miles, 4 venty-six minutes carrying three per- mn nd the pilot. SUPERSPEED PHOTOS OF TIRES TO REVEAL FAULTS lirty-two hundred pictures a second! the performance of a superspeed era C. Francis Jenkins has developed taking photographs of rubber tires le they are in actual service, so that ineers can determine where the strain t stress are distributed when traveling igh speed under varying conditions. e camera differs in many respects from motion-picture instrument. In- ot one, it has forty-eight matched usu ] cl lenses and the ; the rate of 200 feet a second. Che lenses are set in a disk which is electric motor. STRIPING AUTOS MADE EASY WITH PENCIL PAINTER Applying the paint stripes to the iuto- mobile is usually left to experts because of the accuracy required. But with a = ing pencil now on the market, a novice can perform the task without difficult lhe instrument is fitted witl ecially de- signed base, which can ¢ be guided — in raight line by he « r mit |- ing. A bi tube containing paint, constitutes the pen 7 l r1ppe bulb tone end for filling and a distributing point at t! he other from w h tl hich the lacquer flows by —— gravity. Intere changeable barrels are provided for mak- ing stripes of different width l.

Page 84

By H. L. DILLAWAY oF twenty vears I have been hunting some of the biggest game in America, though I have carried a gun in all that time. For two decades I have photo- graphed bears and written about them. And still the most frequent question asked me is whether bears are dangerous. The answer is tl never iat neither bears nor any other wild game in America is dangerous when you are letting them alone, or when something turb them. just as much spond to life else has not happened to dis- But bears are individualists, as human beings, in much the and they re- We don’t regard the human race as being dan- gerous beca same way. use some people occasionally kill, and the same is true of bears Mj twenty of hunting with a cam- I have chased bears and been chased ei them, ee I think it is easier to make a bear run away than to get him to run toward vou. Bears may attack under cer- istances, mother ample, defending their cubs, but not all mother bears will do that, and quite a few of them away and their offspring. scared by years tain circun bears, for ex- will run desert They really are as man as he is of them. 82 Wiel"

Denes % recall one day whet a Boece and I were walk ing along a mountainsid and unwittingly pass« by a mother We heard out and dash awa through the brush, so we turned back, located - ‘ed and broug cubs They squalled and bawle terribly, but the mothe did not come back, th day or any other, watched the den fre quently to see if she woul return. Had quiet, we have known there but as it was, our passing along appat ently ran her clear out of the country. She got her revenge, though, bear’s de h er conte den, entet out three young for we she kept never would was a bear den neat for we paid dearly for the capture of those cubs. Every night for weeks they would wake up and squal until the coming, nursing bottle was forth and never did all three get hun gry at the same hour. [ have hundreds of graphed them, studied them, but I have never mauled by one. I chances, seen bears, photo them and tracked been scratched would rather take m with any wild anima! than a semi-wild one which, through cap tivity, has lost most of its fear of man. A bear’s and the best system when you meet one unexpect edly, however, eyesight is not good, still—or else several is to remain perfectly charge. I have charged bears jerking off my coat and waving it wildl; in their faces, and they have promptly turned tail and fled. Climbing a tree, i to the black or brown for they are both good climbers. <A grizzly, on the other hand, is not, so a tree offers a safe refuge from “old Silver Tip.” the bear belongs species, is useless, tree

Page 85

Page 86

84 POPULAR MECHANICS Bears are very short-tempered, which explains most of their dangerousness. It is largely a matter of individuality, how- ever. One bear will ignore a thing that will make another fighting mad, and on ee ne another day their dispositions may found quite reversed. What they lack in eyesight, they 1 than make up in hearing and sense smell. I know of one fully authentic instance where a bear smelled car: twenty-five miles away and headed rectly for it. In the hunt to photograph wil you are likely to run into new experienc: Your wits must always be working. O afternoon I was dead tired. I had a high cliff and photographed a nest baby eagles. Then I sat down to rest must have dozed. Suddenly I awoke no reason at all—just instinct. Not feet away was the largest brown beat had ever seen. Bears were new to me t!] and I was scared stiff. The bear stood rectly in front of me, waving hi mense head from side to side. I ne) batted an evelash; I couldn't. At last moved away, went wearily over and Pair of Small Cubs Discovering That the Trunk of Dead Tree Is Not a Safe Refuge, and a Mother Be: with a Rather Large Family, Snapped in an Unc scious Moment in the Woods

Page 87

e Of ¢ f *¢ ( I é ( ( e ( . time he had left me behind. \nother opportunity to try out an ex ent on one of the largest black beat ever seen, offered on one occasion e across him suddenly, and we stood e to face on a path. I used a co trick to “rush him,” for I wante e if I could scare such an immense up a tree. I onlv had a1 to work but figured he would run. k off my coat, waved it in his face, a1 he younger -culiar to ‘an stop a squirrel, ‘an easily outrun a lid mv best. - ead me. POPULAR ‘ . 1:1 log, just il man. He sa down to his side, never Saw a bear before or since. stand on particu- ones. crow heavier and e: 7 ey are less likely "up Cubs will p. nding up, and I en two-year-old, lver-tip grizzlies ime thing. re large, bulky yk clumsy. They odd wallowing, l-swaving mo- : S| them- he uninitiated to be slow. but I yr gopher with a oO quick » Tae eve can Scarcely ind, as for spee a once had a spl ice to race a bear CTi- woodland MECHANICS e started together but, in im up that tree. I was utter + ™- ] » at nis speed as he went straig set his hind legs under him an: he limbs, when he ~ He was apparently ‘d than angry and looked down as “What in blazes is the Ss to Say, When I W ilked aA\ bore the same expression. with you?” Climbing Up to Meet the Airplane Wwiail at Forest-Patr urned about more View of Pilot Dropping the Bund 1 Stati MAIL DROPPED FROM AIRPLANE FOR FOREST PATROL VO one € ‘ 1 + + . 7 7 7 i Oo Lie la | Wf + ' 7 OOKO i S rie Out ' hut the + -T~ case ‘ ‘ ] S ¢ { ¢ . DC a1 ( ( “ é () ¢ ( ] 7 | an | 1 7 ‘ sf 7 ? ‘ eTvice C é ( l 1i¢ 1 1 t¢ rand then ) ce ¢ 1 t 1 \

Page 88

86 POPULAR MECHAN = =] 7 ed - = al = - ~~ = - ™ aad al = acd 4 aol = -= -= el = as ol -_ - - 7 iad - - od aad a: Sal ad - = Sood - tal -™ - Just off the Plane, Opening the Raft and Blowing It Up, Then Safe on the Potomac River LIFE RAFT INFLATED BY GAS AS PARACHUTE DROPS A recent test by marine-corps aviators has established the feasibility of includ- ing deflated rubber rafts among the safety devices of flyers. After reaching tude of 3,000 feet, in a training loted by Lieut. V. M. Guymon, of Salt Lake City, Utah, Corp. R. L. Huffman stepped from the craft. At 2,925 feet, his parachute opened, and he unpacked the raft and inflated it with the two tubes of carbon dioxide which he carried. Three minutes after leaving the plane, he dived into the Potomac river and, immediately bobbing up, swam to retrieve the para- chute and fasten it to the raft. Putting together the two-piece oars, he then calmly an alti- plane pi- ,ICS rowed to shore. The cylinders of carbo: dioxide used to inflate the raft are onl about twelve inches long and four inche in diameter. By turning the cylinder, car bon dioxide is discharged into the rait, it flating it fact, almost instantaneously, or, in less than thirty seconds. A PERMANENT WAVE FOR TREES Walnut trees with figured grain through out the entire and efforts to made by highly roots. trunk are cultivate them are grafting the top branches of figured tree to seedling walnu It is hoped that this result in a tree with the beautiful grai: so much desired for fine furniture neers. It is said that only about one il the half million wal Inut trees cut each year extremely rare bein process ma and ve- is an “unusual prize” as a source of the best and most fancied wood. The cause of the curly grain is somewhat of a mys- tery. Its occurrence at the stump has been attributed to the swaying of in the wind or to the c laid on the tree crowding of the wood an inside curve of the tree. SLEEVES FOR TROUSER LEGS LATEST STORM GUARDS Waterproof [_~= protectors for (sec | f trouser legs, ee which can be slipped on in a few seconds and carried in the pocket when not in use, have been introduced in England. They are simply pulled on over the shoes, button in front and keep the trousers dry from the knee to the shoe top. An elastic band holds them in place at the top,as shown. @Whenever you find that you wish to know more about any article in this maga- zine, write our Bureau of Information.

Page 89

POPULAR MECHANICS ARTISTIC BRICK BUILDINGS SHOW GERMAN SKILL fects with an Old-Style Material; Examples Recent Brick Architecture in Germary about 1100 A. D., when monl lv started making brick churches | Germany, Prussian craftsmen have ex \ ed in the art of brick manufacture, and \ lence tl it their skill has not declined Se : M4 th the vears is seen in modern structures | e material being erected in Germany. é istrations shown are all in the mod- | | ot ‘man style and utilize brick to ad- ge in emphasizing the plain, angular and broad surfaces. FLORAL CLOCK AT CANDY STORE HELPS DRAW TRADE an old clock, a French merchant ed an effective advertising dis- ee nenore S/ ee . S 3 , ,53J3 34 reas Si Ssas ea take ce A ttract customers. Lhe dial ot tne | = ment is of parchment, the hands are | f tk ; ° a" ‘ rm of large bees and the hour F a N ings are different flowers. As the - aN. ee Pe a : se be . \ ticks away, the “bees” pass from | . ‘ ; ' oe : h to er to Hower, suggestit oe the gather- ~~ . ava- | sweets in which the merchant spe- - ‘ c »*

Page 90

88 POPULAR MECHANICS Enjoying a Merry-Go-Round in the Swimming Pool; While Some of the Bathers Push the Platform with the Handles, Others Endeavor to Cling to the Rim BATHERS’ PUSH WHEEL ADDS SPORT TO SWIMMING Bathers at a municipal natatorium in Davenport, Iowa, have fun on a push wheel that shoots persons seated on it into the water after it has attained sufficient velocity. Beneficial exercise is received in rotating it, and the riders have sport in trying to stay on as long as possible, although a final ducking is almost certain. SUGAR WAS USED AS MEDICINE IN EARLY AGES sugar was confined mainly to medicin purposes and could only be afforded wealthy persons. Today, America year] consumes about 118 pounds per capita. AWNING IS ADJUSTED TO SUN TO PROTECT GOODS Store awnings in strips that can be turned to admit more or less sunlight, a the time of day or position of the canopy require, have been introduced as an im provement over the one-piece variety. Thi strips are less likely to hold water whet the awning is down in time of rain an: are not so liable t Humanity appar- ently has had a “sweet tooth” for ages, but sugar was first used as a med- icine by the Ara- bian doctors about the seventh century A. D., according to a history of the sub- stance prepared by the Pan-American Union. From those be ignited by ciga ret or cigar stub tossed from above, as there are gaps be tween the bands to allow objects to drop through. The strips can be turned to shield the con tents of the disp] iy window and yet not exclude so much light that the mer- early times, and into the Middle Ages, Sectional Awning, Set Angularly like Skylights, to Shield Goods without Excluding All the Sunlight chandise cannot be plainly seen.

Page 91

POPULAR MECHANICS SY 2M REMOVERAIDS >RAPE-CANNING INDUSTRY elopment of a new of the canning in- promised in the luction of a unit removes the stems seedless grapes. It | to have an output ve tons in a nine- r day and to do the | k at a cost of less n$4aton. The grapes lumped into a hopper as they pass through utfit, they are caught revolving brushes and hed through a _ net- rk of small, upright eel pins. Thus the nches are broken up. small stem is re- ved by passing the pes over small rubber nders arranged in Canning of grapes ; been done ona small Courtesy Clyde Brown ile for several vears. Lorado Taft Finishing Model of the Lincoln Statue Which Hias Been Erected : at Urbana, II. it the excessive cost of emming them by hand workers hitherto ARRAHAM LINCOLN AS LAWYER prevented the widespread development SHOWN IN LATEST STATUE he industry. a How Lincoln probably looked : MOVIE CAMERA AND PROJECTOR [ito otatic Lincoln statue, made bs ‘ TAKE PICTURES ON PAPER Lorado Taft for Urbana and Cham} ™ Motion pictures on film or paper are !II. It was recently unveiled signi - en with a camera recently introduced Courthouse and in front of the ton to ingland. Combined with it, is a pro- stands on the site of the ond mn woer et tor showing the photographs. The pa- Lincoln stopped when his hohe D film is projected by reflected light with [im to the “twin cities.” The figure 1 ve id of two spe- aes bronze and the monument is ten feet a | lamps at- - hed to the out- “SICK” FLOWERS ARE REVIVED he and is salt to BY ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT * e sharpness and le finition on the 1 At a fashionable London restau +e reen in no way - P “sunlight lamp” is used to treat sickly tas ferior to the film. —— potted plants. A wild orchid bloomed in sat e camera can oF eight hours after exposure to the healt! cn loaded in daylight, the projector shows giving rays and a faded bouquet, worn by ~i tures over six feet high and the set is a woman, was placed under the light to ye , «pensive, revive it.

Page 92

By RUSSELL M. ARUNDEL 7 clocks of a thousand cities chime ive each afternoon. Stores and offices out millions of tired. homeward- 1 7 pound wort cers, and in the crowded streets children start one final hour of play be- fore dinner America’s most « hour has arrived. \mbulance drivers inspect their mounts to see that evervthing is in readiness: hos- pital attendants vive the operating rooms a final 1 \\ recking cars are wheeled to the front. For the look-over, and in garages, the next sixty minutes the bulk of the day's traffic accidents will happen. More lives will be snuffed out, ple will ind’ more automobiles ; 7 7 aestroved than in any other more peo- be injured, ] hour of the lan in several of the early morning hours combined. some place between the Atlanti ind the Pacific, some one being killed or in- jured in a trafl iccident at the rate of forty two seconds of the vhen le statistics are plotted, instead of an even and shows that, distribution of deat] injuries, they ir peak in that one crowded hour, when senses have been dulled by a hard day’s work, and reach their minimum just before dawn when most in bed. per yple are home iree times as many casualties result- our vi 4 v P us Se Am, ; f - on apes i accidents occur il single vear in the United States : ' than we suffered by the American forces dur Wot tal a4 war. During 1926, approximately 25,3 their entire participation in the were set An « persons were killed and 759,060 ously injured in these accidents. timate issued by the American Roa builders’ association lists the princi causes as inattention; children playing speeding; adult jay-walkir and violation of the traffic laws. Of tl total l aents the street: number of accl »] ° 7 occurring | year approximate V 11,183 were caused | motorists; 10.805 were the result of i1 proper conduct on the part of pedestria: I >? . . 11 1 and » 314 were cau ed principa \ I physic 1 conditions } fc Ce ! Lid. RR } . .vesearcn is uncovered mat pecu tacts in regard to the causes and resu highway accidents. Che kn \ edge facts has given national these organi: 1 tions interested in the public-safety mo ment a basis upon which to work and expected to bring a noticeable reduct in accident casualties within a few yea Paramount among the conclusions tl have been drawn from statistics collecte from various rural palities are: That the occur between five and six in the after districts and munici largest number of accident

Page 93

POPULAR MECHANICS 91 when business men and workers returning hurriedly to their homes. At period of the day, congestion on the and highways is at its height. it the accidents involving pedestrians ncreasing at a rate much greater than te of increase of other types of acci- In Massachusetts, collisions be- n automobiles have actually de- ed, while the calamities involving pe- ins have nearly doubled since 1921. seems to indicate that the American ist is becoming adept in the art of ao? 4 6 6i0tl 246 Bio. ing other vehicles but is unable to NIGHT A.M. NOON P.M. NIGHT) e with the problem of foot traffic. ess than five per cent of all accidents Courtesy American Roadbuiiders’ Ass'n the result of faulty mechanism of ve- ; ; Chart Showing the Time of 28,000 Accidents in es or improperly designed roads and New York State, with Their Peak during the abe The ‘ arhine ta rae oS Homeward-Rush Hour between Five and Six ts. The human machine is responsi in the Evening, When They Reached a Total of for the remaining ninety-five per cent Nearly 2,500 an Hour; Below Is a Pedestrian Problem—How to Cross a Busy Street Corner he accident total.. Carelessness and Like This without Risk to Life or Limb mpetency have been found to be the traits of the human machine result- in disaster. d he annual death of 7,000 children of ol age has caused an intensive re- f h into the causes of these youthful any other similar group of years between ae rtalities. It has been found that more one month and 70 years. t twice as many children between the While the total number of accidents re Le 2 of six and twelve are killed than in sulting from recklessness by intoxicated

Page 94

Q2 POPULAR ( ¢ : ( 38) l Old at" cide ; ed, they more often result . Drast egislation in ne , tate s brought the num- be f trom t source to a con- 57.7% RECKLESS \ DRIVING s Driving Explains the Bulk of All Aut cidents; Then, from Right t Chart, Come Careless Min Accidents, viz., Carelessness of Both Drivers; Careless Pedes- ulty Equipment’ and Miscell low Is the Result of Approact Bridge at Too High Speed; Bridges, Narrow Embankments, Sharp Curves and Blind Corners Are All Heavy Contributors to Motor Deaths MECHANICS lerably lower level than in the year 192 A great mass of data has been collecte by organizations investigating highway a o show that the outstanding sing lition giving rise to casualti is fatigue which, in turn, causes careles on gene! il decline In the child inatte1 . saa . tiveness has been found the chief cause fatalitic nd injuries Che child at pl is a bundle of trembling nerves and, the joy of the game, is almost unconsciou OT anv WO Lt DU Ss own. e may Tu into the street and, being there, continu 4° ‘ S| his pleasant pastime without regard 1 | gy the motorist. ‘fe Oe ee or ‘ i houghtlessness and poor judgment the cause of more than forty per cent o accidents. These classifications inclu v- ng, inattention, confusion, ine eTLIC € iT ] t ] t sT¢ \ \ Is national « ini ons inte

Page 95

POPULAR MECHANICS V. M. Pierce, U. 8. Bureau of Public Roads Train Won This Race; at Right Is a Chart Show- ng the Ages of Highway-Accident Victims in the highway-safety problem have ined a series of objectives which are being put under way, as follows: First, the education and regulation of lestrian traffic, as well as motor-vehicle the. Second, the adoption of a standard code 1otor-vehicle laws in every state of the on. hird, education in safety and acciden ention will be incorporated in the ols, both public and private. Fourth, motorists will be asked to pro- the design and materials of their auto- biles by periodic adjustment and re- cement, 1 ) ith, a comprehensive program of street ening and the elimination of grade sings will be carried out throughout nation. Co-operation of motorist and pedes- n in behalf of public safety can save uusands of lives during the next few rs, according to the report of the merican Road- 14 ’ ‘ aers assocla- Ninety-five per of all accident: 1e result of fail- of the human chine, rather ’ +} t YEARS With All the Fingers inside the Trigger Guard, the Gunner Is Less Likely to Suffer Injuries 0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60- than faulty mechanism or engin No amount of rules and regulatio eliminate these accidents unless tl = embodied as a portion of the 1f courtesy and caution.” TRIGGER GUARD FOR SHOTGUNS PREVENTS BRUISED FINGERS : ; Taking e of the bumps out ot in ooting is the fun oO ! ; oved trigger cuard recet ) T+ nerm it 1? tine t} t ] nd per ts inse ng the ¢ eli 7 n the frame so that when { ( ; . ] reled 1. the lis not ] : ; bruise the seco f , nj ( en e é é i: at > the usual pie a —_— ; ‘

Page 96

St POPULAR MECHANICS and Close View of the DOUGHNUTS COOKED AT TABLE IN ELECTRIC MOLD doughnuts at the breakfast table, cooked as they are needed, mold of [It is operated from a lighting socket in much the same way as a waffle used for baking Another table “triangle” 117 are now possible in an, electric ran nal . _1 } iron ana Can aiso be cakes. muthns and sma convenience is an ughnut Mold in Operation; Serving Breakfast from the Electric Grill, Triangular Doughnuts SEWAGE GAS FUEL DRIVES ELECTRIC GENERATOR Large sums of mone are spent to get rid sewage, but in the B mingham district, En land, the material is ut ized, at one disposal st tion, to furnish gas for operating an engine that drives an electric gene ator. The gas comes fro the bacteria that are ; tive in the waste. It collected in concrete co1 tainers which float on tl surface of some of tl tanks, then piped away receiving and for u internal-combustion engine. It said that more than enough is obtained t operate the 150-horsepower engine at tl in an plant with highly satisfactory financial 1 sults. The gas, as it arrives at the engine has no offensive odor. CURVED STREET-TRAFFIC GUIDE SAVES EXTRA POLICE ot : 24 11 aluminum griddle for coo [Ing eggs, and frying bacon, ham or hot It has a cover! cakes. roomy for keeping the food warm and, since no grease is required, may be emploved at the ta- ble while eating Both artic attractive appear- ance with a deco- rative base and high polish. The ware is of cast aluminum, nd one can cook water in s of the material, so none ot ee “1 tner utensi the benefi- Three policemet formerly re quired to regulat traffic in a: Londo: street, but since thx installation of a Spe cial device only one has bee: needed. The unit operated by a con trol at the the shows, at either en were signal center ¢ BETe@et an whether the cours: is clea: for traffic, thus communication 0 mot savin the “all-clear” sig nal by hand. Th device has prove so successful that is planned to instal ngredients of + toods are lost. For Traffic Regulation in Curved Street; the Center Guide Tells if There’s Anything around Corner it at other where place suitable.

Page 97

POPULAR MECHANICS 95 LANKETING THE SKY WITH A CURTAIN OF DEATH Guardians of the Night, the Antiaircraft Batteries Sprav the Sky with Shot and Shell as Soldiers of the Sixty-Sec ond Regiment Test Their High-Angle Guns and Search lights on a Target Towed behind a Plane Flying Long Island; the Night Ma- 1euvers Offer a Thrill for Spectators, But a Bigger Thril! for the Pilot Who Has the Long Canvas-Cone Target Hitched to a Cable a Thou- sand Feet behind His Ship

Page 98

POPULAR MECHANICS a be {- and can in a minute \ similar “iver troduced aid has been in a windshield 7 7 ° shade on a roller it Cc be an pulled do when needed, or kept AIR DRIERS SPEED OUTPUT OF MONEY aS ot pout vn into | the bureau printing where sheets of pape » to money are hung uy } 1 Model of Glider for Trips across the Atlantic; Rapid Three Motors and They Wiil Steer GLIDER STEERED BY MOTORS TO CROSS ATLANTIC le a ill model furnished en- gineers data for the construction of a hy- droglidet to cross the \tlantic from France 4 log tdci be Ce ine cratt as ae ened to be teerecd hx Steere: ) Wi slowing do one of the three motors instead of bv the usual guidit 500 horsey ar. Each engine develops The ship is supported on the pontoons, each more GLARE SHADE FOR AUTO MIRROR AIDS SAFER DRIVING Di in the rear ped turbing reflections from headlights ) mirror are quickly stop li little roller shade over the py S It is m de of trans- parent mate ial » that it does not cur- tail the service of the mirror and is attached toa spring roller so | that it quickly rolls up again when the little hooks that hold it to the edge are released. The ed in a second with fit different sizes of the Craft Is t It low the ink t Have riers look kept | du ocKed 200 and From are ing the process. 150 to use, and the large sheets of S100 constant $20 and ere they "1 » , 7 - | bills are piaced On Tat wh are “baked” tor tl PLUG IN CEILING-LIGHT SOCKET AIDS IN CLEANING LAMPS The of cleani electric-light fi task tures hung from the ceiling, plified with a sepa- rable plug and hook-connecting | unit, permitting the quick detac] ment of the fixture and its 3 readjust ng y i has been Si! ment with a min mum of trouble. he plug is a sim- pie idapt ition of the usual type, and +1 1 ° the hook supports move globe, bulb and all, clean them in a convenient wot ° e.° 1 41 1 ing position and return them with I labor and less likelihood oO! breaka r€ q Highways built by t} e ancient in were trom eleven to fifteen feet

Page 99

OT nan terranean, POPULAR MECHANICS 97 Part of the Marine Collection and the Nets and Traps of the Late Prince of Monaco, Who Utilized His Gambling-Casino Fortune to Pursue His Deep-Sea Studies Monaco—Home of the Ocean’s Story Mysteries of the Deep Are Shown at “Bottom of the Sea” in World’s Smallest Country By FRANCIS DICKIE | SPENT nearly an entire day recently in the company of hundreds of differ- it kinds of the ocean’s creatures, at the ittom of the sea,” situated in the smallest untry in the world. which covers onl: hout three square miles. Built upon a hill overlooking the Medi- Monaco is the home of the mnderful -Museum of: OceAnography hich is one of the outstanding places of terest in Europe, and which not only uses a unique collection .of- live sea itures, but a still rarer gathering in i from im- 7 e ttles of forms of ocean life ense depths, first made known to the ld bv the findings of the late ruler, nce Albert I, who devoted the better rt of his years to scientific research. n the deep, dark basements of the mu- m has been constructed a reproduction he bottom of the ocean in great tanks, ere are collected hundreds of peculiar and human eves in their natur cious entrance vou come int other se ife, or topus ti strange and look upon lighted by elect: she ehelle of faint rosv lig either side « are gla 1 dusky corri part the long line « I S ot t] eS trange and fish of \ low ever smoke pouring fro i! } I and green The tanks first i ¢ t ioht ¢ not +}, ition rocks ivi ? e | in ¢ ‘lement

Page 100

POPULAR MECHANICS Bes. ata Palace of the Princes of Mo Authorities in contained I these ' , , grapn ( nl tte « cual ] 1 ind t l prorect ou the of the ti r e ( | | ike spira e 4 . , and forward, gathe Lhe roe +} t ne n the | he 1 yet 1 ng 1 with em 15S t with as muc as thev do torward. Rut while the fish and other’ sea life are, of course, the most interest- ] ing, and the visitor emerges from the depths with a feel- ing of actually hav- ing been at the bot- tom of the sea, the collection of fish naco,; the World or the Late Prince, Whe Died a Few Years Ago, Was One of the Greatest Undersea Life and Owned a Marvelous Collection , 1 ea wate! poured preserved in i bottle ontnel n fit to keep the crea- ( the buildin: much more extet and represent ome ery ire find q¢e est forms of sea life made in years of cruising and fishing tanks is € Spiro- great depths. For this work special ne orm which builds out were required. In the enormous east es about a foot long on the first floor, the entire space is give gas hose. The tubes over to an exhibition of the instrume1 rocks. From the end used in gathering sea life at dept] extends a flower- great as 19,680 feet at waves backward ‘ing minute sea life for marine life con iy in connection gage bulky Trunk Open, and Close View Showing Its Com- pact Size ° : 1 ne conger eel. backward FOLDING AUTO-LUGGAGE TRUNK SERVES AS TRAILER 1 1 Constructed otf steel, a toiding auto carrier can he extendas cl to ] Cit articles as milk cans, tents produce and, wl closed, occupies 1 more space than small chest. It ea accommodates Id pounds of weig is built for an ext tire and is especia suited to the nee merchants ani farmers. The top readily detachable. 4

Page 101

SAILORS’ PETS FORM ZOO COLLECTION of the specimens in zoological gardens at Ports- England, have been col- by sailors. One of the nteresting spots in the gar- the place where the birds kept, hundreds of rare species sheltered in an environ- like their natural Beside is nearly undings as possible. tream where the ducks like to le is a willow grown from a from a tree on the Helena, where Na- banished, and there ‘also trees planted by the present king Britain before they The gardens are cared fo1 ing taken y nd of St. | eon was queen of came he throne. . number of naval pensioners, who are ted by sailors in their spare time. AUTO BATTERY FILLER KEEPS WATER AT RIGHT LEVEL Distilled water is supplied to the auto- needed from introduced. It container to bile batteries whenever automatic filler recently nsists chiefly of a glass old the water and a feed line to the bat —— teries. When the a =i water level reaches gee a certain point, a : “capillary attrac arm” is low- ered into the tank and the liquid flows into cells. At the water tion VK high level, and iuses the arm to ride free and clear oi raises a float : e water. The tank requires little atten ; : mn except filling from time to time. 1 oe sD SUGAR FROM WOOD _ Dried sawdust, treated with chemicals, hy elds glucose and other products, but ed hether the process will be commercially a ractical for the making of sugar in any y¢ amounts, is doubtful. From other n¢ . products, alcohol suitable for is obtained. le. _ the motor POPULAR MECHANICS ” Nozzle Which Breaks the Force of the Fire Spray So That It W o Less Damage to Interiors SPRAY NOZZLE ON FIRE HOSE TO REDUCE DAMAGE Powertul streams of water from hose often do more harm than good, esps cially when the blaze is slight. To remed this trouble, a member of the Fort Wort! Tex., fire that can stream. It is department has devised 1 nozz condense more throw a spray or a said to be effect! when combating a fire at close range is especially suitable for interior fires HAND-SIZE VACUUM CLEANER SIMPLIFIES HOUSE WORK Weighing but three pounds, and easi operated with one hand, a small vacuu cleaner now on the market saves getti1 out the larger unit for such tasks as brus! and, since it cat ing up crumbs or ashes, be applied to curtains, furniture and clot! usetulnes ing, it has a wider range oft rhe regulating “h t} is in é handle, and the cleaner runs on either direct or al ternating curren at modest expense. For cleaning lamyq s ] ide ‘ ble covers, wu ho and other surface it saves the lab ind damage o ‘ ed | the of a brus! or « Irs¢ revel t dirt from r about e room

Page 102

common cause of fir Giving the Loop Thriller a New Twist; German Acrobat Rounding the ? . Circle While Standing on His Head in Special Car and should never be le LOOPING THE LOOP ON HIS HEAD BERLIN ACROBAT’S THRILLER While standing on his head in a special car, a German acrobat slides down a run- wav and loops a loop at the bottom at a high rate of speed. To help him hold his position, he grips a bar inside the car which is held to the track with flanges. FIRE PREVENTION IN THE HOME SHOWS GOOD HOUSEKEEPING Eliminating fire hazards in the home, as far as possible, is especially important in the winter. Edward Reilley, assistant chief of Chicago’s fire insurance patrols, warns against risky methods of thawing out frozen water pipes, allowing piles of news- papers or other inflammable material t )

POPULAR MECHANICS

accumulate in the bas: ment, placing ashes

wooden containers at using flexible hose « like conduits for g< Rigid pipe should | employed wherever po sible, to avoid leaks a1 the likelihood of exp! sions and fires. A co: mon practice but a da gerous one is to plac tissue paper over ele tric-light bulbs fo shade. The paper likely to ignite a1 cause a blaze. In spi of constant warning housekeepers will pe sist in throwing ke sene on fires or kindli1 to expedite the cookin, Not long ago, a wro1 can, one containing ga oline, was used at ight persons wet surned to death. Lea the electric wiring to t] electrician. If change have to be made, kee lighted matches or can dies out of the closet Oil-soaked mops are

in a place where the are likely to generate heat and ignite Fires without apparent cause in man cases are due to a pile of oil or paint soaked rags carelessly thrown into a cot ner closet or other inclosed space. BRUSH CLEANS BETWEEN TEETH WITH REPLACEABLE HEAD Bristles in a recently introduced toot! brush are shaped to clean tnoroughly the interstices between the teeth and whe: the head be comes worn, new one i quickly attache to the bakelit : handle. By ad justing the nut that holds the brush, the bristles may be turned to any angle. |

Page 103

POPULAR MECHANICS 101 VEIRD ARCHITECTURE HELPS TO SELL ICE CREAM Southern California Has Taken the Lead in Producing Weird ‘ and Novel Roadside | ¢°™ Stands, of Which These Are Examples Strange Beasts and Birds, Enor- mous Mushrooms, and Replicas of Milk Cans, Ice-Cream Cones and Other Artificial Objects Are to Be Seen on Every Hand by the Tourist > 2 7 a in ™ | | Even Gigantic Figures Molded } of Concrete, Whose Spreading | Skirts Shelter the Stock i: Trade, the Clerks and the Cus tomers, Sprout Up, with Their Gay-Colored Awnings, along the Concrete Highways

Page 104

Ve POPULAR MECHANICS ALASKA REINDEER HERDS TO SUPPLY FUTURE MEAT Seal-Hunting a a Fishing in Alask Are Still Necessary, b Reindeer Meat Has Increas¢ the Natural Supplies of Fo Reindeer raised by Alaskan Eskim« may take the place otf the vast cattle here of the vanishing west as a source of meat while the success of the herds has cot verted the natives from fish to meat eaters The United States government importe: the first reindeer from Siberia in 1892 landing them at Teller, later made famou when Amundsen’s dirigible, the “Norge,” landed there after its flight across the North Pole. In the next ten years, a total of 1,280 reindeer were brought across the Bering sea, and the original 1,200 no have more than 600,000 descendants in the vast herds that feed on the scant mo and grass of the far north. One of the largest reindeer companies operates fi l-storage plants in Alaska, where the CO animals are slaughtered and the meat pre pared for shipment to the states. Beside furnishing meat for other lands, reindeet have proved life-savers for the natives. They are displacing dogs as sled animals. have made it unnecessary to hunt fish and seals for food, and are providing material for fur clothing independent of polar bear and seal skins.

Page 105

POPULAR MECHANICS 103 ’ LOCKS STOP IN HIGH BUILDINGS BECAUSE OF SWAY When a grandfather clock in a tall Chi- ro hotel refused to run, the owner was rplexed, for it was in perfect order. A rkmaker explained the apparent mys- ry. The building stands in an isolated sot where it receives the full force of the nds and sways slightly, especially in the pper stories. When this movement is in he right direction with reference to the ing of the pendulum, the ciock stops, he craftsman explained. He said that he il been kept busy adjusting clocks be- iuse of this difficulty. Where it was ractical, a simple remedy was found sim-_ | / | y by turning the piece at such an angie Taking Extra Copies of Fingerprint Records for Police hat the vibrations would not affect the Files; the Duplicating Apparatus in Use endulum. Another method was to put NEF hal ; ie : FINGERPRINTS ARE DUPLICATED a heavier pendulum and adjust ie ; A WITH MACHINE prings so that the slight sway of the uilding would not stop the mechanism. Fingerprint experts of the Baltimore po skyscrapers the sway is sometimes per- lice department are saving considerable eptible to a person standing at the top. time and work by using a rapid duplicator a for making copies of the impressions used : CAFE IN FORM OF LARGE SHOE in keeping track = suspects and identify . wan smal 7 ss ar: ; he ing criminals. i aratus is tl n RECALLS NURSERY RHYME okey ight, a seninassrsiieeibaar ge vention ot one ot the members of the d One of the latest novelties in restaurant force. and is said to be superior to older | : P : oe . . P os ‘ architecture in California is a cafe build photographic and other methods. it . ° ‘ I ! ing in the form of a large shoe, to suggest | i nursery rhyme. An automatic “Mother ™ : "A ot Seok f ’ : BETTER AND CHEAPER STEEL 1oose’ flies in a circle over the structure, SEEN IN NEW PR Es : vhich has the advantage of ample lighting PROC S ” and ventilating facilities, because of the Not far from the spot where the Besse , ; : . peculiar shape of the exterior. mer process tor making steel was deve ‘ oped in England, is be 1e Pa) A > — ; ine . tructed ; si ] 4 x Shoe Cafe Building in Cal- ng constructer an eX a wo ifornia City, One of Its Nu- erimental furnace to test 1e : merous Oddities in Archi- po 1s. acs tecture a new method for refin ing the product. Accord 1¢ = . a ing to reports, it will re sult in the production of 1e . ° high-purity steel at less y ¢ ’ , . than one-half the cost ot 1e . ‘ the present materia e icapiaee , hich is far from being chemically pure. No ta on | + - ‘* + blast furnaces wi he needed and cheape: is » . grades ot coal can id 1: is ; used, while low-grade o eS. al Ke’ , , that cannot profitably be ar gaa ‘ ; sition... eumelanin) landled by present proc- esses can be smelted.

Page 106

POPULAR MECHANICS Tumbling Headfirst from a Plane, the Parachute Jumper Is Jerked Upright as the Silk Umbrella Fills with Air; at Bottom of Page, a Seat-Pack Chute Which Takes the Place of a Cushion Dummy Flyers Help Make Air Safe I UMMY aviators are importantly help- ful in trving out new ideas for para- tests as live men, and, in case of ac- cident, nobody is hurt. A fall of a few thousand feet or more doesn't bother the dummy. The typical dummy used by aeronautic experi- menters of ourarmy and navy is made on a strong wooden frame, covered with canvas, and stuffed with any kind of material that hap- pens to be handy, an essential require- ment being that it shall weigh 180 to 200 pounds. Thus its weight corre- sponds to that of By R. BACHE the heaviest airman. It has a neck but no head; the legs and arms are mere stump chutes. They afford just as good safety The parachute equipment is fastene: upon it with a har ness of straps, ex actly as it would be ittached to a man The equipment i “seat pack,” se cured to the lowe part of the dummy’ back. This kind of pack, used as a seat cushion by an avi ator, removes all weight and bulk from his person, save for the hai ness. It is a canva envelope containing a parachute of light and very strong silk, twenty-four feet in diameter, carefully folded in a particu- lar way, and weighs eighteen pounds.

Page 107

POPULAR MECHANICS 105

Vhen the dummy is dropped experimen- vy from an airplane far aloft, the rip connected to the pack is simultane- jerked, releasing the parachute. the first thing to emerge from the

is envelope is a small “pilot chute,” vn out by springs. Catching the wind, certs a pull which yanks the big para- ite out of the pack, and thereby the ichute is enabled to expand quickly. lt is fully opened by the time the dummy fallen 150 feet. Then, the expanded brella having caught the resisting air, loats downward toward Mother Earth

1 rate of thirteen feet a second. he loftiest height the sky from ich a parachute mper has ever ped was twenty- thousand feet, nearly five miles. took him a little er half an hour reach the ground, Loa ; _—_ but he alighted Pa ifely. The first parachute drop |

rom a flying ma- in |

chine was made , yer 1912, at St. Louis, \ ;, See be a by Capt. Berry. The \ ee ee aqaro-conica me containge Int f lowing ye é 4 knapsack’ | chutes were oped. with a “ open t] i< cle ed fe ers 1 9 An i { 4 erve \ ‘ VW ‘ ble #4 ae e I to use 1 nary, and very little training. Lhe when he jumps from aloft, holds hand a ring to which the rip cor tened. All he has to do is jerk rest of the business takes care « it The sensation of floating downwar: being rather agreeable With Knees Drawn Up to Absorb the Shock, the Flyer described as Prepares to Land, Top; a Test Dummy, Center, and an otherwise Old Sketch of Garnerin’s First Jump in England in 1802 VE EERE W iON

Page 108

106 POPULAR MECHANICS | care, both parents takin their turn doting the fanning. ELECTRIC HANDS MOVE CARS IN TALL GARAGE Space for parking 1,052 cars is to be provided a twenty-eight-story g rage for New York City’ crowded business district It is to be within a fey feet of one of the er trances to the Grand Cet tral terminal, and planned to afford a ma: imum of storage spac within the limits of lot After a driver h surrendered his car received a check ror ‘ically operated truck rolls from an ele vator, is stopped undet the auto, the rear a engaged ina rubbe cleated coupler, and then Electrically Welded Frame for One of the 50,000-Horsepower Generators Be- the car is taken back to ing Installed by Philadelphia Power Company the elevator, and run to GIANT “HOOP” FOR GENERATOR the desired floor, being left in its spa IS MARVEL OF WELDING by a reversal of the method that was put sued at the first. The little trucks are What is said to be the largest piece of | governed by push buttons in the elevator electrical machinery ever made from struc- so that the operator need not leave his tural steel and electrically welded has been post or touch the auto to store it. Elim completed in the frame for one of the ination of ramps and useless aisles, hig! 50,000-horsepower generators for a Phil- speed elevators, and street-level delivery delphia company. Four of these huge and acceptance are other features units are to be installed in this plant, which will be the largest e ectricity ““tac- tory In the United states except the power development trom Niagara falls. -_ TINY FISH FANS ITS YOUNG TO SUPPLY OXYGEN Fish placed in water that has been boiled to drive out the oxvgen usually die in a short time, showing how necessary the element is to the preservation of their ves The little stickleback fans the nest n which the young are hatched with its afford an abundant oxvgen sup- ; , One of the “Electric Hands” That Move Cars; Truck Same Adjusted under Auto to Slide It on or off Elevator inother species exercises the 1 ler species exercises ¢

Page 109

POPULAR MECHANICS 107 c7C wing Practice in His Yard; British Oarsman in Stationary Boat near Tank in Which He Can Keep in Training with Real Strokes; Splash Guard around Rim at Left ROWING DRILL IN ONE-MAN TANK _ bliives. The noise of the screech owl at GIVES OARSMAN PRACTICE night 1s also claimed to be an indication of fair weather. lo keep himself in training, a British marsman has a private tank just large ENDLESS TRACK FOR TOY TRAIN enough for one oar. He sits in a station NOVEL WINDOW DISPLAY ry “boat” and sweeps the oar through he water as though in an actual race. Designed especially for window display, he boat has a sliding seat, similar to a spiral tower for an electric toy tran hose in the-usual racing hull. permits continuous running in smaller space and adds to the interest in the op INSECT WEATHER PROPHETS eration. By means of transformers, train ascends on a current of nine vi If spiders are busy spinning their webs, and comes down on five and one-hal fair weather may be expected, but if they volts, in order to make sure tl ire resting, the fact is an indication of im- not run off the track or home-play ] pending storms or wet. weather, some nat- poses, the outfit can be operated uralists say. The reason is that the spider, one transformer. knowing that its prey will not be abroad dur- ng rains or other un- favorable conditions, does not trouble to make its nest at such times, but prepares it for catches during fair weather. Bees are able to tell approach- ing storms and in threat- ening intervals will not venture far from their Adding Interest to the Window Display; the Double-Spiral Track for Toy Electric Train Occupies Small Space

Page 110

108 POPULAR MECHANICS SHARK SHIP HUNTS SEA TERRORS TO MAKE SHOES A Shark Ship, Built from a Yacht That Served in the American Navy during the War, Has Returned from f Australia to Lon- don, after a Suc- cessful Season Hunting the Ter- — ror of the Seas to Turn His Hide into Shoes, Luggage and Hand Bags, His Fins into Delicacies for Chinese lis Epicures, His Carcass into Oil for Fine Watches, and the Odds and Ends into Fertilizer; Above Is the Ship, the “Istar,’"’ and a Shark Skin Ready for Tanning © P. & A. Photo | Huge Nets, Planted by a Fleet of Ten Motorboats, Are Used to Catch the Sharks; the Big Fish in Their Fright Dash Ar id and Struggle Until Their Gills Close and They Sut- focate; Thirty Tons of | Sharks Are Often Han- | dled Daily; Above Is a Shark Jaw and, at the Right, a Group of Lon- don Children Getting Ac- quainted with the Teeth | of the Man-Eater

Page 111

POPULAR MECHANICS 109 *XCELSIOR BUILDING BLOCKS NEW HOME MATERIAL Building blocks of compressed packing celsior, impregnated with a mineral ce- nt which makes them practically fire- vof, are being used successfully in a new rm of home construction. The blocks, ur by eight by sixteen inches, are each uivalent to eight ordinary bricks in vol- e, but, weighing only three pounds, are s than one clay brick in weight. Each ck is pierced by two four-inch holes, when they are laid in overlapping vs, as are bricks, the holes match. After ree rows or courses are piled up, steel nforcing clips are inserted, and the holes ed with concrete. The clips are equal four courses, and each pouring ends ne below the top, so that a continuous nd is obtained. The finished wall is a At Left, Fly Footprints and Microscopic Enlargement ‘= ; ae of Same; at Right, Showing Germ Growth eries of four-inch reinforced concrete Same; at Righ ume Gam Wee lumns, spaced four inches apart, and MENACE OF FLY’S FOOTPRINTS irrounded by the compressed excelsior REVEALED BY MICROSCOPE ocks. At the floor levels a four by eight nch reinforced-concrete beam is worked That the fly is a spreader of dirt and n, and the next wall started on top of it. disease has long been known, but the mi aboratory tests show the material is croscope reveals a particular reason why - . - . . . . equal to four inches of cork in insulating ¢] ie insect should be killed. Its footprints ilue; that it is a sound deadener and are scarcely visible to the unaided eye, that a reinforced wall built of it will carry even when materials make the marks load of 16,000 pounds per running foot No skilled labor is required in laying the alls plainer, but examination of the tracks a few hours after thev have been formed, . Is, as the blocks are simply piled on explains the hazard of allowing the fly to 5e top of each other, walk across article - the steel reinforcing hat should be kept re dropped into the lean. The micro ™ holes, and the con- ope shows ho Os crete poured from tiny disease ge a an ordinary coal n substances ca scuttle. No lath is ried by the fly's fee required on the in- ive develope side, plaster ~being ew hours aiter the pplied direct to the photograph Va blocks, the fibers of taken, some of the which furnish a erms had devel good bond, and oped tiny balls o tucco is applied in spores which wert the same way on arried away in the the outside. Owing air to seek lodge to the mineral ce- ment and possible ment with which growth. Where flie the blocks are im- SS have been eradi- pregnated, they will ing eS cated, a marked de | not support com- SF crease in disease has bustion. Detail of Construction with the Blocks, Showing Con- heen cheerved crete Section and Close View of Excelsior Unit ea.

Page 112

Serving Pitcher That Hides the Condensed- Milk Can; Pours Di- rectly from the Con tainer and Is Easily Washed and Sanitary Long-Handled Vacuum Cleaner Can Also Be Used for Drying Hair as Shown at Upper Left; in Opposite Corner, Cleaning Draperies with Aid of Handle Bi wire et as aap. iets dagantas Sharpened like an Ordinary Knife, This Bread Cutter Has Saw Teeth That Maintain an . Effective Edge and Are Said 4 Not to Catch Cloth While Washing To Simplify the Task of Preparing Fish and to Save Time, the Clamp Holds It by the Tail While the Scaler Is Being Used

Page 113

a i String Beans Are Cut in Uni- form Lengths by This Outfit, Especially Adapted for Can- ning Large Quantities Useful for the Children; a Step Covered with Oilcloth and Firmlv Balanced So They Can Reach the Wash- bow]; Note Face on Side of Handle Grip Fork at Right Has Knifelike Tines for Cut- ting, and, at Left, a Convenient Holder for the Garbage Bag Here Is a Folding ‘Cedar Chest” for Many Uses; It Is Made of Paper, Treated So as to Keep Out Insects

Page 114

112 POPULAR CHART TO TEACH TYPEWRITING SAVES STUDENTS TIME Chart in Use and Close View Showing Perforations That Take Place of Typewriter Keys Paper keyboards, with perforated tops » cuide the fingers, have been introduced by a woman inventor to help teach type- riting. The charts make it unnecessary to use the real machines at first, so that the student can devote his entire atten- tion to learning the position of the keys and is not distracted by the mechanical operation of the typew riter. In practice, the subject learns the correct hand and finger positions with the chart guides and then, to test his skill, name the character on the piece of paper under the According sults with this guide have been successful and it is ymmended especially for cor- writes the of openings. to reports, re- rece respondence schools. VOICE STARTS AND STOPS TRAIN BY RADIO CONTROL of service still lie to exhibition Visions what vast possibilities of in the visitors radio were capnening power ot shown at a recent at -train The engines started instantly said “Off,” and when the ec e9 , + Stop Was pronounced, tl in London, a model display. as a man n word as 1 fh 0) veved quickly, and also reversed or ward 1 the went for- The that the at spoken commands. secret of performance was vibrations MECHANICS of the voice, passing through a micro phone, affected sensitive controls whic released electric current to cause the proper movements. During one of the demonstrations, a collision was avoided One of the tiny trains ran off the tracl on a sharp curve. Another was rushing toward it, but the operator saw the im pending disaster, shouted “Stop,” and the train halted. While the system, as no could not be adopted in commercial railroad developed, practical] operation engineers point out that it holds vast promise in that direction as well as in the performance of other tasks, such as ope ing doors and windows and doing other duties that ordinarily require the direct muscular effort of some person. © The dream of a day when a housewife can comfortably her chair and 'deliver-vo orders to the oven door to open, the fu nace draft to close, etc., is not impossib of realization, radio experts believe. ELECTRICAL PEAKS AND DIPS SHOWN BY SOLID MODEL In a Germa n electric station a complet record of the load fluctuations for ever day of a whole year is built up in sol form by cutting out the daily graphs an irranging them side by side, as show: : , scales are arranged on two sides, indicat ing kilowatts, and along the base indicat ing months and days, and hours of the da and night. The whole gives an easil: comprehensible view of the year’s output if L Model of Graphs to Show Electric-Load Fluctuations of German Station; Scales Printed at Sides

Page 115

uations s POPULAR MECHANICS Miller ae ro Crossing the Pipe Bridge; Soldiers on Maneuver Using the Portable Viaduct Which Is Quickly Assembled from Lengths of Piping and Is Strongly Braced PORTABLE FOOT BRIDGE OF PIPE AIDS ARMY DRILLS 1? i ortable bridges made of piping are be- ing used by the British army instead of the usual wood and rope units. They are tronger and more easily assembled, being especially suited for drill maneuvers. SEARCH FOR OIL LEADS TO SEA ON CALIFORNIA COAST Oil wells, drilled in the surf of the Pa- cific along the California coast, have been producing for some time, and now various mpanies are making plans to sink their hafts farther out to sea in the hope of tapping more abundant supplies of “black gold.” The problems involved will tax he ingenuity of engineers, but are not onsidered so difficult as to balk the at- tempts to obtain the liquid wealth below he waves. Often the. oil-well derricks nd machinery weigh hundreds of tons. will be necessary to build strong foun- dations for this equipment. Some of the wells are planned for areas where high - 4 . k floors tides will wash across the derric part of the day. One concern h granted permits to dig wells a quarter of a mile from shore, if it is mechanically pos- as been sible to do so. Engineers estimate that it will cost approximately $25,000 to con- struct each of the bases for the derricks and difficulties, not known in land opera- tions, are expected in drilling, but if the oil is present in as large quantities as the pre- liminary soundings indicate, it will pay to “buy the ocean and pump it dry,” in the opinion of some of the experts. PIPE-CLEANING SET IN HOLDER CARRIED LIKE PEN Containe holder which is carried in the pocket, a pipe- cleaning set now on the market is kept from soiling the clothing and in position for use at any time. It consists of two tools, one for the bowl and the other for the stem.

Page 116

114 POPULAR MECHANICS CABINET CONCEALS COOKSTOVE AND REDUCES ODORS ee Stove Concealed in Cabinet; Inset Shows Appearance of the Unit When the Doors Are Closed For the small home or apartment, a metal cabinet has been devised to inclose the gas cookstove, shielding the rest of the room from odors, excess heat and smoke, and adding to the appearance of the cook- ing quarters. The doors have louvers at the base to admit cool air from close to the floor. This sweeps up through the cabinet and out into a chimney duct at the top. SHALE MAKES CONCRETE LIGHT WITHOUT STRENGTH LOSS The use of burned shale or clay in place of sand and stone in concrete, for build- ings and bridges, has resulted in a lighter material without a engineers sacrifice of strength, Ordinary concrete weighs about 145 pounds to the cubic foot, but the only ninety-five pounds. The material is about the same as that emploved in the manufacture of brick. declare. shale mixture It is heated to a high temperature until it becomes plastic, this process exX- panding the mass and causing a large number of small pockets or air cells to form, owing to the escape of gas. This light stuff is then crushed and used i: stead of sand for mixing with the cement Its aid in building was illustrated recent! in Kansas City, where six stories wet added to a structure originally intende for but four more. Use of the lights cement enabled the engineers to erect tw extra stories without hazard. FURNITURE HEAVIER IN SUMMER Wooden furniture absorbs moistur: consequently, in moist seasons, is heavie as a general rule, than it is in winter whe the house is heated. A bureau, weighin 200 pounds, may be twenty-four pound heavier under summer humidit as compared to its normal weight whe the furnace is going and the air in th: rooms is drier. average These changes occur spite of paints, enamels and other finishe tests by the United States forest servi have shown. The coatings are none tl] less useful, for they prevent sudden checl ing and swelling that would result we1 the wood not so protected. SOFT RUBBER AS UPHOLSTERING SUBSTITUTE FOR SPR:NGS In place of springs, sponge rubber being used for upholstering automobi seats and other The material said to hold its shape, give the coveri1 longer wear and to be more comfortab! than other kinds. articles. It is strong and easil shaped to give uniform resiliency. ©) Keystone View Co Rubber Upholstering for Chair Bottom; Its Soft, Spongy Texture Is Revealed When It Is Squeezed

Page 117

NG w Co Soft, zed POPULAR MECHANICS 115 For Faster Trips between Hamburg and London, the Ten-Passenger Flying Boat in Action; Its Two Motors Afford a Speed of 150 Miles an Hour FLYING BOAT THAT CARRIES TEN LINKS HAMBURG TO LONDON One of the latest units in aerial travel etween London and Hamburg is a ten- issenger flying boat. It develops a max- um speed of 150 miles an hour, has two tors, aggregating 1,300 horsepower, and hen loaded weighs 23,100 pounds. The ing span is eighty-five feet. A crew of three is required to operate the ship, hich is fitted with running water, elec- ic lights, and radio-receiving and send- ng apparatus. It can land or take off rom ground or water with equal facility. ++ CANARIES THAT CAN SING JAZZ GAIN IN POPULARITY Roller canaries, with classical musical educations, are giving way to the chopper, a songster with shorter, brisker notes more like those of the jazz melodies and other mpositions popular today. According » a bird dealer, the chopper is a twelve- ne favorite over the roller in the mar- kets. Owners have also noticed that fre- quently a jazz phonograph record will timulate their canaries to sing when other eans fail. Canaries are being imported into the United States at the rate of sev- eral thousand a week, many of the most valuable kinds coming from the Hartz 1 mountains in Germany. Because of their tendency to fight, the males have to be shipped in individual cages, but 100 fe- males can be placed in a single cage. STOP WATCH FOR FOOTBALL TO END DISPUTES Seconds are precious when the football score is tied and one team is within inches of the goal line. A stop watch, designed to simplify the task of allowing for inter y missions, time-out intervals and other irregularities, has been introduced this season. The ial records sev- enty-five minutes, for four quarters of fifteen minutes each and a fifteen minutes’ intermis- sion between halves. There are really two watches, one that records the time of playing and the other, the time | the operator taken out. By pushing a lug sets one mechanism to operating and stops the other. Markings show the official when to notify the teams to get ready to leave the dressing rooms and indicate the 1 number of minutes remaining to p

Page 118

116 POPULAR MECHANICS Icy Jewels of the Winter Storms Billions of Perfectly Symmetrical Snowflakes, Falling in Each Storm, Furnish Vast Field for Nature-Made Designs By W. A. BENTLEY yORTY-FIVE years ago my mother pre- with a small Searching for something to examine un- dér it during the cold winter of Vermont, sented me microscope. [ hit upon a snow crystal, and for nearly half a century I have been looking at mag- nified snowflakes. microscopes, and then a camera attachment, to permit permanent record of the most perfect de- signs, were soon added to the equipment and, in the nearly half century since, I have photographed more than 4,700 dif- ferent specimens. Studying snowflakes may appear a pe- culiar sort of hobby to occupy one for the greater part of a lifetime, but I find it just as fascinating today as I did when [ looked through my first small micro- scope and discovered that a snow crystal was a work of art, a formation of which no two are ever alike. Collecting snowflake likenesses is a pursuit rewarded by rich returns. Yet it must not be assumed that it is an easy task. It takes skill, patience without limit and no little hardship to get results worth while. Larger When good snowflakes are falling, the true lover of them forgets cold, hunger, business, exposure, all else but the mar- velous glittering gems the storm clouds are showering down upon his waiting board. With keen roaming about over the blackboard held to receive the glittering hosts from cloudland, the raze, ever collector stands out in the storm, brus! ing off every moments, the flake alighting thereon, until one or more prot ising specimens are Quick then, the board is taken indoors, into very cold room having outdoor temper ture. At the facing it, is the photo-microscopic came! (a microscope and camera combined). the other side and also facing the windo\ is an few secured. one side of window a1 observation microscope, having cold glass slide. The blackboard, spri kled over with snowflakes, is taken fir to the observation microscope, and a f¢ of its most promising snow jewels r: from it. This is accomplished b pressing very gentiy the point of a shai wooden splint upon the face of the sno crystal until it adheres to it. It is the jarred off onto the glass slide. A nervou or unsteady hand spells disaster, for tl! least pressure crushes the flake. From now on, the utmost haste must b¢ used, because evaporation away the crystals. One brief glimpse o each is taken, holding the breath mean while, and if a masterpiece is revealed, it is pressed down flat upon the glass slide, by means of the edge of a feather, the slide moved soon weal placed on the stage of the photo-micro scope, quickly centered and photographed, an exposure of from ten to 100 seconds according to time of day, cloudiness, magnification, and power of being given

Page 119

' N , ~ > = al > v Zz ft _ + ~ _ - a —— ~ ag | ~ = > ro -— os —_— > ~ — mn f “7a 3 - ] ~ = laa > wees — an -- ~ -— c= lomd > oie S - — > : _ > S a - a ” - Q, j a) = cae > YU wn = | ~ wil -— — _— =] i a S ~~ ar _ ~ J a f>] 4 - \ ~— oe @& & Ss uv css & n ™ — = v ah = .) a 3 Ps mt eo, ioe} - “| < = a) ( - i nN KS "a 8

Page 120

118 their richness in beautiful snowflakes. A favorable winter may furnish as many as fifteen snowfalls and 300 or more new photos. Good snowfalls often occur during, or at the end of, a period of zero weather. Great storms and blizzards not seldom give opportunity of gathering wonderful good crystals. Yet, asa rule, less intense snows, when the crystals are of but medium to small size and fall rather scatteringly, are most favorable. The larger flakes rarely exceed one-third inch in diameter. Often the best ones are tiny bits of pure beauty from one-twen- tieth to one-fiftieth inch in diameter. The POPULAR MECHANICS with other dark features, due to abrupt changes in thickness, give great richne of design ‘to their interiors, and serve t outline the various transitory forms tl crystals assumed in cloudland. They a sume most varied forms, resembling dot and dashes, lines and other strange cha acters. Frequently they are arranged a wondertully symmetrical manner. T} number of divisions a crystal may assum whether it be a snow or other crystal, supposed to be determined by the nu ber and arrangement of the atoms th group together to form it. The tiny magnetic poles of these crysta attract other atoms to them and establi Three Examples of the Perfect Symmetry of Snow Crystals; They Probably Are Built Up Layer by Layer from the Center, Until All the Branches and Petals Are in Place percentage of perfect crystals in a favora- ble snowfall varies greatly. Sometimes all will be so rarely beautiful as to make a bewildering task, while again may search all day long to find one or selection one two perfect ones, Snow crystals are never formed as a re- sult of the freezing of raindrops or of vis- Hail and granular snow re- The making of the true s is far more complex. Each jewe is the product of a at goes on in one of the rarest laboratories in the universe, the thin air we live, and through the assem- the unseen atoms and molecules of which all crystals are built. ible clouds. sult 1 snow crystal thereby. 7 | I cloud-born process th in which bling of The snowflake is doubtless built by stages from its center outward. And as it grows, and its branches and other adorn- ments unite, it bridges over and imprisons in the form of mi- look dark when viewed photographed, and, together tiny quantities of air, nute tubes. “seen visually or These lines of growth, called axes, and the bodie grow mainly outward from them. Min variations in form depend upon the nun _ber and arrangement of the tiny electr charges that collect upon them and estal lish secondary or third-degree axes, at upon their rates of growth and the te perature. Rapid rates of growth tend produce open branching crystals; rates of growth, solid ones. In the ca of snow crystals, the branchy ones usual! form within warmer, wett: clouds, there is more materi there for rapid growth, while the mor solid ones form at higher, colder, dri altitudes. Not seldom they are wafte upward and downward within the clouds slo the lower, because and have both of these characteristics o growth impressed upon them. Exceptionally beautiful crystals, when photographed, are used by schools, mu seums, lecturers, art-craftsmen, silk manu- 1 metal interior deco- lacturers, workers, rators and other designers.

Page 121

1en nu nu- 'cO- VHY HOT-WATER PIPES FREEZE MORE READILY THAN COLD lousekeepers are sometimes puzzled at tendency of hot-water pipes to freeze re easily than those that carry cold. e apparent mystery is explained by n McCulloch, research engineer of the stinghouse laboratories. By means of special testing apparatus he found that freezing is due to a wall of water es- lished by dropping temperature. Water lensest at thirty-nine degrees Fahren- t. In a closed pipe, when the tem- rature falls toward thirty-nine degrees, it part which is being cooled becomes nser and then lighter below the thirty- ne-degree mark. Water that has not een cooled above the section exposed to e cold remains lighter, so that between e two areas of lesser density is a “wall” dense water around the thirty-nine-de- ree region. This wall naturally limits he circulation, so that the exposed area more likely to freeze. In the cold pipe, rculation permits the contents to re- iin more nearly at thirty-nine degrees, nd the restricting wall is not present. AUTO MAP LIKE ROLLER SHADE TAKES UP LITTLE ROOM \ttached to the windshield with rubber vacuum cups, an auto map rolls up like a hade when not in use, and is always in handy position. It occupies but little room, does. not obscure the view when shut and is protected from dust and the weather in its holder. For Greater Convenience in Reading the Map While Driving; It Is Mounted on Roller on Windshield POPULAR MECHANICS 119 Perry Hale’s Monoplane Kite; It Requires No Tail and in the Air Closely Resembles a Real Plane KITE SHAPED LIKE MONOPLANE MADE BY BLIND MAN Fashioned on the lines of a monoy lane, a new type of kite has been introduced by Perry T. W. Hale, all-American foot- ball star of 1900, who was blinded in an explosion some twelve years ago. It re- quires no tail and is said to be extremely popular with kite enthusiasts. BIG GARAGE IN ELECTRIC LINER LATEST TRAVEL AID Passengers on the electric ship “Cali- fornia’ may take their automobiles with them at a minimum of trouble and ri for the vessel has a garage with a capacit of 140 cars. The autos are loaded without hoisting, through side ports be checked like baggage The “Cal nia” uses electricity for almost eve hing ex- cept broiling steaks in the kitchen. Char- coal is € ipioved tor this, but the h S propellers, cl *ks elevato Ste Ff ape paratus and many other units are run with current generated by huge turbo-gener- ators. The vessel is 601 feet long and has a beam of eig! ty feet. When it passes from a cold into a warm climate, the elec- tric current is switched from the stoves to fans that drive cooled air over brine pipes. It is the largest commercial liner built under the American flag.

Page 122

120 Modern Knowledge; 1279) KS | ae POPULAR MECHANICS Where Carved Images Are Giving Way to Disease “‘Scarecrows,”’ Once Popular in Korea, Are Being Forsaken in Favor of Enlightened Health and Sani- tation Methods ol ’ : Tr HOTEL TOWELS ARE POPULAR SOUVENIRS It used to be that hot guests favored spoor and other table articl when they desired a co: venient “souvenir” take away with them, bi the manager of a Chicago hotel declar that the public’s taste ha turned to towels, and th 20,000 of them disappea: from the principal hostel ries there every mont! Loss of one towel month to each room the average experienc: he says, and all sorts ar taken, hand towels, thos: for the bath and all th other varieties. ‘Whe: “he | bai lars rS : Ys WEIRD IMAGE HEALTH GUARDS ABANDONED IN KOREA the of weird faces carved on poles to cure sickness is waning in Korea, according to reports from a med- ical missionary there, the old modern Young men are studying dentistry and public sanitation and comparatively little homage is paid the wooden “health commissioners” that once were thought to sickness away and cure illness. Belief in powers many of superstitions being replaced by health practices. medicine, frighten MOTOR BONE SAW FOR BUTCHER SAVES TIME AND WORK Finding that his customers often grew impatient while waiting for him to saw butcher has de- vised a motorized unit that does the work much more quickly and with less effort. It is a bandsaw, rigged to a rack with a bell-shaped base on the floor. The frame can be adjusted to various heights, the Saw is in an upright position, out of the through large bones, a way, when not in use, and a convenient starting switch for the motor is furnished in the form of a small tri f gger on top ot! A pull of the handle that guides the saw. the trigger starts the motor. hotels find towels be longing to another in their own laundrie they are mailed postpaid to the nan tagged on them, according to a recent! established custom. FURNITURE CHILD CAN BUILD MADE OF CARDBOARD Amusement and instruction are afforde the child in sets of collapsible cardboard furniture now on the market. The piece are slotted so that they can easily be fitt together and, when correctly assemble are said to be strong and serviceable f aa acme Set of Cardboard Furniture, with Chair Taken Apart to Show How the Units Fit Together Living-room, dining-room and other sets are furnished. play uses.

Page 123

five Dollars Builds A- Battery and Charger By LAWRENCE B. ROBBINS Rules an efficient A-battery and > charger is not only an easy but an teresting task that many radio fans (-7 1) 3 NEGATIVE PLATES | \[@ 4 SOLDERED To THEIR PLATE BARS | | FLL os | 7 POSITIVE ; "PLATES Pte UU Bano ould have undertaken before except for the lack of definite details. The low cost. five dollars; appeals to those with limited pocketbooks, and the interest of the work to the experimenter who likes to do these 41 ungs for himself. Ordinary quart fruit rs and auto storage-battery plates, easily obtained from the grocery and nearest hattery station, respectively, are the main elements in the construction of both units. One, two or three cells can be made up to uit the needs of the builder. lepending on the type of tubes he is using in his set. or instance, if the set employs tubes of the 199 type, two cells only will be re- quired. The fruit jars cost about 10 cents each, and the plates from 15 to 20 cents ipiece. Fifteen plates in all will be re- quired for a 6-volt three-cell battery, five plates to each cell. Select three 1-qt. fruit jars and discard the tops, clean them thoroughly and in- Copyright, 1928, Popular Mechanics Magazine spect them for cracks or flaws. Build a wooden case to contain the three jars com- prising the A-battery, provided a 6-volt type 1s required, reducing the dimensions given so as to take two jars if a 4-volt type is to be built. The dimensions for the case will be found in sketches below and on page 122; 14-in. wood stock is used for the case and the out- side measurements are 14 in. long, 6 in. high and 5 in. wide. The inside par- 4— CONNECTING LUG 2— rs | — ;4 ' | > + “4 55 | | | | | Al] = ae aes j | | PLATES CUT DOWN FROM FRUIT woe REGULATION-SIZE AUTO BATTERY, || | | ; | 3 NEGATIVE AND 2 POSITIVE TO EACH 1; CELL 4 7 --PLATE BAR | PLATES CONNECTING titions are made of the same wood stock, are fitted across the inside at equal dis tances and reach from top to bottom. The three compartments thus formed are 4 in. square and 5!4 in. deep, inside measure ment, permitting the fruit jars to fit snugly, with the tops projecting about 1% in. above the top of the case. The completed case should then be painted inside and out with two coats of asphaltum; when thoroughly dry, screw the handles in po- sition at each end, as shown in the illus- tration. These handles may be ordinary drawer pulls from the local 5 and 10-cent store, and rubber-headed tacks for feet 121

Page 124

eS a re may also be obtained from the same place. from top to bottom, disregarding the lug at top, and should be 2 in. Saw out these sections, including the lug, as shown on this page; by following down one of the individual lines separating the columns of inserts, a_ straight cut is assured. To further reduce the cost, plate, 2 in. cut from The plates should measure 51% in. wide. paste a second wide, can be remaining section and a lug soldered to the top, but this is not advised. the Three negative POPULAR MECHANICS sembled. All positive lugs should be on one side and all negative lugs on the other; snap two large rubber bands around the unit at top and bottom to hold them to- gether. The plate bars, or lug connectors, are made from heavy sheet lead, cut and the illus- bent in the manner shown in — GES eet ae CONNECTION _ ( STRAPS ~~) PLAT i ! BAR / / QUAR CONNECTING |“ PLATE BARS, a =I + | PRUIT STRAPS, 2 REQ. f 6 REQUIRED e 9 ~ JAR ( Dae ss = " SLOTS Z = 4 ce FOR PLATE - LUGS | { "7 \” \._#_- LEAD 1 DRAWER s PULL CONNECTING STRAP AND PLATE BAR | 6 ~—+ PLATES ; pe tration above. The plate = — RUBBER = BAND lugs are soldered in the slots shown; this opera- tion is simplified by 14° COMPLETED STORAGE BATTERY >| clamping the units in a ||| vise and using a large, hot ] soldering iron and plenty aeeemenene: of solder. Care should plates and two positive plates are required for each cell, therefore, when buying the plates for the three-cell job ask for nine negative and six positive plates. The neg- ative plates come pasted with pure, spongy lead and will have a gray color, the posi- tive plates are a chocolate-brown color, the paste filler used being peroxide of lead. Wood or rubber separators can also be ob- tained from the battery-service station or garage; these are cut down from standard sizes to 7 in. long by 2 in. wide and four are required for each cell, as shown on page 121 The plates are now assembled, first a negative, then a separator, then a positive plate with the lug on the opposite side, then the separator and so on, until three negative and two positive plates are as- be taken not to connect positive to negative plates in any way by dropping solder between them. The up- right strip of the plate bar is drilled for bolting to the connecting strap as shown in the sketch; these connecting straps of heavy sheet lead being 1 in. wide and long enough to reach from one jar to the other. The plate bars soldered to the lugs extend across the edge of the jars and support the assembly in each cell; the top view on page 121, at lower right, shows all three units in with the connection straps across partitions connecting the cells in When the cells are assembled in the case, the negative plate position, the series. of one cell should face the positive plate of its neighbor; the drilled at end, connecting then straps, each are bolted to the plate bars with brass bolts and nuts,

Page 125

nd he on on ng are ate ate ps, to its, ell smeared with vaseline after tighten- Solt a spring terminal clip to each nd lug and mark the positive and nega- e ends for identification; a daub of red int on the positive terminal is the usual ethod. The cut-away illustration of the mpleted storage battery, on page 122, ows the plates clearing the bottom the jars; this is necessary to provide -liment space. The electrolyte for fill- ¢ the cells is made by mixing chemically ure concentrated sulphuric acid with 1emically pure water. The full-strength ‘id is mixed with the water to obtain the uitable specific gravity necessary for the ittery; the usual proportion is 20% acid by volume. When mixing the acid, never idd the water to the acid; pour the cor- rect amount of water in a bottle, pitcher yr jar and then add the acid to the water ery slowly. Ready-prepared electrolyte can be obtained from the local battery- ervice station, saving much time and trou- ble, and the maker is advised to buy his electrolyte rather than make it. Fill each ell so that the electrolyte will come about ; in. above the tops of the plates; any pace between the jars and the case should be filled with corrugated board or similar material, to hold the jars rigid. Che storage battery completed, we are POPULAR MECHANICS 123 a strip of hardwood, ™% in. wide, boiled in paraffin; the aluminum electrode is cut from a sheet of heavy aluminum, the thick- ness of which is not important, but the heavier the better, and it should be as pure as possible to obtain. The lead electrode is cut from heavy sheet lead; both elec- trodes are 7 in. long by 134 in. wide; drill three holes in one end of each electrode and fasten to the wood top as shown in the insert on this page, with brass wood screws, the center screw holding a spring- clip connector. Fill the jar with either a saturated solution of borax; a rather di- lute solution of sodium bicarbonate, or, better still, a solution of monobasic ammo nium phosphate in the proportion of one pound to the gallon of distilled water. In either case, distilled water must be used in making the solution; fill the jar to within about one inch of the top and pour a thin layer of transformer oil or other heat- resisting oil to prevent evaporation or creeping. Set the rectifier jar in a small tub of water that is provided with an inlet and an outlet to keep the water level be- low the top of the jar by at least 2in. This is easily done by means of two short lengths of rubber tubing connected to a faucet and drain, the outfit, of course, be- ing placed near the water supply. This DOUBLE-POLE DOUBLE- THROW SWITCH 500-WATT +! i, TO NEGATIVE. POST oF set’ | TO POSITIVE POST OF SET —~ j mY A SPRING CLIPS gt yyiNUM —~ LAYER OF HEAT- \ » RESISTING OIL 5 ON SOLUTION oe Sees ow moe oma FRUIT JAR—->| ——= ------- ' Rom \ DRAIN \ TUB FILLED 1 t J WITH WATER - L___ 6-VOLT BATTERY now ready for the rectifier, or charger as it is commonly known; this is made from a single quart-size fruit jar. An electrode support 1s made for the top of this jar from cooling tub need not be equipped for water circulation, but this method is advised for best results. The hookup shown in sketch above is self-explanatory and needs little

Page 126

124 POPULAR MECHANICS comment; the 500-watt resistance may be taken from an electric heater or the heat- ing element from a flatiron may be used. The aluminum electrode is always posi- tive; see that this is connected through the switch so that it goes to the positive terminal of the storage battery. To charge the battery, throw the switch arm over to the connections to the rectifier and turn on the 110-volt a.c. lighting circuit; the charging rate will be about 2 amp. an hour. When the charge is completed, throw the switch arm over to the opposite side, con- necting the battery with the receiving set, Homemade Fuses on Battery Cable When a set of radio tubes are accident- ally burned out or the batteries are short- BATTERY CABLE TINFOIL FUSE -CORK ‘4 pow, DIAMETER } \— r : ooo aa 1% —__> I #28 SPRING io) ° 3° BRASS ‘ BAKELITE “4 We ? - 1 divi 16 4 HOLES DRILLED ~ AND TAPPED FOR ~~. 42” SCREWS BAKELITE OR WOOD CARDBOARD TUBE SCREWS = Any Radio Owner Can Provide Protective Fuses in the Battery Cable circuited and discharged, the radio owner begins to think of safety-first methods and ways of preventing these expensive accidents. In the drawing is fused battery cable. This will give pro- tection to the tubes and it is easily and quickly made. About 1 ft. from the end of an ordinary battery cable, the braided covering is removed, leaving the insulated battery wires exposed for about 2 in. In the center of bottle corks, a hole is drilled to permit the corks to slide over the cable. They are then fastened on the cable with glue at the place where the braided covering was re- moved, the exposed battery wires being shown a each of two large and turn off the current. Ten to twelve hours will be sufficient to charge the battery even hydromete: reading. Keep the rectifier as cool as pos from a low sible and occasionally scrape off the whit: coating that forms on the aluminum elec trode if a solution of borax is used. We have prepared a large blueprint showing the various steps in the construction oj both units and suggested hookups. ‘Thi may be obtained from Popular Mechanic radio department, 200 E. Ontario st., Chi- cago, for 25 cents, to cover cost and mail- ing. Specify blueprint No. 126. For the fuse base a small piece of bakelite is cut and drilled in the drawing. Small clips, to hold the fuses, are fastened to the base with screws. between the two corks. as shown brass These clips make it easy to renew the burned-out fuses. The B-negative and A-positive leads are cut and connected to the fuse clips. Fuses are made from the tinfoil that comes wrapped around candy and chewing gum. It is cut in strips, “46 in. wide, for the A-bat tery fuse, and about Me in. wide for the b-battery fuse. A bakelite cardboard tube this slides over the corks and protects the fuses from acci dental breakage or from being short-cir- cuited. The cover is held in place by small wood screws.—R. J. Williams, Chicago. is used for a cover; Ball-Antenna Kit It is claimed that radio reception can be improved considerably by using a ball an- tenna of the kind shown in the illustra- tion. This out- fit comes ina kit and can readily be as- and installed by anyone. It consists of a sembled and a hollow Being bracket, glass insulator aluminum ball, 10 in. in diameter. non-directional, several of these can be installed on an apartment roof without interference. Selectivity is another ad- vantage claimed for this type of aerial.

Page 127

Harris & Ewing Above, New Radiophotogram Machine Installed in the Of- fice of Naval Communications at Washington, D. C., Sends Photographs of Naval Mes- sages in Facsimile Instead of the Usual Dots and Dashes; No Radio Operator Is Neces- sary; Philip G. Cronan, of the U. S. N., Looking Over 1 Specimen Message; Right, British Radio Alarm Designed to Ring a Bell When SOS Signals Are Received and Fads Left, Radio-Testing Labora- tory Perched on Top of 125- Foot Tower Overlooking Atchison, Kans., Is De- signed to Get Away from Earth Disturbances While Testing and Improving Cir- cuits; Right, Graham McNa- mee and Phillips Carlin Announcing a Bridge Game for Radio Fans

Page 128

8261 AYVANYS INIZVOVAN SOINVHOIW YV1NdOd XIS JINAG-O083V T3aNvdens _ e2xexe T3NVd LNOUJ ve K 2x8 YISNZONOD G3XIs O1~ wid wns0-~A——

“G4 1-" s—“4 \ =i : “BE E-b2 Sannin ~ LTT) <UL AKIN $000° yOLSIS38 11N310d HOLIMS HLIM WHO-002 “O3HU WHO-9

‘lv9-V ‘A-9

SLINN LOA Se-€ ‘S3wILLVE-E

ILIXN-SLWA- £2 ZUXN-A-6 “LVE-9

Page 129

imum of controls, has et ube set described in this vity and sensitivity have nd a well-balanced dding any utely necessary. mployed in the 15 to 550-meter set lescribed in the November, 1926, issue, the last stage, complete the circuit. If all ut are of the stationary instead of the tuning controls were grouped for oper lug-in type. ation with one dial, an ideal condition The set employs three stages of r.f.am- would be realized, but, if this is done, it lification, and has two controls of the would be difficult to obtain perfect match modern drum type, facilitating easy oper- ing of the tuning units over the entire tion of the set. A separate tuning con- waveband. It would be possible to bring lenser is used for the first r.f. stage, per- the receiver into perfect resonance at one litting perfect tuning, regardless of the The detector and two stages of transformer-coupled a.f. am- with power-tube equipment in ength of aerial used. ification, Rear View of Completed Set, BLSCHVIN ead GI KO)e By FRANK L. BRITTIN ‘ELECTIVITY, achieved with a min- circuit designers for some time, of the tuned r.f. type. y the use of specially designed coils circuit more controls than abso- These coils are sim- lar in construction to the low-loss coils “ been the aim ina In the six- article, selec- been attained without wavelength on the dial, dial to other be true. eration by the designer Je, S| HB yee > & as ow Showing Simple Arrangement of Parts and Method of Wiring abo was the but on turning the wavelengths, this would not Another point taken into consid matching ve Subpanel

Page 130

128 POPULAR MECHANICS of the coils. It was found that in the ing possible beautifully rounded reprodu common practice of testing coils at only tion of the bass notes. Drilled and e1 one wavelength of the broadcasting band, graved panels are available; however, { two or more coils might be perfectly those who wish to drill their own, fu matched at the wavelength at which they © size drilling templates of the diagrams were tested, and vet, at some other wave-__ pearing on page 129 have been prepars length, would be hopelessly out of tune. The wiring diagram on page 126 shov By testing the coils at both the upper and the simple arrangement of the instrument lower ends of the band, the coils so with the coil bases and sockets matched would be in close agreement over for position. Note, in the photo on pag: marke the entire band, therefore these coils are 129, that the subpanel is cut away at fro supplied in matched sets, tested at both to make room for the rheostat-switch a1 250 and 500 meters. The condensers used the potentiometer. Mount the instru are constructed in such a way that they ments on the front panel first, as show: can be assembled in the receiver and either in the photos on this page. The bracke a long control shaft, or insulated, flexible are then screwed to the underside of the couplings substituted for the regular subpanel, and the subpanel assembly com shafts without disturbing the accuracy of pleted. No. 14 round, tinned-copper bu the units. Small neutralizing or balanc- bar wire is used for wiring throughout ing condensers, made by the same manu- the set. It will be noted that the last co facturer are very useful for equalizing the at the right, mounted close to the front units of the multiple-tuning condenser, panel, has a hinged primary which allow and may be fastened directly to the socket a very close adjustment of the couplin; binding posts or to the condensers, simpli- for aerials of various elec trical characte1 fying the wiring connections. The audio istics, and different selectivity requir stages consist of two heavy-typea.f. trans- ments. In each case, hi No. 6 termina formers, together with a power tube, mak- of the coils is mounted as close as possi pooane---- AERO COIL KIT “# U-l6 -~-----~--- (2 MEG LEAK UXH2 90025, 2np OR ANT. UX 201-A UX 201-A UX 201A ra, AUDIO UX20IA AUDIO UXI7I a - eit =) i) 73 ed) s \ J) ? WN Sit « -1* oe = tom X 2° Sse 4 iSNe4 wo GND | 5 . D + }.001 MFD #¢ } V0) ) = mrp 4 a I ~ - 1 OHM | FIXED S&S RESIS. = ) 6 OHM RHEO. : = WITH SWITCH = = Y y. = : a 7 } q - A+ c= Cs B+ Bt B+ i s 45V 90V AMP Above, Schematic Diagram; Lower Left, Front Panel Drilled, Showing Holes for Drum Dial Wind f WS; Right, Front View of Assembled Panel

Page 131

POPULAR MECHANICS 129

. the grid terminal of the tube socket hich it is to be fastened. It will also ited that, in many cases where a lead 1 go through the subpanel, a hole has not been drilled, but the been joined to a soldering lug under a near-by mounting screw he circuit picked up from the screw the subpanel, thereby simplifying peration. The underside view of the nel, shown on this page, gives the

l¢ ; if ) - —— ——— a 7 _ - ~~ t +> - ‘ se = ‘ . a i i es oe ig Oe. ec : ; ccup are gem curmmett tte | FRONT-PANEL §— Fo 4 - I PPLIED WITH DIAL | TEMPLATE e sees Be —— ig DRILL i —_—2 +> 2 ! > ’ -o- - . t at NK “ oa ; > “ —O « > 4 ¢ w 4 yRILL x , a <= , ’ < ee ae a Ta) +O e~e = ‘ 7 s — UT T 7 % - AF. TRANS ~ — ; i THREE- GAN( NDENSER NDEN NTERSINK ” bas . : » * f-gi SUBPANEL LAYOUT DET No 27 DRILL FOR ALL HOLE ~~ re TUBE’ = AF TUBE; SOCKET . m , an AERO AER AER — * T = = KET ” 2 ND AF TRANS CKET AF TUBE Upper Left, Underside View of Sulfpanel, Showing Supporting Beam; ght, Assembling Coils on Subpane Below, Drilling Template for Front Panel and Subpanel Layout ‘thod ry wiring 1 the locati r all he ; supporting beam for the sul ethod ot wiring and the tocation oO! al the rear as a suppo ne bea 1O1 € ub e fixed condensers except the .00025 grid panel. It consists of a strip of panel ma ndenser, which is mounted directly on terial, “46 by 1% by 23 in., and is fastened e socket terminal above the subpanel. to the rear ends of the subpanel brackets his photo shows another detail, which Dy means of four short machine screv hould be mounted at this time—the bar This bar increases the rigidity of the as ; hich is mounted across the brackets at sembly, thus assuring the continued pet

Page 132

130 POPULAR MECHANICS Where the under-subpanel wiring runs from back to front, small holes are drilled to the wire, making possible permanent sepa- fect alinement of the condensers. pass

turn on the filament switch; this is do by turning on the rheostat, which a turns off all the turned to the extreme left. tubes in the set wl When tun

1 front panel, 3-16 by 7 by tiv 1 subpanel, 3-16 by 9 by 23 in 1 Aero U-16 kit of four coils S-M drum dials S-M, type 220, a.f Hammarlund SJeniamin, or similar type, S-M No. 511 sockets. Tobe, or similar type, 1 Carter, or similar type, l 125-mfd ) transiormers 0005 mid. condensers. | ] spring-suspended socket. 1-mfd. fixed condensers 001-mfd. fixed condenser. grid condenser, Carter or similar type.

MATERIAL LIST 1 Yaxley, or similar type, switch-rheostat, 6 ohms 1 Yaxley, or similar type, potentiometer, 200 ohr 1 Yaxley, or similar type, fixed resistance, 1 ohn 1 Polymet EZ, or similar type, gridleak mounting, 1 Tobe, or similar type, 2-meg. gridleak 11 X-L, or similar type, lettered binding posts 10-in. round brass rod, ion in diameter, or Hammarlund insulated flexible couplings, busbar No. 14 round, tinned-copper type, machine screws, | nuts, etc | | |

doz. soldering lugs, long, round-hole type

ration and neat arrangement of the va rious leads. After wiring as much as pos- sible of the subpanel without the front panel, prepare the front panel for mount- ing. Care should be taken in the mount- ing that the driving mechanism of the drum dial is placed in the collar of the bracket before the panel is faced up to the subpanel assembly, panel may be pulled up with through the brackets. Now, driver inserted to spread the lips of the drum after which the front screws with a screw- driver, the dial may be slid along the condenser shaft and into the aperture and the drive mechanism At the time the turned so as to released on it. dials should be 100 with the con- denser plates all the way in, and the dial locked in place on the shaft. The re- mainder of the to the potenti- ometer and switch-rheostat may now be completed and the receiver tested. All sockets of the receiver are to be supplied with UX-201A or CX-301A tubes, except the power-tube socket lo- cated nearest the back edge of the sub- panel; this tube may be UX-112 or UX- 171, as indicated in the schematic diagram. Note that the C-battery necessary for the UX-112 is 9 volts and, if the UX-171 tube is used, 27 volts of C-battery are required. Due to the careful matching of the units, the set will not require any major adjust- ments for efficient operation over the en- tire waveband or, if any slight balancing is found necessary, this may easily be done with the small balancing condensers men- tioned. Connect the A, B and C-batteries in the manner shown in the diagram on same read wiring page 126, also the aerial and ground, and for a station, keep both dials in step when the station is located, adjust the let hand dial independently for loudest a: clearest signal; the volume is then co: trolled by the potentiometer. An enlarged blueprint of the wiring di gram, shown on page 126, together wi full-size drilling templates of the fro and subpanel, may be obtained from P: ular Mechanics radio department, 200 Ontario st., Chicago, for 25 cents. Spex lueprint No. 125. Snap Terminals on Battery Leads Good electrical and mechanical conne tions are the features claimed for tl “snap” type

MULTI- BATTERY battery ter RMIN/ ADAPTEF : ’ TERMINAL At pA ‘* minal show: P , ” ~ iia et +-— =m = a the illu tr =. SS - tion. Sma =. ; i > . I round-hea ae i sail y studs are pro <3 §2 | ided 1 Py m U vider on t q° receiver in Pi a2 stead of regu or i WASHER stup Ge lar bindin NUT posts, and the

terminals snaj tightly o1 these studs A multi-ter minal can als« be obtained for use when two or three leads must b¢ connected to the stud. Vibratior does not loosen these fasteners, as is the case with leads that are attached to the SHOWING BATTERY ADAPTER IN USE same common type of binding post.

Page 133

es an Pe ie ge a & x) y il ef ? ( 1j Tes SER See 28 | 6 berseriers valuable kinks have been written especially for Popular Mechanics Maga- oO ° ° nr ° ‘ : zine by prominent radio experts. They represent not merely ideas, but practica | ce from the best technicians in the profession on methods that will help make your more efficient in operation, more convenient to handle or easier to build. . Battery-Testing Kink bolted some old nickelplated witch points taken from my scrap box. o these | Here is a simple timesaver any radio fastened flexible leads inside the cabinet, 1e\ ner can make at little or no cost which fonnecting them to each battery in turn, the especially useful to those set owners as shown, so that by putting my voltmeter € ho have their batteries installed in a cross any two points I can determine e! nsole or radio table-type cabinet where their condition—H. G. Nebe, chief engi- wi t is difficult to get at them to take a volt- necr, Station WSMB, New Orleans, La. tra eter reading. To make such a reading al required once in a while to determine ‘ apg ae fe ‘sahuctons Output Impedance for Power Tube Da e condition of the batteries and, in most ro ses, it is necessary to drag the cabinet With the popularity of the 17] t! vay trom the wall and reach into a power tube, I think the readers of Popul in rowded battery compartment, with the Mechanics 2T0 4 MFD . . . - 7 . . . year ossibility of pulling a wire loose or short- magazine ‘ ali ; wer " ri 2 . f )\ PRI. = SEC in¢ rcuiting something. I have eliminated might beinter- ( {,\) aunio S : “ae AUP TRANS. Sis OPEN the all of this ested in know- Cu SPEAKER re os HERE nap \ trouble with ing how eas) i71 TUBE | ? o1 my set by it is to make , “yy: “ke . AMP! B+ tds drilling a few an output im 'g-in. ho es in pedance oO Keep the >-batter ix Iron fer hol ped to | als: the side panel passing through the windings « 1ed of the radio speaker. Not until | had bu ) t be table close to one such winding did I wake up to t tio1 the top and fact that something should be done. Fo T ; “aig z > ¢ t »s , *~hoke wed mos iTh\ the a 45-VOLT about 1 in. the audio ch rke I used most y | the — B-BATS — apart; into passed enough current and still offere i [| these holes I fairly high impedance. I am now u

Page 134

132 POPULAR MECHANICS the primary of an audio transformer, as shown in the diagram. The output both protects the speaker and improves the tone.—C. R. Yarger, chief en- gineer, Station KF NF, Shenandoah, lowa. im- pedance Bunched Leads for Sharp Tuning The set builder who should bunch all leads possible, when wir- wants selectivity ing the set, and branch each lead off as it comes to its terminal point. This is a simple thing to do, considering the fact that all leads start from the terminal strip to different parts of the set. After bync! ing, they can be tied or laced with string

We have found that a small choke coil inserted simple remedy can be applied. tween the grid condenser and the ju tion of the grid coil and the grid tuni condenser effects the remedy. The ch coil need not be of special constructi: a simple one may be made by coiling busbar, at the point just mentioned, or six times around a form in dia Wim. M. Perkins, engimeer for A: Products, Inc., Chicago, Il. ] in. eter Power Tubes Used As Detectors One of the most valuable kinks that come to my attention within the past fe

at various point nk is as bee +. Se I , BINDING POSTS BINDING posts, MONths has be and fixed with a the use of UX-] little collodion if de- ANT. GND. and UX-171 tub sired. There is one a as detectors, wit 1 :; TIED KEEP THESE APART . ; thing that 1s very negative grid b important when wir- TiED—- RADIO FREQUENCY The greatest tri at “ee . GRID AND PLATE ae er ng a set in this pep, LEADS FROM TUBES ble with detect vas 4 baie Se KEPT APART AND ae a manner and that is, LEADS YO tul es today i that the leads VARIOUS PARTS rf fact that they from the grids of POV CABLE SHOAD unable to hand the r.f. tubes and “LEADS RUNNING OFF the tremendot detector should be Fic. amount of curret RR na mE Tel : sipicteran al y as far away trom INCLUDE FILAMENT I1mpre ed up the other wiring as possible. This also applies to the plate leads from the same tubes to the r.f. transformers; these leads must be kept clear of the grid leads. The sketch the idea, and of it is understood that the aerial lead must also be kept clear of the illustrates course other wiring. When you wire a set and string wires all over the subpanel it is highly probable that they will be energized and create a much longer field than if they were bunched to- gether in the described. Use stranded insulated hookup wire and try out this method when wiring your set. | have found it highly successful—M. M. Paggi, chief engineer, Station KF WO, Av- alon, Catalina Island, Calif. manner Superheterodyne Kink In superheterodynes that employ the tuned-plate, tuned-grid type of oscillator, which is subject to spurious oscillations of a frequency other than the frequency to which the coils are tuned, the following B-BAT. AND C-BAT. LEADS SHOWING LEADS TO BE BUNCHED AND THOSE TO BE KEPT APART them by radio-fre amplifie dete distort an chatter, due to their inability to handle t necessary current. quency Fic. 2 Hence, the tors In a set using 199-tubes, cut out t! grid condenser and and apply < volts to the plate of a UX-120 used as t! detector tube. leak, From 3 to 6 volts of nega tive grid bias are required when usin this tube. The 171-type is used in tl same manner in sets employing the larg: tubes with grid bias. from 414 to 7 volts negativ: Outside of the small additiona filament-current drain, there is really le drain on the Far more vol ume and better quality can be obtaine: with tubes of this type as detectors, an the idea is easily applied to any set.—R V. O. Swartwout, chief engineer, Statio: WCAO, Baltimore, Md. B-batteries. @ Loose or broken connections cause trou ble both in manufactured and home-built sets; after checking tubes and batteries al wiring should be carefully examined.

Page 135

POPULAR MECHANICS 133

xed Midget Condensers Easy to Wire

lalf the usual size and one-quarter the SECONDARY \ y)

eht of the average fixed condenser, Fic.!

F midget c “nsers Ww appearing on 1ST. AUDIO midget condensers now appearing TRANSFORMER SWITCH market are easier to wire. Besides, the ae ler is often at a loss to find a con- TO OTHER FILAMENTS ent place to mount fixed condensers he restricted space below the subpanel. > midgets are proy ided with presoldered making quick soldering possible with nimum of heat. They are said to be ted at 1,500 volts, and rated as safe for nuous operation at 1,000 volts, d.c. he e marked capacity is guaranteed to be n 10 per cent.

; = 1. , , — 3he~~ Resistance C-Bias for B-Eliminator = SECONDARY om ; ee TO OTHER it lany of the commercial circuits, using FILAMENTS | eliminators, dispense with C-batteries ay A , irely and use the voltage drop aCTOSS TRANSFORMER Fic.2 en Oa t resistance to provide C-bias. Such an t} rrangement is entirely feasible when the Controlling Tone and Volume e eliminator gives a sufhciently high volt- d e output, so that part of this voltage There are many sets now in use with ) be utilized for the C-bias. Care must out a suitable volume control; in othet e used, however, or motorboating will rheostats or similar devices, which are no & ‘velop due to coupling in the resistance. longer in good condition, have been used fan is is common to the plates of two o1 for this purpose. The little device shown er ore of the tubes in the set. \ simple in the accompanying photo is said to be ~~ strument for regulating C-voltage is capable oft an extremely delicate shading, ie hown in the illustration. The extra by from soft, whisperlike music up to powet t! pass con- ful volume with remarkable clarity of tone denser for the In Fig. 1 we have a circuit diagram sho t] detector con- ing the usual circuit connections before the y trol of the _ instrument is installed. In Fig. 2 we shovy th eliminator is the instrument connected, to improve the — very impor- quality and afford a means of controlling ain tant. The ignal volume. The instrument is available tl choke coil 1l- in two types, one combining a filament arge lustrated may switch and one without; the switch type i ster not be needed shown in the diagram. When turned nena on some sets, tar as possible to the left, the A-battery is les but if there is off. When a C-battery is desired, the ci: nal any tendency cuit is broken at the point marked X, ¢ ine: i} toward motor- positive is connected to A negative, and and 2000 onms 7 | ‘ aga boating it will - on dh S connected to F-negative —- POWER POT SD Ps / <4 required. ee te, ee ios . ‘ This choke an be of the commercial types, or the pri @Popular Mechanics’ radio department ary of an old audio transtormer can be offers its information service free to al rou used. The feur-terminal power poten readers of our magazine. We will be glad built tiometer shown is connected as in the dia to help vou with vour radio problems, and a all “ram, permitting the use of a C-bias po will promptly answer all inquiries directed tential of from 4% to 49 volts. to this department.

Page 136

134 POPULAR MECHANICS Efficient Radio Ground Easily Installed An efficient radio ground, having a “‘dis- charge area” several times as great as a Its walls are of heavy sheet copper, rolled into the shape of a truncated cone. A 20-ft. length of heavily lead-in wire is pro- vided, and its connection to the ground proper is made by two heavy spot welds. There are no other soldered or bolted joints and, thus, no electrolytic action is The interior is filled with pure driven ground, is now available. enameled possible. char- which absorbs and holds ture. vice itself, grain coal, mois- The de- the cap being re- when installed, acts aS a Tes- for water, provid- moved it is ervoir ing the lowest possible resist- | ( . ance. Com- BS bi i pact and con- iy) 4; t venient to Wi | handle, the ly | | PERMANENTLY unit is in- 4 ppt. EAM stalled in a | hole bored ordi Oat i nary post-hole with an auger, no large excava- tions are re- quired, and the earth ad- jacent to the ground need not be disturbed. ‘The ~ - & ia: Oommen hs ie | dif) mei” the left, the com- paratively small area a driven ground ex- poses to the moist earth and, at the right, the much sketch shows, at greater area for discharge ob- tained with the new type Trouble-Shooting Kinks inves- tigate carefully, and the chances are that you will quickly find the cause. amine the batteries, When trouble appears in the set, First ex- as run-down batteries are the cause of such troubles as the set suddenly volume or losing developing noisy reception. Test the polarity a1 voltage of all batteries, including C-bai teries, and replace any that are defecti Tune in the strongest local station, and the volume from the loud speaker is st weak, tap the tubes with the fingernail 1 determine whether or not the amplifie: are operating; if not, a ringing sound wi be heard in the loud speaker. all battery terminal Examii connections, and clean an that appear to b If the battery tests have bee made and show no trouble either in la: of voltage or connections corroded. defective connections, the next step is to substitute tubes of know efficiency. Try a pair of phones in piac of the loud speaker. If no sound is hear in them, remove the tubes from the s: and disconnect the A-battery; then, wit! a pair of headphones in series with a 22! volt B-battery, test circuits. the grid-to-filament done by putting thi the headset leads o1 the grid contact of the socket, the othe: phone terminal going to the 22%-volt bat tery, while the other lead from the battet Is put on the contact of tl ocket. When the contacts are made o the loud clicks should be heat in the headset, except in the detector-tul This is terminal of one of filament sockets, socket. Because of the high-resistance gri leak here, a very weak click will be hear or, perhaps, no click at all. Test the tran former windings in the same manner. Thx econdary terminals are marked F a1 G, and the primary terminals P and B. | the trouble has not yet been located, r place the tubes in the sockets and put the set in operation. If it is possible to rais a station weakly, press down on each tub: successively, and you may find one that not making good contact in its socket The remedy is to remove all the tube and disconnect the batteries, at any rate remove all the tubes; then, with the finger notched stick pull up all the socket springs to insure a good contact between them and the tube prongs. Polis! the ends of the latter and also switch and jack contacts, as corrosion at these point: nail or a often means the difference between good and poor reception. Finally, look over the ground and aerial connections, or loo] connections if a loop is used, and, if the trouble still persists, call in a reliable ra dio-service man.

Page 137

POPULAR MECHANICS 135 New Tube Is Self-Neutralized 6. The B-voltage is 135 maximum, the filament voltage is 3.3, just .3 volt more he tube shown in the photo is one of — than that required for the 199-type tube few really new developments in the and the amperage needed is .13. The new o field for some time. Designed to tube is at present designed for battery op- e much greater amplifi- eration only. Its use is lim ion in the r.f. stages, this comer, announced by ited to the improvement of amplification in the rd. CONTROL GRID = PLATE PLATE | — y i | y | = ei | ed _ | (> 4 ed bee a JE iE ~_— . . . ce che che spe ; Uy it be oA B+ ‘SCREEN GRID t ISS-V. FiG.2 FIG.3 nt H BLOCKING BLOCKING IST STAGE 1ST RF AMPLIFIER $0025 MFO, 2ND RF AMPLIFIER CONDENSER AUDIO FREQUENCY - RADIOTRON 25 MFD RADIOTRON 00025 MFD DETECTOR TRANSFORMER ~ | 22 a UX - 222 - CO BPE ESS) = Te = : it ' . ; . H r A i | tS oh Ft fj : : EG S| \ he ' , -s " | aoe eer : we | -0005- 001 | SHIELD S Sa3vo>- ¥ 1 —~ BYPASS , \5-OHMS OHMS $.,1-15-OHMS CONDENSER 1)¢ “ « 5-VOLTS 5 OHMS#3, b. 5-VOLTS +5 -VOLTS X el 2 : >] F+ ir 5 F- RHEO ' ns (@.BR SREY 85.O) IRECTION OF ad TO F+F=- OR C- * St BAYONET de on + + DEPENDING ON Sey of > 35 DETECTOR USED OUTER . ni | ’ €-VOLTS TO DETECTOR “B” VOLTAGE O fl ou DEPENDING ON | C Q 9) ole 3} DETECTOR USED am 6) = ré 4 "FILAMENT one oo a the SOCKET CONNECTION A-BATTERY B-BATTERY Fic.4 LIS¢ Fa angen ~ ig ' | Insert, Photo of the New Tube, Showing Control Grid Connection at Top Tbe : Mr. Elmer E. Bucher, of the Radio Cor- stages, and it is not adaptable to present -et ‘ o . - - ' . " poration of America, is to be known as_ day sets. Each stage of r.f. must be thor - the UN-222. The tendency to oscillate just oughly shielded, as shown in the circuit at : , rer oma short of the point where maximum signal diagram, and three tubes should be used per strength is attained has been the outstand to obtain maximum results. The tube has the ing fault of the standard tube. While os two grids in addition to the usual filament tact cillation is. very desirable and necessary in and plate, the extra grid being said to lis] generating the broadcast carrier wave, its make the circuit more stable by preventin ant presence in the receiver amplifying circuit feedback. No neutralizing methods are ints renders the standard tube useless as an required in the receiving circuit when the oor implifier until oscillation is suppressed. four-element tube is emploved. Hence the (he voltage-amplification factor of the the construction is simplified and the set oo] new tube, due to its unusual construction is more easily controlled without the cu the ind methods of application, is said to be tomary howls and squeals Che point ra trom 30 to 150 without a squeal; the aver- which the greatest interest is focused ige ri. amplifier gives an amplification of | the amplification factor, which is 30 to 50

Page 138

136 POPULAR MECHANICS in circuits of the tuned r.f. type and to 150 when used in sets of the superhet- erodyne type. The circuit for the grid re- turn and necessary grid bias is shown in Fig. 1. The screen grid inclosing the plate, and connected to the prong in the base ordinarily connected to the grid in the standard tube, is led to the 45-volt tap of the same B-battery that supplies energy to the plates of the standard tubes in the set. The regular grid, which now becomes what is known as a “control” grid, is con- nected to a terminal at the top of the tube, and its outside shown in Fig. 1. connection is made as The plate voltage rec- ommended is from 90 to 135 volts, prefer- ably the latter. Figs. 2 and 3 show cross sections of the elements in the tube. vertical In Fig. 2, the heavy line in the center filament; the narrow solid it represents the control character to the grid of the encircling represents piral grid, similar in standard tube. Light-Sensitive Tube Designed to fill the need -for a rugged light-sensitive valve, or photo-electric cell, which can be used conveniently in appara- tus by experimenters and manufacturers interested in television, talking motion pic- tures, alarm systems, color sorting. etc., this new tube replaces many of the make- shifts formerly used by The cell is mounted in a spherical bulb, 2 experimenters. The dotted spiral that incloses both thes: elements represents the inner screen; th circular plate is shown broken away t the inner elements. expose The outer most dotted spiral is the outer scree: Both inner and outer screens are cor nected, thus shielding the plate on bot sides. Fig. 3, also a cross section, show the various elements in their relative pos tions. In Fig. 4 we have a typical screen-grid r.f. amplifier circuit consisting of two stages of r.f., employin the new tubes and a standard detector tube Just what the future holds in store fo: this new tube remains to be seen, but ex perimenters are very enthusiastic it and are looking forward to its early re lease. suggeste about At the time this article is writte: no definite date has been an nounced by the manufacturers, althoug! samples have been supplied to several ex perimental laboratories for the purpose o circuit development. release light change over the entire spectrun The active medium used is potassium, 01 the surface of which is formed a film of col loidal potassium hydride. This surface i said to have a sensitivity almost a hundre: times as great as the pure potassium. Fur ther sensitivity is obtained by the presence of neon The anode is a small disk placed edgewise toward the window, s: With single step of am plification, as show! gas. that no shadow is cast upon it. in. in diameter and 5 in. in over-all length, the lead-in being brought out standard Edi- screw base, as wires to a son shown in the photo. The internal struction is designed to utilize all con- -{+ PE CELL AMPLIFIER | in the diagram, | deflection of 30 mil liamp. has been ob tained with a 100 watt lamp as a light source. In this cit cuit a UX-112 i used as an ampli fier tube with a 90 ISTAN those as atau volt B-battery, 6 features which are Fis volt A-battery and fA - best calculated to ea | C BAT an 8-volt C-battery producea cell which is free from “spuri- fixed resistance SUGGESTED CIRCUIT A FOR AMPLIFICATION of 10 meg. is used ous” or “dark” cur- Left, rents and from “lag” or “fatigue,” in laboratory parlance. It is also said to be free from the influence of temperature and to be highly sensitive to Light-Sensitive Tube; Right, Diagram for Using the Tube with One Stage of Amplification in the grid circuit Technical informe tion in the nature of formule, laws, and constants relating to specific problems will be furnished by the manufacturer

Page 139

2 LUT] || 5 AMATEUR) | oT es ae Skate-Sailing Is Thrilling Sport By SAM BROWN

% y

it ‘CUDDING to leeward with the speed yourself “sailing” all over the ice on some 2 of an ice yacht, tacking to windward portion of your anatomy other than you . ith all the nautical nicety of a center- feet. But don’t let that discourage you 4 ard skiff, feeling the tug of fifty square Skate-sailing. like skiing and skating, is a | feet of taut canvas veering into a spank- sport that comes bump by bump, but it is . ng breeze—that’s the thrill that comes only through experiencing these begin 0 vith the skate-sail. You don’t have to be’ ner’s mishaps that you can later enjoy wonderful skater, or a good sailor, either, the gliding swiftness, the sensation of fly go skate-sailing. All you need is the ing, and the thril

iil, the necessary in maneuvering that

mM expanse of slate- TI Sa 47 8X aT comes with the 1 g ti ice, and a mod- | SAILING TO WINDWARD skate-sail. | erately strong pair | In taking up i ankles, and then, | skate-sailing, the e«| f you hold the sail | first thing to do is ir no matter how— to make the sail; ce ou are bound to and the first thing sk slide off in one di- in making the sail Si rection or another. is to cut a paper And how! Don't pattern of the sail m be surprised to find proper. This can be

v1 a conveniently done ' yhi j 1) “ / } | 6 ; | mY | nd Th ; | } \ - ace sec ie ml 1it : | n2- TS SE Se aS Pa ee ee Fe | nd NEWSPAPER ~ vill SAIL PATTERN 1

Page 140

POPULAR o> newspaper, pasted together as shown in the center a heavy black the pattern drawing. Down of this pasted sheet, draw On this line, close to the top, mark the top. From down on the line the and dots Bb, line. a dot to this dot, distances C and D. Draw lines at rig] D, the upper one 9 ft. long, and the lower represent sail measure indicated make ] 7 7 » t angies to dots B and 1) NY y ‘ VOW fasten tS } ong a piece ofr string I t thu ibtack, and insert the tack through the paper at the dot C. Fasten pencil onto the string at the proper dis tance to dra n t through the ends of the 9-ft. line, and the till using the point ( is a centet! I notne LT hrough the ends of the 42-in. line Dra line connecting the intersections of the cross lines and art nd vou will have a full-size pattern of the skate-sail The actual sail is then sewed together, using this paper pattern as a guide, and allowing 2 in. all around for hem. Mate rial for the sail can be either 3-0z. zeph cloth, 3-oz. duck, Egyptian cotton, balloon k, or any other light, strong material 7 THE FLEET IN MOTION 7 MECHANICS These should be cut from spruce, to the dimen sions shown, and should be shaved down so that they taper slightly from the center Next in order come the spars. to the ends. Pockets of light leather o1 very heavy canvas should be sewed to the sail to the spars. A stretching harness is made from straps, a shown in the and fastened to the sail at end. Both the the sail, at the top and bottom ire reinforced by h of li Leat receive the ends of sketch, the lower curved portions of having a lengt g rattan h r inserted in the hem trong wl So much tor the sail. Phe other part of your equipment is, of course, Have these as long as possible: at lea nothing shorter than the regulation 15 speed lo le irn to use the kate 11] ] oO as smooth a stretch of ice as possible a day with a fairly tiff breeze. Hold the sail at arm’s length overt both hands grasping the cross spar in skate out on the ice Face the wind Bring the il upright against vou rigl idle resting the rong spar on your rig shoulder. Your rig] hand cross spar, while your left hand goes behin« } vour body and takes 11 ° hould grip t hold of the long Spal { The sail is you and the wind ) Dgtize

Page 141

POPULAR n to feel that you are exceeding the eed limit, or your legs begin to vibrate rom the rough ice, swing the sail flat over our head, and you will very soon come a stop. One of the first things you will learn in vigating with the skate-sail is that the il must never be held as a point-blank target to the wind. Why not? Simply hecause the skate-sailor travels faster than the breeze. To illustrate: Suppose there a 17-mile wind blowing. The inexperi- enced sailor, thinking to take full ad- vantage of this, holds the sail directly at his back, presenting a point-blank target to the breeze. Of course he goes off like shot, and gradually increases speed until e is going about 21% miles per hour. What happens, then, to the 17-mile-an- hour breeze? It cannot keep up with the sailor, and the result is that there is a ] sudden vacuum behind the sail, which is often of such intensity as to cause the sailor to lose his balance. The correct way to sail before the wind is to hold the sail at a very slight angle iway from the breeze, so that you zigza down the wind instead of scudding di rectly before it. You go just as fast, and, or 4 because you are running more or less icross the wind, you eliminate the dis- turbing factor of artificial “air pockets.” When you travel this zigzag course to the right, the sail is carried on the right shoulder, and with the right foot forward. When you desire to veer off to the left, the sail is rolled across your back, keeping the tail end low, so that the long spar MECHANICS 139 ACROSS THE WIND is comes down on vour left shoulder, while vour foot position is changed so that the | left foot is to the fore. You will speedily learn that you can directly across the wind, that is, at rig] angles to it, by slanting the sail a little anc leaning against the wind When sailing in this manner, your skates, biting into the ice, act in the same capacity as leeboard on a sailing canoe, and prevent you from “drifting.” By slanting the sail still more away fro the breeze, you will find yourself pract cally going against the wind. ‘That is, the breeze will be coming direct from the north, and you will be sailing northeast. This is nautically known as “beating to windward,” and your northeast course called a “tack.” After you have covered a fair distance on the northeast tack, you start on the northwest tack, and by alter nating these two directions you eventually arrive at your destination, due north In beating to windward, it is necessar

Page 142

140 when changing tacks, to alter the post- tion of the sail, so that it is always be- tween you and the wind. To do this you swing around into the wind, which frees the sail from your body, then quickly lift the sail, flat, over your head, and lower it on the opposite side to carry you off on the next tack. Detachable Clothesline Reel , PEG TO HOLD DISK IN PLACE q TT HANDLES ~,. ' Snes] 4 a. ity 0 ny

Reel Which Holds the Secure Homemade Clothesline Line Taut and Simple The clothesline reel shown in the illus- tration was designed by a woman who knew just what she wanted in the way of such a device. It can be adjusted to hold the line at the proper tension, is simple to make and can be instantly detached from the pole and carried in the house to keep the line dry in damp weather. The reel consists of a hardwood drum, 4 in in diameter. On the back of the drum a hardwood disk, 10 in. in diameter, 1s tas tened. Two hardwood handles, crossed and mitered at right angles, are fastened across the front of the drum, as shown. Over the handles a second hardwood disk, 8 in. in diameter, is attached. Disks, han-

POPULAR MECHANICS

eac] A %-in. hole is drilled through the exact center of the assembly and smal and drum concentric with other. dles are around lagscrew holes 1 in. apart are drilled the the 10-in. disk. A driven into a convenient clothes pole 4 ft from the ground, the head is filed off and a small hole is drilled through the end for a cotter pin. A pulley is also fastened to the top of the pole above the bolt. With the clothesline reeved through the pulle and run through the other poles, the reel is placed on the bolt and edge of holes in the cotter pin inserted to prevent it from coming off. Then the until tight and through one line is reeled 11 inserted hole in the back disk This holds the line taut the reel can bi B. Robbins, Hat a steel pin is into hole in the pole. By removing the cotter, removed.—L. Mass. instantly wich, Squeezing Paste from Tubes A large tubes, such percentage of paste used as toothpaste, shaving creat glue, etc., is wasted, as it cannot be entire] squeezed out with the fingers alone. A device such as the iag will one shown in the draw vaste and can be nade as follows:, A short length of . rod is slit dow prevent this n one end with a 11% or 2 in. being sufficient for the average tube. The other end is turned over and bent to form a handle. The slitted end of i Y . ° CZ eee Y Y the rod is slipped V4 =F } over the flat end CA of the tube and the handle is turned BZ» (¢ \ This will force all " gil \))\ \ , "WE \ / > . > : U ) Vy / ol the content =) / from the tube. ‘ J When the tube is “S - Se oe entirely rolled up. the crank may be pulled other tubes.—L. J out and used tor Flugel, Chicago @The life of a floor broom can be in creased considerably if it is given the t lowing treatment every week: Dip it in a pail of hot soapy water, dash up and down several times and set it some place air will circulate about it for some this the where not will time. By doing fibers break off so easily.

Page 143

Lamp for Locating Short Circuits in Auto Electric Systems When locating short circuits in the elec- cal system of a car, it will be found that short wires are soldered to the metal ls of a burned-out fuse, and then con- cted to a lamp of the 6-volt type, an ceedingly useful test lamp can be had. placing this lamp-bridged fuse in the se clips there is no danger of damage to ie wiring system of the car, and it will rht until the short circuit is located and emedied.—Philip S. Mentz, Jefferson Bar- i¢ ks, Mo. How to Shrink Darning Wool Before Doing Repairs with It \fter studying the effects that launder- ig has on woolen goods, an English ex- ert declares that the greatest deteriora- tion occurs where the garments have been repaired, due to the fact that the wool used the repair had not been shrunk prior In tests conducted, it was found it stockings, jumpers, pull-overs and the like, when made of use. wool, were effec- cleaned without damage, but the repaired by darning showed the new wool about to break away from thie surrounding edges. An _ easy hrinking wool is to take a clean tin can, complete with the lid, punch or cut a hole n the latter large enough to receive the end of the kettle spout, and another hole mn the top as a steam escape. Now in- ert the new darning wool in the close the lid and steaming kettle for 1\ ely piaces way of can, connect it to the a few minutes when the wool will be yr > thoroughly steamed and, after drying, will be shrunk to the same degree as the garment about to be repaired. Two brackets or feet may be attached to the steaming cham- ber to hold it more steadily if desired.— George H. Holden, Chesterfield, land.

Eng- -=STEAM OUTLET Method of Shrinking Wool Prior to Using It for the Mending of Clothing POPULAR MECHANICS 141

Wood Attached to Baby Chair Prevent It from Tipping Strips of 1-In Non-Tipping Baby Chair \ baby usually tries to climb out of his it to tip of 1 by 1-in. air, as shown chair, which often over. lo prevent this I nailed strips causes wood across the legs of the cl in the drawing. If these extend something like 5 or 6 in. beyond the chai: strips legs, there will be no tendency of tipping alone Sal< Sadilly and the baby may be left Emil Spona, San Francisco, Calif Simple Way of Deodorizing Old Rat Trap To remove all trace of a former rat or mouse victim from a spring trap, simply dip the front

melted This eliminates trouble ot section in paraffin. method the old having to wash and scour or burn off the trap in order to get rid of the odor that usually keeps away other mice. W. P. Glenney, Co- rona, N. Y.

Page 144

142 POPULAR MECHANICS soap solution into wh i little glycerin has bee dropped.—L. B. Robbin Harwich, Mass. Natural Gas for Starting Automobile I have had several car of the same make an omehow none of the could be started easily cold weather. The trou ble { h eve read overcome by connectin he natu il vas hou li¢ to the intake, as shown the illustration. Set choke and turn on t gasoline line for starting and also turn on the gas \ few turns of the engin is all that is mnecessat to start It. This metho , ives both batter, i ' temper. Che gas connec Blowing Large Soap Bub- bles with the Aid of an : : tion mav be made Old Inner Tube convenient place so t Blowing Giant Soap Bubbles it will suck through the manifold. A con venient way to do this is to replace the Blowing big soap bubbles is a lot of fun, elbow on the intake, on the vacuum-tanl especially if the novel method of blowing suction tube, with a tee into this sere them by means of an inner tube is used, an ordinary gas cock, and above this a is shown in the accompanying drawing. nipple, onto which the rubber tube fro1 \lake a small slit in an inner tube directly the house line can be forced. Note tl opposite the valve stem Then push a small “e-in. hole in the nipple to alloy second valve stem through this slit and air to be taken in with the gas.—Louis |] take up on the nuts so that no air will Busch, Cincinnati, Ohio leak out Remove the inner section of the valve and force the end of a length of ot - whic rubber tubing over the end Insert the pes : tem of a clay pipe in the other end of the GAS tubing. The tube should be held closed rer with a spring clothespin or clip. Pump i up the inner tube with an air pump so 7 that it will be well filled but not so far as to blow out the extra valve stem. Dip the pipe bowl in the solution, and hold it | T7 steadily down on a table, bowl up. Then elease the air from the inner tube by easing up on the spring clip. When the bubble has formed and is growing nicely under a small stream of air, leave the clip in that position. In this way the bubble will grow without jarring or shaking : : ; , : Using Natural Gas to Aid in Starting Auto during ind reach its maximum size. Use a good FP Cold Weather ” ; .

Page 145

owe ee wees I ide of the quarterdeck, as shown in Fig. a putty knife or similar WL lH the hull carved to shape, as in’ when ruling and scoring Fig. 19, the next step is the erection flexible wood will lie clo f the bulwarks. Cut a rabbet on each than a regular straightedge. Now take the lines: the ser to the dec] | tool, and score ) 18, and a similar one on each side of the the planking lines as shown in Fig. 25. A ) ifter end of the foc’s’le head. These rab- — scriber will do for this } tout %e6 in. deep; the bottom of the rabbets should be SHIP-MODEL PRIZES cut in line with the ] » . iec ‘ deck edge. Before EW hobbies enable the amateur to produce ‘ ‘s F such beautiful work with so few tools and going any further, such inexpensive material as ship-model build- ing. To encourage such a worth-while and it will be well to pleasant pastime, Popular Mechanics Magazine mark in the deck offers the following awards for the best models ; + — of the “Flying Cloud’’ made from plans pub- planking. Mark lished in this and subsequent issues: center lines down First, $100 cash and gold medal. Second, $50 cash and silver medal. the PKS ¢ P 1e decks, and Third, $25 cash and bronze medal. with the dividers, Five awards, $10 cash and bronze medal. lav off the planks Five awards, $5 cash and bronze medal. —— 3 ; Bronze medals also will be awarded for ex- on either side of cellence in workmanship. the lin es, 1% in. The contest is open to everyone, regardless es Rule ee of age or sex. The conditions are very simple, wide, Kule pencil and full details will be supplied to every reader lines lig r along addressing the Editor, Amateur Mechanics de- es | ghtly al ng partment, Popular Mechanics Magazine, 200 E the decks, defining Ontario st., Chicago. the planks. Cut a strip of wood 1 i 1 straight and use this as a straightedge leave the decks white; ets should be about 1% in. long and a must be slightly rounded, else it has a tendency to follow e grait of the 1 wood.a nd | produce rooker ‘planks rhe putty knife, used as shown, is an excellent tool for the job. After e deck lines have ; been scored it stain the decks htly with light ) ik wo od dye, made very lig] with turpentine. The object here is to get a deck that will look weather worn yet “clean.” The deck should wide and %e in. thick, make one edge be very slightly brownish-vellow. Don't ships’ decks Were

Page 146

144 POPULAR MECHANICS f- —SOFw. 22 le WATERWAY =——-~— TIMBER HEADS TIMBER FOCSLE HEAD, QUARTER DECK. HEAD se 5 = | IL {peck |! WATERWAY ~ /\ ‘TUMBLE HOME ----- |. DECK, “akt] | OOS 7" HULL HULL _._ SPRING >» CLOTHESPIN | e— BULWARK STRIP Sites me oe -PIN kK’ HULL OY Fig. 26

Page 147

POPULAR MECHANICS After the stain has set, give the three coats of varnish, rubbing each down with the very finest steel wool; last rubbing should leave the decks but not shiny. ho = eine ok Ss 1. %e in. thick and iK a piece of Wood, 2 In. McK and 1 ooth, ut 3 in. wide, and cut it to length, so it will fit snugly between the after of the foc’s’le and the forward edge the quarterdeck, just back of the rab ts. Hold the strip down on the deck, jecting over the edge of the hull, as in +; : a pencil ar 1 the hull 21, and run a pencil around the hull indicated, to mark the the eck edge on the strip. Cut this edge to pencil line, and then, with the dividers he shane of — to \% in., run another mark along p inside the curved edge. Cut to this ne, and you have a waterway strip. 4% in indi- the de, which is glued to the deck, as ted in Fig. 20, the outer ip being even with the back of the rab- distance edge of at each end, and an mm the edge of the hull all along. \ holding even pins will assist the glue in a similar strip on the other side. Make some %-in. square strips of wood, d cut the timber in the circle. The peg from them heads, vn in Fig. 22, rtion is 34 in. long, and the square part long. Amid ips the sides of our model are approxi tely vertical and the nd. From amidships aft, the upper rt of the hull leans inward or “tumbles me” as the nautical term has it, and the tumble home in the ree. From amidships forward the upper Here we digress a little bulwarks corre same de ulwarks irt of the hull curves outward, or “flares.” nd the re b come ore Dp ) un e further for d we g | the eT he ids esen the pper p rt o é ribs ina real ship, they consequently follo the tumbling or flaring lines of the hull (See Fig. 23.) So. in drilling the hole for the timber heads through the wate Wavs, the f] ire or tumble home must ¢ taken into account, and the holes drilled to correspond When marking off for drilling, make the holes come o tl it the outer edges ¢ the timbe he Is will be ex actly on the outer edges of the water ays. Only four timber heads with the pegs are needed on each ide: the re mainder may be dummies, glued on late There are 23 timber heads on each side hence the pegged ones must be paced t glued on, the Make so that, when the others are See — , spaces between all Will De equa the pegged heads the second and fifth ones from the foc’s’‘le: one about amid ships and the second one from the qua terdeck. Drill the holes and glue the heads in place, on each side Now cut a strip of wood a stout “6 in thick, long enough to reach from tl! end of the foc’s’le rabbet to the outer end of the quarterdeck rabbet. and about in. wide. Shape one edge very carefull it fits the dec] perfectly to rabbet. This ‘ of. - ‘ until from rabbet strip will form the bu

Page 148

146 POPULAR MECHANICS wark. Get a dozen or so of wooden “ap-_ lines, and this usually necessitates so plicators” or iodine-swab sticks from the carving, filing and sandpapering at | drug store, for use as dowels. Glue the ends. Now trim the top of the bulw after end of the bulwark into the rabbet down until it makes a smooth curve fri at the quarterdeck, clamping it as shown’ end to end with the sheer of the foc’ in Fig. 24; run glue into the ledge formed and quarterdecks, and file the tim! by the waterway and deck; glue the outer heads down, clamping them as in Fig. 29 sides of the timber heads, and then pro-_ while filing. Cut off and glue in place 1 ceed forward with the strip, as in Fig. remaining timber heads, clamping them (o 27, fastening it in place by pinning to the — the bulwark with spring clothespins, sp: waterway as in Figs. 24 and 25,and clamp- ing them equally and filing them do ing it to the timber heads by means of level with the top of the bulwark. Rou: spring clothespins, as in Fig. 26. The off the inboard edges of the waterwa timber heads will help spring the thin’ as in Fig. 30. strip to shape forward and aft. At the For work of this kind, get some pa foc’s‘le head, drill small holes and dowel ages of ordinary dressmakers’ pins, a1 the strip to the hull, Fig. 28. When the also a package or two of the very sm glue has set, remove the clamp at the after pins known as “Lills.” These end and insert some glued dowels. Pins % in. long, and are essential. are abo may be used instead of the applicators, It is wise, at this time, to paint the i: but the advantage of the latter is that one side of the bulwarks, since they are ha can carve right through them, and this is to get at later. Give them three or fou of special value here, since the bulwark coats of white japan color, thinned wit should run smoothly along with the hull turps, then a final coat of eggshell-glo a ™> : - OWELS Fic.29 a Fic.28 MAIN RAIL~. £= if] BULWARK /PINS MAIN RAIL, STRIP , a ; | | TIMBER _ y, HEAD " « nsteatinenaiiiipliiniiaeiuie - Be Si } | ,- SMALL C-CLAMP i ee nv \ | aed Jae © | } “~~ j | 00559 B005 Lf { | ~ { . | * FILING TIMBER \ wf” 74 N i v1 HEADS DOWN TO a“ » BULWARK APPLICATOR BEES. BULWARK WEL QUARTER -— DECK ‘WATERWAY \ \ nee HEAD HULL | Fig 3) PIN VISE Fis. 30 ~ SS _ ———

Page 149

SIMPLE STEAMING Fic. 32 } APPARATUS | Fic.33

¥ it / hite enamel. Don't use a full-gloss J namel anywhere on the model. The pan paint is known variously as “colors japan,” “carriage colors” and “japan ors” and they are simply what the names ndicate: pigments ground in japan drier nstead of in oil. They dry fast and flat hey cannot be obtained locally, use ?

POPULAR MECHANICS 147 te a C- CLAMP

BLOCK CUTTO ; SHAPE OF — QUARTERDECK ~_ STEAMED woop FORMING QUARTER- DECK RAIL Fig.34 \. AFTER END OF FOCSLE HEAD ale 4 25 —*) TOP RAIL aw fs : eT ato eel ~CAP ) ATI N : z\ j ma Wy UO FOCSLE HEAD “/ rs lf Hy j 7 . © Ye Cain RaiL | Yj J Ww, / UPPER RAIL dd

Page 150

148 POPULAR MECHANICS A, artists’ oil colors, mixed with turps and japan drier. In ad WN tion to the white, a steel-gray will be needed, also a pw ANN green, cream, brown, vermilion and ivory black. ANN Cut a strip of white pine, % in. thick, 4% in. wide and eC aNN in. long, for the main rail. Starting 3 in. back on the quarte | 4 , YSN deck, glue and dowel the strip down as in Fig. 31, allowi: | ‘ YY the outer edge to project “6 in. over the hull edge. Cart thi Ph the strip forward, gluing and pinning it to the timber hea } and the bulwark, and keeping the projection Me in. over tl = { latter; pin into every timber head. The strip may be a litt ea |) : hard to bend at the forward curve, but patience will do 1 it It should end, forward, 234 in. back of the foc’s’le, just on tl ‘ \e r curve. Scarf or bevel the ends as shown in Fig. 31. Tal i wide strip of wood, of the same thickness as the rail, lay down so that it reaches from the forward end of the rail to point beyond the bow, Fig. 37, and mark the curve of the bu 4 hedlh wark and foc’s’le deck on it. Trim to this line, mark % i [3 inside the trimmed edge and cut the inner curve. Glue, pir t i and dowel this to bulwark and foc’s’le deck to form the cor eii_w_| |: tinuation of the main rail. Cut the portion of the rail ru | ( | ning around the quarterdeck in the sam: iW SA i manner, then file and sand the joints. Fis ai | |! yy Y 45 shows part of the rail around the quar ay Et] J Vi" 7 terdeck cut and ready for gluing. | | Wi i= Ad 4 Above the main rail, as shown in Fig. 3. 1 i hol” Y is an upper rail (sometimes called topga 1 ‘ m4 Sz ; lant rail) and a cap or cap rail. The uy | ia} = ~Qay ; per rail is formed from a_ piece “6 i 14 E CHANNELS’ wide and ‘*s2 in. thick, glued and pinned Liwolj Fic.43 2? the main rail, “46 in. back from the oute | ri i AZ), edge of the latter. Make the midship por ii on BLOCK» tion the same length as the correspondir | at | || BULWARK~, 4 | a eM rat aot accord chin ad A YA, part of the main ratl, an cart the en ie YZ + | Y for joints like the main rail. The upp . Troe L, Ye rail around the quarters and the stern 1 | - Ve best bent to shape as shown in Figs. 33 : / Vip and 34. The receptacle used for stear C4 MOLDING» ing the strip should be deep enough a SJOINT 2 ; that the center will be thoroughly pliable i= cu Fic.44 R and the wood should be steamed unt . at ‘ FITTING MOLDING OVER this will be attained. It is then clampe u_| JOINT BETWEEN BULWARK AND HULL

Page 151

between the jaws of the clamp. und a piece of wood cut to the same pe as the quarterdeck, and left for enty-four hours to dry. Since the up- rail on the foc’s'‘le head should carry t the flare of the hull, it is best to cut rom a wider piece of wood, in the same nner as the main rail was fashioned, carve it carefully on the outboard to follow the flare of the hull lines, ine the inboard side afterward until e strip is of the proper thickness. The rward end of the first portion glued on uld also be flared as it approaches the ‘s‘le. so that it will make a fair joint ‘le rail. This may be ac- vy beveling the underside rhtlv, so as to make the top lean ottt. he flare at the bow is a little too extreme » make this easy to do with the foc’s’le il, hence the advice to cut this from a A small knee, Fig. 36, is cut fitted in the joint at the bow. down lid piece. n the waterway, and the bow ends are lued and pinned to this. When pinning small pieces like this, use he “Lills.” and where there is danger of litting the piece, screw a small C-clamp the wood at the point where the pin to be driven, and drive the pin down The se- ret of driving these small pins straight is to use a very light hammer, and only the ehtest blows: truck hard. they will bend at once if Where possible, a leading hole should be drilled for the pin, to help n keeping. it straight. If small drills are ird to obtain, get a package of assorted needles, choose the size you want for the 31. Take a three-cornered oil into a pin vise, and you will lrill, and snip the eve off, leaving two ittle projecting prongs, as shown in Fig. slip and harpen the prongs in the same way as a lat drill is sharpened, slip the needle driil have the handiest drill possible for fine work. The modeler should have two sizes of the pin 1 +} ises; one holding a drill around No. 65, le other the small needle drill. The irger drill will make leading holes for the larger pins. When gluing the various pieces form- ing the bulwarks and rails together, be too much: ure that both surfaces to be glued are vell coated with the glue, but do not apply then, when the pieces are pinned together and before the glue has POPULAR MECHANICS 149 set, run over the joints with a sharpened toothpick or similar tool and remove the surplus glue. Nothing looks worse than to see blobs and beads of glue in the joints and it is only a matter of a second to re move the surplus while the glue is still sott The cap rail is a stout “6 in. thick and 29 wide. The midship and foc’s’le por tions are easy to bend and apply “cold,” using the points of small pins for fasten ings, but the after part must be steamed and bent. Use the same block as before Since it is difficult to bend a thin strip in the direction of its width without having it buckle, cut the piece to be bent °s2 in square, steam and bend it. then, after it is glued and pinned in place, file it dow: to the same thickness as the rest of the cap Make scarf joints in the cap as i1 the other parts. Sandpaper the cap and the inboard edge of the main rail ] shape shown in Fig. 32 One more rail must be added; the top rail on the foc’s’le This must be as thir is it can be made without splitting in ap plying, not over %%s4 in., and better “se in Remember th it in this sc ile 3 in to the foot) M46 in. represents 6 in., and a 6-in timber is a prettv “heftv” one. This rail runs from the bow to 2% in. aft of the foc’s'le: it is ®42 in. high at the bow and %% in. high at the after end. Notice, in Fig. $2, that the bow ends of the upper rail and this top rail slope forward, and make allowance for this in fitting. Some readers may find it easier ae : a carve the top rails from the solid in ime way

Page 152

150 POPULAR MECHANICS but, with care, they can be formed from thin strips, bent and twisted into place. After sanding everything smooth, paint the inboard part of the main rail steel-gray all around. (See Fig. 38.) Paint the in- side of the upper rail, the cap, the knee and the top rail white. The outside of the upper rail is painted bldck, and the cap is white all over, thus making a nar- row white bead all around the outside of the ship. Do not paint the outside of the rail just yet. Notice the flare of bulwarks and rails, in Fig. 38. The next step is to apply the molding, Fig. 44. This is a “4s by %-in. strip, cov- ering the deck and bulwark joint, and running parallel with the main rail from stem to stern. To insure that they are parallel, use a small block as a spacer be- tween the two when pinning and gluing on the molding, as indicated in Fig. 44, sliding the block along as the molding is fastened. Steam the molding piece for running around the stern. After the glue has dried, cut off and drive in the pins, then take a small triangular or knife file and file grooves right down the center of Latches Hold Cellar Doors Upright Many devices have been made for hold- ing outside cellar doors open and in such a position that the opening will be guarded from both sides. However, in most ¢ases these devices are of such a cumbersome nature that they make no appeal to the busy home owner. The trigger lock, shown in the illustration, is free from the usual objec- tions, and can be easily in- stalled by any- one. Upon the inside of each both molding and main-rail projection, s as to bead them, then sand until the mok ing and rail look as in the detail, Fig. 44 This is a small point, but it makes a grea difference in appearance of the molding The channels are the timbers on th ship’s side that carry the ends of the mas shrouds, and they are shown in Fig 42 and 43. They are % in. thick and ® in. wide. The fore and main channels ar 37g in. long and the mizzen channels, 2! in. long. See also Fig. 46. The foremast comes 2% in. aft of th end of the foc’s’le, and the forward end of the fore channels are % in. forwar of the center line of the mast. The main mast is 8%e6 in., center to center, from the foremast, and the forward ends of the main channels are % in. forward of the center line of the mast. The mizzenmast is 65 in., center to center, aft of the main, and the mizzen channels are \% in. forward of the center line, at their forward ends Glue and pin these on strongly, using large pins, well driven in, at each end. Fig. 44 is one-fourth the size of the model. (To Be Continued) door, at the points shown, screweyes are placed, through which is passed a %-in rod with a lever attached to the outer end. Two holes are drilled into the siding of the house di- rectly above the hinged side of each door, and thetriggerlocks are completed. When the doors are opened, the levers on the underside are pushed forward so that the slid ing rods enter the holes in the siding and lock the doors in a vertical posi- tion. When re- leased, the levers will not interfere with the closing of the doors.

Page 153

Locking Ford Car Windows ri he older Ford closed cars with the ndows controlled by straps have no hod of locking the windows. The doors be locked by the use of locking han- es but the window can be opened from outside by prying the lower edge up im the iron strip on which it rests. A il lock for such windows can be made drilling a “4e-in. hole through the wood er the window frame, and into the ice in which the windows are lowered. hen leaving the car, large nails are in- rted into the holes and the windows ther nnot be dropped. The holes through e upholstery can be given a neat finish using the parts of curtain fasteners that re clinched into the cloth of side curtains. he ball-headed screws are not used. hese fasteners are attached to the cloth ther by clinching them into it like an pen-car side curtain, or by drilling two all holes, and using two fine wood rews.—E,. T. Gunderson, Jr., Humboldt, Va. Garment Hanger Keeps Moths Away \ good moth-proof garment hanger can easily be made from an ordinary wooden hanger by tacking a mothball receptacle in the underpart, as shown in the illustra- tion. This will in no way interfere with the use of the hanger. A sheet of heavy cardboard is cut to a disk, the size of which depends on the size ot the hanger. It is bent at the bottom, and a l-in. hole is HEAVY CARDBOARD HOLE FOR : INSERTING: MOTH. BALLS 7 FOLD HERE ag y PIN HOLES e } cut in one side to insert the mothballs. A number. of small holes TACKED TO CLOTHES HANGER ilso are punched in the disk, so that the fumes of the balls will more easily pene- trate the garment. @ Spots on varnished surfaces often can be removed by rubbing them well with a soft rag saturated in boiled linseed oil. POPULAR MECHANICS 151 age Barrel-Stave Sled Re ZLB quiring Considerable oy - Skill to Balance It Barrel-Stave Sled A barrel-stave sled that requires con siderable skill to manage and provide great sport is made by attaching a seat well back of the center of the barrel stave as shown in the drawing. On such a sled there is naturally no method of controlling it other than by movements of the body or feet, but once the trick of managing is mastered, it is controlled as easily as bicycle when riding without steering. Door Silencer for the Sick Room Slamming doors are very annoving ti sick persons. The trouble can readily be remedied in a simple manner by means of a heavy rubber band or a section, cut from an old inner tube, that is slipped over —{ = the door handles as shown in the drawing. This makes a good si- lencer and shock absorber, which will be highly ap- preciated by the patients Frank N. Coakley, But- falo, N. #

Page 154

152 POPULAR Handy Shaving Mirror for the Camp Which Can Be Attached to Tree or Post Campers’ Shaving Mirror Campers in the woods can make a serv- iceable holder for their shaving mirror that can be instantly clamped to a tree or post as shown in the illustration. Remove the adjusting rod from the back of a round rear-vision mirror used on an auto. The attachments differ somewhat for different makes of mirrors. Cut out a section of a small auto tire, about 3 in. wide, and drill or punch suitable holes through the mid- dle of the tread, into which the mirror lugs can be inserted and pinned from the inside of the This completes the mirror clamp, which can then be pushed over a small tree at any desired height for shaving and other purposes. shoe. Filing Cabinet Aids in Kitchen I recently came into possession of a sheet-metal filing cabinet, which had been a piece of office furniture. This cabinet makes a dustless, mouse-proof and bug- proof grocery and food container for my kitchen. The drawers close tightly and are of various sizes, the smaller ones being at the top. The shallow top drawers make excellent storage room for cookies and layer cakes, as they keep in the moisture. The next larger ones hold cereals, corn- meal and bread. The bottom one is for MECHANICS sugar. While I have to stoop to reach the lower drawer, the inconvenience is compensated for in that it can be shut with the foot. The tight construction o} these compartments does away with waste and they are absolutely clean. I painted the outside to match the color scheme of my kitchen. The filing cabinet is a space saver, too, as compared with the commer cial types of kitchen cabinets. It stands 47 in. high, 18 in. deep and 15 in. wide — Miss Hilda Ellyson Allen, Onawa, Iowa Eliminating Alcohol Odors The odor of alcohol, when used as an anti-freeze solution in the winter, is more or less objectionable, especially in a closed car or in a touring car when the curtains are used. The odor is caused by the escape of vapor from the overflow pipe of the radiator. To eliminate this odor from the car, get a length of rubber tubing large enough to fit the lower end of the radiator overflow pipe and fasten it to the latter. Let the tubing extend-wnder the front side member of the frame and for about 6 in. above the bottom edge of the frame side member, where it should be fastened to the front-fender support bracket with tape or a small clamp, as shown in the drawing. In this way the vapors will al! be carried into the outer. air and away : ‘ " my Ws Wi tol | i a) i Ll hi HOSE NS =a i - Length of Rubber Tubing, Attached to Overflow Pipe, Disposes of Alcohol Odors will not reach the inside of the car.—G. C. Douglas, Raleigh, N. C. @A sash lock can be used as a bolt on a door, if the casing is flush with the surface of the door.

Page 155

, _oading Box Aids Field Work with Camera

jut a By JOHN EDWIN HOAG te = ” : - oe ‘INCE cut film has supplemented glass sands of commercial photographers, and - al plates for photographic work, photog- others who do photographic work upon aa phy has taken one of the greatest for- a serious basis, must use either plates or a rd strides after dry plates displaced wet cut film, and with them, loading or un- d es. Every photographer, however, if he loading holders in the field is always a es much field work, is confronted with problem. . e problem ot carrying a sufficient num- The writer was recently called upon to of holders, or reloading them on lo- do certain photographic work in a region itions where he does not have access to where he was to make some 300 negatives, photographic dark room. Roll film is and where not once during a period of six in > Sart By i)! (he WW <= ail ga“ if fy ds Wand = at. pe le re ze Tr rT. nt ut re id h le F CI curiae i | HN By mr anit | a 7 vIn | M | A uu 1 — VW mM, TR Ge me 4 \}\ \\ HH, WON mina. Tet fh : | tee rap Trin Ya ae oa - Le MRE tH ut ae ‘ i Whine ! | ant al , Wt & UAT | ya y Wii VU ; Hill bf / With This Easily Made . Portable ““Dark Room,” 4 the Field Photographer Has No Difficulty in Loading and Unloading Plate and Film Holders r it present the only material that can be a satisfactorily loaded or unloaded by day- e ) light, but its use is out of the question for anything but amateur work. The thou- 153

Page 156

POPULAR MECHANICS —_——_— UNEXPOSED CUT FILM al Above, Details of the Loading Box; When Not in Use as a Dark Room weeks did he have access to a photographic dark room. Obviously, carrying 150 loaded holders would have been out of the question (two negatives in each holder). Moreover, the use of roll film would have been impractical. Glass plates would have been impossible because of the weight and bulk, and vulnerability; there fore, the use of cut film was the only prac- again, the problem the tical solution. There, of loading and the field, had to be solv to work in unloading holders in ed i. I therefore went my home workshop to develop some sort of a de vice that would permit the loading and unloading of cut film in the field, inde pendent of dark rooms, or without being compelled to wait for night to do the job. \fter rials much experimenting and various loading box shown illustrations made up. It but 8 Ib., portable, and turns the trick to perfection. | ¢ and errors, the in the accompanying was weighs is easily use enabled me to produce 300 per fect negatives, with only six holders. I was able to load and unload these holders by daylight anywhere in the field, and to mail CUT-FILM MAGAZINE ; EXPOSED pees 3elow, the Box Serves as a ‘“‘Carryal the home for developme: exposed negatiy . , as tast as they were through the camera. T] obviated the necessity { developing negatives det the unsatisfacto1 conditions faces field, with some dou ful local lal tex one the chance or taking yoratory nicians. rhe box is made Dass oot ( irefully 1 tised, finished in che ON the outside, al painted black inside is 22 in. long, 7 in. dee; ind 18 in. wide. lr} gives ample space f handling the 5 by 7-in. e1 films with which I yw vorking. For handlir larger negatives it wou , ; , be easy to increase t ize of the box. The b is a carrying handle li a suitcase, so it can transported with no mor It is handling which must be difficulty. also provided with meat for panchromatic negative loaded or unloaded in tot darkness. I used more than 100 par chromatic negatives, loading and unloa ing them within the box, and did n have a failure with one. Two square holes are cut in one side the fitted lo the inside of the holes box, and with hinged covet are tacked an glued cloth armlets, made of heavy, light tight black vrist bands. sateen and fitted with elasti A rectangular opening is cu in the top of the box and rabbeted to hol and a lid is hinged to fit a red glass, ove the glass. When in use, a package of un exposed cut film is placed inside the bo on one side, and an empty cardboard bo The fil in the center between the other. m holder is place the | hrough tl on the armilets, closed, and the hands thrust t sed filn 1 is taken fro transferred to the armlets. The expo and box, then the holder is rel the holder oaded from the ry m al ne Operator can east the fresh package. what he is doing through ruby glass in the top. see

Page 157

Top for Aquarium order to prevent my goldfish from ing out of the aquarium, which they d occasionally, I made a cover for the of the glass bowl. The cover is noth- more than a piece of ordinary mos- to wire screening stretched over a pair ooden embroidery hoops in the same that the ladies adjust a piece of cloth they do embroidery work. After screening was placed upon the smaller » | forced the larger hoop over it until as only halfway in place. Then the re screening is trimmed off neatly about in. from the edge of the hoop. When e larger hoop is forced all the way down to proper position, the entire cover is as ht as a drum without a single sharp d of screening protruding beyond the lize of the hoop.—W. C. Michel, Jersey ity, N. J. Use for Old Valve Springs The illustration shows a number of dif- erent ways in which old valve springs can e made to give additional service after hey have been discarded from the car. lhe ends of the spring can easily be bent nto the required shape by heating them ith a blowtorch or bunsen burner and HOSE a) REINFORCEMENT “7 L WASHERS LAMP-CORD ADJUSTER LETTER RACK Old Auto Valve Springs Can Be Put to Various Uses around the Home bending them while hot. After being bent, the ends should be heated to a dull red heat and plunged into cold water or oil to restore the temper. POPULAR MECHANICS — wn +t Small Wire Loops Attached to Roof Prevent Dan- gerous Snowslides Wire Loops Prevent Snowslides Where a steep roof overhangs a side walk or other passageway, there is danger in winter from snowslides. To obviate this trouble one home owner utilized some wire devices, as shown in the drawing. A number of 18-in. lengths of No. 10 wire are pointed at each end by cold hammer ing on an anvil and afterward bent in the manner described. The nail points of each device are driven into the roof wit} a blow or two of the hammer, and, with the loops thus attached to the surface about 10 ft. apart, the snow or ice will remain stationary until it melts Spraying Lath Speeds Work \ Wisconsin contracting carpenter claims to have greatly increased the eff ciency of his men while engaged in lath ing, by merely spraying the bundles of lath with water as they are opened for use Bundles of pine or hemlock, as they come from the mills or vards, are full of fine, loose splinters that often penetrate the workmen’s hands, causing considerable annoyance. Spraying them with water not only softens the splinters but prevents loose particles of wood and dust from fly ing about when the laths are nailed on.

Page 158

156 Auto Steering Wheel on Bicycle The usual type of bicycle handlebars were not satisfactory to Paul Webber of Old Automobile Steering Wheel Substituted for the Customary Handlebars on Bicycle Bedtord, Mass., so he removed them and substituted a an old Ford. the from is much better handlebars.—Arthurt steering wheel taken his, he customary Say S, than F. Kean, soston. Steam Removes Wall Paper I have just accomplished a difficult feat in the removal of paper from the wall of a room in which the first paper had been varnished put on, about 40 vears ago, and then papered over that thickness after it was one to three times. resisted he last thicknesses strongly because the paperhanger ap parently had used a his paste when he hung the paper. Wart water was used, but little glue in that was a slow STrocess excep where there was but one thickness over the varnished paper. I trieda commercial prepa- ration to soften the Round-Head Screws in POPULAR MECHANICS Base of Clock, When Properly Adjusted, Make It Stand Level V ¢ outer layers, as well as the varnished la) but it was even then a very slow proce I finally conceived a plan to soften t paper with steam and this worked to pe fection | boiled the 17 took a small the teakettle water on stove. I fill the kettle about one-quartel full so tl the steam would come out of the sp freely. Then | wired the kettle to a ol burner electric stove and switched tl] current on full. The kettle bol and en placed the nose of the in. of continued emit a full stream of ste: spout wit! ha ne 1 ¢hea te ) > the paper and ¢ steam pel trated very readily, permitting the , of the paper with a remoy\ The outer lavers came off readil varnished paper was softened so that could work tric continuously. cord was plugged in ~ the baseboat socket and the wall sockets so that I cou As the kett handle prevented steaming the paper ne added a short piece of rul i reach every part otf the wall +} *ei)) tne ceiling, | ber tubing at this point, and finished short Harry E. G Mass. work ina Medford, time. iffor How to Levei a Clock Most clocks do not run well unless the are set exactly level and this is sometime a difficult thing to do, especially if o1 has no level Most people raise one sic of the clock up by means of a piece o cardboard or bits of paper stuck unde the feet, but these often shift \ bette method is shown in the drawing. Drive four small round-head screws in the bot tom of the block and adjust them so that the stand perfectly level. Set clock the clock ona piece of cloth or felt t prevent the screw heads from marring the mante!’ top @Split an tube and cut cross inne}! ways in two pieces the pieces together, one on top of the other Tack or glue This mat saves foot ache when Ironing

Page 159

All Shop Notes published in 1927, in book form—Fifty Cents—from our Book Department Insulating the Hot-Water Tank By E. E. SCOTT Aes place a radiator in the cellar? That is just what you do when you mit the plumbing contractor to install hot-water tank in your new house, thout covering it to prevent loss of it. The usual 40-gal. dwelling-house k will radiate sufficient heat to keep a ) by 12-ft. room comfortably warm. In doing, it causes the temperature of the iter in the tank to drop about 20° below it at which it enters the tank. Further- ore this heat is not needed in the base- ent as the heater itself will radiate, un- oidably, sufficient armth to keep that irt of the house FLY SCREEN ‘ WRAPPEL omfortable. AROUND TANK If you would have ore and hotter vater and savesome fuel besides, cover with as- the tank bestos cement. But, you ask, how can it be made to stick to such a smooth surface as that of a galvanized-iron water tank? First, buy sufficient wire window screen ing to cover the tank completely except for the top and bottom. Bind this screen ing around the tank with bare-copper or soft-iron wire of about No. 18 gauge and Upper Right, Applying the Asbestos; Center, How the Covering Is Ar chored; Left, Completed Job; Note the Covered Heating Coil between the Tank and Boiler draw the wire up as tightly as possibie Next yurchase about | | 30 lb. asbes tos “furnace-cover ing cement” from a hardware-supply house or plumbing shop; this should cost about five cents per pound when bought in bulk Make a paste by mixing this material wit! 157

Page 160

158 water. The should be such that, when a little of the paste is thrown at the screen-covered stick. consistency tank, it will Apply the paste with a masons’ trowel; the quality obtainable at a five and ten- cent store will be satisfactory. The first coat is known as the skin coat + smoothed on to a depth of about 24 and hard. \dd layers of the cement until a covering about 44 in. in thickne and should be about ™% in. hours, until it dries white and allowed to set ss is obtained. The upper tank should, however, be cov- ered a little more heavily than the lower as the hottest water is alw avs at the top. This is also desirable because, frequently, only the upper portion of the tank contains hot water, due to a low fire or to the water having been drawn off. The thickness of the coating can be determined by a pin sticking the tank The rounded top of the tank should also through the asbestos to be covered to a depth of 1 in. or more. Considerable the finish care must be expended on coat. A molders’ slick makes the best smoothing tool, although a large spoon, flattened somewhat on the bottom, will do. Cover only about ‘1 ft. at a time, and smooth it carefully before putting on more. The work can be stopped at any time, as the new wet POPULAR MECHANICS plants are heated by an external copper c which is so connected that it is complete surrounded by This heater is hot water from the boil always at nearly the ter perature of boiling water and should co sequently be covered with an extra-heay coating of cement, about 1% in. The first layer should be quite thin, % in will dri smaller radi heater As tl ping between the heater, boiler and ta ! i presents only or so, as a heavier application off in patches due to the ind sharper angles of the yt a small amount of radiat painted bla with stovepipe enamel. The gas o1 surface, it may simply be Set rate heater used during the summer ma also be improved in appearance, while is standing idle, with a coat of the blac! bal ename Double Wheels Conquer Soft Dirt By bolting a complete extra wheel an tire to the regular rear wheels of his For cars, a large landowner in the peat-sec ment delta of the San Joaquin river in Ca ifornia has solved a dithcult traction pri lem. The springy soil is of the peculiar as} type characteristic of reclaime peat areas, and affords little traction to the cement will make a perfect joint with a completely section. make dried In order to the finished surface as smooth as possible, a second smoothing with the slick should be given after the cement has dried for about one half hour. If suffi- cient care is taken, a smooth eggshell gloss will result, which will not only but will also permit only the very minimum amount of radia- | 7 shed dust tion. Many hot-water tanks used in con- ordinary small si The rancl and me chanics must trave from field to field often when cultiva gle tire. loremen tion is going on, and there is no time t Wit! these double wheel make roads. a Ford can go any where on the ranch Screw across a freshly plowed field The photo show how the extra wheel isattached by means of blocks of wood through which are driven bolts, held in place by iron strips on both Che work was done in the sides. ranch shop nection with home team-heating Plowed Extra Rear Wheel on Ford Permits It to Cross Freshly - Logan Studio, Land Stockton, Calif.

Page 161

Pivoted Containers for Vegetables in Grocery Store Make It an Easy Task to Transfer Them into Peck and Other Measures or to Bags Handy Vegetable Containers for Stores In grocery stores, clerks usually have to lift a whole basket of potatoes, apples or vegetables when transferring them into peck measure or bag. This practice is more or less difficult and inconvenient, and can be entirely eliminated by pivoting the containers as shown in the illustration. It is advisable to use half sections of small barrels or large kegs for this purpose. Each one is securely strengthened and two l-in. holes are drilled directly oppo- site each other through the side, so that the container can be slipped over a suit able length of pipe. The ends of this pipe are slipped through tees, provided on the ends of vertical standards, as indicated, the latter being securely bolted to the floor. The containers are filled, and it is an easy matter to fill either measures or bags by tilting the proper container to one side. Steel Wool as Aluminum-Ware Cleaner It takes little trouble to keep alum- inum pots and pans shining if they are cleaned frequently with steel wool, POPULAR MECHANICS water, and a nonalkaline soap. Use very fine grade of the wool, and give the utensils a few rubs frequently, rather than attempt to clean them only occasionally, when they have become more soiled.—L. P.- Langan, Denver, Colo. A Timesaver for the Draftsman Draftsmen who make electrical dia erams find that the drawing of a large number of resistance symbols is a rather irksome task. If slots are cut in a 30 60° triangle, as shown in the TRIANGLE ~ drawing, the * task becomes simply one ot working be tween two previously es tablished guide lines. r ) Reuben Jen T-SQUARE sen, Silverton, = 3 Oregon.

Page 162

160 POPULAR MECHANICS ened justenough to perm the wagon to be draw slowly toward the i frame. When the wire have been twiste enough, the belt thrown and a block « wood is held against tl "ae . much back spin Som 2 1 1 ~ no T)! > tine ong 1eCE ot | ) rl¢ iW) to AY) it 1 twisted at one time a re iter cut up 1 m eT lenct Ss ot prop S1Z¢ Dale R Van Hort \"\ ilton. Neb Effective Tool for Stirring Paint The secret of stirt up paint to its best co1 stency Ss to churn 1 contents of t e cat t ) ' lh hat he ougniy oO that all the eredient are complete mixed This cannot be lone with a stick except DV ion pat ent ettorrt \ é The Farm Saw Frame device that will do tl a Can Be Put to Many . Other Uses trick in a much shorter time can quickly be made trom ae shor ' : a ee N ras Uses for the Farm Saw Frame length of stiff wire cable. \ rap ' cloth around one end for a handle. Then \ Nebraska power farmer, who employs open the strands near the bottom an 1 large circul ir saw each winter for get bow them out in the form of a hollow ba ting stove wood in shape, finds other uses as shown in the drawing. Such a stirrings for the machine. During the haying sea rod will pick up all the solid matter at the son he removes the saw and puts the bottom of the can grindstone in its place Of course, the CLOTH HANDLE ---~/ and the separated lrive shatt is turned at low speed, about strands will churn ( WIRE ROPE-~. 150 r.p.m., by putting the belt onto a it into a good mix- 4-in. pulley on the 4-hp. engine which GZ ture.—L. B. Rob- is used to drive it \nother use to which 4A bins, Harwich, the saw frame is put is for twisting cable LA, Massachusetts. for fence-corner braces. The frame is ak . —- braced against end strain and the several f \ @A cork can be strands are attached to the shaft. The ut) made to do the other ends of the wires are fastened to LY = i ~Seae work ot a elas the rear end of a heavy farm w ivon. As x = stopper by placing .S~OPENED FANWISE the wires are twisted together, the over-all it in a metal vesse length is reduced. A man stands in the and boiling it in vaseline; when dry, it i wagon with his hand on the brake and as__ acid-resistant, unaffected by jamming it . the tension grows stiff, the brake is loos-- into a bottle. and will last indefinitely,

Page 163

POPULAR MECHANICS 161

ntinuous Fertilizer for the Garden any locations, especially im the all garden spots need a great deal lizing to make plants and flowers uccessfully. Takean old lime barrel etal can and clean it out well with It should be perforated with %-in.

long the sides and bottom, and is filled with some good fertilizer. n water enough to fill the barrel.

lizer should be churned up every It has been found that the most conditions have been cor- lis Way so that almost anything iade to grow.—L. H Georger, Pliers Have Stop for Bending Wire e up to % in. in diameter can be vel rently bent with the aid of a

el and a simple stop piece lace as shown in the draw in exan ple of what can be done Cloth Attached to Draftsman’s T-Square Prevents levice. a number of wire squares Drawings from Being Soiled , . - e exactly the same size Mn Protecting Drawings from Being Soiled S le ttached in a Tew lO ; e 1 the whole batch Of pieces | LD aitsmen King ke ¢ pe P | \ length of strip metal i ns find t i clo ened to t \ t angles at both ends and [-square with thumbtacl is shown ped to the side of one of the plie1 the illustration, is o le a os lo make a right-angle bend, push n protecting drawings from being soil 4 ire tip to the stop and bend it close The cloth does not interfere with the worl he othe iw 1 l cove Ss tl} section « the front to be held down by the hand le Jig Which Facili- ng the knob in front B 5 tes Bending a Number of pulling the plan er the i it Squares of Equal Size he nded flat at ,

Page 164

162 POPULAR MECHANICS Machine to Lap Crankcases Crankcases h not been ave hand in the plant of the lapped by Marmon Motor as far as the expanded ring will permit the clock spring around the first ring be inserted, anchor the cord to a stud enable it to 1 I other fitting, which will Old Radial Drill Press Converted into a Good Machine for Lap- ping Auto Crankcases Car company at Indianapolis since J. W. Anderson, mechanical engineer of the company, built, at a very low cost, a ma- chine that does the work better, and saves 47 cents on the cost of each crankcase. A discarded radial drill press, reclaimed from the junk heap, is the principal part of the apparatus. fastened to a rotating vertical arm of the press and is given a supplemental to-and-fro ment by an eccentrically The crankcase is move- driven shaft. Ground glass was formerly used as the lap- ping Worn-out sand from sand-blasting machines has replaced the ground glass. Mixed with coal oil, this sand more satisfactory compound found than the ground glass. has been Piston-Ring Compressor In the absence of a regular piston-ring compressor, an excellent substitute can be made from a - piece of %-in. clock spring, eo “CLOCK SPRING > Ws} @> > STUD ; = - ~~ about an inch ~@p, longer than me = the circumfer- Hh ii ence of the ring, and a piece of stout cord. Insert the piston in the cylinder flat on top of the cylinder blo wrap it around the cl spring and pull it tight. Asa sult the ring will be evenly positively compressed and the fi ring will slide into the cylind the and other rings. once remove It the Loosen cord, spring for the repeat operat Double Cock Handle A method of so that used to control both is shown the accompanying drawing. T1 connecting ft\ } cocks one handle can idea is being successfully used connection with filling an ir closed tank with the correct amount liquid required to make a mixture used the printing business. The inlet attached to the tank upside down, at tl cock top, and the outlet in an upright positio: at the bottom. The handle is a piece « flat steel bent at right angles at both end with square holes to fit the squares on the plugs. Sockets are brazed to the tank to receive the cocks, one of -— eorFrert being brazed in place with the wrench sembled. When this is done, faucet must be and tl other shut. Thus, if the inlet is open the tank will be filled, and when the outlet open the inlet is automatically ~losed. A soon as the tank is emptied the outlet 1 these as- one open closed, which automatically opens the in let again, filling the tank ready for the next measure.—Harry Moore, Montreal, Can @Graphite should never be used on ai engine timer as it may cause short-circuit ing of the current.

Page 165

POPULAR MECHANICS 163 Packing for Ford Window Glass models of Ford closed cars had frame on the glass windows. It 7 idded with cloth on the sides, but erely a metal channel along the side of the glass. The frame was a) n both sides of the glass with some % vax. This is hard to find when des iss must be replaced, and if not used. t! lass vibrates along the lower edge. ? during a rain, water is likely to run the channel and under the glass, ! re it will be thrown into the car by vement of the glass. Cork strips, may be cut from gasket material and ed down edgewise beside the glass into a rame, make good packing. The strips d be coated with shellac on both _ to keep them in place. The uppet i the strips should be painted with d : Tee ; aaa enamel, using a small brush. This = 2 - to keep the gaskets dry, as the that binds the cork will be dissolved Reading Glass, Inserted in the End of a Flexible 7 a) iat 5 of Desk Lamp, Helps Letterer becomes wet.—E. T. Gunderson, Jt . imboldt, Towa. Reading Glass for Draftsmen tio: | had to do quite a bit ot nine letter! eo Help for Drilling Vertical Holes in my high-school work and, as I work: end ‘ | it night, this caused a strain on my ev \ mechanic who does not have acces er i , ‘ me I took a lamp shade, which was an adjus — » a drill press, but 1s required to drill a oe ~he ae : : ‘ ; . ble one of the hollow-tube kind, uw ectly vertical . +1 ec the lat ip socket ind ET e with an or : e ¢ tric cord Chey | bor t + nary hand or ef ‘2 See rer : a eading gl nd 1 ed the rode | reast drill, will . , , om, : indle down until é nu ppreciate the ‘ ‘ : ’ ° the end of the hose nm use the glas ink shown in the \\ : A ci a i nged ectiv over the ork is sho rawing. A circu , . . 1 : KS the drawing. showed this scheme ir devel, such as : 1 . — , : our drawing instructor and he has ised on cameras, . a, od ; ' one fixed up tor himselt Harry Lampert attached to the . \ ] . eg pas Los Angeles, Calif. l trame by eans of a sheet- i etal clamp. One itp [Easy Way to Fill Furnace Water Pan the of the clamp Zs On pipeless furnaces the water pan » the around the often difhcult to get at. The trouble ’ > f ha > “+ ° 11 et 1 me of the drill, O overcomein one case by filling the pan frot \ eferably below 3 / the register in the floor rather than from gorse Pete RS ; . : , ot i arriving wheel, the cramped and inconvenient position in 4 te ile the ring to the basement. An old gasoline-stove tank next hich the level is attached is made the was used as a funnel and the pipe attached i . ° @ ° F Can me diameter as the level, and has a to it was extended into the water pan \ ooden disk inserted in it so that the large-sized funnel can be substituted n al ‘Ver mney be screwed on it as indicated desired, and a length of copper tubing used cuit- I € clamp 1s about 3g in. in width—W. J instead of the pipe, the tubing being imonds, Jr., Whitehall, N. Y. dered to the funnel.

Page 166

164 POPULAR Improvised Hangers Hold Eave Troughs in Position While Attaching Regular Hangers Combination Eave-Trough Hanger Tinsmiths, find it fasten the first hanger onto the edge of the roof, as one must hold the long section of the trough, place the nail and manipulate the hammer, all while maintaining a safe po- sition on the ladder or scaffold. A Wis- consin tinsmith simplified the labor and eliminated much of the attendant danger by altering a number of when handling eave troughs, often inconvenient to common wire hangers in the manner shown. As not more than three or four of these are nec- essary on the average job, they are well worth the little trouble required to make them. Extra-long hangers are used for this purpose, the wire being cut diago- nally at the loop end to provide a sharp point on the hook. One of the severed ends is bent in the form of a loop while the other is hooked so that the point cen- ters within the loop. When the trough has been soldered, on the ground, the altered hanger is placed as near the middle of the trough as possible and bent to the angle of the eaves. The trough may then MECHANICS be carried up the ladder and balanced place with one hand while the other wie the hammer to drive the hook px through the loop and into the shing The trough being thus quickly and ea supported, the workman is free to move his ladder back and forth to fasten remaining hangers, and the work is co pleted.—G. E. Hendrickson. Argyle, \W Rubber Tips to Keep Finger Nails Clean Having trouble to prevent ink from get ting under the cuticle of his nails, and 1 caring to wear rubber gloves all the tir a printer thought of a plan for keepi: his nails clean without using gloves. | took a pair of rubber gloves, cut t finger ends off about 1 in. and put the ti over his fingers, which effectively avoid: the trouble.—G. R. Dement, Buffalo, N Commutator Tool One of the trouble on most frequent causes direct-current motors, part ularly those having undercut commutator is short circuits between commutator ba: Serious breakdowns in the commutato or windings of the armature can be pri vented if the trouble is discovered in tin by digging out the carbonized mass | tween bars down to the clean mica. Too useful for this purpose made from pieces of The blades take care of can be cheap old hacksaw blade should thickness mica segments of differe: widths, and a point of the desired shap is ground on the broken end. A numbs of tools with differently shaped point should be made, to suit the work of v: rious types of motors. After the desire shape and edg: have been forme om the blades, the should be hinge together by pas ing ar:vet throug! the hole in the en of each and turn ing the head ove: with a hammer. This arrangement make a very serviceable tool for the electricia: and mechanics who find need of different], vary in shaped tools of this type. It also provide a better grip than separate blades.

Page 167

be located in defective leathers. Nowadays it is matter to change leathers, Making the Old Pump New By L. B. ROBBINS hoe IN a pump commences to gurgle, suck and whistle at each stroke of indle you may feel assured that some- is wrong. Either the leathers are out or some air leak has developed, he pump castings or in the pipe line ve or below ground. In the majority ises this will be found to be due to rn leathers. For maximum efficiency, a pump de- nds upon a vacuum being created in the nder at each upstroke of the plunger. iir leaks past, this vacuum is destroyed iter will refuse to rise in the pipe. then that pumping water becomes a searing and back-breaking job. Now, it doesn’t take a great deal of work transform a leaky pump that requires strokes to. the bucket to one that will the same amount of water in 25 strokes Above, the Plunger Spider; Up- er Right, Form of Deck Leather nd Weight; Center, Removing the Cylinder less. In the majority f cases the trouble will comparatively simple because so many pumps can be fitted with standard-size factory-cut leathers. It is simply a matter of taking the pump apart, inserting the new leathers and then reas sembling as before. There are essentially two types of dwell ing-house pumps; the pitcher pump and the force pump. The former is found everywhere, and consists simply of an open-ended metal cylinder in which works a plunger with a lifting valve in the cen ter. Between the bottom end of the cy! inder and the pipe there is another valve, or deck leather. As the plunger is pushed down, the deck-leather valve closes and the plunger valve opens, thus allowing any water above the deck leather to pass through the plunger instead of being forced down into the well. When the plunger rises, the water thus brought over HINGE-~..—"———. PASSAGE FOR ~~ WATER VALVE WEIGHT ~~~ fa tel tat ww RETAINING —— — DECK LEATHER

Page 168

166 POPULAR MECHANICS it is raised higher and the suction below it lifts the deck-leather valve, and water in the pipe rises for the next stroke. In this Way a more or less continuous stream of water is lifted from the depths and flows from the top of the cylinder through the open spout or “pitcher” lip. Varied forms of the pitcher pump exist, but the essen- tials of operation are identical. The force pump makes use of the same principle, but the . —s- ‘onl cylinder is entirely closed and the lifted water is directed into a closed chamber called the air dome. In there it comes into contact with a body of hich air W after compression by the in- flowing water, forces the water in a con- tinuous and steady stream to a consider- able distance or height. The compressed air forms a wonderfully powerful cushion and in this manner internal pressure overhead tanks or pumped water creates an useful in projecting the along a rising pipe line. very filling Deep-well pumps are essentially the same as the simple shallow-well pumps except the pumping cylinder may be sepa- rated many feet from the pump body. This is because the plunger can only operate at a maximum of about 28 ft. water level. Therefore, for a 50-ft. well, the cyl- above inder must be placed in a pit or driven to within at least 28 ft. of the water level, and the plunger operated from above ground by a long rod running down through the pipe to the plunger rod in the cylinder. he leathering of any of these types of pumps is essentially the same. Where the entire pump is above ground, the job is simple. If one or low ground the job becomes more diffi- cult. more cvlinders are be- But the leathering job remains the same; the plunger and the deck leather must be renewed. The first thing to do with a shallow-well pump is to trip the water out by forcing the plunger down until you hear a suck- ing noise and the water drops back into the well. Then loosen the bolts holding the cylinder and the base casting together and lift the cylinder off. This exposes the deck leather, shown clearly in the photo- graph illustrating this operation. The lrawing on page 165 also shows the shape of a typical deck leather and its component parts. stiff It consists of a circular ring of leather inside of which is a round leather disk attached to the ring at « side. The shoe-shaped and permits the passage water. A open space between is hor fastened to the d helps to force it in place over the de weight opening and thus make it a quicker-op: ating and tighter-fitting valve. Remove this leather carefully so as 1 to score the metal deck or If it hard or cracked it discard: and a new leather provided. seat. should be Remove t! clapper-weight by taking out the reta ing screw im-the center. Fit this on t new leather in its proper position, whi is with the raised lug over the hinge. no ready-cut leather can be obtained suitable one can be cut from a piece g-in. oak-tanned stock by placing the o one and marki1 hen cut the ne one out with a sharp knife and fit the clay per w eight to it. If the old leather is be yond use as a pattern, place the new piex of leather over the deck and tap it gent but firmly with the ball end of a ball-pee hammer around the outside edge and tl! edge of the pipe opening. over it as a_ pattern around it with a pencil When remove the markings of the metal edges will b plainly visible and can be the cutting knife. Before the followed wit new deck leather is place in position, wipe the deck clean of any dirt or grit. If any slight bits of nicked met: exist along the surface, smooth them of with a fine stone. Soak the ne leather in water an hour or two to thor oughly soften it and then lay it carefull emery on the deck, still wet, placing the weight uppermost. When in tion, place the the proper po cylinder carefully upon so as not to disturb its position, reinset the bolts and take up on them slowly an evenly until the leather is firmly clazape in position. Use care in taking up or these bolts, taking a part of a turn on eac! one at a time. This leather evenly and prevent clamp ing down one side before the other, and thus insure even will compress the also eliminaté pressure and chances of cracking the casting from un even pressure on either side. On deep-well pumps the cylinder must of course, be removed from the pipe line before the packing can be accomplished If it is in a pit, it is only a matter oi removing the pipe from above and the

Page 169

POPULAR MECHANICS 167 ons of wooden 3 ver rod, and releasing the ndet from its e. Otherwise it be pulled up | a pump puller raised above ind until it can dismantled. In case the method replacing is es- \ as previ- ly le cribed for | imple above- | und pump. plungers are ructed similar e ter, Soaking Deck and Leathers; Below, ip) ng New Cup Leather y _ ‘ a | 1 fines ee SSS = RO oe Fe ‘ 42 . CORD. 4 | a, LEATHER =s tion, using care “4 ~ cedure. If a readv-cut % = cup leather c nnot be procure ] here lit t 4 i ail n excellent method of kine one t Ra 4 i home, using @-in. oak-tanned leat] oO —_ A material. Put the leather to soak i1 FORM FOR MAKI~A e HARDW Ss MP CUP LEATHERS to it least 24 é kit é o1 : , ‘ former, herein described 11] Ae - ony Sewn in the photographs. lo Using an e on bit. bore ‘ * ’ eat er, clamp the spider carefully but the center of a hardwoo ae I n a vise and then turn off the Jarger than the diameter of ¢ i c unger end which threads onto the spider. and ] in. de 1. Then ' : . he old leather can then be removed. Ii plee of hardwood inet the diameter at ¢ a he retaining nut turns off hard, be espe- sliawer and about 3 or 4 ii ] , lly careful in removing so as not to oughly oil both piece antl ma it iin the spider to the cracking point. strong cord and have a large b sorm 3 a Rn aR ae ‘ . . . ‘ - , — up a bit and then in the opposite di handy When e le cien the ection until it will start. Sometimes a tap pliable, place it over the hol ey th a cold chisel in one of the notches and then place the ae aa ap- ll serve to start it. For general use a rectly over the le acai mt irge pipe wrench is best suited for this entire assembly on jts side a. as ate b although there are special spanners tween the vise jaws. Then slowly tur = that come with some makes of pumps for up on the vise and push the pl IS purpose. hale carrving the leather a # \\ i. When disassembléd, clean the threads very sl v so the leather will } Pa ut n the spider and retaining nut and graph the plug during the proce When the led te them. 7] hen slip the new cup leather in hottom of the hole } ee tl ; ion, replace the nut and take up on leave the job alone until e leathet 1¢e r “1 41 1 . 1 - ° . 5 : ; until the leather is held firmly, in posi- thoroughly dried out or. if t]

Page 170

168 POPULAR MECHANICS other block together be used for purposes, tie and plug with the cord, as shown in drawing and set aside to dry. Left, Replacing Air-Dome Gasket; Center, Wiping Off Deck-Leather Seat; Right, Tightening Down Cylinder When the leather is bone-dry, take off the cord, pull out the plug, and a nicely formed cup will be the result. Trim off the edges with a sharp knife, bevel the top edge on the inside, and then cut a round bottom to fit snugly around the retaining nut of the plunger. With the on the plunger, soak it in water again until softened and leather hole in the new leather then insert in the pump cylinder and push down until the top of the rod can be again It is also a good plan, with unlined cylinders, to connected to the pump handle. wipe out the inside with very fine emery paper to remove any rust coating that may This particularly hard on leathers and wears them out before their time. Keep the cylinder walls clean and and the last much longer than would otherwise be the case. have formed through the vears. rough surface is bright leathers will The air domes on force pumps are usu- ally provided with leather gaskets between When these grow hard they should be renewed. They can be cut from sheet rubber, using the old one as a pattern, or them and the cylinder connection. leather or | marked out, previously me tioned, with ball-peen har mer. Leathe gaskets are be but for this pu pose a thinne stock can be us¢ than for the se tion leathers. After the pum has been releat! ered and bled a few day it will be wise t assen go over all bolt and take up ad justments. Nev leather is flexibl and it will probably be found that a turn o two can be taken up on all adjustments as This insure in air-tight job and give a positive vacuun in the The plunger will, of have to be removed and the re taining nut turned up in the vise as before If the cup leather has swollen too much and it works unduly hard, shave off a little from the edges with a safety-razor blade Now with the pump newly releathered, it should hold water indefinitely. If the water still persists in dropping back and the pump needs priming each time it is used, you may feel absolutely sure the leak is in the mechanical end of the affair. Go_ over all connections to see that ‘they are drawn up tight. the leather compresses. will cvlinder. course, Inspect the castings and pipe sections above ground for cracks or leaky couplings. If possible, grab the pump base with a large pipe wrench and

Page 171

clockwise, rotating the entire pipe and strainer poimt in the ground. will take up any loose threads that have developed, due to threads cor- ng over a long period of time. Do however, turn the pipe backward, threads will undoubtedly be loosened you will be worse off than before. In ng up new connections, always use enty of lead in the joints and turn them home, and leaky joints will be prac- lly impossible. By attending to this ile sinking a well andsassembling a imp, about the only trouble that can de- op will be cracked parts due to freez- or overstrain in assembling, or faulty ithers. Other things being equal, water suld flow freely always. Accurate Perpendiculars with a 2-Ft. Rule The 2-ft. rule is the faithful standby of ie rough-and-ready draftsman who makes sketches on the job. To draw a fairly accurate perpendicular to a line not parallel with an-edge of the sheet or pad s not so easy te do but often necessary to the correctness of a sketch. The photo hows how a perpendicular can be drawn 1 which will be about as correct as any cir- cumstance will.require. Lay the rule down along the line, then lay a dollar or washer on one side of the circular middle- joint hinge of the rule, and touching it, ind scribe an are. Place the dollar on the other side and scribe another. Draw line through the two points where the ircs intersect. This line will be perpen- dicular and as correct as necessary. How to Draw a Perpendicular to a Horizontal Line with an Ordinary 2-Ft. Rule POPULAR MECHANICS 169 Handy Dolly, Which Can Be Swung in Any Direction, Made from Old Roller Skates Dolly for Handling Baled Hay When any great number of bales of ha have to be moved across the floor it be comes a heavy and tiresome task. To alle viate some of this work a dolly, as show: in the illustration, can easily be made from odds and ends. Build a small plank plat form of short boards and cleat them solidly from underneath with similar stout board Make it about the size of a bale of hay Fasten four roller-bearings casters, one to each corner, or four whee removed from a pair of old roller skates In the latter case, see that the wheels are pivoted so that they will turn in any direction L. B. Robbins, Harwich, Mas Drilling Chilled Cast Iron Iron castings, made in chilled molds, are frequently too hard to drill. Even hig! speed drills and turpentine will fail to break through the surface of the castir The trouble can, however, be remedied the following wav: Place a lump of sul phur on the spot to be drilled and slow!) bring the casting to a red heat, then allo it to cool off. This will soften the spot so that the drill will cut it readily. —G. A Luers, Washington, D. C.

Page 172

170 POPULAR MECHANICS

id tis’ lowing way: I filled a tub w ith boiling water and poured in about a gallon of o engine oil, which floated on top of tl water. I dipped the belting to the botto of the tub and allowed it to soak a fe moments. Then I lifted it slowly throug the laver of oil and repeated the operation several times. Within 15 min. the leathe i ee was as soit and pliahlle is though it

just been removed from a machine. T1 boiling water had opened up the pores « the leather and on removing it from t water, the hot, oil had penetrated the pore and completely filled them Che helt t » still in use atter some vears ind parently good for many mort L. B.R bins, Harwich, Mass Improvised Electric Crucible

\ small crucible that can be used melting chemicals and soft metals c Easy Method of Removing a Driven Well Pipe from readily be constructed, using only a po! the Ground celain lamp socket and the element of ‘ > electric heater The socket 1 mounte Pulling a Driven Well Pipe icin. agit’ Ween tek teaailie clenac eae It was desired to salvage the driven pipe lite, about 6 in. square. » The heating ele of an old wel Usually a driven pipe ts ment is screwed into this socket. <The ibhandoned because ot the difficulty con heater should be ot the kind that nected with its removal, but in this case shaped like a cup, which is mestly use the tas] s simplified considerably and in reflecting heaters. A small clay érucibl the pipe was removed without much dif is easily lipped into this cup-shaped ficult \ post was set about 2? ft.on one opening. If no crucible is available, a cla: de of the pipe, the top being about 4 it. pipe with the stem broken off and the hol from the ground. The crosspiece, a length plugged will do. A length of lampcor ¥ + by 6-in ood, is fastened to the and plug is connected to the socket and post at one end and at the other end it plugged with this outfit in a few. minutes s set on a secre cl properly sup- It can be place lina metal box or « ase ported. A chain was fastened to th ELECTRIC- HEATER sq abat the crosspiece in the center, and to the pipe, ELEMENT heat will not on vyhich a cap is screwed First the a CLAY be dis ipated ick was turned up until the chain was & CRUCIBLE into the sur tight The pipe is then struck a few ; rounding at ight blows with a edge while the jack — though this pressure was being increased In this SOCKET is not abso wav. combining pipe vibration with a con- SLATE. lutelv neces : , ‘ a9 MARBLE OR ry ; 1 stant pull, the pipe wa readily pul ed out. _ BAKELITE. SATY : Fo

Softening Hard Leather Belting I had some old leather belting that had in improvised crucible is not been used for several vears. To my knowledge it had been around the shop for over 30 vears. Needing some belting a cupful of scrap lead will melt in less than Herman R. Wallin, Brook convenient, as

I was forced to make use of this old piece, hali-a minute which was made soft and pliable in the fol- lyn, N. Y

Page 173

How to Build a Dumb-Waiter By ERIC B. ROBERTS , \IATEUR knowledge of carpentry 1s \ ll that is necessary to build the dumb- described in this article and shown he illustrations. The first step is to e a location where a vertical drop to basement will meet with no obstruc- After the location has been deter- ned, the shaft is built from the ceiling he first story to the basement floor. e frame of the shaft consists of 2 by material; in the kitchen this is boxed ith l-in. stock on the inside and ed on the outside preparatory to plas- ng. If desired, wallboard can be used he outside. The basement section of e shaft is also boarded up tightly. A it paneled door should be provided for he kitchen outlet of the waiter, but a 1 iple board door will suffice in the base- ent. A wooden floor is provided at the ttom of the shaft and four holes are drilled in the floor to hold old auto-valve springs in a vertical position to absorb the shock of the lift when it is lowered rapidly. After the shaft has been finished, the rails or guides for the lift are fastened on the inside, leaving out a short section to permit the insertion of the lift, after which the omitted guide section also may be fas tened in place. Lengths of 34-in. wood may be used for making the guides. Next the lift should be made. For the average household it should weigh about 65 Ib., so that it will carry a load of from 5 to 20 Ib The counterweight, which consists of scrap lead, iron, etc., must be between 5 and 10 Ib. heavier than the empty waiter, to allow for the additional load. To ob tain the above-mentioned weights, |] A Handy Kitchen Dumb-Waiter Can Readily Be Built by Any Home Owner with the Aid of a Few Tools, and the Slight Cost of the Installation Will Be Compensated For by the Convenience It Affords

Page 174

NI ~ POPULAR MECHANICS

oom | e s+? } | } . . . i bl , Copper Pipe Aids in 1 | Coiling Wire Lit | | ca — i 1 | i Coiling wire for springs, i Mill Ht | electrical coils or _ for J Uy f 4 ' 4 binding purposes is ac t/ 4 4a nl “ | } complisned usually Witil : Ay some means to restrait COUNTER WEIGHT ~ 1 the wire and keep it un Constructional Details of the Dumb-Waiter, Showing the Shaft, Lift and the der tethision. Leather and Counterweight, and the Method of Assembly wood will serve for hold placed the materials used for making the ing the wire under tension while it i ft on one end of a plank, pivoted in the fed on a lathe mandrel at a slow speed center, to balance the counterweight on \ new means, differing from any of t the other end. When both weights were customary practices hown in the at equal, I added about 8 lb. to the counter- tached drawing, and consists of a short weight. Then | proceeded to build the lift, “a length of sma which was made with double sides, top tg c& copper pip and bottom in order to make it solid and heavy. Ordinary 1 by 6-in. lumber was used Angle iron may be used to add veight and rigidity but it must be remem- ered that no additional material must be maintains sut- used besides that which was balanced ficien. friction the counterweight. Between the two to insure boards forming the side, a groove is left guide, on each sid tightly wound e. The pulley coils, in spite ‘Phere ssembly 1s then made. It must be care- of the fact that fully calculated where the ropes and the operation is rapid and 1 weights are to hang in order to be sure at thev clear the lift while in motion or ie wire ten | at rest, and the weight must be hung in = sion uniform.

Page 175

iT yn id 1)

Renovating Copper- Asbestos Gaskets POPULAR MECHANICS 173

When the cylinder head a car is removed for ve grinding and car- removal, the gasket requently bent, dented itherwise mutilated. rts to straighten it not often successful, vuse the copper is usu- brittle and hardened ym use. This is also e case with the copper- hestos gaskets used for he water connections, anifolds and valve seats. installed with sharp ends and kinks in them, iey are almost certain leak. To renew the ll gaskets, they are laced in the flame of a is heater until they are uite red and then plunged in cold water. he copper 1s made plastic by this treat- ent, and, when the gasket is bolted down, preads and makes a tight seal. Vulcanizing Inner Tubes T In vulcaniz- a a ELECTRIC . a ing small VULCANIZER}

patches on a ee “A inner tubes > {<i

‘ — ~ SAS,

consin repair- man claims that the por- tion of the tube covered by the patch is apt to be- come over- cook e d oT burned, and thereby weak- ened. To overcome this trouble, he uses four strips of asbestos paper over the tube, as shown in the iMustration, leaving only the patch exposed to the full heat of the vulcanizing plate.

Small Portable Crane for the Garage Has Several Features of Convenience and, Besides, Requires Little Floor Space Small Crane for the Garage lhe crane shown in the accompanying drawing has a wide range of travel and is capable of transferring heavy units fro the bench to the machines and to the se eral cars being repaired. It uses the same track as employed to support the hang ing doors at the front of the garage. The provision of such a track around the four walls, is the main support tor the crane A double hanger with swivel rollet lows the crane to travel along the con tinuous runway. The corners are ersed on a curved track, similar to the track on which the door is supported whe swung from the front to the side A cr rail extends from these hangers and rest on a vertical support of pipe. provided wit] a fixed roller at the bottom The | is carried by a trollev on the cross which permits placing the hoist direct above the load. While every advantage of a crane is provided, the single leg, reac] ing to the floor, does not encroach on the available floor space, as is usually the case with four-legged portable cranes. @ Insert a scratch awl in common hard soap for hardening, and it will need no drawing after the plunge.

Page 176

174 POPULAR Unscrewing Thin Tubing When unscrewing thin tubing, there is a decided tendency for it to close under the wrench grip, especially at the open ends. l'o prevent damaging the pipe, the method of protect- ing it shown in the illustra- tion, has been found effec- tive. It ists in con- screw- ing a pipe cap on the end of the pipe and gripping it as close to the cap as possi- ble. Also in the removal of close nip- ples, this pro- cedure is use ful. The cap stiffens the nipple so that it can be removed easily, regardless of the tendency of the pipe-joint compound to hold it tight—G. A. Luers, Washington, District of Columbia Better Potato Plants By placing a 4-in. layer of sawdust mn top ot his hotbed, a Mississippi farmer produced potato plants with much longer oots than usual, which made them more lesirable than hort-rooted making the hotbed, he a depth of about 12 in. , } s he plants. In first dug a hole.to In the bottom of placed a 6-in. layer with a soil, thick. On this he placed the potatoes to be sprouted, pressing them into the earth and ing them with a thin laver of soil. of barnyard manure, covering it layer of about 5 or 6 in. top of cover- A 4-in. layer of sawdust was then applied. Some planks, stakes, prevented the sawdust from being washed 6-in. held in position by away. This hotbed was not covered with glass. Besides producing long roots on potato plants, the sawdust helps to retain moisture. should not manure come in because the latter is likely to transmit certain diseases to the Potatoes contact with MECHANICS former. causing the potatoes produced t be defective—Bunvan Kennedy, McCoi Mississippi. How to Mend Aluminum with Zinc Holes in aluminum vessels can be mended by the following method: Past a piece of strong paper over the hole o: the inside, using shellac as an adhesiy aluminum vet Pack the Have the surface of the | clean by sandpapering it well. vessel with sand to hold the paper in pos tion securely. Now take some clean zin melt it, clean off all the dross and pou the zine over the hole from the outside aluminum, and can be fir We hay otties, It will stick to ished with a file and sandpaper. ] 1 canteens, hot-watet KC Ya! | 1 anvthing to aluminut mended tles, pans, etc., by this simple meth: vou wish to solder tluminum with melted zin first coat the poured on, then solder to the zine surface using common solder and a good flux Robert ( Knox, Santa Barbara. Calif Saw Case for the Tool Chest \ number of saws are generally cat ried in a well-equipped tool chest, an protection for the teeth is not always ea to provide One carpentet uses a nove aw holder, which occu CASE FOR BACKED » . li 1 MITRE SAW pies Beat f space and holds several blades for the detachabl] Sepa PREPARED | ROOFING { handle. ite cases are used for mitet and other at CASE FOR SAW BLADES tached-handle =) and backed made of prepared roofing, such as comes in rolls, saws. Such holders are f piece using a kind which does not contain crushed stone or anything injurious to the saw teeth. After cutting and form ing it to the shape of the saw, a few turns hold everything be tossed into the tool of friction tape firmly, and the case may chest without risk of damaging the saws.

Page 177

to ns ly, ] Ae}! Restoring Contact of Third Generator Brush \ hen the third brush on a Ford erator is shifted to change the tput, it sometimes fails to make ood contact with the commu- yr and there is no output at all. is often caused by a little t or an uneven surface on the ush. The proper method is to nd the brush to fit, but if the ush is pressed down gently with mall stick while the motor is inning slowly, it can often be ide to “run itself in” and the enerator will charge. Fitting Lathe to Do Job That Requires Larger Swing rhe photos show how a job of oring automobile wheels to fit e hubs was done by fitting POPULAR MECHANICS 175 Se sear ienree | faceplate to the back end of the Portable Bin Which Can Be Taken Down When Not Needed ithe spindle. The faceplate was mounted on a shaft extending through he hollow spindle and was fastened in lace by means of a nut and washer. The vheels were centered by means of a ta- pered cone, which was mounted on a stub mandrel screwed into the opening in the enter of the faceplate after the wheel was ightly fastened with bolts and clamping pieces, as indicated, The cone was then removed and the boring. done by means of tool consisting of a suitable guide piece crewed into the faceplate opening, the suide carrying a sliding member with an idjustable cutter and an operating handle. Boring Auto Wheels on Lathe Which Is Too Small to Handle Them in the Regular Way for Coal Storage Easily Built Portable Coal Bin Many home owners have only small basements and during the months when no coal is used, a bin is not needed, unles it is filled during the summer for the fol lowing winter. A portable coal bin of the kind shown in the drawing can readilv be built by anyone. It can be taken down when not in use and put up again whe coal is to be taken in. It is constructed of l-in. boards which are slipped into grooves formed by nailing strips to 2 b 4-in. uprights. These extend from the floor to the joists above, to which they are bolted with ™“-in. bolts. The boards are slipped into the grooves near the top and are forced down tightly. These board should not be over 4 or 5 ft. long, unless an extra 2 by 4-in. upright is provided on the outside as a brace Etching on Aluminum Etching on sheet aluminum is made bet ter and more simple by using a solution of weak hydrochloric acid. It is important that this acid be diluted and not used in its full strength, for in a diluted state it will produce better work.

Page 178

Is This Your Home? L Ss: eat #8-3">«—— as BED ROOM gz A054, Ere) (eter) | BED ROOM 1s 110-0 Plan No. 5B16 UESTIONS regarding home building addressed to this magazine will be answered by The Architects | Q Small House Service Bureau of the United States, Inc., controlled by the American Institute of Archi tects and indorsed by the United States department of commerce. Please inclose 10c in stamps or coin Blueprints, specification forms, and material lists for the house shown here may be obtained from the Archi tects’ Small House Service Bureau for a small fee. If further information is desired, literature describing | the plan service and publications of The Architects’ Small House Service Bureau will be sent you upon re quest. A booklet entitled “50 Ways to Lower Home Service Costs,” illustrated by ten Bureau home actually lived in and showing how as much as $1,000 can be saved on a home, may be obtained for 20c. —_— house is a model of compactness cement, marked in fort of tile, and and economy of space. Omitting the bordered with brick. sun room and rear porch, the over-all area The living room is unusually we of the plan is only about twenty-five by lighted, having windows on three sides twenty-six feet To many people whose _ there is also the staircase in one corner, means are limited and who must, there fireplace, and the two porches opening fore, reduce their requirements to the ab- uponit. The dining room and kitchen are solute minimum, this design will come as small, but light and airy. a welcome solution. In the second story there are three bed This really is a six-room house, con- rooms, well designed to accommodate the taining the usual living room, kitchen and necessary furniture, each with a closet. dining room and three bedrooms with The kitchen equipment is complete, and bath. In addition there are two porches, with the working fixtures along the out one more properly a sun room, which side wall, there is an insurance of fine light opening on the living room, not only adds = and ventilation. considerably to the living space, but lends Suggested color scheme: Red and brown an extra item of interest to the exterior, texture brick set in white mortar: wood for the front wall of this room, continuing work painted white, the roof a combina in unbroken plane with the main wall of — tion of blue and gray the house, gives a feeling of breadth. Construction: Solid brick walls, shin The porch at the rear is open. Square’ gle or slate roof. Size of lot: Approxi wooden posts with lintels and brackets of | mately forty-five feet. ~ Designed to face the same material help to make the rear east or south, but may be built reversed of the house interesting. Its floor is of for other facings. 176