Popular Science Monthly 1918-01: Vol 92 Iss 1

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iit ft il kT if te 5 » Ne Saw VAwey te Yonder woe 8 (Klee mend 99 potty Ri H ad hen tor many year be 2 pte Com — se 7 i © ord exgness, ou Se be te lowe tes wee ant io : SS Se i is : is we won 3 : Gomque tare be Ser te po : : pe owe by he Mewe oon is +3 —__.. #3 & {8 u *. tee mend tor Ty ee ‘ (rectal evte end a4 ‘os 5 “— Me stay o ha ed o es. ny eo see e * ee o ip a es fe 4 is Hh 705), Tt) + a ay A book that every music-lover will want It has required 20 years of constant research, of steady application, of tireless effort, and the expenditure of more than Eleven Million Dollars to place this Victor Record catalog in your hands. This great book of 542 pages is the recognized authoritative index to the world’s best music; to the greatest musical achievements of all time. Its pages are living tributes to the years of unceasing vigil spent in gather- ing the best music from every portion of the globe. ‘They reflect the hours upon hours which the greatest artists have devoted to recording their superb art for the delight of all generations. They attest to the enormous amount of time and millions of dollars spent in developing the art of recording to its pres- ent state of perfection. And through each and every page runs the story and proof of Victor supremacy. Every music-lover will want a copy of this great Victor catalog of music. Everybody should have this book, whether or not they have a Victrola. All will appreciate it because of the information about artists, opera and composers, and the numerous portraits and illustrations it contains. Any Victor dealer will gladly give you a copy of this great catalog of music, or we will Gj : mail you a copy free, postage paid. Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J., U.S. A. Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal, Canadian Distributors Important Notice. Victor Records and Victor Machines are scientifically co- ordinated and synchronized by our special processes of manufacture, and their use, one with the other, is absolutely essential to a perfect Victor reproduction. New Victor Records demonstrated at all dealers on the 1st of each month oe To mesure Victor quality slweys look for the ferrous trade mark His Master's Voice” it és on all genuine products of the Victor Talksng Machine Compen

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For the Boys Over ¥” P Hoare The War and Navy Departments have os# Dre Library Association to provide reading inatte: m The P - f ed the American sailors. e sr ie 3 Mow Lh ote “inanal opular magazi : theot _ pop gazines at Camp Upton: the othe. os he two most zine. When the soldiers in camp zines, they ask not only for fict’ for the Poputar Science Mo This state of facts leads 1 of the Poputar- SciENcE ®ionr: the disposal of our sold? matter of a practical ¢ The aviation cam’ physics and on ¢ “books on gas engines, on airplanes, on The Signal Cor: * \V8i\"~-sinent mechanical subjects generally. vee. ee trades Viooks on telegraphy and electricity. All periodicals bir Saad \rmy and Navy want volumes and about our Allies, the 5. 44,.. men to do their work better—books iiction maga- heir vequests for maga- may be supposed, but also readers to place their copies ~.y, after they have been read, at also to send along other reading a vine vhere our soldiers will be sent, why we rea ana F . ° rs —— the war is fought. Thousands of books will er § ot nearly enough have been given to meet the ciated volns + late books—books of real present value, not anti- ee: Many of the men are studying French and “~~ “Sara, readers and dictionaries. - a “bow ks to the nearest public library. There, they will be ~ “ad shipped to the soldiers and sailors. ‘The American solation will see to it that the books are placed at the *. of txe men. In the larger camps, trained librarians are in __ charge of the library system. “4 Po uLaR Science Monruty and similar practical maga- oa, be sent through the Post Office by placing a one-cent che cover. Or they may be left at the library with the “eriodicals should not be over two months old. of doubt, take everything to the library. The undesirable ‘a! can be sold and the proceeds used to buy suitable books. contributions may be sent to the local libraries or * to Mr. Herbert Putnam, the General Director of the can Library Association, Library War Service, Library of ress, Washington, D. C.

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“@wan Torch Makes His Spectacular Dive The Hu ble Like a flaming comet, the diver, Jake Cox, plunges fifty feet from a tower into a poilly gasoline. The instant his blazing body touches the-surface of the lake, the inflam: ‘fit liquid is ignited, so that he seems to have plunged into a roaring volcano. Hehas ac, id done so—for the fraction of a second—but before the spell-bound spectators cat collect t thoughts, he has already reappeared on the surface, forty feet away from the birning liq”

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Vol. 92 - Popular Science Monthly 225 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York City ' $1.50 No. 1 January, 1918 Annually The Human Torch Enveloped in flames, a bold man dives from a fifty-foot tower into a lake of gasoline, transforming it into a seething furnace T is night time. Onthetop of atower, people, fascinated by the actions of the | fifty feet high, stands a queer looking two. In a moment, the assistant steps figure, dressed in three suits. The outside one is of cloth, the one under it, is of rubber, and the one next to the skin is of asbestos. On his head are three rubber caps, over which is an asbestos cap that comes down to his shoulders and leaves two holes through which he can see. His gloves, his wristlets, his shoes—all are of asbestos. Directly below him is a square area of water, fenced in with logs or boards. The surface of this boxed-off section is covered with gasoline. Suddenly an assistant steps up to the figure and lifts a bottle, from which he pours gasoline over the man’s body. Around the lake stand two thousand How the diver escaped without being burned At right, above, is Jake Cox, the daredevil, dressed for the feat to death is shown above. back from the oil-covered figure and shouts a signal to somebody below. Im- mediately all lights are extinguished, leaving the figure in darkness. Then the stillness is broken by the report of a revolver shot. The assistant has fired at the diver, the sparks from the revolver transforming him into a livid cone of flame. With a shout, he leaps from the platform and in a beautiful parabolic dive, plunges into the lake below. As he flies through the air, his body takes on the appearance of a torch, long tongues of flame trailing out behind him. Striking the film of gasoline, he is enveloped in a veritable inferno of fire, which erupts as soon as his fingertips touch it. But his work is only half done. If he comes up in the lake of fire he will be burned alive. How does he escape? He swims under water some thirty or forty feet until he has passed the burning gaso- line, when he rises to the sur- face, safely out of danger’s reach. This is no easy thing to do, for his shoes and the three heavy suits greatly hinder his movements. Fur- thermore, he dare not open his mouth or breathe through his nose while he is taking his spectacular dive, lest the flames suffocate him. It requires reckless cour- age to bea “thriller de luxe.” If the slightest accident or miscalculation occurred, the “Human Torch” would be extinguished for the last time.

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Popular Science Monthly How to fold the device over the edge of the glass so that even an ordinary tumbler becomes your special drinking glass Make Every Glass a Sanitary Drinking Cup HE simplest of all the recent devices for guarding against the germs, which World. If You Value Your Life, Be Careful with Electricity OME safety hints for the wise, which are intended to guard against serious accidents and a possible loss of life, are being sent out broadcast by the electric light companies. selected the following: electric globe with paper or cloth. It may start a fire. From them may be Do not cover an Do not hang an ordinary lamp cord over a nail or metal work. Donot - leave a cord connected when you are through with it. Do not touch any wire that is down on the ground, whether it is an electric, telephone or guy wire. In an emergency, remove a wire with an instrument equipped with a wooden handle, keeping the full length of the handle be- tween yourself and the wire. The Smallest Fountain Pen in the It is Two Inches Long HE fountain pen shown in the accom- panying illustration might well be often lurk even in drinking water, is a used to exemplify the slogan “‘Perfeciion in small piece of waxed paper, or asemicircular celluloid strip, which folds over the rim of the glass and prevents the lips from touching the surface of the tum- bler while drinking. It will fit over any glass or cup, and will make it possible for you to enjoy an ice-cream soda, or a drink of water anywhere. The part of the paper which is held inside the glass will prevent any sedi- ment, which may be in the bottom of the glass, from reaching your lips. This little invention, is the idea of a woman, Miss Cornelia Fiske, of Baltimore, Md. A tiny pen which writes as perfectly as its big brothers little things.”” It was made as a tiny sample, by a prominent foun- tain pen manufactur- ing company, and is as perfect in every respect as the pens of usual size. It holds only a few drops of ink, but while the ink lasts, the pen can be used to very good effect. It is provided with a pocket clip that is per- fectly able to perform its duty, regardless of its diminutive size. It is carried in a box with its own little filler, and the printed direc- tions for its use just exactly as if it were being offered for sale like its big brothers.

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Seeing the Stars from the Bottom of a Well HAT stars are visible in the daytime from the bottom of a deep shaft or well has been generally believed since the days of Aristotle, but there is not the slightest foundation for the idea. Baron Humboldt, who spent a good deal of time in mines him- self and questioned miners in various parts of the world, found no evidence in support of this belief, and it has since been thoroughly exploded. But like many other “ex- ploded”’ ideas it flourishes just as vigorously as ever. Fireproof Leggings for the Foundry Worker HE foundry is the one workshop where old shoes, such as the workman loves to don for the sake of comfort, are not worn —or should not be. They offer too little protection against splashes of the molten metal. Usually a Congress shoe of specially prepared leather is worn, over which a legging is fitted to protect the leg and knee. A very good type of legging for the foundry is shown in the accompanying il- lustration. It is made of asbestos in the shape of a boot and covers not only the leg and knee but the top part of the foot as well. It is held in place by steel bands which fasten round the leg with spring clasps. Structural steel workers riveting white-hot bolts into big beams need not worry about exposed legs when they are so well protected with asbestos leggings. Men who use the oxy-acety- lene flame in confined spaces would find the leggings convenient. Popular Science Monthly Asbestos leggings protect every part of the foot, including leg and knee Photos @ Western Newspaper Union How the German mask pro- tects the sniper as he lies prone on the ground The cut-out on the side of the mask is to enable the wearer to use a rifle The Latest Thing in German Sniper’s Masks HEAVY metal mask captured from the Germans by the Canadians on the western front attracted considerable interest in army circles. It is made of one quarter- inch Krupp steel and although it is not much larger than a man’s head it furnishes ample protection for a sniper lying prone upon the ground. The cut out on the right of the mask permits a rifle to be held to the shoulder in the natural position. Note the peculiar sloping eye slits. Evidently they, were cut this shape to conform to the angle of the eye as the sniper turns his head _ to peer through either of the slits, which are so far apart that only one at a time can be used. It has been suggested that a whole army of fighters should be equipped with masks of a similar nature, to reduce the very.great number of head wounds. This is obviously imprac- ticable.

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C) Brownjand Dawson Lieutenant Muller operat- ing his stenographic ma- chine. The ten keys are shown clearly at the right A Blind French Soldier Invents a Stenographic Machine IEUTENANT MULLER, a French- man blinded in the war, has in- vented a machine for blind stenographers. It promises to simplify the work of teach- ing stenography to men who have been deprived of their sight, thereby providing them with a means of earning a livelihood. The machine is constructed for a pho- netic system of Popular Science Monthly hand. One motion writes a syllable. As no distinction is made between cer- tain consonants, such as T and D, F and V, Ch and J and other combinations of consonants such as Br and Pr, Pl and Bl, Cr and Gr, each consonant does not have to be indicated. The Muller ma- chine has ten consonant signs, fifteen vowel signs and three final consonant signs which make, altogether, twenty- eight signs. The usefulness of the machine is greatly enhanced by its size and weight. It is small enough and light enough to be carried in a valise. The paper is fed through the machine from alarge roll. The signs are embossed on the strip of paper by the pressure of thekeys. Whenthehlind man wants to read his notes all he has to do is to pass the paper tape which has unfolded from the reel, through his fingers. Lengthening the Period of the Comb’s Usefulness EEPING the comb in a sanitary con- dition is not so easy a task as it would seem. Merely washing it with soap and water has little effect. A reliable comb-cleaner is needed. The cleaner shown in the accompanying il- lustration is the invention of A. Abraham, of Rockford, Ill. Its strings are of steel, covered with stenography. The signs are expressed by raised points, each sign repre- senting an entire syllable. The key- board is divided into two parts, five keys for the right hand and five for the left. Thus the initial consonants of the syllables are written with the left hand and the twisted brass wire, which is just rough enough to scrape the sides of the teeth and the in- tervening bottom spaces, without making the teeth themselves rough. The framework is finished in vari- — ous styles. Some of them are nick- eled, some are finished in copper final consonants with the right The cleaner will not be out of keeping with the prettiest dressing-table articles and some in oxy- Gized brass.

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A Hybrid Between the Automobile and the Motorcycle N an effort to combine the comfort and stability of the automobile with the economy and lightness of the motor- cycle, Alfred A. Scott, of England, has in- vented the small three-wheeled car which is shown in the accompanying photographs. The ‘Scott Sociable,” as it is called, looks more like a cyclecar than any- thing else. Technically speaking, however, there is little in common be- tween the two. The one is nothing more than a high-seated motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it. It is uncomfortable and is liable to skid and tilt on making a sharp curve. The “sociable,” however, is designed as a complete unit by itself. It is mounted on a rigid, tri- angular framework and its seats are earried low inside of the wheel base, so that stability is gained despite its wonder- ful lightness. Practically every part has been given special attention. The caster wheel method of steering has been perfected until it can turn the car in the narrowest roads. All of the wheels are detachable. The springs are of a new type which is far ahead of any on the average light car in the way it absorbs unusually violent shocks. These springs are also detachable and can be readily re- placed. Inside the car there is every ap- proved type of accessory and appliance. Not the least of these is the hood which can be erected over the driver - and his passen- ger in astorm. Popular Science Monthly. - The “Sociable,” in appears ance, is much like a cycle- car, but there is little in common between the two The Bachelor’s Coffee-Brewer. It Makes One Cup at a Time OW comes the coffee-brewer, a device for making individual cups of coffee. The device consists only of two cups some- what conical in shape, one of which fits into the other. Sufficient pulverized coffee is placed A on in the bottom of ' the cuter cup to LN make one cup of \ the beverage. Then the perfo- rated inner cup is set in place and boiling water is poured into it. It is left to “draw” for a few min- utes, just as in the prepa- ration of tea; then it is ‘S poured out in- to the waiting cup. The perforations in the inner cup of the de- vice, strain the beverage. The bachelor’s coffee-brewer is simply a _ perforated cup fitted inside a holder

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; WN UOMO Twenty sacks that will later contain the powder charges for sixteen-inch shells are cut in one operation with an electric cutter RAW MQAAANDWV—Po gH RR AAAWWCCCEEFEFEF—>" dF Sewing the sacks together is as important as it is tedious. When finished, each sack must undergo a rigid examination Canvas sacks are used to contain the igniters that are placed at the bottom of powder sacks. The sewing is done by women who are fast workers with the needle idl digddddddlddidddddddddddcddddldddddddldedflddddddeddddodedeeeccccececedededddeddddddcdddlededeaddclddddd“dedlecdclcdeddlddddddlddddddeeddedeecddeeeadddddedceededddddddddd ddd The Powder That Sends a Sixteen-Inch Shell Ccliletdddidddsichadidedddadddsddddddddedddddddeldddddesddecddddlddddedgadsedddgiecieddddeeeteededddeeeeddleeleddddldddddddkeedddddddddle Si eles dedddddaaidldddedddeegddddddddedddldcddddeeddddddddddcdecdcc dec. ; vr oi: : i QW Vy Women also fill the igniters that explode the charge behind the shell. The powder is tamped down solid by the sticks which they hold. This work is not as dangerous as it looks. 8

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. Udo YM) On Its Way Is Before the powder containers are sent to the various bat- tleships they are tested with compressed air to prove their strength At right: Filling the bags. with pow- der. Each bag con- tains sufficient powder to hurl a sixteen -inch shell through space at the rate of over 2000 feet a second Lacing a powder sack is the last operation. It must make a compact bundle to avoid friction Photo by Kadel and Herbert VM ddd \ WWW ASS sss ess Packed in Canvas Sacks S SOON sak WS Weighing the pow- der is absolutely necessary, for each charge must con- tain precisely the same amount Cede The completed sack—it holds just enough powder to propel one shell OWA

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i A Leaf of Havana Tobacco Is Heir to More x pe En ye 34 gle ke. mre hgatiwe (2 nde A typical West Indian drying shed. During the drying stage the tobacco grower is constantly on the anxious seat lest a drought shrivel up the leaves or a heavy rain cause them to sweat and become gummy. The shed has to be constructed so that it may be quickly opened or closed according to the changes in the weather, which is often uncertain Photos ©) Brown and Dawson The very best grade of cigars, the clear Hav- ana, is produced entire- ly by hand, just as it was two centuries ago. One man can make about one hundred and fifty cigars a day and he is paid by the piece. But no ciger- maker in Havana will work unless a man is employed whose duty itis to read aloud each edition of the daily papers. All the local and general news must be read, as well as the continued stories 10

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Afflictions Than Is the Man Who Smokes It Collecting tobacco leaves under a covering of cheesecloth. The direct rays of the sun make the leaves small and heavy bodied. To produce large, thin, silky leaves for cigar- wrapper purposes, the plant must be protected by cheesecloth or a latticework of lathing “Barn cure,” or the drying of the green leaves, is the most painstaking task of all. The leaves are strung about an inch apart on poles or strings, which are hung up in barns, tier over tier. Good ventilation is necessary to prevent stem rot and sweating

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Patron saints and national ideals enter into the sym- - bolism of these medals, W awarded in recognition ell Done, Thou Good of distinguished __ service an JAPAN, OROER OF THE RISING SUN SKTH CLASS ITALY MILITARY ORDER OF SAVOY FIFTH CLASS RUSSIA, ORDER OF ST GEORGE SERBIA PETER i. MONTENEGRO ORDER OF KARAGEORGE ORDER OF DANILO | ROMANIA foyvat= CL. 455 ORDER OF THE STAR MILITARY SECOND “ND THIND CLASS BULGARIA OROER OF MERIT, TURKEY cw. ORDER OF THE OSMANIE SuTn CLASS AUSTRIA OROER oF THE IRON CROWN,

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The American Democracy has only two distinguished serviceorders. A few famous foreign medals are also shown below x JAMES Went UNITED STATES ARMY MEDAL OF HONOR FRANCE DESIGN ADOPTED 1904 CROSS OF WAR WITH STAR sOvhin MILiMOREe O77 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE QROER EDWARD Vii "FRANCE UNITED STATES NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR eg agen “6a ter SECOND RIBBON % 18TH CLASS ENGLAND MILITARY CROSS FRANCE 1914 . MILITARY MEDAL WAR OF 1914 BELGIUM BELGIUM ORDER OF LEOPOLDO ALBERT MILITARY CROSS OF WAR FOURTH CLASES

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X& § Photos © Brown and Dawsoa Above: Susp2a diaz the candles in their bath by means of a scale. This enables the workman to withdraw them quickly or dip them just the right length When the wicks have been cut the proper length they are fastened to sticks and then dipped in grease until the right thick- ness is obtained The Largest and Smallest Candle Factories in the World Are Situated in Holland, and They Are Turning. Out Their SV ‘ H o' be ‘ ‘ ? 3 eee eee yp - Se ee | -. 4 ms ZY : i 4 + x \ We y ‘ Y : j > j f Y 7% t j r Z _ A bol ) ¥ . ee Soa | ; j 5 ‘ j i ‘ ZZ WMV WGA WQwAi Ww see QQQ\QQW"'?erto"'"l"l" Mid gecedia esse, eqecadddeaadeaadadecaacaccdcezéda 14

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Age-Old Product with an Utter Disregard for Electric- ity or Any of Our Modern Manufacturing Methods y VA Y y : | Uy A: The smallest candle factory in the world is shown above. Candles are stored in crates hung from the roof. The shop is located in Am- sterdam, Holland The largest can- dle factory in the world, at Gonda, Holland. It has an output of hundreds of thousands of candles a day. Note the way they are packed

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a SSeS pemeteneeeeien Perper canes Ven Y\ eer © Press Illustrating Service Climbing over a serac or pinnacle of the great Illecilliwait Glacier. John R. Bell, of New York, is hanging to the rope. He takes desperate chances, not for fame or for the love of the sport, but in order to get a good position for his camera. No one can “double” with him. He has to take the chances involved in hazardous motion picture work 16

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Rockies Pose for the Motion Pictures o The newspaper photographer is seen perched on an overhanging ledge of ice, above a dangerous precipice 100 feet deep Photos © Press Illustrating Serv. Above, Byron Harmon and Arthur McAllister crossing a deep crevice in the glacier, with the aid of their Swiss guides

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i WN eS SNARE RARE MAA. DDWNNNWWWWWW0WwwWWW WHA DD sO & You Don’t Have to Be Born Perfect to Our country’s navy re- jected you, Oscar, on the strength of your varicose veins which we show below. Even the United States army did not want you at first. But they operated upon you in one of the New York hospi- tals and, behold, you are now wearing the service uniform of Uncle Sam CMA RWWA NIA SS SASS Vd Vill A scene in one of the New York hospitals which has over for their country’s service. Young men who are some physical defect are given free treatment in many fellows in uniform end good spirits, too, for they VOM OPA OD OOO) WWW “LLL LL ec His right collar-bone (it’s the left in the picture) was broken, and it was badly bar and perform gymnastics better than most editors we know. 18 And so he is

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Wear a Uniform—You Can Be Made Over Not a marching foot—but the owner of the overlap- ping toes will shoulder a rifle. His feet are normal now. One of New York’s hospitals saw to that Mdddildddi/ttd Mdliddbdiddlddda devoted a ward to the work of making men anxious to serve but are hindered because of hospitals. This work has put a lot of young feel better now than they ever did before SX DOI WW BBaDDRAADDDDNDNDNVWiWWW ADH ON obvious. According to the medical rules he must be rejected. So they tested him. He hopped seventy “amma MMMM ttc ee ccctccccccccke j yards on the toes of each foot. That was set. But he could “‘chin” himself on the horizontal enough for Uncle Sam. now serving his country as a fireman in the Navy He’s in the Navy now 19 S Ss

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earners Se eS Most dolls come in sec- tions, as pictured below. Here, the trunk, arm and leg halves must find their mates before they are glued together for life. After they have been properly joined the rough edges must be smoothed off Photos ©) Press Illustrating Serv. 20 FR The workman above is dipping the trunk of the doll into a solution which gives it a flesh-like tint and waterproofs it at the same time. Hanging on a wire at the right may be seen some disjointed arms, fresh from the dipping operation. Dolly now is impervious to baths Dolls are famed for their peach-blow complexions. The secret of these per- fect complexions -is di- vulged here. A workman sprays on the delicate color with air. Whata pity that the human skin can’t be treated in the same way; and be givena lasting rosy bloom. Eye- brows and lips are next painted on and then the eyes are placed in position { j ' i

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Laboratory—But Don’t Tell the Children VM VM ddddddg¢ EEE. he Bie. ee | On the table above, the parts of the doll-to-be are beginning to assume familiar shape. The legs, at any rate, have found their mates and all that remains to make them passable is some very careful smoothing and polishing A doll with a bald head is worse than no doll at all. Below, a bisque doll is receiving her crowning glory at the hands of a woman worker who does nothing else all day long but put the right shade of hair on the right doll A collection of dolls, with ’Ras- tus, the human chocolate drop, thrown in for good measure. Dolls in winter dress sometimes make large money for their makers, because the head is left hairless and a woolen cap which costs little, is substituted

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uh 1 |} SECOND) 4 THE N*4 STOMACH KITCHEN é $9 9 3S Tue eee ia The above illustration shows the adventures of an egg, a piece of lean meat, some potatoes and a slice of bread dyring the process of becoming proteids, starch and fats. The egg and meat are shown just as they come to the “mill,’’ unground, although of course we grind everything that comes into the “mill.”” The bread and potatoes begin digesting at once. The other food is slower, needing preparation in the first kitchen before passing to the second kitchen where the bile and pan- creatic juice complete its digestion. As this food passes along that tube the little tentacles in its walls sort out what is needed, the waste going into the sewer. It takes two hours for food to digest; so we should not overcrowd our stomachs (From a drawing by Prof. and Mrs. Winfield Scott Hall in Pictured Knowledge. » 7 Compton-Johnson Co.)

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Is Your Brain Completely Furnished? a a ow ee ee ST) MAIN OFFICE Where. all orders start zi BRANCH “As a man thinketh—so is he.” This illustration shows how all movements and functions of the body are controlled from the head. The brain conducts a busy telephone exchange, with a central office and many branches. Whether you want to walk or to sneeze, to sit down or just to go on breathing, the order must come from “the man higher up.”’ Then, over the wires go instructions to the hands, legs or lung bellows. There is an independent switchboard which governs so-called involuntary action. You can easily locate the memory files, the picture show, and the ventilator. But can you find love or hate, fear or joy anywhere about the premises? ‘‘ Where, oh where is fancy bred? In the heart, or in the head ?” (From a drawing by Prof. and Mrs. Winfield Scott Hall in Pictured Knowledge. Compton-Johnson Co.)

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wi No one but the builders saw these houses until all were completed Whetting Public Curiosity—A Popular Science Monthly ekaniateeiaeei iic,£, so Real Estate Dealer’s Ruse N unusual method of. building houses was adopted in a real estate develop- ment in Portland, Oregon. believed that ‘‘familiarity breeds con- tempt.” As he did not want anyone to have contempt for his houses, he corralled them until they were all done. As soon as he began building, he erected a tall board fence all around the property. The most curious person could not get a peep in. No doubt he saw to it that there were no knot holes. This arrangement had all the elements of surprise which the public enjoys in at- tending the theater. Not until the houses were complete to the last little detail; not until the lawns were green and the shrubs all planted; wastheor- der given to tear down the forbidding fence. The builder How a newsboy saves his voice and yet “‘calls’”’ his papers most effectively Below: A tall board fence screened the little community from curious eyes How a Los Angeles Newsboy Increased - His Business N ingenious newsboy in Los \ Angeles, California, has de- vised a method of at- tracting attention to his wares which has not only interested passing persons but has been the means of sparing his voice, while greatly increasing his daily income. The boy has con- structed a sign, which is placed above his head so that it may be seen by persons who are at a distance from him. It is fastened to a wire, which is held in place by a belt which he wears around his waist. He has ar- ranged two loops of wire, through which he passes his arms. This keeps the sign from falling either back- ward or forward.

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Popular Science Monthly

Feet of Leather a Year OOK at the sweat band in your hat zor cap. It is about two inches wide and twenty-five inches long—a Sweat Bands Use Fifty-Five Million en oe = 3 = 4 Be, ‘ ORC WRE EA ee wee total of fifty-five million feet of leather | to put this band in the head- | gear men wear. It is, in truth, | one of the biggest little leather leaks brought to the attention of the public. But it is not a difficult Ree | es ; ‘ poe are Tacoma - little thing, you say. It takes an annual =| (yp — PP SN

leak to stop. By wearing hats or caps with sub- stitute leather bands or no bands at all, you can | divert the leather to | more important needs.

Protecting the Phono- graph from Scratches During Transportation HE phonograph cabinet is designed to be as ornamental a piece of furniture asthe piano. The dealer therefore, realizes the importance of handling it with care. One com- pany is employing a khaki moving - cover which is so designed that it makes the cabi- nets easier to handle and protects them from any danger of scratching, bump- ing or finger-marks. This khaki cover is shown in the ac- companying _illus- tration. It is pro- vided with strong straps into which the arms of the carrier fit, and other straps which pass under the cabinet. There is also a loop ee by which the cover may Protected by its khaki eover the cab- be hung up when not __inet can be moved without danger of in use. being marred even by finger-marks Clearing the streets cf London with an -illumina- ted -warning carried by automobile. ‘danger is past, the reverse side of placard is shown telling that the way is clear

After the The Paul Reveres of Lon- don Ride in Placarded Automobiles NGLAND has had so many air-raids that special provision has been made in the large cities to warn the people when the enemy airplanes have been sighted. The _ illustrations show placarded auto- mobiles sent out to give the warnings. The side lights are used to illuminate the signs, so that he who runs may read and get under cover. In a few minutes after the invading airplanes have been sighted, the streets of the city are without a sign of life. If a person should be at too great a distance from shelter to reach it, he drops to the ground. The signs are reversible, and on the opposite side of the ‘‘Take Cover” placard, the “All Clear” sign is displayed.

scope of the magazine. He will be glad to help you.

Maybe you have special needs. Write to the editor about anything within the

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Clap! Let There Be Light By clapping your hands you can light up the whole house. No, there is no microphone to hear the sound UPPOSE that you wished to light S the electric light in the library while you were in the living-room and that you could do so by the clap of your hands. Or, on coming home at night, sup- pose that you could light your way by the same means. with- out hunting for the elec- Armature S ature SLOP section of cross wire

Pendulum contacts on inter-

dient and refuse to come out of its kennel, because of the variable current changes of the microphone mechanism, by which it was operated. The new means which Mr. Berger has invented to make the dog obey every command without fail, is based on an entirely new principle and one wholly Yi. a

trie light pots different from switches in Ratchet Magnet ‘Point of contact that of the the dark. Noise of hand microphone. P Sound-operated circuit, controll : But what’s ep p j mega und-operated circuit controller While the lat- the use of sup- : mall — ter acts by 4 9 um away trom ; posing? Mr. esktcom varying the H. Christian end breake the } electric resist- Berger, a New relay circuit , The apparatus ance and cur- York city in- ventor, has made all such things possible by inventing a new con-

(j— trivance which he calls a sound- operated circuit controller. Besides the

is small. It js but little larger than a lamp socket rent in a cir- cuit by changes of pressure and conductivity as a result of the action of utilitarian uses to which the device may be put, it may be employed for the opera- tion of mechanical toys of various sorts, sound waves—and does not break’ the circuit—the sound-oper- ated circuit controller ac- including elec- tric railway trains, electric boats, hoisting derricks, or even the docile little wooden pup who jumps out of his kennel at your hand-clap com- mand—a toy first described in the November, 1916, issue of thePOPULARSCI- ENCE MONTHLY. While the mechanical pup, just mentioned, worked fairly well, on occa- sions it would become disobe-

to toys. Electric railways are old. Introduction of a contrivance like this one adds novelty Light switch Train’ switch .The device may also be applied =(—< "seg ee 26 h Sound-operated Here it is controlling a small electric railway. Other inter- esting uses are possible with it Sound-operated circuit emia Transtormer tually does open the cir-

circuit controller

a

y, Ss = ” Current switch

cuit. These circuit breaks are made possible because two con- ~~ tacting members are used. A diaphragm member con- tacting with a pendulum member un- der such

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set EIRENE slight pressure that it is capable of bodily vibration by the energy of sound waves. These two members may be employed in a circuit with a relay or other magnet whose armature is acted upon by a con- stant counter force or spring, the force of which may be regulated to move the armature beyond the operative influence of the magnet, or not, as de- sired. In the case of the toy dog, the force of the spring is such that the arma- ture is thrown be- yond the influence = -""y: of the magnet so — that the dog must be if put back into his ken- if nel by hand and placed up against the magnet bar before he is again ready to be clapped out. With the electric train, the magnetic armature, instead of closing a relay circuit on each actuation serves to reverse it. A Horn of Natural Rock. It Can Be Heard Six Miles ™ ING ALFRED’S Horn” is the name applied to a great shapeless block of stone in the Vale of Berks, England. It is pierced with a number of holes. By applying his mouth to it and blowing as in- a Se Driving shaft Barbers may now sharpen shears with ease and sureness of result Popular Science Monthly Q7 Sharpen Your Own Shears and Save Your Time and Temper HE new grinding device, shown in the accompanying illustration, is de- signed to enable the barber, in a small town, to sharpen his own shears. It makes it unnecessary to send many dulled shears to a barber’s supply house at a dis- tance with the resulting delay. The new device is_ portable and may be screwed to the edge of any table, where it is ready to be used. Thecontrivance consists of a small grinding wheel mounted on a _ vertical shaft. A crank and worm gearsupply the power. The pair of shears is held in a clamp at the top of the wheel, as shown. The clamp slides on a metal rod so that the shears may be drawn across the face of the grinding wheel as it is revolved. Sliding clamp Grindina wheel The Trunk-Smasher Is Foiled at Last by the Rubber Mat O matter how strong and well built a trunk may be, it will not long sur- vive if the average baggageman gets a chance to ‘“‘strafe’’ it. man would get around this by providing rubber mats to a horn, the practiced per- former can produce a weird, boom- ing sound, said to be audible for a distance of six miles. The story goes that King Al- fred used this natural hornto summon his forces for a great battle, fought in the for trunks to land on. According to his plan, the mats may readily be made of heavy garden or other hose held together by a pair of rods. Using these mats, the bag- gageman may handle trunks with his usucl roughness immediate neighborhood. Truriks land on rubber mats in Los Angeles. A local man makes the mats of old garden hose without injur- ing them. A Los Angeles .

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Where New York’s Bond Money Went The huge safes of the Federal Reserve banks are proving most convenient in con erving all the Liberty Loan funds eeusurewe r J Photos © Brown and Dawson It takes both officers and clerks of a Federal Reserve Bank in New York city to get this door open. Each knows part of the combina- tion. The safe also has a time lock The fifty-ton weight of the door does not prove difficult to manage —one man can easily swing it open. But when the combination is “off” not even the Kaiser could get in Sena earlier. Hence if the time lock is set for eight o’clock in the morning no one could open the door during the night. The longest time for which the time- locks can be set is seventy-two hours. This allows the door to be locked from Saturday noon, over Sunday and any holiday which might fall on Monday. Each of the bolts set round Titre, | HI qi 1}! i Piteididd | ileal d bl ‘tons. It guards the treasure of a Federal Reserve Bank—this par- ticular one being in New York city. Liberty Bond money accumulates in Federal Reserve banks temporarily. The outer rim of the safe—up to the place where the bolts are placed—is constructed of manganese steel, which is particularly difficult to drill and which will not rust readily. When closed, the door fits so snugly that it is absolutely watertight. There are two combinations to the door. One is known by the officers of the bank and the other by the chief clerks. It is impossible to open the vault unless a man from each group is present. Four time locks control the mechanism. Once the time is set at which the door can be opened, it is impossible, even for anyone knowing the combination, to open it ‘Lie door in the picture weighs fifty the door weighs ninety-five pounds. They slide into place when the door is shut, securely fastening it at every point. The door is hung on its hinges in such a man- ner that despite its great weight it can be swung open or shut as easily as any ordinary wooden door. It is not only designed to thwart the skill of the experi- enced cracksman but to withstand the terrific heat and blows which accompany fires and earthquakes. After San Fran- cisco lay in ruins, an early investigation of the big safety vaults brought out the re- assuring fact that the contents were safe and intact. The Federal Reserve banks have proven an almost indispensable aid to the floating of the Liberty Loans. They act as great central ‘“‘warehouses” for the storage of funds, and also exert a stabilizing effect on banking and financial operations.

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Popular Science Monthly Unaccommodating Wells— jf They Yield Water Only | at Night N the desert of western Aus- | tralia there are wells which yield water only at night. Be- fore the water begins to flow, weird hissings and the sound of rushing air may be heard. The phenomenon is believed to be due to a change in the form of the rocky channel through which the water flows, and to the extreme change in tempera- ture between day and night ag id which occursin this region. The I" hissing is due to the escape of air | before the advance of the water. | | | | |S Hot water tank |— = a= At Each Turn of the Crank, fA Hot water to bath [Leow Using an old hot-water tank, pieces of pipe and other scrap metal, plumber-soldiers in the Eighth Pennsylvania constructed a shower-bath for themselves TH > || I Plumbers Will Plumb— a Cartridge Slips Into Place N automatic machine-gun can dis- charge the two hundred and fifty cartridges of a fully loaded belt in less than twenty-five seconds. The loading of the cartridge belts is, in comparison, a leisurely occupation. Toslip two hundred and fifty separate cartridges, by hand, into their individual loops in the cartridge belt, is tedious and expensive. To expedite matters, the little loading device, here illustrated has been evolved. Layers of cartridges, as they are removed from the standard box of cartridges, are slipped into the vertical guide, the belt entered between the feed-wheels of the loading device and the crank turned, just as one would operate the handle of an ice- cream machine. The cartridge belt issues on the near side with a cartridge properly inserted in each suc- cessive belt loop. In a very few minutes the belt is fitted with its complement of two hundred and fifty cartridges, and is ready for imme- - pencils? diate use. What is the man doing—sharpening He is’ not. machine gun cartridge belt with rapidity Even in Army N the Eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry, there are plumbers. Plumbers will plumb even if they are in the army and can’t go back to the shop for tools. Ingenuity always takes the place of imple- ments, as it did in this Eighth Regiment. A few old pieces of pipe, some brick, a tank, and odds and ends, were all that was needed to rig up a shower bath for fellow soldiers. How the parts are put together is shown in the illustration. Hot or cold water may be had as desired. Real mortar is used in the furnace’s con- struction, and over the whole is a coating of mud to help keep in the heat. Fresh water enters through the coils next to the fire and is made hot as fast as drawn out through the pipe leading to the bath. The soldiers may retire to this impro- vised bath room at any time and enjoy a hot shower. A fire of old fagots, pieces of coal, or anything available, will keep the water warm for He is loading. a a a long period.

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Speaking Tubes for a Ship’s Gunners Reporting the range, the hits and the misses Photos by Naval Constructor Elliot Snow, U.S. A. N a naval battle, the range is obtained © By U. 8. Naval Institute I principally by men stationed in the aoe a mast tops. The readings of their in- struments are telephoned down to the officers in the plotting room, below the warship’s deck. Here the instrument readings are quickly transcribed into terms of gun ranges and of angles of horizontal deflection. These calculations A receiving and transmitting headset as well as a speaking tube is shown at right A ssight-setter’s voice tube equip- ped with a meg- aphone _attach- ment, at the left Above: A tor- pedo tube oper- ator with the voice tube outlet beside his ear are sent to the either a voice tube gunners through or a_ telephone is speaking tubes, mt = es likely to be swept although tele- away. In big bat- phones and nu- tles, the -gun that meral indicators are often used, to make has but one channel of communication sure that the orders will be understood. stands grave chances of being cut off from For when the battle waxes hottest, the rest of the ship. Should that happen, 30 ee ee ee

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the gunners would have to depend upon the gun’s telescopic sights, and there would be no checking up of hits or misses by the spotters in the mast. tops. Thus, the means of communication is the crux in the modern method of pointing and firing a battleship’s guns. In our Navy, voice tubes are generally preferred to electrical apparatus. Speaking tubes are just metallic pipes made airtight. Why Do You Laugh When You Are Tickled? LTHOUGH it is usually done in fun, the habit of tickling is supposed to be a somewhat danger- ous one, according to physicians. The ticklish areas are lo- cated over the least protected parts of the body, where delicate vital or- gans are to be pro- tected. The reason for the ticklishness is that the skin is highly sensitive there and ‘‘aware”’ of intrusion, as a means of protec- tion from possible injury. This sensitive- Popular Science Monthly 31 The Liquid Fire of the Trenches Is Not as Deadly as It Looks HE effect of jets of liquid fire on men in the trenches is more terrible to the eye than to the body. But despite this fact, it is still used as a weapon. The bulky, rectangular tanks found in the original outfits have been replaced by the less cumbersome and more efficient “life buoys” and “‘bombs’’ of the lat- est flame projec- tors. In operation, the Germans let out the gas under compression, so that it forces a stream of combus- tible oil from the buoys through a connecting line of hose. The oil, which travels fast under the great pressure, passes a lighted wick in the nozzle of~the hose. The burning jet is then direct- ed toward the enemy. But improve their apparatus as they may, the Ger- mans have no con- trol over the ac- tion of the. air. By lying flat at ness, or awareness, From Illustrated War News the physicians say, is a relic of the days when man’s pre- historic ancestors had to guard their lives constantly against creeping insects and the heavy penetrating pressure of animals’ teeth. That is why, according to this theory, the tickle reflex is elicited prin- cipally by a light running motion over the skin, and by sudden prods. The reaction, in this age, is a violent discharge of energy in the form of laugh- ter and efforts to be free. But it is easy to imagine the shrieks of terror or pain that might have been the forerunner of the laughter. Humanity takes ages to outgrow its prehistoric impulses. The highly compressed gas in the “‘bomb,”’ on being let out through the “buoy,” forces out the combustible oil with it the rear of their being attacked, are in little danger. It is the German soldier who has suffered most from fire. The British, in self- defence, have combated liquid fire with the flaming shell. This, as explained in the October issue of the POPULAR SCIEN€E MONTHLY, does not ignite until it hits the ground. If the guns are pointed so that the shell strikes just in front of the trenches, both flames and débris will shower over the enemy troops. Moreover, the British have found that by firing at the enemy’s tanks, these are often exploded, killing their operators in the action. trenches, the men, . et SST a

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32 Popular Science Monthly

The platform is made of two longitudinal wood members curved at the front to fit the rear end of the Ford seat, and held in place by means of bolts through the top and bottom flanges of the Ford side-frame members. It is suit- ably cross-braced and has side brackets by means of which it is attached to the runningboards to secure greater rigidity. The platform is made of wood, reinforced with angle-irons on the edges, and near the front it has two hinged boards, which are raised to a vertical position when a piano

Training ‘‘Tommies’’ to Lay Wires in the Dark N efficiency tests, conducted at Alder- shot, England, the recruits are drilled in every requirement of military tactics, under conditions such as they are likely to encounter in the war zone. The accompanying illustration shows a wiring party, sent out to set up wire entanglements, presumably under cover of darkness. In order to train. them to be sure of step, even when the way is obscure, the soldiers are | partially blind- folded. Even so hindered, they ' work rapidly over rough, undulating ground, such as they will find on a battle field.

Storage compartmen ‘= " r+ Support when not in use Another use for the little Ford. It will move your piano for you

Moving a Piano by Automobile NOVEL type of plat- form has been designed by a Nebraskan inventor, to carry a piano so as to prop- erly distribute its weight over all four wheels of a Ford roadster. Blindfolded recruits learning speed in laying wire entanglements by the sense of touch Strap loop Piano support <3. Skid is carried. The piano is placed transversely * of the Ford with the keyboard at the rear. It is held in position by means of two leather or canvas straps, inserted through loops in the tops of the two hinged boards and then carried back to the rear of the platform, and by means of an additional leather strap, inserted in the angle of the keyboard, and attached to the front ends of the platform on either side. Since the weight of the average piano is approximately 350 lbs., or about equal to that of the three passengers usually carried in a Ford touring model, no ad- ditional strain is placed on the vehicle. The piano is placed directly up against the two hinged boards so that it can-

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not slide while the vehicle is in motion. Its center of gravity is well forward of the Ford rear axle in order that its weight may be partly distributed over the front wheels. To load the piano onto the platform easily, two stout plank skids are provided. These have angle-iron hooks on their forward ends, which slip into staples bolted to the rear of the platform. After the piano has been loaded, the skids are removed from the staples and pushed forward un- der .the platform, so that their over- hanging ends do not present a men- ace to pedestrians. In this way the piano is as safely moved as in a fully equipped van. This electric attachment makes one blanket sufficient for the coldest night No Passing Traffic Can Interfere With This Policeman’s View PERMA- NENT nest of wood and iron construction, standing morethan fifteen feet high, at the intersection of six streets in the busiest part of De- troit; will be used by a policeman, to direct traffic going in twelve direc- tions. In this nest the officer is high enough to see sev- eral squares each way, which enables him to avoid con- fusion and acci- dents. The station, which is glass en- closed and heated, has a signal equip- ment, so that it can easily commu- nicate with nearby busy traffic posts. Popular Science Monthly ie Kwa 4 j La i \ ¢ M1 tt. wed PT Ho’ by \} mG rend A eel af An elevated policeman’s nest, with the direction indicators in clear view of all 33 Lo! The Electric Blanket. It Always Keeps You Just Warm Enough LEEPING out-of-doors has been robbed of its most unpleasant feature —the chill. No longer is it neces- sary to shiver with cold, or to pile un- comfortably heavy bedclothes over yourself. An electrician has devised a light blanket which is electrically heated. The blanket is equipped withthree heats, so that you can have it mildly warm, warm, or al- most hot, with the expenditure of but a small amount of current. What Causes the Singing of Telegraph Wires? HE singing of telegraph wires is sometimes regarded as a weather prognos- tic, though opin- ions differ as to'the kind of weather it foretells. There has been much dis- cussion as to the cause of this sound. Probably it is sim- ply the Aeolian harp effect, and its occurrence de- pends chiefly upon the direction of | the wind in rela- tion to the direc- tion in which the wires run. Varia- tions in the pitch of the sound depend upon changes in the tension of the wires with varying temperature. ia ee

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34 Popular Science Monthly Attaching and detaching the adjustable gun-locks You Can Be Your Own Gunsmith UST about the time the merry gunner is afar from gunsmith and, fac- tory, and the ducks are coming in, his old fowling piece decides to take a vacation, and alock quits. Maybe it is rusty through long neglect, maybe a firing pin has become gummed up, maybe a mainspring breaks. A seance by marsh, particularly salty marsh, or seashore, is likely to start a coat of rust on the damaskeened surface of the locks of a fine gun; or a primer may leak and let in gas, which starts rust also. detachable locks for the hammerless gun. Take off the fore-end, press back a catch, and the bottom plate in the frame of the gun drops down on a hinge, exposing the two fine locks of the hammerless gun, the main and sear springs, the sear, and the striker and tumbler of each lock. Only a moment is re- quired to wipe them off, oil them and slip them back into the gun. Or if new parts arerequired, the maker furnishes them in a neat leather case. If anything should break, merely take out the old part and slip in the new. Using Snow for Cement and Ice for Windows IF TY degrees below zero is the average temper- ature in the south of Siberia during the winter months. In the section of the country where the house shown in the photograph was located, the weather is comparatively mild. In fact, although the logs of the house were cemented together with snow, there were times when repairs were neces- sary on account of the snow melting from the heat of the interior. The windows, too, which were of sheets of ice, had to be renewed at least once in every four months. A British maker has evolved easily- all © Brows: asi Wansv. A fashionable residence in Siberia. The roof is of mud, the windows of ice, and the logs are cemented together with snow. Ifasudden warm snap occurred the house would collapse

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Weishing Goods Automatically A machine that insures the merchant N putting up package goods such as sugar, coffee and rice there are two sources of loss. One is undue waste of time in weighing the contents by hand filling, and the other is due to giving over- weight.. against loss box which allows for the amount in sus- pension; that is, the amount in the air at the moment the cut-off is operated. The weight plate of the scales rests upon the lever, which is thereby depressed, and the electrical Consider 5 first—the weighing by hand. A good clerk can weigh only five or six packages a —\ contact is broken. When the goods ap- proach the weight re- quired, the tension of the spring causes minute, and the weight experiments plate to be show that raised a bit each of the prematurely packages con- and contact is tains a “‘pres- made by ent” for the which the purchaser, of electric cir- half an ounce cuit is com- or less of the pleted and commodity. the cut-off Some mer- so = tripped. chants have VS" — = All of the tried the plan of setting the scalesto weigh short, trusting to correct the et Scale overweight in this manner, Tension but this is by no means ac- curate. This was proved by a test in a large grocery where that system was tried. Out of two thousand pack- ages reweighed, it was found that over ninety percent ran When the desired amount has been weighed out, an automatic cut-off is operated which prevents waste parts are made of the highest qual- ity of metal, to prevent in- ' accuracy due to wear. The tension screw is adjustable, so that it can be regulated to allow for all conditions, even for weather, which might cause a variation in the flow of the commodity. A test weight is used and then the overweight. Less than five percent showed underweight, although the scales had been set two ounces short. An electrically-operated weigher has _ been produced to overcome this defect. It handles from fifteen to twenty-five weighings per minute. Its features are an even balance scale, agate mounted, a mechanical cut-off, tripped by elec- tricity, which cuts off the flow of the commodity in full stream and a control aes e Cea e Contact bar” Binding post How the weigher works automatically standard of accuracy is divided into three parts, high, low and exact balance. The machines are self-test- ing, so that the need of adjustment is quickly made evident, and their regula- tion is easily. accomplished even by an unskilled operator. Thus extreme ac- curacy as well as high speed in weighing package goods is secured. On the other hand, automatic weighers of many designs allow for practically no inaccuracy. ' t ; | i

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They never get stage fright and they don’t talk back ARASSED motion picture di- H rectors may be relieved to know that there are stars who will do exactly what they are told to do without complaining. These quiet, obedient actors are dolls. Yes, dolls have not been able to resist the lure of the screen. They are just the ordinary, little dolls such as any child would like to have for playthings. A special stage and scenery is constructed for them. ‘They are put through the poses which make up a real drama. The work is tedious and requires any amount of time. The dolls are posed and a picture is taken. Then they are moved a fraction of aninch to a different position and posed again. The camera takes an- other picture. When the work is finally done, the dolls appear to move across the stage with all the rapidity and ease of motion of real actors. The plays which they act in are not meant to appeal only to children. The dramas are well thought out and clever enough to interest any motion picture specta- tor. But as the work of posing them is so very slow, a scenario played by dolls is, in some ways, more difficult to put on than one played by human beings. It often takes several weeks to make a short play. For ex- ample, if a scenario called for a real actor to throw his arms about the leading lady, the actor would be able to go through the motions in one or two seconds. This would be recorded on one or two feet of film which would com- prise from twenty-four Dolls Become Screen Idols Photos by Peter Pan Film Corp. Here we have a kitchen romance acted by dolls. ‘The cook is em- braced by her sailor sweetheart’ much to the horror of the butler thirty minutes, even at fast work; for the doll actor can be moved only -a fraction of an inch at a time. The director must under- stand just how to make his toy actors move in a realistic manner. In other words, he must have studied and been a keen observer of human motions. When we see a man step up on a chair, the step is taken in one swift movement. If a motion picture doll steps up on a chair, this step requires a whole series of movements. The doll is posed ready to step up. It is then suspended by an invisible wire and raised until ready to : transfer its weight to the chair. All this ‘| must be done in such a manner that the simple act is executed smoothly and naturally. The director’s work with dolls and the re- sults he accomplishes are somewhat similar to the “Te ‘animated sculpture” which first appeared to thirty-two pictures. When the same scene is acted by a doll it re- quires from twenty to The elopers have eluded the outraged papa of the flaxen-haired girl and they are about to sail for parts unknown 36 several months ago. In this novelty plastic clay figures took the place of dolls.

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Popular Science Monthly It is tedious work putting the doll actors and actresses through their parts, but the results are worth the efforts expended. The action depends upon the number of poses taken by the figures The sculptured figures were changed to different poses and then photographed. In other words, each time a figure moved, a new pose had to be made. Think what that meant! For the ordinary reel of one thousand feet, sixteen thousand separate poses were required to furnish the action! Automobile Fuel Heated by Exhaust Gases in Dual Manifold HE use of heat is perhaps the sim- plest expedient to which engineers have resorted in an attempt to give the automobilist the same number of miles per gallon from the present-day gasoline as that secured from the better turned into a combustible gas as easily without some external means. One of these is heat. In the compound manifold, shown in the accompanying illustration, the ever-pres- ent heat of the exhaust engine gases is used to heat the incoming fuel so that its kerosene element will vaporize more readily and give up its full power. This is accomplished by dividing the manifold into two parts with a metal wall between. The exhaust passes out on one side of the wall and the new fuel comes in on the other. The exhaust heats the dividing wall so that it in turn heats the incoming fuel on its way to the cylinders, where it arrives at a high grades, sold sev- eral years ago. Present-day gaso- line is more like kerosene than the gasoline of 1912. Kerosene has a greater fuel pow- er than gasoline, but it is harder to get the power out of kerosene than it is gasoline be- cause it cannot be temperature and in such a highly and completely vaporized state that it gives. up its power readily on its explosion. According tosome reports, this dual manifold increases mileage from forty-two to fifty- four per cent, and keeps the engine explosion chamber broken up into its elements and The exhaust engine gases heat the manifold wall and the incoming fu:l is vaporized practically free of carbon.

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38 Popular Science Monthly A New Device Mixes Moist Air with Gasoline Fuel How to Tie a Steel Cable in a ‘‘Jug- Handle’ Knot PERATING on the same _ prin- ciple as the diaphragm pump, the device il- lustrated, automatic- ally draws a certain amount of moist air from the radiator of an automobile and de- livers it into the gaso- line intake manifold. The amount intro- duced is automatically N order to splice a steel cable, it is ' necessary to make a knot which will not slip or untie. Cable men employ what is known as the “Jug- handle” knot. This is made by grasping the rope in the left hand and forming a loop, as in Fig. 1, with the thumb at the cross. controlled by the suc- tion of vacuum of the motor, which draws the diaphragm of the device against a cone-shaped adjusting screw that serves to vary The device draws moist air from the radiator, as shown above Next bring the loop down so the center of it rests under the thumb, as in Fig. 2. Hold the loop firmly under the left thumb and the amount turn the passing right half through a hole in the over toward the back and center of the Iilustrating how the downward, moist air increases h h diaphragm. the engine efficiency then turn the left loop back Utilizing malian to Lower the Price of Pork UT in Omaha City, Omaha, the people are not worrying about the soaring prices of pork. The hotel men of the city have formed themselves into a hog-raising organization, and a chain of restaurants contributes the table and kitchen refuse to feed the hogs, fattening them for the market in record time. In Hull, Mass., the same idea of utilizing garbage to prepare live stock for the market, is carried out under the city management. Land for pasturing and hous- i ing is loaned free and the only expense is the salary of one man who takes care of the herd. The city then controls the price of the pork. and place it behind the strand which has been held under the thumb. The knot is now like Fig.4. Next, place the finger and thumb of the right hand through the space marked with a cross in Fig. 4 and grasp the strand which was first held between the thumb and forefinger, in the original position. Care must be taken to grasp the strand between the two strands which are held in the left hand. Pull this strand through and the knot is tied. The rope will twist and turn as it is pulled through, but it will not tangle. The four operations necessary to tie the “Jug-handle”’ knot

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effective in trench warfare. shells. which could heave considerable quantities of high explosive into an enemy trench, was badly needed at the beginning of the war. The Germans were the first in the field. Hans worked out little trench mortars he called minenwer- fer. Soon the British replied with the Stokes gun. This latter is now linked with the famous Lewis machine gun, the Mills and Hale grenades, and the like, as one of the most potent inventions brought about by the war. Trench mortars and howitzers are merely short-barreled, light-shell pitch- ing guns used for sending shells via the indirect fire route from one trench, over Deadman’s land, to another trench. High velocity would defeat its own purpose, just as would direct fire. One would drive the shell entirely too far when the gun was elevated to pitch the shell, the other would merely shoot over the top of the other trenches after the fashion of a rifle A WEAPON with little velocity but Outdoing the Mine Throwers Stokes gun used by British proves simple and You drop in the German ‘‘ Minenwerfers”’ aren’t in it! The rapidity of the fire is limited only by the speed at which the gun crew can drop shells down the barrel Photos © Kadel & Herbert A new gun and various types of shells now used in trenches bullet. In consequence, a mortar of any sort is elevated to not less than a 45- degree angle. This causes a shell to go skyward and over toward the other fellow like a dectased cat over your alley fence. The method is simple. It is effective none the less. Taking advantage of the fact that a mortar is always elevated at an angle of 45 de- grees or more from the _ hori- zontal, Wilfred Stokes worked out a shell, con- sisting of a case containing a large quantity of high ex- plosive, fitted to a base filled with a light charge of pro- pellant powder—also a primer therefor. The bottom of the gun barrel has a pro- jection or stud in- side. So when this new shell is dropped down the barrel of the gun from the muzzle, the fall bangs the primer against this stud and sets off the gun.

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An attractive aquarium hung onatripod. The glass container is decorated with pond lilies and their leaves Wr, Judidiiidddiidddldyy that A dehydrator for all- the-year-round use in drying surplus fruits and vegetables. set over a cook stove It is Housekeeping Made Easy DIMM MAWQa An elaborate kitchen table is a whole work- shop driven by a motor Two perforated pans, one inside the other, A homemade cabinet espe- cially designed for a_ boarder. Shelves are pro- vided for uten- sils and a gas stove plate is placed at the top for baking a pie crust without the usual filling 40 An attractive electric heater, like a lamp stand, for use in small rooms, bath and offices where a_ small amount of heat is required A telephone stand screen of three folds with a flower box in front ZZ Veiitddlddddddddddddddddle

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Housekeeping Made Easy A wire attachment placed over a faucet handle to hold a drinking glass in an inverted position Two positions of a folding tray for use in traveling. When folded up it can be placed in a trunk Fruit properly canned must be heated while in the container. For handling the jars while hot, this holder shown at the left can be used An egg cup hav- ing a jacket in which hot water may be poured to keep the egg warm for serving An auxiliary baby seat between the handles of the car- riage holds the old- er cherub when he tires of walking “iddededccddeddidaddeda A handy nut cracker that does not crush the meat. Screw pressure does the trick quickly and neatly The poultry man _ will appreciate the new oat sprouter shown at the left. It grows winter grain #X N yyumimittle 41

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42 Popular Science Monthly

French Official Photo On the top of the hill is a lone bell, serving as a tombstone to mark the grave of the church at Les Boeufs, on the Somme River, in France. For hundreds of miles the country is like this The Unforgettable Fact—the Murder of France’s Churches HE mountainous mass of debris shown in the picture is all that is left of a once famous church, at Les Boeufs, on the Somme River, in France. Crowning the top of the unrecognizable heap may be seen a bell which, by some miracle of good fortune has been left untouched by the retreating Germans. It is the only thing which remains to tell the story of a splendid structure, erected to appeal to man’s better self, only to be sacrificed to the insatiable greed of the war god. One of the most pathetic chapters of this war is the deliberate murder of France’s churches. Some of them were erected in the thirteenth cen- tury and were not completely

The Soldier Can Now Lie Down On His Bed of Air NEW service bed has been designed by an English manufacturer, which will fit into a small valise when folded. It is made of a fabric strong enough to withstand hard wear. When it is to be made up, an inner casing of rubber is inflated by means of two valves. Should it be torn or punctured, the rubber can be repaired in the same manner as a tire. The bed is twenty- three inches in width, but to accom- modate those who find comfort in sleep- ing with knees slightly raised, the knee- rests have been made seven inches wider on each side. It requires about two minutes to in- flate the rubber section. When the bed is not being used, the

finished until nearly four hundred years

The mattress of this new campaign bed for air is dis- charged front the rubber sec- << later. the soldier is a rubber section inflated with air tion.

— Fs fF FF fe = — TO ATH . 8a kl Oe eS COS eet ke i

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Pulling Horses Out of the Mud in Rain-Soaked Flanders HERE is the muddiest country in all the world? Put this question to the Allied troops and they will tell you as one man that it is in Flanders, the land that was noted for its fertility and beauty before the war, but which is now the scene of desolation Popular Science Monthly 43 What Makes the Tumbler Pigeon Tumble in Flight? ” HE action of the tumbler is well known to nearly everyone. In its simplest form it is a single backward somersault, made in flight, and from which the bird recovers gracefully. This may be increased to two or three turns in the common and plunder. Theillustration showsa Tommy extricating two shell-laden horses mired in the mud. Fre- quently aburst- ing shell will cause a number of horses to leave a good road and run for the soggy fields, only to become help- . tumbler or to a swift succession of four.or more in the roller. ; That it (the tumbler) has a_ physio- logical cause, such asa defect- ive inner ear or brain, there can be no doubt, but the prob- lem is. so clouded with what appear to © Press Illus. Serv. Two horses, laden with the famous French ‘‘75’s,” being pulled out of the knee-deep mud in Flanders less. —— With This Darkroom, Develop Your Photographs on the Spot HE modern photographer can develop his pictures wherever he happens to be. The device that makes this possible is a collapsible dark chamber. A large light-proof cover opens at the top through which you place the trays, the plates and chemicals. The chamber is extended by a bracing which can be raised about one foot. Your arms are be psychologi- cal questions that it will not be easily solved. At any rate the facts remain that the bird does go over, that he does it more freely at times, as when flying with his mate, and that under stress of necessity, when pursued by a hawk or striving to regain his place in the kit, he flies as well as any pigeon. On the other hand, some individuals in the bird family, particularly among the rollers, appear to lose control of themselves entirely, and having started to roll, continue until they strike some object put through two light-excluding sleeves. Your head is brought up against a hood, and two shutters are opened automatic- ally. You proceed with your work with ease, developing films as well as . plates. which . stops _ their » fall. Such birds, which are known as ‘roll-downs,’ or ‘mad rollers,’ never regain the ability to fly safely once they have lost it.” (L. S. Crandall, in Pets, Henry Holt & Co., New York.) Test- ing the sense of balance is the main Light penetrates through theruby glass in the cover cfthe collapsible chamber feature of the pres- ent examination of prospective flyers.

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SS Turning Sailors How bluejackets at Dunwoody Training Station are fitted to trades they like By Willard Connely, U.S.N.R.F. the professor of independence in the University of America. One of his pet classes is the Navy, in which he teaches competence for life to his pupils, the bluejackets. For them he has schools on land as well as on water, from which his approved graduates may re-enter civil life awarded a degree whose counterpart is given.at few colleges—the degree of Bachelor of Thoroughness. One of these land schools is the Dun- woody Industrial Institute in Minne- apolis, now a United States Naval Train- ing Station. There, more than six hun- dred bluejackets and petty officers are acquiring skill in the crafts which they want to make their life work. The men are not enlisted from one community, any mcre than the midshipmen at Annapolis are all from Maryland. They arrive in detachments from the various recruiting centers—Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, Rich- mond, Pensacola, New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle. Nine courses of study are offered the naval apprentices at Dunwoody; and he is an odd youth indeed who never in his life has evinced particular concern about one or more of them. In general, the ar United States Government is into Craftsmen A class in gas engineering. Some of these men will see ser- vice on the de- stroyers used to hunt submarines classes are formed from two sorts of men. Suppose Captain Moffett, Commandant of the Great Lakes Naval Training Sta- tion, were to send one hundred radio men to Dunwoody. He first combs his roster for bluejackets who have had previous experience in wireless telegraphy and who. desire to continue; second, for men who have long wanted to be operators but who have never had the chance to learn before they joined the Navy. If mental qualifica- tions are satisfactory, the latter men are elected as well, and later graded so as not to be a drag on their more experienced mates. After a four months’ course of electrical study and operating practice in the international code, these men are able to receive twenty to thirty words per minute, and can go direct to sea. In electricity, they have laboratory work, and lectures in magnetism, storage batteries, condensers and oscillating currents, spark systems, wave meters and measurements. The bluejackets who learn to be ship’s bakers probably have as much actual fun out of their work as any. With all the latest scientific mixing and blending ap- paratus at hand, they leisurely turn out one thousand loaves of bread a day, three hundred loaves going for the general mess 44 . TT

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Popular Science Monthly Recruits have progressed to such machines as the grinder and radial drill- -press in a short time. Many were formerly employed as expert munition makers at Bethlehem and other cities Within a month the carpenter’s class knows how to build stools, chairs, tables, deena and benches. Some of the boys are devising schemes for the construction of dwellings a ene A class in coppersmithing and sheet-metal work. Pipes, conduits and kitchen utensils are made after blueprints have first keen pcepared and passed upon in the drafting room

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46 Popular Science Monthly A class which specializes on the study of storage batteries, magnetism and kindred subjects and the remainder being sold to a local baker at cost. On demand, they supply a hundred apple pies or fifty chocolate cakes in the course of a morning. ‘Will you run a bakery of your own after the war?” I asked one of them. “Not much. This is no life for me,” was his swift answer. “Then why are you taking the course?” “T want the chemistry that comes with it. I work in the chemical laboratory after hours. I’m going into the drug business after I’ve served my next enlistment.” Many of the apprentices are as re- sourceful as that, with their eyes con- stantly on the future. In what is called the ‘‘related work,”’ as chemistry to bak- ing, they have the chance to specialize as they desire. Tne man who wants to bea druggist made such a good record as a baker that he was advanced to an assistant instructorship. In fact, out of every fifteen men at Dunwoody, one has been found proficient enough to earn the post of assistant in- structor. On Saturday mornings these men are taken aside in special classes by the chief instructors, who give them work in theory and applied problems. The men in the gas-engine class are learning to be motorboat pilots. They will operate the boats used by the naval officers in getting from one ship to another in a fleet, or in going ashore from anchor- age out in the harbor. The coppersmiths are making pipes and conduits, boxes and kitchen utensils. In all their work they first make blueprints in the drafting room. The assistant in- structor here is a bluejacket from Seattle, who has been in the coppersmith business for himself. When war was declared, he sold out his shop at a sacrifice in order to do his bit in the Navy. Not the least important of the classes are the cooks. To prepare the food for six hundred hard-working bluejackets three times a day would seem enough to do, but these fifty embryonic chefs have scientific instruction in the classroom too. They are taught how to cut sides of meat, to know the comparative food values of vegetables and breadstuffs, and how to compose a balanced menu. So it is not difficult to understand why the naval training course worked out by Ensign Colby Dodge, U.S.N., Command- ing Officer at Dunwoody, and by Dr. Charles Prosser, Director of the Institute, means something more to the bluejacket, than scrubbing the deck or polishing the brass. It is the free gateway to a self chosen and lucrative career. AA,

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Seeing A Trillion Miles You do it every clear night that you turn your eyes skyward and watch the stars twinkle in the heavens human, but it is done nevertheless. In one way, we can see many trillions of miles, but, as we should ex- pect, not very clearly. We can see the Sun, and he is more than ninety millions of miles distant. Thus, when we gaze at him, we are seeing many millions of miles. Now, most of the stars are suns. They shine and give out heat exactly as the Sun does, only many of them are much brighter and hotter than he. The reason why they do not look as large and as brilliant, is) because they are so very, very far away—trillions of miles, instead of millions. After astronomers had cal- culated the distance to the Sun, they were able to estimate the distance to the other suns. Obviously, these distances to the stars are not accurate to a mile or indeed to many, many miles. How- ever, it is absolutely certain that each one is at a distance of trillions and tril- lions of miles. ‘’ see a trillion miles seems super- Wy, > > a 1 ence of our SBE utes A few of the stars are not a trillion cf miles away. These comparatively nearer stars are known as “planets,”’ and all of us have heard about or seen Venus, Jupi- ter, Mars, or Saturn. In fact, there are quite a number of planets, big and little, and these vary in distances from millions to between two and three billions of miles. These planets shine with the light from our Sun, reflecting that light to us. We see them with our eyes or our eyes assisted by a telescope. We are, able, therefore, to see billions of miles. But, still more wonderful, we can see trillions of miles! According to astro- nomical science today, all of the suns of night are trillions of miles distant. Indeed, so far off are they that as- tronomers usually speak of their re- moteness in terms of “‘light-years,’”’— that is, the time it takes the light from these stars to reach us. In the case of the nearest known sun of night, this is four and one-third light- Vega years Summer Sun ° Bright and Wy, beaut iful ye eS Ne? _- a? oa The distance around the earth is about twenty-five thousand miles. Since the diameter of the earth is approxinately one third of the circumference, astrono- mers, have been able to compute the distance to the Sun. Using that as a basis, they have calcu- lated the distance to the other suns Sirius le Winter nag a s es ——= il ri eae Ye Of uns seen = trom Earth CS a EEE

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The Mechanical Owl of the French Army A night-roaming airplane with rockets and search- lights to throw light on a Zeppelin’s intentions h — flying has become a military necessity for reconnoitering and bombing as well as for attacking Zeppelins, which always bomb at night. Extraordinary demands are made on the skill of the pilot. A landing at night can be safely made only if the ground is il- luminated or guiding beacons are em- ployed. Were it not for the fact that the average night sky is not pitch black and is even slightly luminous, night flying would be even more dangerous than it is. Yet on those nights when overhanging clouds cut off even this faint luminosity, when everything is wrapped in inky blackness, it may be necessary to send an aviator aloft. Recently the French had to convert the night plane into something like an owl, so that it can fly even on pitch dark nights. Like an owl, the machine, with which they have experimented, is very slow—an old- fashioned Farman “pusher” which would fall a ready prey to a fast enemy machine in daylight. But how does it find its way? By illuminating devices, of course. They may not be heavy because the ma- chine cannot carry much additional weight. There are three luminous eyes in the form of searchlights mounted on the ‘lower plane, as our photograph shows. As the owl swoops down on its prey, they © Int. Film Serv. . The rockets on this night machine are electrically discharged. They are for use when darkness confuses the aviator. 48 flare up and enable the pilot to single out the target. But sometimes the searchlights are in- adequate. Greater efficiency is often de- manded. And so we find that the ma- chine carries as well eight illuminating rockets, four to the side. They are mounted nearly horizontally between the wings and are no doubt discharged by electrical devices. The mere pushing of an electric button is enough. Rushing out with a hiss, far out in front of the machine, each emits a dazzling flare, which, suspended from a small parachute, lights up a large area through which a machine may pass. The flare lasts long enough to enable the aviator to make an emergency landing if need be; for the lights cf an airdrome are difficult to pick up. By means of rockets, it has become possible to sight a Zeppelin in an inky sky. At night a Zeppelin is detected only by its propellers. It is practically invisible. But, if the rockets be aimed in the direc- tion of the betraying noise, by swinging the entire machine, there seems no: reason why it should not throw real light on the Zeppelin’s intentions. These owl machines seem especially in- tended to mother small avions de chasse, which, because of their speed, climbing and maneuvering ability, can attack an _ illumi- nated Zeppelin. Each rocket carries a flare at the end of a parachute

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Who Would Think That the Little Mole Is a Gormandizer? HE little mole has recently been recommended for membership in the society of big eaters. It is so very voracious, even in captivity, that it will sometimes eat more than its own weight of earthworms in twenty-four hours. One little glutton, weighing four ounces, devoured seven and one-half pounds of worms in one month. When the diet changed to raw beef, mutton, chicken heads and rabbit liver, its appe- tite was unchanged. Cheese, when mixed with either worms or beef, was the most toothsome bit of all. Popular Science Monthly f THIS IS. FOR TRAIT. -Cincinnati’s effective warning to her populace: Be loyal or to the stock you will go Wait for the Fire Net—It Will Come Reviving Ye Olden Tyme Stock Up to Meet You in Cincinnati PORTABLE fire net which may be COMMITTEE of patriotic citizens raised to meet those who fall, or find of Cincinnati, who desired to im- it necessary to jump from windows of press upon the minds of certain people burning buildings to save their lives, has that the old time method of punishment been invented by Allen Warwick Smith, of | would be meted out to those found guilty New York. It is the in- ventor’s object to bring the net nearer, or adjacent to the upper stories of buildings, to instil ‘confi- dence in those who fear to jump, and also to prevent the person falling from gaining sufficiently great momentum to crash through the net. Should it be necessary to keep the net some dis- tance from the burning structure to avoid contact with flames issuing from immediately below, an additional net or platform is fastened to the window upon which those who de- sire to reach the main net may walk or roll. The upright supports are mounted on combination castors, so that the net..- may be rolled along the sidewalk or held station- of unpatriotic utterances or of conduct unbecoming >. an American citizen, F? placed this straight B. backed seat and stock in = Government Square. A _ few hours’ imprisonment . in the stock would be am- ple punishment for any offender, said those who were responsible for the demonstration. Plainly inscribed on the stock are the words, “This Is For Traitors.” The young man in the picture consented to pose for the photograph to il- lustrate how uncomfort- able a real offender would appear in the stock. He is innocent of any wrong- doing himself. His legs are held securely in the wooden block, which is fastened to the framework with lock and key. No ary. All parts of the net — gn Rage ny is he one has yet occupied the folded for transportation. ' aredetachable and can be _puilding so that the first platform Stock—and we hope it will is within easy jumping distance remain untenanted.

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a Do you remember the ball that dances ina jet of water in every shooting gallery? Here’s an instruction machine built on that principle T’S expensive to train airmen. On the average, students break from one to two airplanes each before they have mastered the rudiments of the art and know how to fly. Private aviation schools charge heavily for breakage. Uncle Sam has to pay the bill him- self. In any event much money is wasted. The training of 5,000 aviators means the destruction of 6,000 machines at the very least, and each machine costs about $7,000. Now airmen may learn at least the fundamentals of flying on a machine like that here shown. It’s on the ground, for which reason students can’t break much. Yet they go through practically all the motions of controlling a machine in a treacherous, gusty wind. The machine in the foreground is a fan. Through the connecting tube it blows a strong current of air to the conical pedestal of the make-believe wings. Through the conical device the air is delivered at four points against the underside of the cross-shaped wings above. It is the fledgling aviator’s job to sit up on top of this cross-shaped structure and to keep it balanced against those jets. The pupil-operator maintains his balance with regular airplane controls. You know that a ball held up by a jet of air or water dances constantly, even though it stays in the jet. Imagine then what a task a man has when the struc- ture that he is to balance is supported at four different corners only by flickering This air lady is learning all about flying—without leaving the ground. It is her job to keep the machine balanced against four air currents coming from the pipes beneath 50 Os ere

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; Popular Science Monthly jets! His controls open or close the ‘‘boxes” above the jets just enough to keep him balanced. Foot levers manipulate a “‘verti- cal rudder” as in an airplane. This vertical rudder is visible just beneath the nearest box. Tilting it to one side or another enables the airman to keep his machine in the path of the jets. Attempts at devising practi- cal ground training machines for flyers have been made be- fore. Long ago the French con- structed a machine in which the candidate was placed high up on a pivot. It was the candi- date’s task to balance the ma- chine by manipulating a con- trol pulled on sliding weights. These moved out laterally in four directions along arms some- what smaller than those illus- trated. This machine was interesting in principle, but it could not simulate actual flying conditions accurately, since weights will not move with the same un- certainty as air currents. The new ma- chine probably will be more satisfactory. The Largest Check in the World Was Easy to Cash HE biggest check in the world is - not the one made out recently by J. P. Morgan for some hundred mil- lions of dollars, but one made out for a mere five hun- dred and seventy- five dollars on pa- per twenty-two inches long and ten inches wide. The check was drawn by the Otterbein Men’s Bible Class of the Grace Unit- ed Brethren Church of Carlisle, Excess water makes concrete easy to handle, but impairs its strength. So after the road is laid, this roller is used to press the concrete “‘dry” Squeezing the Excess Water Out of Newly Laid Concrete Roads ERE it not for Captain J. J. Gail- lard, City Engineer of Macon, Georgia, excess water would still be re- garded as an unavoidable evil in building concrete roads. He has originated a finishing treatment for the concrete, which squeezes out a large amount of the water after the road has been laid. After the concrete has been roughly finished, a wide, heavy roller is drawn across the road. The weight of this roller re- moves the uneven spots in the road, and at the same time presses out the water that has lodged in the min- ute spaces in the sand and gravel of the concrete. When this opera- Pa., in favor of the new church build- ing fund. The check is printed in gold and contains a photograph, in the left hand corner, of the pastor of the church. This, the largest check (in inches) ever made out, was given toward a church building fund. It measures twenty-two inches in length tion is repeated many times, there is little water left. Especially is this so - in the top surfaces of the road bed. The result is that where the wear on the road is the greatest, the concrete will set rigid.

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a Some New Devices for Comfort and Con- These Ap- pliances Help the Wide Awake to Attain Efficiency venience. The desk at the right outwardly resembles the ordinary office desk. But it has handy card and letter files fitted into every drawer Above: A metal device for rapidly creasing papers. It fits on the thumb A fireproof steel cabinet inclosing a mechanical account rec- ora. 14 shows the net profits from every employeeand gives an in- ventory of your business Office Man . For convenience in reference, these ex- panding wallets have openings which hold cards for listing contents ee ER EE we. Mlle A small press designed for the office. It tabulates paper for scratch pads 52 A lead pencil having calendar attached “a sit ot A desk re- minder which is similar to a card file, set in step form for more easy reading. An addition- al supply of blank cardsis in the holder A pencil rack invented by Frank Gilbreth, which. holds the pencils on end eI ARRON ACEP a s N x

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sx, Clever Labor Saving and \. Safety Devices for the Mechanic Who Is Up-to- the-Minute in His Craft

Pe mee Yet My $ At left is shown a At right: A gage ~: gif » small saw set with for finding the \ ~<a lead of a thread

a grip like a pistol

HUW "Fuhr

BE Be Wy 4 a4

—— NMA WAY SQW SO dD WS WO BQWQ A master truck is used in a munition factory. Lifting or lowering the handle loads and un- loads the heavy racks

A self-propelled, power- driven elevator which ! picks up loose material and loads it on a wagon

A special machine for grinding engine cylinders which need to fit snugly

ne

Small disk grinder A press which is for pattern makers, necessary to adj ust i SST cabinet makers and remove arbors © Brown and Dawson and others doing from fine work A safety guard on a die press to fine work in turned in a lathe. prevent injury to an operator’s hand fitting joints 53

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Popular Science Monthly presented it to the U. S. Naval Reserve Force Auxiliary, at Chicago, which is a part of the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. The boat has aroused great interest, principally be- cause it is the work of a man with practically no knowledge of shipbuilding and with very little knowledge of concrete. The boat is eighteen feet, six inches long, with a beam of four feet, six inches. It is propelled by a six-horsepower engine and despite the fact that the hull was not smoothed off it is cap- able of making a speed of ten miles an hour. Concrete, con- sisting of one part Portland cement to one and a half parts of sand, was applied with a trowel on a carefully designed framework of steel ribs, and was allowed to harden under cover. The boat weighs two thousand, three hundred pounds, twice as Hoisting the concrete boat which weighs more than aton. It is giving as good service as a wooden boat The Great Lakes Training Station Gets Its First Concrete Boat OR many years concrete has been successfully used for barges and much as a wooden boat. Looking Through a Steel Axle with a Periscope HE periscope, so efficient in trench and submarine warfare, now has pontoons, but it is only recently that it a pacific application. It promises to has been used for other types of vessels. avert many accidents resulting from Norway has completed a concrete boat defective locomotive axles. of three thousand tons, and a much larger boat is now being constructed in San Francisco. Montreal and Seattle are centers of concrete ship- building and New England ship- builders are watching the ex- periment with in- terest. The. accom- panying illustra- tion shows a con- crete boat built by Walter N. Dow- sey, a lumberjack of Iron River, Michigan. He The axle periscope enables the railroad inspector to examine every part of the lo- comotive axle and to locate flaws instantly The axle is bored longitudinally, the size of the bore being ample to per- mit insertion of the periscope, which is about forty inches long and one and one-half inches in diameter. At one endisa magnifying mirror upon which a light is thrown from the handle. Looking through the periscope, in- spectors obtain a clear view of every part of the axle and are enabled to detect the flaws in the steel.

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Like a Wasp on the Wing Is the New Albatross Destroyer in which the Germans have em- bodied all that the war has taught about fast fighting airplanes HE war will be won by that power which By Carl Dienstbach os RQ ss NN KS S launches into the air \Q the greatest number of the fastest fighting airplanes. This seems to have been realized from the day when it dawned on the general staffs of Europe that artillery must be aim- ed by a man several thousand feet in the air, that the enemy ‘must be prevented from similarly direct- ing his own fire, and that as a result, fight- ing machines must be resorted to in order to gain supremacy in the air. As a result, the warring nations have been trying to outstrip one another in producing the fast- est and most formida- ble fighters. British, © Underwood >. and Underwood. Upside Down in Mid-Air We used to marvel at the men who looped-the-loap in flying machines or slid down sideways or tail first, wonder- XN <a

ing what was the good of it all. The wildest acrobatic feats performed at flying-machine meetings before the war are now part and parcel of every fighter’s tactical equipment. He must put himself in a favorable position and if necessary must loop-the-loop to do so. markable piece of mechan- ism ‘we see embodied in steel, wood and linen, all the, lessons so bloodily driven home by two years of fighting in the air. The new Alba- tross is an amalgama- tion of the best fea- tures to be found in the original small Al- batross and the latest fast French Nieuport. : Above all things, a fighting machine must be fast. A speed of one hundred and thir- ty miles an hour is about the minimum’ now. In addition to speed, the machine must have the maneu- vering power of a wasp; it must be able to dart up and down and in and out with the rapidity of an insect. French, Germans have all commanded the air at different times, and the times usually coincided with the appearance of faster and more improved machines. Whenever the newest type of hostile machine is captured, it is examined with microscopic minuteness. The curve of its wings, the spacing of its struts, the shape of its fins and tail, the material of which it is made, the proportioning of its different parts—everything is measured, tested and noted. It is not only studied; it is copied. This is no time for riding pet hobbies. The best that the enemy has must be not only imitated, but bettered. It seems to be conceded in the British and French despatches that the new German Albatross destroyer known as “type D-III’ is for the time being the fastest and most formidable fighting airplane on the Western front. In this re-

In the French Nieu- port machine these two essential qualities of speed and maneuvering ability were more highly developed than in any other. The Nieuport is a biplane in which the lower wing is but half as wide as the upper. We look at the Albatross. Sure enough, its lower wing is one-half the width of the upper. In the fast Nieuport, the wings are “staggered’’—that is, the lower wing lies not directly below the upper, but slightly to the rear, so that the front edge of the lower wing is just be- neath the rear edge of the upper one. . Why is this done? Because the struts that tie the two wings together can be shortened. Shortened struts, in turn, mean less wind resistance. Look at the detail drawing of the Albatross that ac- companies this article. You see at once that the Albatross, too, has “‘staggered” wings and short struts. 55

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Popular Science Monthly Rudder Balanced ele- vator in one - Great thickness of tail-fin Round tail fin PAN wedal=remr-Vivlaalialsiae eI Inner fuselage : frame built o rerexe! 3-Ply fabric renders supporting ‘Struts unnecessar In their new Alabatross destroyer, which is probably the fastest fighting machine on the machines and have added improvements of their own. Why is the lower wing narrower than the upper? There is a kind of interference between upper and lower wings. The air is “caught,” as it were, between the superposed surfaces. lf the lower wing is A stationary engine of 175 horse- narrowed this interference is largely pre- vented. But there are structural reasons, too, for narrowing the width of the lower plane. Note in the drawing that the struts are triangular in form and that the

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aE SEE TIE ARNT APRESS SSL EPS span 29¢» Radiator 175 Np. Motor a ey tri r ri oer oan rol. lever Very narrow and ; oping lower e wings Pi bat efentraasitieee Popular Science Monthly Additional. laths supporting = upper surface of plane Se Balancing extension of aileron projecting lancom al ales western front, the Germans have copied the best features of the French and British fighting power drives the Albatross through the air at the tremendous speed of over 130 miles an hour rear member of a triangle lies directly behind the front member. Isn’t it obvious that the triangular strut thus formed is strong and light and that it will offer less resistance to the wind than if a rectangle with diagonal wire bracing were adopted? Note, too, that the staggered wing con- struction with the narrow lower plane makes it possible to fasten each triangular strut directly to the lower main beam.

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CPST Oe ROME pe pee ere ee cones gee . 4 ee aes i iadiela hy ait tutte sel =~ bead 58 Popular Science Monthly This adds to the strength of the entire biplane. But the Germans have improved upon the Nieuport in this: They have spread the central struts which hold the upper wing to the fuselage or body, far apart. Hence the two wings are tied together by only. two sets of struts—the triangular ones previously described and the central ones. Why was this done? Simply to avoid the use of wires. In the older ma- chines, by which I mean machines that flew in the early weeks of the war, there - were a far greater number of wires than would now be considered permissible. Wire bracing extended in all directions. ‘Now, a piano wire which vibrates a distance of half an inch to either side of its normal position offers as much re- sistance as a rod one inch in diameter. A wire may seem thin, but when it vibrates it is the equivalent of a thick rod. It offers much resistance as a result. And so we find the airplane designers of the world trying to get rid of wires. The builders of the Albatross have gone far in this direction. From the British, the Germans copied the rounded outline of the tail fins. The tail surfaces of a flying machine have much the same effect as the feathers of an arrow. They steady the machine. The perfect target arrow has rounded feathers. This explains the British tail formation of the German Albatross. More than any other fighting machine thus far designed the Albatross is shorn of projections. Indeed, the craft ap- proaches a bird in cleanness of line. The water tank, for instance, is no longer found near the engine; it is built into the upper wing. The radiators, through which the cooling water circulates, lie flat against the fuselage or body. Steadying fins and rudders and ailerons (the hinged surfaces at the rear corners of the upper wing, serving to balance the machine from side to side) must be strong and stiff and yet free from external sup- port. But their wind resistance must be low. The Germans met the situation by giving the fins and rudders a stream- line form, which means a shape that parts the air most easily. The steadying effect of a fin depends in part on its area. Additional area was gained very cheaply by filling out the space between the fuse- lage or body and the tail-skid. The fuselage or body in which the single fighter sits is noticeably large. But mark the lines. This smooth, correctly de- signed bulk, large as it is, parts the air with the lowest possible resistance. : Note how the fuselage and the wings . are tied together so as to get rid of struts and wires. The idea is not new, but it has been so ingeniously carried out that it deserves mention here. The exhaust from the engine is care- fully collected and conducted downward and rearward. Whiffs of exhaust gas should not be added to the tribulations the pilot already has to bear. It takes a certain amount of muscular effort to swing a rudder quickly. Clearly, the fighter who can swing his rudder most quickly has the greatest maneuvering ability. The muscular effort involved, must not retard a man from making the right turn at the right moment. Hence we find that in the Albatross all the con- trolled surfaces are balanced, which means that triangular extensions are provided beyond their pivots. You will find this clearly brought out in the tail of the Albatross as it is shown in the accompany- ing drawing. Since the entire machine must be swung around in order to aim a gun, it is obvious that as many as twelve guns could be mounted if there were place for them. Indeed, on the Nieuport as many as five have been carried—three on the upper wing and two firing through the propeller. No doubt a similar practice is followed by the Germans. In our drawing we have shown only two machine guns firing through the propeller. How astonishing it is to find the in- ventions of fairy-tale writers brought to realization. For years we have been en- tertaining our children with one of the most beautiful fairy-tales of Hans Chris- tian Anderson—a tale in which a wicked prince rashly essays to fight God himself with ships flying through the air and mounting guns that rain thousands of bullets in response to the mere pressing of a button. Look at the Albatross and you will see the magical buttons attached to the control-lever. Who knows but flying machine designers may find other improvements suggested in what we have been pleased to consider the poetic vaporings of romancers!

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You Aren’t Spilled Out With This Life-Boat Launching Device ERE is one of those ‘‘do-it-with-a- twist-of-the-wrist’’ inventions, which, though not at all complicated, seems capable of solving an exceedingly troublesome problem. To launch a life- boat right side up, is the special mission of the invention. Dr. Charles Hunt of New York conceived it. Having crossed the ocean many times, he naturally be- came interested in life-boat problems. And the machine he produced has been proven by Government tests to be one of the most successful thus far devised. The trouble with life-boat launching de- vices at present, is that it is difficult to unhook the tackle blocks, once the boat reaches the water, especially in a heavy sea. Dr. Hunt’s contrivance consists of the mechanism which he is shown holding in his hand, one of which is fastened at each end of a life-boat. Ropes run from these to a lever centrally located. If a man in control of the boat pulls this lever even when the boat is but a few feet above the water, the tackle blocks are quickly and safely released, and the craft launches itself right side up, even in a rough sea. Photos © Int. Film Serv. Pulling a lever in the center of the craft releases this life-boat upon reaching water Popular Science Monthly VE Vi ; tS 06 “ge This cylindrical barricade can be rolled over but it cannot easily be surmounted A New Barbed-Wire Fence to Hold the Germans in Check HE latest barbed-wire fence which the French have designed to check the advance of the enemy, employs a series of immense barrel hoops, on which barbed wire is strung. The hoops are securely fastened to a wooden fence-form— six hoops to a section of fence—so that it is possible for each entanglement sec- tion to roll over and over like a string of lopsided pushballs joined together to form a solid unit. When the sections are to be set up, they are dragged out under cover of darkness and so ar- ranged that the natural land formations of the vicinity conceals them from advancing troops. Walls Are Suspended from the Roof of This Building NE of the queerest structures in the world is an electric-station building at Cristobal, in the Panama Canal Zone. The roof is supported by powerful central columns and the side walls bear no weight whatsoever but are suspended from the eaves by means of cantilever beams. On one side of the building, the wall is made fast to the foundation with anchor bolts. This unique construction was adopted to prevent the building from settling at a dangerous angle, should an earthquake tremor shift the foundation.

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= — 60 Popular Science Monthly Handle allows complete turn Rear link shaft Saddle Hydraulic check Hook Roller bearings What One Lifting Truck Will Do in Factory Hauling TRUCK which will lift all but the largest castings upon its back, and then carry its load away with but a single man to operate it, has been intro- duced into the factories. Its usefulness is almost unlimited. Medium-sized machines in the foundry and shop can now be carried about, not with a ten thousand dollar traveling crane, but with a Over ten thousand pounds can be lifted by this inexpensive little truck. With it heavy loads can be wheeled about a factory more easily than with the costly traveling crane When a product has gone through one operation, it is loaded directly upon the platform, on which it is carried from one place to another. The truck sides are parallelograms. When they are in their collapsed position, the truck is readily slid under the loaded platforms. Then using the truck handle as a lever, the workman attaches a hook upon the stub end of the handle and raises up the sides until they form an oblong. The sides are automatically locked in this position, and the raised load may be wheeled wherever desired. By pressing a pedal on the head of the ma- chine, the sides are tripped. The load is gently lowered by a hydraulic check. The Soap-Box Orators of Los Angeles Have Concrete Pulpits HE authorities little eighty-five tenn gn dollar hand truck. Small castings, such as the little heater shown in the photo- graph, need not be moved with rollers and crowbars, which require sev- eral workmen and precious time. Each truck is provided with a . 33 ° RF? ae ae 7. o of Los Ange- les, California, have endeavored to beautify their city and to keep the streets free from congestion. The most novel device for the purpose is a cement pulpit. These ornamental pulpits have been placed at specified hundred = separate locations for the free ae - These The stump speaker’s pulpit before which the use of “' aoe are istributed crowds may gather without blocking traffic ers an stump about the shop. or breaking any restrictive city ordinance speakers in general.

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Escaping from a Straight Jacket in Mid-Air ARRY HOUDINI, self-styled ‘handcuff king,” recently escaped from a straight jacket, while suspended by the heels, head downward, in mid- air, over Broadway, in New York City. How did he do it? In order to escape from a straight jacket, it is necessary, first of all, to insure as large a play as possible for the arms. Hence the arms must be pressed out as forcibly as possible, while .the straps attached to the hands are being pulled and buckled behind the back. Suppose that the performer is on solid ground. He first places the elbow of the arm passing under the other arm upon the floor, or upon some solid substance, and, by sheer strength, forces it over to one side—an upward pull being exerted at the same time. The position is then changed and the pressure applied to the opposite elbow—an upward pull _. Popular Science Monthly teas Maia. again being exercised. The arm is thrust back across the front of the body, and upward to- ward the neck. This alternate movement is carried on until enough play is obtained to wrench the arms from side to side and to work them nearer the neck. Thus “‘slack’”’ isobtained to pass the strap con- necting the wrists, over the head. The buckle, by which the hands are strapped together is brought to the front, and unfastened by the teeth. The sleeves are then pulled down. Next, placing his hands behind his head, the performer can undo the buckles. He can then remove the straight jacket. In mid- air the method is the same, but more difficult. ‘There is no leverage to brace against. There- fore, hisescapeis nothing short of marvelous. Houdini, hanging over space, ready to make his spectacular escape from a straight jacket To save a newly paved street from ruin, Cleveland, Ohio, posts a timely warning Warning the Public to Leave a Newly Paved Street Alone O prevent the tear-. ing up of newly- paved streets, Cleve- land, Ohio, has set an example which is wor- thy of serious consid- eration. Before a street is ready to receive its new covering, warnings are posted, calling the attention of the public to the fact that all un- derground pipes should be put in at once, be- cause no permits for cutting the pavement will be allowed for five years. The signs have proved very effective in preventing excavating work in newly-paved streets. The people have learned that if they will use a little forethought, the streets of their city need not so constantly be broken up.

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Help Do Your Bit By Saving Gasoline WASTAGE OF 561,000,000 GALLONS OF GASOLINE YEARLY CAN BE AVOIDED DALLY PRODUCTION 6,849,000 GALLONS TANK WAGON LOSSES 7.200 GALLONS O1X@E WASTED ATGARAGES...1. %* 758 USED FOR WASHING... L SRF Ber rePRS FUNG «beatae | (COSSLE LENSTED CaRBUREIS4 34 eS | | DAILY — cant AMIN OF CARS 13% LLONS % | 500,00 GALLONs gg NEE LIFOR MOTOR VEHICLES ame | sty ree CARS 20.2% = MOTOR BOATS DAILY Tacrinpenes| |}204800q | WAR CLEANING NEEDS a_i WASHINGTON MOMUMENT- ~- ‘SSS Ft HIGH-S5 Fr SQUARE AT BASE TOTAL POSSIBLE SAVINGS PER DAY, 1,500,000 GALLONS TOTAL POSSIBLE SAVINGS PER YEAR, 561,000,000 GALLONS ESTIMATED WAR NEEDS PER YEAR,.350,000,000 GALLONS 71} Fe HGH- 38 Fe. DIAMETER Poster prepared by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce showing how to avoid wasting gasoline 62 6 pe way to win this war is to insure a sufficient supply of fuel by eliminating gasoline waste. Look at the accompanying illustra- tion and you will see that there is a daily waste of one million, five hundred thousand gal- lons out of a total daily production of nearly seven million gallons. This is needlessly large. For war needs of the army, navy and avia- tion branches, nine hun- dred and fifty-nine thou- sand gallons of gasoline must be had each day, which is less than two- thirds of what may be considered as wasted at present. Were owners of automobiles to stop needless mileage, nearly nine hundred thousand gallons of gasoline could be saved each day. The very highest gradeof gasolineisneces- sary for the thousands of airplanes now building, most of which will use the new Liberty motor, now being made in great numbers in the automobile factories. Great quantities of gasoline will also be re- quired to operate the thousands of army motor trucks to be used by our growing force in France. Although the pro- duction of crude oil in this country has been increasing at a tremen- dous rate for a number of years, during the past twelve months it has not kept pace with the growing demand.

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What Are Shooting Stars? Where Do They Come From? UR knowledge of shooting stars ex- tends into the oldest history of humanity, back into prehistoric times. Yet to-day no one knows exactly what a shooting star is, or from where it comes. An hypothesis proposed in 1875 and generally accepted to-day, is that meteor- ites are fragments broken from small planetary masses by volcanic explosions, brought about by a sudden expansion of gases, steam and probably hydrogen. The broken bits, after their separation, are be- lieved to arrange themselves in swarms which cross the orbit of the earth in ac- cordance with a definite law. Shooting stars, then, undoubtedly come from within our solar system and are broken bits of a world body de- stroyed by volcanic events. Many meteorites have been | found in Arizona. Formidable Machine Gun for Young America’s Trenches q HE most popular toys are _ steering ||''||f those with which fighting can be done. Cannons ~ must really roar; guns must really crackle as they fire the imaginary bullets, and machine guns must be mounted on wheels, if Young America is to be expected to approve them. Master M. Churchill Haenke, the man behind the gun in the ac- company illustration, is the proud possessor of a father who can make armored cars that look just like the real thing to the crit- ical juvenile eye. The car in the picture is all the better looking for being homemade. It is equipped with a miniature mortar and a machine gun which makes a racket like the crackle of gun- fire, when a crank is turned. Master Haenke supplies his own motive power. Popular Science Monthly Serrated wheel —_ Bracket The real post oll: i} The homemade pushmobile converted into a sputtering machine gun. It gives the impression of being the real thing New York city. stabilizer prevents any serious disarrangement of the steering wheel by keeping it firmly fixed in a given position A Stabilizer for the Steering Wheel Makes Driving Easier UCH of the strain of driv- ing an automobile or mo- tor truck would be eliminated if every motor vehicle were fitted with a new steering wheel stabilizer. The deviceis the invention of O. Wm. G. Holmgren of It is made to hold the steering wheel in the position desired by the driver, without obliging him to keep one hand continually on the wheel. A small wheel with a serrated edge is placed on the steer- ing column beneath the floor-boards, and a spring-tension plunger with a roller- end, is fastened to a bracket which bears against the wheel ser- rations, one at a time. When the steering wheel is turned, the friction caused by the spring tension be- tween the roller and the wheel must be overcome before the roller passes on.

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cia at: Denner Ne 6 SA Ree SPA RSIS ONE RE BE ie as Sa ee = 0 Change Yourself into a Fish Here’s an invention that supplies every- thing a man lacks to swim under water A one-man marine suit which can be used for salvag- ing, life saving and for wartime duty F you know the story of the submarine I you will at once see the similiarity between the invention illustrated and the first submarine, built during the reign of King James I. That old U-boat was constructed of wood and was designed to ‘be propelled by oars extending out through holes, the water being prevented from coming in by goat skins tied about the oars and nailed to the sides, to make a watertight joint. In the one-man sub- mersible described here, human arms take the place of oars, rubber and steel sup- plant goatskin and the propelling power consists of two separate units, one for sur- face and the other for underwater running, such as we have in our modern submarines. In its portion has its sides fitted with glass win- dows and the bottom portion has a tele- scoping window, so that the operator can guide the vessel where he desires, lying in a longitudinal position with his legs pro- jecting out behind like the tail of a fish. Directly above the shoulders of the opera- tor is a gasoline engine connected with a shaft which revolves the propeller. A compressed air motor with a storage tank takes up the space beneath the operator’s body and is to be used when the boat is submerged. Collapsible tanks under his arms correspond with the ballast tanks of a submarine and water is taken in or expelled according to whether it is de- sired to rise or sink. Levers to operate both engines are within convenient reach. To work them, the operator must remove one hand from its rubber sleeve. , To supply air for the interior of the shell when the boat is running on the sur- face, floating-ball ventilators are provided which automatically close when water strikes them. The body portion of the apparatus is fastened by straps to the shoulders of the-operator, so that he can walk upright with it, or swim in any direction—something no man can do with an ordinary diver’s equipment. The boat in its present form weighs about one hundred and twenty pounds, but for navi- gating work at a depth of one hundred feet or more, it would have to be very present de- much sturdier and heavier than it now is. velopment, The inventor the inven- says it is possi- tor, Worth Ventilators.c es ble to make his R. Barrin- > boat the fastest ‘ger, of Den- underwater ver, Colo., — oe machine in plans to earner ee- the world, construct capable of the boat of a speed of aluminum e-. forty miles and to have Mi San 4 0 —_ it take the apa cnacttiedll with a radi- lines of a tay us of action big fish. The propelling power consists of two separate units, one of twenty The nose of them for surface and the other for underwater swimming miles. 64

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The Sugar Shortage Is a Blessing in Disguise ROM the standpoint of hygiene and economy, changes in diet represent a positive gain. For instance, take sugar —a food which yields more calories per unit of cost than any other food, but which, on the other hand, gives us nothing but energy. It contains no protein and no mineral value, elements which are essential. So the present sugar shortage is a blessing in disguise, for we are obliged to substitute in its place vegetables and fruits, which are real body- building foods. Had we made this simple substitution many years ago we might have been a sturdier race to-day. A Giant Forging Hammer Which Weighs Six Hundred Tons STEAM forging hammer which weighs six hundred tons and delivers a blow of eight thousand tons was recently installed in an ordnance plant. It re- quired fourteen railroad cars to ship the hammer in sections to its destination. The main steam pipe, which admits a steam pressure of from one hundred to one hun- dred and fifty pounds into the giant cylinder, is ten inches in diameter. The ram is fifty- one inches wide, sixty-six inches front to back and seventy-two inches high. The approximate weight of the die alone was ten tons. The whole superstruc- ture is mounted on four massive ped- estals§ The main cylinder is lined with cast-iron bushing of special mixture. The cylinder proper is mounted between the two main frames and it is securely bolted with body-round bolts, the frames being shrunk to- gether with four large rods. Popular Science Monthly This huge steel forging hammer is the largest of its kind ever built in the United States A small electric heater arranged in the water circulation system of an aquarium Keeping the Fish in the Aquarium Comfortable in Winter HILE it is true that there is no heat provided for the fish in the rivers and lakes during the winter, it does not follow that the fish in the small glass aquariums do not suffer when the mercury in the thermometer drops suddenly. The accompanying pho- tograph shows how a New York artist provided for the comfort of his gold fish and kept the water in his aquarium at just the proper temperature all winter long. He arranged a small elec- tric heater in the water cir- culation system of the aquarium and regulat- ed it so that the water \, never varied from the \ temperature which has proved most agreeable to the fish. It was in- teresting to watch the fish swim madly about on one occasion when the heater did not keep the water at just the correct temperature. They noticed even the slight change al- most immediately.

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Models for American Airplanes Our manufacturers are turning to Europe to get the latest airplane designs Glass fluid gage oO connections) - structural details and propor- tions that airplanes of to-day are superior to the old ma- chines, not to mention the question of safety. The loca- tion of the sockets for the mainbeams of each wing dis- closes, for instance, that if the lower plane is made much smaller, it should be mounted far enough behind the upper plane so that the struts can be made to converge downward and be fastened only to the frontbeam of the lower wing. This gives a very strong tri- angular construction, of small air resistance that dispenses Although an American _ Fastenings to main invention, the airplane has received its greatest development at the hands of Europeans. The avia- Gasoline tank tor no longer has to guess. “ There are instruments og enraged, under his eyes to tell him = gine (hood is. | everything of importance _—missinq). Channel. for At the right is a model which our manufacturers are following closely. Every part has been the result of dangerous ex- perimentation and prac- tical usefulness. Note the position of the dum- my machine gun, on top exnaust Snield sep- arating moto from fuse- Jage Axle of _ e running gear word in fighting airplanes that de- rive the utmost efficiency from the extreme speed and the quick maneuvering and climbing that can be attained by a small, one-man machine. Cutting down the size of the lower plane, makes it superior to other small biplanes. This type has recently been imitated by the Germans in their latest small Albatross fighter, as we point out in another article published elsewhere in this issue. Parts of the latest Nieuport have been taken to serve as a model for the details of American-built ‘‘chasers.” It is in oe machine pictured, is the last 66 beam of upper wings « with diago- nal wire- . Pulley tor bracing. f aileron cables ‘4 ‘Pilots: seat = Condemned Army Boots Make Serviceable Roads ASTE boot leather has been used for making roads, in England. Combining it with slag, granite, limestone, asphalt and bitumen, a material was ob- tained which possessed the hardness and rigidity of the ordinary tar macadam road and at the same time reduced dust and was more resilient than the usual road. Although it was sufficiently hard to bear heavy traffic, it yielded without cracking on the surface. It was patented in 1910, under the name of “‘broughite.”

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as ew ATR I ee Popular Science Monthly Bubbles in the Blood Kill Many a Poor Soldier OLDIERS are found dead on the battlefield, with no mark of an injury. Some are lying with arms outstretched as in running; others are grasping their guns as though about to fire—all are in ex- actly the positions in which they were at the moment of death. These mysterious deaths do not occur as a result of nervous shock; else the bod- ies would be relaxed and natural. They are victims of “the bends” or “caisson disease” caused by sudden release from great air-pressure. When a workman emerges from a high- A small steel mirror for the trenches. With it a soldier can shave perfectly pressure air chamber, his blood fills with sma]l bubbles, like those of champagne when first uncorked. If the bubbles are large enough to choke the circulation, the man dies. On the battlefield, such occur- rences are the result of intense explosion- waves. The blood holds in solution a con- siderable amount of air and carbon dioxide, the quantities being greater when the pressure is high. Upon lowering the pressure, the gases sep- arate out as bubbles. In the case of soda water, the bubbles can escape, but in a man they are caught in the capillaries. All mus- cular action is arrested with lightning-like rapidity, thus preserv- ing the attitude held by the victim before the fatal attack. Just rub the tobacco off the windshield with a clean cloth 67 No Trouble if This Mirror Drops. It Is of Indestructible Steel THREE by four inch mirror, which is intended especially for use in the trenches, is made of a special metal. which contains a high percentage of nickel. It will neither rust not corrode. The surface of the metal is highly pol-. ished and reflects al- most as well as glass. It is protected by a soft lined case into which it fits. It is usually car- ried in the upper left hand coat pocket, where it does excel- lent service as a shield, being suffi- ciently strong to di- vert glancing bullets. Chewing-Tobacco to Clear Wind- shields! Would You Believe It? HILE inventors are trying to devise something that will effectually pre- vent the fogging of automobile wind- shields in rainy weath- er, along comes Theo- dore Petersen, a drug- gist in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a plug of ordinary chewing tobacco and solves the whole problem! Not only does the tobacco prevent the windshield from fogging, he says, but’ it enables the rain water to run off the glass without collect- ing in drops. After each application it is only necessary to rub off the glass with a cloth to remove all marks of the tobacco.

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68 EARLY all Popular Science Monthly How One Builder Keeps His Men Em- ployed During the Winter Months it is light in weight and convenient to handle, as well as strong enough to resist the interior 200-pound steam pressure upon which the of the con- crete founda- tions for a new lumber shed and a new ce- ment and lime storage shed in Cumberland, Wisconsin, were laid during zero weather. The water and aggregates for mixing were heated, and shavings were packed ina compartment outside the forms to prevent cooking de- pends. Safety devices are pro- vided on the cover to take care of the sur- plus steam. The safety valve is made separable, so that it may be easily cleaned and kept in condition. The steam gage is calibrated to thirty pounds on a dial that can easily be read. When the freshly placed cement from freezing. The cement was left in the forms until spring. When examined it was found to be perfectly good and solid. The Newest Type of Cooker Was In- vented Two Hundred Years Ago UT in Denver, Col., a new type of fireless cooker has been put on the mar- ket, by J. E. Crook, which is frankly an improvement on an idea two hundred years old. It is called a pressure cooker and is so small that it may be packed away in your trunk when you go away to the coun- try, or in the automo- bile when you con- template a long trip. It is simply a steam-tight cooker, complete in itself, without the usual box- container. It is made of aluminum, so that The cooker in operation. The materials used in making the cement during zero weather had first to be heated Note the steam gage and the petcock the food has been in the cooker long enough, a thumb-screw of the petcock is turned to release the steam so that cooking will stop. A Novel Operation to Cure Hysteri- cal Deafness in Soldiers URGEONS have recently identifi- ed hysterical deafness in soldiers as deafness not accompanied by muteness. They are curing it by an opera- tion. The patient is given enough ether to excite him, then two small cuts are made behind his ear. A hammer is then banged on a sheet of iron, and, if the opera- tion is successful, the patient jumps off the table with his hearing completely restored. Before the operation is made, the patient is encouraged to feel that he will be cured. ~~ i, & ee ae eee 6eelhCUS LS!lUC lUKlClClC le Ce Pe En = ot Bn er no 2 oe oe Pe, on ee | ee ee ee ee, ee ee ee ee so

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How the Germans Bur- row in Hollow Trees T first glance the post shown in the accom- panying illustration looks like But do not let its exterior appear- Look carefully at the second story window and peering through it you will see a soldier. gives the secret away. The post is an observation station constructed within the hol- low of a shell-broken tree. After it was captured from the Germans by the Cana- dians, it was left standing on an Alaskan totem. ance mislead you. the spot as a relic. In ‘reality, the post is a hollow structure camouflaged with foliage and bark. Iron sheeting has been placed around the trunk and over it foliage and bark have been draped to give the tree a life-like ap- pearance. Above the second story win- dow is a slit in the bark which would enable a third man to keep watch. Each aperture in the trunk is covered with wire netting to af- ford protection to the observers from flying shell splinters. An iron ladder, faint- ly visible in the pho- tograph, enabled the men to climb up or down as they wished. The fact that a trench lies at the foot of the post, made it possible for the observers to take up their positions without exposing themselves to the vigilantenemy. One well-placed shell could have obliter- ated the tree. Popular Science Monthly He © Underwood and Underwood Resembling an inverted ice-cream cone, the war photographer’s helmet affords his head and neck full A three-storied German observation post constructed within the hollow of a tree protection from shell splinters, bombs and rifle bullets A New Conical Steel Helmet for the War Photographer NEW style in steel helmets has been introduced into the military market to meet the demands of war pho- tographers who are making the pictorial history of the world combat. Resem- bling, to all ap- pearance, an invert- ed ice-cream cone, the new helmets completely cover the face, whereas the helmets now in use by the fighters of all the warring coun- tries, merely offer protection to the up- per part of the head. With his conical hel- met, the photogra- pher can feel sure that his head and eyes will be protected from flying shell splinters and stray bullets. Note that the helmets have carrying handles.

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70 A Little Gasoline Locomotive to Be Used Near Front Lines T is so vitally important to bring food and ammunition to the front reg- ularly and quickly that all the armies run whole military trains right up to the trenches. A special locomotive has been designed in America to meet the special needs of the army. Itruns on a narrow- gage track two or three feet wide, and hauls a long string of heavily loaded little cars. Itisable Popular Science Monthly ‘‘The Measure of a Man,”’ to the Inch—by Photograph F you are a busy man and do not like to'use up a lot of your valuable time in being measured for your new suit of clothes, you can have your measurements taken in the twinkling of an eye, by photograph. This is the basic idea of a patent granted to Emery E. Costly, of Walkers- ville, Maryland. His invention will indi- cate not only to turn sharp curves at will. Itispro- pelled by a four-cylinder gasoline en- gine, mount- ed inside the hood, just in front of the cab. The ex- haust is dis- charged through the stack. A gas- oline exhaust the measure- ments of a man but his weight as well. The ap- paratus con- sists of a plat- form on which is mounted a camera, a scale, and a height meas- using stand- ard on the end of a plat- gives little or no smoke, and this as- sists in keeping the little engine’s move- ments secret. Running in all sorts of | difficult places, the locomotive can ac- complish a great deal of work, all without revealing itself to the enemy. How the gasoline motor is connected with the driving wheels of the locomotive is interesting. Imagine the cab and other superstructure as mounted on the front end of an automobile running backwards, and you have the underly- ing idea. Where the rear wheels would be on an automobile is a small crank mechanism, visible just under the front “steps” of the locomotive. The four cylinders of the motor lie lengthwise under the hood, just as they would in an automobile. They drive this crank through the medium of clutches, trans- mission, and power-shafting in the same way as they would the rear axle of an automobile. Power is transferred from the crank-mechanism to the driv- ing wheels through the aid of connect- ing rods. This little locomotive can haul several cars heavily loaded with supplies for the boys in the front trenches form scale. There is no tiresome standing as there was when the tape mea- sure did its slow work. All the prospec- tive customer has to do is to stand on the platform opposite to the camera. A measuring device behind him will record his height and other measurements and scale his weight. All these details, will appear in the picture. Be photographed on this platform and the resulting picture will indicate your height, your weight and your measurements

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The Modern Soldier’s Fight- ing Equipment — HE equipment of a French infantryman in Napoleon’s day consisted of a gun and a knapsack. To-day the soldier carries an array of death-dealing weapons as complete as that of the arsenal itself. Hand grenades and gun gre- nades, wire shears and a rifle are carried by the foot soldier in the advance. Pick-axe and shovel he must have when he reaches the | trenches. Signal lanterns and sky-rockets must also be carried by the officers to keep head- quarters constantly in touch with the progress of the fight. The periscope and the gas alarm are as necessary as guns. all these the other implements Popular Science Monthly A nature lover had the body of this automo- bile fashioned out of a hollowed redwood log Add to of war and you will understand why physical fit- ness is the principal consideration in the examination of recruits. A Traveling Home Made From a Giant Redwood O construct an automobile body out of a section of a huge redwood treeis a f gx j , >) © Underwood and Underwood The modern soldier carries more than twenty im- plements of warfare in addition to his gun and blanket. Is it any wonder he has to be strong? feat recently accomplished by Charles Kellogg of Santa Clara, California. Mr. Kellogg is well known as the first man to imi- tate birds with his voice. To accommodate this unique redwood body, an especially- designed chassis was construct- ed. Then Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg traveled to the Eel river coun- try, where many mammoth red- woods grow. Here they secured from a lumber company a section of one of the large trees. The sec- tion chosen was twenty-two feet long, thirty-three feet in circumference and weighed forty tons. One-half of this piece was cut away, and the selected half was hollowed and the bark was re- moved. It was then jacked up and the chassis was run beneath it. When dried, this finished product weighed about five thousand pounds. The car has been fitted with windows and doors, and the inside has been equipped with beds, kitchenette, closets, electric lights and all traveling conveniences.

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ae —— ee Lens Rreromn STATION ENLIstT four LENSIN THE Army If you have lenses you are not using, emulate the example of this man and enlist them in the army. The officer shown in the picture above is Captain Dawson, who used to‘make photo- graphs for the “Popular Science Monthly” Have You a Camera Lens? Enlist It in the Army HE Signal Corps of the Army needs lenses for cameras to be used by the fleet of observation airplanes now being built. If you have a lens of the required type, do your bit by enlisting it in the service of the Army. Write to the photographic division of the Signal Corps, U.S. A., Mills Building Annex, Washing- ton, D. C., stating what you have on hand and what price you want. Because the camera lens is the eye of the Army LO: and because German lenses can no longer be bought, a serious situa- tion has arisen. The Bureau of Standards, of the Depart- ment of Com- merce is now perfecting a substitute for the German “crown bari- um” glass. © Brown and Dawson A battleship twenty-eight feet long, which is built of flat slabs of stone. The funnels are short tree trunks A Battleship Made of Stone—A Landlubber’s Feat LTHOUGH four months of his vacation went into the building of a stone battleship, John von Wiegand of Brooklyn, N. Y., is proud of the monument which tops a little hill of broken rock, overlooking a stone’ quarry at Haines Falls, N. Y., in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Mr. von Wiegand is a retired police inspector, having passed the age limit of the service. A little over a year ago he spent his vacation in the Catskills and conceived a plan for building a structure out of stone. His choice settled on a battleship. A number of boys, seeking some form of diversion, soon became inter- ested in Mr. von Wiegand’s plan. To each one he gave a time card on which was kept an accurate record of the working hours. So, aided by his staff of juvenile engineers, the former police inspector constructed his battle- ship step by step. The ship measures twenty-eight feet in length and eight feet in beam. It is built entirely of flat stone slabs of varying sizes and shapes. The funnels consist of short lengths of tree trunk, with the bark left on. The masts are merely young trees with the branches stripped. The decks and roof of the superstructure are of large flat slabs of rock, such as are used for sidewalks, while the turrets are shaped with curved stones and armed with “guns” made of young tree trunks, stripped of branches and bark. No cement or mortar has been used for holding the stones together, since the weight of - these compo- nents is suffi- cient to keep them in place. In the vitals of the battle- ship has been placed a bottle containing a record of the names of the con- structors.

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een ee |

What? A Poisoned Sea in the Atlantic Ocean? OR the eighth time since 1844 fish have been killed along the west coast of Florida in an area of poisoned water. Not only the water, but the air has been charged with a suffocating gas, odorless _ but irritating to the air-passages. The last mortality was reported in October and November of 1916. The Bureau of Fisheries sent experts to the spot but they were obliged to admit, after a care- ful investigation, that the cause of the strange occurrence is a mystery. One explanation advanced is that earth- quake shocks, possibly due to West Indian hurricanes, released poisonous gases from the sea-bottom. Using the Exhaust Gas to Make the Engine Start Easily in Cold Weather » SIMPLE device to make your automobile engine start easily in cold weather and to prevent it from sputtering before it gets warmed up, is shown in the accompanying illustration. It consists of a length of one-quarter-inch brass gas pipe screwed into the exhaust manifold and then wound around the in- take manifold between the carbureter and the cylinders. The free end of the pipe is then bent downward and backward under the car, so that the small amount of exhaust gas passing out of it will not be disagreea- ble to the driver or Popular Science M onthly

3

An ice formation resembling a giant cauli-

flower. It remained solid for several weeks A Giant Cauliflower of Solid Ice. It Was Twenty Feet Tall URING some freezing weather in Alberta, Canada, the device which

to the passengers. It takes about six feet of pipe to make the device. The heat of the gas in the pipe warms the intake manifold so that the incoming fuel is heated and more completely vapor- ized. This gives additional power because of the greater heat and ef- fects a considerable saving in gasoline.

Attached here to exhaust manifold

. s . g er ae Fale-1<- Masts ethno) (al 6 ‘ St e iBrass pipe coiled idelebavell| alt=] <cmaallalicelie! q

It also prevents carbon deposits.

The heat of the exhaust gas warms the intake ‘manifold, vaporizing the fuel takes care of the overflow from the oil well, shown above, was out of order, and the gas and water squirted high in the air, freezing as it fell. In about a week’s time, a beautiful ice for- mation resembling a giant cauliflower ornamented the side of the build- ing, and reached twenty feet in the air. Its beauty was augmented when the sun shone.

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EEE TET RIOT ET SO ICI RR i a Se ee + aS ES eae Sees OO Rea St eee ees area

ees The Motor Truck of Democracy It’s old and yet it’s startlingly new. Fifty experts sacrificed their pet hobbies and buried the hatchet of competition to produce it By Joseph Brinker HE Motor Truck of Democracy, otherwise known as the standardized war truck of the United States Army, is the greatest achievement of America’s motor- truck industry. And why? In the first place, it was conceived not by one man or one com- pany, but by fifty of the master motor-truck “Photo © by Harris and Ewing President Wilson Accepts the Liberty Truck Although it represents everything new in design it embodies only tried and proved ideas engineers, each work- ing with patriotic fer- vor on his share of a great task, each backed up by a company which had heretofore engaged in almost cut-throat competition. That these fifty experts representing competing firms have worked together harmoniously, picking out the good points of one design and often ruthlessly throwing aside pet hob- bies which had been followed for years before, but which did .not meet the re- quirements of war, is an exhibition of self-repres-

cial motor truck is not rugged enough to stand the severe tests of war. Our army engineers found this out in our effort to catch Villa in the Mexican wilderness. Our trucks were good commercial products, but they broke down. That was but natu- ral. Some vi- tal part was just strong enough to give sufficient ee” overload capacity over fair to middling. roads and just weak enough to break and cause trouble under the excessive strains of war work when negotiating roadless country. It is not strange that the average com- mercial truck should fail under severe war tests. It is primarily a business-man’s money saver, for use only when it will

sion as magnificent as is the truck they designed. Long after-the war the influence of these pat- riotic engineers will be felt. Not only the army but the business.men of the country have profited by their co-operation. The commercial motor- truck will henceforth be differently built. What is the chief merit of the new war truck? Why is it great? Chiefly because it is a standard- ized vehicle down to the

last nut and bolt. That is why it is a better prod- uct than any truck used at the front today. The average commer- The War Chariot of the American Army Rugged and massive in appearance, the truck has worm final drive with a large gear reduction between the engine and the rear wheels, so that exceptional power may be had at slow speeds. It is fitted with the con- ventional caravan-topped army body, and with spring-supported wooden bumpers in front and at the rear to avoid damage in convoy formations. 74

—

=—<24¢ Tor =

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——— deliver a ton of goods more cheaply than any other vehicle. Its weight is re- duced to a minimum so that its power can be applied to actually moving the load, rather than to pushing itself over the road. Greater strength demands heavier and more rugged Popular Science Monthly 75 they are not all that has been desired. When our Allies bought American trucks they had to buy them, not because they were built in the right way but because trucks were vital necessities and America was the only country able to make and _ export partsandthismeans ff greatcr weight. Some truck ma- kers wondered why it was necessary for the United States Army to have a special and more rugged conveyance, when our Allies across the seas were not only using the 54,038 commercial ~) them. To change even the smallest detail on any of our trucks now abroad would throw the en- ‘tire repair parts sys- tem into chaos. Battles might even be lost if the system were disturbed. But with the United States, it is ~) different. We are vehicles shipped to them from America between July, 1914, and July, 1917, but were continuing to order more each month. That was all a matter of sheer necessity. The repair-parts problem is stupendous, because of the inherent weakness of the average commercial truck for war work. The trucks couldn’t be changed. A single change in design of any of the dozen or more standard makes sent to the battle front would mean the scrapping of thou- sands and thousands of dollars’ worth of spare parts. Our trucks overseas are giving a good account of themselves; but Stirrup Step and Storage for Spare Parts The clumsy automobile running board with its tool boxes and extra tires has been discarded The Unique Gas- Saver About three inches of the intake manifold is inside of the exhaust manifold, so that the low grades of fuel now used will be vaporized before entering the explosion chambers entering the war at a time when we are able to apply every bit of truck experi- ence gained by our Allies at the cost of much blood and money. This experience is embodied in the new trucks, the first two of which, were assembled in record time at plants in Rochester, N. Y., and Lima, Ohio, driven overland to Washing- ton and accepted by President Wilson and Secretary of War Baker. The weakest part of the new truck is stronger than any conceivable war strain that can be put upon it. It is more rug- ged that any commercial vehicle of like capacity. Its load is only three tons, and yet it is comparable with the five-tonner of every-day use. This is very impor- tant; for there will be neither time to make extensive repairs when the forward march on the West front begins, nor road- side repairshops at which to make them. A broken-down truck is a truck lost. Into the ditch it will go, so that the line of vital ammunition and supplies is not held up. Again, the shell-pitted roads of northern France, over which the advance will be made, will be boulevards as com- pared even with Mexico’s roadless country. In order that our new trucks shall not fail in this crucial test, the two already completed, will be tested to destructicn between now and the first of January, 1918. Any weaknesses which might prove disastrous later on will be dis-

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ui = Es ete aE ee Te 13s es oe ee as ee 76 Popular Science Monthly covered. Following these tests, ten thou- sand of these trucks will be put together in a dozen or more plants before June 1 and shipped abroad in time to take their places behind the trenches with our armies, now in training. It will be simple to keep them in repair in France—simpler than any of the allied armies have found it with their trucks, burdened as the Allies are with The engine is fitted with two inde- pendent sets of ignition apparatus, one a battery unit and the other a magneto, so that if one gets out of repair, the gas can still be exploded in the cylinders by sparks from the other source. In briei, the truck is characterized by the ruggedness of its parts, the combination of the best ideas in its design and their mounting so as to be ex- several makes, each having its own peculiar characteristics and each re- quiring a sep- arate supply of spare parts. This follows because our trucks are standardized. Now do you see what stand- ardization means? There is nothing tech- nical about it. It’s just com- mon sense— that’s all. It simply means that every en- gine, every front axle, every rear axle, j Weeemen: Tara: “—— a ? tremely acces- sible for re- pairs. It is to be remembered that this truck is intended solely for the use of the Quartermaster Corps and that other = stand- arized_ trucks are being built for the Ord- nance Depart- ment, the Sig- nal Corps, the Engineering forces and the Medical Corps. The tests of the truck which have already been made have proved so every change- speed mechan- ism or gearbox is interchange- able with every other similar part in every other truck. If the engine of one truck is shot away by a small shell and the chassis frame remains intact, no drilling, boring or other changes will be necessary in order to drop another engine in place and put the vehicle on the road at once. This standardization is carried down to every part of the entire vehicle, including such accessories as magnetos, carbureters, bat- teries, headlampsand fuel tanks. Eventhe various sizes of bolts and nuts have been reduced to a minimum, some being made a trifle stronger than necessary just so that the number to be carried is small. In the standardized truck every part is interchangeable with a similar part in every other truck—front axle, rear axle, change-speed mechanism, gearbox and other parts, big and little. If the engine of one truck is entirely demolished and the chassis frame remains intact, another engine can easily be substituted without the necessity of any exhausting delays in making the new parts fit satisfactory that late re- ports indicate that contracts will be let for its construction in large numbers without waiting for the more extensive trials. The Heart Is an Astonishingly Powerful Pump Your heart is a very busy organ. While you breathe once, it beats four times. At each beat it sends four pounds of blood through your veins and arteries. The weight of the circulating blood is twenty- nine pounds. When you run, your legs and the other parts of your body need more blood, so your heart must pump faster.

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Popular Science Monthly A Portable Dental Ambulance for — ; Treating the Fight-r’s Teeth ] T the beginning of the war, the dental surgeon, so far as the Allies were concerned, was not officially recognized in army circles. Indeed, it was not until the Germans marched into Brussels, with a dental post every ten kilometers, that the Allies appreciated the importance of oral hygiene. To-day there are eleven American dental field ambulances in France alone. Men, who were formerly sent home on sick leave, whose only trouble was their molars, are now kept at the front. Soldiers, to the number of a division and a half have thus been spared tothe army. Fur- thermore, the surgeons insist that a wounded man with bad teeth makes a slow recovery. And then, too, army rations are hard to masticate, so that the man with poor teeth ” m Hl “bolts” his food and loses strength and Foiling the Busy-Body with a ! endurance. In our new National Army i there will be a dentist for every five hun- The protective metal screen permits the typist and no one else to see what she is writing Atthe left the screen is shown raised. It can be adjusted to any make of typewriter Letter Screen dred men. URIOSITY often impels persons to The accompanying illustration shows read letters which have been left a portable dental ambulance used in in the typewriter in a partly finished several National Guard camps. condition. Business secrets and informa- tion of a confidential nature are thus very often divulged. A simple and effective rem- edy is offered in a device patented by Henry R. Knowles, of Rudley Park, Pennsylvania. It consists of a metal screen, hinged through its center and fastened to the carriage of the machine. It is adjustable to any make of typewriter. By raising the forward part of the screen, the typist may read the letter or make corrections when neces- sary. When released, the screen will drop of its own weight and completely cover the letter in the machine, with the exception of the last two lines, which the typist can see from a sitting position. These Twenty per cent of the injuries the soldiers re- lines can not be read by wy ceive are face and head wounds, which require one standing behind or in dental treatment as well as surgical attention front of the machine. © Int. Film Serv.

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Washed Air for the Carbureter

An atmospheric stabilizer draws air from the exhaust manifold

The hot air is carried through flexible tubing from the manifold surface to a dampener containing water and wicking, where it is thoroughly humidified acl —i— ie. Water in from over- flow radiator tank

"Cleaned moist air to intake on carbureter x Path of air mY through NL-water and over water Showing how the water is auto- matically fed from the overflow of the radiator tank to the stabilizer

UTOMO- BILE driv- ers are well aware that the en- gine works more efficiently and more satisfactorily in the early morn- ing and late eve- ning when the hu- midity is high. Hence, it occurred to one inventor, to humidify the air as it is admitted to the carbureter and to do it whenever it was desirable. The atmospheric sta- bilizer, as the device is called, maintains the air at a uniform temperature, as it is drawn from (but not out of) the exhaust manifold, the hottest exposed part of the engine. The hot air is conveyed through flex- ible tubing from the manifold surface to a dampener containing water and a wicking, which is automatically fed from the overflow of the radiator tank, as the accompanying drawing illustrates. Be- cause of the arrangement of the wicking, the hot air must pass through water on the

The space occupied by the stemaghatte stabilizer is comparatively small way to the damp- ener. This not on- ly humidifies it, but also washes it free of dirt and grit. The principal re- sult of providing air properly hu- midified and at un- iform temperature, is a smooth run- ning, efficient en- gine. A secondary worthwhile result is a lessened con- sumption of gaso< line.

Bullets Made of Paper Do More Damage Than Metal Ones NCREDIBLE as it may seem, bullets made of paper will do much damage. A recent experiment has shown that a paper bullet, after having passed through six pieces of tin one foot apart, buckled them. A similar experiment made with metal bullets showed that they passed through the same thicknesses of tin but they made only a small clean-cut hole.

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Taking the Staccato Bark Out of the Machine Gun HE machine gun, properly hidden, makes its presence known only by a light blue vapor that is visible under certain conditions during firing, and by its noise, which is precisely that of the common pneumatic riveter used on structural steel buildings. At times the roar of firing, covers up this peculiar, harsh, regular, mechanical ‘‘Tat-tat-tat- tat’’—but unless the firing is heavy the other side speedily recognizes the dis- tinctive sound and looks for the gun. Can’t the gun be silenced? The most practical way of silencing firearms is to use Maxim’s device, which consists of a steel cylinder larger than the barrel, at- Popular Science Monthly 79 An American Fortune Spent for An English Invention HAT there is just as great an oppor- tunity for the inventor as there ever was, is vividly illustrated in the case of Frank Hornby, of Liverpool, England. Who has not seen the advertisements in nearly every American periodical of the mechanical toy, with which boys can build structures resembling bridges, buildings, derricks or ships? That toy is Hornby’s invention—patented by him sixteen years ago and first thought of in 1899. Hornby has a mechanical turn of mind. As a boy he was familiar with téels. ~ It was for the two boys in his own family that he constructed the first early models of his toy. JT inally, in 1901, he obtained his tached to the muzzle of the gun. Inside the cylinder are steel disks set at a slight pitch, and with a_ hole pierced through them to permit the passage of the bullet. The gases, emerg= ing under high pressure, expand into the silencer and are set to whirling, los- ing their mo- mentum and much of their pressure and entering the air without causing a noise at the end of their whirling. While the Maxim silencer is entirely efficient, it is doubtful if it could be ap- plied to the machine gun, because the firing of six hundred shots a minute would result in loading the cylinder with the gas from another charge before the first had escaped, and wrecking the silencer from the intense pressure. The Italians are said to have machine guns that make merely a low, dull thud instead of the revealing crackle. The noise of a gun, contrary to common belief, is not something within the barrel, but merely the violent slap of gases at high speed and pressure, impinging on the air at the muzzle. A silencer whirls these gases ® patent. There was nothing resembling it on the mar- ket. However, the trade did not enthuse over it. Horn- by was work- ing on a small salary in those days, andthus could not spend money for advertis- ing. Fortu- nately, how- ever, his em- ployer be- came interest- ed and assist- ed him in bringing the clever, new toy to the attention of the public. Seven years after he obtained his patent, $40,000 had been expended in exploiting the toy. Still a market had not been created. But Hornby did not lose his enthusiasm. The next year, 1909, the toy came to America and thereafter Hornby came into the fortune that was rightly his. During the first year a business of $7,000 was done in this country alone. The following year it jumped to $24,000. In 1911 it climbed to $49,000 and in 1912 it touched $114,000. *% = 3 = = = = 3 itll

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Using Oil Instead of Gears Hydraulic transmission does away with most of the present day gearing of automobiles YDRAULIC transmission for auto- no oil is pumped over to -Moreover, as it is now applied to cer- tain makes of motor trucks, it is per- forming the func- tion of an_ ideal speed control. Among those who were instrumental in developing it, are the Chief Mechani- cian of the Navy, and two mechani- cal engineers, ‘Charles R. Pratt tons ing. ders the over the controlling lever to full speed. The auto- it has been found excellent for re- volving turrets and for maneuver- ing guns which have to be trained upon an enemy’s ship, dashing here and there over a zig-zag course. The large number of speeds is obtained in this manner: The pump cylinders of the system are always driven around at the constant, full speed of the engine. The collar of the. pump pis- tons is pivoted about the diameter and remains station- taken care of by more speed change-gear tion, the pistons cannot reciprocate and outer wheel. 80 the hydraulie mobiles is not new. But the type motors. But begin to tip this collar, and of hydraulic transmission described back and forth go the pistons, forcing here is both new and revolutionary. It streams of oil into the motors. has been simplified, and then simplified The more the collar is tipped, the further, until it does away with the greater is the amount of oil forced over, clutch, change-gear, differential and brake To take up this oil and to send it back on the automobile. again into the pump a chambers, the pis- of the two motors start recip- rocating. In other words, since the motor collars are stationary, the con- stant-stroke motor pistons start turn- The motor cylin- that revolve are connected with rear driving eee a| wheels. The rate and H. F. J. Porter. Why Gears Are Unnecessary at which the cylin- In its original form, The is _between the gy pump Epon the ders rotate depends : ES : motors, being imcompressible, forms a rigid gearing . this transmission 1s which takes the place of the clutch, change-gear, upon the quantity now used on many differential and brake. To start, the driver throws of oil they handle in battleships of the mobile gains specd gradually and without the a given time. Since as ° . slightest jerk. is is accomplished by an attach- : : —- different navies of ment which permits the pump collar to incline this quantity 1S In- the world. Because slowly as the automobile runs faster. Should the creased by tipping fi bili t ° automobile be stopped abruptly, the collar is h - of its ability to 1m- immediately brought back to its neutral position the pump collar, it - part a very large and the engine power is shut off automatically is obvious that the number of speeds, speed of the auto- mobile is made to pick up by the same means. Thus, the three- now generally used can be substituted by a fluid gear capable of producing any speed whatever, depending upon the exceedingly large number of angles at which the pump collar can be tipped. When turn- ing a corner, the difference in the rotation speed of the rear wheels is oil going over ary. With the collar in the ‘“‘dead’” posi- into the motor connected with the

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Glaze: An Old Winter Foe witha New Name Sleet storms will hereafter be called glaze storms A he +) This is Glaze It has been with us since the beginning of time, but it was only a year ago that it obtained its christening from the U. S.: Weather Bureau AST winter a LC new weather word made its bow in the daily press —‘glaze.’’ Occur- rences of “‘glaze”’ were frequently reported, and some of the visi- tations of this atmos- pheric phenomenon occasioned damage to the extent of thou- sands of dollars. the newspapers called ties it “‘sleet”’ or “‘ice”’ or “silver thaw.” Glaze forms when rain is turned to ice by the low | temperature of the objects upon which it falls. Here are some results of actual measurements. A twig 3-16 inch in diam- eter has been found to measure with its ice coating nearly two inches in diameter. One case is reported in which an ice- coated elm twig about six inches long, broken from the tree, weighed 15% ounces. This was about five hundred times the weight of the twig alone. The Beautiful—But Destructive 7 The branches of trees and shrubs become encased in In previous years glaze, until the whole landscape resembles fairyland Heavy as Lead Not only branches, but telegraph, telephone and electric wirés break under the heavy load. The deposits reach re- markable dimensions coating on a slender telephone wire may attain a thickness of two inches and up- wards. Indeed, cases are recorded in which the combined. thick- ness of ice and snow on such a wire reach- ed the enormous di- ameter of ten inches. No wonder hundreds of miles of wire and thousands of poles sometimes go down when glaze occurs on an extensive scale. But why ‘“‘glaze’’? This word was. in- troduced by the Weather Bureau over a year ago, because a distinctive name was needed for these ice deposits. The elec- trical industries had fallen into the way of calling this formation ‘“‘sleet.” But “sleet”? means something different—or rather several things. This word is ap- plied’ by some people, especially in Eng- land, to falling snowflakes mingled with rain. Now it must give way to “ glaze.” | |

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Making Millions Out of Bubbles Huge profits, undreamed of yesterday, are now obtained from the dump pile of low-grade ores By George Merriman Oaks Managing Editor of the Popular Science Monthly brought about by infringement of the froth flotation patents. ly, they must be very important patents. Mi crouent: are at stake in lawsuits In truth, they are the basis of a great industrial achieve- ment. Inone mine alone the flotation method increased the daily output of zinc by 200,000 pounds; in another, the daily increase in copper was 120,000 pounds. The adoption of froth flotation by the five leading porphyry mines of the United States would mean a yearly saving of $17,000,000. What is. froth flotation? Nothing but the industrial utilization of bub- bles. Who would believe that. bub- bles could’ be turned to money— Not wet Not wet but because of surface tension. care, a needle can be floated in the same way yes, Clear- bles, whose millions? plying such ethereal objects as bub- And to think of ap- greatest achievement has always been to grow alittle bigger and then burst, to an industry like min- ing! It seems as though Nature’s most precious gifts are often hedged about with thorns ceaseless labor is necessary to obtain them. We find cop- per combined with sulphide. Further- more, the sulphide is shaken up with all sorts of worth- less mineral mat- ter, such as sand and limestone, un- til it seems hope- lessly hidden from man’s reach. The Why Doesn’t He Sink? This water-spider floats, not because he is so light, With a little same is true of the other base metals, zine and lead. The useless matter Wet Wet HA MN \| Floating Bodies Are Attracted or Repelled Depending on Their Wetness Attraction of two bodies not’ wet by a liquid. In this: instance, the pressure is the same at all points indicated by the dotted line, namely, that of the outside atmosphere. Pressure is also that of the atmosphere in the air space between the two bodies; but the water pressure on each side (in- dicated by the arrows) is greater, pushing the two bodies toward each other. Applies to sulphides in water Repulsion of two bodies, only one of which is wet by a liquid» Pressure on left side of wet body is less than that of atmosphere which acts on its right side, pushing it away from the other body. Pressure‘on left side of body not wet. by liquid is greater (below surface of liquid) than that of atmos- phere on right side. Hence the pres- sure of the liquid pushes the body not wet away from the other body 82 Attraction of two bodies wet by a liquid.. Pressure is the same at all points indicated by dotted line, namely, that of the outside atmos- phere. Pressure is less in the liquid - between the bodies and above the dotted line. Therefore, the atmos- pheric pressure outside pushes the bodies toward each other. The liquid rises between the bodies due to the principle of capillary attraction so prickly that. sulphur as copper |

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ooo found in conjunction with the sulphides of lead, copper and zinc, is referred to as Concentration is any process gangue. of separating the valuable metal from the worthless gangue. The simplest meth- od of concentration is hand-shaking. We all remember our old American history which contained a picture of a flannel- shirted Forty-Niner “panning out” gold from one of Califor- nia’s rivers. He used anordinary dish-pan, and by a careful shaking, slopped the water and gangue over the sides, the metal being allowed to settle. Popular Science Monthly Various Methods of which treat the Spitzkasten or Impeller flotation box Plug The Interior of a Single Cell The pulp, consisting of sulphides, gangue, water and oil, is violently agitated by the impeller. From this chamber, it passes into the flotation box or spitzkasten. The froth, bearing the metal, is floated over the lip and the worthless gangue is then allowed to sink to the bottom 83 of Concentration Hand-shaking has long since been superseded by mechanical methods, some ores wet, and some dry. Both take ad- vantage of the dif- ference in_ specific gravity of the gangue and of the metal. In the dry method, a current of air is used to blow away the lighter gangue, leaving the heavier minerals on a flat corrugated sur- face. In the wet methods, the ore passing through a stream of water sepa- rates into two parts, the metals sinking and the gangue being washed away. But now comes a The Metal-Laden Froth After Running the Gantlet of Agitation Cells The feed passes through two agitation boxes before entering the spitzkasten where the first concentrate is removed by means of a paddle. The remaining pulp passes through a pipe to the third agitation the fourteenth spitzkasten. box. From this the pulp passes to the second spitz- kasten, and so on down through the machine to Discharge from No. 14 leaves the machine as tailing (refuse ore) ee ae a on rabid lik Staed coe Aka See eee eee eet ee mee

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84 | Popular Science Monthly ‘process which practically reverses the long-used wet method of concentration. Instead of sinking the sulphides, they are induced to float and the gangue is allowed to sink. Flotation is the term applied to this revolutionary method. The history of flotation, like that of most great industrial processes, is not centered around any one man. Its development, though rapid, has involved a long list of patents taken out by a large number of American and foreign metallurgists. The first patent which even suggested the process now known as flotation was obtained in 1860 by William Haynes. would stick to oil and in a crude way tried to use this principle in separat- ing the metal from the gangue. He was followed by Bradford, whose method. involved surface tension concerning which I shall speak later. The Floating Spider The underlying principles governing flotation are too theoretical to admit.of satis- factory explanation. The how is more easily explained than thewhy. Have younever ob- served the trim little water spider go skating across a pool with the greatest ease and agility? And did you make the mistake of believing that he was floating simply because he is so light? Then try floating a needle on the surface of-a glass of water. It can easily be ac- complished and you will note that the much heavier needle: seems to lie in a sort of depression in the surface of the water and does not readily become wet. This is due to -surface tension, supposed to play an important-role in flotation. In.surface tension we have a tendency on the part of a liquid to act somewhat like an elastic skin, trying always to con- tract to the minimum area. A drop of water ‘does its best to shape itself into a neat little round sphere instead of spreading out over a large surface. But this is only on surfaces which water does not wet. In contact with paraffined paper, for instance, it maintains the drop form; on the other hand, it quickly sinks He knew that sulphides | ~ Bubble A Bubble Bursts by Crushing Itself It is believed that surface tension acts like a rubber membrane over the bubble, constantly exerting an in- ward pressure which finally results in its collapse. That tension is reduced by the addition of a delicate film of oil or other viscous substance into the meshes of a piece of blotting paper. Ifa needle is perfectly clean, it will sink; if it is greasy, it can be made to float. The explanation involves two phenomena, surface tension and adhesion. Surface Tension Is a Force Surface tension would at first give the impression that an actual film or skin were stretched over the surface of the liquid. In reality, the needle is supported by a force and not by the water itself. This is proved when the needle sinks— the water cannot hold it up. There exists between the molecules of : any body an _ attraction’ which holds them together. ; At the surface of a body of : water, the top layer of molecules lacks an attrac- tion from the outside. This lack is compensated by a greater attraction from be- low and fromthesides. Thus a horizontal stretching is produced — called surface tension. upset by bringing about an attraction from above so that the attraction of the top layer of molecules will be more nearly equal in all directions. Now, water molecules are attracted by iron; consequently a clean needle be- comes wet if brought into contact with the water. But water molecules are not attracted by grease; and so a greasy needle does not become .wet—which means that a tiny film of air remains around the needle; and the molecules in the top layer of water are still attracted in a horizontal direction (surface tension) so that the needle cannot sink. Sulphides are not readily wet by water. If crushed into finely divided particles, they tend to float because of surface ten- sion. Gangue, on the other hand, is easily wet by water; consequently it sinks. This may be.termed film flotation as distinguished from the newer and far more efficient bubble method known as froth flotation. A Bubble Bursts by Crushing Itself Consider the surface tension of a This force can be readily. a ws BE AE NAR ETRE

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2s NE ES

bubble. Surface tension, as just de- scribed, applies to a level water surface. The surface of a quiet body of water is always level since the tendency is to re- duce the area to a minimum. The same holds good in the case of rain drops and bubbles. <A drop of water falling through the air becomes spherical since the sphere is the figure of least surface for a given volume. A bubble also assumes the spherical form for the same reason. It would at first seem that some in- terior force causes the bubble to burst or explode. This is not so, if the prevailing theories are correct. It is believed that. the surface tension acts like a rubber skin over a bubble, constantly exerting an inward pressure which finally results in the collapse of the bubble. If now we reduce this tension, the bubble will exist much longer. For this purpose, oil is added to the water containing the sul- phides and gangue, but in very small

Popular Science Monthly 85 process. Strictly speaking, it was not a flotative process at all, the object being to recover the sulphides by using a very large quantity of heavy oil. The buoy- - ancy of the oil was the sole agent in floating the metals. Sulphides, being wetted by sufficient oil to overcome the effect of specific gravity, traveled upward into the oil layer, and were consequently floated. How the Army of Bubbles Work In the froth flotation process only the faintest trace of oil is used. Briefly, the ore pulp, consisting of finely-ground ore particles suspended in a large quantity of water, is brought into contact with a minute quantity of oil. Through agita- tion, countless tiny bubbles are formed which carry the mineral particles to the surface with them, forming a dense froth several inches in thickness. The gangue sinks and is allowed to go to waste.

quantity. . Injecting There ( bubbles in- was an ear- to the li- lier process quid by using as means of much as compressed three tons air has been of oil to a tried gener- ton of ore. ally with In 1898, F. less success E. Elmore than when invented the bubbles the so-call- are formed ed bulk-oil within the

* ; We Seis 4 % %. Photos by Charles Y, Clayton

Increasing the Lifting Power of Bubbles with Oil At left: Cresylic acid froth. In this case the agi- tator has been stopped and the bubbles are beginning to coalesce. They are large and thin- filmed. At right is shown a pine oil froth, which usually has small bubbles. After the impeller has ceased its action, the froth coalesces into a scum Above are shown bubbles of pine oil froth, to which are adhering particles of cassiterite (the oxide of tin). Pine oilisone of the best oils for flotation purposes, but it is costly. The creosotes, crude petroleum, and the coal tar oils have favor, some- times with the addition of a small amount of pine oil

x

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Popular Science Monthly Froth Flotation Saves Vast Quantities of Base Metals Formerly Wasted Myriads of. glistening, dancing bubbles come surg- ing along the surface of the liquid, crowding each other in their effort to reach the top with their precious cargo of mineral wealth. When Sulman, Pickard and Ballot discovered the froth process liquid itself by violent stirring. The effectiveness of the two methods depends upon the physical characteristics of the ore. Even when the mineral-laden bubbles reach the surface and burst, the metal particles are not allowed to sink because the bubbles directly underneath continue to buoy them up. The floating of sulphides is greatly assisted by adsorption, which may be briefly defined as the tendency of gases or dissolved substances to cling to the surfaces of solid bodies. This results in a relatively high concentration of the gas or solution at the place of contact. The tiny particles of gas attach themselves to the solid particles, like barnacles to the hull of a boat. This film of gas surround- ing the ore particles does not, of itself, possess sufficient buoyancy to raise the heavy mineral. But when it coalesces, or combines, with a few of the surrounding bubbles, the weight of the mineral is more than offset by the lifting power of the bubbles, and it comes to the surface. In now in use, there was at Broken Hill, Australia, a 12,000,000-ton hill of ore which could -not~ be re- covered by ordinary methods. This ore was saved. When this issue reaches you, approximately 40,000,000 tons will have been treated since January 1917 this way, the bubbles ‘‘lay to” and to- gether boost an ore particle to the top. Carrie Everson’s Contribution Adsorption was first applied by Carrie Everson, who is regarded as the mother of ore flotation, though she never received any material reward for her discoveries. She added the use of acid to the processes already developed by her predecessors. In her. process, the acid, by combining with the metal, was thought to liberate gas which attacked the ore particles and buoyed them up. Asa matter of fact, the acid gives the sulphides a clear surface to which the oil will adhere. When left standing, the ores often become oxidized and thus hinder the action of oil in con- centration. For years, a story has been told of the accidental discovery of flotation. A Miss Carrie Everson, a sister of an assayer loca- ted in Denver, while washing some dirty sacks, in which concentrate had been sent to her brother, realized that the grease. and ore particles floated on the water,., ee ~- ——-—= oe «ly eek telU eet OPM AM + sine ae

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‘myriads of glistening, ‘surging along the sur- and subsequently patented her discovery. So the story ran. Romantic, indeed— put, like many another tale of the begin- ning of some great enterprise, it lacked the verification of fact. In reality, Mrs. Everson was the wife of adoctor. Shewas a good chemist and her discoveries were the result of laborious experimentation. Potter and Delprat, though working independently, devised a method also involving the use of gas in adsorption. During the next few years, the names of Froment, Cattermole, Wolf, Elmore, De Bavay, McQuiston and Bradford came into prominence through their efforts in improving upon the earlier methods of ore concentration by flotation. But not until Sulman, Pickard and Ballot had conjointly rubbed the miner’s lamp which evolved modern froth flota- tion, did the colossal outlines of this djinn of mining appear in its true significance. These men were experimenting with the Cattermole process which used oil in the proportion of from for- Popular Science Monthly 87 entirely disappeared from sight and touch. Investigation revealed the pres- ence of the oil on the metal particles in a very thin film. The bubbles were ex- tremely small and persisted longer. At Broken Hill, Australia, where the experiments were performed under the supervision of Sulman, Pickard and Ballot, there had accumulated about 12,000,000 tons of ore from which the metals could not be recovered by the ordinary methods. The weight of gangue equalled that of the zine and lead min- erals present. Therefore, separation by gravitation methods was out of the question. While the Cattermole process would recover a reasonably large percent-. age of these metals, the newly discovered froth method gave unlooked-for success, and has been widely used ever since: Is the Wind Right for Gas? Look At the Trench Weather Vane ty to one hundred and - twenty pounds per ton of ore. The oily metal- lie particles collected in clusters and then sank from sheer weight. The gangue was forced upward by streams of water and floated off. These men decided to see what would happen if the quantity of oil was reduced gradually to the vanishing point. As the percentage of oil was diminished, the results became less and less satisfactory, until the process failed to work at all. Then to the amazement of the experimenters, upon stopping the agitation, dancing bubbles came face of the liquid, crowding each other in their effort to reach HERE are weath- aN er vanes galore in the trenches and throughout the fight- ing area. Many of them are ornamental in design and plainly tes- tify to the skilful fin- gers and artistic tem- . perament of some of the boys. The one shown in the accom- panying illustration was made by a Cana- dian soldier out of odds and ends of metal. It represents a cyclist and answers to the slight- est breath of wind. It is vitally impor- tant that the soldier know in what direction the wind is blowing or is likely to blow; for if it is coming from over the enemy’s camp there is danger of a gas attack, and when the gas starts over, he has only from twenty the top with their pre- cious cargo of mineral wealth. The oil had © Western Newspaper Union A weather vane made from bits of metal by a soldier at the front to forty seconds in which to adjust his gas mask. eee aceasta SE Sn TSA

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\ 88 The Stormy Weather Hat—It Pro- tects the Ears and Neck AR muffs are clumsy, and for this reason they have always been unpopular, even among those compelled by their outdoor occupation to wear them in bitter weather. So Henry Vaughan, of Mon- treal, Canada, has invented a hat with a soft woolen flap attached to the sweat- band. This does away with the ne- cessity for the ear muffs. The woolen flap fits up into the crown of the hat when notin use; but when the wind is blowing a gale or when the snow flies, the wearer of the hat pulls down the flap and tucks it into his upturned coat-collar. Yesterday, Invincible—To- day, Useless RMORED automo- biles and motorcycle machine-guns are follow- ing closely upon the heels of cavalry in the present war; they are speedily going into disuse. There was a time when much was expected from these swift-darting steel forts, for theory had indicated that no infantry would be capable of stopping their advance. Could not these cars break through the enemy’s lines on the open field and through the enemy’s advance guard while reconnoitering? An Popular Science Monthly of deep trenches. Since ordinary auto- mobiles and motorcycles could hardly charge across these lands, no additional equipment of this kind will be made for the United States Army, During Pershing’s campaign in Mexico, the motorcycle played an important part ag a trustworthy vehicle for despatch riders. In addition to this duty, however, there were several motorcycles equipped with machine guns, Plans to organize a com- pany of motorcycle machine gun operators The flap is shaped E were never carried out. to fit the neck and to cover the ears One Movement, and Up Goes This _ Sturdy, Collapsible Ironing Board SINGLE action suffices to set up or to fold a new type of ironing board, all parts of which are securely screwed or hinged together so that they cannot be- come separated. In setting up the board, the hinged central support is swung downward, requiring but one movement of the hand. Although the board is light and folds up com- pactly, it is firm and rigid when in use. A size small- er than that illustrated is made to fit into the modern housewife’s kitch- enette. .When not in use the board may be hung up on a hook, the flat end first. This is done so as to prevent the supports from falling down. interesting question—but the amount of real open field fighting and of land reconnoitering in this war has been practically nil. The important fighting has taken place not on the smooth ground, but on ground chopped up with networks It looks bulky but it collapses after the man- | One move- ner of a folding bed \ ment _ suf- |), fices to set ty | it up, ready A useé 4 for a7 ann ce ——— an

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a A EE ET (a sau \ Launching a Bridge-Pier Caisson The caisson was built on a scow, on which it was towed to position and from which it slid into :the water The caisson ready to be towed out to its final resting place as a sup- port for one of the con- crete piers of the bridge N interesting en- gineering feat was performed recent- ly at Manila, P. L, when a timber caisson fi E) The only lines neces- sary were those to keep the caisson from float- ing down-stream and the towing lines lower edge of the caisson was a4-inch calked plank floor supported by in- verted timber trusses, which in turn rested on for one of the concrete The scow was divided by a bulk- timber sills bolted to’the piers of the Jones bridge head so that water could be ad- upper edge of the con- was launched in half an hour. The caisson was built on a scow which could be tilted so the caisson could slide off into the water and be towed to its loca- tion where it was to be sunk and the con- crete pier built inside of it. The caisson was 100 feet long, 35 feet wide and 36 feet high, longer and wider than an ordi- nary city house. Three feet above the f 3) Twenty-three minutes after opening the valves, the list ‘was fifteen degrees and the caisson slid into the water r mitted into one side to make the t ll The fi scow list as the caisson slid off — oP essa and trusses were designed to withstand water pressure during flota- tion. When all was ready, the valves on the midstream side of the scow were opened. When the caisson began to slide, the scow was pushed from underneath the structure. It was manned at once and sunk by opening valves in the eight compartments into which it was divided. Due to the low center of gravity the cais- son righted itself quickly and finally rested on an even keel in eight feet of water 89 ee ee manera

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Equip Your Automobile with the New Access- LULL LULL

yy” fr Wire screens in- Yi . Wa “Ree,

Key hole > Plunger lo

serted as gaskets between the intake manifold and the cylinders act as gas engine fuel savers. Complete vaporiza- tion is thus secured

A safety lock which locks the shifter rods on top of the transmissioncase so that the gears can not be thrown into mesh and the car started without the owner’s orders. Note the location of the key hole. The lock can be made to fit any of the mod- ern clutch systems A folding automo- bile door is said to have many advan- tages over the old style. When it is closed the folding door is as safe as any Gasdline opening __ VGN MW» "F»=»’F.W

RANA MMM MOO

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<P Air tube Gasoline An atomizing carbu- retor primer to make the engine start easily. Air breaks up the liquid fuel

Float LT AA 6 "°'"™bé

A bungalow on wheels, with all the comforts : of home. It cost less than $200. The body © ie is of light wood, covered with canvas. The ‘lg interior is like a diminutive summer cottage :

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SASS oo we ories and It Will Do Almost Anything for You

nergy 2, a ; are el ag : % es — se

ee a eee hs ae ae ep ae Saat : te 2g Wy

Operating a washing machine by applying a crank and pulley to the crankshaft. It only takes a moment to attach them

A windshield with apron for tne mo- torcycle, affords complete protection for the driver and prevents any back- | draft. The shield can be easily dis- connected, yet it

At left and above er le 4 will stand the most violent vibration without breaking from its fastenings

is a_ slotted fan- shaped headlight glare dimmer. The light rays are thrown to the top of the reflector and then deflected downward and out i;

cea semeea pom nl Z <3 Cold chisel A Air pipe pip my Be te re

ver tote. Lubricating springs by forcing’ oil” be- tween the leaves under air pressure

The unusual body, shown above, carries all equipment necessary to repair damaged or wrecked automobiles quickly on the road

rts dy ‘ ‘he The giant army truck, at right, has two age . fadiators, steepled one above the other, to enable it to run loaded in hot weather 91

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— Latest poison Which Will Help Put WOOO AAW A dinary tire chain, when placed un- der arear wheel, enables your car to extricate itself from mud or sand with the power from its own engine Aportable track, resembling an or- L ( > Metal ferrule | None | finer Crimps to hold Why not grind your feed by applying a ferrule in place. Wood block | shaft and pulley to the crankshaft? fi | Swedish stee! orced in under pressure | sateen Grease wire to hold wires in. Place | porte} chamber r i Brae = | Cylinder with t head removed Carbon A Cap-quiding * ? 6 A carbon-removing brush of stiff steel | Tine post. corny wires held in place by a wood plug. } mat , box It is operated through the spark-plug | sect aeemcnene. Wie rs hole or, more conveniently, through | bet 7 the cylinder head, to clean the entire | ing Shaft explosion chamber. The loosened car- bon is then blown out in the usual way A light provided with a A new grease cup reel of cord can be car- with non-stripping ried to the rear of the car threads, has a cen- tral guiding post ~ This sharp-pointed clamp is a protection Metallic shipping shoes for automobiles, which hold against thieves. It is closed by a lock the rear tires off the floor and at the same time near the rim. The other end is hinged hold the car securely in its moored position 92

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Your Automobile Into the Super-Efficient Class WY ee Nyy a

nt SCN TT OOO

Contractors are attaching rear cars to their motorcycles to carry a complete line of tools and equipment. Twelve-foot lengths of pipe can be accommodated

\ Behold the new form of hat for women, which makes goggles * unnecessary. The simple peak Non-puncture device deflects the air currents liner

el | liner for pneu- . ure ; Steering rod steering knuckle y : | | To cyli Fill with ‘ —_ ( gasoline ' | Outer shoe’ ; | | y Lubricator vs od Innertube |, + | | A non- puncture ,

A new steering device matic tires. Steel . <4 mm) ng : 1g | sections are used Gasoline down into float | ‘ Ne a oo h | between the cas- chamber for starting gp Royton Mg ts d the tube Carbureter MA g e + =n float chamber on the axle of the car ry A lubricating cup for gaso- line is used in starting a motorcycle using kerosene

So that you can ride over a curbing in

| In Grand Rapids, motor-trucks will thaw out frozen your automobile, two boards are at- hydrants this winter. Steam boilers, mounted in tached to string pieces, the top one L the position shown above, will do the thawing being supported. by the curbing 93

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94 Popular Science Monthly The spring-operat- ed buffers perform the same function as shock absorbers The rods are strong “enough to with- stand a_ colliding blow of 112 tons Preventing Cars from Telescoping by Means of Collision Buffers N many railroad accidents the amount of destruction of life and property is considerably increased by the telescoping of the cars, one into the other. Due to the very rigidity of the cars, the force cf the impact which meets the first car is transmitted to those following. This is due.to the lack of suitable cushioning apparatus between the cars. If some sort of workable absorber were placed near the coupling, the on reached the fourth car it would be rendered quite harmless. The principle is being put to practical use on the Great Central Railroad, in England. Buffing rods attached to pow- erful springs are being used with success, It’s a Land Torpedo and It Eats Barbed Wire HE land torpedo illustrated below is the interesting wartime invention of Henry E. Elrod, of Dallas, Texas. It has been designed to travel on land, under the control of an operator who may remain at a compara- tively safe distance from the enemy. The torpedo is caused to advance, and turn to left or right, as cir- cumstances may re- quire, by the manipu- lation of an electric switch. The explosive charge isin the head. Electric current is supplied to the motor in the torpedo through the operat- ing and contrcl cable. This cable is wound on a drum and paid out as the torpedo advances. The caterpillar method of locomotion is employed. When the nose of the torpedo encoun- ters barbed wire entanglements, the oper- ator immediately causes its steel wire- clipping jaws to gnash, cutting an opening large enough for the head of the torpedo to force its way through. The shape of the torpedo is similar to that of the bow of a of the collision would vessel, so be diminished as it Electric current Explosive that the op- traveled along the Wiring distributor charge container ae the line. The first device oh barrier will would take cam drive be enlarged up a. por- as the tor- tion of the pedo goes blow and forward. Its the second sides are would take perfectly up still : dis smooth, and more. By Steering wheel “Control cable P entirely free thetimethe An electric switch controls the movement of the land torpedo and = from pro- concussion accurately guides it. The operator remains at a safe distance away jections. —————

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The Miniature Farms and Vine- yards of France N the islands of Re and Oleéron, near La Rochelle, France, are found the smallest farms in the world. Some of them are only one or two square yards in area, yet these tiny domains are carefully planted with a variety of crops, even including vine- yards. The soil is extremely fertile. The repeated subdivision of estates among heirs and the dense population of the islands. explain the existence of these Lilliputian properties. Light Your Gas with Electricity— It Saves Waste N invention recently patented by Frederick C. Gutenberger, of Sacra- mento, Calif., seeks to do away with the use of matches for lighting the gas in range burners. The device consists of an electric battery or other source of elec- tricity, one pole of which is connected with the top plate of the range. A wire connects the other pole with a coil to the other end of which is attached a wire of convenient length, ending in a pin: The wire going through the pin is in firm contact with a copper tip, somewhat smaller in diameter than the end of the pin into which it is screwed. When the gas is turned on and the burner touched for a moment with the copper tip of the pin, a spark will be formed by the closing and breaking of the electric circuit, and the gas will be ignit- ed at once. The coil, enclosed in a protective box, is fastened to a small board, which may be hung upon the wall near. the range. A small hook screwed into the | b board will accommo- mr date the lighting pin when it is not in use. Popular Science Monthly To light gas with a match is slow com- pared with the swiftness of electricity The concrete box safeguards the tree and very |; much enhances the beauty of the street Concrete Flower Boxes to Protect Exposed Tree Roots HEN Marengo Avenue in Pasadena was extended recently, the grading incidental to the paving, left a lot of fine old pepper trees with some of their roots “high and dry.” In fact, the exposure of the roots was so great that the city forester feared that the trees might be killed or their health seriously impaired. Accordingly, to insure the safety of the trees, concrete boxes were built round the trunks and were then filled with rich earth. Plants with beautiful foliage were after- ward set in the boxes. Mr. Chinaman Must Have His ’Melican Cigarette EN years ago we exported four hundred million cig- arettes to China, ’ which is an average of about one cig- arette a year for each Celestial. This year there has ‘already been an average of ten cigarettes export- ed to each Chinaman, or, in round figures, four billion American cigarettes. . Last-year our exports in cigarettes alone reached the twelve million dollar mark.

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96 N a certain office building in Chicago, where fifty-six thousand dollars a year had been Popular Science Monthly TheElectric Floor-Scrubber—It Saves | Human Energy the drum mounted beside the motor. The gear connecting this drum with its motor lets out the cable in such a way that no slack wires lie loose on the floor. The mopping machine, which like the scrubber, is spent for floor cleaning by the hand method, the electric floor ‘scrubber, il- lustrated here, has cut the’-cost of the invention of George W. Meyers, a me- chanical and electrical en- gineer of Chi- cago, is even simpler in construction. the work in It is wheeled half. along behind The elec- the scrub- tric scrubber bing machine is divided in- and by to two parts means of a —the scrub- duplex plun- bing machine ger, it sucks ego = up -_ peed the whee : water an mop and The motor-driven scrubber washes the floor, while the mop powder. wringer sucks up the dirty water and deposits it in the tank at the rear The operator of the machine plugs the electric cable leading to .the machine motor into a socket on the wall. With the turning of the controller near the guide handles, the mo- tor spins around, turn- ing the eight weighted brushes around with it. Powdered soap and wa- ter from special holders are sprinkled in the de- sired quantities just ahead of the brushes. The scrubbing ma- chine is driven by: its own power. The motor connects with- the driv- ing -wheels by a worm and. wheel arrangement under the carriage, so that the machine scrubs along at a pace of a hundred and _ twenty feet a minute. While the brushes—ordinary scrubbing brushes— spin around, scraping and washing all dirt from the floor, the elec- tric cable feeds from To make the old pole last longer it is moored to a short pole treated with creosote Mooring the Rotted Telephone Pole to Prolong Its Usefulness HE ever increasing cost of lumber has led to the use of many devices to save wood. One of the most ingenious is the method to save tele- phone poles, which rot at the base just above and below the surface of the ground. The upper portion remains sound for a longer time than the base. A ‘short pole, creo- soted so as to withstand decay, is placed in the ground beside the old pole and firmly fastened to it. This adds sev- eral years to the length of time the pole will serve. The arrange- ment also serves as a protection to pedes- trians; for since the part buried rots long before the upper part, the fall might occur most unexpectedly.

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fg Metter saers cee Cleaning a Rifle Barrel by Shooting a Cartridge Through It MAN in Helena, Montana, has de- ‘vised a cartridge that cleans a rifle barrel. He uses an ordinary lead bullet, connected by a short rod with a lead plug which is set against the powder charge. The space between bullet and plug is filled with compressed cotton, which ex- pands andrubs along the bore, wiping out the loose fouling. A very serious ob- —_ Popular Science Monthly 97 goes to see the patient and to consult with the physician in charge. After both physicians have made a thorough physical examination if it seems advisable, a puncture is made, to obtain the spinal fluid for examination in the city’s research laboratories. If the pa- tient is suffering from purulent menin- gitis, which is meningitis due to the presence of certain germs, the fluid will be cloudy. In cases of tuberculous meningitis, infantile paralysis, pneumonia jection to this plan is that the powder charge is behind the cotton, Powder / oe * \ ; and infectious diseases. the fluid is clear. If it is cloudy or if the and deposits a new load of dirt in the bore. Moreover, rifles firing smokeless powder can not be cleaned without nitrocleaners. Neither is the plan practical for guns shooting the modern black powder. What Spinal Fluid Tells About Our Soldiers’ Health F one of the soldiers stationed in or near New York city is taken sick and his symptoms give rise to the suspicion that he is suffering with meningitis, word is sent at once to the Meningitis Division of the Department of Health of New York city. A physician from this Division Compressed cotton rubs the bore, wiping out the loose fouling physician suspects that the disease is a case of epidemic meningitis, se- rum is administered. Even if the case is not epidemic meningitis the patient cannot be harmed by the serum, and if it is, a great deal is to be gained by prompt administra- tion of the serum. The number of injections vary greatly. Generally not less than four must be given and frequently many more are necessary. The serum is never adminis- tered by syringe but by gravity. The spinal fluid is examined thoroughly and there is no room for doubt about a case when all the tests have been com- pleted. At left: Making a culture from the spinal fluid of a soldier suspected of having meningitis. At right: Making a microscopic examination at the New York Department of Health

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98 to Save F you want your boy to grow up with a clear idea of the value of money, buy him a purse like the one illustrated. The purse is made of a long piece of leather sewed to provide eight pockets, one for each day in the week and one for savings. The boy divides his allow- ance into seven parts and places it in the seven com- _ partments, named after the days of the week. Each night he should endeavor to have a little money left in the compartment mark- ed with the name of that -day. This is transferred to the eighth pocket, which is his savings bank. The eight pockets fold together compactly so that the purse will fit a boy’s pock- et. Each compartment has a flap which fastens with a snap. A New Truck for handling Five-Hun- dred-Pound Rolls of Linoleum NEW departure in the shop trucks, utilized to ; handle heavy rolls of linoleum, | lh has sprung into favor in many | factories and department stores. No ordinary two- wheeled, straight- backed truck is'this. It has a four-wheeled chas- sis and a back which consists of three rollers, so that the handling of the rolls is easy. When a five-hundred- pound roll of linoleum is to be carried from one place to another, the lip of the truck is slipped under the end of the roll and the whole is simply pushed’ along on the wheels. It is not neces- Popular Science Monthly This Purse Will Teach Your Boy The thrift purse has eight com- partments, one for each day’s al- lowance and one for savings sary to tilt the body of the truck, nor to support the load. The entire weight is borne by the truck itself, and the four wheels, which run easily on ball bearings. When the man who is pushing the truck wishes to let it down, he simply lets go of the handles, guiding the han- dle-end of the truck to the floor. The weight of the linoleum bears it down, so that no force is required on the part of the truck- man. The handle end of the truck is provided with two folding legs on which that end rests when the roll of linoleum is to be brought to a_ horizontal position, as it must be for cutting. When the oilcloth or linoleum is in the hori- zontal position, as in the illustration below, the end of the cloth can be pulled out from underneath the roll with little effort. Less space is taken up in the operation than was formerly required. Of course, this truck may be used for any heavy carrying which, without its aid, would require the labor of two men. As the labor shortage is so acute at present, this advan- tage is one to be especially consid- ered during these war days. OD a dd hy \ sal ‘4 P S$ an & a F . i) a. & 7 = =% ; an or ‘ y 4 Si | 4 % » ee = = ; ‘A warn + ay she 2 ae ay : 5 agai we Ae ee f \ atti ‘thy, ie Pn sortie wists oS ae Se camel In carrying the heavy rolls of linoleum, the four wheels of the chassis take the entire load. The piece is unrolled and cut on the chassis This 7] ] O li added tories. body, 1 thing f ucts, W under motor Alo half, ec: truck truck, startin the cz rate of desting and by the bo at the then | means Whe loads ¢ the by moved platfor tuted : can fu as a 1 capaci easily up to: and pc

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Popular Science Monthly The throw of the tripping lever unlocks the body and dumps it at the proper side. The load slides off. The body is brought back by means of roller bearings This Type of Self-Propelled Truck Saves A Needle That You Can Easily Thread Even the Labor of Unloading O the long list of uses for the efficient little self-propelled electric truck—is added that of general hauler around fac- tories. By the simple addition of a dumping body, the truck is now able to move every- thing from bricks to the actual factory prod- ucts, with great facility. In the small space under the truck-body it carries an electric motor and power plant of storage batteries. A load, weighing as much as a ton and a half, can be placed in this little body. The truckman then leaps upon the front of the truck, throws in the switch and turns the starting lever. This starts the truck, and the cargo is sped on its way at the rate of seven miles per hour. When the destination is reached, the car is stopped, and by means of a tripping lever the body is released and dumped at the proper side. The body is then brought back by means of roller bearings. When flat or large loads are to be carried, the body can be re- V4 moved and the ordinary platform can be substi- tuted for it. The truck can further be utilized as a tractor. In this capacity it will very easily haul any load up to nine or ten thous- and pounds. j The thread slips ‘through an opening in the top of the needle which closes as soon as the thread passes into the eye in the Dark O matter how good your eyes are, there is always a certain amount of eye strain in threading a needle. If your vision is not as sharp as it once was, it is even something of a task to get a piece of thread through a needle’s eye. A needle has been devised which can be threaded by the simple expedient of looping the thread over the head of the needle and drawing it downward. The needle differs from the ordinary needle in that it has an opening through the top of the eye through which the thread “~. slips when it is drawn down- PM ward. The steel ends spring close together as soon as the thread has passed into the eye. This type of needle is said to be particularly adapted to the doing of fancy work because two or three threads may be passed through the eye at one time, afeat thatis quite impossible with the ordinary needle. It isalso useful for embroidering with worsted, the thick, clumsy threads of which make it necessary, usu- ally, to employ a needle for the purpose which has a large clumsy eye. » X \\

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Tip the Lamps to Stop Headlight Glare Night and a curve in the road? Pull the lever and swing the lamps ga icht rays to. roadway ee Pe wes ‘Flexible shaft operated from steering post may be applied to them simply by the removal of the ordinary head-lamp brackets. The device consists of one transverse shaft carrying two headlights and mounted in two bearings bolted to the front frame member in front of the radiator. A_bell-crank lever arm is keyed to the shaft and is pushed backward or forward by means of a flexible metal shafting inserted through a hole cut in the radiator core and then carried to the rear under the motor hood to a point on tages of the various types of auto- mobile headlight dimmers now on the market, which either do not prevent glare or reduce the light to such an extent that it is not sufficient for country driving, a system of tilting head lamps has been invented. It enables the driver to ier to eliminate the disadvan- comme mounted on st The lamps are set at an angle which will brightly illuminate the road without unnecessary glare ering posty the steering column directly below the hand wheel. The lamps are tilted downward from their vertical position by twist- ing the flexible shaft slightly on its axis so that a pin driven through it near the end on the steering column is en- abled to slide in a slot with three notches cut in the casing over the cable end. A longitudinal movement is then given to the shafting by means Handle of a small handle so that the bell-crank lever is set the lamps at any de- moved forward or back- sired angle so that the light may shine fully up- on the road with the rays parallel or at an angle to the ground. The tipping head lamps also enable the driver to quickly se- cure the full headlight illumination after the use of the dim headlights. This is of especial im- portance in country road driving when it is essen- tial to dim the lights upon passing another ve- hicle and to resume the full brilliancy immediately afterward. Although the invention may be applied to any make of car, the design shown in the accompanying sketches, is particu- larly adapted to Ford automobiles and The mechanism which moves the lamps at the pull of a lever ward. When the handle is again released, the pin will quickly spring back to the next notch by reason of the energy stored up in the flexible shafting resulting from its being twisted. A further movement of the handle tips the lamps to a still greater degree while the longitudinal movement in the opposite direction similarly brings the lamps back to their normal position. The operating lever is so easy to turn that the driver need not divert his eyes from the road to manipulate it and move the light where he wants it. 100 enemas | EAS Re

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| | | | Like Water from a Hose A method of Spraying Asphalt by hand—good for tight places NEW type of nozzle, made by a Boston manufacturer, is designed for spraying hot asphalt-binder in road construction or on sidewalks, where the use of a large motor-truck outfit would be unsuitable. The hot fluid is uniformly sprayed at a tempera- ture of 350 degrees Fahrenheit and at a pressure of forty pounds per square inch. The high pressure causes the asphalt to permeate all the voids between the stone, which it is in- tended to bind. The portability of the ap- paratus makes it possi- ble for this to be accom- plished easily. With a motor-truck it would be almost impossible to reach the corners. The sprayer can also be used for patching holes in bituminous roads and for applying roof coatings. The asphaltic ma- terial is heated in the usual manner and put Unequal density: orreas oo ota force eer Solid asphalt through center The nozzle has a turbine cen- ter which controls the density The asphaltic material is heated and applied un- der pressure from a gaso- line-driven rotary pump under pressure by means of a gasoline-driven ro- tary pump. It is then carried to a special noz- zle by means of a hose. The nozzle has a fixed turbine center which disposes of the liquid in \ —, driving such a way that a dense uniform spray is ob- tained. This prevents the material from being too thick in some spots and too thin in others. The turbine in the nozzle is stationary, yet. removable, and gives a part of the liquid pass- ing through it a rotary motion. This portion is driven out through the orifice of the nozzle by the central driving jet. Sa The liquid asphalt is carried to the special nozzle through a hose. The nozzle sends it out in a solid conical formation of equal density across its section 101

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102 Popular Science Monthly The Soldier’s Belt Is a Chandelier. It Even Holds His Flashlight GLANCE at the accompanying pho- tograph shows how completely equipped the United States soldier is for emergencies. His hands are free, his gun is ready and he is literally “girded for the fray.”’ The belt that “girds” him is an important part of his uniform. Only the wearer knows all that it carries at- tached to it. It is not the ordinary car- tridge belt, but is the one used while on special duty or _ for comfort and con- venience around the camp. . The special fea- ture which this pho- - tograph shows is the flashlight fast- ened to the belt and The flashlight is fastened to the belt, held in position to so that it throws its light straight ahead throw its light di- rectly ahead. The man on sentry duty will see the advantage of this arrangement, as Another Automobile Kitchen to Follow Our Boys at the Front EEDING our soldiers is an impor- tant matter, and the problems it presents have interested many of our inventors. The trav- eling kitchen, run by motor power, is a very natural product of the times. There are several types. One, which the United States War Department is con- sidering, is shown in the accompanying illustration. The kitchen with its big kettles, large enough to cook food for two hundred and fifty men at one op- eration, is mounted upon an automobile truck, which can also carry reservesupplies to feed two hundred and fifty additional men. For the chauffeur a protected cab is provided in front and the cook may attend to his work in the well as the busy boys in camp who must’ kitchen even while the truck is moving often clean their guns after nightfall. Clearing out Sewer Pipes with Compressed Air RADFORD, England, has a sewer five miles long with a drop of 70 feet in distance. The grade is not uniform. As the sewage is loaded with heavy, solid matter, the flow was not what it should have been. The city did not want to resort to pumping because of the expense. One of the city engineers hit upon the idea of using com- pressed air at a pressure of eighty pounds and discharging it at regular intervals into the sewer. The plan was carried out with great success. It has been done for some time now without a recurrence of the difficulty. step in the rear. from place to place, by standing upon a To prevent his being jolted off on rough roads a hand rail has been provided to which he can hold. © Press Illustrating Serv. One of these automobile kitchens can cook food for two hundred and fifty men at one time

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Climb on board this automobile and see if the water you drink is pure CIENCE has made wonderful prog- S ress in devising methods of quickly discovering sources of danger to public health by the pollution and con- tamination of food and water supplies, and has found means of counteracting the dangers threatening from germs and other impurities. But promptness of action is imperative in all cases, and in recognition of this fact, the efforts of the health authorities in all states have been directed toward finding some means of expediting the work of the health officials and enabling them to cover every locality requiring their services without danger- ous delay. The Department of Health of the State of New Jersey has recently introduced a traveling field laboratory mounted on a motor chassis. In outward appearance the vehicle resembles a delivery wagon. The closed and covered body has doors in front and in the rear, and forms a small room used primarily for bacteriological work. On one side of the inside wall is a bench or shelf upon which rests two incu- bators which are heated by electricity from a storage battery, which also operates the starting and lighting system of the automobile. The shelf also pro- vides enough room for the making of Studying Germs on _— The laboratory on wheels is the family doctor for New Jersey water systems culture plates and for their examination for the purpose of counting the germs. The incubators may also be removed, and, by changing the voltage of the heating lamps, may be used on any 110-volt cir- cuit at any water-pumping or filtration plant. Another portion of the equipment carried by the automobile is a portable chlorine gas disinfecting apparatus by means of which any water supply found to be unsafe may be purified by the addition of chlorine gas. By means of this traveling laboratory the necessary inspection of dairies and water supplies in various remote parts of the State has been greatly expedited. ~ Chlorine disinfecting apparatus The interior of the laboratory. At left appears the chlorine gas disinfecting ap- paratus and at right an inspector is shown making a chemical analysis 103

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_cial results can not be 104 Popular Science Monthly A Medicine Cover Which Eliminates All Guesswork on the Part of the Nurse EDICINE that is to be taken a spoon- ful at a time, at intervals, should always be covered, especially if the — sick person is lying in a room where the windows are open and dust enters. It is also equally im- portant that the doses be administered at the pre- cise time stated by the physician. It goes with- out saying that benefi- expected when medicines are administered irregu- larly, which is so often the case when memory is relied upon or where. there are several persons waiting upon the sick one. A medicine cover which will remind you when the next dose should be taken, is a = The operator is separated from the ex. plosive material by a steel partition. Only the few grains of powder required to fill one or two fuses are at hand. If these grains go off, little harm is done. If the big piles should be accidentally ignited, practical- ly the entire force of the explosion would be spent in the open air, on the other side of this par- tition. The trucks that han- dle the powder supply and that take away the stacks of the finished products, all run on the outside of the partition, which is really the out- side of the building. The loose explosive is placed in the large conveying trays that are shown, By tapping these slant- ing trays, enough pow- der slides through the little neck of the tray to allow for a few fillings, recently marketed arti- cle. The face of the cover, which is made of wood, is neatly colored and numbered from one to twelve in clockwise fashion. An hour hand and a minute hand are pivoted to the center. It is topped by a sympathetic ap- pearing little figure by which the cover is lifted. After each dose is administered, the hands are set forward to the proper time for the next dose. the medicine Shielding the Munition Worker Behind Steel Walls ILLING the large shells is not the only dangerous task‘in the munition plants. Loading the shell primer and fuses in which only a very small quantity of explosive is used, is almost equally hazardous. A de- fective fuse, for instance, is likely to go off and to ignite piles of fuses and powder that are near it. This source of danger has been found so great in the experience of E. P. du Pont, of Wilmington, Delaware, that he has designed a special load- ing house to protect the workers. The minute and hour hands on the cover tell. the nurse exactly when should be taken Defective material € container... = aire This powder is then wrapped up in the fuse fabric and the product is immediately passed out on another tray near by. Fuses, that are wrapped too tightly or are made imperfect in any way, are slid down a chute into a shallow bucket to be taken away. In this way no one touches the dangerous parts. The entrance of women workers into muni- tion factories has inspired many foremen to make extra humanitarian efforts in behalf of their employees and those dependent upon them for support. Explosion proof’ _ a j : ‘ “-Explosives.taken partition a. Explosives slide 4 _x2s 41 down incline Chute to defective ” material container As a protective measure, the workers are separated from the piles of explosive material by steel walls beer or s

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ee Popular Science Monthly A New Joint Box Which Prevents Submarine Cable Breaks HE new type of joint box, shown in the accompanying illustrations, has just been devised to prevent breaks at the joints, or splices of sub- marine telegraph 105 How the First Potatoes Were Made Popular in France LTHOUGH potatoes were early intro- duced into Europe by the Spaniards, they did not come in any quantity for many years. The Eng- and telephone ca- bles, caused by the severe me- chanical stresses set up in the cable because of the constant move- ment carried on by the tides and currents. The box, which is made in two halves, is bolted together with a gasket between = lish found them ‘| in Virginia, but it is believed that the Spanish brought them to that colony from further south. The first at- tempt to intro- duce them into France was due to a well known scientific author- ity named Par- mentier. This was the two parts, in order to make it waterproof. Two | double clamps are attached to the cable, one on each side of the joint and outside of the joint box proper. These two clamps are held in the The new joint box which prevents breakage of sub- marine telegraph and telephone joints or splices mo Waterstignt, jackeg nere in theseventeenth century. He im- ported some of the plants, set them out in a field near Paris, and by means of learned pam- phlets and talk with the people, tried to have the proper relation to each other by means of four long take-up rods and nuts, which, when tightened up against the ends of the box, bridge over the joint and transfer any stress on one side to the other without causing any strain in the lead sheathing over the actual cable joint. Details of the joint box. Bury the Coffee-Grounds in the Gar- den. They Fertilize the Soil HE question of what to do with the coffee-grounds has at last been satis- factorily answered. Just pour them out into the sink-strainer and dump them into the garden. They contain some valuable fertilizing properties, including a large per- centage of nitrogen and a fair amount of potassium and phosphorus. new vegetable brought into cul- tivation and the market. But it was all in vain. Potatoes did not prove at- tractive; and when the planted ones matured, it seemed that they would rot in the ground on account of the prejudice against them. Then some wise man who knew human Two double clamps are fixed to the cable, one on each 'side of the joint ~ nature—a student of psychology, with prac- tical ideas—suggested that peasants could not be made to try potatoes by persuasion, but might be led to adopt them if they were forbidden to eat them. His idea was adopted. Many signs were painted and erected in plain sight, forbidding under severe penalties any one from taking any potatoes from the field. The peasants at once began to raid the hills; and before long most of the ripe tubers were stolen and eaten with relish.

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106° Popular Science Monthly — A Masking Device Which Brings the Whole Picture in the Photograph VERY once in a while the amateur photographer gets into trouble by turning his camera over to take a length- wise picture, using the up and down, or i the panel portion of The Engineer’s Watch-Holder — It Hangs the Watch in Any Position O the engineer, the most practical timepiece is one which can be used without loss of effort and time. For this reason, a watch-holder invented by Frank J. Ellis, of Philadel- the finder, to locate the object or person to be photographed. This often results in i" an unfortunate head- less and footless por- trait of the camera fiend’s best friend. Two citizens of In- diana have invented a masking device which makes it im- possible for even the most careless person to make such a mistake. The device covers the top of the view finder, as the illustra- tion shows, and per- mits the photo- grapher to see the phia, should meet Vertical cenig with his View finder a = approval. \ as The device . Bey i A Pivot. Se — consists of a and | central bar on which two members are pivoted— one for attaching the device, and the other for holding the watch in the device. Both members are of spring wire, the at- taching arms being sharpened at the points to grasp the support. The watch-holding section isin one piece, J the wire being coiled Camera bed opening scene only as it will go on the plate or film. This effectually prevents the using of the wrong length of the finder—the panel portion for the horizontal picture. A hinged flap contains the vertical opening for one position and another contains the horizontal opening. When the finder is rolled over, the vertical opening flap turns down beside the finder box and the finder moves until the ninety degree turn is complete and the hinged flap carrying the horizontal opening lies exactly across the screen. There can never be even the possi- bility of a mistake with this device, be- cause the shape of the opening over the fo- cusing plate is euto- matically altered by the change in the po- sition of the finder. By this simple means, inexperienced photog- raphers may avoid many disappointments. The masking device fully covers the top of the view finder around the pivoting bar, forming a hook at the center of the bar and a U-shaped spring in the loop of the wire. In use, the ring of the watch catches over the hook and the stem of the watch slides into the U-shaped spring. The tension of the various spring por- tions of the de- i vice hold it im- atti movably in any itl Holding position. ne a 1) YS s Spring forcing arms down on The attaching arms of the watch-holder are sharp- ened so that they will “bite” any wood support

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tn AORN Firing Bullets from a Slot at the End of a Shotgun ROM the time British sportsmen learned that hitting flying things was entirely possible, there has been a hundred years of endeavor to make a shotgun fire its shot charges more compactly, to the end that the density of the “‘pattern”’ be sufficient to insure hits even at very long range. Now comes an inventor with a device to make a shotgun spread its charge even more than the normal “cylinder” barrel, and not only to make it spread, but to produce a spread of a certain shapeso asto increase the chances for a hit. For war usage, this inventor has produced for the shotgun, a muzzle flattened horizontally, until it is nothing more than a slot of a width equal to the diameter of the buckshot to be used; and of course running horizontally as the gunis held by the shooter. The result, says the inventor, is a “pattern,” made with twelve buckshot, fourteen inches high by eight feet wide at a distance of thirty yards. In other words, at this range the gun shoots a horizontal line of round bullets, not one of which is higher or lower than seven inches from the average, all traveling in a “line of skirmishers,” eight feet wide. Were men charging the trench at yard intervals, which is not now true, three or four of them would be hit with a bullet each. The device can be applied to cannon also, the load being changed toa charge of loose leaden bul- lets and the muzzle flattened out to allow them to pass out in a horizontal line only. For game shoot- ing, what is needed is a little lever for quickly changing the horizontal po- Popular Science Monthly A cobblestone fireplace with a brick chimney built into. the wall of the veranda is an attractive innovation The muzzle is flattened out so that the bullets issue in a horizontal line sition to a vertical one. Where the crossing duck or quail would have to run the gauntlet of a shot charge spread out, say, fifteen feet from east to west, the walked up game, rising suddenly, or the soaring duck, would call for a vertical position of the flattened muzzle. An Open Fireplace On the Veranda—What Next? N Los Angeles, Cal., the hottest day is followed by a cool evening. Hence the open- air fireplace is not so incongru- ous asit seems. It has been built into the cor- ner of the veranda, the low walls of which are of cob- blestones. The fireplace itself is of the same construc- tion, with a brick chimney extending high enough into the air to conduct the smoke cloud- ward. Here on cool evenings a bright log fire is built, which makes it possible for the res- idents to enjoy the out-of-doors.

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108 Popular Science Monthly A one-man monorail for conveying boxed automo- biles from the shipping room to the railroad siding As Good as Ten Strong Men ONVEYING sys- tems which are very costly to instal, become good invest- ments when there is a shortage of labor. An example of this is the long overhead mono- rail erected in a Tole- do, Ohio, plant. The electrically operated crane is handled by but one man. It car- ries boxed automobiles from the plant to the flat cars on the siding, where the turning on of the electric motor lowers them into place. Formerly it took ten hands, with trucks and gangways, to accom- plish the same labor. The work does not re- quire a highly trained The telescopic periscope for the A Periscope for the Engi- neer in His Cab NVENTIONS previously used exclusively for war purposes, are now finding their way into industry. Even the submarine, associated with destruction, has something to contribute. For instance, why not periscopes for railway engineers? Why is it necessary for the engineer to lean out of his cab to see the track ahead of him, or the signal of the conductor or flagman in the rear of the train? According to A. G. Spencer, of London, England, periscopes would be a great help to all loco- motive engineers, eliminating much danger and inconvenience. He has invented two peri- scopes which can be attached to an ordinary locomotive cab, to enable the engineer to obtain an unobstructed view of the track ahead and of his train in the rear. The periscopes are supported by rubber or other flexible means in brackets, so that they can be readily adjusted in position or turned about a vertical or hori- zontal axis. The space between the periscope and the roof of the cab is filled with rubber rings. One of the periscopes is tele- scopic and is in two parts held together by a wing-nut and a bolt. It is provided with windows, a re- oy }——-» movable cover and : “a projections which bear against the securing- clamps. The _peri- scope may be of lazy- tongs type or otherwise adjustable in length, and the mirrors may be protected from smoke by a hood or casing. So equipped, in an emergency, the engi- neer is able to see all that is necessary, with- out leaving his post at man. Awomancandoit. engineer’s cab is in two parts the throttle.

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Is Out HE corkscrew has at last found a rival in the cork-puller, invented by John Sheridan, of San Francisco. Two thin scissors-like blades, hav- ing upwardly inclined ser- rations, are thrust into the cork body. When you close the blade han- dles, the serrated mem- bers open in wedge shape, . and the cork can be pulled instantly. The inclined teeth draw the sides of the cork inward, making it smaller than the bottle- mouth, so that it is easily drawn out. The puller can be easily withdrawn by again separating the handles. It leaves only a small hole. A New Automobile Sig- nai. Itis placed on the Left Rear Fender NEW signal, mounted on the rear fender of an automobile, flashes a red light by night and a red flag by day, to designate a change of course, with regard Popular Science Monthly One Quick Pressure and the Cork 109 to direction. This does away with all the complications of oscillating hands or with the words “‘right or left’’, which are some- The blades are thrust into the cork, the handles pressed to- gether and the cork extracted times incorrectly manipu- lated by nervous drivers in emergencies. The signal consists of a pressed-steel box with a red metal flag on the re- movable cover and a red bull’s eye light at the rear. The device is mounted on the left rear fender and is operated by means of a push button. In operation, the push- ing of a button lights an electric lamp inside the box, and simultaneously energizes a solenoid which automatically causes the red flag on the top of the box to rise from a horizon- tal to a vertical position, transversely of the car. The current for operat- ing the signal may be had from a battery. The sig- nal box is weatherproof, to prevent possible short- circuits, although these are further provided against by a fuse block and a ten-ampere fuse placed near the negative pole of the storage battery to prevent the solenoid from burning out. Push button on steering- post re Y Vie . Solenoid A push button conveniently located on one of the steering wheel spiders, operates the red flag by day and flashes the red light by night. A battery supplies the necessary current

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110 ~ Popular Science Monthly The chimney conducts the smoke up- ward and furnishes draft for the flames Burning the Roots of Stumps Out of the Ground N wooded localities, farmers, who wish to remove the timber from their land in order to utilize the ground for raising crops, will appreciate a simple device for burning out the stumps and roots, in- vented by John H. Hempy, of New Hampshire, Ohio. The inventor has made ingeni- ous use of the well known fact that draft aids combustion, by constructing a conical chimney of sheet iron in several sections, which is so placed over the ignited stump that a strong draft is created. The air, rushing in from below, by its oxy- gen aids the proc- ess of combustion and keeps the fire burning briskly. The water slowly passing around the large heating element in the metal cyl- : inder is heated almost instantaneously obvious. After the lower part of the stump is burned away, the upper part settles into the fire and furnishes fuel to burn out the big roots near the surface. The lowest section of the cone, with a diameter of thirty inches at the bottom, is made out of heavier sheet iron, while the two upper cones, which taper to a diameter of eight inches, may be made of ordinary stovepipe sheet iron. The whole chimney is about six feet tall, but may be made higher if a stronger draft is desired. Turn the Switch and You'll Have All the Hot Water You Will Need REDERICK POOLE, of Kansas, has invented a water heater which operates electrically. It is even simpler than the gas heater. An ordinary electric high-resistance heating element is placed in a large cylinder, about a foot in diameter. When water from the small pipe main enters so big a chamber, it travels very slowly. Therefore, when the current is turned through the heating element, the heat from its large radiating surface has an opportunity to make the water hot in so short a time that the method might well be classified as instantaneous. In any home having electricity, but where, without this attach- ment, it has always been neces- sary to light the kitchen range, and then to waitan hour or more in or- der to have hot water; ig the advan- I) resistance tages of oni this quick method of preparing the morning bath, or, in case of emergency, of ob- taining hot water at any hour of the night, will be iS —| i ANNAN A IVY | ‘ co Zold water

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A Rescue Ladder for Treacherous Ice

By its use a skater who has fallen through thin ice can be saved without danger to the rescuers

" . : Seay ear Sue = EG ce . j is

When the cry for help is heard the rescuing apparatus is pushed out until the pole and ladder can be grasped by the skater, who, with its aid is pulled safely to the shore AN through the ice! Wherever there is ice skating—and careless, overly venturesome skaters—that ery is sure to rend the air. If these persons are fortunate their calls for help will probably be answered by a rescue party with a rope. But due to the thin- ness of the ice where it has been broken through, rescue with a rope is a difficult matter and dangerous for the rescuers. But, with the aid of a new apparatus invented by George Hanlon, foreman in the Department of Parks, of New York city, lying ready for use in an emergency, the chances of fatal conse- quences of the accident are greatly re- duced. The device comprises an ordinary fifteen-foot ladder with a shorter ladder pivoted at one end and a pole mounted under the Jong ladder to hold the shorter one in place. This outfit is carried on a sled, on which the rescuers haul it to the spot -where the skater has gone through. Obviously, the sled can be kept on the thicker ice ten feet away from the hole, while the pole is brought back to release the short ladder so that it drops into the hole. On this the person to be rescued can climb to safety. If the skater is not able to help himself, however, the big ladder can be removed from the sled and be slid over the ice until it straddles the hole. Someone will then walk out and with a grappling hook haul out the unfortunate one, lay him on the ladder and draw him to shore.

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The ladder may be straddled over the hole so that one of the rescuing party may stand on it and locate the body with grappling hooks in case the skater has become helpless 111

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112 Popular Science Monthly Make the Collapsible Metal Telegraph The Soldier’s Cobbler Kit. Pole an Ornament—Not an Eyesore N innovation in telegraph pole con- struction has been introduced by a Belgian inventor, Oscar Valenne, of New York city. It requires no skilled workmen to erect it, for there are no He Car- ries It in His Pocket UR soldier boys learn many things besides actual soldiering. When they return to their prosaic tasks after the war, there will be many a bank clerk, for in- stance, who will be Triangular crosspieces = eligible to join the cobblers’ union. Of course there are shoe-repair stations all along the lines of battle, but so much depends upon the condition of his shoes and his conse- quent foot-comfort, that most of the boys carry the little cobbler’s kit shown in the illustration, + (7) & t ae a i pairs themselves. The kit consists primarily of a hol- intricate connections or adjustments to be made. The pole is shipped collapsed into a very small space; but it opens out into a structure of considerable height. Three V-shaped irons are required to form the bodywork. These are held rigid by six triangular crossbars. The laborers take the three separate V-pieces, run them through the slots at the cor- ners of the largest triangular crossbar, and bury their ends in a block of newly made cement. The crossbar is slid into place, and the smallest one is tem- porarily placed on top. The top cross bar, or cap, is then re- moved and, beginning with the largest, the other crossbars, are easily slid on. The triangular crossbars hold the telescoping sections of this pole absolutely rigid and upright The cobbler kit is used to mend leggings and saddle traps as well as to repair worn shoes low handle, the top of which unscrews to disclose the awl, screwdriver, cob- blers’ tacks, and other essentials for re- pair work. At the opposite end of the device is a spool of waxed twine, which threads immediately into the awl when the awl is screwed into place. When some other tool, such as a screwdriver or knifeblade, is to be used, it is screwed into place instead of the awl. In addi- tion to his shoes the soldier may mend his torn leggings and his saddle traps. and make small re- rae

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Making Paper and Cord from Marsh Grasses Thousands of acres of hitherto worthless marshy land can be made to yield millions of dollars’ worth of fiber and pulp for various uses One million acres of this marshy land, overgrown with sedges and grasses, lie Savannah, Georgia. HEN Pharaoh’s daughter came W across the baby Moses hidden among the bulrushes of the River Nile some three thousand years ago, he was tucked comfortably in a miniature ship made of sedges. In those days the common sedges growing in Egyptian marshes were used for cordage, mattings, sails and curtains, and the ancient vessels of bulrushes were made by binding and sewing them with the filaments of corded sedge. To-day several large industries are facing a serious shortage in paper pulp, oakum, yarns, twine and kindred prod- ucts. A decreasing supply of jute from India, sisal from Mexico, and Manila from the Philippines has sent prices skyward, and many manufacturers and publishers have been unable to stand the pinch and have failed. Were the paper and cordage south of It will readily yield from one to two tons of fine dry pulp per acre producers as wise as Pharaoh’s daughter and would they but go to the marshes for their future supply of raw material, they would find a sufficient quantity of fibers to meet the country’s needs. We have been so busy since Pharaoh’s time that we have forgotten all about our marsh sedges. There are thousands—perhaps hun- . dreds of thousands—of acres of marshy land which, from the standpoint of useful- ness, might form one of the country’s vast natural resources. Consider New Jersey and her marshes, the Virginia and North Carolina swamps and tidal dis- tricts, and the innumerable lakes with their fringes of rushes and sedges! If the ancient Egyptians made use of this raw material, why should not we of this age? Thanks to the thirteen years of study and experimentation made by Col. R. A. 113

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114 Marr, of Norfolk, Virginia, we are nearer to the util- ization of waste areas of swampy ground than ever before. Colonel Marr has taken out patents on a chemical process for the treatment of sedges and grasses which makes them im- mediately availa- ble for industrial use. There are nearly two million tons of wild growth found within the borders of the United States and two hundred and fifty thousand tons within territory EOL LOE Popular Science Monthly Col. R. A. Marr, at left, examining a bundle of oakum made from waste swamp grasses and weeds by his recently patented chemical process contiguous to the United States, which can be chemically -‘treat- ed and made into strong paper and cordage. There are three hundred thousand tons of an annual growth of fresh and salt water sedges and rushes which can be made into substi- tute textile fibers. for jute and other rope materials. This raw material works easily with jute machinery and it can be used in whole or in part for cotton bagging, light oakums, roofing Experiments with bear grass and banana. At left, indicated by F, appears the grass in its natural state and in its shredded or spinning state, after chemical treatment. In KK is shown the five steps in the making of banana pulp, from the raw article to the finished product en reercremeemen cree

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Popular Science Monthly The Different Stages in the Treatment of Reeds and Canes 115 At left above, indicated by D: 1. Raw cane material. 2. After treatment and ready for rolls and picker. 3. After going through picker. 4. May be used for brush. 5. Bagging for cotton, peanuts, grain and potatoes. 6. Can be used as roofing felt. 7, Fine clean pulp stock. In Babove: 1. Bear grass made into cellulose wool. 2. Oakum of good quality. 3. Sedge fiber rove for bagging and pads. felts and papers. Canes, reeds or bamboo, of which there is an annual available supply of five hundred thousand tons, can be used for bin- der twine, bagging mix- tures, coarse sacking, strong cord- age, paper pulps, oak- ums, and strong fibers. Two hundred thousand tons of yuc- ca ‘can be It is very durable. "Se semen Cen Al above shows five different kinds of salt and fresh water sedges and rushes which can be made into fiber or pulp. The ancient Egyptians found use for them 4. Sedge fiber used as plumber’s oakum used as a substitute for sisal and Manila and for cordage, twines, yarns, strong papers and paper pulp. There is also. an annual supply of two hundred and fifty thou- sand tons of banana, pita, pineapple and palm which can be utilized for cordage, twines, cel- lulose, wool weaves, linen andcotton rag pulp. These

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eR ee ee ~ Se I eeee eaee 5 rier a fh sid 116 Popular Science Monthly plants are wild grown upon waste land and are annually reproduced every six months in some localities. The yield is from one to two tons of dry pulp on an average per acre. By the processes and methods patented by Col. Marr, the yields of pulp for paper purposes and the yields of fiber for bag- ging and other cordage are much beyond anything heretofore obtained and record- ed. By using either zinc sulphate or chloride, his processes render the gums, resinous matter, wax and fats, the silica and the cementitious carbohydrates solu- ble in water. In five hours from the raw material to the finished product, oak, beech, birch, maples, gums and poplars yield in available pulp an average of eighty-five per cent of the weight of the wood. It is not necessary to chop wood as fine for reduction by his processes as with processes now in use. To possess commercial value a fiber must be available in large quantity, the supply must be more or less constant, the product must be readily marketed, and it must be cheap. The fibers obtained from marsh growths, by the processes patented by Col. Marr, fulfill all these requirements. What Is It? A Naval Architectural Puzzle T the Water Sports Carnival held annually at Copenhagen, Denmark, any inventor can demonstrate his devices, provided they are in tangible shape and have something to do with sport or loco- motion in water. The contests are usually staged on Sortedamsoen. In the scene shown, the catamaran with a rear paddlewheel, at the right, is an old contraption dating back to the first bicycle days. The similar craft to the left, is fitted with.a heavy keel to steady it, and the float is hollow and very shallow. It obeys the rudder better than the cata- maran. . Mystery centers in the queer tub in the middle with its ambitious stream- line contours and its electric wires dangling at the side. Its wake does not indicate great speed, and the flag does not seem to unfurl in the breeze. It appears that the pilot has storage batteries on board and that he is driving two motors in watertight compartments in the pon- toon, which motors, in turn, drive two Archimedian screws or similar contriv- ances to take in water and to expel it. f ae © Underwood and Underwooi Denmark has many good mechanics who think more of having fun in some new way with their contraptions than of making money by exploiting their inventiveness commercially = AG £1. oe

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. . during the sum- What’s in a Name? In ‘German Silver,’’ for Instance ERMAN silver is manufactured in three general ways. It is composed of nickel, copper and zinc in varying pro- portions. The German method is to melt all the copper to be used in the mixture, and two-thirds of the nickel and zine in a graphite crucible and then add the rest of the nickel and zine. In the English method the copper, nickel and zinc are melted all at one time, then more copper and zine are added. Should the metal appear porous, a fireclay pipe con- taining pitch is pushed into the metal mix- ture to deoxidize it. There are several American methods. One is to melt a copper-nickel alloy and then gradually add the preheated zine. In another method monel metal is used as a base. You Can Attach This Humidifier to Your Radiator HUMIDIFIER is now manufactured which may be quickly attached to a flat or round top steam radiator. Two soft pliable wires are passed be- tween the radiator coils to the back of the humidifier, where they are tightly wound round two buttons. This enables the moistening device to be attached as firmly as if it formed part of the radiator. When it is de- sired to remove the water from the humidifier it is only necessary to unloosen the wires from the buttons, then the device can be carried to an- other room for cleaning. When the radiator is not being used mer months, the water in the humidifier may be removed and the box-life part be utilized as a tem- porary resting place for flowers until they can be planted. Popular Science Monthly Ee narrowest of stores. Can you see the store? The Narrowest Store. It Is Only Six Feet Wide ROUND space must be extremely valuable in Corry, Pa., judging from the manner in which the owner of a six-foot strip between the right of way of a railroad and the building line of one of the streets of Corry utilized his property. He erected a brick building, six feet wide and about seventy-five feet long, and in- stalled in the‘ narrow building a lunch room at one end, and a cigar, candy and ice cream counter at the other. The queer structure caused considerable amusement at first, but it proved a good investment. When the railroad encroached about two feet upon the ground, it had to move back. The humidifier is made fast to the radiator by two wires pass- ing between the hot-water coils

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118 Popular Science Monthly The Camera-Gun. Photograph Your Bird Before You Shoot Him “THE expression, ‘‘take a snap-shot,”’ . becomes very real to the photog- rapher who uses a new camera support recently invented by George Lansis. The support is made in the form of a gun. The camera is attached to the barrel in such a manner that in sighting the object to be photographed, just as a target is sighted with a rifle, the exposure is made by pulling a trigger. The camera may be attached to a real gun instead of to the support which looks like one. This arrangement will enable a hunter to photograph any bird or animal just before it falls a victim to his gun. Or, if the camera is equipped with a quick- action lens, the bird might be photographed at the instant it is shot, to test the hunter’s ac- curacy. With this. device na- to turalists could obtain a So photograph of the ani- mal and the animal it- self within the space of a few seconds. The Wigs of the Future May Be Made of Glass N Venice they are spinning glass for commercial uses, converting it into glass cotton and glass wool pressed into sheets or pads. Although the principal use of the product at present, is for insu- lation, we have the word of the The camera may be attached ; to a real or dummy gun the curiously formed egg shown sufficiently fine they curl and fluff out like wool. The product is now marketed in three forms—glass cotton, glass wool, and in sheets about one-half inch thick which resemble white felt pads. In the last form mentioned, it may be used to make sep- arators for accumulators of electricity. Lays Curious but Uneatable Eggs HERE is only one thing to do for the hen who lays such eggs as the freak formation shown in the accompanying photograph. It is a case for the application of the verdict ren- dered in the old college song, ‘Chop Her Head Off—Short!’”’ The freak has two decided curves and at first glance looks almost like a snail. It was laid in the same nest in which a dozen or more small eggs, like birds’ eggs, had been found during the spring and summer. These tiny eggs contained no yolks at all. It is probable that here is also yolkless. There are two reasons for passing the death sentence upon the hen that laid the egg. One is that slackers in the poultry yard during war-time are not to be tolerated under any circumstances; the other is that the hen is unhealthy and is probably suffering from some internal disturbance. Italian makers, that it serves ad- mirably for making artificial hair, wigs, perukes, doll’s hair, Santa Claus beards and other hirsute adornments. The processes of manufacture are simple. Solid glass rods, made of pure American soda that contains no adultera- tion of lead or other metal, are worked into fluff under a Bunsen burner and blowpipe. A bicycle wheel, minus the tire, winds up The freak egg placed beside an egg of natural the threads. If the threads are size and shape for the sake of comparison a ok ee ee

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A Sausage Dealer Out-Pigs the Pig in Hungry Berlin AVING tried a substitute for almost everything, the Germans, we are told, are stopping short of nothing in their attempt to make certain new foods take the place of those made scarce by the war. The latest report says that a sausage dealer in Berlin has been fined $500 for selling sausage made of macerated rubber, finely ground hair and gelatin. His camouflage product contained no liver, no flesh foods and no fats. At that, it was probably as digestible as some so-called sausage on sale in this country. Shoot Your Streamers with a Gun .and Save Your Arm WOODEN gun, with a stock and barrel not unlike the first archer’s pieces ever used, but withal an improve- Popular Science Monthly Se —_—— — ment on the schoolboy’s ‘‘bean shooter,” has been invented by Jose L. Cas- tillo, of San Francisco, California, for hurling long streamers or serpen- tines over the heads of people at carnivals and outdoor festivals. Elastic bands take the place of gun- powder and the barrel is nothing more than a slide, traveling in a groove. To shoot the streamer, you place it against the slide and fasten the hook or trig- ger over a stop, which takes the place of a trigger. Elastic bands afford the tension and the instant the hook is released the slide with its streamer shoots for- ward, the slide striking a forward stop and the streamer continuing on until it breaks. Before firing, the streamer is fastened to a clip on the stock. It is well to unwind the streamer a few inches before it is fired, to prevent it from . breaking off short. Streamer ro}! Rubber band SX aS Slide Pz Strainer Iniet Air outlet The stream of liquid is siphoned from one bottle to another by pressure on the rubber bulb Stop Strea c Releasing ring Ac a Every streamer would sail far and swiftly if expelled from a gun Bulb Liquid outlet Making the Siphon Empty Heavy Bottles N factories mer wherelarge > amounts of liquids are handied, the siphon, devis- ed by Charles Barrow and John Karpen, of Racine, Wisconsin, will be ap- preciated because it does away with the lifting of heavy bottles. With his siphon, the chemist inserts the ends of two tubes into the large bottle and places the other ends into the bottle to be filled. One tube contains a large rubber bulb. The sec- ond tube contains only air. When the bulb is rapidly compressed, the pressure on the top of the liquid in the end of the tube is reduced. The greater pressure on the top of the liquid outside of the tube forces it toward the in- side, then up and into the smaller flask. >

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Aptis (aebeRese LE EELS £ Bo SEO Aad G eS ISITE 120 Popular Science Monthly How a Photograph Can Show the stroke. Over the remainder of its stroke, Efficiency of a Pumping Machine NE of the fin- est demon- strations of correct mechanical princi- ples in a machine is given in the ac- companying illus- tration. Although the pump and mo- tor are on a pre- carious mounting of eight glass tum- blers, and although the outfit is pump- ing away at full speed, a photo- graph of eight min- utes exposure fail- ed to detect the slightest vibration. To the experienced engineer, one look at the picture would convince him of the pump’s high efficiency. And that is what the manufacturers wanted to show. The pump, which is non-pulsating, has been designed on a new me- chanical basis. High speed pumps that are seen now- adays are crank driven. A crank drives the pump pis- tons fast at the middle of the stroke, and then slows them down at theend. The result is a violently pulsat- ing stream, the reaction of which, especially if the water is pumped to any height, is enough seriously to jar the pump. As shown at the right, it has two pistons in the same cylinder, so _ recip- rocated by cams on the pump frame work that a solid, uniform flow is pro- duced. One piston sucks and lifts the water at con- stant speed during the larg- est part of its pumping Slidin valve? the pump and their relation to one another The almost entire lack of vibration or jar is a good indication that this non-pulsating pump has a wonderfully high efficiency the same piston gradually trails the load off while the other piston is assuming it. i The combined flow is thus always uni- form and equal to the rated amount. The continual stopping and start- ing of the column of water, which causes a great waste of power and which is hard on the machinery, is thus replaced by a uniform stream which doesn’t as much as knock over the lead pencil at the top of the ma- chine. Compared with other pumps, the one described here is said to ef- fect a saving of eighty per cent of power and fuel. There Has Been a Short- age of Coal in Italy Ever Since 1913 TALY is so pressed for coal that gas engineers are compelled to employ substitutes. Since the war with Turkey, in 1913, there has been a serious shortage of fuel in the country. To- day, coal costs seven times as much as it did a few years ago. Yet, strange to say, the price of coke has not risen in proportion to coal. At the middle of 1916, coke was costing but two and a half times as much as before the war. Private gas works, which have made pre-war contracts with the muni- cipal authorities, are in a precarious condition and are running at enormous losses, due to the exorbitant prices they are obliged to pay. T is ha with one i carde engin leath best chani were and | there in, a ary d

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Making an Automobile Serve as a Wrecker T is almost a necessity for every garage to have a road repair automobile, and one with a lifting crane is most desirable. The one illustrated was built from an old dis- carded pleasure car, having a 40-horsepower engine and a three-speed sliding gear with a leather cone clutch. Generally an old car is best for the purpose, providing it is me- chanically good. The rear mud-guards and body of this car were removed, leaving only the front seat and gas tank. On the rear of the chassis there was erected a 5- in. angle-iron station- : FOR PRACTICAL

hole was attached to the upper end of the angle-iron with rivets. To the eyelet was hung a hoisting block and tackle, the lower member being equipped with a 3-in. forged steel hook. This is for the purpose of raising the axles and frame of the broken automobile sufficiently to quickly assemble new parts. Back of the automobile seat is fitted a 2-in. oak platform 4 ft. 5 in. long and having a width the same as the original body. On top of this platform are built 8-in. compartments with reinforced iron corner braces for holding j — , RY. 348 fv~ ¥4" steel bolt | 5/4" steel bolt

ary derrick. This was swivel searchlight be om Radiator

Motor woo thn 1

” : 5 gal. cans | Bin. _ Vise Isteel block and fall i chain cable |

aces

‘Gas } : tank :

ae 8 ’ v2" wood

aN = esr @ Tool chest ED | Tail light Side view “y a) * ” f~ 13". 3." im, End view Running board 7 boas (9) Bin for Lege tow- ropesand other seat q heavy tools 34" stecl bolt. =O; Motor £o) Gasoline sgal. T Vise | O TY IESl Work bench three 5 gal. cans. Back of , : = these are a workbench and Cc | Running board | Tool chest | a bin for miscellaneous ‘om tools. Holes are drilled in Details of the framework for a crane to be attached to the rear end of a chassis frame and workbench to make a wrecking truck reinforced and the derrick was held to the chassis frame with 3<-in. plates. A forged steel eyelet having a 2-in. inside diameter

121 the chassis frame for secur- ing a heavy 6-in. vise, which is a very necessary tool for a road repair bench. Attached to the extreme end of the chassis frame is a 14 by 14 clamp through which is

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SESE Sse SS STS SS ESS ei, 3 Fyn tonalag Ca TEC pced _torch and soldering outfit, a 122 Popular Science Monthly placed a 8-in. forged steel ring for towing purposes. From the lighting system of the automobile an 8-in. swiveled head lamp was attached to the rear of the seat. Whether electricity or acetylene gas is used this ar- rangement serves the purpose excellently when making night repairs. The lamp may be turned directly on the work. A large tool box is built on the left running board. In this all necessary bench tools are carried, including ham- mers, wrenches, files, hack- saws, hand drills, gasoline set of dry batteries, wire tape and assortment of bolts, nuts and washers, from 4 to 6-in. tire repair outfit, gaso- line priming can, spark plug kit, ete. Back of the seat a tarpaulin is kept. A small emery wheel grinder may be geared from the flywheel by a friction pulley and a 3%-in. countershaft run parallel with the frame to the workbench.—P. P. AVERY. A Liquid to Clean Silverware Without Damage HEN using silver polishes, it should be remembered that some silver is always removed in the cleaning process. For this reason liquid polish is some- times preferred to the ordinary powder, as it re- moves the tar- nish without scratching, and at the same time leaves a_ bright lustre. A very satisfactory liquid polish can be prepared by mixing five parts of aquaammonia, . n=. etme 20 parts sodium — Oe grees hyposulphite, ‘ and ten parts of ammonium chloride in 200 parts of water. The greatest distributor of silverware in New York city recommends the use of sodium hyposulphite in water. A square of mica protects your fingers from ink stains An incinerator built of a few bricks, having a grate under the garbage grate for drying and burning the refuse matter A Guard to Prevent You from Dipping Your Pen Too Deep in the Ink UT out a small square or circle of mica and slip it over your favorite penholder about 14 in. from the pen point. A small brad on each side will hold the mica exten- sionin place. This arrange- ment will serve as an ex- cellent ink gage when dip- ping the point in the bottle and also as a guard against ink stains. The mica square will prevent the pen from being dipped in too far. It does not obstruct your view of the writing; you can see through the mica. Should it become stained, washing it in a little water will immediately clear it. —CLARENCE T. HUBBARD. An Easily Constructed Brick Incinerator for Garbage N effective, cheap incinerator for a subur- ban home can be made from the mate- rials listed herein. First lay six and one-half bricks ona smooth base, beginning on one side with half a brick placed next toa whole brick; then take a whole brick and lay it crossing the end of the last one. Continue this until the fullsix and one-half bricks have been used. The second, = third and fourth a a rows are laid in the same man- ner, lapping the joints. When the fourth tier ll is completed lay on a good 1-in. coat of mortar - and imbed in it —_=ss > TSS ten iron bars == SSsSeosees € S \ 6} Bricks iar each 21 in. long = 8 Bricks BRIG and about 1 in. ob Bricks PENA in diameter (or = the flat kind) laying two in front over the bricks to sup- port the next tier, spacing them equally. Another complete tier of eight bricks is then laid, starting with six and one-half The note arrang startir will b shows bearin radiat The harde! the cl slot p outwa clears drive If the to an holes.- Cu AI I of a n of put or the

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=~ oo, "Sala = -. Popular Science Monthly 123 pricks to make the front opening. On top of this lay ten more bars imbedded in the mortar, then lay five layers of brick, finishing the top by rounding it off with mortar. When this is completed the incinerator will have a fire grate below and another grate above entirely surrounded with bricks. The second grate forms a receptacle for garbage. The mortar should be made of slacked lime and sharp sand.—RONALD F. RIBLET. Holder for the Starting Crank of an Automobile N some older types of automobiles no. provision was made for securing the starting crank when it was disengaged. The STARTING -- CRANK RADIATOR BEARING The pin on the jaw-clutch that slips into a notch for holding crank in an upright position arrangement shown herewith for holding the starting crank is easy to make and apply and will be found very effective. The sketch shows the usual jaw-clutch shaft held in a bearing fastened to the underside of the radiator channel. The crank-holding device consists of a hardened steel pin driven in the large part of the clutch shaft so that it will engage the slot plate when the spring forces the shaft outward. When cranking the motor the pin clears the slot plate. The pin is either a drive fit in the clutch shaft or is threaded. If the shaft is hardened it will be necessary to anneal it before trying to drill the holes—W. BURR BENNETT. Cut Your Ice ‘Silently and Easily With a Needle and Thimble BLOCK of ice can be split into small pieces in a very short time by the use of a needle and thimble, without the trouble of putting the ice in a bag and pounding it or the muss attending the shaving or picking process. A rather coarse needle of the variety used for hand sewing, or a small darning needle, and a thimble are the only tools required. Hold the needle between the thumb and index finger of the right hand, and with the thimble on the second finger of the same hand press the needle firmly and steadily into the ice. In a second or two the piece of ice of the size desired will quietly crack off. This method has its silence to recommend it.—C. B WHITEHOUSE. A Built-In Writing Desk Made from a Bread Board HEREVER a compact writing desk is needed this type can be used to ad- vantage, especially in the summer cottage. The desk itself is nothing more than a flat board. A bread board 16 by 22 in. would be about as satisfactory as anything. First decide on the location. If, as in a summer camp, there is no plaster and the studs are exposed, the position of the desk may be between two of the studs. If there is plaster, it will have to be broken through between two studs. About 30 in. above the floor and between the studs nail another piece the same size as the studs like a header. From this cross-piece hinge the bread board as shown in the illustration and fasten it to a chain on one side to hold it ina horizontal position when it isdown. On the inside of the desk top fasten a blotter, and adorn the outside with a picture. The studs are usually spaced about 18 in. on => —_ SS SSS 3 The built-in writing desk as it ap- pears when it is open and_ closed centers so that a clear space of about 16 in. will be in the wall between them. The back of this may be used as a space for a rack for papers and hooks for pens and pencils and place forink, etc. The illustration furnishes a suggestion as to what can be done and how the desk looks when it is closed and out of the way.— HAROLD V. WALSH.

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= 7s co EES BI This ata Say SRAER fg eB Dal i Sa mehduintaa es -£ EE Ne anrenaet ae STR AE EGE Se IETS ERA 2 EL FEE ETAT RISE TR 124 Popular Science Monthly A Completely Equipped Portable Cabinet for the Photographer HE case shown is 24 in. high, 30 in. long and 6 in. thick. It may, of course, be made any size, but this one can be placed behind a door or in a closet out of the way, and is large enough so that the printing box compartment will accom- modate a 5 by 7-in. size or smaller. The capacity of the case is sur- prising. On the upper left door are the scales, which can be tilted to bring them level, a drop- Bet ping glass, The cabinet when closed stirring rod, can be carried easily palette and tweezers. On the upper half are eight 4 by 5-in. holders and an exposure meter. On the upper center shelf is room for all sorts of sen- sitized paper up to 12 by 14 in. in size for enlarging, and the latest negatives. On the right side the shelves occupy only half the width, the remainder being placed on the door. In the case will be found 1 lb. of sodium carbonate, 14 lb. of sodium sulphite, 1 oz. potassium metal-bisul- phite, 1 bottle retouching varnish, two 3 oz. bottles of toner, 1 box of potas- sium citrate, 1 box potassium bromide, 1 box of copper sulphate, 1 box pow- dered alum, 1 box citric acid, 1 box chrome alum, and 1 glass funnel. In the bottom section is a book of for- mulas. On the door is 1 bottle each of 10 per cent bromide of potassium, pyro, aerol, and amidol, 1 box hydroquinone, 1 box of potassium ferricyanide, a pack of filter paper, 1 box of opaque, 1 box of sepia toner, 1 box of green toner, 1 box of intensifier and a rack for masks at the bottom. When the two doors shown in the lower central portion are closed, the trays, trimming board and blotting pad may be stored therein. When these doors are lowered they at once become available for holding the various trays in development. The door in the fore- ground is covered with rubber. The lower central portion is also provided with a folding rack for glass plates and with clips for holding films while drying, which keeps them out of the dust. At the lower left is the printing box, the inside of which is painted red and provided with a curtain of ruby fabric, shown partly raised from the bottom. This runs in grooves and is held up at the top by a spring, thus closing out all white light, making a fine dark lan- tern. What appear to be two narrow drawers above the lamp is the printing frame, the lower half slides out only half way and the top part the rest of the way, so that a negative may be inserted and removed easily. The red light reflected from the white enamel door below, throwing the rays up through the nega- tive, makes placing the paper an easy matter. The corner shown partly raised is fastened to the frame so that when the frame is pushed back in the case it is forced down in close contact with the paper and negative by two flat The cabinet opened showing the compart- ments for the chemicals, plates and papers springs placed beneath the compartment housing the scales. This door is also provided with a spring to open it, as shown, as it is withdrawn from the case. This, of course, stops the printing. The lamp shown is for enlarging; the one for printing is back of the curtain Q5 5 85 @~ Fee Ht 45 «FF ete Ae A le mm RD — a = OO, me Rh 4 wo dd oO wh Oo ben | ~~

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Popular Science Monthly 125 where the wire enters. The curtain, when released, rolls down out of the way, being actuated by aspring such as used on window shades. Inside the central por- tion is a switch for shifting the current from one light to the other. The brass corners ard handle were purchased. The case was painted inside and out as a finish.—I. E. PETTIBONE. A Homemade Sawdust-Burning Heating or Cook Stove ERE is a little new-style stove which will save your coal. It burns saw- dust. You can make the stove yourself if you are handy with tools. It is simply a cylindrical box made of sheet iron, about 734 in. in diameter and eight inches deep. It has no lid. The box should be filled with sawdust to within an inch of the top, leaving the rim, which is pierced with eight holes 34 in. in diameter, uncovered. Three small pieces of sheet iron, bent at right angles and riveted inside below the top, serve as brackets to support the cooking utensil at the right height above the flame. Before filling the box with the sawdust, a piece of wood 101% in. long, tapering from 134 in. in diameter at one end to 114 in. at the other, is placed, small end downward, in a vertical position at the bottom of the box. Another piece of wood 114 in. in diameter and 6 in. in length is inserted through a hole in-the side, at the level of the bottom. One end of this piece is slightly hollowed to fit the lower end of the vertical piece. These two pieces of wood act as a kind of core around which the sawdust is packed and rammed down hard with a wood rammer. After the sawdust is packed in, the pieces of wood should be removed, leaving two holes, one vertical and the other horizontal. Through the vertical hole a few drops of kerosene are poured, and through the horizontal open- ing a lighted taper is inserted. As soon as the sawdust catches the blaze, the cooking utensil may be placed over the top. The fire will burn from three to six hours without replenishing and without flaring up. It gives off a good heat, sufficient for any kind of cooking or for laundry work.—JAMES A. CARTER. The Animated Match Box on the Back of the Hand O this trick before a mirror and you will actually surprise yourself. Al- though exceedingly simple it is very per- plexing to the onlooker.. Take an or- dinary match box and lay it flat on the back of your hand. At your command it will “sit up” or “lie down.”’ More- over, it will ac- complish the task slowly or rapidly at your own will. No threads, wires, The skin on thehand 2X or weights are is gripped in the box used. Nothing but your hand and the match box. Try it as you read this. When placing the box on the back of your hand have the drawer open just the slightest bit. Push it together with the fingers of the hand that is placing the box. This will cause a bit of the loose skin to catch in. The box will lie perfectly flat until you push your closed up fingers into your palm. The slightest strain will tighten the skin and the little box full of matches will gradually rise up in the most amusing manner. To have it “‘lie down” merely relax the pressure. As you do this not a muscle or vein will move. Only the slight “pinch feeling’ of the skin will keep you from fooling yourself. ; Tire Damage Caused by Driving in Street Car Tracks OUGH streets tempt one to drive in car tracks. It is more comfortable for the passengers and may seem more of an economy to protect the car on special occasions from bumps and unusual vibra- tion by running in car tracks, rather than over rough, cobblestone pavements. The tires will not be injured by doing this occasionally; however, to continue the bad practice shortens the mileage of the tire. Quite often the pavement along the inside edges of the rails is very rough and may result in cuts to the rubber and bruises to the fabric. Driving over street car track switches, the pointed frogs may cut the tires beyond repair.

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ESE PE er a Sb: RTS EGGS GR eee ee . evra a7 nemip ageddtiies nasiitteiiaaeiaaaicll PL EROS a 126 Popular Science Monthly Inserting Hard Fiber Plugs into Automobile Clutches HE studs that disengage the dry plate clutch of a certain make of automobile are made of a softer material than the dis- engaging levers. This causes the plugs to viata CLUTCH LEVER J - FIBER PEG - | FLYWHEEL RIM DISK PIN Disk A fiber plug to take the place of a worn- out steel stud in an automobile clutch wear rapidly, necessitating the replacing of them frequently. To avoid the expense of purchasing new studs, we inserted hard fiber plugs to put the stud into proper condition again. These plugs: were inserted into tapped holes, and when removing an old one it was merely necessary to drill out the larger portion and then force the balance out by running a tap through the threads.—ADOLPH KLEIN. A Loose-Leaf File in Which to Keep Photographic Films HE filing case is made of a loose-leaf note-book, of a kind having the leaves held at one of the narrow edges, and in which they are as large as the films that are to be preserved. Holes that correspond in size and location with those in the leaves of the note-book should be punched into the margins of the films. he printing quality of the negatives suffers no injury from this operation, as the margins are blank. Into the binder are inserted alternately a loose leaf and a film. On the face of each loose leaf may be written a complete record of the following film. By this arrangement each film is separated from the others, and is well protected. By inserting at the beginning of the book an extra leaf on which an index is kept, and by numbering the leaves, any film may be instantly located. Where a large number of films are to be preserved, it will be most practical to file them in separate binders, sorting them ac. cording to their descriptions, such as por- traits, landscapes, etc. When any film is removed for printing its accompanying record leaf should ules be removed, to prevent the two from be. coming separated.—F. M. WAGNER. An Automatic Match Safe for Holding Box Matches VERY useful match safe can be made from any ordinary 14-in. wood. It is convenient because after the cover js taken from a match box it can be slid right into the safe, and also, because it can be hung on the wall as well as set on a table or shelf. The dimensions on the accompanying jl- lustrations are for 14-in. stock and they should be slightly changed if the wood is of any other thickness. The accompanying illustrations show the construction of the safe as well as the dimensions. ——— ed AN XX \\ 3 | k—3;' —— l } id Tapjtront ine i} J") be | eto ~~ rr i= mar ii Bevel-}-—® -t--7? |-10 5 aaa front | | 7 10 Plans for making a match safe to hold a box of matches and to deliver them a few at a time at the bottom of the box If a match scratcher is wanted on the safe, a piece of sandpaper may be glued to the top front piece.—G. EARLE MCCOTTER. T cross-s cealed Oo! Con mente instru: vided stood | The the sp Sou in the vibrat typica of sou into tv Noises waves. are sj A mu: occurr rapidit called the ov The reprod chanic record

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— Making a Talking Machine A simple construction within the scope of the amateur By Charles Horton HE talking machine herein described is T of the well-known so-called “‘hornless’’ type in which the horn is of rectangular cross-section instead of circular, and is con- cealed within the base of the instrument. TT 11 . CR o cea 7 FIG.t Details of the turntable and the locaticn of the electric motor for driving it Contrary to general opinion among experi- menters the talking machine is a very simple instrument and not difficult to make, pro- vided the underlying principles are under- stood and correctly applied. The chief difficulty, of course, is in making the spring motor. Sound is understood as that disturbance in the air body which is capable of causing vibration of the ear drum with consequent typical sensation. There are various kinds of sounds, which may be roughly divided into two classes—noises and musical sounds. Noises are unsymmetrical groups of sound waves. Musical sounds, on the other hand, are symmetrical groups of sound waves. A musical note is a group of sound waves occurring in perfect rhythmical order. The rapidity of vibration of any sound wave is called the “‘pitch,’”’ and the quality due to the overtones is called the ‘‘timber.”’ The talking machine is a machine for teproducing sounds from permanent me- chanical records of original sounds. The record is made by allowing the original 127 sounds to impinge on a flexible diaphragm. the resultant movements of this diaphragm being arranged to cause a needle point to trace in a soft substance in motion a wavy line characteristic of the impinging sounds. The reproduction is accomplished by prac- tically the reverse of this process and the tones are amplified by allowing them to pass through a resonant chamber. From the above it will be readily under- stood why the phonograph is imperfect in its reproduction; for while it is easy enough to record and reproduce the fundamental notes, some of the complex overtones are of very high pitch and also of very small magnitude and are consequently lost, either not being recorded at all, or not being reproduced, or being lost in the reproducer and resonant chamber. Furthermore, since the pitch of a musical note determines the note, even the slightest variation of the speed of the record changes the pitch of the music. Also the resonant chamber some- times adds typical overtones to the music. Thus the two principal problems to be solved in making a talking machine are, FIG.2 The top plan shows the turntable with location of the arm and two needle tills first, to secure a good reproducer and, second, to secure perfectly uniform speed of the turntable.

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PSR IE ED ET TSS RS: ited. soi a Sipe = oe oa Fae aaa Lg occ n hgh Sh PRO OMES 5d OIE S, LES SSS ag POR Nat FF FrA ligand hdmi. aariced a PRES 128 Popular Science Monthly This instrument is arranged to use motor drive, as motors are cheap and easily applied and -if alternating current is available a constant speed is easily secured. The tone arm and reproducer are to be made of wood, | | "i } H| | IZ | | \ foe SSS SF | } —— FIG6.3 Here is shown the horn or sound box beneath the turntable cover and the cabinet fastenings which is more easily worked than metal and is generally more desirable. The most recent phonographs placed on the market have a wood tone arm. Any type of motor, preferably shunt wound, may be used and should develop only a few hundredths of a horsepower. The motor usually used on an 8-in. fan is ideal and of the right size. The speed ‘proper friction. ered with a piece of soft rubber tube to cause The turntable should be made of cast iron and carefully turned in q lathe. The center pin is forced into the disk and rotates freely in the bushing beneath, which is mounted in the crossbar shown secured to the underside of the top. The turntable is 12 in. in diameter and 1 in, thick. The top view of the machine with the cover removed is shown in Fig. 2., Here the wooden tone arm is shown and the position of the motor. The two holes in the top are for new and used needles. The turntable is covered with a layer of felt stuck on with shellac. F The top view, Fig. 3, of the cabinet with the top removed shows the horn and the method of fastening the cabinet by screws through corner pieces, thus preventing them from showing on the outside. | Three views of the wood tone arm and re- producer are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The arm is made of two pieces sawed out roughly as in Fig. 6, then gouged out and sandpapered to make the tone passage. Afterward the two pieces are glued together while firmly clamped in a vise and finally carved down on the outside and polished to the shape shown in Fig. 4. The reproducer sound chamber, Fig. 5,issimple. It consists of a wood back, A, a pair of rubber rings B, the mica or celluloid diaphragm, C, the stylus D, and the clamping ring, E, which should be of brass 1/16 in. thick. Four 1/16 should preferably be not over 3,000 {— R. P. M.; but this is not essential as the speed can be controlled by resistance. A motor should be selected which has a uniform rate of speed. The method of mounting a motor of the “‘globe” type is shown in Fig. 1, in which the motor swings on pivots in a strap-brass frame secured to the top panel, and is held so that its friction wheel bears against the turntable by a suitably arranged spring. For any other type of motor a suitable mounting must be developed but should always be sufficiently resil- ient to produce enough pressure for driving. In order to insure uniform speed of the turntable the disk is made very heavy, so as to act as a flywheel. The driving pulley should be so proportioned as to give a speed normally of 80 revolutions per minute. ‘The motor pulley should be cov- Plans of the tone arm and reproducer which are easily constructed from wood and metal rings bolts arranged as shown secure the parts together. The stylus is best made from a single piece of brass with the aid of a fine- toothed pack saw and a few files. A detail = FIG view 0 stylus | ber wa

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7% Nake 2-fL- F" Wood FIG6 FIG.7 prill 2 Fi iP ie Ste. Drie” Make /-Brass- %o Sore Dimensions of the wood for making one- half of the tone arm and stylus details view of the stylus is given in Fig. 7. The stylus is mounted freely between small rub- ber washers F. The thumbscrew is made Popular Science Monthly 129 from a small round head-iron machine screw with a crosspiece soldered in the kerf. Detailed drawings of the cabinet parts are shown in Fig. 8. The bottom molding is shown at G. This can be made from any suitable standard molding or gouged out with hand tools. Four corner pieces are glued and screwed in asshown. The closing panel for the bottom of the cabinet is shown . at H. The side pieces are shown at J and the corner securing cleats at J. The back piece is at K. Other cabinet details are shown in Fig. 9. Eight screws secure the base G, Fig. 8, to the molding part L, Fig. 6. The top panel is shown at M and the horn mounting strips at NandO. The bottom, sides and top of the horn are shown in P, V and R respectively. If desired the horn can be made of )%-in. hard cardboard. One-half of the tone-conducting chamber which connects the tone arm with the horn is shown in Fig. 10. It is made of soft white 20". wie : 7 ~— e1 ‘he \o ON ° ° “ el Q 2 Method of Loching Corners es id 12 #18 + C.S.0n bolTora t Ne for 12 *#6x/$"Flb tron Wood Scrs \o}-4 a ; ‘oO o ry ©,’ ~ 7 @ es Le_e H Make 1-4" ough Wood 6 Make |- Wood Dri) A#IB+CS. | | It 4” I Nake 2-~"Wood Make 2-2 ‘Sg. Wood’ XK Make |- 4"Wood FIG.8 Top molding details together with the three sides and bottom board which may be made of any wood desired, cut from rough stock and shaped by hand, or purchased from a dealer

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i ' 5 t errenererpnseene eran 130 Popular Science Monthly

» Fd Ar 2 e. Ny e To Suit flolor a : 102 Ize" * : / e / She > ty {| NY x yd "2 > 8" 7" 2444 RO F 4 4 3% "4 L Make 1-Wood ‘8 16" wail as si Make | Wood , ™ — l i] . | oa ; Make £-4° Wood ; vi e oO ake 2-# wood (sz | ¢ 3 s} *» N s! a2 Nw ‘N & Q 16z- ) ao Make-l-&’Ve | a P Ake - 4 erreer * Q Make Z-'$" Veneer "ake 1-& Veneer FiG.9 Details of the molding around the bottom of cover and the top panel, with those of the horn or sounding box sides. All inclosed woods may be of soft pine or other similar soft wood pine. The other half is made similar but and glued and nailed with small brads. reversed, and the two parts are glued tight together. The sections of the horn are closely secured along the four corners , by Any looseness will cause vibration. Mahogany is preferable, but any wood desired can be used.

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io———_ The cover is hinged to the cabinet at the back. Other parts will be made clear by reference to the drawings. This ma- chine if carefully made will prove very satisfactory and attractive. If desired, the front opening of the horn may be closed with a wood grill work cut out with a scroll saw. This gives a very pretty effect;. or a fine piece of green silk may be used as in some commercial machines. After completing the cabinet work and after all the mechanical parts are inclosed, sandpaper all surfaces smoothly, remov- ing all surplus glue; then select a stain

Details of the tone conducting chamber located at the base of the tone arm glued on strips of muslin and the small end of the horn is slipped over the finished piece suitable for the finish. Apply the stain according to the directions on the can and put on a wax coating as directed on the package. Rub thoroughly then apply another coat and finish with a rubbing. A Sin T fi ha broke: have ~ By fo can m Cle: wrap : in a \ jaws t sulpht umbre sulpht cause can a iron 0 Ins ; 1 have | difficu difficu narro\ top o in the the de 5 he 1 qualif there article gives that < tions when We blank brass, given layou The gs and vu cut is botto rever, smoo clamy four

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A Simple Method of Securely Fastening Umbrella Handles T frequently happens that an umbrella having an expensive handle will get broken. The owner may naturally desire to have the handle put on another umbrella. By following these instructions any person can make the change of handles. Clean out the hole in the handle, then wrap a few layers of cloth on it and clamp it in a vise, using just sufficient force to the jaws to hold it upright. Then put powdered sulphur in the hole—heat the end of the umbrella rod red-hot and push it down in the sulphur. The heat will fuse the sulphur and cause it to grip the rod tightly. This method can also be used to fasten rods into stone, iron or wood.— W. S. STANDIFORD. Inserting Manifold Papers Evenly in a Typewriter HE insertion of manifold papers is a job which taxes the patience of many who have occasion to use the typewriter. It is difficult to keep the papers “‘squared.”’ The difficulty may be overcome by folding a narrow strip of paper, placing it over the top of the sheets, and then inserting them in the machine. This keeps the sheets in the desired position. Laying Out and Finishing a Plain Blanking Die HERE are numbers of good machinists who, with a little instruction, could qualify as.tool and die makers, for whom there is great demand. The following article deals with a very simple die, but it gives some idea of the fundamental rules so that a lathe man who masters the instruc- tions given will not be entirely inexperienced when called on to do this work. We will assume that a die is required to blank some pieces of No. 20-gage hard sheet brass, ard the dimensions called for are as given in kig.1. The tools necessary for this layout are the square, dividers and scriber. The steel for the die is placed in the shaper, and unless the sides are unusually rough, a cut is taken on the piece to be used for the bottom. After this is done the piece is reversed and the top is planed off and smoothed with a tool, asshown at A. Again clamp the piece in the planer and trim off the four sides, taking care to make them as Popular Science Monthly 131 square as possible. This will be a great aid in laying out the more complicated die work. It is very necessary to have a bottle of blue stone solution at hand, which when applied to the surface of the steel will pro- duce a copper-colored coating for taking the lines that are drawn thereon for the work. After the blue stone has been applied, scribe the center lines B-C Fig. 2; then the lines \y-in. on each side of the line B; draw the intersecting lines at the end, always measur- ing from the center. The radius of projec- tion is 44 in. and is measured with the dividers, taking for a center the point on the line C at D. The die is now laid out. For drilling the core, a line is drawn on the inside as in Fig. 3, on which there are spaced the punch marks so that a drill will not quite touch the outline when drilling the holes. This spacing should be as close as possible so that the core can be easily removed. Before the holes are drilled, the die is strapped to the face plate of a lathe, and A et _ fa) iP C49) SQUARE eg STOP PIN f 24 TAP f HOLE x24 TAP LU L 7" é ¢ ¢ a aaa man SSS—_—_— FF £=— Ss STOP PIN © © © FIG.3 Shape and size of the piece to be punched, details of making the die and tools used after centering it on D it is drilled and reamed to size. The clearance for the passing of the blank at this point can be made by adjusting the compound rest on the lathe carriage, instead of filing the die after-

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ptacaediledl POISE: Sie SPLOT aI ETH Rs Nee ae eS bag eR A oar aes AEE, PTET FIO IDE 2 Mi OG sfeti MEY Sars £ . ing. The finishing is done 132 Popular Science Monthly wards. When this is done the die is removed and the core drilled out. A flat chisel as shown at E is necessary to break the web left from the drilling of the core. Do not drill the holes too close to the die line, for a cut over the outline will make it necessary to use a put- ting-on tool. It is easier to remove the stock by filing than to hammer the steel to fill the space. The die being small it is not necessary to use a milling machine for finish- by chiseling off most of the web and then filing to the lines. When this point is reached and the proper clearance is made, the die is again placed in the shaper and a cut taken on both sides of the die as at F. This is to make the clamp hold and to prevent the die from lifting out of the bolster. In case of . mishaps necessitating regrinding, the die should be cut away as at G, which saves time. A depth of \ in. is sufficient. Four holes are now drilled and tapped as shown for 14-in. screws having 24 threads to the inch. Two holes are also drilled for dowel pins. Do not forget that there must be a stop for the material after it is blanked. For this purpose a hole is drilled at H and a pin driven in and bent over. Die makers are not always permitted to do their own hardening, but should this be a FIG 4 END VIEW OF PUNCH Plan of the punch ‘and manner of cutting the metal away to make the proper shape part of your work proceed as follows: Fill up the drilled holes with fire clay to prevent any possible stresses or cracking. After ascertaining what kind of steel you have, and the treatment required, heat it to The finished die and punch ready for the the proper temperature, or color, and queneh it quickly in water or oil. After hardening the surface of the die, clean it and replace it in the furnace to bring it to a dark straw color, or 460 deg. F. The die is now ready for use in making the punch, which is shaped from a round piece of steel 114 in. in diameter, A piece of the steel is cut to the right length; the ends are centered, put in a lathe and turned down, as shown in Fig. 4, to the size neces- sary to fit the punch holder for the press work. When this is done, brighten the large end and apply the blue stone solution; clamp the end in a vise and lay the die upon it. Transfer the outline of the die with the scriber. Next, take the piece to the milling machine and clamp it in the chuck of the index head or between centers. Mill all around and up close to the line scribed, as shown in the end view. Then re move it from the chuck and file it so that the punch will just about enter the die; now adjust it in the press as if for use with the already made and hardened die, and ‘“‘shear it.” Care must be taken to see that the die will remove some metal from all sides. When located properly, force the punch into the die. If too much material has been left on the punch, do not attempt to force it through, but remove again and file to mark obtained by this operation. To insure a_ good, smooth finish as little material as possible should be left to shear. The punch is hardened in the same manner as the die and the cutting edge is ground sharp. To complete the job we must now make the stripper plate. A piece of machine steel of about 14 in. thickness, as shown in Fig. 5, is clamped on the die and holes are drilled to coincide with the hole of the die. After the plate is secured to the die the outline of the blank is scribed on the stripper plate in the same manner as on the punch. The core on this plate is drilled out in the same way as for the die. It is filed close to the lines; and punch and die are set on the press again. When power press the se’ to the It is entire] Lon concen

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SSS eS OS OO ae ae the setting is correct the stripper is fastened to the die and the punch is forced through. It is not necessary to force the punch entirely through, as a part must be milled out © €F¥ DOWEL HOLE so > EF dome HOLE > FIG. 5 Stripper plate to prevent the stock from sticking to the punch when it is drawn for the brass stock to pass through. For this die the material will be 7% in. wide and the stripper milled to a depth of 4 in. After removing all sharp edges from the stripper, the hole for the punch should be filed slightly to provide a sliding fit. When assembled on the power press a strip of brass is run through the opening, as the press is operated, and blanks are made at each stroke to the shape and size shown in the illustra- tion.— GEO. F. KUHNE. Popular Science Monthly 133 A Self-Supporting Roof for a Small Public Garage N rural districts many contractors are being confronted with the problem of building public garages without the trouble- some posts to support the roof girders. The garage with posts here and there over the floor area is of little value. The plan here illustrated shows how an economical truss can be built of wood so that the roof can be supported without posts. This design is practical for garages as wide as 60 ft. and is built up entirely of wood timbers and 1-in. rods that can be purchased from any country lumber dealer’s stock. The lower member is built up of three 2 by 10-in. planks spiked together with joints staggered so that no two end butt-joints will be at the same place in the girder. All the upper part of the main truss, is made of 4 by 6-in. stock, cut according to the pattern with 1-in. rods as ties, and double nuts at the bottom for tightening. The strap iron at the end of the truss is the main part. Any carpenter with ordinary skill can erect this design satisfactorily. Finish up with a neat cornice as the drawing illus- trates.—W. E. FRUDDEN. YA BR\CK WALL Lippy Yyg N f V4 Giijiy le: Y, l fo Mt FE © © 0 © 0 ” C8 8-65 Cee OF 6 Co. 6 6 u “= AM OL see STErY ye WIVYZ/7 W/W fee 0 6 ¢ =" hE BA AO . ma A A SAL x SLU SY VIEW OSS 600" staggered joints. - Supporting roof girders with a trussed frame having a lower member built up of three boards to make the length, all of which are spiked together with This provides a wide covering without supporting posts

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oo aE eR aa AR PE Se nie | EME suleebbintiewattncahkbedod tctoe Ge ey tee 134 Popular Science Monthly Simple Designs for Hand-Made Mechanic’s Tools NE of the first tools selected by the mechanic when collecting a personal outfit is the hammer, and the work which he intends to do decides one of the most important factors in hammer con- eee —— we a Design for a ball-peen hammer weighing seven ounces, forged or cut from bar stock struction,—that of weight. While ham- mers can be purchased at a reasonable price, they, as well as other tools, can be hand-made. Such, when properly de- signed, are highly prized by the owner. While working at the mechanic’s trade I constructed in my spare time a number of tools, and to this day no other tools purchased seem to be so satisfactory or to fit the hand so well as those made by my hand. In making these tools only limited facilities were accessible such as -any amateur may find available in almost any locality. The hammer is the most used tool in the kit. It does the bulk of the work and the hardest part of it, and yet, without exception, it is given the least | rene ABOUT | - i A design for a cross-peen hammer weighing seven ounces, for doing ordinary riveting amount of consideration in making, both as to quality of materials and appearance. Of the several kinds used in metal work, two hammers will be considered, which are sufficient for ordinary work—a ball-peen and a cross-peen. A hammer, to set properly in the hand, should have the proper hang, which calls for correct proportions in the length from face to face as compared with the diameter, weight and location of the eye. The dimensions given in the detailed drawings are correct for weights of 12 and 7 oz. respectively, which are neither light nor heavy. A good grade of about 80-point carbon tool steel should be used, forged to size, with just enough metal allowance to finish up. While doing this forging the eye is drifted in the metal. If forging is out of the question the head may be shaped from a solid bar in a lathe and the eye made by drilling out the metal and filing to shape. The hardening or tempering is very important, for upon this depends the life of the tool. The usual method is to heat it all over to a cherry red, or about 1550 deg. F. pyrometer test in a clean fire, then quickly dip each end—the end only—in water for a distance of about 34 in., until a fine straw color is obtained on each face or end. The steel is then polished, with a coarse grade of emery cloth first and afterward with a finer one about No. 0. The handles are cut from second growth hickory, well thinned down in the neck so that a spring is formed.—A DANE. An Auxiliary Chuck for a Carpenter’s Brace T is a difficult job for a carpenter to hold a small round drill in an ordinary brace, as the chuck opening is so shaped that no grip can be had on this kind of drill. By using the device as shown in the illustration the drill can be held rigid. The pressure exerted by the chuck jaws closes the slot and jaws on the drill shank. This device can also be used for holding broken drills. The chuck may be made from a piece of machine J — Ne ccocccccccccscocese steel in square form or filed Small from the round stock to fit drill in the brace. The hole through ers the center must be of a size to hold the drills most used, or else a com- plete set of chucks for the drill shanks should be made.—J. R. MINTER. 1M S, © tO = = CO 3 Oo = ee Fy ey ote ee OS 2m tO Or 1 Pi 1 Pi

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OR those who like to make things, Fk there is nothing better to construct than a motor-sled, and there is nothing from which more pleasure can be derived. The one shown in the illus- tration is capable of making from 40 to 50 miles an hour with a 9-horsepower engine. A 4 or 5-horsepower single cylin- der engine will do, but of course it will not be possible to obtain as great a speed as with a twin cylinder engine. The few parts which require forgings can be made by the builder if he has a shop of his own. In case a blacksmith does the work the cost should not be very great. If the builder has a motorcycle he can save the cost of the engine, which is the largest expense. If the sled is well built it should last for years. The following is a list of materials required: 1 Motorcycle engine with ignition and oiling system 1 Motorcycle rear wheel with brake and chain 1 Gasoline tank 2 Pieces of pine 14 ft. long, 4 in. wide and 2 in. thick 2 Ash planks 12 ft. long, 8 in. wide and 1) in. thick 8 Matched boards 12 ft. long, 6 in. wide 1 Board 2 ft. long and 8 in. wide 1 Piece of iron pipe 6 in. long and 1 in. in diameter 2 Flange couplings 2 Pieces of 14-in. pipe 4 in. long Number and Size of Bolts Required : Bolts 8 by %in. 22 Bolts7 by 2 in. : “ee % “ee 4 “ee 5 “se ; “cc ‘\% “6 9 “““ 3 “ 1% “ss 4 6c “> “cc 3% “é 18 ee 2% 6 3% 6s 7 “ 1% ‘ 2 6 “ “ 3% 2 Bolts 1 by 4 in. Number of Iron Pieces 1 Piece 6 ft. long, 114i in. wide and in. thick 1 Piece 4 “i long, 1 in. wide and )% in. thick By Clifford A. Butterworth 135 1 Piece 7 ft. long, 11% in. wide and 3% in. thick 1 Piece 11 ft. long, 114 in. wide and }% in. thick 1 Piece 24 ft. long, 1 in. wide and Min. thick 1 Piece 8 ft. long and 1 in. in diameter 1 Piece 18 ft. long and 34 in. in diameter 1 Piece 8 ft. long and )4 in. in diameter Screws, Rivets and Wire V4 Gross of 1 V4 in. screws 10 Screws 3 in. long 3 Dozen rivets 1 by 14 in. 8 Ft. of No. 6 wire Begin the work by cutting the frame pieces A from one of the 14-ft. lengths of pine; then cut the pieces, B, C and D, from the ash plank, making them 3 ft. 2 in., 2 ft., and 2 ft. 4 in. long respectively. Bolt them to the frame pieces with the 7-in. bolts. Cut the two 4-ft. pieces, E, E, and bolt them in position; then cut another piece, E, 2 ft. 11 in. long and bolt it to the underside of B as shown in Fig. 1, with three 5-in. bolts. These last three pieces are cut from the other 14-ft. length of pine. Cut the runners from the ash plank and make a V-shaped groove on the edge. This is used to receive the shoe ironfor the bottom. Makethe groove 34 in. wide and 34 in. deep. The shoes are made from the 34-in. round iron, flattened at the end to 4 in. and fastened to the runners with three screws in each end. Fasten the rear runners in place with five 3-in. screws through the piece B and four iron braces G. The steering knuckles are next assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, page 1387. The pieces H are 6-in. blocks of 2 by 4-in. material fast- ened to D with 8-in. bolts. Bolt the runners on and put the steering rods J in place. Washers should be placed under

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ket ake eee Sieh or aa OR EN i OE ee ee a remnisemnenia inst ob, ae Re EEK ITE LTA as SITS ig ana ea 136 Popular Science Monthly (it aes — Vee ms " L., \\ G77 oa fD, . Zr. ¥y! Round ivon Fags Washers 7 IF b-8 Engine center G Se Vas 8" "1 General plans for the frame and bob sleds, and the location of the engine, tank, levers, steering column, seat and propeller wheel. The dimensions may be changed to suit the needs of the individual builder, but these are right for general uses all nuts which bear directly on the wood. Put on the foot board and fill in between it and the piece C with matched boards. The steering column is now put in place. This is shown in detail in Fig. 3 and 4. The two tapered blocks J are made from a piece of the 2 by 4-in. material and bolted to the platform with 14-in. bolts. The bushing is made of 1-in. pipe with a flange coupling screwed on each end. The collars are also made of 1-in. pipe. They are fastened by drilling through the steering column and using ly-in. rivets. The arm K is fastened on by making a slot in it'1 in. long and ¥ in. wide. The end of the rod is filed to fit the slot. When in place the rod end is riveted. The rod L is connected with the runner by a small angle iron similar to those used for the steering rods. The rod is hammered out to a diameter of 3 in. at the end and formed into an eye which is left partly open. The angle iron for connecting it to the runner is put on one end and the eye closed. The other end is then put through the hole in K and the angle iron bolted to the runner. The manner in which the steering wheel is fastened de- pends upon the type of wheel used, and therefore no directions can be given. The seat may next be made. It is 6 in. high with a back 15 in. high, the boards being cleated together. The driv- ing wheel bracket, crank and connecting link are shown in Fig. 5, 6 and 7. The width of the bracket and the width of the axle slot depend upon the wheel obtainable. The traction band for the wheel is shown in Fig. 8. This is made of 1144 by %in. iron, with small angles of the same iron riveted to it with the ly-in. rivets. Be sure it fits the wheel tightly. Do not forget to have the chain in place before putting the wheel in the bracket. The rod N is held in place with cotter pins. Short pieces of pipe are represented by P. The lever details and the rack are shown in Fig. 9 and 10. The rod con- necting the lever with the crank is ) in. in diameter. Make it the right length

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so that when the lever is in a vertical position the drive wheel will be raised 3 in. from the ground. The brake pedal is shown in Fig. 11. Its position de- pends upon the side of the wheel hub chosen for the location of the brake lever. It is connected with the brake lever with the No. 6 wire. The engine can now be placed and lined up. This must be done carefully, as a very slight error may be the cause of a broken chain. As no two types of engines are mounted exactly alike, it will be necessary for the builder to devise a mounting for the particular kind at hand. One form of support, with per- haps a few alterations, should fit any ordinary engine, as shown in Fig. 12. The exhaust pipes may need to be bent to clear the engine supports. If there is no objection to noise they can be cut off to a length of 6 in. and the muffler discarded. One way to arrange the engine controls is to run wires or rods from the throttle and magneto to small levers placed at the side of the seat. Means must be pro- vided to keep the levers in position when once set. If the engine is equipped with battery ignition a box for the cells can be constructed under the seat. Popular Science Monthly . 137 Almost any kind of a tank may be used for the gasoline. The one shown was a motorcycle tank 6 in. in diameter and 20 in. long with compartments for both gaso- line and oil. If one of this type is not obtainable, a two-quart can fastened to the seat back and connected with the engine by brass tubing can be used for the oil. With some types of engines it may be possible to provide a crank for starting purposes, otherwise it will be necessary to turn the drive wheel over. If desired, the seat can be made wider to accommo- date two passengers, although this will mean changing the position of the steer- ing wheel and lever, and making the seat higher so that the rod from the lever will pass underneath. While the plans show an open sled, a hood for the front may be attached in order to avoid possible discomfort on a long drive. Such a hood can be made from sheet metal in any desired shape and attached so that it will protect the rider. The hood may be given a form similar to the ones used on automobiles, so that it will come up well over the driver’s legs, and should have a wind- shield at the top to protect the face. i NoGwire xia exe Vy Q ? iy Bolts A ay = bial % Bolt f= “Tr Details of all the parts entering into the construction of a motor sled to be driven by a motorcycle engine of nine horsepower mounted on the rear part of the frame

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$F MP Pete . AS ETE ESET EAR SS EE 5a at ae 138 Popular Science Monthly A Keyless Collapsible Letter Box for Army Camps HE letter box shown below was origi- nated by a mechanic in the Field Artillery of the U. S. Army. The upper part of the box consists of a wood frame to admit the upper part of Tin cover Letter box designed especially for use in the army camp. It is portable a canvas bag. It is so constructed that when the metal cover is raised the canvas bag is released. Only army officers who are authorized to do so make the collections. ‘The whole device can be readily taken down and packed for shipment.—DUDLEY HEss. How to Make a Good Lining for Stove Fireplaces RON fireboxes, whether made of cast or wrought iron, usually deteriorate when the fires are kept constantly going for any length of time. To prevent this, the stove manufacturers supply their stoves with fire- places having firebrick linings. Even these in time, due to the action of the heat, break into pieces, thus exposing the iron to the action of the heat. The following cement will take the place of the brick satisfactorily and it withstands heat. Take 6 parts of potters clay, 2 parts of plaster of Paris or cement if obtainable, 1 part of wood ashes, and 3 parts of carborundum in powder form. Mix all of the ingredients in the dry state and then add enough water to make a stiff paste. Apply it to the stove lining where the repairs are required. The car- borundum in this mixture helps the lining to withstand the heat, since carborundum is an artificial substance, made under intense heat in an electric furnace. After the lining is applied to the stove, let it dry for several days, if possible. When starting a fire for the first time, let the fire come to its maximum heat gradually. After that, any kind of firing may be done, as the lining, once having thoroughly dried, will keep in good condition for an indefinite time.—W. S. STANDIFORD. Homemade Copying Paper for Manifold Work OMEMADE copying paper, pre- pared by rubbing one side of com- mon scratch paper with a very soft lead pencil, is more satisfactory for many pur- poses than carbon paper. For transferring map lines from field sheets to the office map, copying drawings, sketches, etc., it will be found very convenient. Lines traced on a map or drawing made from such copying paper can be very easily erased. The erasure of the usual carbon-paper lines, is not so readily accomplished.—PETER J. M. CLUTE. Blowing a Pocket Gear From an Automobile Transmission POCKET gear on an automobile transmission having a thrust button, became cracked and it was necessary to remove it. The crack caused a burr in the -hole that prevented the removal of the gear. The only method that could be used was the usual one of explod- ing powder back of the pinion stud. A small hole was drilled in the shaft to gain entrance to the space back of this stud and into this a quantity of powder was poured. The powder was ignited with a fuse and the pinion removed.—GEo. F. WEIHER. Holding part in vise for blowing out the pinion

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Simple Designs for Sheet Metal Working . VIII.—Off-center tee joints, any angle, any shape By Arthur F. Payne Former Director of Vocational Education, Columbia University HE four problems in pattern de- velopment presented in this article will seem really difficult for the beginner; but those who have worked out the preceding problems, especially those of the last article, will find these easy. They merely require careful work; the methods of working are practically the same as for the preceding problems. Only two new steps in pattern development will be demonstrated. The method of developing the patterns for the two square pipes intersecting at an angle of 60 deg. off center is shown in Fig. 1. The steps taken are as follows: Draw the front view, A, laying out the required angle as explained in last month’s article; draw the bottom view of the small pipe B; number the four corners as indicated; draw the end view C; draw the bottom of the small pipe D of the end view and number the corners as shown, taking care to keep the numbers in the proper relation to the front view. Notice that the pipe has been turned, for this affects the position of the numbers. = ) Fig. aa iq. oy 9 + Method of developing patterns for two square pipes intersecting at an angle A new step in pattern drafting must be learned before we can develop the pattern for the small pipe. The front 139 view A must be completed by showing exactly the shape of the joint where the two pipes come together. This is done in the following manner: Place a pencil on the point 4 on the bottom of the end view; follow the line upward until it touches the large pipe, then run the line x 12345 67 8 3 G oe 7 3 . os Fig.2 This problem is a little more complicated but is worked out in the usual manner over to the front view A until it crosses the line coming up from point 4 on the bottom of the front view. Make a cross where these two numbered lines cross each other. Do the same with the other three numbers. Connect the four crosses with straight lines, and you will have an exact drawing of the joint. Notice that the two lower lines of this joint are drawn in dotted lines. This is to show that if the joint is made in metal these lines will not be seen because they will be back of the small pipe. To develop the pattern for the small pipe, proceed in the usual manner as ex- plained in previous chapters. Draw the base line E—F, transfer the distances from the bottom view to get the correct length, extend the lengths of the pipe from the front view until similarly numbered lines cross each other, one line coming up from the base line and the other coming across from the front view.

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é he i ® Serr 140 Popular Science Monthly When the intersections of these lines have been marked with a cross, connect the lines with straight lines and the pattern will be complete. Make allowances for seams and laps. To develop the pattern for the large In the working out of this problem two additional steps are taken pipe proceed in the same manner as de- scribed in the last article. First draw the lines G— H and K—L, obtaining the correct length by transferring the dis- tances from the points on the end view as was done in the problems in the pre- vious article; then run the lines up from the joint on the front view. Where the same numbered lines intersect, make a cross. : Now we come to the first new step required by this problem. No difficulty will be found with the lines 3 and 4, as it will be seen from the end view that lines 4 and 2 of the small pipe rest on them, but when you come up with lines 3 and 1 from the front view you will find that you have no place for them. By looking at the end view of the large pipe it will be noticed that lines 1 and 3 of the small pipe meet the large pipe exactly midway between 3 and 4 on the pattern. The point where the lines 1 and 3 from the front view cross this line marks the loca- tion you are trying to find, as shown in the drawing. The second problem, Fig. 2, is worked out in a similar manner, but is made a little more complicated by the fact that it requires more extra lines to locate the. pattern for the hole in the large pipe. Briefly, the steps to be taken are: Draw front view A, end view B; complete the front view A by drawing the joint. Do this in the manner described in Fig. 1, this being one of the two new steps men- tioned in the first paragraph; develop the pattern for the small pipe, in the manner already described, drawing the base line E—F and obtaining the correct length by transferring the distance from the bottom view; run the lines upward from the base line, and the lines over from the joint line, and where the same numbered lines inter- sect make a cross to indicate the pattern line. To develop the pattern for the large pipe, draw the line G—H and K—L, obtaining the correct length by trans- ferring the spaces from the end view. - Now we come to another of the new steps in these problems. By looking at the end view you will notice that the hole in the large pipe will be between numbers 4 and 6, and that the hole does not rest exactly on the numbers. We also see that number 7 of the small pipe coming up from the bottom view meets the large pipe a short distance away from number 6. With the dividers, measure that’ distance and transfer it to the pattern as indicated by lines 6 and 7 ~) v A little different application of one of the new steps is shown in this problem on the pattern. Lines 8 and 6 with 2 and 4 are a short distance away from 5 of the large pipe. Mark the distance on the pattern and number the lines with the same numbers as the spaces on the small pipe. Then from the front view rere a ees Ss besa ead aw

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Popular Science Monthly joint line run the lines up until the same numbered lines cross each other. Mark with crosses and connect with a curved line as indicated in the illustration, and the pattern is complete. In the development of problem Fig. 3, the steps taken are exactly the same as the foregoing; in fact all the problems in this article and the previous one are based on the same principles, the only difference in method being the two new steps involved in the problems in this article. In problem Fig. 4 we have the same principles and method with a little dif- ferent application of one of the new steps. Draw the front and end view locating the joint line; develop the pat- tern for the small pipe as previously explained. When we come to develop the hole in the large pipe we will find that two extra points X—Y will be needed on the bottom view to indicate where point 3 of the large pipe comes in contact with the small pipe. We know that this point 3 will cause a change in the pattern of the small pipe in two places somewhere between points 1 and 2, also between 2 and 3; the exact dis- tance can be found by measuring the space on the large pipe. Proper Care of Shoes to Make Them Wear Longer T is possible to take such good care of your shoes that they will wear twice as long and look well to the last minute. In the first place, buy shoes that fit properly. Well fitting shoes will always outlast shoes that are either too tight or too loose a fit. Remember that patent leather shoes and light weight footwear are not in- tended for hard service and consequently will not withstand rough wear. Be fair to your shoes and do not expect of them what they were never designed to give. All patent leather is likely to crack and no guarantee against this is made by the manufacturers of shoes. When the shoes are wet, be careful in drying them not to place them too near the fire, as they will dry out too quickly. This takes the life out of the leather and destroys its durability. Therefore, do not attempt to dry your shoes too quickly when 141 they are damp. If yourshoes are cleaned and dressed with proper dressing, they will wear twice as long. To keep them soft and pliable, there is nothing better than “‘neatsfoot” oil, which is in- expensive and can be bought at any leather or harness store. This oil is not a patent preparation, but is an oil that is used extensively by all harness makers to keep their goods in fine condition. Applications of this oil, say once a week, will keep the leather pliable and wear- resisting.—W. S. STANDIFORD. Attaching a Cord to the Glass of Nose Spectacles OR a time I used a pair of borrowed nose glasses which had no hole for a cord, and fear- ing they would ‘\ fall off and break I at- tached a cord temporarily by using a piece of ie adhesive tape. Shape of tape and man- The tape was ner of attaching to glass eyt as shown and stuck to one glass, holding beneath it the loop of the cord.— JAMES M. KANE. How to Engrave Your Name on Steel or Iron Tools O engrave your name on steel or iron tools, melt some paraffin wax in a tin can, old saucer or other suitable con- tainer; take a brush and coat the surface with the wax, then let it cool. When the wax hardens, draw the design or name, on it with a scriber or other sharp instru- ment, taking care that the sharp point of the scriber goes through the wax and bites or scratches the metal underneath the wax. Then take a fountain-pen filler or a hard wood stick whittled to a point, and dip it into nitric acid, letting the drops penetrate through the name or design on the wax. Be sure to cover all of the name with the acid, letting it remain on the metal for about five minutes, so as to get deeply-cut letters. Rinse the acid off with water, and heat the metal until the wax melts; then wipe it dry. Adhesive tape

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142 Popular Science Monthly Testing Cylinder Pressure With an Ordinary Tire Gage WNERS of .automobiles who want to know the amount of pressure in each cylinder of their engine, can obtain this information in a simple man- ner by follow- ing the exam- ple of Sterling Waggoner, of Putney, South Dakota. He takes a valve stem from an _. old inner tube —- and fastens it into a_ spark- plug base so that it is air- tight. Then he Cylinder holds a _ tire- h Pressure gage attached wie a hy to the cylinder head valve, while someone turns over the engine by hand. In a few minutes he determines which are his weak and strong cylinders. In making the device, all that is necessary is a threaded connection to fit the spark-plug hole in the cylinder, into which is fitted the extension barrel hold- ing the pressure gage. The air pressure forces up the gage valve which, as is generally known, remains at the highest point. This can be read at any time after making the test until the gage is again set. Solution for Removing the Rust . from Drawing Instruments HE following method of removing rust from drawing instruments is only applicable to those pieces that are spotted with rust and not to those that need regrinding. A saturated solution of tin (stannous) chloride should be prepared, and the instruments permitted to remain in the liquid overnight. They are then rinsed in running water, and rubbed with a chamois skin until thoroughly dry. The rust is removed by the reducing action of the tin chloride. Polishing powder is necessary to restore the original luster of the instrument. Portable Scaffold for Putting on Vertical Siding N this scaffold a workman putting on barn siding, or doing similar work, can remain in a perfectly comfort- able position and nail two or three pieces of siding to three nail ties without having to shift. After this he moves his scaffold into position for nailing the next set of boards by simply sliding it along the top of the upper nail tie as shown in the illustration. The scaffold is made of the following material: One board 1 in. by 12 in., long enough to more than reach across the three nail ties; one piece 2 in. thick by 12-in. long and just a trifle wider than the top of the nail tie, to be securely nailed to the upper end of the board A; and another piece 2 by 4 by 12 in., nailed to this in such a way as to provide a hook by which the scaffold can be sus- pended to the upper tie. One piece of board 1 by 12 by 16 in. is securely fastened and braced at some convenient The scaffold seat is hooked over the upper plate on which it slides to position place near the lower end of the long board to provide a platform upon which the workman may stand or sit comfortably while he is nailing on the siding.—JEsSsIp L. BLICKENSTAFF.

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How to Shoot Birds on the Wing You aim where the bird isn’t, so that he and the bullet meet By Edward Tas is one great rule in success- ful shotgun shooting — don’t shoot at the bird; shoot where he’s going to be. There are exceptions of course, but as a rule shooting directly at a flying object with the shotgun means a miss. Shoot lai om ~~ ~ et A GS ake Om . a Don’t shoot at the bird. Aim at the spot where he is going to be ‘illeE Probably the most exasperating set of figures in the world, and the most useless in actual practice, are those which pertain to the time of flight of a charge of shot; the bird’s speed and its exact distance from the gun. Mathematically simple is the problem of putting the center of a shot charge precisely over a bird flying at a given distance and at a given speed. It is simple enough to calculate the dis- tance a bird will fly in a given time and then to calculate the time the shot charge takes in getting to the bird, and so the distance the gun must be pointed ‘ahead. The little joker lies in the fact that in real life at least two unknown quantities enter into the problem—first the distance to the bird, second the speed of the bird. So quickly does the whole thing happen that the shooter has no time to find out the distance to the quarry, while the speed of birds varies. So successful shooting becomes a matter of experience, governed by a sort of sixth sense which is eventually acquired by the veteran scatter-gunner. at the intended spot C. Crossman If the bird is a crossing bird and flying 40 miles an hour at a distance of 40 yd., then he’s traveling in round numbers 60 ft. per second, and in a tenth of a second, 6 ft. A charge of shot of size used for upland birds, takes .14 sec. to travel 40 yd. In .14 sec. our bird travels 8.4 ft. There is also a slight de- lay after one’s brain signals the finger to pull, which amounts to one .01 of a second and up, or say six inches more travel by the bird. So the hapless wight firing directly at his bird, misses him by nine feet, less a foot or two for the spread of the pellets which might have gotten the bird had the charge passed within a foot or two of being right. So comes the necessity for either hold- ing ahead or swinging ahead of any bird going at an angle to the line of fire, and the necessity for throwing the gun muz- zle ahead of the bird regardless of its direction, distance or speed. The spread of the pellets—giving a killing circle 35 in. across at 40 yd. in the case of the full choke gun and more in guns not so Where to aim ata bird that has ap- proached and is passing the hunter much choked—takes care of some error in holding, else few of us would ever hit a bird; but the man who depends on the spread of his shot to connect is going to believe after a bit that his “pattern,” the spread of the shot, isn’t much wider 143

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144 Popular Science Monthly than an ordinary small-sized saucer. The good shot usually swings ahead of his bird and keeps on swinging as he presses the trigger. Some men swing Where to aim with the second shot when the birds have passed and are going away up from behind and swing very rapidly past, pulling when they feel they are far enough ahead. Others throw the gun up ahead of the bird and swing along at about the speed of the flyer. The man who swings rapidly by the bird has to lead it less than the man who swings at bird speed, because the speed of his gun-swinging carries him farther ahead than he realizes by the time the charge is out of the barrel. Few men can hit consistently by holding ahead of a bird—holding the gun still at a point they consider correct. The slightest de- lay in pulling the trigger means a miss—a tenth of a second means six feet, in our hypothetical reasoning. A delay while the gun is swinging, however, means nothing, because the muzzles are still keeping ahead of the flyer and so are aimed at about the right spot for shot load and birdie to intersect. While many men learn early the neces- sity for the generous swing ahead and lead on the crossing duck, they fail to grasp the fact that the quail, apparently angling off so little that they can hit it by shooting right at it, is really moving fast either to the left or right. There- fore they shoot right at Brother Quail who is buzzing off to the left and for- ward, and the shot load hisses by the bird to the right. The aim-was correct for the spot where the bird was—but not where he was when the shot got there. Eas ta \ A GO + Making a hit by a direct aim at a bird flying straight away from the hunter Clay bird shooters have the same experi- ence when they shoot right at the clay angling off from the straight line to the gun. To hit the angling bird, therefore, uc: ~~ ‘ If a bird rises and flies very low—just skimming away—the gun should be aimed so as to be well over or in advance of the bird. The tendency is to wait too long to shoot n is il co zs" oo mS OO

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the wise gunner puts the muzzle a foot or two to the left or right of the bird, as he may be angling from the straight When the bird is ascending the hunter shoots well over him to make sure of a hit line. No swing is possible, because the distance from the straight line is slight. The soaring bird is another deceiver of the simple huntsman. No old duck shot needs to be told how much one has to hold over the duck which leaps from the reeds and darts almost vertically for the blue voids. I remember shooting about one box of shells at a covey of quail, broken up and lying just over the crest of a rocky ridge. The birds simply dropped down the ridge like stones, and most of the box of shells went while I was thinking that I had to hold lower and lower below the dropping bird to make the shot charge intersect his flight. When I saw two or three feet of daylight ’twixt the muzzle of the gun and the bird above, then the bird usually quit flying and went tumbling down the slope. All of this holding where the bird isn’t and all this swing prove necessary merely because of the relatively slow flight of shot, which has about the velocity of sound for a short distance, and then less as the range grows longer. If we could give shot the sustained velocity of our Government rifle, hitting with the shot- gun would be a matter merely of holding correctly on the bird—and so “like shooting fish.”’ As I have said, applying the mathe- matics of the case to the actual shooting is difficult, because of the unknown factors in the problem; but it is possible to get an approximation of the right distance ahead necessary for the various ranges, and so avoid the inclination to shoot behind the bird, which is the most common fault of the shotgun man. Popular Science Monthly 145 A load of No. 7 shot flies like this over the various ranges: Velocity Lead necessary Range TimeofFlight Average atendof for bird flying velocity range 60 ft. per sec, 20 .0611 sec. 1050 860 3 ft. 8 in. 25 079 “ 1000 800 > 3 30 .0985 “ 950 740 ee a 35 1194 “ 900 700 a." oe 40 _—* 875 650 s* 6° The speed of birds is usually over- estimated. British experiments with ac- curate time-measuring apparatus years ago showed that pheasants fly little more than thirty miles per hour in the open, while the buzzing partridge, like our own quail, flies less than this. The duck, down-wind, is the fastest thing our gun- ners. have to shoot at, but it is doubtful The hunter does not aim at the spot where the rabbit is but at where he is jumping ~ if. they get up over 60 miles an hour despite all the yarns of the returned huntsman. The same general rules which are given for shooting birds on the wing also apply to rabbit hunting. The rabbit usually gives the hunter only the slightest glimpse of him in passing an open stretch of ground, so that some rapid calculations must be made in order to hit him at the next clearing.

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146 Popular Science M onthly A Simple Cold-Weather Ventilator for the Window Sill OR very cold days, when drafts would be objectionable, the simple ventila- tion device shown in the drawing will be Meeting rail Upper sash Hinged board under lower sash to raise window for ventilation appreciated by everyone. Fit a board 1 in. thick, 11% in. wide and 4 in. long by hinges to the stool of the window, re- bating the top so that when the board is set vertically it will hold the lower sash of the window up. This per- mits the air to come in be- tween the up- per and lower sash without draft, while the opening at the bottom is closed with the board. The bottom of this board, as will be seen, is also rebated to fit over the stool. When the window is to be closed the board is pulled over into the flat position on the window stool. The hinges should not be set flush into the stool and board, because extra play is needed for it to fall into position. The ventilation afforded between the two sashes is sufficient for ordinary purposes on cold and windy days.—HAROLD V. WALSH. Joining Pieces of Rubber by the Use of Heat and a Glass Rod N the chemical laboratory small pieces of tubing are often discarded because a satisfactory method of uniting them to form a larger piece is not known. With a glass rod which fits the tubing a very good joint can be made. The rod should first be wound around with paper and then inserted in the tubing. Before applying the tubing to the flame, pow- dered soapstone or talcum should be sifted through the tube to prevent the rubber from adhering to the rod or paper. Using a Bugle to Transmit Telegraph Signals LMOST every person is familiar with the idea of sending messages by the wigwag system of flags, but here is a code by which messages may be transmitted within the range of a bugle As Nddd 1 SISSS 6 ddd pbdddS odds 2edddSs 7 Sddd4 Sue BET oHEES D 4 9 . 2 : Idd 82dddd osttsJ FddJd 5s dd START OF MESSAGE J 6 dd t dt END OF WORD, PAUSE | U dddd cuose oF MESSAGE o HIGH NOTE iddJ v dddJ 4 dif : $443 Code for use in oe xy didd sending signals uddd.2zdddd by vugle call sound by quarter and half notes. There is not anything difficult about the code and it can be learned almost as quickly as the bugle calls.—THOMAS McHUuGH. A Waterproof Mounting for a Circular Piece of Glass VERY good method of securing a circular piece of glass in a metal frame, and at the same time making it waterproof, is shown in the illustration. The circular piece of glass is shown at A, and at B is shown a rubber band stretched around the glass, dividing it evenly on both sides. At C the iron case A rubber band stretched over the edge of the glass and pressed in the metal rim in which glass is set is shown, and D shows the metal rim, screwed down by machine screws, which exerts a pressure on the rubber band, thereby securing and waterproofing the glass. The rubber band surpasses putty, felt, etc., in neat- ness and durability.—WALTER B. WEBER. — SSS \\ wl om et ct es oo" COs "OO ob ee A gt oe ot let St ll OO eo. om US ae ae ae ee le

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Resonant Annunciator to Operate on Alternating Current ERE is a method of constructing an annunciator to operate on a 110-volt alternating current that is very simple, yet efficient. There are no spark- ing contacts in this nd Wireless Operator 147 Making a Night Light of Battery Cell and Miniature Lamp SIMPLE, yet efficient night light can easily be constructed by follow- ing the instructions outlined in the ac- companying illustration. If the necessary materials are not at hand, they may be purchased at any electrical store. The base and the upright are made of wood, and fastened together with two flat- headed screws. A felt pad, cut to shape and pasted on the bottom, will prevent the polished surfaces from being scratched.

ay? wy) SMALL LAMP rt ‘s

PUSH BUTTON Adry cell placed on a base with upright to hold watch and lamp for a night light The battery is held in place by a wire bound around it and attached to a staple on either side. The lamp, preferably a 214-volt tungsten, is connected in series with the button and battery. For running the wires from the lamp to the back of the board, insulated staples should be used. A twisted No. 20 lamp cord is used. Its length depends upon the distance between the bed and the article upon which the night light is to be placed. The sketch shown above makes the construction clear.—H. NEUHAUS.

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148 Popular Science Monthly An Emergency Battery for Starting an Automobile Motor T least 50 per cent of the modern automobiles use battery ignition. As this system sometimes gives trouble, even in the most expensive cars, I de- COMPARTMENT UNDER SEAT FOR ORY CELLS TO POSITIVE TERMINAL TO NEGATIVE: TERMINAL A set of dry batteries ‘placed under the seat to aid in starting the automobile motor vised a method for producing an emer- gency current as shown in the illustration. This consists of six dry cells securely tied together in a triangle shape and wired in series with a 4-ft. length of well insulated copper wire attached to each of the negative and positive terminals. These wires are used to make connections with the storage battery terminals for starting the motor; then they are disconnected. The batteries will last a long time for this emergency work. If the storage battery gives too much trouble, remove the filling caps and make sure that the liquid is 14 in. above the top of the lead plates. Should the level be below this point, add enough distilled water to make up the deficiency. Keep all the battery and wire terminals bright by scraping them with a sharp knife about once a month, and make sure that there is no short circuit in the dashboard switches and that no battery wire or other wire is chafing against any metal to produce a short circuit. In this way a battery may be kept at its highest efficiency.—P. P. AVERY. A Winding Machine with a Revolution Counter ‘JHE winding machine shown in the drawing is of service for winding various types of coils, transformer “‘pies,” etc., in the amateur’s shop, or wherever there is no small screw-cutting lathe. The novel feature of the machine is the simple method employed for determining the number of revolutions the spindle makes during the process of winding a coil. A piece of round stock, C, ¥% in. in diameter and 12 in. long, is threaded 3 in. of its length at one end, and has a 3/16-in. hole drilled in the opposite end to a depth of 144in. A three- or four-step set of cone pulleys is made fast to the center of C by keying or with a forced fit. The spindle is mounted in bearings upon standards D as shown, and the spindle unit thus assembled is permanently fast- ened to a baseboard 2 in. by 6 in. by 5 ft. A piece of 3/16-in. round rod 8 ft. 4 in. long is then threaded with a die, cutting 32 threads per inch for its entire length with the exception of about 2 in. at one end. The stand E is made and fastened to the baseboard at the point shown, and acts as a bearing for one end of the threaded rod. The end of the rod left unthreaded is now inserted in its bearing in the standard E. The opposite end is inserted in the hole drilled in the end of 5-0" A threaded rod on the lathe spindle registers the exact number of turns of wire on the coil C, to which it is soldered. A yard stick is mounted in line with the threaded rod and directly above it, and is held in place by two strap-iron standards S. A loop of fine iron wire is passed around the threaded rod, the ends are twisted together and a small lead weight is fastened to the twisted ends as shown i) Pe Cee ee ee, ns eo ee -—_ ."3= FH setters FA TH f me ee fe bed bet... eto be fee! bet On Fe et ek 06 Pete

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— at W. The machine is now completed and ready to operate. It is to be driven by a small motor, bolted so that the spindle turns away from the operator. The rider W is placed at a point directly below the zero on the yard stick, which should be at the left end if a right-hand thread was used. When the motor is started the spindle revolves, the rider follows the thread and moves along the threaded rod. When the rider has moved a distance of 1 in., 32 revolutions have been made by the spindle and a corresponding number of turns wound upon the coil under con- struction. When the rider has moved the full length of the yard stick, the spindle will have made 82 times 86 = 1152 revolutions. The rider is then replaced at zero and the winding and calculations continued.—H. W. OFFINS. A Homemade Electric Lantern for a Dry-Battery Cell HIS lantern is constructed from an ordinary dry-battery cell 214 in. in diameter and 6 in. long. and a tin funnel 214 in. in diameter. The spout of the funnel is removed and a small electric bulb of one volt is fastened into the funnel as shown. From a piece of heavy galva- nized sheet iron cut astrip ¥ in. wide, having a length suffi- cient to make a clamp and carrying han- dle. Make a small thumb- switch of a piece of 1/64 by Y4-in. spring brass. This should be located near’ the carrying handle. An old electric bulb from an automo- bile side lamp may be used, or a one- volt lamp with a brass screw socket and a porcelain base will answer the purpose. Secure the funnel reflector to the battery with a brass clamp, and when BATTERY Handle attachment and connections to battery Popular Science Monthly 149 the battery is used up unscrew and con- nect with a fresh one. This provides a powerful and handy electric lantern which is as easy to carry as the old barn lan- tern and which is more satisfactory.— P. P. AVERY. An Easily Constructed Variable Condenser of Brass and Tinfoil AKE a wooden roller 3 in. in diam- eter and 4 in. long, as shown, Wood roller with tinfoil half way over the surface to vary the capacity of the condenser and mount it on a shaft, which may well be of Y-in. brass rod. Thread one end of the shaft so that a wooden knob and metal pointer may be screwed in place. Coat one half of the surface of the cylinder with tinfoil, and solder a fine wire connection from the foil to the shaft. The shaft should project about ¥4 in. from the cylinder at one end and about 114 in. at the other (which carries the knob and pointer), according to the size of the cabinet to be used. Make a half-cylindrical piece of thin sheet brass or copper a trifle larger than the wooden cylinder, bending out support- ing feet as shown. When these two parts are finished, the condenser may be assembled. When the knob is turned, more or less of the tinfoil is presented to the sheet of brass or copper and consequently the effective capacity is varied. Connections are made with the shaft and the fixed sheet of tinfoil and with the brass or copper shell which is around the outside of the roller.—THOS. MILLSBAUGH.

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150 Popular Science Monthly Making an Electrically Heated Blue-Print Dryer T times atmospheric conditions make drying of blue prints very slow, and when it is necessary to hurry up such work some means of drying by heat must be employed. The illustration shows an electrically heated chamber for the purpose. The dryer inclosure consists of composition board applied to a light frame of wood 2 in. square, of the dimen- sions given. The top piece of the box is perforated to cause a circulation of air. A wire A is stretched from corner to corner on both upper ends of the sides to provide a sup- port for the dryer frames. These frames are constructed as shown at B. The frames are built of furring strips and cheesecloth, drawn tightly and tacked to one side to make a surface having con- siderable absorption. As many of these frames may be used as may be required for the inclosed space. At the base of the inclosure two racks are made to hold two 250-watt heating lamps. Metal or asbestos should be used in the notches to avoid the possibility of the heat from the lamps burning the wood. Over-drying should also be guarded against.—J. E. CAHILL, JR. How to Insulate the Ends of Chair Posts CHAIR that is provided with insula- tion against electrical surges is in- valuable for safety and efficiency in electrical operations, such as_ wiring, telegraphy, or high frequency work. Most chairs may be very easily adapted to such a use. Four large common green glass insu- lators, such as are used on the crosstrees of telegraph poles, should be obtained. The four feet of the chair should be made to fit tightly into the holes of the insulators. Since the hole in the bottom of the insulator is threaded, the insulator should be twisted on with a rotary motion. Be- sides insulating the chair, these insulators will serve in the place of domes for the legs of the chair.— JOSEPH BRAFF. WIRE A PRINT FRAMES $ HOLES FOR CIRCULATION j \ DETAIL OF PRINT FRAME — 7 WOOD CLIPS SIDE re a i === | x 3 TOP COVER COMPOSITION BOARD / : i PLAN VIEW COVER REMOVED COMPOSITION BOARD i P CHEESE CLOTH gt , + \ EYE HOOK TOFIT 4 PRINT FRAMES Yt a OR WR COVERING ie TEE + 7 7, § coccveefpocccocesd s -- Me — ivf i: B \ ant i) J 2" FURRING-“ 1 ' i - STRIP ; 3 : | ” ad 2- 250 WATT ; 3*4 WOOD HEAT LAMPS : i ‘SL pnmmamanasnal pod hm 8 i # Lcmonessen ae ~{-- H tT H DETAIL OF RACK FOR LAMP A drying box made of composition board with frames covered with cheesecloth on which blue prints may be hung over electric heating lamps and dried quickly oO. mh ehO © re ee ee a ee ee ee ae ee ee es Ti =e er — F 683 Ket CO 3}

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Electrical Devices and How They Work Primary Battery Cells—I. This article is the first of a series on electricity, each one of which is complete in itself. Some interesting experimen- tal problems are illustrated and very explicitly described By Peter J. M. Clute, B. E. HE agency which comes into action | when a circuit containing an electro- motive force is closed is called electric current. This current flow is analogous to the flow of water in pipes, or over the surface of the earth. Such a flow of water takes place only when from any cause, a difference in pressure exists between two points, or when the water is at different levels. When either of these conditions exists, the flow takes place in a certain direction; namely, from the higher to the lower level, the amount of flow being dependent upon the obstacles in its path. Electric currents, likewise, flow only in obedience to elec- trical pressure; and the quantity of cur- rent flowing is dependent upon the re- sistance to the flow offered by the circuit. - A simple primary cell is shown in Fig. 1. It consists of a glass jar nearly filled with a dilute sulphuric acid solu- tion, into which are placed a plate of zinc and one of copper. While the ends of the wires connected with the plates remain separated, no current flows; but an electrical pressure exists, as can be readily shown. As soon as the ends of the two wires are brought into contact, a flow of current commences. It is the high resistance of the air between the two terminals which prevents the flow of current in this case, just as the presence of a closed valve in a waterpipe prevents water flow. The current itself cannot be seen as it flows through the wire, but its effects are evidences of its presence. A current flowing through a thin wire will heat it; flowing through water and other liquids it decomposes them; flowing near a mag- netic needle it will cause it to deflect. All these phenomena cease at once when the current is interrupted, either by breaking the circuit or by separating the acid around one plate from that around the other by a non-conducting partition. The direction of current is said to be from the zine to the copper inside the cell and from copper back to zinc in the external circuit. In all cells the plate, or terminal, from which the current flows, is called the positive pole, and the terminal toward which the current flows in the circuit is the negative pole. From the cell shown, Fig. 1, which is the simplest of all forms, a very insignifi- cant current is given. If several cells ZINC CROWFOOT. The simplest form of battery, the primary cell, and the gravity cell with wiring diagrams are coupled together, as conventionally indicated in Fig. 3, 4 and 5, a consider- able current is obtainable. In this repre- sentation, the long thin lines indicate the positive plates and the short thick lines the negative plates. The term “battery” is applied to a number of cells grouped together either in a series or in parallel and should never be applied to a single cell. Representa- 151

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152 Popular Science Monthly tive battery groups are shown in Fig. 3, 4 and 5. For all ordinary work, the method of connections in Fig. 3 is em- ployed, where the voltage of the battery is four times as great as that of a single cell. If the same four cells are grouped as in Fig. 4, the voltage will be but twice that of one cell, but the strength of the current will be twice that of Fig. 4. When arranged in parallel, as‘in Fig. 5, the E. M. F. will be equal to that of one cell, and the current four times that obtained when the cells are connected in series. The voltage of a number of cells in series is equal to the voltage of one cell multiplied by the number of cells. The voltage obtainable from any cell is independent of its size or of the dis- tance between the plates. For any given cell, however, the current is directly proportional to the size of plates, and inversely to the distance between them. Thus, the distance between the plates affects the currént only,.as it increases the internal resistance. The resistance of a number of cells in series is equal to one cell’s resistance multiplied by the number of cells. When arranged in parallel the total resistance is equal to the total resistance of one of the cells divided by the number of cells in parallel. Primary cells are divided into two classes. One class is suitable for con- tinuous work only, and will quickly run down unless connected in the circuit; this is the closed-circuit type. The other will rapidly deteriorate when continually used; this is the open-circuit type. The best known of the closed-circuit type is the gravity cell, shown in Fig. 2. The positive pole, or cathode, consists of copper located at the bottom of the jar, and the negative pole, or anode, of zine crowfoot arranged at the top. Both are immersed in a copper-sulphate solution. This type is suitable only for such work as telegraphy, or wherever small currents are used, since the internal resistance of the cell is great. Open-circuit cells are much more ex- tensively used, including nearly all the different makes of dry batteries. The so- called dry battery consists of an outer cylindrical cup forming the zinc electrode, which is lined with thick absorbent paper and packed with a pulverized manganese dioxide and carbon mixture surrounding the central carbon rod. The whole is saturated with ammonium chloride solu- tion and sealed with pitch to keep it from drying out. Apart from dry cells, the Leclanché cell is most used. In this cell the cathode is of carbon immersed in sal ammoniac solution, and the anode is a bar of zine immersed in the same liquid, but insu- lated from the carbon. Such cells can deliver a strong current for a short time. If left in circuit, however, they will run down in a short time. These cells are universally used for bell and telephone work, and in places where intermittent current is desired, as they consume no energy when not in use. (To be continued) A Simple Method for Determining Condenser Capacity QUICK and easy method of caleu- lating condenser capacity by simple arithmetic, will appeal to all experi- menters, and particularly to those of the younger class who have not reached that stage in the study of mathematics at which they are able to handle formulae. The curves shown here may be used. As an example of their use, suppose it CAPACITY PER SQUARE INCH 1 5Q.IN. =.000224652777 The curve shows that a condenser will need almost 10 square inches of active dielectric is desired to build a mica stopping con- denser of .002 mfd. capacity, and the mica available for use as the dielectric measures 8 mils in thickness. From the , ae ae ae eee eee

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Popular Science Monthly 153 first curve it is observed that a condenser of this value having air as a dielectric 1 mil in thickness will require 8.9 sq. in. of active dielectric. But the mica is 8 mils thick. A condenser with an 8 mil PER SQUARE INCH AIR 1 SQ.IN. =.0000008966111108 50 SQ.IN. = ; 45 00001 pacity of glass plate transmitting condensers air dielectric and still having a capacity of .002 mfd. would require 8.9 x 8=71.2 sq. in. However, the specific inductive capacity or dielectric constant of mica, as obtained from a standard text book is 6.64; that is, the ratio of the values of capacity of two identically constructed condensers, one with air dielectric and the other mica, is as 1 to 6.64. There- fore, 71.2+6.64=10.72 square inches of active dielectric of 8 mil: mica will be required for a condenser of .002 mfd. The second curve will be found use- ful for calculating the capacity of glass plate transmitting condensers, and is used in the same manner. A Fire-Proof Whitewash that Will Not Rub Off FIRE-PROOF whitewash can be readily made by adding 1 part silicate of soda—or potash—to every 5 parts of whitewash. The addition of a solution of alum to whitewash is recom- mended as a means to prevent the rubbing off of the whitewash. A coating of a good glue-size, made by dissolving ¥% lb. of glue in a gallon of water, is good when a wall is to be papered. ES > ” uw wn w .— 4 This curve is useful for calculating the ca- t Telegraphing Through the Ground by Wireless ECAUSE the Government, for good and sufficient reasons, has put a ban on amateur wireless stations, it does not follow that all your activities must stop. There is much left that may be done. Your radio efforts can be diverted to communicating by ground wireless, which is almost as interesting. You will do well to put in a little of your spare time reading and studying more about the “stuff” that electricity is made of, the nature of wireless radiations, and the like. Telegraphing through the ground is permitted by the Government, since high tension apparatus need not be used, at least not in their normal cavacities. A GROUND, BUZZER "a PHONES { eee Currents from the buzzer are conducted through the earth just as they would be through a shunt to an ammeter simple buzzer, supplied with a current of half an ampere, is sufficient in this system to send a distance of from one to forty miles under favorable circum- stances, but this distance is constantly being increased by amateurs who are already experimenting. The present importance of ground telegraphy is not generally appreciated by America and her Allies. For all we know, the Germans may be using it now. If we can send forty miles with it through the highly-resistant earth, considerably greater distance can be covered through water. The announcement by two Virginia men that the system can be successfully em- ployed for communicating between sub- marines is therefore of the utmost signifi- cance. Notwithstanding the simplicity

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154 Popular Science Monthly of the apparatus, it may be outdistancing all other sub-sea methods in range. The principles upon which ground wire- | less telegraphy works are interesting. Ordinary electric current conduction is the operating factor, instead of radiation as in radiotelegraphy. The coils of the sending buzzer are connected with two grounds, as shown in the diagram. At every break of the circuit caused by the buzzer armature, the inductive discharge that ordinarily causes a spark at the HOUSE LIGHTING MAINS LAMP - PHONES ) GROUNDED SIDE OF MAIN ! sz Bs BUZZER 7 SPARK. —” ME.COND. COIL hea OUTSIDE > GROUND \ + A complete, practical break-in system to start with in “through-the-ground” operation armature contacts, discharges to the earth. The relative high voltage sends an electric current from one plate to the other. It is obvious that we have not merely a narrow conducto. between the plates, -but a conductor which is as big as the earth! The result is that, while most of the current going from one ground to the other takes the straight-line route, a good part of it spreads out. The lines of flow in reality appear just like the lines of force which are shown by iron filings between two opposite magnetic poles. Some of these far-spreading streams of current will reach the buried plates of the receiving station. The leads of the receiving station will ‘“‘tap’”’ these streams—which are highly pulsating— and a telephone will detect them. This at once explains why the line going through the plates of one station should be parallel to that going through the grounds of the other. Another fact that is found by experience is that the further the grounds of each station are separated, the louder will the received signals be. This second phenomenon can be explained by referring to the diagram. Here an ammeter is connected with a battery through a metal block of high resistance. This block stimulates the action of the ground between the two wireless stations. It is very much like an ordinary shunt that is put across an ammeter. The greater the resistance of such a shunt, the less current will go through it and the more will go through the ammeter. Now, in placing the grounds of the stations farther apart, we increase the distance across the theoretical block. Hence, the metal that the current must cross, and the metal’s resistance will be increased. The ammeter will then re- ceive more current. For just such reasons, when the actual grounds are buried far- ther apart, the telephones will receive a larger current. In practice, you should space your grounds at least twenty feet apart, though it would be much better to have them separated over fifty feet. The neatest and most efficient hook-up to start with is shown in the diagram. Here the house lighting mains are utilized, with a bank of lamps to cut down the voltage. The arrangement enables you to use as much current as the size of the buzzer wires will permit. It also enables you to use the grounded side of the mains instead of one which you would otherwise have to make yourself. If your house is not wired, however, as many as a dozen dry cells, or an equivalent storage battery, may be employed. You will have to make two outside grounds for your station by burying a few pipes in the ground. By providing your key with a third contact, a simple break-in system is obtained. The telephones shown in the receiving circuit are high resistance wire- less receivers. In conjunction with all such high resistance telephones, your spark coil should be used as a step-up transformer. Thatis, the secondary of your coil should be connected with the receivers and the primary with two grounds. Of course, should you have a good pair of telephones which are of low resistance, you may use them without the spark coil by connecting them directly with the grounds. Po. | ete. FA KF tete = OD OS

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Electrical Wizardry at Home Some weird effects that you can obtain with a Tesla coil and some of your apparatus By E. R. Thomas O begin with, if you have an oscilla- tion transformer the secondary will make a suitable primary for a Tesla or Oudin Coil. To construct a Tesla coil that will give a 10 to 12-in. spark, procure a tube 4 in. in diameter and 16 in. long. This may be made of two tubes 8 in. long and joined together as shown in Fig. 2. Some cereals come in tubular containers which will answer very well for this purpose. The pieces A and B are of wood; shellac is used to join the parts together. Avoid the use of nails in this construction. After applying two coats of shellac to the secondary tube, wind it closely within ¥ in. of either end with double cotton- covered No. 25 wire. Then give two coats of shellac to the windings, being sure the first coat is absolutely dry be- fore applying the second. The base and uprights should be made of well seasoned wood which should also be shellacked. Make the dimensions to suit the individual requirements. Fasten four glass push-pins to the base as shown GLASS PUSH PIN “QUUUUT RSS Ws | 6. NOV.A.C” BUZZ (000 FIG.S FIG.6 TELA 8 FIG.7 FIG. 8 MFG. Details in the construction of a Tesla or Oudin coil and diagram of the hook-up for the experiments shown in the lower part of the illustration. These experi- ments as well as X-ray photographs may be made by the use of this coil 155

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_ cally in the air. 156 Popular Science Monthly in Fig. 1. These serve as insulators. In Fig. 3 is shown how the above de- scribed Tesla coil with a few alterations can be converted into an Oudin coil. The three small blocks A are used to support the secondary. The hook-up for a Tesla coil is shown in Fig. 4, and the abbreviations used are as follows: R. 8S. G., rotary spark gap; C and C’, condensers; S. G., safety gap. Various experiments are shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The two wires in Fig. 5 are connected with the binding posts of the secondary and are left to project verti- Long streamers wave about, producing a weird effect. The experiment in Fig. 6 produces a cone of light. Two wire hoops, one 12 in. in diameter and the other 3 in. in diam- eter, are connected with the secondary, and the lead wires are so bent that the hoops are separated 5 or 6 in. When a gap is made as shown in Fig. 7, a spark 10 to 12 in. is obtained. Of course all these experiments should be made in the dark. If two metal disks about 1 in. in diam- eter are provided and one attached to each of the connection leads, a brilliant flow of light will be produced from their edges. For another experiment, suspend two metal rods from the ceiling or other support so that they will hang about 2 in. apart. Connect these to the leads. Sparks will start at the bottom and run to the top, making a ladder of light. When the coil is converted into an Oudin coil the bottom binding post is connected with the lower turn of the primary; otherwise the connections are the same as for the Tesla coil, as shown in Fig. 4. A brass ball 2 in. in diameter, Fig. 8, should be screwed on the top binding post of the secondary in place of the thumbnut. One of these may be obtained from an iron bed. An interesting field for high frequency experimenting is in connection with the X-rays. The bulb, Fig. 9, is connected with the secondary leads of the Tesla coil at A and B on the bulb. The wire C is the vacuum regulator, and is oper- ated by bending it over near A so a spark will jump while the tube is running. Good X-ray photographs of the hand or other objects may be made with this apparatus. To take an X-ray photo- graph, load a plate holder with one plate only, then expose it, holding your hand or other object against the side of the plate holder nearest the plate. The X-rays penetrate the light-proof slide with ease. The time of exposure can only be determined by trial. <A good printing negative can be made by holding the plate holder 5 in. from a 6-in. tube and exposing it for 2 minutes. An Electric Torch Made of Bichro- mate Solution in a Bottle NE of the most novel of the many electric torches recently invented, consists merely of a wide-mouthed bottle having rods of zinc and carbon inserted through arubber cork. These rods pro- ject down into the bottle for about one- third of its depth. On top of the cork a small electric lamp is mounted, similar to those used in ordinary electric torches. Connections are made between the lamp and the zine and carbon rods. A mixture of water, bichromate of potash, and sulphuric acid is put into the bottle, and stands at a level of about 1 in. below the end of the zine and carbon rods when the bottle is upright. When the bottle is turned upside-down, it becomes what is known as a bichromate cell, a well-known type of cell for pro- ducing small quantities of electricity for electric bells and similar devices. The electric current produced when the solu- tion surrounds the zine and carbon rods is strong enough to light up the lamp, and the apparatus becomes an electric torch. The cork of the bottle must, of course, be made perfectly water-tight. Square bottles with large round mouths, such as are used for pickles and similar products, are very suitable for these torches, as they can be laid down on their sides when light is required.

Lacing Belts Through Eyeleted Holes in the Leather The life of a belt may be lengthened considerably, if instead of the customary slits in the belt, eyelets obtained from old shoes are substituted through which to pass the thong in lacing. These will prevent the thong from tearing out under the strain when drawn: tight.

ing thi is < the pr tio int str sic fre th

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Wireless Work in Wartime VI.—Atmospheric or static interference, and how to secure practice in operating through it By John L. W pa the student has learned to send and receive correctly, and has had sufficient practice in reading wireless messages through artificial “station” interference, he is ready to take up the most important (and perhaps most difficult) problem that confronts the radio operator. This is the copying of received messages in spite of the interfering sounds produced by natural electrical disturbances, and called “static,” “‘atmos- pherics,” “X’s” or “strays.” The December article described simple ways to practice reading messages when interfering sounds corresponding to un- desired signals from some external radio station are heard. The four earlier in- stalments of this series outlined the work necessary to learn the Morse code and the sending and receiving of messages. This article takes up the study of atmospheric interference, its effects, and the reduction of harmful results from it. In the first place, we must examine the differences between strays and signals. These differences are, fortunately, usually well defined. First we shall consider the very practical distinction depending upon the fact that strays or static in general produce irregular noises at the receiver, while radio signals may be made to produce musical tones. In the December article it was pointed out that practice enabled the receiving operator to distinguish between the sig- nals heard from two stations, so that messages from one of them could be written out even though both were send- ing at the same time. The more skilful the receiving operator, the more closely he is able to concentrate, and the nearer alike the two signal sounds may be without producing interference. The two distinc- tions usually relied upon are pitch and intensity; if the signal tones are equally strong, there must usually be a con- siderable difference in their pitch or frequency if one is to be read “through” the other. If the interfering signal is Hogan, Jr. much weaker than that from the com- municating station, not so great a differ- ence in pitch is necessary in order that the receiving operator may concentrate upon the desired dots and dashes. Static Noises and Signal Tones As has been indicated, since strays usually set up irregular noises rather than tones at the receiver, the operator there is usually able to concentrate upon the messages he wants to receive and to ignore the interference because of the difference in sound. Static sounds are of various 157 \ SOLDER FIG.24 Simple method of producing a staticanda more elaborate model for obtaining same results kinds; they have been described as hissy, scratchy, or rattly, and as resembling frying or bubbling noises. They vary in character from time to time, and are often much louder than the signals it is desired to receive. Static sounds are almost never musical in character, in even the smallest degree. Since the signals from radio stations may be made either musical or non-musical (as has been known for some years), and of almost any pitch, it follows that by choosing clear musical tones the difficulties of reading messages through static noises are largely over-

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158 ~ . Popular Science Monthly come. It has also been demonstrated that the best signal-tone frequency for working through static interference is about 1000 per second, qwhich is in the neighborhood of the second C above middle C on the musical scale. This frequency of 1000 has now been selected as standard for nearly all radio trans- mitters. An Artificial Static Producer It follows, then, that to get practice in reading signals through static we must have (in addition to the buzzers which produce the Morse signals themselves) some device which will imitate the sounds of static. The simplest way in which an LINE WIRE one e ——_— ae oe oe oe = 2 | my |" G > & glee. — o [ FIG. 25 ll One way to associate the buzzer telegraph line and the stray-maker for practice work idéa of atmospherics can be secured is shown in Fig. 23, where a telephone re- ceiver J is connected in series with a battery B and a coarse file F. The loose end of the wire from the telephone re- ceiver, W, may be rubbed along the rough surface of the file. The telephone will reproduce irregular rough and scratchy noises corresponding closely to some types of strays. The file arrangement is scarcely uni- form enough in action to use for regular practice, and so it will be well to make up a “static producer” or “stray maker’ of the sort shown in Fig. 24. A wooden base X has mounted upon it a block Y and two drilled standards, S' and S%, These standards support a shaft upon which is fastened a brass disk or wheel BW, about \% in. thick and 8 in. in diame- ter. One end of the shaft carries a pulley P which permits the disk to be rotated slowly by belt B, a clockwork or back- geared motor being used as a source of power. The circumferential surface of the disk is roughened by cutting irregular diagonal V’s across it with a sharp saw- ~ file, so that its surface somewhat re- sembles an exceedingly coarse and rasp- like file. On the block Y is pivoted a soft copper wire W, about No. 12 in size, one end of which is bent up to rub upon the surface of the roughened disk at the contact point C. The other end of the wire extends out away from the disk, and a small lead weight W’ is fastened upon it so-that the pressure of contact at C may be varied by sliding the weight back and forth along the wire. If the terminals of the battery and tele- phone in Fig. 23 are connected with the disk and the wire of Fig. 24, so that the three elements are in simple series con- nection, and if the disk is then slowly turned, the telephone will produce sounds like those set up by static. By varying the speed of rotation (which must always be slow—not more than about one revolu- tion per second) and by changing the number of dry cells in the battery, almost any type of static can be imitated. Connecting the Stray-Maker with the Telegraph Line Now arrange the stray-maker in such a way that its imitation static can be impressed upon the buzzer telegraph line previously described. Thus, one static producer will afford practice to all the students using the line, and practice can be had in the actual exchange of messages under various conditions of atmospheric interference. Fig. 25 shows one way of associating the buzzer telegraph line and the stray- maker SM. The left-hand portion of the figure represents any one of the stations along the line, and comprises the tele- phone 7’, the buzzer Z, the battery B, the key K and the ground connection which have been described in earlier articles. At any one of these stations (though pref- erably one near the middle of the line) the stray-maker may be installed by con- necting it as shown in the right-hand part of Fig. 25. R is a resistance of about

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ne TET PME 1000 ohms, with a sliding contact, such as was shown at R’ of Fig. 18 in the Decem- ber article. This is connected in series with the battery B’ and the rotating disk SM. The number of cells of battery can conveniently be varied by using a three- point switch as shown at S. One end of the resistance unit is connected with the ground at G’ (which may be the same connection as used for the telegraph sta- tion at G), and the sliding contact is con- nected with the line wire. The roughened wheel is slowly revolved, by use of the clockwork or motor as explained above. When the battery is turned on, the imita- tion static will be heard in all the tele- phone receivers along the line. By slid- ing the mova- ble contact of -... LINE WIRE Popular Science Monthly 159 and twenty-five letters) per minute, the next necessary step to be taken is copy- ing weak signals. By using the shunting resistance connected across the tele- phones, the signals are gradually reduced in intensity, and practice is continued until it becomes easy to read messages so extremely faint that the noise of a rattling window or of someone talking in the room makes it impossible to hear them clearly. This corresponds to the practical radio case of receiving messages from a great distance. Having perfected one’s self in reading weak signals, copying messages at various tone-frequencies should be tried. The article immediately preceding this in the series showed inion how to ad- the resistance toward the left or ground- ed end, the 1 static sounds are made weaker. By increasing the amount of re- sistance be- tween the line wire and ground con- nections, the aim noises are => strengthened. It may some- times be nec- essary to use more than three cells of battery, but this can only be determined for any particular buzzer telegraph line by actual trial. -Comprehensive Telegraph Practice Having set up a buzzer line with at least two other students, and having made both the extra buzzer (with auto- matic sender) for imitating station inter- ference and the stray-maker for imitating atmospherics, the student is ready to work out a course of practice-study which will fit him for the Morse telegraphing part of the most difficult operating positions. Sufficient plain code practice, without interference, should first be carried on. When there is no difficulty experienced in sending and receiving messages sent at the rate of twenty-five words (one hundred Connections for reading through both station and static in- terferences. They are obtained by combining apparatus just the tone frequency of the buz- zer. By fol- lowing the plan given, as well as by us- ing various types of buz- zers, signal sounds rang- ing all the illt way from a ae low rattle to = ' a high, pierc- : ing musical note may be produced. The expert operator is able to read mes- sages sent with tones of any sort, and it is a good plan to practice on many different frequencies and with both loud and weak signals. Drill in Overcoming Station Interference The matter of station interference should next be taken up for drill. Using the automatic sender to produce inter- ference over the entire line, one student should send cipher messages consisting of five-letter words such as QSBVH MKUIL SHDYJ WUIPO. The station sending should transmit a certain number of messages of this sort, the cipher words having been written out in advance, and all the other stations on the line should attempt to copy the signals through the

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160 Popular Science Monthly artificial interference produced by the extra buzzer and sending machine. There will thus be a race to see who can get the greatest number of words correctly, as can be determined by comparing the sent and received copies at some later time. To make things fair for all the stations along the line, the sending should be done from the station at which the interfering buzzer is located; otherwise the ratio of in- tensity of interfering and desired sigrals will be different at the different stations. Sometimes it will be found that the same mistake is apparently made by several receiving operators. When this occurs, it is nearly always safe to assume that the sending student has madeanerror. Thus practice of this sort is seen to be helpful in developing accurate sending as well as the ability to receive through interference. The first station-interference practice should be made with the extra (interfer- ing) buzzer adjusted to a pitch different from that on which the desired messages are transmitted. Likewise, for the first trials, the interfering signals should be made comparatively weak. When mes- sages are received correctly under these conditions, the interfering signals are made stronger and stronger, until they are about as loud as or even louder than those which are being copied. After this point of skill in receiving is reached, the inter- fering buzzer may be adjusted until its tone approaches more closely that of the station sending messages. Work of this sort is most valuable in preparing the student to meet the actual difficulties of radio operating. Practice in Reading Through Strays The next step is to practice in reading through static or atmospheric inter- ference. Here the same plan is followed, except that the static-maker is substituted for the extra interfering buzzer. By sending code messages while the stray- maker is working, the strength of the interference is increased day by day until it is possible to receive messages correctly through severe disturbing noises. In this practice the desirability of usinga high, clear signal-tone should be noted. Although the low tones sound much louder when no static interference is present, it is surprising to note that the higher and weaker signal tones stand out more clearly as soon as the static begins to grow strong. With practice, the student will find that he can read a high, clear musical signal through disturbing static noises many times louder than the mes- sages. This is one of the most curious phenomena which is encountered in prac- tical radio telegraphy, and explains the selection of 1000 per second frequency for most modern radio stations. Practice in reading through both sta- tion and static interferences may be secured by combining Figs. 18 and 25, as shown in Fig. 26. Here the sending operator manipulates key K, while inter- fering signals are produced from buzzer Z! and atmospheric interference is set up by the disk SM. With the skill which can be attained by faithfully practicing in ac- cordance with the plan outlined above, no operator need dread the difficulties of telegraphing which he may encounter in actual work. He needs in addition to this operating ability some measure of knowledge of the radio apparatus itself, and this matter will be taken up in succeeding articles. (To be continued) A Small Motor Used to Open Large Doors ARGE doors like the ones used on garages are difficult to handle, and for this reason I made the attachment RACK DPDT. SW. OR “REVERSING SW. HANDLE A motor which opens and closes a heavy door automatically illustrated, which may be operated with a push-button. I attached a motor of suitable size and power at the top of the door on the inside, its shaft being supplied with a small pinion which meshes into teeth on a seg- ment fastened to the wall or other suit- able support.—H. B. PEARSON.