Scientific American 1923-05: Vol 128 Iss 5

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i 4 a ye The Monthly Journal of Practical Information 35¢ a Copy — MAY 1923 ‘$4.00 a Year 3 wl } i | | i | i Lid jeeenre = > S$ 4 4 — — i ls TT es me Nv ON LAND AND ON WATER: MOTORING WITH THE AMPHIBIOUS GLIDING BOATS.—(See page 306] TITTIT LLL LL Re T — Lid Liiii TTTITIL FITTTTTITITTTTIIIIITILIMIEL Ed + x

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Part of a Fleet of Sixteen Internationals Serving the Simon's Brick Co. of Los Angeles 1800 INTERNATIONAL Motor Trucks Serve ONE Business Institution Ms do the big commercial institutions think of International M otor Trucks? How do International trucks stand in the estima- tion of well-known concerns whose hauling fleets run into hundreds and even thousands of trucks? Conservative corporations buy motor trucks solely on an efficiency basis. Their transportation experts comb the market. They determine utmost value and economy after observing actual operating costs and performance over a period of years, making use of every practical test and comparison. Their choice is proof positive—a barometer for the guidance of individuals and firms at large. Eighteen hundred International Motor Trucks now serve the leader in our list of large-fleet users. This leader and hundreds of other prominent industrial firms using trucks on a large scale have selected Internationals for the same economic reason — because they must have proven low-cost hauling. Among these users the number of repeat orders for Internationals tells a convincing story by itself. Two immense plants now build International Motor Trucks. A third plant is under construction. Distribution and service are effected through ninety-three branch houses and a well-established dealer organization. Our Free Inspection Service Plan provides inspection four times a year for all International trucks during all the years they will be in service. These are some of the unusual elements that have placed our trucks with tens of thousands of careful investors and contributed to International Motor Truck success. International Motor Trucks are built in fourteen sizes, ranging from the 2000-lb. Speed Truck tothe heavy-duty unit of 10,000 lbs. maximum capacity. The line includes low-cost hauling equipment for all purposes, with body styles for every business. INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF AMERICA (INCORPORATED) CHICAGO USA International Motor Truck Dealers’ Contracts Are Still Available at a Few Points

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A OS A eS. c.

May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 289

Ball Bearing Electric Tractor Hauls Freight Cars at Cost of $.067 per Car Mile TORAGE-BATTERY tractors were Hess-Bright Manufacturing Company are put in service in 1913 in Jersey City used on the motor shafts, motor pinions, to replace horses for hauling freight cars counter shafts, differential gears, driving to the doors of certain industrial plants. wheels and steering-gear pinion. In this During the first seven months of oper- way the maximum mileage from a battery ation, 4,935 cars were handled at a cost charge is insured and the rotating parts of $4,627.88, or $.067 per car mile, as are protected against displacement, as ball opposed to $9,179.10 with horse haulage. bearings operate practically frictionless These tractors weigh 28,850 lbs., are and develop no appreciable wear. equipped with two 85-volt, 60 ampere, Whether your bearing problems deal 900 R. P. M. motors and have a draw-bar with railway, automotive, industrial or pull of 8,000 Ibs. scientific equipment, the services of our en’ Deep-groove ball bearings made by the gineering department are at your disposal. THE HESS-BRIGHT MANUFACTURING COMPANY Supervised by & KF" INDUSTRIES, INc., 165 Broadway, New York City 926 e ; ip ~< (he alll fa - J Sak ‘\ v 4

Boom Sepieced to show THE SAME bearing aoovehed maximum thrust in reverse direc- tion. Races displaced to show DEEP - GROOVE bear ing ca trying maximum end thrust in a forward direction,

BEARINGS The Highest Expression of the Bearing Principle

Tue ScrenTIFIC AMERICAN, May, 1923. Volume 128, Number 5. Published ‘monthly by Scientific American Publishing Company, at 233 ectien, "New York, N. Y., and printed in the U. S. A, Subscription price, $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter June 18, 1879, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 8, 1879.

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290 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 M. S Cor tere the mig to ; ri 4 NMS j > =) = 4 Mf OU cr ut AP t\ - ee —— ——< — = ~- ——— _ AT Sw r vet iCal rg qgaavenauanye -

turn obse actel port is th whe! EAL Broadway jazz down on the farm! Music repo e P ° P case from the big orchestras in every big town. Rainy this days at the beach without an outdoor thing to do—but ~—_ . . ° | a concert, of the finest, coming in by radio. Peaceful with days for tired vacationists —bright with entertainment. ne Lively parties for “the crowd” at far-away places. psye Church on Sunday. And the big league baseball news pn —right from the bleachers. What’s summer without a to th Radiola? —“ - , E Radiola V B' e vote The summer cottage set—to perfection. It operates on tonal , , dry batteries—anywhere—everywhere. Migh ood to & Radiola V at a new low price: COMPLETE! y tthe yy tance to look at—compact—attractive. Great for use with True Famous for distance! A three-tube receiver—detector . Thet with two stages of amplification. Operates on dry a loud speaker. And for big performance—two stages pie eo of amplification to bring in every word and note, clear neve Cuba Gets California with a Radiola V and distinct, over big distances. - e Havana, Cuba ee n “You might be interested to know what we ‘a = pen are getting with Radiola V. ’ Radiola . ’ “Several of our clients have received broad- “There's a every pusse — cast programs at KHJ in Los Angeles, . ; was California. We also receive clearly stations at the nearest Radio or Electrical Store tive This symbol of as far as Reno, Denver, and Minneapolis. diseo quality is your Very truly yours . ° ° that ai y erly souet, adio Corporation of America — A. MARTIN-RIVERO, R °? retar General Electric Company of Cuba” Sales Department District Sales Offices and . 233 Broadway 10 So. LaSalle Street 433 California Street Chic: New York Chicago, Illinois San Francisco, California entit RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA len Dept. 2081, 233 Broadway, New York arch: Please send me your free Radio Booklet. & the ing a — oo — —_— whil Name a co Street Address —™~S a ticat | TT

City R. F. D. REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. State

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923 May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 291 With the Editors RS pres months ago we received a most unusual invitation. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who has taken a keen in- terest in our psychic investigation from the very beginning, suggested that we might appoint a representative in Europe to tour the psychic centers of England and the Continent, under Sir Arthur's personal auspices. Needless to say, such an invitation was invaluable. For one thing, Sir Arthur has the friendship and confidence of all the leading psychic work- ers and could introduce us to the most guarded circles. In this manner we could obtain first-hand impressions regarding European psychie investigators, their me- diums, the results obtained, and last, but by no means least, the methods of con- trol, if any, that are being employed. With our American investigation now un- der way, we have sought to perfect the technique of our electrical, mechanical and photographie control; for our work, often announced, is to have the stamp of scientific merit no matter what imay be achieved in the way of definite results. Obviously, a close study of lead- ing mediums at work must prove of the utmost value in preparing the proper test conditions for our American sittings. as so At any rate, we selected Mr. J. Mal- 4 colm Bird of our editorial staff, who is also secretary to our committee in charge of our psychic investigation, for this in- teresting and most important assignment. Of a mathematical and highly analytical turn of mind, thoroughly scientific in his observations, most unemotional in char- acter, and a clear, concise and logical re- porter of facts as he finds them, Mr. Bird is the right man for such a difficult task, wherein the reader must depend on the reporter to deliver the true facts in the case without distortion of any kind. In this issue there appears the first report from Mr. Bird, based on two sittings with a Seottish medium in London, together with our editorial comments on page 300. Following his investigation in England, Mr. Bird visited the French and German psychie centers, returning to England in time to sail for home in the company of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who has come to this country to deliver a new series of lectures on his psychic views. | ECAUSE of the unusual amount of 3 space which the newspapers have de- voted to the discovery of Tut-ankh-Amen’s tomb in Egypt, it is difficult for the laity to form a just conception of the impor- tance of this latest archeological “find.” True, the discovery of this royal tomb at Thebes is unquestionably the most inter- esting that has ever been made in Egypt: never before in the history of archzologi- cal exploration has an unrifled royal tomb been found, so that every feature of this wonderful discovery is virtually new. Still, numerous other tombs have been unearthed in the recent and dim past. It was with a view to establishing the rela- tive importance of the Tut-ankh-Amen discovery in the broad field of Egyptology that we asked Mr. T. George Allen, sec- retary of the Haskell Oriental Museum and the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, to write for us. In his article entitled “Tutenkhamon’s Tomb,” Mr. Al- len has reviewed the leading Egyptian archeological discoveries down through the ages, and has pointed out the lead- ing features of the present “find.” Mean- while, we have had our artist reconstruct a comprehensive and thoroughly authen- ticated view of the tomb and its relation CONTENTS MAY, 1923 LEADING ARTICLES Our Transportation Industry................. .By the Stag 293 The Burglar and the Alarm.............. ‘By Edward H. Smith 294-295 I ID 6 oo d.o0 csc swcarscice oe ‘By Dr. T. George Allen 296 Taking Nitrogen from the ORC ae AaB Ree By Littel McClung 298-299 Fe NGS on 6 6b cin os iodcsveseoess Editorial Comment 300-301 Extinct Races of Ape-Like SA tetas a's: By the Staff 302-303 The Washington Conference Battleship. . came .By the Staff 304 Graphic Comparison of 1000 Horsepower Power Producers, Full-Page Drawing _ 805 Our Psychic Investigation in aera sieht Speeghe whan ....-By the Staff 307-308 Islands in the Making..... Teer Peer T eT .By the Staff 310 Foreign Foods in American “agate cteg .. By L. Lodian 312-313 When the Camera Turns Sculptor..... PR Es ‘By P. J. Risdon 314 ORE SW Ws 6.65 crews c0esne o0 ee Se PES By Arthur L. Dahl 316 An Old Friend in New Dress. . sc ata ei -.++.--By Samuel J. Record 318 Why Grade Crossing Accidents?..............+.. By S. R. Winters 320 The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes............... .. By the Staff 322 Hudson River Bridge at Bear Mountain............. -By the Staff 324-825 From Battlefield to Road Jobs................ ...By D. H. George 327 Mapping from the Skies... ceccccsccccces BY George H. Dacy 328-329 SHORTER ARTICLES A Man-made Amphibian........... 306 Carbon Formation in Engine A New Timber Joint-Plate......... 306 ED oo 54's 6k 9's 6:00 0406.0b505 608 320 World Production of Coa! in 1921.. 306 The Los Angeles Coliseum......... 321 Social Life Among the Beetles...... 306 Athletics and Oxygen Supply....... 321 The Georgetown Bridge Over the The Influenza Germ................ 321 EN 0.005 ¥46.6.000864,.600460. 00008 309 The Handwriting on the Sky....... 323 IE its 6 oes cattle 045240600 309 The Transport of Organic Substances Better Lungs for Miners........... 311 i ED set tel ces cae en Giins kéee The Milk-Container Car...... 311 The World’s Supply of Iodine...... Sectional Safes of Concrete and Iron 315 A Novel Surgical Tool............. Phosphorescent Light of Fireflies... 315 A Pressure Tank for the “Bends”. . Hard Teeth on Soft Saws.......... 315 Mammoth Ground Plate for Power Selenium Compounds and Radioac- DE -shtadecaitikacseeshieee 326 Ys wndtutnccndsdbthenuen de 815 The Harvard Study of Mental and Making the Airplane Radiator and Physical Development ........... 326 We Be Re cans ccvegonsceccsces 317 A New Concrete Slab Grade Cross- Equipping the Soaring Plane with a Sr “sincere ei ase aa s 4s aikda teat 326 MS an oo 06 gb 0.0'604.680:0 0% 317 Convenience of Bridge and Tunnels Big-Wheel Log Hauling............ 319 CE, ok ck ncdaehedaaN ose nse 330 Jacking Out the Stumps........... 319 Sounding by Sound.............++. 330 DEPARTMENTS Inventions New and Interesting.... 331-334 Recently Patented Inventions....... 338-340 The Service of the Chemist...... ‘ 335 PD: cccneprecedpoasee dane 342, 344 The Heavens in May............- 336 Mechanical Engineering Notes...... 350 The ponten-Deteem Commercial Ve- I See cr ce ta a. vba Oe 54 o56 BED escscccscccccesescceduceeee 337 RC errr 356 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY Munn & Company, 233 Broadway, New York Founded 1845 President CHARLES ALLEN MUNN, ALLAN C. ORSON D. MUNN, Treasurer HOFFMAN, Secretary EDITORIAL STAFF J. BERNARD WALKER AUSTIN C. LESCARBOURA J. MALCOLM BIRD DEPARTMENT EDITORS Apert A. HOPKINS, Notes and Queries IsMAR GINSBERG, Victor W. PAGE, HENRY Norris RUSSELL, Chemical Engineer Automotive Engineer Prof. of Astronomy, Princeton University CORRESPONDENTS C. H. CLiaupy, Washington, D. C. ALFRED GRADENWITZ, Berlin, Germany Hector C. Bywater, London, England FRANCIS P. MANN, Paris, France CORRESPONDING EDITORS H. Drepericus, Prof. of Experimental Engi- neering, Cornell University. SAUL DusSHMAN, Ph.D., G. E. Research Lab- oratory. Epwarp ELtery, Consulting Chemist, Union College. Ratpu J. Focc, Prof. of Civil Engineering, Lehigh University. Leon A. HausMAN, Ph.D., Research Zodlogist and Instructor in Zodlogy, Rutgers College. Harry S. Hower, Prof. of Physics, Carnegie Institute of Technology. M. LuckresH, Dir. of Applied Science, Nela Research Laboratories. Roy W. Miner, American Museum of Natural History. H. F. Moore, Research Prof. of Eng. Materials, University of Illinois. W. A. Murritt, Ph.D., New York Botanical Garden. H. C. RAmsower, Director of Agricul. Service, Ohio State University. Samvuet J. Recorp, Prof. of Forest Products, Yale University. J. HAmMMonpD Situ, Prof. of Civil Engineer- ing, Univ. of Pittsburgh. Epwarp G. SPAULDING, Ph.D., LL.D., Prof. of Philosophy, Princeton University. G. A. Younc, Head, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University. Ext. Vol. 128, No. 5. Published monthly. Entered as second class matter, June 18, 1879, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879 Price, 35 cents a copy. $4. 00 a year. and Mexico, postage prepaid. Copvright, Illustrated articles must not be reproduced without written permission. Cuba and Panama; $4.50 a year for Canada. 1923, by Scientific American Publishing Company. Great Britain rights reserved. Postage prepaid in United States and possessions, Foreign subscriptions, $5.00 a year, Furthermore, the use of Scientific American articles or quotations from them for advertising and stock-selling enterprises is never authorized. “Scientific American,” Reg. U. S. Patent Office. to other tombs in the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings. Mr. Allen spells the Pharaoh’s name as “Tutenkhamon,” and we have retained his spelling throughout his interesting article. In connection with our own drawing, however, we have re tained our own spelling, “Tut-ankh- Amen.” As King Tut-ankh-Amen’s name is appearing in various spellings, it should be explained that the ancient Egyptian language writes only conso- nants. The Egyptologist, thus given only the bare skeleton of the name to work upon, has had to supply his own vowels. Hence the wide variation in the spelling of the famous name—or, in plain lan- guage, one guess is as good as another! PLAY current in New York calls for an expert on emeralite uses in paint —whatever that may mean—and to cloak him with proper authority, the playwright has billed him as a famous writer on this subject in the Screntiric AMERICAN! In a current fiction magazine the leading character of a story is forever quoting the ScrenTiIFIc AMERICAN to emphasize arguments! Odd but good name, to the weight of his complimentary uses for our be sure. ORECASTING the leading features of our next issue, the June issue, we come across a highly interesting story of the automobile thief and how he works, writ- ten by Mr. Edward H. Smith. Few of us realize the extent of the stolen automobile traffic and how it reacts on the automobile theft insurance rates which we must pay for protection. For instance, during a prize fight in Madison Square Garden, New York City, not so long ago, there were some fifteen thousand enthusiasts inside that vast building, while outside, in all the surrounding and confluent streets, stood a thousand automobiles, at- testing the prosperity of many who sweated and roared with the clamant mob at the arena. Policemen passed up and down the long, close-packed lines of cars; chauffeurs waited, dozing in their seats; the usual night-flow of pedestrians mean- dered by. Yet when the great gates of the hall were opened and the crowd came bellowing forth from its gory pleasures, forty-five automobiles were missing, stolen within three hours, under the noses of scores of watchers in the bright center of our greatest city! And that is but one instance of what takes place week in and week out in many of our large cities. It has remained for Mr. Smith, author of the article on burglars and burglar alarms which appears in the present issue, to investigate automobile thefts and to tell us, in his entertaining way, what this branch of criminology means in everyday affairs. OW fine engravings are made on the heads of pins and other work, known as microscopic test plates; how grain al- cohol is medicated to foil the bootlegger, and the dangers lurking in wood alcohol and other ingredients employed in some of the present-day illicit liquor; how Ger- many is regaining valuable land within her own borders by means of ingenious machinery; how the motion picture folk reproduced with rare ingenuity the “May- flower” for a photoplay depicting the perils and hardships encountered by the Pilgrims ; how the all-devouring teredo has extended its field of operation to an alarm- ing extent—these are but a few of the un- usually interesting features of the forth- coming June number.

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

a ~~ — = ; ~ ee at a, y on eed A oles a aa Se ae ay "<< | s 6 Paya) Pa nt nil 1 ey = oe a “

ST. LOUIS DIVISION Serves manufacturers in Southern Illinois, Mis- eouri and Arkansas NEW ORLEANS DIVISION Serves manufacturers in practically all the South- ern States + tt Bry Allele gy if as s A Baca = tebe rw A Condition—An Invitation—And a Fact For years certain uneconomic condi- High freight rates require the develop- tions have prevailed in the manufacture ment of light but strong boxes. and use of shipping containers. pping These, and other factors, too numerous Lumber for boxing and crating pur- to mention here, made necessary the de- poses utilizes about one-sixth of the tim- velopment of an organization with ample ber cut each year. The necessity for the resources in men, capital, research, pro- conservation of our timber resources is of duction and deliveries to render the kind national moment. of service dictated by the conditions. Each year industry loses hundreds of Such was the premise underlying the millions of dollars through the use of formation of the General Box Company poor or improperly designed containers. with factories in seventeen Cities. An Invitation We will be glad to send a competent box more economical than the one being used— engineer to any shipper east of the Rocky if it is possible to do so. You can then make a trial shipment in order to test thoroughly this specially de- ; signed box before you order. This engineer- Based on this study we will design a box ing service is part of our policy. It places or crate that will be light, strong, safe and you under no obligation to us in any way. A Fact Mountains, for the purpose of analyzing his shipping box requirements.

At the recommendation of one of our box engineers the Three-In-One Oil Company adopted the Pioneer (Wirebound) Box shown above and have used them for six years. The advantages of this box are: its light- ness and strength; it is practically theft-proof; quickly assembled; requires comparatively little storage space; can be quickly opened and unpacked; can be re-used. The Pioneer is only one type of box. We make all kinds of wooden containers. Our advice is unprejudiced. If you are interested in this engineering service, please write us at our Chicago address. A copy of G. B. C. Service—a bulletin of information on better boxing and crating—will be sent to anyone interested in this subject.

GENERAL BOX COMPANY

40 WEST ILLINOIS STREET - CHICAGO FACTORIES AT ~ Nashville, Tenn. Bogalusa, La. Crawfordsville, Ind. Houston, Tex. New Orleans, La. Brewton, Ala. Detroit, Mich. Illmo, Mo. Pearl River, La. Brooklyn, N. Y. East St. Louis, lil. Kansas City, Mo. Sheboygan, Wis. Cincinaati, Ohio Hattiesburg, Miss. Louisville, Ky. Winchendon, Mass.

{ sible toda tioni of t large Unit pren Ov impo movi Unit here, comp enou: tive with large bile | possi ficult we fi partl; auton mone: not il best ; So —

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923 =J DUUUAUUAUNUUUAUVUUUUUOUUODAAAAAAAAUANOUODAUOUUUU DUAL 4 STTUMUUULNUTUANONAUSNUAAAVTTUANOO UTHER CUNT CHACHA THE MONTHLY JOURNAL OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION MMM MIO SEV ENT Y-NINTH YEAR ee no TVVEQSMERDUUGEOUUOOUTULDLOOAUUAUUUHAANUANNN4 TU NEW YORK, MAY, 1923 Comparison of the extent of five branches of modern American transportation. NE of the fundamental differ- ences between the civilized com- munity and the savage or bar- barian one ties in the extent to which easy and rapid and cheap transportation is pos- sible, alike of people and of goods. In any nation of today, prosperity depends mainly on the proper func- tioning of the transportation system, and the industry of transportation is necessarily one of the nation’s largest. Nowhere is this more the case than in the United States, with its railroad and automobile su- premucy. Our drawings herewith attempt to show the relative importance of the several branches of the industry of moving people and things from place to place, in the United States. It is difficult to make a fair comparison here, and this is the reason why we have made two comparisons. Mileage of track systems is simple enough; but where shall we get a figure in the automo- tive field or in that of steam navigation to compare with this? Road mileage would not do it, because the larger proportion of our roads are unsuited to automo- bile traffic and are shunned by such traffic wherever possible. If, however, we attempt to dodge this dif- ficulty by a comparison on the basis of capital invested, we find that the railroads have their money tied up partly in rolling stock and partly in tracks; while the automobile and the ship use rights-of-way on which money may be spent, but not by the industry itself, and not in a way calculated to get the best value or the best accounting. So it is clear that any comparison between these branches of transportation must be more or less forced, and that it means only what we may agree that it means. With this understood, we may glance at the manner of arriving at the figures used in the graphic statement of this page. Mileage of railroad and trolley systems is something quite definite. Mileage for the automobile has been obtained by stringing all the country’s cars and trucks out in single file. Such a line-up would be a very miscellaneous affair, with everything from the flivver to the giant truck. Remembering that the number of trucks is pretty small, in comparison with the number of cars; and that of the latter the ten-foot (from stem to stern) cheap car is preponderant, it seems hardly probable that the average car would require more than 12 feet to stand on. And if we string America’s 10,300,000 motor vehicles out in line on this basis, they will occupy 23,400 miles of single track. With the waterways we have two classifications. A river or canal has to be maintained to be fit for naviga- tion; and we are told that we have 6,284 miles of such waterways on which money has been spent since 1913. It seems fair to assume that these are the live water- Ways, and that all others are dead. The ocean will not yield a mileage figure so easily, however, and here we must adopt the same procedure as with the automo- bile. For the 3700 ocean-going vessels calling at our ports, a fair average for the few passenger carriers would be about 500 feet, for the many freighters The lines are shown circled about the earth about 325, and for all combined about Our Transportation Industry 50. This is, of course, nothing more than an intelligent guess: if we admit it, we may calculate that the ocean carriers engaged in traffic to and from the United States would fill a single-track waterway 250 miles long. It will be noted that for purposes of mileage com- parison our artist has made use of the globe, about which the mileage is distributed in bands representing 25,000 miles each. On the other side of the picture, the cost of railroads and of trolley systems is again definite. When we at- tack the automobile, we are again baffled; the cars and trucks are authoritatively estimated to be worth about nine billions, but nobody knows what our roads are worth, or how many of them are suited to motor traffic. But since 1910 we have spent three billions on them. Perhaps we may assume that deterioration of roads on which money has been spent in this interval is offset by the use that our drivers get out of roads on which no money has been spent. If we make this assumption, we shall have a capitalization of twelve billions for the automotive industry. About $170,000,000 has been spent on rivers and canals since 1913; if we remember that expenditures for such things as this have increased in geometric ratio, a billion might cover the value of the waterways and the rather cheap ves- sels that utilize them. And at an estimate of $75 per ton—another intelligent guess—the 13,465,000 tons rep- resented by the ocean-going ships stands for another billion. On this basis we have had our artist scale the accompanying drawings. RIVERS ANDCANALS OCEAN VESSELS $1,000,000,000 $1,000,000,000 Relative investments in five branches of modern American transportation. The circles are drawn to relative scale

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN The Burglar and the Alarm From the Simple Gong Alarm of Yesteryear to the Elaborate Electric Protective System of Today By Edward H. Smith N THE summer of the | eventful year 1865, the notable jewelry firm of Walker's, corner Sun court and Cornhill Road, near London, $30,000 in jewelry, was robbed of thousands in cash. It a tremendous robbery plus some was not only for those days but it was an aston ishing and, from our point of view, an historic affair, because it reveals the antiquity of some things we are ultra-modern burglar consider unbeatable used to notably the alarm. The year of grace 1865 is, as a matter of fact, modern enough in uny general consideration of primi- tive alarms, such as collapsing par- titions and that great and simple favorite, the set-gun, fixed to shoot down the intruding am concerned here with alarms in a nurrower sense and must leave such contraptions and their romantic his future consideration. In secret code. tory for What the subscriber has in the way of equipment for exchanging signals thief But I with the protective “central” by a of All openings and clos- ings of premises are prearranged At the subscriber’s end strongly bolted together and proof against any tools of the burglars of those days. He had similarly protected the sidewall between the tailor’s shop and his own. Since the other walls faced the streets, where a constable patrolled all night, they were in no need of such fortification. Yet Jeweler Walker had gone much further with his defenses. He had closed all his doors and windows with heavy iron shutters, in each of which was a series of peepholes, through which the con- stable or any passerby might look into his shop in passing, if curi- osity or any disturbance drew his eyes to that direction. To facili- tate this welcome spying, he al- lowed his lights to burn all night and equipped his shop with a set mirrors which reflected’ the front of his fine safe to every one of the peeping-points. And last but most significant of all, he equipped his place with a complete system of elaborate and costly iinst burglars, to which were brought ingenuity—as the field installations what seemed the full bloom of human in the cause of the best protective systems today Jeweler Walker's shop in Cornhill and the looting thereof stand out with the shine of the opening and telling engagement between the deviser and the thief. Mr. Walker evidently understood that he was a shining mark and had done everything that a man of his times in London might have done to foil the in- truders who threatened his prosperity and survival. He had taken himself to the best builders in all England and equipped his place with a safe guaranteed to be proof against opening in less (This was the day business safe than eleven and one-half hours. before nitro-glycerine or even gunpowder in the kit of the cracksman, of course.) But Walker had gone much further. He saw that burglars might enter either a lawyer's office above his shop or the establishment of a tailor adjoining. Consequently he caused the ceil- ing above him to be interlaid with a sheeting of iron, UR 20S 8 ET A ST effectually safe- network of Valuable merchandise, records, ete., can be guarded by special enclosures surrounded by a wires. The ceiling and the floor should also be guarded to make the installation burglar-proof When fine wires are more effective than armor plate were whose of bells and gongs. There loud-voiced bells on every door or window, clangor must have summoned the constable from any part of his beat, had an entrance been forced. Again, Walker had the main entrance equipped with a tinkling bell for daytime use and further May, 1923 by a series of raps on the wall. Two raps told that the officer was ap- proaching and notified the floor and wall cutters to de- sist. Three raps signified that the man was out of hearing, so work might be resumed A quick drum of hammering was a signal that the gang had been discovered, in which event Caisley was to unlock the padlock and give his gang a way for quick egress. But this part of the code was never used. Instead Caisley was summoned within the building toward dawn on Sunday and told that the case was hopeless on ac- count of the iron sheetings. He smiled and took his men home. Toward dark of Sunday he again let his men into the building, followed them into the lawyer's suite and thence down, through the hole, into the tailor’s shop. Here he directed his gang to cut through the floor into a low basement and thence up through the adjacent floor of the jeweler’s place. The ingenious Mr. Walker had never dreamed of such a maneuver and the burglars were soon in his place, face to face with his formidable safe. Caisley now made use of Walker’s own alarm bells. He disconnected the wire which ran to the little bell in the interior of the shop near the safe, added some strong twine to it and ran it down into The dial of the galvanometer gives the nature of the disturbance in suf- ficient detail to warrant action by the operator at the protective “central’’ The sleepless electrical watchman protected himself by means of an- other small bell in the interior of this shop, which connected with both entrances by a wire and sounded whenever anyone entered or left the shop. against the sudden entrance of holdup men or the quick and unnoticed flight of sneaks. Altogether an elaborate and ingenious equipment, the mar- vel of its time and, moreover, care- fully concealed from the knowl- edge of London’s teeming and ever- resourceful underworld. Tut Mr. Walker was robbed. His beautiful protective and alarm sys- tem was beaten by methods which will ring in our ears with a very modern familiarity. “Velvet Ned” Caisley, so softly and appropri- ately named, committed the rob- bery and it is to him we are in- debted for details. Caisley and his’ underlings watched the shop, the jeweler, his employes and the workings of the mechanical equipment for nearly This was to serve as protection The sensitive galvanometer, interior of instrument shown at top of page, indi- cates when the closed circuit is either cut or bridged, and gives warning also of fire or water leakage The galvanometer: an electri- cal nerve center the basement, up through the tailor’s and lawyer’s rooms and thence to the roof, where he lay down behind a chimney § and watched for the constable. He merely tugged at his string twice when the officer approached and thrice when he was again out of hearing. With wedges and a giant jimmy, the other burglars in the Walker shop tore open the safe in two hours instead of eleven and a half They took everything in sight, left the place, divided the spoil and scattered. In this old tale from the police records of another generation, is summarized the full flower and complete defeat of the burglar alarm and protective systems de vised in the older day, before the application of electricity. Whether electricity had in some instances been applied to alarm systems in England before the day of Jeweler Walker and Velvet Ned, I do not know. But in America the electric two months and made themselves all too thoroughly familiar with the habits of the men and the intricacies of the mechanism. Accordingly, after Jeweler Walker, his tailor neighbor and the bar- rister on the floor above had closed their doors one Saturday afternoon and gone their several ways in peace and security, Caisley inserted a master key into the lock of the door leading to the second floor stair- way. The gang entered, and Caisley put the padlock back in place and snapped it, so that no passing officer might discover aught amiss. The burglars went to the lawyer’s rooms and tried to cut down through the ceiling to the premises of the jeweler. They soon struck the sheet-iron defenses and were foiled. But they knew how to get around the situation. Accordingly they went into another room of the lawyer's suite and quickly cut their way down into the tailor’s shop whence they tried to bore into the jeweler’s place through the side wall. But once more the iron balked them. During this time Caisley, the master of the gang, had been lurking in the street—all Saturday night— watching the patrolling constable and notifying his lieutenants of the approach of the marching patrolman burglar alarm had long been in ex istence even if not in general use. The first practicable electrie alarm, on which the most extensive modern developments of the system are based, was patented in this country in 1852 by Charles Pope This inventor is said to have sold his rights to Edwin Holmes in Boston in 1857, and Holmes certainly brought the idea to New York in 1858, at which time his com- panies were endeavoring to introduce electric alarms in both cities. It is interesting to note that the late P. T. Barnum, that pioneer in many things, was an early user of such an alarm, for there is extant a letter of his under date of July 2, the system installed in his house in Bridgeport for three years, that three attempts at burglary had been made in that period and that all would have succeeded save for the alarm. it for a month for a thousand dollars. 1866, wherein he writes that he has had He comments that he would not be without Somewhat later the Corn Exchange Bank, Hanover National Bank and the jewelers, Tiffany and Starr, in- stalled electric alarms and have, as the manufacturer informs us, used the service for more than fifty years. It seems probable, therefore, that the electric burglar M al: thi ere pri col ho bu: slo ma mo ins bac pre sel) sive loc] sta to the bet anc twe inti tric a fe gre: in 6 M orig in |: Aga cian thei gree A thei: outs whi of t the by a bank and that dow! chai the « Th burg ism, outsi of th theo safeg stanc the | know resist But | ter 1 know many alarn foun: peg a bank that unwo yault: gone, plung under brick: In have noctu which part alarm talent count! ginnin ecentul tack ¢ ite me the i sives Civil | was € -arliel on car glycer heyda. the

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an ied ang to lick ny, ker wo ilf nd is nd lar le he ler lot m, ch id ee in or ut May, 1923 alarm was a partly recog- nized protective device in America somewhat earlier than in other countries. The credit for the invention of a practical type belongs in this country. As always happens, however, our bankers and business men as a class were slow in adopting this new marvel. The largest and most advanced firms had it installed, but the rest hung back and followed the usuai procedure of letting them- selves be forced to progres- siveness' by misfortune. They locked the door of the empty stable and many still hold to this vain practice. After the robbery they install better safes, burglar alarms and the like. Thus, even twenty-five years after the introduction of the first elec- tric alarms, there were only a few hundred in use in our great cities and a few dozens in other parts of the country. Many imitators of the original inventors sprang up in all parts of the nation. Again, many local electri- cians made experiments of their own and evolved types of alarms of varying de- grees of effectiveness. A number of banks allowed local inventors to wire their premises with a system connecting a gong, usually outside the bank, above the door, with a plug or plunger which came up through the floor of the bank, in front of the safe or vault and rising perhaps an inch over the floor. In the day-time this plunger was held down by a triggerp arrangement under the floor, but when the bank was closed for the night the trigger was released and a chair set in front of the vault in such position that one of its legs stood on the plunger, holding it down by the chair’s weight. If, during the night, the chair was moved, the plunger would fly up, setting off the electric alarm. This was effective, of course, just as long as the burglars were in ignorance of its existence or mechan- ism, which was not for many days. An alarm on the outside of a bank is always conspicuous, which is one of the intentions of those who employ such devices, the theory being that the burglar will see that the bank is safeguarded and pass on. And in a good many in- stances this theory justifies itself. It all depends on the burglar. If he is the casual yegg, who does not know his craft over-well and follows the line of least resistance, he “passes up” banks with alarms installed. But if he belongs to the bet- ter rank of bank men, he knows how to disconnect many of these external alarms. Such men soon found out about the rising peg and the chair in front of bank vaults, with the result that bankers who had slept unworried woke to find their vaults open and the cash gone, while the faithless plunger remained inactive under the weight of a few bricks. In an earlier chapter I have discussed the rise of nocturnal bank burglary, which played an important part in the development of alarms. Burglars used their talents against banks in this country as early as the be- ginning of the nineteenth century. But nocturnal at- tack did not become a favor- ite method of criminals until the introduction of explo- sives for this purpose in Civil War days. Gunpowder was employed by these earlier safe crackers. Later on came dynamite and nitro- glycerine. Then came the heyday of the yeggman and the almost nightly explo- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Central station of the Holmes electric protective system, where a large number of subscribers’ lines terminate. At- tention is called to the sensitive galvanometers at the top of the boards. The operator’s notice is called to the in- dications by the flashing of a light on the switchboard. If anything appears suspicious, guards are rushed around in automobiles to investigate Ever watchful girls on guard sion of safes in banks, post offices, mercantile estab- lishments and elsewhere. Naturally, this development from the criminal world stimulated not only the adoption of burglar alarms by bankers and others, but the invention, manufacture and development of such devices—of many types and styles. AS a matter of fact, the work of yeggmen caused the general adoption of the alarm for banks in one section of the country after the other. About 1905, for in- stance, nocturnal bank burglars were in their ascend- ancy in the Middle West, in such states as Iowa, Mis- souri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. A little earlier similar bands of nitro-glycerine burglars had been rav- ishing the South Atlantic States, as well as West Vir- ginia, Maryland and Delaware. As these robbers pro- gressed through any given region they were followed by the salesmen of safes, insurance and burglar alarms. These men covered every bank within 50 or 75 miles of the one that had been robbed, and most bankers were at last persuaded to adopt precautious measures. One general type of alarm was sold at this period to half the rural or suburban banks in the Middle West. Its main feature was the familiar gong on the outside of the building. The best had complete sheet steel lin- ing for the inside of the vault, connected with the gong by electric wires. To cut, break or tamper with Bank vault surrounded on all sides—top, sides and bottom—by electric cables which are run at the same time that the reinforcing members are put in place for the concrete that follows. The cables are more effective against safe- blowers than steel and concrete When the bank vault is wrapped in a protective wire maze 295 this lining was to set off the alarm. Neither could the burglar adopt the simple method of cutting the wires, for this broke the circuit and likewise sent the gong into hysterical vibrations. The better class of burglars knew, of course, how to muf- fle many such alarms before entering the bank, yet this system of protection proved decidedly successful and is still in very general use. The reasons for its survival in spite of apparent weakness may be interesting. Burglars of even average skill did not always avoid banks equipped with such alarms because of this in- vention, a fact proved by the instances in which the de vices were easily and simply disposed of. But they did pass them by for better rea- sons, founded on caution. There were still plenty of banks without alarms. To the burglar’s mind here was a great and grave distinction —that between the progres- sive banker and the _ back- ward or careless one. The yeggs found that alarms had been installed by bankers in the more prosperous and advanced towns, where there was likely to be better policing and a better publie spirit. Such towns were dangerous to the robber. Moreover, the man who would spend money on an alarm usually also had a better safe and might have concealed some other protective device which the rebber could not divine. So the yegg went after the banks without alarms. A negative triumph, shall we say? But the reasonably effective burglar alarms were hardly well installed when we came again upon one of those endless shifts of scene and technique which char- acterize the whole struggle between the law and the criminal, and especially that between the felon and the inventor. The very large numbers of nocturnal bank burglaries had brought in the alarm, but they had also put into many banks in all parts of the country ever better and better safes, until the point was reached where most exposed banks had equipped themselves with heavy modern safes of the screwdoor type. The average yeggman was temporarily put out of the run- ning and turned to other and radically different methods. The automobile had now come into general use and the streets of the cities began to be more and more crowded with cars. Many yeggs turned bandits, came to the cities from their usual hunting grounds in the coun- try and began holding up urban banks at high noon and escaping in motor ears through the welter of city traffic. This recrudescence to the methods of such dis- tant and primitive robbers as the James boys, began about 15 years ago and has constantly grown in volume. To meet the peril, various bandit alarm systems have been developed for use against the daylight robbers. The first of these was sim- ply an electric push button connected with a gong on the outside of the bank. When the bandit entered, the teller made a quick reach for the concealed button and off went the alarm—unless, of course, the bandit was quick- er on his trigger than the teller on his button. Today all such alarms are consid- ered not only of doubtful value but potential of mur- der. They are open invita- tions to shooting on the part of the bandit, since, when he sees a gong aflixed to the front of a bank he is about to rob, he enters with the full determination to shoot (Continued on page 346)

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296 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 Tutenkhamon’s Tomb What This Latest Archaeological Discovery Means in the Light of Earlier Explorations UMAN nature retains its fertile gift of curiosity. The Earl of Carnar- von’s interest in Egypt's past led to this winter’s marvelous discoveries; but the spell of ancient wonders was strong already 4000 years ago. The mighty pyramids of Gizeh were as remote in time to the Egyptians of the Middle Kingdom as the Magna Even then those tombs had long since tells us how keenly the colossal futility was felt by the About the same interval sep- Khnumhotep at Beni- visitors to his tomb. Carta is to us, been plundered, and a realization of their skeptics of 2100 B. C., arated a district ruler named hasan from some late Empire Finding the name of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyra- mid, involved in a town name occurring in the wall inscriptions, these careless archaeologists scrawled upon Khnumhotep’s wall their admiration of the “tem- ple of Khufu.” This same tomb has been embellished in the three thousand years since those visits by the autographs of a mighty army of tourists, native, classi- cal, and modern. In the seventh century B. C. begins an age sometimes called the Restoration, because it was so eager to revive the good old days. A high official of this period, a certain Ibi of Thebes, succeeded in discovering at Deir el-Gabrawi the tomb of a noble of the same name who had lived during the Old Kingdom, almost two thousand years before, and had its scenes and inscriptions copied in large part in his own. The Theban prince Mentem- het, who lived just before Ibi’s time, copied some of his tomb decorations from the neighboring Empire temple of Deir el-Bahri, built by Queen song By Dr. T. George Allen Secretary, Haskell Oriental Museum and the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago 1880-81, his workmen opened the pyramid of King Pepi I at Sakkara and discovered that the walls of its chambers were covered with inscriptions. Sir Gaston Maspero, continuing his predecessor's work there, found four more similarly inscribed royal tombs of the same Old Kingdom period. The so-called Pyramid Texts, thus revealed, constitute the earliest and most funda- mental contribution to our knowledge of Egyptian re- ligion. Some of their incantations, evidently long handed down, reflect conditions even before the union of Egypt into one nation. Maspero was responsible at the same time for an- other outstanding achievement. Since 1871 bits of royal tomb equipment had been finding their way to Europe. In 1881 Maspero tracked down the modern robbers. One of them finally disclosed, beside the Theban cliffs, the well concealed mouth of a pit that led via a long subterranean passage to an ancient hid- ing place crammed with coffins of Egyptian royalty. The weak kings of the XXI. Dynasty, unable to protect the bodies of their imperial predecessors in their orig- inal tombs, had transferred them hither for safety. Thus came again to light in person the greatest phar- oahs of the Empire (XVIIL-XX. Dynasty). Excavation, however, was still on an uncertain basis. Illicit digging by natives has always been a problem. But even the government’s own work was incompletely recorded and still less completely published. Moreover, permits came to be granted not only to scientific or- ganizations but to many untrained individuals who thought only of the market for antiquities. The Egypt Exploration Fund (now Society), founded in London in 1882, and Professor W. M. Flinders Petrie, who later has in the last two decades played an important part in Egyptian excavations. Professor Reisner has been in the field almost continuously, first for the University of California, since then for Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston. From his work in Upper Nubia he has been able to reconstruct the his- tory of Egyptian conquest in that far southern region, as well as of the later Ethiopian kings and the decay of their borrowed civilization. Mr. Lythgoe and his able associates, Messrs. Mace, Winlock, and others, by their work for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, are not only contributing new data on history and art but have equipped their institution with the best documented and best displayed Egyptian collection in this country. Another American, the late Theodore M. Davis of Newport, financed excavations at Thebes which discovered several hitherto unknown royal tombs. The furniture of Yuya and Tuyu, the parents of Queen Tiy, grandparents of Ikhnaton, and great-grandparents of Tutenkhamon’s wife, found in one of these, was considered remarkable until the equipment of Tutenkh- amon himself turned up. The Earl of Carnarvon, with Howard Carter as his field director, first undertook systematic clearances in western Thebes in the spring of 1907. The territory then granted him was not considered very propitious. Yet in the next few years he discovered not only various archaeologically interesting private tombs but also the valley temple at the foot of the causeway that ied to Queen Hatshepsut’s splendid terraced sanctuary of Deir el-Pahri. In 1914, working in the hills behind Drah Abu'l-Negga, the plundered tomb of King Amen- hotep I was found. This had been known" heretofore only from court records of the XX. Dy- nasty, preserved in the Papyrus Abbott, Hatshepsut about 1500 B. C. More fa- miliar are the numerous remarks which classical visitors have recorded both about The once Thebes and upon Egyptian monuments. Memnon” at souvenirs in “Colossus of bears especia:ly numerous Latin and Greek carved by tourists of the Roman among whom the most distinguished was the emperor Hadrian. Accounts of sites are found too in the works of medieval Arabic authors, The caliph el-Mamun, who ruled vocal cre ge, imperial : various HE purpose of the accompanying arlicle is to place the Tutenkhamon discovery among the long chain of other archaeological discoveries which have enabled us to reconstruct the history, customs, religion and other phases of ancient Egypt. We asked Dr. T. George Allen, Secretary of the Haskell Oriental Museum and the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, to outline Egyptian-archaeology, and to furnish us with the proper background for a true appraisal of the present marvelous discovery. This he has done, and done well_—-THE EnpiTor. which claim that at that time “it was found uninjured by the inspectors. The hunt for Tutenkhamon’s tomb is said to have begun in 1915. Meantime, almost inaccessible in the hills well back of Biban el-Muluk, there was discovered during the winter of 1916-17 an unfinished tomb which had been intended for the “king’s wife” Hatshepsut. But when she became a pharaoh in her own right she had had a new tomb (discovered by Carter in 19083 while in the service of Mr. Davis) the Moslem world in 813-833, was more “practical” in his attentions to the Great Pyramid. His workmen did succeed in breaking in and rediscovering its passages; but the treasure they an- ticipated was not there, and el-Mamun himself had to supply some to appease them. Napoleon, on his ill-fated expedition which occupied Egypt in 1798-1801, included numerous savants. By his orders was published the huge Description de ' Egypte which forms the official record of their labors. This led to a wide-spread modern revival of interest in the ancient civilization.. One of the French finds (after- wards taken by the British) was the famous Rosetta Stone, which played a part in the decipherment of the ancient language. Its fundamental principles were finally determined by the Frenchman Champollion in 1822, after both he and others had spent long years in study with partial Knowledge of the language, in the details of which continuous progress has since been made, has been of infinite importance in acquainting the modern world with Egyptian religion, science, literature, and art as well as history. A few hardy European explorers had visited Egypt in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Their number was vastly increased in the nineteenth, and many were the antiquities carried away in its early decades, There was no governmental Egyptian museum until 1857. Then, under the khedive Said, the museum of Bulak (now at Cairo) was founded and to the French excavator Mariette was assigned its organiza- only success, tion and maintenance. To provide its collections, ex- cavations on a large scale were now begun under of- ficial auspices, so that Mariette had as many as 37 scattered sites under investigation at once. He is to be remembered especially for making accessible important temples at Abydos, Dendera, Edfu, and Thebes, as well as for his earlier success in 1851 in finding the great Serapeum of Memphis. Just at the close of Mariette’s life, in the winter of Account and British pioneered in better Their respective organized the Egyptian Research Archaeology in Egypt, methods of record and publication. series of annual memoirs continue to be of first-rate importance in the comparative study of new finds or old. Petrie’s work for the Fund at Abydos recovered the history of the I. and II. Dynasties, which had until then been a myth. Meantime, in 1887, came a find epoch-making in our knowledge of the history of the Empire. At the site we call Tell el-Amarna villagers chanced upon a room which had evidently contained files of the imperial State Department. The correspondence they found, written in Babylonian cuneiform (the then current lan- guage of diplomacy) on clay tablets, included letters of King Amenhotep ITI and his son Ikhnaton both to and from numerous rulers and vassals in Western Asia. But distribution and sale of these tablets, School of the clandestine involving their being sacked and hauled around on donkey-back, destroyed some and seriously damaged many others. Tell el-Amarna has since yielded further light on the distinctive history and art of Ikhnaton’s period. For its tombs have been investigated both by French scholars and (more accurately) by the Egypt Exploration Society; and excavation among its ruined temples, palaces, and homes has been carried on by Petrie, by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, and (since the European war) by the English society again. The Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, established in 1898, has kept model records of its various excavations, and has published results with admirable promptness. In fact, scientific methods have been much more usual since the opening of the twentieth century. The Egyptian Service des Antiquités began in 1899 to pub- lish “Annales” recording in some form at least, the work in progress; and the first volume of an official scientific catalog of the Cairo Museum appeared in 1901. America prepared in the kings’ own valley. Lord Carnarvon's activities in the latter region met for years with very indifferent luck until their recent cul mination in a success beyond all anticipation. As King Tutenkhamon’s name is appearing in various spellings, it should be explained that the ancient Egyptian language writes only consonants. The Egyptologist, thus left in the lurch, can transliterate only Twt (image)—‘nh (living)—,mn (of Amon). The vowels with which the Egyptians clothed such skeletons can be only approximately inferred. Since our transcription cannot avoid some arbitrariness, the writer has preferred to follow Breasted’s “Ancient Rec erds of Egypt,” the spellings in which are gradually becoming standard. Finds made in the past have determined Tutenkh- amon’s position in history. The monotheist dreamer Amenhotep IV, changing his name to Ikhnaton, had broken with the powerful priestly group, done away with its inherited privileges and estates, destroyed even the names of the old deities wherever accessible, and moved his capital from Thebes, defiled by memories of Amon, to a new site, the present Tell el-Amarna. Here, in honor of his sole god Aton, the beneficent sun disk, he had caused a new city to arise, unfettered by tradi- tions of the past. The free sweep of his religion, mir- roring a world vista inspired by earlier imperial con- quests that reached from the Fourth Cataract of the Nile in Africa to the Euphrates in Asia, was paralleled by a new freedom in the art he sponsored. But against the enmity of the priesthoods he had outraged and the deep-rooted traditions he had violated, no son was granted to uphold his faith. After Ikhnaton’s death about 1358 B. C. one youthful son-in-law, Sakere, ap- pears momentarily as pharaoh, but is followed almost immediately by a second. Tutenkhaton, “living image of Aton,” as the new king (Continued on page 348)

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Copyright, Scientific American Pub. Co. ROM numerous aut ) : *; much » priests | tion, together with the rf ) y her- raoh’s se] ‘ ned : | Egyptologists, our artist : £ been is the ‘ t re ? i ‘ sti S. the ante- s interesting drawing been ; ‘hamber there ar our knowledge, tl the first presen , j ci , “Hall of Ge or shri , and the other into Tut-ankh-A b in its entirety. "Ss the i : ber whic Ss not yet been « red. the Royal T at Thebes is sect y ; 2 V.5 : y fills the sepulch , and is unquestionably the st interesting “find” th and they : i ‘ise a nur y one within has ever been Kgypt. ver be scovery of : the other, with the sarcopl Amen the history of archeological exploration ‘ ief therefore, of I ‘s , i ir the findi ‘ in the inner unrifled royal tomb been found; y be rd Ci *s disc i i 7 therefore, that every feature wonde discovery is new. From the other al sepulchers ture treasures in the first or ante-chamber. : . sa sealed door 7 gram of the floor plan of king’s tomb witl - Howard ), Which was drawn from a description sent ete and in i just ’ ‘ the re o from the expedition in Egypt. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE TOMB OF TUT-ANKH-AMEN AND ITS LOCATION IN THE VALLEY OF THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 Taking N itrogen from the Air A Wonderfully Fascinating and Invaluable Achievement in Chemical and Electrical Progress By Littell McClung the boundless possibilities of wealth crea- ttm, )i tll fixation of atmospheric ' } nitrogen is fascinating to the average intelligent person just as it is alluring to the scientist, hydraulic engineer, —————- electrician and the higher type of mechanician. Nitrogen in its free state—as an ele- is free, just as is ment of the atmosphere wiuter from the mountains or heat from the sun. But while it is free and bound- less—vital every minute to all animal life and a continuous plant growth, transforming it from its free state into usable, fixed form has been a major It has been a chal- necessity in problem of science. Ienging endeavor to the keenest chemical minds on two continents ever since it was discovered that nitrogen could be “fixed” by man for his uses, just as growing plants, through some alchemy of their tion on small areas. This season the world—for the first time—is threatened with an actual short- age of cotton. The immediate cause of this is the comparative smallness of the crops since 1914, due to farm labor short- age and the spread of boll weevil infesta- tion. But at bottom the cause is lack of cheap nitrogen in abundance. With plenty of nitrates at low cost, the south- ern farm labor scarcity could be over- come by acreage reduction and more in- tensive cultivation. These, in themselves, would tend greatly to reduce boll weevil damage. And yet with nitrogen so inadequately applied to the crops, the chemist and the electrical engineer have solved the prob- lem of the fixation of free nitrogen in the air. The United States has the largest plant in the world for this remarkable, root fibers, extract from the air in the soil some of its nitrogen for their strength and growth, That which is subtle and variable, that which ex- hibits its force and power in contradictory phases, ever And so it is with nitrogen, Although colorless, appeals to the imagination. the dynamic, double-natured elixir. it may exhibit its latent potency in the flaming hue of a dye. It is tasteless, yet there would be no flavor in foods without it. It is odorless, yet the sense of smell would hardly be a sense if not touched by it. And what fruitful smiles radiate from it simultaneously with hideous and ironic grins! In poison gas it blinds the eyes and withers the lungs; anesthetics and lotions it prevents pain and soothes the wound in some of the rarest perfumes, and in its free state is As a gas bomb it whereas in synthetic It expresses an exquisite phase of itself almost four-fifths of the purest air. blasts vegetation; as nitrate of soda it hastens plant growth and gives life and vigor to root, stalk, branch and fruit. Therefore, it is little wonder that nitrogen charms and challenges. Nitrogen the fickle and fascinating; nitrogen the invaluable, is Sixteen-hundred pound ingots of cyanamid or lime nitrogen held in storage yet nor flowers, for it is indispensable to plant life. The soils of our country, so generously and uniformly endowed by Nature with potash, are lacking in nitro- ven—sadly lacking. There are literally no confines to the nitrogen needs of America’s farmlands and her major crops, and no man can mark any boundaries to the commercial possibilities of the fixation of atmos- pheric nitrogen. It is an industry in which there is no “saturation point.” The greater the use of nitrogen under crops and in soils, the larger will become both need and demand—and the ability to buy. With suf- ficient nitrogen, what is now grown on five acres can be produced on one; and then what is produced on one acre can be harvested off half an acre. The crop- growing potentialities of a given area are unknown. They have never been reached on any plot nor by any crop; and probably never will be. However, three bales of cotton or two hundred and thirty bushels of corn to the acre—both accomplished—give some conception of practical, purpose. jut, however paradoxical it may seem, virtually nothing is being done in the United States to take from the air an infinitesimal part of its nitrogen and give this cheaply and plentifully to our soils and our crops. The reason for this inactivity—so costly to farmers and consumers alike—is that in some lines of commerce we move along the grooves of custom and habit; the fa- miliar, expensive methods and practices. For many years we have been buying nitrate of soda from Chile, where nitrates are dug from the earth just as is iron ore in Michigan, coal in West Virginia and Alabama, sulfur in Louisiana, or phosphate in Florida and Tennessee. Our expensive, hand-made methods of fertilizer manufacturing and distribution have been based on importations of Chilean nitrates, with some additions from the by-products coke ovens. And yet there is more nitrogen in the air over any American county than will ever be mined in Chile. And there is more above any farm than in all the by-products ovens of the world. And we can secure this atmos- pheric nitrogen in limitless quantities throughout the years to meet the urgent wealth in its finest forms—the immacu late whiteness of cotton, the gold in the wheat, and the blush on the apple. Nitrogen is the most valuable of the elements—none other can produce the usable wealth that it is capable of creat ing. It will “make” cotton just as it will corn and wheat, peaches and potatoes. Without it there would be no cotton, no grains, no fruits and vegetables, no clovers oe 3 ee needs of our soils for this strength-giving, growth-creating element. But to do this the initial cost of power and equipment is so large that courage and capital necessary to the effort are scarce. Therefore we continue to import nitrates over distances and tariff walls that make their purchase and use dif- ficult excepting in quantities that are meager in comparison to needs. If the ga % We oie HT I } LT™] - ia Left:. Charging room of the carbide furnaces, showing cylindrical silos from which the mixture of coke and lime electrodes being lowered into the electric furnace to combine, at a very hich temperature, the coke and lime into carbide. relieved of its carbon dioxide and is thus purified is drawn off into the electric furnaces for making carbide. Center: Huge Right: The scrubbing towers in which the air is chemically Three interesting steps in the process of extracting nitrogen from the air and fixing it Ms nit pre plie wor mol gro T met the phe cow has com Th pro and con) the a su tion enol thor valv qual pro m0) fact. of 1 at 1 rem: gian is st had plan tion prod On most and are | exist The. Tenn Th in ol stora eally kilns dred of tl Lime the h Mate Me wise and Raw Put ment stane throu quant Then purel: be dr ical | Hei neede binin; place tempe this steam upwa thous: Howe furna nitrat operat from nearb: In t ists, t trodes twelve Each « five it elect re furnac tempel materi —up ft The r -aleiur This somew

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23 ea vil his he nd we fa- da Ist nd da ¢ ol : sare ~ May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 299 nitrogen applied to the present crop were multi- plied five times, the crop would actually need still more of this stimulant to growth and fruitage. There are _ several methods and processes for the fixation of atmos- pherie nitrogen. In this country only one of these has been proved to be commercially practicable. This is the cyanamid process. There has been and may continue to be contention as to cost, but the method itself has been a success beyond all ques- tion. During a time long enough to demonstrate thoroughly its practical value, it produced large compressed air, when its pent-up energy is given off, relinquishes so much heat that it can no lenger remain in its. original form nor hold its two ele- ments together. Each of the liquefac- tion columns has a capac- ity of five hundred cubic meters of nitrogen per hour. The yearly ¢a- pacity is 40,000. tons of pure nitrogen. This is sufficient nitrogen, when mixed with other fertiliz- ing elements, to use in a season on two million acres of land. As the nitrogen gas, split from the oxygen, comes from the liquefae- tion columns, it passes on through pipes to meet the quantities of nitrogenous products, chiefly am- monium nitrate. In fact, there are more than three million pounds of the white crystals of ammonium nitrate stored at the source of their manufacture. This product remains unsold and unused because the status of the giant plant that produced it remains in doubt— is still undecided by Congress. The corporation that had a part in the operation of this Government-owned plant, states definitely that one year’s continuous opera- tion would have saved, in the cost of nitrogen and its products, the entire vast cost of the plant—$70,000,000. On a large scale, the cyanamid process is one of the most beautiful synchronizations of power, machinery ind materials ever accomplished. The materials used are coke, limestone and air. All three, as we know, exist and are obtainable in abundance and at small cost. The Government placed its great cyanamid plant on the rennessee River in a limestone and coal region. The process starts when crushed limestone is brought n on freight cars and discharged into huge concrete From these bins it is fed out automati- There are seven of these storage bins, cally into rotary lime kilns. kilns and each is eight feet in diameter by one hun- dred and twenty-five feet in length. The heating agent of these mammoth rotating kilns is pulverized coal. Lime, of course, is discharged from the kilns after the heating, and it passes through coolers to the Raw Material Building. Meanwhile coke, the other basic material, is like- wise brought in on cars. It passes through crushers and driers and meets its future partner, lime, in the Raw Material Building. Put in proper physical condition for future treat- ment we have here two ordinary and plentiful sub- stances—lime and crushed coke. Both materials move through weighing and measuring apparatus in desired quantities preparatory to their union into carbide. Then they pass into twelve cylindrical silos. Now the purely physical mixture of lime and coke is ready to be drawn off to the electric furnaces for swift chem- ical union under the influence of tremendous heat. Here great power is Electrically-driven compressors in which the air, through three stages, is put into a highly compressed condition ner, as at blast furnaces or in foundry practice. How- ever, it is drawn into electrically-operated chill cars where it solidifies. Then it passes into the Carbide Mill Room where it is crushed and ground to the fineness of flour. At this stage it is ready to receive the nitrogen, and nitrogen gas is on the way to join it. This nitrogen is extracted from the air in the Liquid Air Building than which there is no more beautiful manufactory in the world. Incidentally, it is the largest liquid air plant in existence. It demonstrates the Claude process of liquefaction and fractional dis- tillation. The air used must be as free as possible from foreign matter. And so there are two openings to the intake pipe more than a thousand feet north and south of the building. If the wind is blowing from the north, carrying dust-particles from that direction, then the air is taken in through the south opening. On the other hand, a southern wind calls for the use of the north opening. Coming into the building the air passes through high scrubbing towers where it is chemically relieved of its carbon dioxide. From these towers it moves on in pipes to electrically-driven, high-pressure compressors. There are thirty of these and each carries the air through three stages of compression. In the third compression the air is discharged at a pressure of five hundred pounds to the square inch. In this highly compressed state the air passes from the compressors into the thirty giant liquefaction columns. In its passage it is given work to do—some effort to make—and thus releasing energy in its com- pressed state, its temperature is reduced with amazing rapidity. It drops to a coldness unknown to personal human experience. This marvelously swift release of energy (heat) in its compressed condition reduces the air to liquid form and brings separation of its nitrogen and oxygen ; nitrogen liquefying at approximately minus one hundred and eighty degrees centigrade, and oxygen becoming liquid at ten degrees centigrade lower. This liquefaction and splitting of the elements takes place swiftly and silently in the columns, because greatly ground and powdered car- bide. Only a few min- utes before it was free overhead and for ages a seem- ingly inseparable twin of oxygen. The nitrogen from the liquefaction columns meets the carbide in the lime nitrogen oven room where the reaction takes place; the wedding of that which is plain and solid to that which is fascinating and elusive. Here are more than fifteen hundred ovens and the in- got from each weighs: sixteen hundred pounds. - Into these ovens, filled with calcium carbide, a stream of nitrogen gas is turned, passing upwards through the mass. The central part of the charge is electrically heated to high temperature by a carbon pencil. And here the nitrogen—shortly before free in the sair—is “fixed” for commercial use; here it unites with the carbide. The product is known as cyanamid, or lime nitrogen and for future use is ground into a fine powder. From it can be obtained various nitrogenous products—am- monia, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sul phate and ammonium phosphate. Obtaining ammonia, nitric acid and ammonium ni- trate from cyanamid is an entrancing chemical drama. The lime nitrogen is charged into heavy-walled steel cylinders called autoclaves, that contain a solution of caustic soda. Steam is introduced, and, under definite pressure conditions, ammonia is produced The oxidation of ammonia to nitric acid is through the dramatic Ostwald process. A mixture of ammonia and air (one volume of ammonia to nine volumes of air) is passed over a gauze of fine platinum wire, elec- trically heated. This gauze—more costly than fine gold—is known as the catalyst, or “marrying parson.” It unites two elements and elemental forces yet loses nothing from itself. Without giving up any of its own potency, it continuously unites the oxygen of the air and the ammonia, The resultant nitric oxide, on cooling, is further oxidized to nitrogen peroxide. Then this is passed through large acid towers where, in contact with water, it is absorbed to form nitrie acid. There are six ecatalyzer apartments, each with more than a hundred catalysts; and there are twelve acid towers, needed because the com- bining of the two takes place at extremely high temperature. To supply this energy there are steam turbines generating upwards of one hundred thousand horse-power. However, in time, the furnaces and the entire nitrate plant will be operated by hydro-power from the _ great river nearby. In the process as it ex- ists, there are three elec- trodes to each of the twelve carbide furnaces. Each electrode is six feet, five inches long. These electrodes swing into the furnaces and bring the temperature of the basic materials—lime and coke —up to the fusing point. The result is white-hot ealeium carbide. This scientifically syn- chronized and electrically motived operation is in perfect condition. Every bearing is oiled and not a fleck of paint or enamel is missing. There is not a faulty connection throughout. It was de- signed and built for con- tinuous day-and-night op- eration. Today it is invit- ingly ready for capacity production. All that is needed is for the current to be turned on. Up to this time the hand of Congress has not moved the switch that will send eighty thousand _horse- power of electric energy through this wonderful machinery and equipment that produces—from coke limestone and air—fixed nitrogen in vast quanti- ties to create new wealth This is drawn off in somewhat the same man- Immense rotary lime kilns in which limestone is burned to secure lime which, with coke, is to form carbide from the soil.

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300 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 ur Point of View Municipal Vandalism mellik LEADING city of the United States is threatened with an act of vandalism which we do not hesitate to say is without a prece- dent in the history of the country. It will tuke the form of the complete destruction of one of our oldest and most important and beautiful engineering structures, which was constructed to form a vital link in the water supply system of New York City. We refer to what is known as the High Bridge Aqueduct, which for three-quarters of a century has spanned the Harlem River near the northern limits of Manhattan Island. The proposed destruction of this bridge is no mere local question, affecting only this city; for it is safe to say that every American citizen who has visited the commercial metropolis of the country, or hopes to do so at some future day, considers the notable aqueduct across the Harlem River to be one of the monumental constructions of New York that are well worth the trouble of a visit. Announcement of this act of vandalism (we can call it nothing less) was made in the daily press, whose readers were informed that the Board of Estimate had sanctioned the demolition of High Bridge, which spans the Harlem River, where it has long been considered a. menace to navigation. The Board had directed the Commissioner of Plant and Structures to prepare plans and specifications for razing the structure and at the same time the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, was asked to prepare plans for an aqueduct under the river to replace the pipes now on the bridge, it an estimated cost of $1,600,000. The inevitable out- cry of the public has met with the equally inevitable promise to do nothing destructive for the present. Historically, the bridge is perhaps the most striking monument of the inauguration, three-quarters of a cen- tury ago, of the Croton Water Supply. Moreover, it has served to perpetuate the memory of one of our foremost engineers, J. B. Jervis, who built the Erie Canal, the Croton Water Supply, and the Hudson River Railroad. From the engineering and architectural standpoints there is every inducement to preserve this truly handsome strueture. It is the only work of its kind in this country that may be compared to the famous aqueducts for the supply of the city of Rome. Furthermore, at a comparatively small cost it will be possible, without detracting from the artistic appear- ance of the bridge, to build upon it a greatly needed roadway, 20 feet in width, to fill in the gap of a mile or so between the bridges at 155th Street and 18Ist Street, which is now without any cross-river thorough- fure. What makes the present action of the city govern- ment so exasperating is the fact that, when this ques- tion was raised some two years ago, the Board of Esti- mate, in answer to a widespread protest against the demolition of the bridge, appropriated $900,000 for re- modeling according to a plan which had been reported as practical by a board of thoroughly competent en- gineers. The question of razing the bridge was brought up at that time by the necessity of getting rid of cer- tain piers which at present obstruct navigation in the Harlem River. The Board of Engineers above referred to reported that it would be practical to remove two of the obstructing piers, with their superstructure, and span the river with a single arch, that would conform to the general architecture of the bridge, and would, if anything, add to its artistic appearance. At present the top of the aqueduct contains two water mains of about three feet diameter, and a third of seven feet; and the fact that the present ad- ministrafion, after going to the cost of razing the bridge proposes to build a new aqueduct under the river at a combined cost of $1,600,000 is an admission that the present high-level aqueduct is, today, a useful art of the city water supply system. This attempt to reck a monumental work may serve a useful purpose, if it reminds the good people of New York that it was rendered possible by the fact, that so many of them preferred the motor car and the golf links to a few minutes spent at the polls on the day of the last city election. Our Quest in the Psychic Field IONEERING is always difficult but always interesting. When this journal embarked upon its psychie investigation several months ago and announced a prize offer of $2500 to the first person producing a genuine psychic photo- graph, and $2500 to the first person producing any other genuine psychic phenomenon of the physical order under our test conditions, we all looked forward to immediate results—not necessarily convincing re- sults, please understand, but at least results which would throw definite light on this mysterious subject. Several months have gone by. As yet, so far as our own laboratory tests are concerned, we have nothing to report. And the fault does not lie with us. We have not been idle all this while; not only have we worked out the numerous details of our laboratory tests and made the necessary arrangements for equip- ment and facilities, but we have solicited the coopera- tion of all persons reputed to possess psychic powers. Obviously, our efforts must be absolutely unavailing if we do not have the cooperation of mediumistic persons. It is interesting to note how our psychic investigation has been received. The public at large has signified the utmost interest and proper respect for the work which we have undertaken, for it is realized that the time has come to prove, if it can be proved, whether this whole psychic matter is one gigantic hoax or a new and uncharted field of science. Thinking people want the question to be answered one way or another; too long it has dwelt in the regions of the mysterious and in- tangible. And just as the Screntiric AMERICAN investi- gated the lavish and seemingly impossible claims of Roentgen when he announced his discovery of X-rays to the world; just as this journal investigated the various perpetual motion machines and exposed the fallacy of the idea and the frauds that were being practiced; so we are now determined to get down to the bed rock of this psychic mystery, difficult and all but baffling as it is to come to close grips. On the other hand, the attitude of mediums, so far, has been uncertain and not over encouraging. The well-known mediums—mediums who are reputed to possess the kind of powers which we desire to study— have not as yet come forward to aid us in our quest. True, there have been dozens, even hundreds, of appli- cants who claim possession of certain psychic powers; but unless satisfactory proof is first submitted, indi- eating that the applicants have held sittings and shown results, we are frank to state that we cannot consider them at this stage of our investigation. The elaborate nature of our tests, and the time and trouble involved in assembling our eminent judges and assistants, makes it imperative that, for the present at least, only persons of recognized psychic powers be tested. Meanwhile we have to record an interesting develop- ment. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who needs no intro- duction here, and whose interest in our investigation is well known, invited us to visit the psychic centers of Europe under his personal auspices. We accepted his invitation, not only for the purpose of obtaining first- hand information regarding European psychic work and meeting the leading workers over there, but for the purpose of perfecting our own technique in con- trolling phenomena. In order that our plans should not be divulged too far in advance, since, according to Sir Arthur, such knowledge might militate against the full success of our European investigation, we dispatched Mr. J. Malcolm Bird of our editorial staff and secretary to our psychic committee, to England on February 10 last, incognito and unannounced. Now, at the present writing, Mr. Bird has attended various seances and has learned much regarding the ways in which European workers carry on their psychic investigations. His first report appears elsewhere in this issue and others are to follow. Mr. Bird will probably go to Paris to meet the leading French in- vestigators and to take part in their sittings. Also, if the necessary arrangements can be made, he will visit Munich, where Willie S., who is said to be the most remarkable medium yet discovered, has convinced over one hundred prominent German scientists of the ob- jective reality of ectoplasm, according to reports. It should be noted that our European survey has no direct connection with our prize offers. Mr. Bird's present investigation of the European psychics is being without our judges and without instrumental earried out single-handed, psychic committee, and = also control. New York to Buenos Aires by Rail HE TIME is sooner than most people expect, when it will be possible to travel in comfort by rail from New York, Chicago, or San Francisco to Brazil, Santiago, or Buenos Aires, by the Pan-Amer- ican Railroad. This great North-and-South line is a stu- pendous project. It cannot be stated just when the Thirty years ago or more it approaching, and will come idea originated, or where. formed the subject of frequent editorial comment and descriptive articles in the technical press, and _ par- ticularly in those devoted to railroad construction. We have not heard very much about it of late years; but the work has gone forward intermittently and more rapidly than is generally understood. The scheme in its entirety involves large figures and heavy costs, the total length of the line being 10,116 miles, which is net so very far short of the combined length of the three shortest of our trans-continenta! systems. It should be understood that the enterprise does not, and never did, contemplate the building of an entirely new system of that length; for much of the route is made up of already existing stretches of na- tional railroads. Taking New York as a starting point, the line runs to the Mexican frontier, and from thence through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, to buenos Aires. Even today it is pos- sible to travel by railroad from New York to the frontier of Guatemala; but from Guatemala to the Canal Zone over half of the line has yet to be built. The longest stretch of uncompleted line is from the Canal Zone to the boundary line between Peru and solivia, where, out of a total of 3362 miles, only 542 miles has been completed. Also there is a stretch of 127 miles in Bolivia on which work has recently been commenced. The line from Bolivia to Buenos Aires, a distance of 1060 miles, has been completed. To date, 6500 miles out of a total of 10,116 miles have been Increased prosperity, and the inflow of capital stimulus to the built. to South America, have given new project, and in the opinion of the Pan American Union this great scheme is at last within measurable distance of completion. Will the Sailing Packet Come Back? N ALL the age-long history of navigation there has never been a craft that appealed so strongly to the imagination as the American clipper ship of the middle years of the nine- teenth century, built though it was for strictly com- mercial purposes. There was that in those gallant eraft and the men who drove them across the seven seas, which appealed mightily to the sporting instinct Every voyage which is, or ought to be, in all of us. was a race, whether the clipper ship set sail with a eargo of human freight for the Eldorado of the Cali- fornia gold fields, or spread its wings for the swift homeward run, with tea from the ports of far distant China. in | the “sal whi “ine whe as | exp! awa aux! cha sail he a dull auxi pow mak pers ful | ment Ne peal of p make the 1 trip : busir troul sider ment prisi of th Ou adval much from comfe prove offer. dirt, all th steam the f. intere which ean b It v sengel take | sor tec) say, t lines « high-g turn « clippe! the Px

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923 | the chic p in will in- », if visit nost ver ob- ; no rd’s ping and ntal ome will rom to ner stu the ‘e it and par- We but wore and 116 ned ntal rise "an the nia int nce 542 1 of een res, ate, een ital the lion ince tion 1 so ean ine- om- ant ven inct age ha ‘ali- vift ant May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 301 Our Point of View Wonderful specimens of the art of the shipbuilder und the sailmaker were those American clipper ships. None of your bluff bows and full quarters for Donald McKay and his rival designers. They knew all about the sharp entrance, the rounded bilge, and the long easy run, by the judicious combination of which the hulls could be driven through the water at from fifteen to eighteen knots when the conditions of wind and sea were favorable. And as for the sail plan, were the ghost of one of these famous clippers to come sailing into the Ambrose Channel, the sailormen today would gaze aghast at her towering spars and the unbelievably vast spread of her canvas, with the billowing stun’- sails at every yardarm. Now these reflections are prompted by the receipt of a letter from Mr. Samuel W. Banning of Chicago, who in suggesting that it would be worth while to revive the passenger clipper ship, or to be more exact the “sailing packet” of the last century, is voicing a thought which has been rather freely expressing itself of late among those who love the sea for its own sake, and who believe that its charm is never so fully realized as from the deck of a well-found sailing vessel. He expresses surprise that no one, to date, so far as he is aware, has “seriously advocated the possibilities of the auxiliary sailer for passenger service of a specialized character. Since the fascination of voyaging under sail is being widely appreciated by yachtsmen, why,” he asks, “is the public at large forever relegated to the dull monotony of hotel life on a steam liner? The auxiliary sailer—the clipper ship with enough motor power to maintain a reasonably certain schedule— makes her appeal to the large and growing number of persons who demand, in sea life, something more color- ful than figured upholstery, moving picture entertain- ment, and a la carte table service at all hours.” Now we are satisfied that these sentiments will ap- peal to every yachtsman, and to that very large number of people who take the slower steamships in order to make sure of a longer time upon the ocean. Of course, the vast majority of ocean travelers regard the ocean trip as an incident in a journey that is made either for business or sightseeing. To them, and to all who are troubled with seasickness, high speed is a prime con- sideration; but there can be little doubt that the senti- ments of our correspondent will find an echo in a sur- prisingly large number of those who, for the very love of the thing, “go down to the sea in ships.” Our correspondent passes on to point out that the advantages of a swift sailing passenger ship would be much more than negative, more than the mere escape from the gilded glory of hotel life. “In the matter of real comfort,” he writes, “the passenger clipper may easily prove more than a match for the best the liner has to offer. Wide sweeping decks, freedom from smoke or dirt, absence of vibration, steadiness in a seaway—in all these respects she might well surpass the average steam-driven vessel; while in her matchless beauty, in the fascinating details of her navigation, and in the interest which attaches to her history and to the place which she has occupied in song and in literature, there can be no comparison whatever.” It will be understood that, should such a sailing pas- senger ship be built, she would carry auxiliary power to take her into and out of port, and help her through stretches of calm weather. Granting this, a ship of, say, two or three thousand tons, modeled on the fine lines of a modern yacht, built of steel, with steel masts, high-grade steel rope, etc., could be made to show a turn of speed greater even than that of the wooden clipper ships of the last century. The Railroads and Port Facilities T THE close of last year the Interstate Com- ordered the railroads merce Commission which serve the Port of New York to show cause why they should not cooperate with the Port Authority in its endeavor to coordinate the facilities of the Port. We regret to say that, up to the present writing, the railroads have shown a spirit of opposition to the Port plan; with the result that the Port Authority, which hitherto has treated the rail- roads with great courtesy, is now taking a stronger tone, and reminding them that it has behind it the un- questioned powers of the Interstate Commerce Com- mission, In previous issues we have shown what a great step in advance was taken when New York and New Jersey buried their political differences, and got together in an effort to bring order out of confusion, by coordinat- ing the terminal activities of the railroads by means of a belt line connecting them all, and the formation of a general reclassification center, The plan, at least in its main outline, receives our unqualified endorse- ment; for we believe, and have long believed, that only by a unified system of handling incoming and outgoing freight at this great and rapidly growing center, will it be possible to reduce the cost of handling at New York. This, today, is greater than the whole cost of hauling freight from points five hundred to seven hundred miles from the seaboard. The high cost is explainable by the fact that the nine railroads ter- minating at Jersey City, to say nothing of those that reach New York from the north and northeast, are maintaining each its own terminal—an archaic and inherently extravagant practice. The Port Authority would leave each railroad untouched as to its line-haul profits, but it would unify the present terminals by gathering into a terminal pool all the freight which converges at this port. Far be it from us to criticize our railroads unjustly. Although we were one of the first journals to advocate strongly the regulation of the railroads by an Inter- state Commerce Commission, and although we believe that Commission has done incalculable service, up to a certain point, both for the public and the railroads, we believe that in its zeal to please the public it has overshot the mark and has laid burdens and embargoes upon the railroads, which are largely responsible for their present Furthermore, we believe that every credit should be given to the rail- roads for the supreme effort they are making to repair the neglect of government operation, and show a profit in spite of the overdone zeal of the Interstate Commerce separate distressed condition. Commission, What the railroads need today is public confidence and sympathy, and we believe that their standing with the public would be greatly strengthened by cooperation with the Port Authority in its effort to untangle the freight situation in the Metropolitan district. For it should be remembered that the situation at New York is no mere local affair; rather it is a problem which affects, in greater or less degree, the freight rates to and from every city throughout the country. Seventy-Five Years Ago E SPENT a leisure hour the other day turning over the pages of the ScteENTIFIC AMERICAN of 1848. The record proved to be historically of such interest, that we culled a few items of those far-away days and herewith pass them on to our readers. Transportation came in for a large share of editorial attention. A special article devoted to Clark and Varley’s Atmospheric Railroad, gives reasons why it was unable to compete with steam, the chief trouble being the difficulty in exhausting the tubes, and the proper closing and opening of the pneumatic valves. The pneumatic railway proved very attractive in the first half of the nineteenth century, the great Brunel trying the system on the Great Western Railway. It is interesting to discover a mention of that famous express engine of early days, “The Lightning,” which represented an extreme example of the movement in the direction of large-diameter driving wheels. We are told that this engine, with eight-foot driving wheels, made a trip of 53 miles, at the rate of 75 miles an hour. This, of course, must have been a burst of speed over a short measured distance, Under the head of “Novelties in Steam Engines” reference is made to engines which have double cylin- ders, “one a_ high-pressure, non-condensing, and the other a large cylinder, to use the escaped steam from the high-pressure cylinder and then condense it.” Evi- dently the editor of those days preferred the simple, single-cylinder, high-pressure engine, emphasizing the fact that it is “less expensive and more simple—im- portant considerations.” He looked with favor upon the plan of using the exhaust steam from a single high- pressure cylinder to run a compact rotary engine. Steam engineers were reaching out for better me- chanical methods of utilizing the energy of steam, and two drawings are given of an oscillating engine; a type which was beginning to have a considerable vogue, and for steamship propulsion lasted well into the early ‘80s. The microbe of “Superlativitis” is older than we had thought—it is not a product of the modern newspaper scribe; for someone who signs himself “G. R.” sub- mitted in 1848 an article entitled “Steamboat Speed,” in which he quotes a certain Baron LeGuier as having informed him that he made the trip from Havre to Bologne in a new English Steam Packet at the rate of 30 miles per hour. He goes on to say “the success of the swift steamers we have mentioned is owing to new patent engines invented by Maudslay and Field of Lon- don, and it is quite common for their boats—ali iron— to run 22 miles an hour at sea.” Well, we had to wait half a century for any kind of a boat to make 30 miles an hour, and deep-sea passenger steamers have not done it yet. The propeller, as distinct from the paddle-wheel, was receiving its full share of attention even in that early day. We read of a St. Louis citizen who tried out “a kind of aquatic steamer at St. Louis, driven by a propeller shaped like the tail of a whale.” Railroading was even yet in its infancy, and the Trans-Atlantic Railroad was a dream of daring. Thus, we find a note entitled “Oregon Railroad,” which states that the House of Representatives had appointed a committee to consider the building of a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific, as proposed by Mr. Asa Whitney ; and eighteen States through their legislatures had adopted resolutions approving the project. The coming of the railroad meant the waning of interest in the Canal—at least for the time being; but Chicago will note the following: “The opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal is an event in which Chi- ago has a deep and direct interest. . . . On the passing of the first boat into the harbor amid the salute of a hundred guns, the Illinois and Michigan Canal was declared open.” Under the caption of “Clairvoyance” editorial com- ment is made upon the rumored discovery through a clairvoyant of the body of a young man in Boston. “There is something essentially wrong in placing con- fidence in such nonsense, It pains us to think that, for all our boasted civilization, so much superstition should exist.” There is something very familiar about the caption “Congress and Inventors.” It seems the Senate had passed a bill granting a salary of $2500 to the principal examiners, and the House had cut it down to $2000. “The bill, instead of being in the prospective of becom- ing a law, has a fair prospect of being left to confer a bad name upon the character of our country, as rep- resented by the members of Congress.” That sounds familiar, as does also the following: ‘The Patent Office is about ten months behind in examinations, and we say that it is a shame for our Representatives to act toward our inventors as they have done. Why did they seek to cut down the $2500 to $2000? Surely they do not know that there are but few men in the country capable of filling the offices referred to.” This voice of three-quarters of a century ago sounds curiously sug- gestive of what we wrote in our issue of last month. which was

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302 Trinil Man of Java Piltdown thropus, ‘500,000 year ago Restorations based on the skulls of four races of Old Stone Man or 125,000 years ago SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Eoanthropus. The “Cave Man” or Neanderthaler 50,000 years ago Age men—the first three left no descendents May, 1923 The Reindeer or Cré-Magnon man. 20,000 years ago Extinct Races of Ape-Like Man Tracing the Evolution of Man and the Apes from a Common Ancestor T IS one of the most peculiar if not vex- utious turns of fate that of all the animals at present living, the fossil evidences of the origin of our own species are among the scarcest and most fragmentary. Geol- ogists have much less trouble, for instance, in tracing back the stages in the evolution of the horse and the rhinoceros than that of man. A single room would easily contain the entire collection of the original fossils of the Trinil, Piltdown, Heidelberg, Neanderthal! and Cré-Magnon men now in our possession, while those of the few discoveries of men and ape-like men more than 50,000 years old could be placed in a handbug. Therefore, those we see exhibited in museums, such as those shown in one of our views, are exact replicas of the originals, whose value is so great that a comparison with their weight in gold would be ridiculous. Yet, around these few priceless fragments has been pub- lished an immense volume of critical literature. Hiad most of these early kinds of men and near-men not been forest dwellers, had they been plainsmen or rivermen, rather, we should have much less difficulty in finding their remains in ample numbers. But man has, until comparatively recently, been a water shunning animal. The fact that, unlike the other mammals, he must consciously acquire the art of swimming, alone shows that he did not evolve in contiguity to the water. If an animal habitually dwells near the water, or en- ters it at times to catch fish or for other purposes, a portion of its individuals will meet their death there, and fall into the shallow lagoons or marshes where they are soon covered with ooze, and remain undis- turbed until fossilized. Even those which die on the plains, instead of in the forest, may often lie undis- turbed until their benes bleach and are finally covered with windblown sand. But the forest-dwelling animal is either devoured, or falling into the tangled mat of damp, decaying vegetable matter beneath the shrub- bery, is attacked by the humic acid generated when the fallen leaves decay, and its bones are soon disintegrated. Skulls of the four races shown above. All illustrations copyright, The valuable record is thus lost forever. For this rea- son it is only in rare instances that our earliest man- like ancestors have left us records of themselves, And in still rarer instances huve we been able to locate these remains. When we come down to more recent times, within about 50,000 years, the record is less disappointing. The men who lived in these times, such as the Neander- thal and Cré-Magnon men, were driven by the cold, raw climate brought about in Europe by the Glacial Period, to take shelter in the many caves that are found in the limestone strata of France, Spain and Germany. There they were protected from the cold as well as from the attacks of the giant beasts of which so many are now extinct. Retreating to the shelter of these caves, near the mouths of which they built fires for warmth or to sear their meat, it is quite natural that they should have left many traces of their daily manner of living, such as weapons discarded or lost in the debris, re- mains of their fires, bones of the beasts they had been able to kill with their crude weapons, and in many cases, their own bones. From such clues as these the anthropologist is able to piece together a picture of their lives, what they ate, hunted, and did with their spare time, as well as the sort of implements they made and used. More important still is the evidence of their own bones, from which the osteologist, under- standing fully the mechanical principles that govern bone structure, is able to deduce a chain of facts which appear on first thought to be unrelated to the original. The early biography of man is written in a cryptic tongue. It is only by most laboriously fitting together the fragments of knowledge thus gained, as well as the fragments of bones found, that we are enabled to get an idea of the sort of a being we are descended from. Who- ever approaches the subject hoping to find a full, lucid record already prepared, will soon be disappointed. What we know as yet really represents only an occa- sional contact with the earliest of our ancestors. We have only hit a few of the high places, and with these American Museum of Natural History we are forced to make the best until more discoveries ean be made. In order to connect the evolution of the human species with the earliest forms of life it is necessary to begin long before the apes and men had evolved from the general mammalian stem. It is highly dif- ficult to be specific about the age of the original mam- mal, but we can say that mammals were beginning to develop from an earlier form within something like 15,000,000 vears ago. It may have been more, and was hardly less, although it is very difficult to get geol- ogists to commit themselves within a few millions of years in these matters, At that time, in the Cretace- ous Period, the dominant life of the world was rep- tilian. The mammals were as yet of little importance. They were not to gain much headway until about 5,000,000 years ago, in the Eocene Epoch of the Tertiary Period, Cenozoic Era, when the mammoth reptiles we see in museums, such as the brontosaurus and diplodocus, had become extinct. Referring to the illustration show- ing a “family tree’ of the primates, the diagram which our art.cle is to follow through almost exclusively, the first two heads are sketched in as more or less gen- eral mammalian types. They might as easily, for in- stance, be taken for the prototypes of the dog or pig, as for those of the rat, hyena, or monkey. At the time the mammal had not yet divided and subdivided into the hundreds of species now extant. The Eocene Epoch finds the mammals increasing in numbers and in species. They throve and dominated the earth, just as they do today—in fact, a little more so, for a number have since become extinct. A com- plete Eocene family tree of the mammals would have hundreds of branches, but we are forced to drop, from now on, all but one—that of the higher Primates. These Primates include the monkeys, the lemurs, the apes, the man-like apes, the ape-like men, and man. The monkeys are not shown on the tree, but they split off during these times, and from now on we are through with the monkeys, as well as the word “monkeys.” We —— i a es > a The chin is entirely absent until the more recent Cré-Magnon man is reached stc we an wi ke} in ha: are ap as cou the for cou I Zo the pr “Mm: son pos ape is a Ins ere dov has dog Pro whi the = and tion thre fort bons tary Mar com oral orar gori orar W apes com whil mill will the | only dise more and to b are « been visec Hi: “stu part cedir Trin a mé

Page 17

1923 ries man sary lved dif am y to like wis reol- ; of ace- rep- nce. out ary see Cus, ow- lich the -en- in- pig, ime nto in ted ore »m- ave ‘om ese eS, The off igh We MAY, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 303 shall frequently deal with the orang-utan, chimpanzee and gorilla, but these are apes, not monkeys. To say that “man descended from monkeys” is untrue. But it is accurate to say that man and monkeys, as well as the apes, both descended from a common stock. Also it must be remembered that this stock was not monkeys as we know them when we see an Italian organ’ grinder The evolution tree of the primates through the geological epochs, from their mammalian prototypes, through the early monkey stage, the common ancestor of man and ape, and by way of the extinct races of ape-like men, up to modern man with one, but that the mon- key has evolved and changed in one direction, just as man has changed in another. We are collateral species, the ape being our first cousins, as it were, the monkeys first cousins once removed, and the dog, horse, or the seal, for instance, being “second cousins.” EOCENE Propliopithecus of the Oli PALEO — tress te ee 0 7 i- = SA gocene regio : or oul ree a CRETA = the name assigned to a very -cEOuS & primitive anthropoid or “man-formed” ape which is é* nt sometimes regarded as a possible ancestor of all the apes and man. The gibbon is an offshoot from this time. Instead of becoming partly OLIGOCENE ———— were hopelessly outdis- White tanced. Our pursuit of the early man now takes us into the great glacial epoch, called the Pleistocene. The total duration of this epoch was vrobably about 400,000 years, and the subsequent time up till today was about 30,000 years. The real develop- ment of man was contem- poraneous with the Giacial epoch, and was so tied up with its several phases, that it is necessary to stop and learn a few salient facts con- cerning it. The ice age has seven subdivisions, four rep- resenting the four separate invasions and retreats of the fs great northern icecaps, the remaining three representing Propliopithecus ips Chi a mpanzee ‘in Geek: ceed thie ane ~“ :. the intervals between these invasions. These are termed — _ : : § *) fourth glacials; and the first, €: second and third intergla- Orang cials, respectively. The gla- a cials are regarded as having ANY, been 25,000 years each, the or me 7 interglacials were about Gibbon 75,000, 200,000 and 100,000 years each, respectively. Therefore the sequence would be something like -_ = erect, the gibbon has gone down on all four limbs and has developed an appearance somewhat like that of a dog, though the resemblance is, of course, accidental. Propliopithecus was a comparatively small animal which lived among the trees and may have resembled the gibbon in some respects. The Miocene Epoch began about 2,000,000 years ago and brought mammalian development to its culmina- tion. The many mammals which had been evolving through the Eocene Epoch had become more settled in form Sivapithecus was an early ape whose fossil bones have been found in India. He presents elemen- tary man-like characteristics, but he is still an ape. Man, with his much better developed brain, was yet to come. From creatures like Sivapithecus descended the orang, the chimpanzee, the gorilla and man. The orang is the older offshoot of the three apes. The gorilla resembles the chimpanzee more than he does the orang. We must, then, trace our genealogy and that of the apes back about 2,000,000 years before we come to a common meeting point with the ancestor of the apes, while our separation from the monkeys is one or two millions of years greater. While the geologist is un- willing to be dogmatic in assigning definite values to the lengths of the epochs, knowing that such figures are only roughly approximate and may be altered by later discoveries, the average reader wants some statement more definite, more tangible than “a long time ago,” and for this reason, figures which may later be shown to be as much as 50 or more per cent out of the way, are chosen from the average of many opinions. It has been the usual experience that such figures, when re- vised, have been added to rather than reduced. Having eliminated from our tree the apes, the real “study of man” or anthropology, begins with the latter part of the Pliocene Epoch, the epoch immediately pre- ceding the glacial epoch. Pithecanthropus was the Trinil man of Java. We believe he was not an ape but aman, Of course there is a place where it is hard to draw the line, yet his skull, which was found in Java, has capacity for a good enough brain to be that of a very primitive man. His skull is shown at 7B in the photograph below, just right of the center. To the left of the skull is a reconstruction of his bust. He may have looked somewhat more like a modern man than this; or he may have been more brutal in appearance. We do not know much about the life of this creature. Flints which were found in the same stratum with him might have been very crude implements, or simply stones having the appearance of implements. This “walk- ing ape-man” may have used these stones simply to smash nuts, macerate his food or to hurl at the crea- tures he wished to kill for food. From the bone struc- ture of his skull we can tell that the Java ape-man walked comparatively upright, and therefore we know that he had the free use of his forelimbs. This brings us to a pronounced turning point in man’s evolution. When the forelegs were freed from walking they are ready to be made into hands. Unconsciously the ani- mal comes to use them more and more for grasping. This soon leads to holding, manipulating and examining things. In this process the brain is developed. Next, the improved brain reacts on the hands, they become more useful, learning to turn things so that they may be critically examined before the eyes. The eyes and observational power share in the improvement. The brain, the hand and the eyes interact and evolve in a sort of geometric progression. Evolution is thus speeded up many fold. Soon, implements are used, a use probably first discovered accidentally. Gradually the thumb, which has been heretofore one of a row of fingers, evolves around into a position opposite the fingers. Then the creature is vastly better able to per- form careful work with his hands. Let the reader attempt some operation, such, for instance, as climbing a tree, with the thumb held alongside the fingers. It was the use of his forelimbs for hands that put man so far in advance of the rest of the animals that they this: Ist Glacial 25,000 years Ist Interglacial 75,000 years (warm) 2nd_ Glacial 25,000 years 2nd_ Interglacial 200,000 years (warm) 3rd Glacial 25,000 years 3rd_sInterglacial 100,000 years (warm) {th Glacial 25,000 years Postglacial time 30,000 years (warm). These eight periods of time are constantly used by anthropologists as chronometers because the fossils of most of the archaic men are found in connection with glacial and interglacial deposits of detritus. These deposits can quite easily be placed in their proper se- quence and dated with fair accuracy, and it is by this means that the antiquity of the Old Stone Age races may be calculated. Now as we look back through all this alternation of frigidness and warmth, ice and vegetation, South Polar conditions and conditions bringing back the climate, say, of Spain, we are apt to ask, “Is it not remarkable that man could have had his most phenomenai de- velopment from the near beast to the level of the average European during so confused, erratic, unstable a time?” The answer is, first, that the interglacial times were very long, even though they are foreshortened by the perspective of time; and, second, that the great, deep icecap did not extend south of central Europe, and so man was doubtless continuously evolving in other places, only the individuals living within a few hundred miles of the ice-edge even knowing the ice existed. It so happens that we have been able to recover evidence of the latter, but not as yet of the former man. The ice won its way against the diminishing heat of the sun during not one, nor a few, but scores of genera- tions, and when the interglacials gradually came on, the process was reversed. No one man followed the ice- edge back. His great-grandchild might have found it (Continued on page 352) 1, Skull of modern man; 2, Cré-Magnon skull; 3, Skull found in Australia; 4, Neanderthal Man: 5, Jaw of Heidelberg Man; 6, Piltdown Man or Eoanthropus; 7, Reconstruction of Pithecanthropus; 7a, Skullcap of Pithecanthropus, as found in Java; 7b, Reconstructed skull of Pithecanthropus; 8, Skull of young Gorilla; 9, Gorilla; 10, Chimpanzee; 11, Orang-utan; 12, Gibbon Photograph of a full series of skulls of the higher primates, as displayed at the American Museum of Natural History, New York

Page 18

304 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Length, 700 feet; beam, 104 feet; draft, 28 feet 6 inches; inches ; turret and barbette armor, 16 to 10 inches A study of the Conference battleship displacement, 35,000 tons; speed, 24 knots; main battery, nine 16-inch guns; torpedo battery, twelve 5.5-inch guns; side and deck armor, 15 to 5 The Washington Conference Battleship Translating 35,000 Tons Displacement into Hull, Guns, Armor and Speed HORTLY after the armistice a leading naval architect, Sir George Thurston, pub- lished in Brassey’s Naval Annual of 1920-21 an article in which he outlined the features of the probable, or possible, bat- | tleship of the future. The design was based upon the trend of battleship design in recent years and upon the the battle of Jutland. In those days there was no limit upon the size’ of warships other than that the facilities of the shipbuilding yards and the depth of the National purse. After admitting the limitations cost, he says, “We have, therefore, only to maximum possibilities in the present position of en- gineering science, in order to arrive approximately at the type of capital ship which is the ultimate aim of lessons of imposed by imposed by heavy estimate the the principal naval powers,” and he finds that such a ship would be 932 feet in length, 112 feet broad, and of 31 feet 6 inches draft. It would mount eight 18-inch 3300-pound capped projectile 131.800-foot 45-calibre guns, firing a with a muzzle energy of penetrating about six feet of solid wrought iron at the muzzle. The shaft for a speed of 33% knots would be 200,000, and the displacement would be The cost of such a ship, says Sir George, tons, capable of horsepower » 57.000 tons, would be prohibitive to all but the most powerful na- tions: and even for these the battlefleet would be re- stricted to a much reduced number of such great ships. Now this article was written before the Washington Conference, and it serves to emphasize the wisdom of Deck and gun plan of the Conference battleship shows what it is possible to do under the restrictions of 35,000 tons displacement. He makes three separate studies of the problem and gives the principal dimen- for three types of ship; one with the greatest large-calibre guns, the maximum amount of another sions, etc., number of protection, and a moderate speed of 24 knots; with a reduced number of large-calibre guns, some- what lighter armor, and a high speed of 30 knots; the third design is for a battleship with the maximum number of guns, but with very light armor (for a bat- tleship), and a speed of 30 knots. He is of the opinion that the first type, conforming broadly to the modern battleship of the type of our own “Maryland” and the British “Royal Sovereign,” is the one which probably will be adopted. The accompanying illustration, which is based upon a sketch by Percy F. S. Spence, drawn for Sir George’s article in the Annual, shows with considerable detail the general appearance of the ship. In view of the pro- fessional*standing of the author and his intimate rela- tion with British naval construction, it is probable that the two 35,000-ton battleships, which Great Britain is beginning to build under the treaty, will conform rather closely to the design here shown. The principal features 7 of the ship are shown under Plan A in the accompanying table. The first impression of the ship is that of its extreme novelty, with the whole of the main battery forward, the motive power aft, and the secondary battery grouped snugly amidships. This novelty, how- ever, is incidental; for the ship has been designed to conform as closely as possible to the lessons that were taught at the battle of Jutland. The grouping of the nine 16-inch guns in three triple turrets forward is done to secure heavy end-on fire, and also a wide are of fire of over 300 degrees. Another most important advantage is the superior protection of the magazines which is possible. Three battle cruisers were blown out of existence at Jutland by shells, or the flash of them, which pene- trated to the magazines. [Boilers and engines may be partially disabled, the steering gear also, and the ship may still fight on; but let a high explosive shell reach the main magazines, and there will be no ship left to fight. Grouping the guns in this way, then, has the added advantage that the side and deck protection of the magazines, being concentrated, can be considerably thickened. Successive steel decks, horizontal and slop- ing, will place the magazines of the main guns on this Conference battleship beyond any possibility of disaster —in other words, the shells will be detonated before they reach the protective deck. The great concentration of gun weights forward is balanced by the placing of the machinery in the after third of the ship. Immediately abaft of amidships are grouped tle six turrets that contain the battery of 5.5 The armor on the sides and decks anti-torpedo guns. bates a. TLV M NO anv aNnvyd NO ia Dineen” Ser sag) ate eparermeee enie bn ro Sere aoseuccen nee ani. r. . 4IV AHL NI GNV ¥ = ae that clause of the Treaty, which restricts the size of future battleships to 35,000 ranges from 15 inches to 5 tons. Had it not been for inches, and it is a_ pretty the Conference, Great Britain Three Alternative Designs for a Washington Conference, 35,000-Ton Battleship safe guess that the larger ld now be building four portion of this, because of wouls ow pe Dt ding to 8s, “ause age oe neler. — PL AN “A” ae AN “RB” PLAN “C” wong Foye be Peet the fifty thousand tons, and 1 “ s = - ——— shells w all in future sea Admiral Beatty had had his — 4 > ; am. +44 > Hh = fights, will be devoted to mai ste atime Cine " readth 104 ft. O in. 4 ft. i. , al ¢ inclined dee gy Posen prt gata aera Rane 28 ft. 6 in. 27 ft. 9 in. 26 ft. 6 in. renege A * mage . ed the powerful and Cont J Displacem’t (Conference) | 35,000 tons. 35,000 tons. 35,000 tons. arenes. ain Ti oo 18-inch gun. The United Displacement inclusive of sitions will carry armor States would have countered 1.000 tons fuel for trial varying from 16 inches in probably, by going to Thurs- ES ere 36.000 tons. 36.000 tons. 36,000 tons. the port plates to 10 inches ton’s limit of 57,000 tons, and in Oe > idcedudedaewbs 55,000 125,000 120,000 in the barbettes and in the Japan, no doubt, would have Speed in knots. 24 3 Pa _ oe oe sides and rear portions of cciteuen suit This would Primary armament ...... 9 16-in., 45-calibre 6 16-in., —— 9 16-in., — the turrets. mio rl ype 3 ‘ guns, triple guns, triple guns, triple Sn te deen sates have ment that the ie mounted. mounted. mounted. has P- be > - ge re naval appropriations woul Secondary armament 12 5.5-in. or 6-in. guns 12 5.5-in. or 6-in. guns 12 5.5-in. or 6-in. guns ae OWE the GURs at Oe have been counted not in and the usual and the usual | and the usual elevation, suitable to fighting millions but in billions, anti - aircraft anti - aircraft | anti - aircraft at medium, modern ranges; As a most interesting sup- guns, etc. guns, etc. guns, etc. but with the powerful 16- plement to his previous Armour on sides and ; ; ; inch gun, and with the prob- article, Sir George Thurston GOD svedccscansvtces 15 in., 14 in., 13 in, 13 in., Pye 7 in. 8 in., 6 in., 7 in. ability of engaging the en- has written for the 1923 edi- a , § mM. 9 im. _ and o in. F F emy as soon as he can be pr of ~ sac Naval An- Armour on gun positions. 16 in. to 10 in. 14 in. to 10 in. 12 in. to 10 in. reached, it is quite possible nual an article in which he (Continued on page 357) ie BFS * Se at ee aA

Page 19

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1 to be flown iirplane employed upon the o« first flight of the Napier “Cub” was achines depic bomber, of 64-foot span, the larges , as distinguished from multiple-engined air rather than American, practice. NE THOUSAND HORSEPOWER MEANS IN POWER PRODUCERS ON LAND AND ON WATER AND IN THE AIR ox ect ie a Ns eR A ae a eS SS . Cub,” shown in *robably the birth of the tr

Page 20

306 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 ‘ ‘ { ~ ~ - a ———— -—_- l Two views of the gliding boat shown in our cover picture, which carries four passengers at a good rate of speed. Wheels enable the craft to be driven on land ‘ A Man-Made Amphibian however, takes time and is costly in labor. The accom- 1920. German production of lignite in 1921 reaches YOR some reason—probably on account of its novelty panyving photograph shows a simple device which con- the highest point ever attained. The estimated output ' |: neople have been trying to build a successful boat sists of a cold rolled steel plate, which is provided with of 120,000,000 tons is an increase of 35,000,000 tons over , ey 1d also travel on its own bottom, or on its own several sharp claws or teeth. The plate, which has a the last year before the war. t whee rather. unon drv land. Here we strate Count square hole in its center, is placed between the abutting The proportion contributed by the United States was i De Lambert’s effort, which is described as his ost faces of the timber, and the splice bolts pass through 10.9 per cent, a larger share than in the years before . recent production in the w f cliding boats. We are his hole and are tightened up against suitable washers, the European war, but the smallest in any year sinc¢ i told that. in gene ike-up nsiste of ty flat s shown in the drawings. This little device presents 1916.—Abstraect from Science, March $1, 1922. box nal wi , ecting offset in the middk which " ve sheering resistance, and at the same time it I “ores nterpreted into American parlance ona we equires no carpenter work such as is necessary in the Social Life Among the Beetles I take it. that fl ( t has ] } Te ne with a se of wooden clamps, scarfs, etc. The resistance to NSECTS are regarded as “social” if the parent vo! . single . lhe @ 4 e dimin ; easuring vernent, that is to say, the sheering resistance | parents live with their offspring and protect an : onl ; feet in bear G feet 8 in sin leng dimen should be as great if not greater in one of these bulldog nourish them. Hitherto but three groups of soci ' sions h are ntace Ss when es han plates s the re called, than in one of the old framed beetles have been known. Professor W. M. Wheeler h: : dling the boat ashore ether in travel on highroads vooden Ke} wove referred to. It has the further recently added to the list two genera of Silvanid beetl = ind stree or in rarage The accommod dvantage tl s no loosening up of the connec- belonging to the family Cucujidie, discovered by hit I ion four people, who are protected from spray tion through shrinkage in British Guiana. i ne t ! ne he front end of The bulk of his observations concerned the specie . thdin Se x elinalel . Te ahs “ee ad that the World Production of Coal in 1921 Coccidotrophus socialis. 7 he s provided witl ‘ detnechabl wheels pee world’s production of coal in 1921 dropped back The beetles of this species enter the hollow petiol f wl ! nte el dk ‘ é tl b e level of 1909. From reports so far received, of a leguminous tree Tachigalia and either bore the , asl Steering in water i ne | vin rudders, each of e United States Geological Survey estimated the total way in, or gain admittance thro perforations pre tt wil s unter ‘ ‘ e boat and flush UTP t approximately 1,100,000,000 metric tons. This viously made by other insects. They enter either as m f s sides gure is s t erial revision. single pair, or one beetle enters and is very soon joins io Propulsion is « ted horsepower Anzani en In comparison with the feverish year 1920, the year by an individual of the opposite sex. Upon takin; 7 grime hich run ta 1d e of 1450 r.p.m. The . sed shows a decrease of more than 200,000,000 possession of their future habitation the beetles remove h engine, with its propellet s mounted stern upon a tons ‘he chief factors in the decrease were the British any loose pith, or the remains of previous tenants, } “ frat ework built up of steel tubing, and the r pl miners’ strike which lasted from April to June, and pushing this debris into the pointed ends of the cavit peller, being clear of the water, is available for driving more important—a world-wide industrial depression by means of their flattened heads. This behavir - the craft when she is ashore The fuel tank holds Prices collapsed early in the year, and the seaborne brings the insects into contact with the outermost lay: some 15 gallons of gasoline. or sufficient for a three coal trade of the world fell off sharply. The consequent of pith adhering to the walls of the cavity, and certai: - hour run, The boat is of very light construction reduction in the volume of business offered to the strips of nutritive parenchyma. The latter tissue forn “ weighing only 815 peunds when empty It is built of shipping of the world has been an important element the food of the heetles, and is also shared by youn: ~ wood internally braced with steel. Loaded. it weighs a n the decline of ocean freight rates. Coccidie of the special Pseudococcus bromelia, whii little over 1600 pounds Of the major coal-producing nations, France and Ger- soon begin to enter the petiole-cavity. By means of the pe many were the only ones to show an increase. Progress feeding action of the beetles, the strips become con New Type of Timber Joint-Plate in restoring the ruined mines of France is indicated by verted into grooves, the coccids stationing themselves Ms PROBLEM that is always present in the framing’ the steady increase in output of the past three years. in a row in each groove. The beetles ‘fully avoid “I v4 of timber bridge trusses and’ roof trusses, and of In 1919, 22,000,000 were produced; in 1920, 25,000,000; soiling their food material and store their frass in the built-up floor girders, is that of so joining up abutting in 1921, 29,000,000. A further increase of 12,000,000 areas between the grooves. They lay their eggs along m members as to hold them securely in place and prevent tons, however, would be necessary to bring French pro- the frass ridges, and the larvie which hatch out feed os ing any slipping movement. Down through the ages duction up to the level of 1915. German production of upon the same nutritive parenchyma as their parents : the carpenter has been at work upon this problem, and hituminous coal is also still far below the pre-war level When mature, they construct brown cocoons with which = all manner of devices, such as tenons, wooden keys, Ithough an increase was effected in 1921 as against pupation occurs. The beetles emerging from the .Jatter “i searfing, ete. have been remain in the petiole with : tried. One of the most dif ——e = inimemen : . the original pair; they mate - ficult connections to make fis PLATE STE and produce eggs and larva ” secure is that of tying to in turn, thus leading to the ' gether the abutting ends of - S we * a climax stuge of the colony, la two timbers, so as to secure « - shh — a — — 4 which may eventually con " a long tensional member, as ee ae SP ee _= sist of several dozens of fe in the ease shown in the e ~iip beetles of both sexes, and ler of the accompanying Scie " many larve and pupe in all pe line drawings. The cheapest stages of develapment. The ai connection is that in which Coccide also increase in th the two ends are held to GIRDEL PPORT number, so that the cavity pa gether by fishplates or of the petiole sometimes be én clamps, one on each side of 5 om Bn fm a a > comes crowded with in ca the joint, with screw bolts mates. The beetles solicit vi passing through the main honey dew from the coccids one timber and the two fish- by “stroking” the latter by lit plates. In this case the means of the antennz. When all strength of the joint is that | the old beetles die off, their me of the sheering resistance of $¢ ¢ bodies are consigned to refuse , the wood, where the bolts ++ accumulations. When this eer pass through. Where greater si crowded condition is reached, a strength is required, square heetles leave the colony hin kevs are fitted into pockets Me either singly or in pairs and, he; rabbeted out of the clamps seeking other petioles, thus ho and the main timber. This, New type of timber joint plate, stamped out of steel plate found new colonies.

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1923 — and 1 cies itput over was ‘fore since ive! Pail rn un: vie the eon Ives void the ong Feed nts ich tter vith nate rvie the ony, con of and ) all The p in vity be in licit cids by hen heir fuse this hed, ony ind, hus MAY, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 307 Our Psychic Investigation in Kurope—I Interesting Psychological and Physical Phenomena Observed at a Sitting with a Scotch Medium By J. Malcolm Bird Associate Editor, ScientiFic AMERICAN, and Secretary of the Screntiric AMERICAN Psychic Investigation Committee ROM a variety of causes too numerous to catalog here, instead of arriving in Lon- don on Monday, February 19, as had been expected, I reached there only at midnight on Wednesday, the 21st. After Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mr. Engholm of the editorial staff of Light, the London spiritualist organ, were aware of my being in town, they arranged for me to attend a seance by Mr. A at a prominent psychic center in London on the evening of February 23. The medium turned out to be a short, stoop-shoul- dered Scot, quite taciturn and with a fairly noticeable bur in his speech when he did talk. He was an alto- gether commonplace person in every detail of appear- ance, and, so far as I could judge, would grade fairly low in edueation and general intelligence. I make these uncomplimentary remarks for what they may be worth in connection with the performance that followed; my best judgment would be that both in diction and subject matter, much of the “communicated” material of the seunce would be quite beyond the normal ability of the medium. There were twelve sitters, including the medium— half ladies and half gentlemen. None of them need be mentioned specifically. Of all those present, only one, who was the master of ceremonies so far as the occa- sion called for one, knew me by name and knew my connection with the Screnrrric American. To the others I was introduced merely as Mr. Bird, a friend of Sir Arthur's from the States. The medium ex- pressed a desire to shake hands with all who were to sit. Some of them he knew by name, others not; I was presented to him as “Sir Arthur's friend,” without mention of my name or my nationality. The seance room has, at one side, two pillars several feet out from the wall, with curtains so arranged that the space between these and the wall may be shut off for use as a cabinet. No use was made of this, how- ever, the medium sitting in the open space with the others, and the curtains were not within his reach. I have made a sketch of the general layout of the seance room. Now the visible properties consisted solely of a long tin horn in two sections, fitting together like a collapsi- ble drinking cup. This horn was brought in by the medium. There was a central chandelier with a group of ordinary white lights, and a single bulb completely covered with red cheese-cloth. These lamps were con- trolled from a switchboard in one corner of the room, to which one of the ladies had to go whenever a change of lighting was desired. At another side of the room was a small organ. At the side opposite the cabinet space was a fireplace with a dull fire burning in it. The 11 sitters were assigned places around the circle, ladies and gentlemen alternating, the twelfth place be- ing reserved for the medium. Mr. A, the medium, took his seat at the organ. Suggestions were invited regard- ing hymns. “Onward Christian Soldiers” was sung, followed by “Lead Kindly Light,” and a third with which I was not acquainted. The singing was not done in a manner at all emotional and was, in fact, quite perfunctory ; whatever effect it had upon the medium, it could not have had any effect upon the sitters. At this point I must say a word more about the ladies and the gentlemen who comprised the group. In America one is rather accustomed to finding that the few men one meets at a seance are regular people, but one soon learns to fight shy of the ladies. Almost with- out exception they are of the “Hermoine” type, dabbling around the edges of intellectual pursuits and deluding themselves into the belief that they are carrying the eultural advancement of the world upon their shoul- ders: or emotional old ladies who come to have hyster- ies over their dead; or neurotics of an even more vio- lent sort. There was quite nothing of this rot at the seance of February 23, and I judge that I shall find little or none of it at any British seance. Of course, all those present save myself were spiritualists, who would tell you that they know the communications re- ceived, and the phenomena noted, come from “those who have passed on.” Save for this one point the most violent skeptic can meet them on common ground. There was no emotion whatever at this-seance, from . beginning to end. There was no mystery or other hocuspocus about it. There was music, presumably to CCEPTING the recent invitation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to visit the psychic centers of Europe, we dispatched Mr. J. Malcolm Bird, our Associate Editor and Sec- retary to the judges of our psychic contest, to England. Mr. Bird sailed on February /0th last, and absolute secrecy was maintained with regard to his trip and his mission in order to fa- cilitate his investigation abroad. The first and second seances attended by Mr. Bird, under the auspices of Sir Arthur, are reported in the accom- panying article. After investigating the leading available British mediums, Mr. Bird will go to France to study the work of Dr. Richet, Dr. Geley and other French workers at first hand, followed by a visit to Munich, where Willies S.., under the watchful eye of Baron von Schrenck Notzing, has exhibited what are reported to be unusual psychic powers. Mr. Bird’s observations and deductions will be published in our columns in regular order. Meanwhile, this investigation abroad in no way interferes with the work of our judges and psychic committee in this country. See editorial on page 300.—THE EbiTor. get the medium into trance, and later, darkness to keep him in that condition. Aside from that, it was just an ordinary meeting and conversation between friends. The most amazing feature of the whole performance was the informality of it. One is accustomed to think of a seance as an event where people sit in the dark with bated breath waiting for something to happen, where silence reigns, broken perhaps by singing and sobbing, until voices come. At this sitting there was no silence and nothing resembling silence. Everybody chattered away gaily with his neighbors, with the “con- trol” and with the “communicators.” If we may for the moment adopt the viewpoint of the other ten sitters, the seance was simply an informal gathering of a num- ber of friends, some of them happened to be dead. The voices participated on a footing of absolute equality with the flesh-and-blood guests. ’ After the three hymns had been sung, the medium became very restless. He arose and resumed his seat at the organ repeatedly, rubbed his hands together DOCR rr | CABINET WHEN ee LONE JS USED x LIGHT SWITCH emo o 4 O U a Og @ aO | FZRE-PLACE| The little squares represent the persons attending the seance. The black oblong, 1, represents the chair of the medium, where the medium sat except at such moments as he spent circulating about. 2 represents Mr. Bird’s seat at the beginning of the seance, and 3 his final seat to the medium’s right. 4 repre- sents the seat of the gentleman who was the master of cere- monies, so far as the occasion called for one General layout of the seance room loudly, and emitted a series of noises which I was not able to catalog in my own mind. They might have been just weird sounds, and again they might have been in- coherent jabbering in Scottish dialect—we all know how the ape in Poe’s “Rue Morgue” story reacted upon persons of various nationalities. After a little he at- tacked the organ for a moment or two without getting any tune out of it; then he circulated about some more; and ultimately he made his way to the seat in the circle that was awaiting him. This was the signal that his “control,” White Feather, had taken possession, This personalitvy—whatever we believe, I think it fair to call it that—proceeded to speak in broken English that improved as the seance went on. He complained that his “box”—that is, the medium, to whom he thus referred throughout the seance—was not working well tonight. He ordered the red light out, and when this request had been met, he complained about the light from the fireplace. After considerable fumbling in the dark, which did not appear to disturb whatever condi- tion of trance the medium may have been in, a large screen was located and placed in front of the grate, to “Whitey’s” intense and audible satisfaction. Whitey continued to conduct the seance, speaking always in the same voice, a rather shrill whine. This voice, of course, quite frankly came from the medium’s vocal apparatus. If he was doing it consciously, he ought to be on the thousand-a-week bills, for there was no slightest trace of the Scottish in it, nor in any of the other very dif- ferent voices that were heard at one time or another during the seance. White Feather, or Whitey, had quite a rough time with his spirit communicators. They kept crowding, or trying to crowd, one another out, and usurp one another’s turns. At times he spoke harshly to them about it. After some time the voices began to come from the trumpet. This had been stood up in the cen- ter of the circle. Whether it was picked up in the production of voices, I cannot say. Presently the trumpet gave forth a perfectly distinct sentence, I asked at this point whether both hands of the medium had been held at the moment when the trumpet had spoken so clearly, and was informed that they had. Whitey himself then spoke up and invited me to change seats with the lady at the medium’s right. This was done and my hand was grasped firmly and held, with slight interruptions throughout the next stage of the seance, There was no substitution practiced on me here; what I had here was emphatically the large, somewhat hard and altogether rough hand of the medium. The seance now entered a phase which seems to me to prove without question that telepathy or some other force with intelligence behind it was at work. The trumpet began to talk loudly and distinctly and coher- ently, in a voice that had not yet been heard. I would in- sist upon two things here: the voice came from the trum- pet in the center of the circle, and I had one of the medium’s hands. I take it that, theoretically, the trumpet might have been manipulated by his knees and brought to speaking position next his mouth. We should be able to test this supposition, even in absolute darkness, were the sittings held before our judges and under our test conditions. In any event, it was not ordinary ventriloquism at work, because the ventrilo- quist cannot work in the dark. He doesn’t deceive your ears, but rather your eyes, by directing your attention to the point whence he wishes you to infer that the sound came. When there is no light, you cannot be deceived through the eyes, and your ears tell you the truth. The voice really came from the center of the circle, The voice announced itself as belonging to one, Cor- nelius Morgan, whom nobody present knew. After a few remarks of no particular interest he stated most positively that someone was present from a long dis- tance. When I admitted this he named New York as my home. White Feather broke in asking if that were in his country and how far it was from the Rocky Mountains, adding that it was at the foot of these that he lived and that he was a Crow. Cornelius Morgan then resumed and stated, quite categorically and with- out waste of words, that about three weeks ago, on a Friday at about seven-thirty, I had walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with a lady and a gentleman. This

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308 begun to be pretty thick! Since I moved away from Lirooklyn eight years ago, I do not have walked across the bridge half a dozen times. But a week before sailing [I had been in New York with an hour or more to spare in the company of two friends who lived in Brooklyn and who were about to start for Most certainly I have not walked over the save on this occasion, within the past year Suppose I home bridge, I made Cornelius repeat his statement; then I told him that if I were to speak without stopping to think very carefully, I should place the expedition in question on a Saturday, and somewhat earlier than seven-thirty. This drew down severe reproaches upon my head for contemplating the.cardinal sin of without thought, and quite a bit of repartee passed between the trumpet and myself on this subject. I finally convinced the speaker that it was my best honest opinion of the moment that the facts were with me and not with him, speech whereupon he insisted with some heat upon his own version, including the gentleman and lady in place of the two gentlemen. Now it so happens that one of my friends of this walk is a very careful diarist, and he has been asked o verify the date. [Mr. Bird's friend informs us that the walk took place on a Saturday, January 20, a littl after four o’clock.—Tue Eprror.] The mathematical probabilities involved in this likely the result of mere chance munication are not Certuinily, they were not the result of in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN where she had lived or visited. Nothing further de veloped. Cornelius went away, and someone else, unidentified, came in his place. The medium circulated around the group, giving a message to each sitter. Mine was quite trivial. I was confronted with a decision: the one that seemed so rough was the easy one, while the one that looked good was really the rough one. This could be I repudiated it, whereupon he said and applied it to applied to anyone, something about another member of the group. While the medium was circling the group, inside the circle of course, we got the first impression of physical lights began to appear, In each case such a light ‘crossed currents” phenomena. Phosphorescent here, there, somewhere else. appeared in the immediate vicinity of the person to whom the message under way at the moment was ad- dressed; but not all the lights were thus restricted to the immediate vicinity where the medium appeared to be. They were of no illuminating power. At first I was puzzled by the fact that usually they were seen by some of the sitters and not by others, the seers and non-seers changing as the light took different positions, Shortly, however, I learned that the reason for this was the very obvious one that the medium is opaque. Most of these lights were small and dim. One of them, which came on the opposite side of the medium to that I sat, have been unusually large and where must May, 1923 both types of messages were being delivered simul- taneously. As a general thing they certainly were not, though they followed one another very closely. But after my attention had been momentarily distracted by one of the brighter lights, I was rather inclined to be- lieve that during this interval of absorption in another thing I had been vaguely conscious of the double mes- sage. It seemed to be in my mind in the form of one of those deferred observations that persist as memories. The trumpet did considerable traveling, inside the circle, outside, inside agair. outside, in more rapid succession than I would care to attempt manually. As far as the medium’s reach was concerned, it might have been operated by his hand, but throughout there was black darkness, not merely the darkness of dark nights when near objects loom blacker in the blackness. The trumpet next travelled about the circle, caressing each sitter about the face or head. Some got it endwise; some sidewise. In my own case it would have been quite easy for this caress to have been manually di- rected by the medium. But I never was able to detect his presence in my vicinity, through contact, hearing, or smelling his breath. If he does move about with such freedom, he has an extraordinary sense in the dark. Our Dr. Carrington has sat with Miss Bessinet, and says that if her phenomena are to be explained on other grounds than psychic powers, then she must be able to see in the dark, or employs a substitute for seeing in the dark. In sittings with Miss Bessinet, one’s exploring arm or leg is formation collected by the medium. ut better was to come. Cornelius stated that I had engaged passage on two ships. This was the truth. During ten days I had tentatively as- signed me on both the “Olympic” and the ‘Noordam,” the former being finally can- Nobody in the world outside of AMERICAN offices knew that probability of staterooms celled. the ScrentTiri1 fact, however, while ‘the guesswork is too small to lend color to any such theory. I don’t know what this mes- sage proves, but it thing. If it be telepathic it proves telep ithy can be sub-conscious on the part of the mind that supplies the information, for at that moment I had been thinking of nothing connected: with my but rather of the diary which would settle surely proves some- passage, the other question. But Cornelius Morgan was not through. He turned his attention to another quar- ter of the circle momentarily, then re- turned to me, identifying me unmistak- ably as the gentleman at the medium’s right. He said: “Friend, you are a writ ing man, are you not.” That alone I think would have been a mighty shrewd guess; indeed, if one were to recapitulate Sir Arthur's experience with writing men whom he has taken into seances, one might almost guess that the next person E have no space to repeat in detail the conditions for our psychic For the convemence, however, we repeat here the more vital points of this award, published in full in our January issue. announcement. The SciENTIFIC AMERICAN will pay $2500 to the first person who produces a psychic photograph, under its test conditions and to the satisfac- lion of its Committee of Judges. The SciENTIFIC AMERICAN will pay $2500 to the first person who produces, under its test conditions and to the satisfaction of its Judges, an objective psychic manifestation of physical character, other than a photo- graph, and of such sort that permanent instrumental record may be made of ils occurrence. The Committee of Judges shall consist of Dr. William McDougall, be tema % it coe out be weeteteieel Dr. Daniel F. Comstock, Dr. Walter Franklin Prince, Dr. Hereward Carrington, and Houdini, the conjurer. In the event of death or other dis- ability, a temporary or permanent substitute for any Judge may be named. Entry must be made on or before December 31, 1924, to J. Malcolm Bird, Secretary to the Committee, at the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN office in New York. Either award will be made on unanimous vote of the Judges, or on a four-to-one division. Seances with any medium shall terminate and all his claims to the award be vacated upon rejection of his mediumship by formal vote of the Committee. All the conditions governing entrance, the holding of seances, etc., which are laid down in the full announcement of our January issue are part of this offer. forcibly seized and forcibly thrust aside and this is done without the slightest general suggestion of fumbling in the dark. The hands seize one as cleanly and surely as though in broad daylight. Now whatever power or sense that en- ables Miss Lessinet to do this, Mr. A lacks it. While I sat next to him, he must have released and regained miy hand or hands a dozen times. Invariably, if I left it where he had dropped it, he came back to pick up my hand again with no fumbling. But invariably if I moved it, he had to find it just as you and I find things in the dark—by groping until that the circle is always as he left it—as regards feet and legs at least, it is in a state of constant flux. Yet any moving about the circle which he may be charged with doing certainly done without the least suggestion of fumbling or groping. I state this fact without con- clusions, for whatever it may seem worth. After the trumpet performance, White Feather, the “control,” apologized for the length of time he had taken and for the difficulty he had had in controlling his occasionally secretly, is communicators, For these would break through and be rudely routed by White Feather, with considerable abuse, introduced by him would surely be a writer! But upon my pleading guilty to this indictment, the voice in the trumpet went on to state that I had been writing something before I came to the seance—a letter, he thought I decided it would not be giving him too much of a lead if I informed him that I had been engaged on a letter that morning, but had finished and mailed it. He thereupon insisted that I had been writing something coming to the seance; that I had got up from it This was the literal hefore to come, and had left it unfinished. truth; the paper was still in my portable typewriter, with the half-finished work in it. He did not make any great effort to identify what this work had been, ind I did not press him—-it would have been unreason- able to do so. The thing really was a list of French words that I wished to add to my speaking vocabulary before venturing upon French soil; and while it would, of course, have been extraordinarily evidential if he had named correctly such an absurd thing, it did not seem to me in the least contra-evidential that he should fail to do so. Surely he came near enough to the facts to bar out any supposition of guesswork, unless, in- deed, some hardy skeptic is prepared te include my chambermaid in a gigantic plot to mislead me. Next he started to talk about some numbers, and Wall Street. We couldn't just make out whether he were telephoning or giving an address, but in any event it meant nothing to me, nor to anybody else present That was about all we had from Mr. Morgan, save that he asked me if I had ever been to Waupaca, Wis., or Denver. The mention of Denver was followed by that of Riverside, and after I was contradicted in my ques- tion whether he meant California, one of the ladies spoke up and identified Riverside as a piece of Denver bright, for the medium’s shoulders were very vaguely silhouetted against it. I should have been satisfied of the objective character of these lights, even had Mr. Engholm, next morning, not informed me that they had been photographed—not at this particular seance, how camera had been left open during another would otherwise ever. The seance In this way the time that have been spent opening and closing the shutter was available for making the exposure; and light tracks were got, quite analogous to those of the stars across a fixed plate. Most of the lights were approximately round, though perhaps a bit They gave very definitely the impression of phosphorescence, rather than of flame or filament. I watched carefully for any indication of filament shape, and found none, nor any change of color value as they faded in and out, such as would have been observable had an incan- descent lamp been used in their production. One of these lights stood out above all the others. It came when the medium was, to my almost certain knowledge, holding the hands of the lady opposite me while delivering a message to her. It was a long snaky affair, quite different from all the others, and it moved clear across the circle, from one side to the other, and behind the medium, as I had him located. The messages delivered during this round of the circle came, some from the medium’s lips and some from the trumpet, which up to this time had, with reasonable certainty, remained unmoved in the center of the circle, except for whatever tilting may have been necessary to make it available for messages. Noting this, I centered my attention upon the question whether at any time longer one way than the other. voice was that of the “Di- rector” from the other side. He spoke in very cultured tones, far beyond the medium’s normal powers. He offered a very well worded prayer and blessing, which, of course, the medium might have learned by heart. Then White Feather went away, and the lights were turned on. My aim here, as in future accounts of seances at- tended, is to tell as accurately as possibie what hap- pened at the various seances, and exactly the impres- sion made upon me by them. It is not my intention to draw conclusions at all, save such obvious ones as would occur to any intelligent person during the sitting, but I shall at all times and with the utmost freedom refer to the various hypotheses which have been or may be advanced in the explanation of the phenomena. And I shall at all times remember that among these is that of conscious fraud by the medium. Those of my readers who believe in the medium must not resent the inclusion of this hypothesis, and those who do not believe in him must not make too much of The next its presence in my story. It is evident that these British people believe that they are in the presence of friends who come from the other side of the Styx to talk with them. They com- port themselves exactly as though these friends had come from the other side of the Atlantic or the Channel or the Thames. From their viewpoint, that is abso- lutely all there is to a seance. There is no reason for solemnity or stiffness. There is no reason why every- body should hang breathlessly on the words of the communicant. In colloquial American, it is just an ordinary “fanning bee,” everybody present, whether (Continued on page 358) G ve sh th col he col for thi Ser ove stu the mo the the thr of one cen the ear wh bui sin; the mig twe of 1 by

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23 ul ot, sut on be May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 309 The Georgetown Bridge Over the Potomac NE of the finest concrete bridges in the country has recently been completed in the District of Columbia, where it will be used as an improved artery of traffic between the District and Virginia; for it replaces an historie old structure which has served its period of usefulness and has been con- demned. The new bridge, which is called the George- town Bridge, which with its approaches, is 2700 feet in length, is 70 feet wide and approximately 85 feet above the Potomac River which it right for such operations. After the steel structural work was in place, the con- creting proceeded. A novel feature was the installation of a complete concrete mixing plant upon a large scow, which was shifted to different points on the line of the bridge as the con- struction progressed. It was equipped to deliver one cubic yard of concrete a minute to the bridge, and s« heavy cable trolley way, which ex- tended between the Virginia and District of Columbia shores, was used to convey the buckets of concrete from the scow concrete plant to the desired spot for pouring. spans. The bridge, one of the largest structures of its kind in the United States, provides a central runway for two street car tracks, as well as two sixteen-foot roadways and two walks for pedestrians, each eight feet wide. Originally the new bridge was called the Key Bridge in honor of Francis Scott Key, the author of the “Star Spangled Banner’; for Key’s old home is located close to the northern approach of the bridge. Years ago, when the famous writer and lawyer lived there, the house was a spacious mansion surrounded by arch ring built in three separated sections This method results in a great reduction in the weight of the barrel, and indeed of the whole structure. Another modern feature is the substitution of a series of spandrel arches for the solid spandrels which charac- terize early masonry arched construction. These arches ure carried upon piers which are erected symmetrically upon the barrel. The arch rings and the spandrel columns are tied together by lateral, reenforced, con- Work on the bridge began General view of the Georgetown Bridge, which was opened to traffic during January, 1923, showing the six years ago, when Con- gress appropriated $2,100,000 for its construction. The work was done under the active supervision of the Corps of Engineers, U. 8. A. Vitamins HE discovery of vitamins was made by Hopkins only as recently as 1912. The indispensability of these substances are now generally accepted. The far-reaching importance of the qualitative composi- tion of the diet of man and animals is beautiful lawns; but the old home has been neglected, and now it has retro- graded into a junk shop. Several cam- paigns have been started to raise funds to purchase and preserve the home; but they have never developed to a point where enough money was raised to permit of rehabilitation. Despite that, the military authorities who built the bridge intended to call it the Key Bridge; but unfortu- nately, by special act of Congress in 1918, the name was changed to the Georgetown Bridge. The old Aqueduct Bridge which the Georgetown Bridge replaces was built 80 years ago. In the early days, Georgetown was a port of considerable prominence and ships from all parts of the world plied the Potomac, with Georgetown as the trade terminal of their commercial activi ties. Subsequent to the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (the arti- ficial waterway which George Washington designed to serve as a channel of easy communication between the Atlantic Coast and the rich inland valleys of Ohio) the Aqueduct Bridge was built, between 1832- 1840, to serve as a combined roadway and ae , 7% “ye A ME ap ee ae ae being gradually appreciated, and the sig- nificance of those factors which exist in extremely minute amounts recognized. Three substances of the so-called vitamin class called A, B and C, have been differ- entiated with certainty, and it is possible that more exist. They do not appear to be of one chemical type, and the only ground for grouping them together is that they occur, and are effective, in very small amounts. Parallel examples from the in- organic food constituents are known, such as the value of minute doses of iodides. The green tissues of plants would seem to be the chief site of vitamin synthesis, although lower forms of plant life devoid of photocatalytic pigments can apparently produce the vitamin B. Plant tissues un- doubtedly form from the direct or indirect source of the vitamin supply of animals, but we are entirely ignorant as to the role of the vitamins in the plant itself. Storage of the vitamin A may take place in the tissues, liver, and body fat of ani- mals, and may serve as a reserve from which are drawn supplies to -maintain the vitamin concentration of milk if the diet during the lactation period should be aqueduct for carrying the canal across the Potomac River at Georgetown. Uncle Sam purchased the aqueduct in 1886 and sev- eral years later remodelled the bridge and converted it into an iron deck truss affair. Since that time, it has served as one of the most important highways into Virginia from the District of Columbia. For several years previous to the inception of the concrete bridge project, the old Aqueduct Bridge had been unsatisfactory. The pier foundations have given considerable trouble and every time much ice has formed in the Potomac there has been great danger that the bridge would be The Georgetown Bridge is constructed on a framework of steel with a max- imum of reinforcement to strengthen the concrete crete diaphragms, as shown in the above illustrations. The result of this skeletonizing—if we may so use the term—of the bridge is that a great reduction is made in the dead weight of the structure, and therefore in its cost in materials and labor. In building the bridge, the steel reenforcement arches were erected upon a huge wooden falsework, which was built on two scows fastened side by side, and then floated into place be- tween the piers, when the tide and current were exactly deficient. A prolonged investigation of the origin of the large stores of vitamin A in cod- liver oils has recently been made, It has been ascertained that the marine diatoms synthesize the vitamin, and that it is transferred to the tissues of minute animals (plankton) which thrive on the unicellular plants. These in turn form the food supply of larger species, particu- larly small fish, which in their turn are devoured by the larger fish, such as the cod. Through all these stages there is apparently a transference of the vitamin, ending finally in the storage in the liver of the cod. The modern methods of manu- seriously damaged and traffic ~ over this roadway prohibited. It will be seen from a study of the _ illustrations that the bridge is thoroughly modern in all respects. In the first place the barrel, or the arch ring, is built in three parallel sections, each of the outer sections being one-half the width of the center section. In this respect the bridge differs from the sarlier masonry arches, in which it was customary to build the barrel as one single structure, whatever the width of the bridge might be. The space _ be- facture of cod-liver oil do not appreciably lower the vitamin value, but there are wide variations in the value of different samples which are probably connected with the seasonal changes in the feeding habits or phys iological condition of the fish. Considerable work has been done on the chemical nature of the vitamin A, but an iso- lation has not yet been satisfactorily made. It is very stable, except to oxidative changes, and passes into the unsaponifi- able fraction of the oil. Ab- stract from an account of a discussion before the British tween the rings at the level of the bridge floor is spanned by reenforced concrete slabs. General view of the new Georgetown Bridge and the old viaduct which it replaces in conveying traffic across the Potomac Association, Nature, Nov. 11, 1922.

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310 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923

rd . a a

Left: The Million Dollar Causeway connecting Miami and Miami Beach. Note the bridge on right from causeway to one of the islands. The deep water left by the side of the Causeway after rock and sand had been dredged out forms a channel from Miami to the Atlantic for ocean traffic. Right: Only 20 per cent of what comes through the pipes is solid matter, yet 10,000 cubic yards can be filled in 24 hours Islands In the Making Creating Beautiful Florida Home Sites by Means of Enormous Suction Dredges ag se) HIE story of the Coral Islands : of the South Seas is well ¢ known to all Ages were needed for the little workers to build those wondrous keys islands that dot the

a and Caribbean. Less wonderful, perhaps, from an engineering standpoint, but not less in teresting, is the story of the islands of Riseayne Bay, eight of which are either complete or under construction, stretch of water lies Southern East This beautiful opposite Miami on the Coast of Florida, and is formed by a reef which runs North for several miles, where mainland. Southward this reef is continue of keys for about twelve miles or so. Opposite Miami the Bay is about three and a half miles spanned by the famous Million Dollar ¢ necting the City of Miami ‘auseway con

An island in embryo. From 50 to 60 acres can be filled in six months vestor to pay for a building site in altogether novel and tropical surroundings. Substantial bridges connect with the causeway, as shown in another view, which is is also an unique example of work done with both of radio dipper and suction dredges, the deep water by the side » it joins the din a series wide and country. Nevertheless, in view of the high cost of land, the same idea might be used in many places to good advant- age. Radio Standardization Conference URING the past two years radio com- munication has grown very rapidly, and radio apparatus and service have de- veloped along many divergent lines. In general, manufacturers have constructed apparatus according to their own ideas, with the result that a great deal of the radio equipment now offered to the public is not interchangeable, that is, the devices of one maker will not work with the equipment furnished by another. In determining the performance of even simple types apparatus, radio experts often use methods which differ in important respects. Since the consumer demands uniformity and de- pendability in the radio ser-

with that of Miami Beach, Ir built on the Coral Reef men tioned above, which is about a half mile wide at this point To the tourist who comes to Miami to escape the cold and snow, the appearance of an island where the year before he saw only water may not mean a great deal It means something, how-

vice and apparatus which he uses, and since even in radio terminology there is great lack of uniformity, there appears to be a real need for radio standardiza tion. The lack of such 3 ae standardization has been st Gi BS brought to the attention of < bet

4 2 = . _— ile | a " elt neg teed ages . oo _ ee et -

= eet the Bureau of Standards by purchasers, distributors and

consumers,

ever, to those who have in , hand the work of building An island islands. In the first place, the bay bottom must be purchased from the State acre. Next it is necessary to obtain per the War Department to fill in. Then e the ground—or water— mark the boundary of the island-to-be. <A real work begins. Enormous suction dredges of 1000 to 1500 horsepower are employed, while : crew of as many as 48 men is sometimes necessary to keep things running smoothly. The pipes, 12 to 20 inches in diameter, through which the dredgings are pumped, are laid on pontoons often for the dis tance of a mile from the dredge to the fill. When dredging in sand, as high as 10.000 cubie yards can be filled in 24 hours, though only 20 per cent of what comes through the pumps is solid matter. Progress is slower, of course, when rock is encountered, but when this happens, the dredge can be moved to a more suit able location. With water 10 to 12 feet deep, 50 to 60 acres can be filled in about six months. A transformation soon takes place and one of our photographs shows an island two years old. A flourishing community has sprung up, and green grass and trees, streets, sidewalks and every modern con- venience induce the homeseeker or in- ff, and putting down piling to by after two years. sy si , p palms soon transform it into a tropical paradise at $500 per of this marine roadway nission from of Miami for ocean-going vessels. Building up islands and filling in means of the suction dredge is not a new idea, how- ever, und use has been made of it in some parts of the marsh lands yes staking fter this the

View from above of part of an island showing central portion laid out in tennis courts and park. A house and lot on one of these islands recently sold for $65,000 It has its own water system, as indicated by tower. Australian pines and ference on At the request of six radio organizations, the Bureau, in cooperation with the Amer- forming a channel to the city ican Engineering Standards Committee, called a con- radio standardization which met in New York, January 12. Over 100 persons were present, representing nearly that number of different associa- tions, manufacturers, dealers, and operating companies. Dr. F. C. Brown, Acting Director of the Bureau of Standards, presided over the conference. Many important points were discussed, and it was voted that action should be taken toward the formulation of standards of radio apparatus and ser- vice and that a single broadly representa- tive national committee should be organ- ized following the American Engineering Standards Committee procedure for deal- ing with all phases of radio standardiza- tion, including commercial standardiza- tion, methods of measurement and testing, and nomenclature. It was also voted that the national committee should determine immediately the type and scope of standardization to be undertaken, including a consideration of testing facilities and other related lines of activity. Mr. L. T. Robinson, Secretary of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and Dr. A. N. Goldsmith, Sec- retary of the Institute of Radio Engineers, announced the appointment of an advisory committee of thirteen.

Left Cen

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923 he iat the ght int- ch -n of nd lio in Pr- n- Ww May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 311 is necessary and the use of Better Lungs for Miners INING engineers have long realized the im- portance of adequate ventila- tion as a stimulus to pro- duction in underground workings. State laws have increasingly prescribed standards of ventilation. The miners themselves and a friendly public have continu- ally emphasized the physical need for better ventilation in mines. Thus all conditions have sharply focused the atten- tion of the mining industry upon the subject, long con- as a ‘: . is 2 aga sans, Which are handled at a great loss of time and a high labor cost, is elimi- nated. The new milk-carry- ing system is the adaptation of the New York Central's container car system to milk hauling, which is accom- plished by combining the con- tainer car principles with those of temperature main- taining insulation. The new type milk car consists of nine removable containers, each of which encases a glass-lined heavily insulated tank capable of carrying 645 gallons of milk or the equivalent of 64% ten-gallon cans. In the ceded to be an important one, How fabric ducts are used to circulate air in mines: Left: The air duct 2600 feet below the surface. A small electric blower with an 8-inch fabric duct It may be said at once that adequate ventilation cannet be reduced to a simple formula for all the varied conditions of mines and mining. Substantial volumes of pure, well-circulated air must be delivered to all working places underground to secure the econo- mies consequent upon the increased health, comfort and efficiency of the miners and the dissipation of explosive and otherwise dangerous gases. This is ac- complished or attempted by widely differing methods. In coal mines ventilation is almost entirely cared for by surface installations of large input or exhaust fans; by the natural circulation of air through shafts and tunnels communicating with the surface, and by the maintenance of established air courses in connection with brattice and air-tight doors. The ventilation of metal mines is, however, a very different problem. In some cases there are numerous openings to the surface and fairly good ventilation results, but in most cases this is not so. Air is “nocketed”—stagnant. It becomes vitiated and _ in- creasingly heated by the admixture of gases result- ing from blasting and from the organic decay of tim- bering. Heat and gases are also thrown off by sulfide minerals when the ore bodies are exposed to oxidation in the mine atmosphere. In addition there is the accumulation of heat from electrical equipment, from mine fires that occur not infrequently in sulfide ores, and from the natural increase in rock temperature as So the problem of the depth of workings increases, properly ventilating metal mines demands the most careful study by engineers familiar with the specific conditions involved in each case. It requires at least a fair knowledge of that not simple subject, fan engi- neering, and of the more or less erratic action of air currents under varying conditions. At the very bottom of the problem, there is always the necessity of providing for the delivery of air in large volumes over long distances, without large losses in transit, and with equipment that is not too expensive to install and keep up and that is entirely dependable in its functioning. Rectangular wooden ducts were formerly and are still sometimes used for conveying air underground. The initial cost of making and installing these ducts is excessive. Their efficiency is not high, and they are very Right: susceptible to destructive action by fungous growths. Galvanized iron ducts are also used for conveying air to the working faces, but these ducts are bulky, difficult and expensive to transport, handle and install, and are very liable to collapse from air compression when blasting. Worst of all, they are rapidly corroded and broken down by the acid content of mine waters. Experience has proved that the ideal air-duct for mines must be flexible, with a strong fabric base. Tubing made of duck and other fabrics, both treated and un- treated, has been used for a number of years, but up to within the past two years none of this material could withstand, in the average mine, the rapidly de- structive action of fungous growths, and in the case of mines where sulfide ores are found, these fabric ducts were quickly destroyed by the free sulfuric acid in the mine waters. A determined attack upon the problem, however, recently produced a material that stood up under such accelerated tests as could be provided in the labora- tory. Samples of this material were then hung in a drift in one of the large Butte copper mines, on the 1,600-foot level, about 1,000 feet from the shaft. This place was the worst in the mine from all standpoints. The temperature was 112 degrees Fahrenheit; the air was absolutely still and the acid-water drip excessive; conditions were ideal for fungous growth and chemical corrosion. Samples of about one dozen other materials were hung up with these for comparative tests. After three months, of all the samples under test the new fabric was the only material which had not deterio- rated. All of the other samples had either completely broken down or were nearly useless. The Milk-Container Car \ HAT is believed to be a big step forward in the transportation of that most perishable com- modity —milk—has made its appearance in the form of the milk-container§ car. It will be re called that these columns have already carried a description of the container car system as applied in the handiing of freight and mails, and now we have the milk-container variation. Under the new mode of milk transportation, no icing entire car, the nine tanks will hold 5,805 gallons, which is considerably more than an ordinary milk car will haul when the milk is loaded in cans. The new car can be unloaded of all its containers, which are hoisted by crane over to motor trucks, and earried to the milk distributor without any handling in about eighteen minutes, saving approximately two hours per car in time of unloading at railway termi- nals, thus insuring fresher milk. Milk is received at the same temperature at which it is loaded into the container tanks. By the elimination of handling of cans and icing the new milk-carrying system will undoubtedly achieve a maximum of sanitation in milk shipping. Shrink- age due to spillage and adherence of milk in handling by cans is reduced to a minimum, as well as cleaning costs, the cleaning of the large tanks being accom- plished in five minutes. The container-tank car consists of nine steel-box compartments which run transversely to the car. Each container houses a glass-lined tank which is insulated by cork between double walls of the compartments. The containers are equipped with hooks or eyelets which permit them to be lifted between car and motor truck by crane. The glass-lined tank forming the interior of the container has a manhole opening at the top for en- trance of the milk. Directly above this (in the con- tainer) is located a hateh which is securely locked before the container is hoisted aboard the car. There is an outlet at the bottom of the tank, located directly opposite a small port, which is also locked before the container is placed in transit. The port referred to falls behind the sides of the car when the con tainer is in position, thus making it impossible to manipulate the outlet and remove the tank contents before its removal and unlocking by the consignee. The container cars, constructed for handling milk, are adaptable to the transportation of many other fluids, such as maple syrup, olive oil and vinegar, where service is desirable in 600-gallon units. Patents on the container-car tank have been issued, or applied for, in the following countries: United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Holland and Denmark. ’ . * * a : s . 7 j Left: Handling 645 gallons of milk in a single container, or the equivalent of 64% ordinary milk cans. The versatility of the New York Central container car system is here illustrated, with milk containers and mail containers on the same car. Center: access to the manhole opening with cover of the inner tank. The containers are hoisted from car to motor trucks by crane in slightly less than two minutes. Right: Hatch of a milk container, which gives It is the arrangement of the tank within the container case, plus proper heat insulation, which makes the milk container iceless A successor to the conventional milk can: the milk container car’s bid for the transportation of milk

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 Zujak, the fragrant nut-confection of the Turkish harem Foreign Foods in American Cities Some of the Curious Comestibles that Have Immigrated to Our Shores F THE confections of the universe, the most the Turkish harem. This is a nut confec tion. The little greenish pistachio kernels, the or those from sweet almonds or (as in photograph) walnuts, are strung, then dipped in a vat containing a mixture of steam-prepared vegetable gelatine with the delectable crystalline palm sirup or date sirup (raisin sirup or pomegranate sugar is also used). Dipping is done only when luscious is probably the unique zujak of By L. Lodian Smoked figs are found in great variety, imported, among Italian colonies in the chief American cities. The most esteemed are the smoked ball-figs—e.¢., figs compressed into a ball about the size of the average orange, smoked thus in batches of a hundred, then wrapped in fig leaves for the retail trade. Smoked raisins are also available from the Naples region. They are retailed packed in grape leaves—al- Wuys in small packages, Italian bakers still make their biscotto hardtack just the same as used in the days of the old Roman Republic. They do not know the biscuit as we know it, though one may see in Italian cities a profusion of small-cake wares which are almost confections. The Roman biscuit was, and continues, ring-shaped to permit of stringing and hanging up out of the way, or for transport among the soldiers’ impedimenta (they could carry their rations around neck or waist, in emer- gency) in the days when paper bags or cartons were unknown. It remains, even the temperature of the batch is almost at the solidification point, at which moment a few drops of attar of roses are added. These are diffused throughout the mass by a few revolutions of the mechanical ladle, and they are prevented from being diffused into the air by the minimum temperature. The rose flavor added and properly mixed, the stringed nuts are at once low- ered, by the dozen or score strings sus- pended from a frame, into the vat; lifted out; allowed to dry; and the process is repeated, dip after dip, until the desired thickness of confection coating is depos- ited on the nuts. This is much the same procedure as that utilized by our New any other person living. ITH the isolated foreign colonies of our great metropolitan now, the most sustaining and satisfying of all hardtack biscuit wares. During the strained relations of the cities, those communities transplanted from Far and Near past decade in Europe, the French and East and existing in our midst with supreme disregard for their occidental surroundings, Mr. Lodian is perhaps better acquainted than He has a fascinating habit of dropping into the editorial office with a huge bundle of exhibits to be photographed, chosen from among his latest purchases. L through with them, Mr. Lodian with characteristic thrift takes them home and consumes them; for were they not made to be eaten? cosmopolitan appetite we owe numerous tales of foreign eats, drinks, smokes, etc., obtainable in our midst, of which the present article is the latest.— THE Eprror. After our camera-man is To his British armies readopted that small-sized fit-the-mouth hardtack of the Roman con- querors of two thousand years ago, minus, however, the hole for stringing. Thus doth history repeat itself. Fig coffee has been in use in central Europe the past couple of centuries. It is the only coffee, or coffee substitute, of the globe which can be used either as a beverage or as a nutritive food. It is commonly sold among the Teutonic col- onies of American cities in small quarter- or half-pound fit-the-pocket cartons, and England grandmothers in dipping their old-fashioned tallow candles, in the early days of the Republic. The point strived for is always to have the zujak coating as transparent as possible, so that the nuts are visible and the purchaser knows just what he is buying. They are obtainable at any time in Manhattan's little Turkish republic just north of the Battery. This is a most sustaining confection food; and the delectable rose fragrance of the zujak suffuses the palate and makes our own confectionery appear com- monplace in comparison. Only a little can be used at a time, however; it is too To know what the original biscuit was like, one must volplane back through a couple of millenia to the days when the Roman legions swayed most of Europe. For the soldiers’ sustenance there was devised a breadstuff that would “keep.” Ordinary bread would mildew, due to the moisture content; but if it were cut into slices, and these slices placed in the oven again to expel the moisture (bis coctus, twice baked), it would last until it was wanted. Such was the original biscuit. is always a compressed cake (though the illustration shows a cake broken up). In its manufacture, only the small-fry, unsalable figs are kiln-dried, then roasted, milled to a coarse granular meal, in which the seeds show up almost whole; then compressed into the small oblong cakes familiar to the Germanic retail grocery trade. As a beverage the infusion is made just the same as ordinary coffee: you break off a piece about the size of a plump walnut or bigger, according to the strength of the infusion desired. This coffee-ersatz is of a figgy flavor, but as a cup that satis- rich. Almost all the Turkish confections are exceedingly luscious and buttery, and fragrant to a degree unknown to any other race. There is a motive in all this; rich confections are well known to be what medical men term aphrodisiac. Smoked pears have been for long an institution in what is now the Deutsches Republik. They are produced by the ton in the smoke-chamber or smoke-loft which is part of many a farmhouse chimney in Germany ; and they have been exported to America for the past half century or . more. Here they always retail at a firm price, about 25 cents a pound. These smoked pears should be made in this country, to use up the unsalable stocks, such as damaged goods, specks, etc, This is precisely what the German farmer fies it is ever inferior to the product from the real coffee bean—and the writer has been familiar with it for the past quar- ter century, both in the country of its origin and here. There is no coffee-like substitute for coffee, in his estimation. Figs are quite nutritious—so as an emergency food the fig-coffee has been used by the mountaineers in the Tyrol almost since its first manufacture—and one Austrian concern claims on its label to have been putting it out continuously since 1806. It is eaten as it is—breaking off small pieces as one might a cake or a biscuit. The flavor is slightly bitterish, caramel-like; and in extremity a couple of the fig-coffee compressed cakes will support an adult for a day. To illustrate the tamal family of the universe (this is the correct spelling and does. Smoking covereth a multitude of defects ; the heat-and-smoke-wrinkled pears are almost unrecognizable save for the steam remaining. They are browned through. Here the American farmer has to let them go for stock feed, or worse; and not a single journal of his calling knows enough of the subject to enlighten him. Smoked pears are liked by the Germans for their smoky flavor, just as we esteem ham or bacon for the slight pyrogallic savor. Besides, in obstinate astrin- gency, they are an agreeable “alteratif” or “aperatif,” keeping one “just right” as do stewed prunes. In fact, they are stewed and served at their best in their own concentrated boil liquor, Teutonic countries for two centuries. Compressed-fig coffee, available as beverage or as food, has been made in the The German label announces the contents as a coffee dilutent (not a substitute), guarantees the product to be pure, and assures the user that “a little bit added to the coffee makes a pleasant drink” But there was much wastage with these twice-baked slices; in a week, the crumbage alone from a single soldier would form a substantial meal. If we attack a nice crisp piece of toast with a total disregard for table manners, we will get the same effect. So there was devised the small ring-shaped, fit-the-mouth hardtack breadstuff which was baked at a single operation. The word biscuit became a misnomer almost at its begin- ning; yet it has persisted through the ages. pronunciation, the e being in place in the Spanish plural tamales only), we select the oldest known type—the rice-tamal of the Mongols. The word tamal is of Ori- ental origin, and not from Latin America as the dictionaries allege. This _rice- tamal is a fresh-daily product of the Oriental food bazars both here and on the far side of the Pacific. It is steamed in the rush leaves, as illustrated. To make more tasty the insipid rice, it is associated with a portion of ripened egg; and the flavor indeed reminds one somewhat of the odor of the sulfureted hydrogen from which the “ripened” egg derives its distinction. Still, it is a satisfying tamal. A satisfactory Oriental tamal is made like a miniature PY ar le: nm 2£r re of mi bi; ar thi mi les ou pa str air as dis pol fro dif the of hat lat the loo: the is ; bal twi illu gre bas pre assc

Page 27

23

ist he ke ZS in n ol 1d el ly ig a h, le

May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Left: One of the numerous forms of compressed tea. Center: Dried duck’s gizzards—a Mongol delicacy. Right: The oldest of the tamal family—rice tamal as packed in rush leaves by the Chinese, shown pyramid, of rice, comminuted with pork, pifion nuts and chestnuts. One is enough for a meal. The rush leaves in which it is steam-cooked will preserve it for months, if need be; but placed in a cool dry place it gradually hardens without molding, and can be resur- rected by water-soaking and heating. The tamal family south of the Rio Grande consists of the well-known maize-and-meat tamal put up in maize husks; and in the region on the Orinoco and the Amazon we find the biggest tamal of the two worlds—so big that the accommodating leaves of the banana tree are requisitioned for holding it. The native name for this tamal is aliaka. It is a choice combination of maize meal, minced chicken, chick peas, with more or less of Warmth produced by pepper. The whole is thor- oughly cooked, done up in the banana leaves, and the package will keep for a long time if suspended by its string in a larder where there is ample circulation of air. Even if it slightly sours, it can be turned out into a stew-pot, boiled vigorously a couple of minutes, which dissipates the sourness, and a most sustaining stew portion is available. All the compressed teas are firm-priced, retailing at from one to four dollars the pound. They are very different from the economically priced briquetted tea of the moujiks of the Russian Republic of tea-dust. But of the various brick teas on the Man- that is composed hattan market, on regular sale among its exotic popu- lations, all are composed of the whole tea leaf, so that the exhausted tea leaves appear the same as the regular loose tea. A few years ago there was illustrated in these pages the disk form of the compressed whole-leaf tea; and it is also obtainable in slabs, bars, balls the size of golf balls, horseshoes, in tiny faggot-like bundles (leaf and twig being silk-bound in compact rolls, also as an oval, illustrated). This is an Oolong tea—a black tea with a green tea flavor. It is sold in one-pound split-rattan baskets, enmeshed in rush leaves. Brick teas range in density from those machine-com- pressed to a stonelike hardness, to the more loosely associated pedal-compressed teas, easily crumbled be- opened and closed Unusual food and drink from Oriental regions tween the fingers. The latter method of compacting tea is peculiarly Chinese; it is done by the bare feet of Celestial damsels, who do the light fantastic over hundreds of tea-filled molds placed on the floor. How- ever, even that is hardly as bad as the foot-pressed European choice wines of the most exclusive clubs, I have pictures handy revealing this mode of expression of the grape juice in continental Europe. Loose tea is a bulky article. The compressed vari- eties can be tucked away in your coat pocket, a three- pound slab being unnoticeable—save for its weight—in the inner breast pocket. Try to do likewise with a three-pound package of the loose product, and the utility of the compressed for persons who travel will be apparent. Gotham’s queer polyglot gizzard—or gullet—is ap- peased, in part, by the imported sun-dried gizzards al- Ways on sale in Oriental stores, particularly in those of Manhattan's little Chinese Republic. These are ducks’ gizzards, and they are always in demand at good prices. Gizzards are of high protein value, and no meat product of Chicago can surpass them on that score, weight for weight. Of the many queer animal foods consumed by the alien colonies of the city along the Hudson these gizzards are perhaps the last word. They are horny, and call for much soaking and boiling. As a vegetable partner for the gizzard dish there is the elongated water-lily root. These are heavy tubers and, as sold, look for all the world like plump bananas growing end to end in a chain about a yard long. Only the Oriental stomach can appreciate them, The Mongol food-world is a seemingly endless succes- sion of curiosities: from braised canned earth-worms to luscious white strawberries; from bean macaroni to pure bean casein cheese, a most tasty, snappy product; from shark fins at $5 a pound to birds’ nests at $25; from snow-white rice-biscuits to delectable rose-flower marmalade, the opening of a container of which will suffuse a room with the rose odor; from pure buck- wheat noodles to blanc-mange pastry made from the flour milled from water-lily bulbs; from ripened eggs to dried oysters; from rainbow-colored cake wares to—

well, as a Mongol said to the writer, “Our republic is so vast—the greatest in land area of the globe—that no Chinese citizen knows other than a small part of its food products.” The thing that Americans in Nippon facetiously term Japanese mushroom fruit is none other than the sun- dried persimmon. They provokingly resemble, in this state, the mushroom of commerce. They are of slightly figgy flavor, but less sweet, and too hard to be satisfac- torily mouthed as they are; so they appear at table stewed in their own juice, and are thus quite delectable, The potted stewed snails of the Spanish colonies are obtainable, but are not illustrated, as there is nothing to show except the can label depicting the live snails climbing a bush-twig. To anticipate inquiries, it should be noted that any curiosity seekers investigating the foods of the nations can always obtain them by a little trip through the alien colonies of big cities like New York or Boston -or St. Louis; or even in a smaller metropolis like Seattle, Cincinnati, Minneapolis or St. Paul. <A _ police officer will be able to locate such colonies for the inquirer. In New York, for instance, are found the compact colonies of the several alien peoples, demarcated, gen- erally, by only the width of a single building from the rest of the city, yet preserving to a remarkable degree their own entity and tongue. Emerging unexpectedly into one of these Old-World islands, one becomes aware of the quaint little foreign foodshops which display their stuffs in the windows, enticing one inside where the exotic odors of a world of fantastic edibles assuails the nostrils. About a dozen articles have now been printed under the author’s signature describing and illustrating the more remarkable and featureful foods of all nations in daily use among the foreign colonies of the American cities; and there are still a few hundred of these food freaks which might be rounded up, and many of them more grotesque than those already half-toned. The series, no matter to what lengths it were stretched, could only give an idea that the world has a queer stomach.

Left: Smoked pears from Germany. Center: The original biscuit of the Roman armies of 2000 years ago, as it is still made. Right: Not mushrooms, merely dried persimmons from Japan Further proof that one-half the world never knows what the other half eats

Page 28

314 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 When the Camera Turns Sculptor An Ingenious Combination of Magic Lantern, Camera and Carving Machine for Photo-Sculpture By P. J. Risdon closeness of the lines. With “oA HE newly dis- covered method of photo sculp ture, to be pres- ently described, has outraged artistic instinets of cer sculptors, much as pho tography upset the equilib- rium of the .artist painter. But although “art for art’s sake” is an excellent motto for the artist, it is never likely to strongly to the general public; and if mechanical appeal very means assist towards equally faithful less cost and trouble, they representation at will be welcomed by the great majority. As well might it be contended that there is no real music ex- cept that of the human 100 lines to the inch the grooves in the carving are searcely noticeable, just as a half-tone reproduction ap- pears like a photograph, the dots being unnoticeable. The closer the lines the finer the finish, but the longer the time taken. Before attempting to fol- low the process in detail it is essential to understand the principle on which it is based. In photographing an image on a plane surface, such as a picture, the plane surface is usually arranged parallel with the plate of the camera; i. e., at right angles to the axis of the lens, and with the lens fac- ing the center of the picture, although it is not essential voice—indeed the writer was once solemnly assured by religious and musically in clined person that he objected to an organ in a place of worship on the ground that it was not musie and amounted to praising the Almighty by machinery Reverting to the subject of pictures: it may not be generally known that some perfectly genuine portraits are painted in the following manner: An artist, hav- ing secured a photograph of his patron, projects it to the required seale, with the aid of a magic lantern. By this means he is enabled to produce, with a minimum amount of trouble, a life-like portrait, only needing to see his client for a few minutes when putting on the finishing touches, Incidentally, the method saves the patron much time and trouble, and results in a truer portrait, especially in the case of young children, al- though probably there will always be people willing to pay big prices for an artist’s name and for no better i result than by the usual method. It is with the help of photography, on more compli- cated lines, that Howard M. Edmunds, of England, has evolved his system of photo-sculpture by means of which faithful and accurate reproductions may be ex- ecuted either in relief or intaglio, of any object that comes within a seculptor’s range of work. Moreover, such reproductions can be worked in any required ma- terial—wood, ivory, marble or metal, in any degree of relief and to any desired scale (within limits), the correct proportion being maintained in all cases. The actual carving is done by means of a mechanically operated cutter or drill, and it is perhaps not unnatural that sculptors should at first be up in arms against it on the score that it is a purely mechanical process. Nevertheless, as the inventor points out, the method is Left: The drill of the carving machine, with partly carved work on the head stock. Right: A guide plate on the rotating carrier of the carving machine, with microscope above no more likely to militate against the real art of sculp- ture than photography did against the sister art. So far from it, just as photography has brought to millions the enjoyment of portraits, scenes and events otherwise denied them, so photo-sculpture may serve to bring before the public beautiful examples of work that may serve to educate and to arouse an interest hitherto unfelt in the sculptor’s art. The process under consideration is briefly described by Mr. Edmunds, Sr., as follows: “In a dark room, light from a magic lantern is projected on to the face of the subject through a screen of glass upon which is a series of lines in a spiral form—something like a gramophone record These lines, falling on a plane surface, would show as. a uniform spiral, but when projected on to a human face, for example, they become irregular and distorted. A photographic camera at the same time receives on its sensitive mlate the object before it, with all its distorted lines This plate is fixed and developed, thus furnishing the ‘record’ which is afterwards employed in the carving machine, enab- ling the operator, by carefully following these lines, to control a revolving cutter, or drill, which effects a cut of varying depth in the material upon which it is act- ing, and thus produces a solid copy in the three dimen- sions—length, breadth and height—of the subject upon which the lantern has thrown its rays.” It should be here mentioned that there is no par- ticular magic about spiral lines. Parallel lines would serve the purpose, but the inventor happened to choose the spiral, to which his first machine was adapted. In either case the fineness of the work depends upon the that it should be central. If, however, the picture be placed so that it is no longer parallel with the plate of the camera, a foreshortened reproduction will be the result, the distortion increasing with the angle of tilt. If we substitute a magic lan- tern for the camera, and interpose a glass plate marked with spiral lines, the lines will appear truly spiral on the picture, and if the camera plate be placed at an angle to the plane of the paper and a photograph taken, the lines will appear distorted in such a photograph. But by projecting the image again onto a screen at a correcting angle the original undistorted image would appear, If instead of a plane surface an irregular object, such as a human face, be substituted, the image of the spiral lines, if viewed from the projector lens, would appear regularly spaced, but viewed from any other point would appear displaced according to the degree of relief and depth of the features. And if a camera be placed with its lens in the same nodal plane as the projector lens, the displacements will follow a definite law which can be mathematically proved, all points on the lines of the undistorted figure appearing to move to their displaced positions along parallel lines. The lines on the glass screen having been focussed upon the face of the subject, a photograph is taken at an angle and an enlargement to a suitable scale is made on glass—preferably opal glass, as this does not alter its form on development as would be the case if bromide paper were used. Certain corrections are also made, the exact nature and purpose of which the inventor does not at present wish published. The enlarged photograph on the opal plate is known (Continued on page 359) Left: Guide plate used for the carving machine. Center: Mr. Edmunds at his carving machine, about to commence work. Below his face is the microscope and guide plate. To the right of the picture, opposite the drill, is a block of alabaster, partially carved, mounted on the rotating headstock. Right: Man’s head in bronze—a magnificent example of photo-sculpture un ti be th pr do sis en tr: ti of or es) SE po nu the on ari col in joi bh the wi sec ste ag: in ral is iro des tec me wo noi che ove lat all; sec By fro ap} ant to pos sta iro che iro 10 wei In saf thu pen

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123 re ith the ire as ip- he ‘he he he May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN De. Op ee os, Lejt; Mow the various sections of the new German iron-concrete safe are assembled into one compact iron-concrete block, Center: A graphic proof of the portability of the sectional safe, The man here shown is carrying a single iron-concrete section. Right: How the inner strong-box or cash-box, with its door, fits into the outer shell or section of iron-concrete construction An ingenious combination of iron and concrete in sectional form for the small safe Sectional Safes of Concrete and Iron A NECESSARY development in the design of safe deposit vaults for large banking houses has been the provision of safety compartments protected by iron concrete, a material which is invulnerable both to fire and drilliny. The vulnerable part of the usual installa- tions has been the door, against which all attacks have been directed. Iron and steel structures, accessible to the oxy-acetylene burner, no longer afford the required protection; and even in the case of safe deposit vault doors, it has been found advisable to coat them with iron concrete, in order thus to offer any effective re- sistance. However, in the case of ordinary safes the enormous cost and, even more, the impossibility of transport, has so far prevented this mode of construc- tion from being adopted. A firm of German engineers, Messrs. Briiuer-Tresor, of Diisseldorf, have, on the same constructive principle, worked out a remarkable scheme of construction for ordinary safes, making them as efficient as the strong- est bank vault. A safe such as this is made up of several outside sections, each of which weighs rather more than 110 pounds, and, accordingly, is readily transportable. The number of sections depends on the depth required; they are, like those of a sectional boiler, slipped over one another, each section comprising a closed iron- armored concrete frame, a substantially armored iron concrete plate at the back, and a similar door section in front. An inside frame, having a cash-box inside, joins these sections into a single compact iron-concrete block, merely by turning some substantial screws at the inside bottom of the cash-box and thus uniting this with the iron-armored rear plate. The Briiuer safe is of such ingenious design that full security is warranted even after melting all iron and steel parts, all structural iron parts being protected against fire by a concrete coating. The lock is secured in a similar manner. Additional safety can be war- ranted by providing further internal frames as well as by reenforcing the expanded metal parts. Inasmuch as the concrete frames are coated with an iron sleeve, the exterior of the safe can be given any design required. This sleeve, at the same time, pro- tects the concrete against any direct attack by the ham- mer and chisel. Any attempt at cracking this safe would entail an enormous this manner, the cost of erecting outriggers and tackle may be saved, and the necessity of painfully lowering the safe from a window with risk alike to tackle and safe, not to speak of pedestrians, is avoided. Phosphorescent Light of Fireflies YVER since the classic experiments of Langley, _4 the light of the firefly has attracted attention on account of its presumed high efficiency and the hope that we may ultimately be able to produce syntheti- cally substances yielding useful phosphorescent light. Some experiments by Dr. H. E. Ives, show that the brightness of the firefly is about 0.014 lumens per sq. em. This may appear so low as to be of little practi- eal value in comparison with the brightness of a typical white sky (about 1 lumen per sq. cm.) and it is, of course, far below the brightness of most artificial il- luminants. Yet if we could obtain such a_ steady brightness synthetically, and cover fairly extensive surfaces with the phosphorescent substance, it would be possible to obtain a serviceable illumination. The examination of the distribution of energy in the spectrum of the firefly is attended by great difficulty owing to the feeble nature of the light. Dr. Ives em- ployed two methods, photography with panchromatic plates and “extinction of phosphorescence,” and de- duced that the radiation is confined between 0.5 and 0.6 u. which is the region of the visible spectrum where perception of light by the eye is most acute.—Abstract from an article, Journal of The Franklin Institute. Hard Teeth on Soft Saws HE machinery of the big modern sawmill has been brought to a high state of perfection, but as much cannot always be said for the saws themselves. The efficiency of the band saw depends upon the hardness of the teeth; but this hardness is limited by the fact that too hard steel would not stand the continual flexion on the running wheel, without developing cracks. These cracks lead to rupture, with great danger to the mill hands. When the steel is too mild, however, the teeth get blunt too quickly, necessitating too much stoppage for changing saws. In the effort to reconcile these conflicting require- ments, Mr. G. Geerlofs, engineer in charge of a sawmill in Sumatra, has developed a method of hardening the teeth electrically. It is found that the proper procedure is to bring to a glow only the upmost part of the tooth, making it a little more than red hot; as soon as this condition is attained the current is broken and the electrode removed. The local heat is so quickly ab- sorbed by the blade of the saw that no further cooling is required. The extreme point of the tooth is in this way sufficiently hardened to prolong its life very much, while the body of the saw remains soft enough to run around the wheels at speed without damage. A current of about five volts, alternating or direct, is employed. After every grinding the teeth must be again hardened. The hardness must be so regulated that in swaged teeth no crumbling takes place, so it is ubsolutely necessary that only the extreme edge of the tooth be treated. This requirement is met by shaping the electrode so that it does not touch the cutting edge of the tooth. Current consumption varies from 170 amperes for 18-gage teeth of 1.24 millimeters, to 565 amperes for No. 1 gage teeth, of 7.69 mm. In operation, Mr. Geerlof’s apparatus works as indi- cated in the drawing. With the adjustable resistance C, voltage and amperage can be easily regulated. The switch D on the handle is first closed, short-circuiting the secondary current. The electrode is then put on the tooth, no sparking occurring, of course. Next the switch D is opened, a slight sparking of no importance taking place, and the current running through electrode and saw-tooth to the stud F/, in sliding contact on the saw blade. When the tooth is sufficiently red, the switch D is closed again, and the electrode may be removed with- out sparking. It is absolutely necessary to employ the short-circuiting switch D in this manner, because if the full spark of contact making and breaking is permitted, on the saw tooth, the latter will inevitably be burned off. About 400 teeth can be thus hardened in an hour. Selenium Compounds and Radioactive Soil HE rare metal selenium, whose chief importance resides in its peculiar sensitiveness to light, as shown by a corresponding variation in electrical resist- ance, is really not so rare in its occurrence as has been supposed, according to a report made to the French Academy of Sciences by M. I. Stoklasa, who has been studying the subject since 1906. He finds that this element is given off in the fumes of volcanoes and in those resulting from the combustion of coal or pyrites. noise, thus reducing its chances toa minimum. More- over, the safety of an instal- lation is increased continu- ally by providing additional sections of the same type. By changing the installation from day to day without any apparent system, the fire and burglar risk is reduced to a minimum. It is also possible thus to adapt an in- stallation to changing re- quirements. The manufacture of an iron concrete safe is much cheaper than that of any iron or steel structure, only 10 to 15 per cent of its weight consisting of iron. In the event of removal, the safe is readily dismantled, ELECTRODE Selenium compounds also tend to accumuiate in the soil from the use of fertil- izers containing the sulfate and the superphosphate of ammonia which have been made from sulfuric acid containing selenium as an impurity. The slow oxida- tion of pyrites, aided by the P 4 action of certain microbes, also contaminates the soil : A with selenium. Both selenites p Y~ VV ns, und seleniates, especially of ‘ sodium, are highly toxic to plant life. However these a poisonous effects are largely / neutralized by radioactive 1 substances. M. Stoklasa be- lieves that the well-known favorable effect of radio- active soils on vegetation is thus reducing transport ex- penses to a minimum. In How electricity can be employed to harden the teeth of a soft steel saw largely due to this action.

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316 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 Left: Summer—fallowing land plowing the vegetation under and allowing the ground to remain dormant for a season. Right: Artificial crop-boosting by means of the manure-spreader Two fundamentally different ways of adding to the fertility of the soil Feeding the Soils What the Farmer Has to Put In to Pay for What He Takes Out T IS one of the fundamental laws of nature that for everything we receive something must be given. If Peter doesn’t pay, Paul must. Perpetual motion has long been striven for but never attained, because it violates this law. In accounting, for every credit there is a debit, and in electricity there is a positive and a negative. This holds true in every- thing affecting this mundane sphere. Our farmers have found that they cannot continue to take food elements out of the soil without replacing them from other sources. As Professor Russell, of the Wisconsin Agricultural College, says: “The soil is the great fundamental asset in our national wealth. Out of it comes life and sustenance for the whole world of nature and mankind. Formerly it was customary to look upon it merely as a mass of inert particles, but we know that it is composed of the most complex ma- terials, and in place of being dead and inert it is pulsing with myriad forms of life. These living or- ganisms act and react, not only on each other, but on the complex soil particles with which they come in contact. If human life is to last. receive adequate support from the soil, the soil-tiller must feed his soil as he feeds his flocks.” The farmer of olden times applied | » improve them, | | manure to his fields t but he did not know exactly why he did it. The modern soil scientists, however, have proved that the soil organisms or bacteria are of prime importance in crop production. These tiny organisms play a most important part in farming. Some species have the power to fix the atmos- pheric nitrogen and render it available for By Arthur L. Dahl other sources directly available on the farm, a large supply of valuable fertilizer could be secured from the garbage of our cities. This waste material contains nitro- gen, phosphorie acid and potash, which are recognized as essential to the production of large crops. Valuable as these elements are to the farms of the country, the gar- bage in which they are found is a source of trouble and expense to the cities. It seems, therefore, that this garbage can be disposed of most advantageously by re- turning it to the soil in the form of fertilizer. In cities of 100,000 or more people the reduction of garbage by methods which furnish a residue fit for fertilizer use has proved to be a profitable municipal enterprise, and in smaller communities it might well be made self-sustaining. Numerous analyses of raw garbage show that on the average grease constitutes 3.5 per cent; and of the fertilizer ingredients, potash, 0.3 per cent; bone phosphate, 1 per cent, and nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, 1 per cent. On this basis the value of a ton of raw garbage is about $5, the grease being worth $3 and the fertilizer ingredients $2. Since States. The greatest single source of plant life available for feeding the soils of our farms is in the manure produced on those farms. Through ignorance of its true value, or from improper methods of handling, it has been estimated by the Department of Agriculture that over half of this country’s production of manure is not utilized, and the value of this wasted material is in excess of $1,200,000,000 a year, or more than the value of our annual wheat crop. It has been found that each horse or mule produces annually $27 worth of manure; each head of cattle $20 worth; each hog $8 worth. Calculating from the 1910 census figures for number of animals on farms, the total value of manure produced is found to be about $2,461,000,000, of which only about half is ade- quately used as fertilizer. Barnyard manure is a very complex substance and undergoes very rapid changes, by which much of its value may be lost if it is not properly cared for. Loss is due to two chief causes. First, fermentation, of which there are two kinds, one of which, for its growth, requires an abundance of air, while the other occurs without air and 7 will die when exposed to it. The first of these ferments is the most active and destructive. The second source of loss is by leaching or weathering. The leaching occurs more rapidly if the manure is left uncovered and subjected to considerable moisture. On the modern farm, concrete pits are built to store the manure until it is ready to apply on the soil, or often it is spread over the ground daily. Lime is one of the most valuable min- erals applied to agricultural fields, as its application brings about beneficial results in several ways. It stimulates the proper plants, while others attack the humus or organic matter in the soil and enable the crop to utilize the plant food it contains. It is a truism that nitrogen and organic matter are the most important factors in the fertility of agricul- tural soils the world over. Some soils possess more of these elements than others, but even the best are soon depleted if crops are continually grown thereon without some means being taken to replace the food elements extracted by the growing plants, Nitrogen exists every- where in the air, and there are a number of ways by which it can be. made available for the soil. Certain green plants, like alfalfa, cow peas and other legumes, have the ability to draw nitrogen out of the air and store it in the soil, where it is available for plant food for other grain crops. Common barnyard manure, if properly handled, produces a considerable quantity of nitrogenous matter, and in Norway, Germany, and to a limited extent in the United States, nitrogen is ex- tracted from the air by electricity. To supply the increasing demand for fertilizer the Government recently made a survey of the nation’s re- sources in fertilizer materials, and it was found that in addition to the manure, lime, green cover-crops and Grinding limestone for application to sour land the grease is of more value than the fertilizer, the reduction process is primarily designed to recover the grease. There are three methods of doing this. The garbage is cooked and steamed and then pressed dry and degreased in gasoline. Or the garbage is dried directly in rotary hot-air kilns and then degreased in gasoline; or it is dried and degreased in one operation. At present only six cities in the United States operate their own reduction plants, and about 20 send their garbage to privately-owned plants. These produce in the course of a year 160,000 tons of tankage, or fer- tilizer, made from 1,045,000 tons of raw garbage. If ull of the 199 cities in the United States which have a population of 30,000 or over should adopt this method of garbage disposal the total yield should be from 637,500 to 937,500 tons of fertilizer each year, worth from $4,780,000 to $7,000,000. The big packing houses throughout the country also produce large quantities of tankage, or fertilizer, from the refuse of the slaughter houses, and all of this plant food finds a ready market on the farms of the United decomposition of the organic matter in the soil, neutralizes acids in the soil, improves the physical condition of heavy soils, supplies lime to growing plants, or makes available other elements in the soil. The great majority of the soils of the east, south and portions of the central west are deficient in lime and will respond in increased yields to application of it. Carbonate of lime occurs in nature in several forms, of which ordinary limestone and marl are the most common, Marble, chalk, coral, and oyster and clam- shells are forms not so widely distributed. All of these forms when properly prepared are suitable for agricultural use. Limestone is one of the most common of rock forma- tions, and is found in a great many parts of the country. Limestone is prepared for direct agricultural use by grinding or pulverizing, and when so prepared is marketed as ground limestone. Practically all crop-producing plants require that lime in some form be present in the soils in which they grow, and generally lime is found in all soils to a (Continued on page 360) ~ 4 ob 6 & B= hese A Bet we we A dit SY: fin m ral thi an blo cor ine out ato Art 192 wel AS Na ato! Cur 200 the troy thir the! ind the

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May, 1923 Making the Airplane Radiator and Wing in One HAT is said to be the most impor- tant improvement ever effected in the radiation system for airplanes is the wing radiator perfected by the Curtiss engineers and used with striking success on the Army-Curtiss planes which took the first four prizes in the national races at Detroit last October. The system is incorporated in the new military pursuit plane, which is the latest product of the Curtiss experimental factory at Garden City, L. I. This plane, destined for use by the United States Army Air Service, is said to be the fastest and most powerful in the world, with a speed of not less than 160 miles an hour, and other distinctive features which cially effective in offensive work. The wing radiation system, by eliminat- also make it espe- ing the strong head resistance of the ordi- nary automobile radiator, in- creases the speed of a machine fully 20 per cent. A device connected with the wing radiation serves to regulate the tem- perature of the oil. One of type of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Curtiss pursuit plane equipped with new wing radiators, indicated by darkened portions of upper wing. Insert shows circulation of water 317 Equipping the Soaring Plane with a Small Engine HE results of the German gliding con- test had the world by the ears during the late summer of 1922. The age-old problem of human flight was brought one step nearer its ideal solution; flights of an hour's length out without the agency of a motor, working under high fuel consump tion. Keen rivalry was kindled among the nations over the best gliding perfor- mance, and within a few weeks after the German record had been hung up, it had successful were carried powerful been surpassed by a French pilot in the British gliding contest at Itford Hiil. But these very efforts show that the constructor cannot stand pat on the pres- ent condition of the art, if he hopes to attain a universally useful technique of gliding. The wholly motor- less flier is too severely dependent upon the skill of the pilot and the existence of air currents, ever to come into successful use as a sport and utility plane for the practical, use of everybody. On this account it is appropriate, and has been much urged of late by tech the problems in pursuit work in the past has been the difficulty of warming up the engine in cold weather. In the ordinary type of machine it was sometimes found im- possible in cold weather to get under way in than 20 minutes. Such a delay, when an attack is imminent, is a serious handicap. The oil radiator developed by the Curtiss Company warms up the engine in a fraction of the time heretofore required less and a pursuit plane is able to leave the ground within a few seconds after orders ure received. The wing-covering type of radiator first conceived and designed by the Curtiss engineer for use on 1920 Gordon Bennett racing ma chines, but due to lack of time for testing properly it was nical authorities, to combine the experience of the glider and the power-driven plane and build a plane capable of gliding, and which at the same time would enjoy the aid of a small motor of four to six horsepower for climb- ing and in the absence of favorable currents. Already the first machine in response to this demand has been offered, by F. Bu dig, former chief constructor of the Rumpler works, This machine has already shown its value in trial flights. It carries a small, two-cylinder motoreycle four horsepower, with means for cutting it out and in again aus the plane glides or ceases motor of to glide. At the same time this plane shows another inter- esting novelty, in the form was decided not to attempt their use. Subsequently, other wing radiators were constructed and tested in flight. During these tests it was found very difficult to remove all air from the water system when filling, this air eventually finding its way into the water jackets of motor and forming pockets which ran up pressure on the system so rapidly steam that the vents were unable to relieve it and as a consequence the radiators were blown up. This trouble was finally over- come by installing a spring safety valve of large area in the water header. From the performances obtained with the wing radiators on the Curtiss Oriole it was decided to use them on the Curtiss Army racers if an aerodynamic test in the wind tunnel corroborated the belief that their air resistance was negligible. Ac- cordingly, were run in the Curtiss wind tunnel at Garden City on various sections and at different velocities, and it was found that there was practically no increase in drag at all over wings with- radiators. Curtiss wing type radi- ators accordingly installed on the Army racers and later on both of the 1921 Curtiss Navy racers which formerly were equipped with another type radiator. As a check on their efficiency, the 1921 Navy racers, with hest previous type radi- ators, made 186 miles per hour, and with Curtiss wing radiator, made over 200 miles per hour. The performance of the Curtiss machines in the Pulitzer trophy race when they took first, second, third and fourth place, is the measure of their value. Experiments now in progress indicate that it will be possible to reduce the weight of wing radiators still further. tests out were type Low-powered airplane in flight: A result of the recent soaring flight contests Four-horsepower engine and propeller of the plane shown above of an automatic longitudinal stabilizer, also developed by Herr Budig after some years of experi- ment, which is claimed to eliminate abso- lutely all danger of capsizing in the fore- and-aft direction. In the presence of this device, of course, the pilot would be en- abled to give his entire attention to the preservation of his sideways equilibrium. At the same time the learning to operate such a machine would be made easier for skilled persons. Again, this “auto mat” serves for greater utilization of hori- zontal currents, in contrast to the plete dependence upon vertical air move- less com- ments which has hitherto been the sole reliance of the gliding pilot. The sta- bilizer is plainly to be recognized in one of our views, at the fore part of the ship. It consists in a rudder surface which is displaced by the changing, waxing and waning gusts, the plane following with the necessary movements for stability and better flight. The plane illustrated can be manufactured by quantity-production methods, at a price hardly exceeding that of a motorcycle. The inventor accordingly hopes that he has what may turn out to be the flivver of the skies. A study of the two photographs of this power-driven glider will indicate its sturdy construction, which is a prime con- sideration. Ever since gliding and soar- ing flights have attracted so much atten- tion, there has been ever-growing appre- hension regarding the dangers involved in the new sport. The average soaring glider looks so simple that there chance of the uninformed building the most flimsy contraptions and then en- trusting their lives to crude performances. possible Is a

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 An Old Friend in New Dress The Present Uses for Turkish Boxwood, and the Search for Substitutes By Samuel J. Record, Professor of Forest Products, Yale University

HERE are certain woods which seem de- signed to fill some particular niche in man’s scheme of things Just as many words in our language are without syn-

onyms for some of their true meanings,

so have certain woods no perfect substi- tutes for their more exacting uses. The peculiar resonance property of spruce, for ex ample, makes it unrivaled for sounding-boards of musi- It is hard to conceive how the violin,

cal instruments, without spruce for the belly and Pernambuco wood for the bow, could have attained its enviable place in the musical world. Lignum-vitze alone combines the required density, toughness and natural lubricant for the propeller shaft bearings of steamships. The red pencil wood, walnut the cedar is the only perfect premier gun-stock material, Honduras rosewood the choice for xylophone bars, white pine the ideal match- stick wood, black locust the best for tree nails and insulator pins, white oak for tight cooperage, white ash for baseball bats, shovel handles and bent work, hickory for ax handles, spokes and many other uses where hardness, toughness and resiliency are essentials. All our unique feature, some rare property or combination of valuable woods owe their position to some properties which fit them for special uses where nothing else will serve so well. And so it is with the Turkish boxwood, the one wood of all the untold thousands in the world that is suited for fine engraving. The properties which fit it for this exacting purpose are light color, extremely fine and uniform texture, the minuteness of its pores, freedom from grit and from splintering, checking, and warping when finished, and a dense structure that lends itself readily to carving and polishing. As John Lyly says “There is no . . box in “Euphues and his England,” so knotty that dipped in oil cannot be carved.” For centuries it has held its throne and no pretender is likely ever to overthrow it It is obvious that such a wood is eminently fitted for many purposes besides engraving blocks. The list includes mathematical instruments, various carved and turned articles of ornament and utility, weavers’ shut- tles, mouthpieces of musical instruments, wooden combs, small tool handles, and in the form of veneer for inlay and marquetry, either in natural color or stained. Because of its fine texture and freedom from grit jewelers use wheels of it for burnishing and the saw- dust for polishing. Formerly it was much in demand in the manufacture of roller skates, but that day has passed If the true boxwood could be had in the size and quantity of our more common woods there is no end of uses to which it could be put. Unfortunately it is at best only a small tree of slow and usually Turkish boxwood.

“Bois blanc,” or San Domingo boxwood, the specimen shown being of unusual height and more regular of trunk than they are ordinarily found is small, rarely 8 inches in diameter, and of poor timber form, has limited its exploitation. <A pile of the wood in the lumber yard looks like rough firewood in the round, lormerly, nearly all weaver’s shuttles were made of Among the first satisfactory substi- tutes for this purpose were apple and pear wood. The supply of these was so uncertain and inadequate that muany others were tried. Of our native woods only two have proved successful, namely, the persimmon and the flowering dogwood, sometimes called American boxwood, and in the English trade known as cornel. Today these two woods supply the bulk of the shuttles used through- out the world. The making of shuttle blocks or blanks is practically confined to the south, since the industry is so special- ized that it can only be conducted successfully in local- ities where there is a good supply of the timbers. For this reason dogwood and persimmon trees may be much in demand in one locality and without a market in another. Most of the boxwood now on the market comes from Venezuela and is commonly known as West Indian box- wood. There is record of shipment of this wood as early as 1878, but the extensive development of the business is much more recent. The first wood was called by the natives “amarilla yema de huevo,” re- ferring to the resemblance of the color to that of the yolk of an egg. The botanical name of this tree is Aspidosperma Vargasii, and it belongs to the same family (Apocynaceae) as the Knysna boxwood of South Africa. It is almost certain that this wood, often called “amarillo,” is produced by more than one species of Aspidosperma., For some reason not clear to the writer the amarillo was soon superseded by another Venezuelan wood, known as “zapatero.” For a long time the identity of this tree remained obscure and most works of reference attributed it to Tecoma (or Tabebuia) pentaphylla of the catalpa family. This was a mistake which arose about 1884 due to the incorrect labeling of a specimen in the museum at Kew, England, and remained uncor- rected for 30 years. It is now known that the most im- portant West Indian or Venezuelan boxwood is Casearia praecor of the family Samydaceae. There seems to be a plentiful supply of this zapatero in Venezuela and the logs are smooth, straight and round, 8 to 12 feet long, and ranging in diameter from 6 to 14 inches at the small end. They are stored in cool dry sheds to prevent bluing, and sometimes they ure sawed lengthwise in half to prevent splitting in drying. This wood is of a light yellow or straw color without any distinct heart. It is of a fine and uniform texture, without distinct grain, and is easy to work or carve. It can be used for all the purposes of Turkish boxwood except the better grade of engravings. It comes the neurest of being a satisfactory substitute of true box- wood of any wood known, and its good timber form and freedom from knots permit manufacture with a minimum of waste. The most recent addition to the boxwoods of com- merce is a wood from Santo Domingo known locally as “baitoa.” This first came to the writer's attention in 1918 when a battery com-

crooked growth and throughout much of its range it is searcely more than a shrub. Its range is very extensive, cover ing central and southern Europe, northern and western Asia, and northern Africa Its commercial distribution is more lim ited. being much the same as that of Cireussian or Persian walnut. The chief the region about the Black Sea shipment is Source 1s and the principal port of Batum, but no stocks have been exported since the beginning of the war. The tree reaches commercial proportions in parts of England, but the English boxwood is inferior to the Turkish. Considering the circumstances, it is not surprising that the wood has become in creasingly more difficult to obtain, the quality poorer and the price dearer. The question of substitutes became acute years ago. The botanical name of the true box- wood is Burus sempervirens, the generic name being the Latin for the box tree and the specific referring to the evergreen foliage. In Cape Colony is another species known as Burus Macowani. In 1885 the wood of this tree was introduced into the European trade as a substitute for Turk- ish boxwood and has since been known as East London or Cape boxwood. It can

mander’s ruler made of this wood was submitted for identification. It had two or three features which distinguished it from the other boxwoods, one of which was the presence of lime in the pores in such abundance that when a drop of hydrochloric acid was applied to the end a very noticeable effervescence took place. Upon visiting the lumber yard of a New York dealer in tropical hardwoods, a large supply of this material was found, but the only information available was that it came from Santo Domingo and was called “baitoa.” No reference to this name could be found, and the extensive Yale collec- tions contained no identified specimens of the wood from the West Indies. There were in this collection, however, five spec- imens of the same or similar wood from Argentina, but at first they served to com- plicate the problem because the labels did not agree and, in fact, referred the woods to entirely different families. Through a process of elimination, based on some knowledge of the structure of the woods of these families, the writer was convinced that if any name was correct the wood must be a species of Phyllostylon in the elm family. It is a far ery from boxwood to elm, but a piece of a twig from an

be used for engraving, but is not the equal of the other wood. The fact that the tree Five stages in the evolution of a shuttle for the weaver’s loom herbarium specimen in the New York

r the isla ari¢ dry nro is it tain whe = stan are othe and to t dian and “ry tree, full its d oF exce build and purp Th or Sa famil wood mapl brazi and Braz It is wood it is in th of its soure The may : but ¢ highl name: they and r purely lignur likely of a woods tends to dis pert k the sn a mal of mé

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3 se h eS > a ee Lal MAY, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN é 5 : Left: Loading logs under big wheels; pulling the tongue down pulls the logs up. Right: Hauling the logs by the big-wheel method; the logs are suspended under the axle by chains A recently developed apparatus of the logger which makes the old-fashioned skid look like a back number Botanical Garden established the relationship. Corrob- orative evidence was later secured from Haiti where the tree is known as “bois blanc,” and one more wood has been taken from the “source unknown” list and properly classified. Regarding the occurrence of this tree in Haiti, Mr. ©. D. Mell, who looked it up for the writer, says: “The ‘bois blanc’ is one of the most common trees in the dry calcareous regions of the west and north of the island and is said to be most plentiful in the flat and arid regions south of Gonaives in Haiti and on the low dry foothills and lower slopes of the mountains around Puerto Plata in Santo Domingo. Only rarely s it found on the upper slopes and tops of the moun- tains. It prefers flat lands that are dry and rocky, where it is often found growing thickly in pure forest. “The crowns of the trees are so open that in the pure stands the sunlight reaches the ground and the trees are accordingly rather short boled. In mixture with other trees casting a denser shade the height is greater and occasional specimens may be seen that are 30 feet to the first large limb and as much as 18 inches in diameter breast high. Usually the trunks are irregular and few of them are suitable for lumber. “The leaves are small and not very numerous. Every its site or associates, seems to be tree, regardless of full of epiphytic plants which appear to interfere with its development. “The wood is not esteemed very highly by the natives except for making fence posts and square timbers for buildings of all kinds. Only the smaller sizes are used and the large trees do not seem to be cut for any purpose.” There are several interesting things about this baitoa or San Domingan boxwood. Though it belongs to the elm family, the wood is fine-textured and yellow like box- wood, and the bark and fruit of the tree resemble sugar maple. Only one species, Phyllostylon only to find that it has passed through so many hands that its identity and origin are lost. If in all such cases the scientific name can be fixed, the region of growth can be pretty closely determined and old and possibly new sources of supply suggested. Scientific names are recognized the world over and thus provide a key to information regardless of the language in which it is published. Moreover, they indicate natural relationships which are often suggestive to seekers of new woods for old uses. It is extremely doubtful if the search for boxwood substitutes will ever produce another wood suited for fine engraving. During the present famine of Turkish boxwood stock, block-makers have to practice every pos- sible economy of material. Used blocks are cut into thin layers and glued on to maple backs. In some instances the engravers have had trouble due to the layers being so thin that the grain would tear out un- der their tools. In Japan, when large engravings are made, some less expensive wood is used for the main figure, but when the fine details, such as faces and hands, are to be engraved, as indicated by an outline sketch, an inlay of edge-grain boxwood veneer is used. It might seem that in these days of advanced meth- ods of printing there would be no demand for wood engravings. It is becoming a lost art in this country because of lack of apprentices, though about 200 old engravers remain. Of this number 150 are said to be in Chicago and the remainder in New York. The box- wood blocks are prepared by only two makers, one in each city. The blocks are cut edge-grain so that the engraver works»,on the cross section of the wood, and are seven-eighths inch high. The best blocks measure 2 by 2 inches free of the pith and can only be pro- cured from logs not less than 4% inches in diameter. This wood cost $200 a ton in the rough before the war. Big-Wheel Log Hauling M*** are the differences between the labors of the lumberjack of yesterday and of today. But in the presence of improved methods of cutting and trimming, it may still be said that the greatest advantage which the lumberman of the present generation has over his predecessor of two or three decades past lies in the im- measurably improved facilities which are offered today for the removal of the felled logs from the forest to the railhead or the water. There was a time when the log had to be dragged, over more or less effective skids, from the site of its fall to the point where it could be put on the car or in the water or on to the big horse-drawn truck. This wis always a good deal of a problem. It is solved effect ually and permanently by the big-wheel outfit illus trated herewith. The thing is in principle the same as _ the straddle truck which has been used with such suc cess in moving large loads of finished boards about the lumber yard; but of course it has to be far more rugged than this comparatively civilized contemporary. It con- sists essentially of two large wheels, sufficiently rugged for work over the rough forest terrain, connected by a Into this axle is inserted a long pole which standing up in our illustration at stout axle. is clearly shown the left. Logs—anywhere from one to half a dozen of them, ac- cording to size, are suspended under the axle by chains; and their weight promptly tips the pole way up, as shown. Sut the lack of balance is not a heavy one, and it is comparatively easy to pull the end of the pole down to earth again, raising the logs off the ground as a matter of course. The team of horses or mules is now attached, and serves alike as motive power and coun- terweight—just as the horse in the shafts of the rac- ing sulky keeps these down to earth at the proper angle. Once harnessed wo in this way, it is sim- braziliensis, is recognized by botanists, and it is known to occur in Argentina, Brazil, Caba, Santo Domingo and Haiti. It is proving a very satisfactory shuttle wood, and as the trees grow to large size it is likely to become an important factor in the trade. Through the establishment of its identity several previously unknown sources of supply are made available. The question of the identity of woods may seem to be of academic interest only, but as a matter of fact it is often of highly practical significance. The native names have such a foreign sound that they are usually discarded by the trade and new ones given. The latter may be purely fanciful, as for instance calling lignum-vite “Congo cypress;” but more likely they are intended to convey the idea of a close relationship to some other woods with established reputations. This tends to no end of confusion, may lead to disputes and lawsuits, and calls for ex- pert knowledge to straighten out some of the snarls. It is a common experience for plicity to get the logs to the point where they can be dealt with for good. Jacking Out the Stumps NE way to get out the stump of a felled tree is to blast it out. An- other is to dig it out. Both procedures have their obvious disadvantages. The machine which we illustrate provides a simple mechanical means of extracting the stump with its manifold roots, much after the fashion which the dentist follows in the extraction of snags from the human jaw. The stump must be of such shape that it can be firmly gripped with chains from above, or failing this, must be exca- vated until the passage of the chains is a possibility. It is securely moored to the overhead frame, which is then slowly jacked up by means of the two jacks shown at either side; or in extreme cases four of these can be used, one at each corner of a somewhat more ambitious framework. The stump that resists every ordinary leverage will walk right out of a manufacturer to pick up an odd lot of material that just meets his needs The latest machine for uprooting trees, which does the job with great saving of time and labor the ground under the slow and steady urge of these jacks.

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320 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 Why Grade Crossing Accidents? Causes of Automobile Accidents at Grade Crossings as Established by a Railroad’s Investigation HE editor of a national magazine did not minee words recently when, under the title “Grade-Crossing Accidents,” he _ in- dicted careless automobile drivers in no uncertain terms. He said: “It is ob- viously of little use to talk of punishment to drivers who take reckless chances at grade crossings, for sooner or later they are killed and .their cars utterly destroyed. Unfortunately they usually carry passengers who have no voice in the control of the car and who also lose their lives, because of somebody's mad desire to cross a railroad track ahead of a train.” Abundantly justifying the strong words used in this editorial are the conclusions of a survey recently con- ducted by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company for the purpose of determining the causes of automobile accidents within the territory through which this transportation system operates. Of outstanding con- cern is the information that for a period of 12 months,48 8&8 per cent of the injuries and : rasualties inflicted at rail- road crossings ure attributed to the failure of drivers of motorized vehicles to halt a few moments until trains have passed over the cross ings. In consequence 183 accidents occurred on the Baltimore & Ohio transpor- tation system, exacting a death toll of 35 persons and causing injury to 95 others. The editor of the national magazine already referred to, in placing responsibility for the growing lists of casualties at railway cross- ings, suggests a number of faults inherent in the driver, stating that “with some- thing like 10,000,000 cars in service, it is inevitable that thousands of drivers are either careless, too venture- some, deaf, have poor eye- sight, or possess one or more of a score of weaknesses which sooner or later lead to accidents.” The results of the analysis of the Balti- more & Ohio Railroad Com- pany, however, indicate that if it were possible to drill into the heads of all auto- mobile drivers the futility and foolhardy course of at- tempting to “beat” trains over crossings, nearly one- half of the accidents which oceur would be avoided. The failure of many of the op- erators of motor cars, recog- nized by this survey of 183 accidents within 12 months, to determine accurately the rapidity with which fast trains and swiftly moving automobiles approach one another, proved suicidal to the latter. Then, too, the element of chance, which surges in the human breast, impelled seme drivers to attempt to “beat” express trains, a gamble with death which almost invariably spelled destruction to automo biles and occupants. * The “stalling” of the engine on railroad tracks is a poor second among the causes responsible for casualties at the seemingly impotent sign, “Stop, Look, and Lis ten.” Eighteen per cent—a sharp decline from the major cause of accidents—of the fatalities and injuries occurring at railroad crossings was assigned to “dead” motors. Eight deaths and 20 injuries were traceable to this cause. The majority of these accidents were brought about from drivers either attempting to change gears while crossing she railway tracks or applying pressure to the foot brake instead of the accelerator. Responsibility for this form of accident, too, is in- directly traceable to the restlessness of the automobile driver who would “take a chance” rather than wait a few moments until the oncoming express train has By S. R. Winters passed over the crossing. Or, to employ the picturesque terms of the magazine quoted, “Familiarity with any danger breeds contempt.” Gates at railroad crossings are commonly considered as safeguards; yet during the past 12 months this east- ern transportation system recorded 50 instances in which automobile drivers blindly ignored the presence of gates and crashed their motorized machines into them. Fortunately, only one person was injured in these half of a hundred mishaps, but escapes from in- jury were averted by a hair’s breadth, as it were. These crossing gates, visible by day because of their alternate white and black stripes, and identified after nightfall by reason of red lights perched thereon, have been frequently destroyed or impaired by careless motorists. Thus, 13 per cent of the grade-crossing acci- dents are credited to a method wherein at least a measure of protection is offered to the motorist. This serious railroad accident happened when the driver of a motor truck saw the train coming and tried to beat it across. When on the tracks the driver stepped on the accelerator, causing the truck to jerk forward and spill its load of iron piping on the crossing, derailing the train Ten per cent of the accidents occurring to motor vehicles is ascribed to the attempt of drivers to pene- trate railway trains from the side while standing at crossings. “Running into side of trains” is the phrase employed by officials of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company in recounting to the writer the 40 accidents occurring in this manner. Four persons were killed and five injured, because the motorist failed to look sufficiently ahead to see a train buttressed across the pathway. It is almost inconceivable that a person is so careless as to drive an automobile into a railway engine or a string of box cars, yet records offer in- disputable evidence of this reckless procedure in at least 40 instances in one year on this eastern trans- portation system. Defective brakes on automobiles and too close ap- proach of motor vehicles to the sides of locomotives were causes for six per cent of the mishaps recorded in this analysis of grade-crossing negligence. Eight persons were injured in automobiles because of defec- tive brakes, and five persons were killed and an equal number sustained injuries by reason of “parking” motorized vehicles too close to the railway track. Eight drivers, or about two per cent of those involved in the 183 automobile accidents recognized in this story, were operating machines while under the influence of intoxi- cating beverages. Four persons were killed and sixteen injured in the automobiles manned by drivers whose insobriety proved in the final analysis to be criminal. The photograph illustrating this article demonstrates, perhaps, a rare occurrence, and yet one that is not im- probable at any time. The driver of the motor truck not only ignored the warning “Stop, Look, and Listen,” but stepped on the accelerator with a vim. The result was the motor truck abruptly pressed forward and caused some iron pipe from the truck to “spill” on the railway track in front of an oncoming train. In con- sequence, not only was the locomotive derailed but the passenger cars were partly overturned, as the photo- graph shows. The automobile driver was attempting to “beat” a train over the grade crossing. He suc- ceeded. However, his suc- a cess might be described as well-nigh criminal. The cas- ualty list indicated that the fireman was killed and the engineer and several pas- sengers injured. Carbon Formation in Engine Cylinders from carbon” has been the war cry not only of the lubricating oil salesman, but of the ven- der of pistons and piston rings as well. Its appeal lies in the fact that “removing carbon” appears rather fre- quently in the expense ac- count of the average motor ist, and that the need for carbon removal is usually made manifest by a period of extremely poor engine performance. The past few years have witnessed con siderable progress in pre venting excessive quantities of oils from entering the combustion chamber and the formation of large amounts of carbon from this source is somewhat less common than it was. However, there still appear to be differences in the rate at which carbon accumulates in engines, which cannot be satisfactor- ily explained through varia- tions in the amount of oil entering the combustion chambers. A _ possible ex- planation of some of these differences is furnished by When the train, instead of the automobile, is the victim of the grade crossing accident seule Gente taste cane ot the Bureau of Standards. These tests included runs of several hours’ duration at full load and at about one-third load. Carbon de- posit on the spark plugs was very bad at the low load but negligible at full load. The deposit on the piston head, however, was decidedly worse at full load than at part load. The conclusion, which has been verified in other ways, is that at full load the temperature of the piston is favorable for the formation of carbon while the temperature of the spark plug is too high for such formation. On the other hand, at part load the temperature of the spark plug is favorable for carbon formation and the temperature of the piston head too low. If, in the course of normal engine oper- ation, there are times when portions of the combustion chamber are too hot for carbon to form and other times when they are too cool, it seems reasonable to assume that e rate of carbon formation depends upon the condit#ons under which the engine is operating, and that there is a certain load at which carbon formation will be a maximum. Likewise there is a certain other load at which it will be a minimum, It would appear, then, that some carbon is bound to form at any one point, and the only remedy is to scrape or burn it off. to le th tu tik Tl P: qu its fu iu siz wi qu fee ne gre are the tor sel he the ing pec fill dey vid aby mo is | to | y. cen levi mol pro was was ser fou the dra unt elli whi ext ing ent! ero" mer of t dire 38 affo rade sion the for nade ston a he TI arat perf inst: by n TI reer com Ange tech mun unde seurn

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23, mn the Pre en se al. eS, m- ick ult nd he on- the to- rid a ac uc- uas- the the ais- se by at on ad on an ed of on gh ad or on on es ne he nd on er ir, ne ff. May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 321 present is neutralized by the supplies The Los Angeles Coliseum— One of the World’s Great- est Structures ITHOUT seeking to establish a \V world’s record, but nevertheless prepared to meet extraordinary de- mands as far as attendance records are concerned, non-profit organiza- tions in Los Angeles in cooperation with local authorities are now bring- ing to completion in Los Angeles one of the greatest coliseums in the world. With the addition of a gallery which now appears to be imperative but which was not contemplated in the original plans, this huge structure will have a seating capacity of close to 125,000 people. Without the gal- lery and without providing seats on the great field in the center, the struc- ture as it stands today will seat 75,000. It is being erected in Exposi- tion Park at a cost of $1,000,000. of available alkali in the tissues, but not until the period after relaxation is complete does the oxygen consump- " tion of the muscle begin. In this final stage, in which the muscle is appar- ently at rest, a process goes on which may be compared to the recharging of an accumulator, for not only is oxy- gen consumed but the lactic acid dis- appears and heat is developed. A little reflection is sufficient to help us to realize that the sequence of changes in the isolated’ single muscle, in which the oxygen consump- tion only occurs during the final stage, has its counterpart in the proc- esses going on in the body of a man running a race. When the running stops, he is “out of breath,” that is to say, he still needs oxygen in ex- ¢ess of his resting requirements, for he does not, from minute to minute during the race, obtain all of the oxygen necessary to oxidize the lactie The architects, John and Donald B. Parkinson, declare that “it is un- qualifiedly the greatest structure of its kind in the world.” The Los Angeles Coliseum is in the form of a beauti- ful ellipse, being a combination of an amphitheater and a stadium. It is difficult for the mind to grasp its size, the maximum length being 1125 feet and the width 790 feet. In the center is a playing field ade- quate to meet every athletic need, measuring 344 by 680 feet. The great structure has been built to meet a need that has become imperative, arising from the great number of outdoor activities and spectacles that are participated in by southern California throughout the year. Pageants, parades, circuses, exhibits and tournaments are among the events already being scheduled for this great recreation center which will be completed in the early part of next year. Not only because of its size but because of the up-to- the-minute methods employed in meeting the engineer- ing and construction problems of this edifice, is it peculiarly noteworthy. The structure is of the cut and fill type; that is, the central area was excavated to a depth of 37 feet below the natural ground level to pro- vide earth with which to make the banks that rise about the field on all sides. This work involved the moving of no less than 300,000 cubie yards of dirt. It is a remarkable fact that machinery made it possible to move all of this mass with the labor of but six men. A movable tower 125 feet high was erected in the center of the area that was to be converted to a below- level field. This tower weighed 100 tons and was mounted on rollers so that it could travel a plank path provided for it. From the top of the tower a cable was extended over the area where the excavated dirt was to be deposited. On this table traveled a mammoth scraper, which had a capacity for In addition to 86 tunnel entrances, the coliseum has this imposing main entrance, 40 feet wide and 75 feet high, of concrete and stone the needed edifice would be built despite restraining court actions, the procedure having been to organize the Community Development Association, a non-profit organization, headed by public spirited citizens. This body entered into an agreement with the city of Los Angeles and the county of Los Angeles, whereby the two latter pay a stated rental for a period of years and have equal rights to occupancy with the association. At the end of the period the coliseum becomes the prop- erty jointly of the city and county of Los Angeles. Athletics and Oxygen Supply N attempting to analyze the factors which underlie muscular efficiency, most observers have been con- tent to concern themselves with a consideration of the oxygen supply. They have ‘evoted themselves to a study of the means by which fuel arrives at the engine rather than to a study of the behavior of the engine itself. We are now in a position to consider the broad question of ath- letic capacity from the details of the changes which we know take place in the contraction of an isolated muscle. We know that during the initial contraction of the muscle and the period in which this contraction is maintained, there is a liberation of lactic acid within the muscle, and that the actual contraction of the muscle is a consequence of the physical forces called into play by the appearance of this acid at various membranes or surfaces within it. The fact of great significance is that these processes in which the full force of the muscle is developed and maintained do not demand for their accomplishment any supply of oxygen whatever. While the muscle relaxes the lactic acid acid produced in the contractions of his muscles. If he runs slowly the process of removing lactic acid will be correspondingly facilitated, for his oxygen intake will be nearly sufficient to deal with all the lactie acid produced. If, however, he runs quickly, while he does not increase his oxygen, he does increase his lactic acid production, and this production will soon outstrip its removal. In other words, the runner will become fatigued. Fatigue, then, is seen to be due, among other things, to the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle, and the extent of a man’s capacity as an athlete depends on the extent to which he ean tolerate such an accumulation. His toleration for lactic acid will depend on the reserve of alkali which his tissues contain for neutralization of this acid.— Abstract from Nature for October 28, 1922. The Influenza Germ N Science for February 9, 1923, Drs. Peter K. Olitsky and Frederick L. Gates, of the Rockefeller In- stitute for Medical Research, report the resuits of four years’ experimentation in search of the bacillus re- sponsible for epidemic influenza. They were actuated in this by the fact that competent investigators failed in many cases to find Pfeiffer’s bacillus, which’ has hitherto been blamed for influenza, in either the blood or the nose and throat secretions in the early stages of the disease, although it was frequently found in the pneumonia following the primary infection. They inoculated rabbits with the nasopharyngeal secretions of human patients, and produced characteristic symp- toms of the disease. From these rabbits they inocu- lated others, and from those others, until this had been done fifteen times. Gradually they established the presence of micro-organisms so four tons of earth at a scoopful. As the digging progressed the tower and dragline were moved to new locations until there had been formed a huge elliptical pile of sand and gravel on which the concrete was laid for the exterior of the structure. Penetrat- ing this elliptical wall are 86 tunnel entrances for handling the immense crowds. In addition there is an im- mense tunnel entering below the level of those just mentioned and opening directly on to the field. It measures 38 feet wide and 28 feet high and affords entrance and egress for pa- rades, performers, ete., the dimen- sions being sufficient to accommodate the largest floats. The main entrance for the public is a magnificent colon- nade or peristyle of concrete and stone 40 feet in width and rising to a height of 75 feet. The structure is provided with sep- arate buildings for athletic and other performers and will have lights so installed as to permit of performances by night as well as by day. The erection of this million dollar recreation center is a tribute to the community spirit that obtains in Los Angeles. Owing to certain legal minute that they readily through earthenware filters imperyi- ous to ordinary bacteria. They were readily killed by heat at 56 Cent., but they survived drying and freezing, and withstood the action of 50 per cent glycerol for periods up to nine months. By depositing these microbes in the rabbit’s lungs, pneumonia was produced in many cases. Meanwhile, the same organisms were being also developed by artificial cultivation, their identity being proved by pre- cisely the same results in rabbits when inoculated. The investigators christened this organism Bacterium pneumosintes. Rabbits into whose blood were injected very small doses of live cultures or of heat-killed or- ganisms, developed specific antibodies against the infection, and became im- mune to subsequent attacks. A num- ber of officers and privates at the Army Medical School in Washington were later given three subcutaneous injections of killed cultures. Their local and general reactions were milder than those caused by anti- typhoid vaccination, and the blood of nearly all the men promptly developed protective antibodies. On the strength of this, the vaccine is now being more passed technicalities it was inadvisable for municipal or county authorities to undertake the building of the coli- seum. But it was determined that Close-up view of the huge entrance and the modern method employed in removing the wooden framework into which the concrete has been poured. Note the steel cable by seem justifiable to claim that this which the tractor displaced whole sides of the mold at one pull widely used in the army. It would bacterium is the incitant of influenza.

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299 ate SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes Short Resume of the Report on the Remarkable Mount Katmai Exploration in Alaska (mes | HAVE here a rare tale of the romance I> V of discovery If there had been no erup- (/ | tion on June 6, 1912, the volume we are / reviewing need not have been written; for ES the story of the “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes,” which was discovered during the Photos Copyrighted by National Geographic Society N. J., or a distance of more than fifteen miles. With such a fearsome comparison in mind the reader is doubtless prepared for a thrilling story of loss of life. Fortunately there was none, for not a single per- son perished in the eruption, and we have been enabled to study one of the most interesting examples of geological activity without having to pay the terrible toll of human misery that usually accompanies such ( atacly sms, The flow of incandescent sand constitutes an out- public, as well as to the scientist, are exhibited in this remarkable region, that President Wilson paused in the midst of the World War to set aside the whole district as the “Katmai National Monument,” which embraces over a million acres. Finally, a new harbor, discovered by the Expedition financed by the National Geographic Society and its members, permits the opening of the region to travel. A few miles of road connecting the harbor with the volcanic area will render the “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes” as readily accessible as the geysers of the Yellowstone National Park. exploration, begins with the great volcanic eruption of 1912, which brought it into notice. Exploration under taken for the scientific study of the effects of the ash fall led to the discovery of one of the creat marvels of the natural world, a pla 5 unseen and un suspected by white man and native alike, until entered by a National Geographic Society Expedition, Over an area of 50 square miles the ground is all broken open, and hot gases from the molten material below are even now every where pouring out, forming the several millions of fumaroles that consti “Valley of Ten Thousand On the day named above, vol- canic ash began to fall over all of north Kadiak, in southwest tute the Smokes,” western America. ern Alaska, was reported to be the chief sufferer. This remote village is 100 miles from any voleano, so that the actual seat of the disturbance was not settled for a long time, when it was discovered that Katmai had blown up. This voleano was only a dot on a large scale map, and would have escaped attention indefinitely if it had not been for the eruption. Let us picture to ourselves what would Ready as the National Geographic So- ciety always is to reach out for new fields of interest to its members, it is not at all surprising that with the first news of the eruption a representative, George C. Mar- tin, was despatched to the devastated dis- trict. The report of this first Katmai Ex- pedition has furnished the basis of the earlier chapters. Prof. F. V. Colville recognized the importance of studying the revegetation of the ash deposits, and Dr. Robert F. Griggs, a soil expert, was se- lected to carry on the investigation, and it is the latter’s book which we are re- viewing. Each of the members of the National Geographic Society had an equal share in the financing of the expedition, for a certain proportion of their annual contribution is set aside for exploration purposes, The volume of 340 pages, which is pub- lished by the Society, contains nine maps and 233 illustrations—some in colors; and have been the outcome if the eruption had oceurred on Manhattan Island. The col- umn of steam could have been seen as far as Albany. The sounds of the explosions would be plainly audible in Chicago; the fumes would have tarnished exposed brass in Denver, and linen hung out to dry would be so eaten by the sulfuric acid content as to fall td pieces on the ironing board. Ash would accumulate in Philadelphia a foot deep. To add to the terrors of the catastrophe, even that city would grope for 60 hours in total darkness—a darkness so impenetrable that a lantern held at arm’s length could not be seen. Of the condition of New York per- haps the less said the better. There would be no ocea- sion for rescue work, as there would be no survivors, Froth from the Lava Lake and an equal weight of granite burst of a new type, different from all recorded erup- tions. The phenomena here occurring at the surface, suggest what must have taken place in the formation of many a heavy mineralized region. No less important than the questions of volcanism are the problems of revegetation of the devastated region. The “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes” is far beyond other volcanic districts in the number of its vents and in the quantity of steam given off. It is well within the truth to say that, except during periods of dangerous eruption, the sum total from all the other volcanoes of the New Balancing a “rock” of pumice does not need a “strong man” while written in a popular, or rather a simple style, it does not depart from strictly ethical, scientifie principles. It is beauti- fully reproduced and is a model as to how scientific facts should be laid before the non-technical reader. Through the courtesy of the president, Gilbert Gros- venor, we are enabled to show some of the interesting photographs with which the book is properly illustrated. We cannot follow the book through, chapter by chapter, as space is necessarily limited, and we have already given some of the broad facts showing the great extent of the upheaval. The pictures showing the eruption as experienced at Kadiuk are most in- teresting, and we can get an adequate idea of the Sit ie SE EE ogee ee NS Sate Straining drinking water out of pumice The whole: of Manhattan Island, and an equal area besides, would open in great yawning chasms, and fiery fountains of lava would issue from every crack. The lava in turn would be disrupted by the escaping gases and changed into red hot sand which would con- sume almost everything in its path. In its deepest parts the n jolten sand would probably overtop the tallest sky- pers, though the tip of the Woolworth tower might protrude if its steel supports could endure the fiery furnace surrounding them. For several months no one could approach nearer than Paterson, World is less than is given off continuously within the range of one’s vision from the “Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.” The violently explosive eruptions character- istic of the opening stages of the activity have, more- over, entirely passed away. The innumerable vents function as a gigantic safety valve, through which the titanic forces gathered beneath find avenue for harm- less escape. There is, therefore, no likelihood of return to a danger condition and the region can be visited with perfect safety. So many natural phenomena of interest to the general Frying bacon over a fumarole horrors—mental horrors—from the photograph of the Greek church, with the inhabitants seeking this haven through sinister darkness when the bells boomed out the call to prayer on the morning of the third day. The revenue cutter “Manning” took 500 people on board, although it should have accommodated only 100 people, and the suffering from over-crowding was far worse than that due to the eruption. Everybody was agitated from nervous shock, and they were all in fear of their lives. Finally, the danger subsided and they (Continued on page 360) in tro ] ist ho bas tha pre am tra pri pla twe the tan the tail of hat wol yay sec of mol the beg by rat val fror A see! pro whe as dan slov gre: plar und owl usec bea) inve ess, in | suff dur: = stro is ci dia gray the an | cubi vay the wril N: sky\ day tude air i but brea TI grea ficat Cyri awa. exit.

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923 this the rict ices red hie the the lley the irk, So- ‘lds all the [ar- lis- lix- the ille the ve 1e if n- 1e

May, 1923 The Handwriting on the Sky—the Most Re- cent and Compelling Method of Advertising By Alexander Klemin Lecturer in Aeronautics, New York University KYWRITING as a method of advertising has been recently introduced into the United States by an‘ American offshoot of an English company engaged in this work. Gigantic, clear and lasting legends in the sky attract the immediate attention of thousands and indicate the possibility of such advertising being used on a large scale. The inventor, an Englishman, Major J. C. Savage, conceived the idea of aerial advertising back in the year 1911 when watching in a beautiful evening sky the thin trail of smoke left in the air by the exhaust of an airplane motor. The problem was to generate a vapor which would hang undisturbed in the air and whose emission would be under the complete control of the pilot. Lengthy experiments conducted in secrecy, both in the laboratory and in the air, were in- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN the letters can be quickly written, which enhances the chances of clear writing, and the maneuverability must be perfect. Quick climb to the required altitude and stability are also essential. Naturally, for work of this kind the pilot must have great skill, attainable only by long training. He has to write upside down, to write straight and legibly, to control both plane and gas emission, to make very sharp turns—almost at right angles, and to consider the speed and variation of the wind, the sun and other weather conditions. Since the letters are all in one plane he can only see the side of the last letter he has written, which adds to his difficulties in keeping alignment. Appar- ently, however, all these difficulties of piloting technique have been completely overcome, The invention has a number of scientific possibilities. It may add to our knowledge of atmospheric conditions as regards winds at varying altitudes. Experiments have been conducted under the auspices of the British Air Ministry in which the gas was led to various points 323 hour would be required. In such narrow tubes as the bast is composed of, with frequent cross partitions and colloid contents, this velocity seems quite impossible. These considerations render it highly probable that the tracheae of the wood are the part for downward trans- port also. There is ample experimental evidence for downward as well as upward movement of sap in the tracheae. Tension in the sap determines a flow from any source above or below. Resistance to transverse flow in the wood practically subdivides that tissue into a number of longitudinal filaments of tracheae con- nected anatomically at various levels in the plant. Transpiration from the upper end of one filament may thus lead to a downward motion in a_ neighboring one. There is also conclusive evidence for this reversed motion in intact normal plants. Recent work has shown that the transfer of stimuli from the receptive to the motile regions of plants is effected by the passage of hormones. In several cases it is certain that hormones are conveyed in the tran- spiration current. Moreover, the move ment is often basipetal. Such a down-

terrupted by the war, and a_ practical realization of the idea was achieved only in the summer of 1920. The exact chemical process and the con- trol of emission are held secret. Dr. J. P. Simmons, Professor of Chem- istry at New York University suggests, however, that the process is a simple one based on a chemical combination such as that of hydrochloric acid and ammonia, producing a smoke of solid particles of ammonium chloride. An experiment illus- trating this can be carried out in the most primitive chemical laboratory. The tank placed in the airplane would have to carry two containers, one of the acid and one of the ammonia, both in liquid form. The tank is connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine, and this pipe is carried to the tail of the airplane so that the emission of vapor is undisturbed. The engine ex- haust would provide a draught which would suck on the hydrochloric acid; the vapor of the acid would pass into the second container and mix with the vapor of the ammonia and the resulting am- monium chloride would be carried off into the exhaust pipe. The process could be begun or stopped at the will of the pilot, by working a valve shutting off the appa- ratus from the exhaust. Possibly another valve would be used to shut off the acid from the air. A chemical process of this character seems entirely plausible. A combustion process such as used in smoke torches, where pitch is slowly burnt with saltpeter as the oxidizing agent, would be too dangerous even if the combustion were slow and under perfect control, as too great a heat for the comfort of the air- plane would be generated. To carry gas under compression would be impossible owing to the enormous amount of vapor used up in the writing. <A great deal of beautiful experimentation must have been involved in getting the best chemical proc-

ward flow is clearly available for the con- veyance of organie foodstuffs as well as hormones. Local increases in the perme- ability of leaf-cells will allow solutions of organic substances to pass into the tra- cheae. The tension generated in the sap by the transpiration of other leaf cells will draw this solution downwards in the tracheae. Experimental evidence for this method of transport is available. The volume-changes of leaves and parts of leaves observed during transpiration are in all probability the result of these changes in permeability, and are directly connected with the supply ef organic sub- stance from the leaf-cells to the transpira- tion-current for downward transport. The World’s Supply of Iodine in Relation to the Prevention of Goitre ¥ Science for September 8, 1922, Pro- fessor J. F. McClendon of the Univer- sity of Missouri discusses the world's supply of iodine in relation to the preven- tion of goitre. Dr. McClendon says practi- eally all of the iodine of the earth’s surface is in the sea, which contains about sixty billion metrie tons of iodine in the form of inorganic salts. This iodine probably entered the sea at the same time chlorine accumulated in it. lodides were prokably the most soluble salts on the earth’s surface, chlorides being next in solubility. If the earth was once hot on the surface, it is probable that hydriodie acid existed in the atmosphere and was washed into the sea with the first rain. Insoluble iodides of heavy metals are con- sidered by Emmons to be secondary forma- tions, due to the seepage of sea water through ores, Judging by the prevalence of goitre, there is often a deficiency of iodine in our food and drink. At present. so little is known about the exact quantities of iodine

ess, in regulating the rate of emission, and in getting a vapor which would remain sufficiently coherent in the air to give duration to the skywriting. The letters are written in a horizontal plane, with strokes one mile high for the capitals. The smoke trail is circular in cross-section and approximately 50 feet in diameter. The letters of the word “Call” of our photo- graph are perfectly legible and remain undisturbed in the atmosphere for periods ranging from five minutes to an hour, the average being 15 minutes. About 300,000 cubic feet of gas are required per letter—unless the vapor in the writing is largely diluted by the air, and the apparatus can carry only enough material for the writing of four or five words. Naturally, somewhat ideal conditions are required for skywriting. The sky must, be clear and blue, and the day calm. The writing must be carried out at an alti- tude of at least ten thousand feet. At this altitude the air is clear of disturbances. Theresmay be steady winds but no gusty disturbances to render flying difficult or to break up the vapor. The airplane required for skywriting need not differ greatly from the ordinary machine. Only minor modi- fications are made in the airplane piloted by Captain Cyril Turner, the chief pilot of the firm, such as cutting away a portion of the rudder to give the vapor a free exit. The speed must be as great as possible so that An example of skywriting over New York City. smoke-producing device is invisible because of its great height on the airplane and since the gas followed the path of the air at such points, it was possible to make in- teresting records of airflow around an airplane. This may ultimately have considerable importance in the study of aerodynamics. The Transport of Organic Substances in Plants r a recent address before the botanists of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Professor H. H. Dixon dealt with the transport of organic sub- stances in plants. Organic substances are conveyed upwards in the rising transpiration and root-pressure currents. The transport is probably mainly effected in the tracheae of the outer layers of the wood. Ringing may block these channels completely or partially by the introduction of air-bubbles and by exudations from in- jured cells into the lumina and walls of the tracheae. The downward transport of these substances from the leaves of the lower parts of the plant is usually as- signed to the bast, although there is weighty experi- mental evidence that living conduits are not essential. Calculation shows that if the bast were used as the conduit a velocity of flow in it of about 50 em. per The airplane carrying the taken into our stomachs that. we can judge only by the number of cases of goitre. Omitting the details of local dis- tribution of goitre, there is a wide goitre belt extending north along the Appalachian mountains to Vermont, thence west through the Great Lakes region to Montana and Washington and turning south it finally includes all of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific states. In fact, the goitrous belt includes the mountainous and glaciated regions. Since the run-off from mountainous and glaciated regions has carried away so much of the soluble material, it seems likely for this reason in addi- tion to other evidence that the goitre belt is a low iodide belt. Since the goitre belt includes large cities and millions of population, it seems unlikely at present that all of its inhabitants will receive iodide medication in pure fort. Since the sea contains the bulk of the supply, the trans- fer of iodine from the sea to our food or drink should be increased. Perhaps the simplest and most attractive method is the inclusion of seafoods in our diet, but this is limited. Since sea water and salt deposits contaim iodine, salt might be made an important source of iodine in our dietary scheme. Salt could easily be prepared from sea water as described above with the retention of the iodine compounds and at a cost not exceeding that of present day table salt.

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ONSTRUCTION will be commenced this spring upon the handsome highway suspension bridge which is shown in the accompanying illustration. It will span the Hudson River J} ata point a few miles above Peekskill, N. Y . — and opposite the popular Bear Mountain re sort in the Palisades Interstate Park. The bridge is being built to form a greatly needed highway connection be tween the east and west banks of the Hudson, thereby giving a direct connection between the state highway sys- tems on both sides of the river, and greatly facilitating flic, but that which not only the east and west roadway tr: flows in a north and south direction parallel with the river A powerful predisposing motive for locating the bridge on the present site was the existence on the west side of the river of the Bear Mountain resort, which is visited by large numbers of automobiles on every day of the year on which motor car travel i. possible, and on Sundays and holidays is the Mecca of those workaday people whose excursions far afield are limited to the week- ends, In a letter written to Terry and Tench, the builders of the bridge, by Major W. A. Welch, general manager of the Palisades Interstate Park, he states that during the sea- son of 1921, on several Sundays and holidays, as many as 5500 motor cars stopped at Bear Mountain, and that the total number of cars during the season amounted to over 300,000, Furthermore, the motor car traffic had increased annually during the past five or six years at the rate of about 40 per cent per year. He goes on to say that had there been a bridge across the river, motor car travel from New York during 1921, in his opinion, would have increased 50 per cent over the 1920 traffic. Hitherto cross-river traflic over the Hudson River south of Albany has been by ferry. The ferries were operated with reasonable satisfaction until the development of good roads and the widespread and ever-growing use of motor cars and motor trucks. During the last ten years the ferry service has been greatly increased in the endeavor to meet the emergency and several new lines are proposed at the present time. Also, certain of the existing lines are considering the building of additional boats But while credit must be given to the ferry companies for their endeavor to provide additional facilities, they are swamped by the ever-rising tide of traffic, and are satisfactorily to handle the business offered on During the spring, unable Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. summer and autumn season, when the automobiles are out in force, they have been unable to give adequate ser- vice, even on weekdays. It is a matter of common experience for motorists to wait an hour or more for a ferry; many cars are subject to a wait of three or four hours at various times of con- gestion; and on Decoration Day, 1921, some cars had to wait as long as ten hours before they could cross the Dyck- man Street Ferry. It is, therefore, not so much the failure of the ferry owners to try to meet the situation as it is the develop- ment of good roads and automobile transportation during the last decade, that has given rise to the present neces- sity for a bridge crossing of the Hudson River within easy reach of the Metropvlitan district At the time when the pontoon bridge over the Hudson Kiver at Yonkers, N. Y. (illustrated in the Screntirn AMERICAN Of Aug. 13, 1921), was under discussion, the question was asked if some suitable point for building a highway bridge across the Hudson could not be found, that would give relief in the present congestion until the great suspension bridge at Fifty-seventh Street, New York, is completed. After an exhaustive examination of all possible bridge sites between New York and Poughkeepsie, a site a few miles north of Peekskill was selected as having the fol- lowing advantages: First, it was found that a highway suspension bridge for motor traffic including approaches on both sides of the river could be built fer five million dollars, in less than two years’ time. ' Secondly, the bridge will be about 40 miles from the heart of New York City, and will make a direct connection between the main highway leading through Middletown to Binghamton, Syracuse, Elmira, Rochester and Buffalo, and the Albany Post Road on the east side of the Hudson River. It will give residents of Tuxedo, West Point, Newburgh, and Kingston sections direct highway connection with New York City, thereby avoiding ferry delays at New York; and now that the Kingston bridge and Storm King Road are completed, it will give an all-land route from Albany to New York via Kingston, Newburgh, and West Point. Another great advantage, especially in the vacation season, is that it will give an all-land route to West Point, Palisades Interstate Park and the Catskill district, for residents of New York City and Westchester County. Over and above the benefits to automobile travel will be the advantage of this crossing in quickening and cheap- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ening the motor truck service. There is at present a very large freight-trucking business carried on from the farms, truck gardens, and dairies, of Orange County into New York City. At present this traflic goes through New York State to the west of the Hudson, through Suffern, and down to New York City through the northern part of New Jersey, finally crossing the Hudson by ferry from Jersey City to Manhattan. The necessity of taking all of this May, 1923 Hudson River Brij ai A Solution of the Motofftic Upper Hn I "Er rveverererivessccseeacoevesi are et Part)" Se " mere NS BRT ——~ nt » he Setentifie American Pub. Co. The Hudson River Bridge at Bear Mountain, which will connect the highway system side of t system. Length of main span 1632 feet; total width of roadway 38 f f tower

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23 May, 1923 Brij at Bear Mountain Motosffic Problem Across the per Hn River SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN freight over the congested roads in northern New Jersey and the ferries, is felt to be a big handicap; and it is expected that most of it will reach the city via Central Valley, Highland Falls, and the new bridge and down the roads on the east side of the river, There has also re- cently been developed an extensive freight business by motor truck from the New England States to distant cities lying to the south and west. At present these trucks use & 4 side of the river and eliminate the long detours and delay of the present ferry’ f towers 350 feet. Clear height of floor above river, 153 feet 325 the Lincoln Highway through New Jersey, and have to pass through the congested Metropolitan district and use the same ferries across the river. We give the above rather extended statement of the traffic conditions as an answer to the question that has been asked, as to why such an important bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, should be erected at a point so comparatively remote from the big city centers. Considered strategetically, as a glance at any road map will show, the site has been wisely chosen, The new bridge will consist of a main span 1632 feet in length between the center of the main towers, and two shore spans, each 210 feet in length. The floor of the bridge will be carried on two 17-inch wire cables attached to solid anchorages at each end, and carried upon two towers each 350 feet in height, measured from the top of the concrete piers, The underside of the bridge wili have a clear height of 153 feet above the river. The traffic will all be accommodated cn a single floor which wiil consist of a central roadway 30 feet in clear width between the curbs and two sidewalks each four feet in width. The floor will be hung from the cables by 24-inch wire ropes. At their lower ends the suspenders will be attached to transverse floor-beam trusses, the distance between the trusses being spanned by longitudinal plate-steel stringers. Upon this system will be laid a roadway consisting of a concrete base with an asphalt-block surface. To stiffen the floor under the moving traffic two stiffen- ing trusses 30 feet in depth are provided, one on each side of the floor. These trusses will be spaced 55 feet apart, center to center. The triangulation of the trusses will be the same as that of the Manhattan Bridge across the East River, with non-intersecting members and verticals at each angle. Each tower will consist of two built-up posts tied to- gether with stiffening trussing. Each post is 30 feet in width at the base, measured parallel with the axis of the bridge, and tapers to a width of 11 feet at the top. Trans- versely, each post has a width, throughout its full height, of 61% feet. Although the posts have a rather light ap- pearance for a bridge of this magnitude, in reality each is a very stiff member, consisting of two closed double-box outer sections, tied together on their inner faces with h heavy plate diaphragm and with two lines of latticing. The particular site chosen for the bridge is favored by the fact that a good quality of solid rock exists for the pier and abutment foundations. These, as well as the end anchorages, will be built of high-grade concrete. Our view of the bridge is taken from the west bank of the Hudson, and we are supposed to be standing on the Henry Hudson Highway, which is in great part completed and will extend from the Dyckman Street ferry opposite the north end of Manhattan Island, along the west bank of the Hudson to Newburgh. Throughout its whole length it will be built on the west bank of the river and run through Palisades Park. At the right of the picture, looking down the Hudson, we see, first, Iona Island where there is a government arsenal, and beyond that the great highway is seen swinging around what is known as Jones’s Point. On the opposite or easterly bank the roadway leading from the bridge swings to the right and follows a new road three miles in length, which extends around the mountain to Roa Hook, where it connects with a road which leads to the Albany Post Road. It is claimed by its sponsors that this new road will be fully equal to the recently completed Storm King Road, both in the difficulty of its construction and in the beauty of the vistas which it will afford both up and down the Hudson River. The railroad tracks running upon the trestle bridge in the foreground are those of the West Shore Railroad, Toward the left end of the bridge will be noticed a narrow drawspan, through which the full-sized model of the Half Moon was towed to its resting place, as shown at the bottom of the picture. The tunnels and tracks on the opposite side of the river are, of course, those of the New York Central main line. The bridge was designed by Mr. Howard Baird of this city. Improved Highways a National Necessity IGHWAY transport is not a single responsibility. Its efficiency depends not solely upon the highway engi- neer ner the automotive engineer, but upon their hearty cooperation. It is just as harmful to limit the axle weight of trucks by laws based upon the present condition of roads, except of course as a temporary measure, as to expect that highway departments will respond to every caprice of auto- mobile design. Highways must, however, be considered as only a means to an end and that end, national trans- port. It is just as necessary to pass regulations govern- ing the nature and the strength of roads as to pass regula- tions controlling the weight and speed of the vehicles using them. The future highway must be constructed with regard to its use by self-propelled vehicles, and the automotive engineer, because of the heterogeneous types of road surfacing, must design and construct reasonably light vehicles capable of carrying its load at minimum cost,

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN examined in this way, if And new not actually treated. now we have a brand tool for the surgeon, invented by O. B. Schellberg, a New York therapist who special- diseases of the intes- Schellberg izes in tinal tract. found it struct a ficiently not double on intestinal flexible pushed, through has con- tube suf- that it will itself or be possible to rubber stiff so blocked by sufficiently ean be pres- sure, yet so that it clear from below, the large intestine, from end to end. It is found of ex- trauordinary utility in clear- ng out toxic conditions of the large intestine, and even severe in- loose in breaking Specially constructed airlock for the purpose of effecting a cure of the caisson testinal adhesions. The use “bends” by very gradually releasing the air pressure of this tube is made possible in skilled hands, by the ad- A High-Pressure Tank to Cure the Ill Effects of Pressure " man subjects himself to a greatly in- creased air pressure a large amount of air grad- ually finds its way into every part of his body, and even into his blood until the pressure of the atmosphere inside balances that outside of his system. This, how- ever, is not the cause of the he nds, which comes, in- stend, when the process is reversed and the man finds himself carrying a higher pressure inside than outside of his body. If the transi- ' tion from the high pressure of a caisson to the pressure of the outside atmosphere is made too rapidly the man is apt to be- vi {im of the ailment known as come the the “bends.” Literally, he bends—doubles his body up into a knot and “suffers agonies of pain The cure for this attack is simply to put the victim back under air pressure and to lower this pressure more gradually than before. To effect this purpose a tank has been constructed for the use of physicians stationed at the vehicular tun- nel now being constructed under the Hud- dition of a three-way valve and special tanks, also de- vised by Schellberg, the complete apparatus giving per- feet control of inflow and outflow of the fluids em- ployed. The inventor has given, in five years, no less than 26,000 treatments with this instrument, and has gained the recognition of physicians for his apparatus. It effective makes irrigation a simpler and more process than before, and provides a means of introducing medi- May, 1923 upon an investigation of the mental and development of hundreds of schoolboys and schoolgirls. This investigation is expected to occupy twelve and is regarded as the first of its kind ever undertaken on so large a seale. The plan of the investigation is to take several hun- dred children and submit them at intervals to measure- ments and tests over a period of twelve years, say from the age of six to the age of eighteen. This will give an accurate record of how each individual child is growing mentally and physically throughout that period. embarked physical years, Hitherto practically all the information secured by physicians, teachers and psychologists on the mental and physical growth of children has been based on and thus between averages from the measurement of groups, has thrown but little light on the relation bodily and mental growth in the individual. Hundreds of children are now being examined by Professor Dearborn and his staff at the psycho-educa- tional clinic at Harvard, which has been specializing for several years in the measurement of intelligence and the testing of accomplishment. Each child is given intelligence (group and individual) ; his school accomplishment measured by means of stand school tests has ardized tests in reading and arithmetic; and has his teacher’s judgments and observations of the above recorded. His height, weight and bodily proportions are also measured; his physical condition is observed ; his teeth are examined to see how the process of den- tition is coming along; and the ossification of the carpal bones is shown by the X-ray photographs. these measurements at intervals for twelve the Harvard investigators hope to se- cure complete records of the individual development of a representative group of children through- their course, A New Concrete Slab Grade Crossing That Decreases Maintenance Cost Bp of the chief difficulties in road maintenance is the highway or grade crossing. In Texas a city engineer experi- enced a great deal of difficulty in getting any kind of a crossing which would not require an abnormal amount of mainten- ance. Finally, as a result, he set about the development of a concrete slab cross- ing, which is shown in the accompanying illustration. The railroads in Potter County, of which Amarillo is the county By repeating years, out school son River at New York rhe pressure in - this tank is under perfect control and the seat, were requested to use the crossing sufferer can thus be aided to overcome shown. the ailment, at the same time that he is The design has concrete headers on each encouraged to go through physical exer side of the ties, round holes in slabs for cises to hasten the release of the excess screw spikes, oblong holes for a hook bar of air from his body. This pressure 4 - a ‘ to raise the slab and angle iron on the nae hits fie smpernte ahr locien, to quite Concrete grade crossing that is designed to withstand the wear and tear of edge of the slabs. These are beveled on portable for use anywhere traffic without injury the sides next the base of rails and also on the center slabs on the bottom. One- A Novel Surgical Tool Apes attempt at medicine or surgery necessarily in- i volves access to the patient's interior. The doctor and the surgeon have always followed diametrically opposed methods of cuaining this access, The doctor does not go inside the patient at all: he sends a mes- form of pill or powder or liquid, which chemical re senger, in the (presumably) sets up a “ction of a correc all goes well, remedies the difficulty tive nature that, if from which the patient has been suffering. The surgeon, however, employs actual tools in preference to chemical reagents. He has for, many years been in the habit of entering the patient's body at the point nearest the affected region, eutting his way right through the in- tervening tissue much as the plumber upsets the work of the carpenter when the water pipes spring a leak. Only the surgeon closes the hole behind him as he with- while the plumbe r draws from his patient's interior, scorns to do this. turning more We may pre- Of late, however, the surgeon has been different technique. analogy if but and toward a serve our mechanical not that of the plumber, the electrician called in to The electrician does not rip out nore we compare his work, rather that of rewire an old house. with with wire or the walls for this pur pose ; he has tools that enable him to stay outside the wall interstices and at the same time to work very nicely within these spaces. In the same way, the sur- geon is today building up a technique which enables him to stay outside the patient, and still to work inside him, in a true surgical and not merely in a medical sense, The lowering of lamps and other apparatus into the is one phase of way of ail- iouth isn’t much in the interior through the 1 There really patient's this work. ments of esophagus and stomach that can't at least be caments which cannot be introduced through the mouth, or of actually planting colonies of beneficent bacteria in Altogether, it mark a distinct invention to surgery. the intestine, seems to step in the application of Mammoth Ground Plate for Power Plant T is sometimes very difficult to obtain a perfect con- nection with the earth, especially in certain As the area of the ground plate however, the places where the soil is dry. is increased, inch rods are used for spacers to keep them away from the rails, The most difficult crossings are those where a ear line intersects a railroad, but the new concrete slab crossing after six months’ use was entirely smooth and had had no repairs. With the concrete slab crossing the slab can be removed for ballasting with no disturb- ance of the road and put back at the same level by un- skilled workmen at a minimum of cost. street chance of some part of it always being in contact with wet earth is increased, espe- cially when the plate tra- verses several strata of soil. In an effort to get such a perfect earth connection at the Pit River power plant in California a large steel plate measuring 20x8 feet was buried in the earth at the side of the tailrace and to it welded six eables the trans- were which led to formers, The Harvard Study of Mental and Physical Development ie order to find out exactly how the individual child grows in mind and body, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with the coopera- public and private the vicinity, has tion of schools in Mammoth steel ground-plate- for California power plant, about to be placed in-the pit dug for the purpose

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on 2: ind ind Ipy ind un- oni vill ad May, 1923 From Battlefield to Road Jobs What the States Have Done with the Surplus War Supplies Turned Over to Them By D. H. George FF THE many extraordinary equipments used ingeniously by State and Federal rond builders, without question the most peculiar are the elephant and_ trench shelters—designed and built for protecting our soldiers from the shells of the enemy during the recent war—which have been converted into the most novel culverts in all creation by the Arizona State Highway Commission, Uncle Sam has distributed more than $150,000,000 worth of surplus war materials to the different States for use in the construction and maintenance of high- wiuys. This great mass of material contained prac- tically everything in the line of tools and mechanical appliances, from cranes, derricks and steam shovels, down to picks, axes, shovels and other hand tools. Among these Government gifts were 30,000 motor trucks and automobiles as well as $12,000,000 worth of ac- cessories. Most of the States used the heavy, semi-cylindrical, bombproof, trench shelters for the storage of T. N. T. und other explosives employed in road building opera tions. In Arizona it does not rain very often, but when Jupiter Pluvius occasionally gets busy, he tries mighty hard to wash the entire State down into the Rio Grande. Veritable cloud-bursts occur and turbulent floods go seething down the shallow drainage channels, completely wiping out the roads unless they are ade quately protected by large-sized culverts. When the Arizona engineers first saw the trench shelters pre- sented to the State by Uncle Sam, they immediately conceived the idea of transforming the shell shelters into culverts. They have seat- SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN machines in thismanner: “The sprinkler heads at the rear were disconnected and two other connections were made from the outlet of the pump one extending forward and the other to the rear. The forward connection was earried to pipes at each side which rise to the top of the cab and are there connected to the garage car- An army truck converted into an ingenious whitewash spraying outfit for use in spraying telephone and electric light poles trolled mechanically and efficiently from the driver’s seat. Maine highway experts have revised their trucks by removing the cargo body from the chassis and by pivoting it near the rear end, as well as adding a hoisting device, thus transforming the regulation army body of the truck into a satisfactory and durable dump body. Maine and Vermont engineers have also remodeled their trucks so that the loads can be dumped from the sides of the machines. This was accom plished by changing the sides so that they could be dropped or raised as desired. Reports from Arizona are to the effect that the steel, ordnance bodies were too high and not wide enough for road building operations. Construe- tion experts in that State cut the truck bottoms in half tered the homespun culverts nubout the flood areas, placing them upon concrete or red- wood foundations. They an ticipate that these painted, homemade and inexpensive culverts will last for a long time in their arid regions of limited precipitation. New Jersey has made al- most as unique use of large army motor trucks’ which were originally designed as water sprinklers, being equipped with special centrif- ugal pumps which were driven hy the propeller shafts. These huge, automatic watering carts have been made over into whitewashing outfits which - are now kept busy spraying whitewash over the telephone, telegraph and electric light poles along the State highways. The New Jersey State engineer who was the originator of this novel scheme, explains how he converted the trucks into spraying A rehabilitated army truck equipped with dump body and automatic hoist washing swivels. The other connection enters the tank through the filling cap in the bottom. An L was placed on this connection inside the tank with a short nipple . pointing forward. It operates to agitate the whitewash. The spraying mixture is pumped through the forward connec- tion. The garage swivels have been lengthened to 10 feet and are provided with 25 feet of hose which permits the traffic to pass as the truck is at work.” The 22,000 motor trucks dis- tributed among the 48 States have markedly aided road building activities in all parts of the country. Most of these trucks have been equipped with automatic dump bodies and hoisting devices. Idaho engineers have changed the original steel ammunition bodies of the government trucks into hopper bodies by installing false bottoms slop- ing from front and back to a One of the army sectional bridges which has been used advantageously in bridging a river in the Pisgah National Forest system of drop doors for bot- tom dumping which are con- An important Arizona bridge on which the hand rail is made of surplus war pipe, previously used to carry compressed air to jack hammers from front to back and then used the sides for new bot- toms and the two halves of the bottom for new sides, thus changing the body so that it was twice as wide and half as high as it was initially. This reform makes it easier to shovel into the truck from the ground, while it also facilitates the transportation of more bulky freight and material. These re-made trucks have also been provided with hand hoists and offset bars on the rear ends in order that they may haul road blades and drags. Some of the army ambulances which were appor- tioned among the States engaged in highway construc- tion on extensive scales, have been converted into port- able headquarters and offices used by special survey parties. In other instances, they have been remodeled into buses for hauling convicts to and from their work on the public roads. Nearly all the States in the snow belt use most of their rehabilitated army trucks to push snow plows and clear the roads for traffic during the season when Jack Frost reigns supreme. During the summer, some of the trucks are revamped so that they serve effectively as sprinkler carts. Arizona authorities have built a special central ware- house which serves as headquarters for their war- salvaged road-building materials. It is made out of corrugated iron supplied by Uncle Sam. A most novel set of awnings are used to shade the sun from the office windows. They consist of the extra tops for the truck driver’s seats and are admirably adapted to the un- usual service to which they have been put. Canvas airplane hangars have been used in a number of the western states as storage places for the various road- building materials. Approximately 150 miles of pipes of all types and sizes have been utilized in a variety of ways. Much of this pipe has been put to work carrying water to concrete mixing machines. Nebraska has transformed much of its quota of two-inch pipe into heating coils which are used to warm the garages where the road trucks are housed. A large part of the two-inch and four-inch pipe has been used in making hand-rails for bridges and culverts. One lot of pipe of this descrip- tion was first used to carry compressed air from the compressors to the jack hammers employed in excavat- ing the bridge foundation, and, subsequently, it was used as hand rails. Seventy-five carloads of sectional bridge material have already been used in constructing durable and inexpensive bridges in the national forests. These bridges come in sections about six feet deep and pro- vide for an 11-foot roadway with the trusses 14 feet apart. They are strong enough to carry 15-ton truck loads of freight for spans up to 114 feet long. The (Continucd on page 360)

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ines SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 ne cel Composite photograph or mosaic of the New Jersey coast line from an altitude of 10,000 feet. co-operation with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey The photographs in this case were made by Army aviators in Mapping From the Skies time in the history of our the Mississippi delta and mapped This previously been inac- uuse of its rmire bottoms growth of wild cane ranging OR THE first domestic navigation, been studied marshy region has has cessible bec and its heavy quag from 10 to 12 feet in height. So the present achieve- ment marks a@ new epoch and era in the annals of our national Coast and Geodetic Survey. Careful bird’s- eye studies of the swamp and marsh lands in the delta country south of New Orleans, which covers a tract of approximately 2500 square miles, have been made, and accurate photographs have been taken from airplanes operated at altitudes of from 8,000 to 10,000 and observations, obtained as a adaptation of Government air- introductory of feet. These consequence of the pictures novel planes for coust surveying work, are a new and novel feature of coast mapping and in- dicate that, potentially, no sections of our American coast lines will be so isolated from human _ habita- tion as to be impossible of ready and certain inves- tigation and identification. Our coast lines are constantly changing and shift- ing, which necessitates perpetual re-checking and cor- rection of initial surveys. Hitherto, many of the marshlands—and there are hundreds of miles of such lowlands which have elevations of less than 10 feet aboVe sea level—have never been surveyed because none but webfooted, aquatic beings, if there were such, who could stamp about in mud and marsh which distance into borders would mire a dog, could ever penetrate any southern gulf foot morasses, In the grows luxuriantly, these modern where wild cane survey parties were constantly blocked in their efforts to map the coast marshes because of the maze of cane which effectually handicapped such activities. These prob lems which, heretofore, have been insurmountable, have now been solved by the enlistment of airships for such work. Future plans of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey feature the early exploration and exploitation from the sky of more than 2400 square miles of coast line which bounds North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Ultimately the Gov- ernment make aerial photographs of the entire coast line of United Thus far the aerial mapping has been done coopera- experts expect to the States, tively by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the U. S. Navy and the Engineer’s Corps of the regular army. Seaplanes of the modified torpedo-plane type, equipped with low-compression, 12-cylinder Liberty motors developing 385 horsepower, have been used. These planes are provided with twin pontoons and have demonstrated their efficiency as the airships best adapted for such work. The camera is so arranged in each plane that it is well above the water and is tected from spray by means of a sliding metal door set in the fuselage of the airship bottom. This door can be closed easily when the plane is taking off or about to land, or at whatever other time the photographer desires to guard the lens of his camera against injury. Attempts have been made to utilize the flying boat or pro- By George H. Dacy single pontoon type of airplane for mapping purposes, but these experiments were abandoned on account of the difficulty of contriving a safe and satisfactory door for the camera lens in the bottom of such air craft. The seaplanes used in aerial mapping have maximum speeds of approximately 90 miles an hour, although in photographing operations, the machines 55 miles an hour. It takes one of planes 55 minutes to climb to an altitude of 14,500 feet soar to a point 8,000 feet above the surface the coast are run at about while they of the earth in the latter elevation r these approximately 22 minutes. It is at that most of the geodetic and made. All the planes coast survey photographs are used in this work have been remodeled to the extent that the observer or photographer sits in front of the pilot—just the opposite to the original arrangement—as this brings the extra weight of the camera nearer the center of gravity in the front cockpit. It also provides more satisfactory locations for the pilots, inasmuch as, they can watch the ground and landmark points better from the rear of the because the lower wing does not shut off any of the view at this angle aerial seaplane Special film cameras designed expressly for mapping activities are used. Each roll of film is 75 feet long and makes 90 pictures, each of which is 18 In the Mississippi Delta country the wild grass grows to a height of 12 feet and is so dense that survey parties on foot cannot map the territory Aerial Photography Is Being Employed to Chart Our Heretofore Inaccessible Coast Lines by 24 centimeters in size. The camera is automatic, being driven by an air motor attached to the outside of the airplane, which runs fast or slow in accordance with the velocity of the plane and the character of the wind. Each camera is of the universal focus variety with a 12-inch focus lens. The camera is ad justed so that it will take a picture automatically every 15 or 25 or 50 seconds photographer desires. Ordinarily, when operating at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the camera is set to make a picture every 25 seconds, the average exposure being for a period of 1/190 of a second. With the plane running at a speed of 55 as the aerial miles an hour at such an elevation, the camera makes a continuous photo- graph of a stretch of coast line 14%, miles wide and as long as the survey party These individual photographs are numbered as they are developed and ultimately are pasted together and into a large composite or mosiac picture which is an accurate replica of the coast country covered as desires, assembled and miniature seen from the sky. used these investigations pointed directly The cameras originally in were set up in the airplanes so that they downward when the airplanes were traveling on even keel. Now one of the greatest difficulties which the mapping pilot experiences is to hold his ship in this position during the photographic operations. Each cam- era is mounted in a cushioned framework so that it is protected from any vibrations of the plane. If the plane lists or tilts, the camera makes oblique negatives which into the work. Only the most trained aviators are able to fly satisfactorily for mapping flights. The strain on the. birdmen is most and, ordinarily, five hours of aerial navigation of this description constitute a hard day’s work. An existing scarcity of trained person- nel, educated and experienced for coast surveying of this sort, is one of the greatest impediments in the way of carrying on the work, combined with inadequate appropriations and lack of funds—which limit the ex- tension of such novel investigations. The ordinary, airplane level vials are the only avail- able indicators which the mapping aviators can use to inform them during their flights concerning the stabil- ity of the camera. The recently improved cameras are so equipped that they can be rotated and shifted as the planes tilt or crab when exposed to a heavy cross wind. However, for the most part the leveling of the planes is largely dependent on the skill and experience of the helmsman. Usually the light is so bad that ascents for mapping purposes can not be made before about nine o’clock in the morning. At that time, if the atmos- pheric conditions are right and the sky is neither smoky from forest fires, hazy, cloudy or otherwise over- cast, the mapping party takes off. The plane climbs quickly to the proper altitude. Then the pilot takes his proper bearings and jockeys the ship into the de- sired position so that the initial flight may be directly along the coast line to be surveyed. Thereupon, the aviator starts on the first leg of the aerial trip, the photographer having adjusted the cam- era so that it begins to make exposures as soon as the introduce aerial errors skilful and painstakingly severe,

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May, 1923 plane passes the desired station or landmark where picture-taking was terminated during the previous flight. The pilot steers the ship along the coast until the desired exposure of negative has been made. Then at this terminal, he heads the air boat straight inland a distance of 14%, miles. This places the plane in exact position, after it has been reversed in direction, so that the party can fly back on a course parallel to the first flight in order that another stretch of marshland 1%, miles wide can be photo- graphed and so that the negatives will overlap. Anyone can immediately understand when he reads this that the slightest deviation of the airplane from the true course will show up in the completed nega- tives which will not dovetail and overlap properly. The backward and forward flights are continued until the lowland tract proximate to the coast which is to be mapped, has been covered. Unstable air conditions over the Mississippi delta country now being surveyed often prevents flights on days which, otherwise, are ideal for aerial mapping work. These conditions obtain due to the unequal evaporation which occurs between the fresh and salt water, and are the first of their character that have been studied and analyzed since the inception of aerial navigation. The mapping parties have also made many interesting studies of cloud, haze and sunlight conditions as they facilitate or handicap aerial photography. They have become so expert in analyzing and diagnosing sky conditions from the ground that, as a rule, they can predict early each morning SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 329 contour and topographical photography from airplanes in regions of high and varying elevations has not as yet been perfected, at least in this country. A mosaic of some of the Mississippi Delta. The pictures do not overlap as they should. They were made in an unusually stiff wind, and it was impossible for the aviator to hold the plane in the correct course rocks and snags near Key West, Florida, from seaplanes. The purpose of these experiments was to ascertain if it was practical to locate and photograph from the air small coral heads and pinnacle rocks in the whether or not the weather conditions will permit of making coastline pictures from up above the clouds that particular day. The amount of photographic work per- formed during the average flying day of five hours depends largely on air and wind conditions. During four flights which covered a total of nine hours flying, 593 photographs were made at an elevation of 5,000 feet which covered a belt of coast country 57 miles square. On another occasion, two flights made during the same day were productive of 261 satis- factory pictures, and on still another morning 155 excellent pictures were made during a sky trip which required 2% hours. At altitudes of from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, three times as large an area ean be covered and photographed in the sume time as at elevations of 5,000 feet, this being explanatory of why most of the pictures are taken at the higher levels clear waters of the Florida coast which were menaces to navigation, rather than to seek out these snags by the more costly and customary system of dragging with huge wire nets. The photographs were taken from altitudes which ranged from 200 to 4,000 feet above the surface of the water. Two Government ships were used as control marks or guide posts in these unusual photographie experiments. The two vessels would steam at full speed ahead while the seaplanes flew back and forth overhead taking the pictures of the water and dangerous rocks under the surface. The courses and positions of the vessels were recorded as in ordinary sounding surveys. The photographers in the seaplanes kept tab on the exact time when each exposure of the camera was made as well as other data concerning the altitude, length of ex- posure and kind of plate used. There- after, each picture was identified and above the earth. The average cost of making surveys of the coast country by The camera is set up in the front cockpit of the seaplane with the lens point- oriented by plotting the exact positions of airplane are only about one third of the ing directly downward. It is operated by a wind motor and pictures are the vessels on a large chart at the moment when the picture was made. expenses which accumulate where Uncle Sam sends out organized expeditions on foot to do such work. For successful results, the air- plane mapping has to be confined to marshland sec- tions and tracts of country of very low elevation as In addition, the U. taken at intervals of 25 seconds S. Navy in cooperation with U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey has consummated some in- investigations in photographing The New Jersey coast line as photographed from an altitude of 10,000 feet, showing the excellent work than can be done in this manner These studies proved conclusively that photographs taken from the sky using present-day equipment are of little practical value to the hydro- grapher. Contrasts of color in the pictures complicated matters as there was no positive method of telling whether the contrasted colors indicated shallow or deep water. Various colored bottoms of uniform depth appeared in the pictures as apparent differ- ences in depth. Many charted shoals did not show at all in the photographs while others were clearly visible. The survey of the Mississippi delta was begun last March. Atmospheric conditions are such in that vicinity that mapping flights can be made only during May and October, as hazy days are fre- quent and forest fires often break out to compli- cate aerial photography. During the period from March 22 to May 6, of the year 1922, only 16 days out of 47 were suitable for sky mapping activities, and of these, five fell on Sunday, while during three of the other bright days, the airplanes were out of order. Hence there were only 8 days during that period when aerial mapping could be done. During October, when work was resumed, sev- eral airplane mishaps tied up the work. On one oceasion, a pilot was blown out to sea 150 miles where his damaged plane drifted abowt for more than 52 hours before he was rescued. In the marshy and swampy sections, landmarks are as scarce as drinking water, so that it is extremely difficult for the aviators to hold a straight and true course. Up to this time no very satisfactory aerial compasses have been invented. The present types are entirely too responsive to excessive airplane variations, Therefore, dependence must be put on guidance by landmarks, however poorly defined these may be, and before the average pilot is fitted for marsh survey work he has to undergo special train- ing in their interpretation.

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330 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 ar See ~ G _.S MILES 5 LINES LINES 5 5 §LINES 2) A B' e | | | O S O G SMILES G)- 5 MILES. — D ¢~) 5 MILES INES LINES 2 cg 5 MILES ¢) m i ”) lJ = = ” ; — EE = = In } at | u= | = % + - | | . } | KeB 3 me | ane = | = = | > XD» b | | | D' y A B' These diagrams prove there is only a slight saving in average haul by substituting several tunnels for a single large bridge. Left-hand diagram shows five points on each side of a river between which traffic moves over a bridge accommodating 25 lines. The average haul by bridge is 18.6 miles and by tunnels 17.0 miles. tunnels. Convenience of Bridge and Tunnels Compared N connection with the problem of bridging the Hud | son River at New York, statements have been made to the effect that a series of crossings, by tunnels or bridges of moderate cupacity distributed along the r s preferable to a single bridge of large capa it: is argued that such a bridge is less con venient to the traflic, and that the concentration of a large amount of traflic causes congestion not only at the entrances of the bridge but in the adjoining streets. To illustrate the fallacy of these statements we pre- herewith two diagrams which represent the two sent different systems; the one with a single crossing being represented in Fig. A nd the one with several cross- ings in Fig. B In the illustration it is ssumed that the traffic originates and terminates, on both sides of the river, at five separate points each 1 irked by a cirele these points being five tiles apart om each other iterally, and five miles from the rive the width of the itter being two miles. Now, if the traffic should flow only between points directly opposite acfoss the rivet! as for instance be tween A and A’; B and [i’, et he claim that the plan B offers the shortest haul would be fullv justified. But the traffic is liable to flow diagonally across the river, in fact by far the greater part of it will do so as indicated by the lines in plan B, and if we assume that the amount of traffic is the same between any two points, we find that the average haul across the river is 18.6 miles for such a bridge and 17 miles for a plurality of tun nels. This difference in favorof p'an B of less than 10 per , , cent in the average haul is too small to ous consideration, in view of the great saving in cost deserve seri- by the use of a single large bridge When we consider the high speed of vehicles, distance is of less importance than the delays It should be explained, here, notor-driven due to traffic interference that a variation of the distances shown in our dia- gram does not materially affect the truth of this argu- ment, nor would the use of six for three tunnels. It is true that plan A is inconvenient for traffic be tween points A and A’ or between B and B’; but such traffic represents a comparatively small portion of the whole, and in the case of the Hudson River can always be taken care of by the existing ferries. As regards congestion in the street system, a glance it the two diagrams must convince us that plan A is far superior; the lines of traflic do not intersect each other in the street system, and hence all the delay which irises at crossings is avoided. In plan B the lines of traffic intersect each other frequently, with a propor- owing up of the cross-river movement. tionute s Avoidance of congestion at the entrances and exits s entirely a matter of proper planning and traffic egulation, The traffic must be distributed directly ite a sufficient number of streets in such manner s not to cause excess traffic in any one street and to | crossing of traflic going in different directions. That is perfectly feasible no matter what the traffic ipacity of the crossing. A single tunnel may safely lischarge all its traftic into two avenues; a great bridge iv require a dozen street outlets, either of which, vever, would not carry a greater traffic than those that were fed by the tunnel. Such outlets can be se cured ! means of inclines, or ramps, that discharge into the various avenues that are intersected by the bridge approaches Sounding by Sound YONIC sounding is rendered possible by the fact that Ss sound vibrations, passing through water and strik- ng a solid surface, are returned as an echo to the source from which they originated. Working upon this prin- ciple, Dr. H. C. Hayes developed, at the Engineering Experimental Station, Annapolis, a method of determin- ing ocean depths, which has been used by ships of our navy in some very successful and striking demonstra- tions. Of these, the most notable was a series of sound- ings taken aboard the U. S. Destroyer “Stewart,” while The right-hand diagram shows the same 25 lines accommodated in three It would take six tunnels to equal one bridge, and the cost would be doubled. en route from Newport, R. L, to Gibraltar, from June 22 to June 29, 1922. The vessel was equipped with the Submarine Signal Company's Fessenden sound oscillator for sending out sound signals. The sound vibrations passing through the water rebounded from the ocean bottom, and were re- ceived in an M. V. Hydrophone Sound Receiver, with microphone units, which was mounted in the hull of the “Stewart” beneath watertight blisters. The depth was determined by noting the elapsed time between the sending out and the receiving of the signals. One half of this time, multiplied by the velocity of the sound Waves, gave the depth at any particular point. In the nine days occupied by the trip the “Stewart” took 900 soundings, the speed of the ship being 15 knots. The results of this very successful experiment are represented on the accompanying drawing, in the upper part of which are shown the coasts of the United States and Europe, with the course sailed between them: while below is shown a continuous profile of the ocean bot tom. as determined by the Sonic soundings. Very interesting is this view of the mountains and valleys of the Atlantic, showing at the left the so-called “Continental Shelf,” where a drop was made to 1395 fathoms, and then to 2391 fathoms. There is a more or less gradual rise to a lofty summit at 25 degrees west longitude, which reaches to within 444 fathoms of sea- level. Then comes a precipitous drop of 2464 fathoms, and later to 3200 fathoms, a depth of over 314 miles. e tween that point, to a point off Cape Trafalgar, where the soundings were completed, there are two high points showing depths respectively of 445 and 145 fathoms. The Navy is to be congratulated upon the success of this new and valuable aid to navigation. It is the latest in a long list of similar technica! investigations that have been worked out to a demonstration, and given to the world by the Navy Department. The value of the device lies in the rapidity with which the navigator can take soundings as compared with the old method. (ON~ JUNE 25 © > NOON; JUNE-2i" | NOON- JUNE 22 NO . 4s" 40° * nal NOON-JUNE -24%4 Bbe Bit NOON- JUNE Profile showing depth of the Atlantic between America and Europe, as determined by the time taken by sound waves, sent out by U.S.S. “Stewart” to strike the bottom re ba

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>» vo

May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 331

Inventions New and Interesting A Department Devoted to Pioneer Work in the Various Arts and to Patent News

Milk bottle opener. Keeps fingers clean and milk sanitary Sanitary Milk-Bottle Cover RDINARILY the removal of caps from milk bottles involves first hunting up some sharp instrument for prying up the stiff pasteboard, and if this instrument happens, as is often the case, to be the tine of a fork the latter is quite apt to be damaged in the process, Moreover, in this process milk or cream may be spattered on the clothing and tuble linen, while the cap, when re- moved, is apt to be placed where its subsequent replacement on the _ bottle earries disease germs into the portion of milk not yet used. Therefore a new device which is made of spring metal and is designed to be snapped around the mouth of the bottle will be of value to those who, for one reason or another, desire to use milk in small quantities at a time directly from the bottle. <A spring clip carries, by means of a hinged attachment, a curved arm ending in a sharp hook which is thrust through the pasteboard cap. This not only lifts it out but continues to act as a handle for raising the cap like a lid until the whole content of the bottle has been used. The little device im- proves the appearance of the naked bottle and may be quickly removed by a slight pressure. The Bachelor’s Washboard A a tin corrugated washboard that fits either hand will find a ready place in the heart of the lonely bachelor who wishes to wash out small

Small tin washboard facilitates quick work on small washings rarments both within a brief time and without attracting the smiling attention of others not so singly blessed—or other- wise, according to one’s viewpoint. Small as it is, there is nothing else that is toylike about it while its small size will be in the eyes of many its strongest advantage. For similar reasons, and because it will clean fabrics as efficiently as the larger style of washboard, lady bachelors will appreciate this simple de- vice. Its use requires, instead of a tub, only a small basin and it is admirably suited to use in conjunction with the ordinary lavatory. To mothers of in- fants it will be a boon while the average housewife is sure to bring this con- venient article into frequent use. There are many occasions when only a single garment is to be washed and the presence of such a literally “handy” device insures that a good job will be done without the bother of hunting up large tubs, ete. Fountain Pen Eraser A* ingenious inventor, Thomas W. Cappan of Newark, N. J., has com- bined with a fountain pen an ink eradi- eator of the sort which employs an acid capable of dissolving ink. At the top of the pen and protected by a hard rubber cap, is a tiny vial of acid. This is retained by a rubber cork bearing a glass tip for applying the eradicating fluid. covered, by a careful examination of old painted test pieces of galvanized iron, clearly show that it is the property of zine or zinc-coated iron or steel (galvan- ized iron) not to hold paint, irrespective of what kind of paint it is, and that this property of zine is due, under weather- ing conditions, to the zinec’s combining with the oils of the paint to form a soap. This layer of soap is formed be- tween the metal surface and the paint. It prevents the paint adhering to the metal and as might be expected when the metal expands or contracts the paint flakes off. As soon as these facts were estab- lished the company immediately turned its attention to the question of preventing the formation of the soap film so that the paint would not peel. In an effort to answer this question, hun- dreds of test pieces were painted with various pigments ground in oils and var- nishes; chemicals were mixed with paints; but all gave a negative result. Chemical solutions were then applied to the galvanized iron, for the purpose of depositing various metals on the surface, such as silver nitrate, copper acetate, platinum chloride, etc. The results ob- tained by this method were at first very encouraging, but finally very discourag- ing, for it was found that the metal deposited was invariably electro-nega- tive to the zinc. It then occurred to the company that if the paint could be insulated from the

eal

Fountain pen carries ink erasing fluid in head Painting Galvanized Surfaces So It Will Be Permanent Hi average man in the street is quite familiar with the peeling off of paint on the metallic front of the bay windows or cornices of houses. These are usually made of galvanized sheets bent into the required form and then painted. But the paint does not adhere permanently as it does to wood and stone and soon peels off leaving an un- sightly surface. A large paint company, after a long series of experiments, has determined the cause for this and a remedy. The cause of the peeling is an interesting story. Before going into the experimental field, the company collected as much data as was available on the subject. It found that it was generally believed that the paint did not hold to galvanized iron due to the “greasy” nature of the sur- face. Many samples of galvanized iron were examined for grease, but no grease was discovered. Samples of galvanized iron were then chemically treated so that it would be impossible for any grease to be present, but it was found the paint came off of these chem- ically treated samples just as readily as if they had not been so treated. An old artist then called attention to the fact that for years painters had used zine palettes on which to mix their colors, because they had found that the paint would not stick to the zinc, and even after drying, the paint could be so easily removed with a palette-knife. These facts, ccupled with those dis- zine by a non-metallic material, which would be firmly attached to the zine and to which the paint would strongly ad- here, the problem would be solved. The laboratory was instructed to spare neither time nor expense to find such a material, and after many months was rewarded with success by the discovery of a chemical solution which produced ideal results. This material was named Lithoform due to its peculiar property of producing a stone-like surface on the zine coating. It is clear, thin non-vola- tile liquid of such chemical properties that when applied to the galvanized iron it changes the outer surface to a stony substance, which cannot be washed or chipped off and to which the paint strongly attached itself. Whoever has passed through certain sections of our largest cities has seen thousands of buildings with metal cornices and false gables, many of which are an eyesore due to the peeling from them of paint. Therefore the discovery of a substance which prevents this spall- ing off tends to raise rental values of these buildings, as well as to change the appearance of whole sections of a city. Vacuum Tube Script Sign N electric sign which carries its mes- sage in script form is a new prod- uct of a New York manufacturer. The desired letters or wording are made up into a continuous tube of glass bent into the necessary shape and the whole is mounted on a prepared composition base. It operates on the Geissler or vacuum tube principle and is now made practical

Cheaply operated sign which shows brilliant orange light for use on either direct or alternating current without alterations as well as for use on all commercial voltages. The letters or words are shown in a deep red or orange color and up to three script units or lines can be arranged in eascade formation. The current con- sumption is extremely low, only 8 or 10 watts being required for any length or number of units, in comparison with the 40 watts required for an ordinary 16-candlepower electric light bulb. This is largely accounted for by the fact that no noticeable heat is radiated. this kind of tube giving out a comparatively cold light. The guaranteed life of the sign is 2000 hours, although under. average working conditions this is often pro- longed by one-half or even more. The Smallest Letter Weigher i. spring scale of French origin has for its purpose the weighing of letters in order to be sure of placing on them the correct amount of postage. The device, which comes in & protecting tube similar to the case of a fountain pen, consists of a spiral spring attached to the inside of a glass tube. This is connected by means of a tiny chain to a pendant clip for holding the letter or object to be weighed. <A small pointer indicates the weight on a graduated

n GILBERT .RENE The smallest letter weigher in world

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332 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN = Details of essential parts of new oscillating valve engine scale within the tube. The little instru- ment has a ring at the upper end and may be conveniently hung from a hook or nail. A New Automotive Engine N spite of the frequent appearance of variously conceived internal combus- tion engines in an effort to do away with the regular poppet valve and sleeve valve types, no appreciable inroad seems to have been made on the supremacy of the latter as yet. Regardless of the fact that inventors of various devices de- signed to replace the valves now most commonly used, claim that the unwill- ingness of the public to change to their discoveries is due to inertia, the fact re- mains that the public is as willing to accept a new invention of really proved and meritorious worth as the manufac turers are eager to make it. Again we have to report a new type of motor, in which the operation of admit ting and exhausting the gases is con trolled by a cylindrical, annular, oscillat- ing valve actuated by a rocker arm which is linked to the half-time shaft. This has small cranks instead of the usual cams Heat losses in this motor are economized by having the intake charge pass through the same port which has just been heated by the exhaust guses, It is claimed that the lubrication is improved and that the motor is “super-efficient.” Practically the only wear is said to be on the port lapping ring, and the loss occasioned by this wear is so slight as to be negligible. Centrifugal Oil Purifier N oil purifier which works on a cen- A trifugal rather than gravity prin- ciple is now made by a Goshen, Ind., manufacturer. Resembling in appearance, superficially at least, a cream separator, the machine makes its separation of Oil purifier which works on powerful centrifugal principle water and dirt from the oil by means of the familiar U-tube, which is revolved at a high rate of speed. The difference in specific gravity of the oil and that of the water causes the water column formed to balance the oil column. This balance is upset by the introduction of more water, and either the water or the oil, or both, are discharged from their respective outlets in an attempt to re- store the original equilibrium. The ma- chine is driven by a one-quarter horse- power electric motor. For refrigerating plants, railroads and shops this purifier should soon pay for itself. They are also used in central stations for the puri- fication of transformer oil in order to restore its impaired dielectric strength. before and since the war, and to the lack in France of any systematic study of industrial problems on their scientific side, and, in particular, to the lack of encouragement for inventors in carrying on their investigations or placing their inventions on the market. The national bureau which has just been established, known as the National Otlice of Scientific and Industrial Re- searches Relating to Inventions, is at- tached for administrative purposes to the Ministry of Publie Instruction. Its work is intended to include not only the stimulation and encouragement of in- ventive talent in all departments of French industry, but also assistance to manufacturers and others in examining the scientific problems which arise in connection with their industries, the establishment of expositions and prizes, the creation of experimental laboratories with the cooperation of departments and communes, financial aid to inventors, and a general information service. The council of the new organization comprises 145 members representing the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, the national academies of medicine, sciences, and agriculture, the faculties of the uni- versities and higher technical schools, organized groups of employers and workers in various industries, and cham- bers of commerce. In addition, all the main departments of public service (rail- ways, road and bridges, etc.) and organ- Spring steel spokes increase resilience and add to appearance of car Another Spring Wheel HE number of spring wheels de- signed to replace rubber tires is al- most legion, but a new spring wheel intended to be used in connection with ordinary rubber tires is the invention of Wm. J. Beisel of New York. In this design the ordinary straight spokes are replaced by spring steel spokes curved in the outline of a sickle. The group of springs thus brought together combines in the form of a whorl whose appear- ance is highly attractive, especially when in rapid motion. The inventor states that the new wheels, in addition to add- ing resilience to the vehicle, prolong the life of its many parts by saving it from road-shocks and from the sudden shocks of transmission. In case of collision they act as a shock breaker, and there is enough sidewise “give” in them to take up a blow such as that occasioned by bringing up against a curb after skidding. Applied to trolley cars they prevent the absolute gripping of the brakes and the development thereby of flats on the periphery of the wheels. A National Bureau of Scientific Research for France coe French government has _ just taken the important step of creating a national bureau for the encouragement of scientific investigation, with partic- ular reference to industrial inventions. Ever since the war, and especially dur- ing the past year, the French press has been active in calling the attention of French industrialists to the superior or- ganization of industry in Germany both ized groups of agriculturalists are given representation. The president of the new bureau is M. Louis Loucheur, an engineer of high standing and formerly Minister of the Liberated Regions, to whom the great progress which has been made in the restoration of the invaded departments of France is largely due. The council also includes M. Paul Appell, rector of the University of Paris, M. Paul Pain- levé, professor of mathematics and for- mer Premier, Professor Fimiie Picard, secretary of the French Academy of Sciences and of the International Re- search Council, Mm. André Citroén, André Michelin, and Louis Renault, well known leaders in the automobile in- dustry, and others, May, 1923 Commutator soldering machine which does neat uniform job on all joints with single operation A Commutator Soldering Machine MACHINE which solders all of the joints of a commutator in one oper- ation has been brought out by a St. Louis manufacturer whose claim is that it does better and more uniform work than can be done by hand soldering. In this process the commutator is placed in a stationary position above the pot of solder and the latter is elevated by means of a foot treadle until an accu rately adjustable stop is met. This pre- vents the solder from flooding other parts of the work. Other advantages claimed are that the solder is auto- matically cleaned of dross as it is raised to the joints, no solder is wasted by dripping, and the ring insulation is not injured. Less skill is required to use the machine efficiently than the com- mon soldering iron. It is mounted on a heavy metal pedestal and provided with gas burners for heating the solder. It is, of course, equally applicable to the soldering of rotors of any sort and is said to have well withstood the test of daily operation. Such a machine largely disposes of the human equation in the performance of operations of the sort which, because of their routine nature, tend in the hands of many workmen to be more or less carelessly done after the workman has become fatigued or if the lighting is poor, In addition, the invention will prove to be a money saver. A Trim Luggage Carrier NEW and extremely neat luggage carrier for the automobile run- ning board which is the product of a Springfield, Ohio, manufacturer, acts when folded, as a pair of running board mats. This device consists of two fold- ing steps which are connected by a sec- tion of angle bar. It can be removed Were ;ems = Attractive luggage rack which combines functions of step when folded dey to spr the lock of not tha nan ten! eigl the lap} The Squ: mak urin nar! usef hole Gia A’ hind have teres and now show to a huge of k oper: clam open

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23 ne May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN This device is a spring depth gage, for accurate machine work, and is especially useful in measuring depth of drilled holes or replaced in a jiffy and will be wel- comed by the car owner who prides him- self on the possession of a car of neat appearance, This device is one of many ingenious luggage-carrying devices which have ap- peared of late. More and more the auto- mobile is coming to be used for long trips, and the popular sport type of car, with its trunk or luggage carrier at the rear, is an indication of this fact. A Spring Depth Gage WELL-KNOWN firm of tool makers has recently introduced a_ spring depth gage which is particularly adapted to taking quick measurements. The spring in the barrel automatically forces the rod downward and the clamp screw locks the red in position. The capacity of the gage is three inches. It will be noted in the accompanying illustration that the gage hus an extra long base, namely, 2144 inches. The base is four- tenths inch thick and the rod is one- eighth inch in diameter. The base and the contact point of the rod are not lapped but are tempered and ground. The contact end of the rod is ground square instead of convex, in order to make it easier to manipulate when meas- uring from a plane surface to a very narrow shoulder. The gage is especially useful for measuring the depth cf drilled holes, Giant Steel Arms for Handling Logs a* far as labor-saving machinery is f\% concerned, Germany is not far be- hind the United States. These columns have from time to time presented in- teresting kinds of labor-saving machines and devices used in Germany, and we now have the huge pair of steel arms, shown in the accompanying illustration, to add to our published collection. This huge pair of arms is used in the handling of loose logs. In general principle the operation is quite like the well-known clam shell bucket, except that it is opened at both ends. A German variation of the clam shell bucket for the handling of logs Making the Electric Toaster and Cooker One N innovation in electric toasters has now made its appearance on the market, in the form of a combination This device toasts both sides of a slice of bread and cooks at the same time toaster and cooker which is shown in the accompanying illustration. This de- vice cooks at the same time that both sides of the bread are being toasted. The toast rack can be removed when baking and cooking can be done at the same time. As will be noted, the design and construction are such that the device is readily taken apart for cleaning. Combination Hand-Vise for the Home and Shop HE new hand vise shown in the accompanying illustration will prove exceptionally useful around the home as well as in the shop. The vise is fur- nished with a clamp, permitting its use as a small bench vise as well. Thus used, it may be adjusted to any point in a circle to suit the convenience of the user. A new design feature of especial in- terest is the ball end handle for tighten- ing the jaws instead of the wing nut commonly used. Extra leverage is thus made possible. Jaws are of drop-forged steel, tempered and polished. The ca- pacity of the vise is 1144 inches. Breakage of Watch Springs o R. WILLIAMS, of Oberlin College, Je has investigated the cause of the spontaneous breaking of main springs in watches, a common and annoying inci- dent. It appears that watch repairers are inclined to the view that such break- ages are seasonal, occurring principally in the warmer months. Williams was permitted to examine the records over several years of two firms doing a large repair business, and on plotting the re- sults found in both cases a peak in sum- mer fairly coincident with the peak of the graph showing the occurrence of thunder storms. There was, however, in both cases, a slight dip about mid-July, which has been ascribed to the absence of many persons on vacation. Experi- ments were made, the most of which indicate that the breakage is not due to heat but to moisture. Williams thinks that the moisture acts by starting rust- ing points which weaken the spring at those points. In an experiment, in which 56 samples were tried, equally divided between two well-sealed jars, one con- taining dry and the other moist air, 17 springs broke in the latter and none in the former. It was also found that oil- ing the spring diminishes very markedly the liability to break. A Spotlight That Uses the Winda- shield as an Auxiliary Lens HE spotlight is a proved necessity to the motorist driving at night for spotting the roadside or ditch when meeting another car. Under the old methods it is difficult to derive the full benefit of a spotlight and have it prop- erly set when meeting another car, be- cause it is outside the car—often out of reach and therefore out of control. A new spotlight or driving light has been developed to overcome the danger- ous hazard of driving blind while pass- ing other cars. The new light is de signed to permit the motorist to place the light inside the windshield, and thus places the light within easy reach of the driver and under his control at all times. The new light gives a full round ray of light at every angle and it does not interfere with the movement of the lamp in any way and can be turned more easily in any desired direction than though it were outside the car. It can be allowed to turn easier when inside and stay put than when outside for the reason that it is behind the windshield, out of the wind, which often blows the This little combination hand vise may be made to serve in a great number of ways lamp out of position when on the out- side. The driving light serves as a combina- tion driving light and trouble light as it can be very quickly detached by merely turning a thumb screw which re- A spot light with telescopic hood, which throws its beams through the wind-shield leases the lamp from the bracket, for use in or around any part of the car. The inside spotiight is designed not to glare approaching drivers unless turned directly on them. The light is set back in the deflector and eliminates the side glare. The spotlight has a telescopic hood which can be lengthened or shortened or turned from side to side or at any angle for focusing. It is fastened by means of a bracket so that the hood fits snugly against the windshield. An Airplane Radiator Made Like a Wing Surface YLSEWHERE in this issue there ap- _4 pears a description of the new Cur- tiss wing type of radiator, which has mude for the considerable reduction of head resistance and the consequent marked increase in flying speed. We now present a section of the sheet-brass wing covering, showing the wing radia- tion system perfected by the Curtiss en- gineers, as a supplement to the article already mentioned. It will be noted that the hot water is pumped from the en- gine to pipes running laterally in the front edge of the wing, and is forced through small channels in the sheet brass to a similar pipe in the rear edge, from which the water is returned, cooled, to the motor, As the radiator takes the place of the ordinary wing covering, the head resistance, which is a serious handicap with the old-fashioned radi- ator, is eliminated. The wing type radiator is well in keep- ing with present-day aeronautical devel- opments. Every effort is being exerted toward the reduction of head resistance, so that many of the planes have practically every member properly stream-lined, thus making for a most fantastic appearance. Some of the European machines use the hollow drum- type radiator to reduce head resistance. latest Not only is this sheet-brass member available as a highly efficient radiaior, but it serves as part of the airplane wing, as well

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33 A Device to Measure Oversize of Any Standard Cylinder J gmeronterceng on a new principle for everyday use in a repair shop, the gauge shown in the accompanying illustra tion measures the exact oversize of any stundard cylinder when fitting new rings or pistons, It consists of:a fixed pin and an adjustable pin mounted in a holder. When together, the combined length of both pins equals the exact standard size of the cylinder to be measured. In meas uring the oversize the adjustable pin is unscrewed until the device fits snugly in the cylinder. The opening between the pins may be measured with a thickness gage and the result is the oversize of the cylinder. The device may also be used as a standard oversize gage by inserting the required blade of a thickness gage between the pins. Something New in Rope K VER since the time of Tut-ankh- . Amen, the making of rope has not changed to any marked degree. True, machinery has been introduced in the muking of rope, but the basic structure hus remained the same. Now, at last, we have a really new rope for which many advantages are claimed. Let us review the old type of rope, in order better to appreciate the advantages of the new type. Starting with the bale of fiber, we find it is opened and the hanks are fed through various machines functioning to comb the fiber into a con tinuous ribbon known in the trade as “sliver.” This process is continued until the ribbon or sliver is uniform and of the proper size for spinning. It is then sent to machines known as “jenneys” which spin the sliver into yarn This yarn, wound on bobbins, is then sent to the “formers”’—machines which form or twist the yarns into strand Keep in mind the fact that the strand is made up of layers of yarn twisted around each other; the yarns composing the outer layer are known as “cover yarns,” while all yarns below this layer are designated variously as “center,” “inner” or “inside” yarns, These strands are then “tayed”’—twisted around one another to form the finished rope, With this brief description of the ordi nary rope structure in mind, the next step will be to examine the manner in which the forces to which rope is sub jected act upon the component parts of the rope. The theoretical basis for any discussion of this kind would be the curve known «as the helix. It is not our purpose here to go into any mathematical or tech- nical details, however, but rather to pre- sent this phase by easily visualized anal- ogies and in the simplest possible man- ner For our purpose, then, the helix may be visualized in the form of a coiled tension spring. If one can picture a num- ber of tension springs of decreasing diam- eters, but of equal “pitch,” coiled concen- trically—one within the other—one has a fairly accurate picture of the various layers within a strand of ordinary rope. (To simplify matters, we are considering as a a strand only and not the rope whole. ) Now then, holding one end of each con- centric spring in one hand, we can imag- ine ourselves extending the set of springs by pulling out om the other set of ends, The spring in the center, being of the smallest diameter, will have the least length of wire and will be the first to pull out straight for its entire length. No further extension of the outer springs can be made until the wire of this center spring has broken and released the pull- ing hand. The further progress of the pulling will be arrested by the second spring straightening out, and when that is broken the pulling operation may be extended to the third, and so on until the last or outer spring. Thus we arrive at a most important theory in the structure SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN LE ee ee EE . » _—— =e i This gage, together with a thickness gage, serves to measure the oversize of any standard cylinder when fitting new rings or pistons The strand of the standard rope, which is shown above, is made up of a succession of coiled springs or helices, so far as the theory is concerned, these springs or helices being of decreas- ing diameters but of equal pitch, coiled concentrically or one within the other. To simplify matters we are considering a strand only and not the rope as a whole. The new type of rope, shown below, has the proper number of slivers united to form one large sliver, duplicating in weight all of the center yarns of a strand The old type of rope, shown above, and the new type shown below, partly un- wound to show distinguishing features of each type This formidable looking machine cracks fifteen tons of walnuts daily, without damaging the kernels May, 1923 of ropes, namely, that the yarns in a strand do not pull as a unit but rupture successively layer by layer, beginning with the shortest inner yarns. Now that the ailment has been diag nosed, let us turn to the cure. Knowing that ordinary rope cannot be more than 60 per cent efficient, how can a rope be constructed to be, say, 80 per cent efficient. The solution is evident—so make the rope that all yarns will be of the same length. And that is precisely what H. V. Whit- lock of New York City, assisted by W. L. Faust, accomplished in the new rope which they have developed. In the new rope the proper number of “spinning slivers” referred to above, are united to form one large sliver duplicat- ing in weight all of the center yarns of a strand. These combined slivers are then fed as a unit, unspun, to the former, and the cover yarns are placed around them. The strand made in this manner corrects the faults of the strand composed wholly of layers of yarns in that the stress-bear- ing fibers are all of the same length—all parallel to each other, and parallel to the axis and to direction of loading of strand. The new rope, simple as it appears, has numerous marked advantages over the usual type of rope. First of all, its ten- sile strength is remarkable. One case will suffice to make a comparison, After a number of tests on a six-inch, three-strand rope, it was found that the regular struc- ture rope averaged 35,730 pounds, while the new rope averaged 46,770 pounds. A Machine Which Cracks Fifteen Tons of Walnuts a Day YLTIMATE consumers accustomed to shattering the shells of walnuts with hand-manipulated pincers as a means of extracting the kernels therefrom—tedious job that it is—will doubtless marvel at the announcement of the invention of a machine having the capacity of cracking fifteen tons of walnuts daily. Numerous preceding attempts to devise successful mechanical means for depriving walnuts of their shell-like coverings without in- juring the kernels proved futile; it re- mained for the California Walnut Grow- ers Association of Los Angeles, Cal., to develop a satisfactory machine. Walnuts subject to undergo a cracking process in this large double-acting mechan- ism are admitted into a hopper by means of a conveyor. Located in front of the hopper, with the upper ends on a level with the upper edge of the trough, are alternately arranged feed _ tubes. The latter are almost vertical in position and by alternating with and having their upper ends in alinement with tubes curv- ing forwardly and downwardly in a com- pound curve the lower ends of the tubes are in a staggered relation with the upper intake of the cracking jaw. Just beneath the discharge ends of the aforementioned tubes are pairs of down- wardly and inwardly-tapered stationary and movable jaws, which are V-shaped in cross-section. Each pair of these jaws forms a downwardly reduced passage into which nuts, singly, obtain passage from the tubes. “Stationary and movable jaws,” is a phrase used advisedly, since they are arranged in parallel rows, one- half of which are in a fixed position and the other half movable. The latter are assembled on a cam shaft, adjustable in motion; a condition which permits of the accommodation of walnuts of varying sizes. The walnut is admitted passage through the feed tubes into the V-shaped jaws and through the action of a cam shaft the kernel is separated from its shell-like cov- ering. Once the cracking process has been completed, and the shaft is released from the cam, the jaws are opened by force of springs. The shelled walnuts are then permitted passage into a hopper below, whence they are ¢arried to a sacking de- vice located at the end of this conveyor. e Se 0) tha up con pre It i per as stat age tive ite adv offic sur N A biol is prey of « Mal Z ther for ized acco in t 8988 sulp solve sulp! into stan! cipit phid the siph«

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23 ure ing ag- ing an be nt. ype th. Lit- ype of ire at- en nd mm. lly ir- all he 1d. as he n- ill a nd Ic- ile to th of us at 1g us ul May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 335 The Service of the Chemist A Department Devoted to Progress and Achievement in the Field of Applied Chemistry Conducted by ISMAR GINSBERG, Chemical Engineer Machine Bearings of Limestone HE proper lubrication of machine bearings is an important factor in the efficient operation of any machine. All sorts of devices are used to feed the oil or grease into the bearing and keep the shaft properly lubricated so that it is not subjected to the wearing action of fric- tion and so that not a minimum of power is lost in the transmission. A new type of bearing has been introduced in Germany, which consists of a lime stone lining, enclosed in white metal. The metal is first poured into a mold, surrounding a solid piece of limestone, which is then drilled with a diamond point tool to form the opening through which the shaft is introduced. Lime stone is porous and absorbs the oil that is used in lubrication and in a compara- tively short time the limestone becomes very smooth, being highly polished by the continued rubbing of the metal of the shaft against it. It is evident that in time the amount of friction between the limestone and the shaft is reduced to an absolute minimum. This type of bearing has been used with great suc- cess on car wheels, and it has been found that the ordinary type of bearing, which is used for this purpose and which has a life of from 6,000 to 7,000 miles, can be replaced to good advantage by the limestone bearing, which has lasted in certain cases for an extended period of time during which the car traveled from 35,000 to 45,000 miles —Chemical Trade Journal, 1922, page 701. Gunite as a Fire Preventive UREAU of Mines tests at the Uni- versity of California have indicated that Portland cement gunite will stand up in a hot fire. This is an important consideration as mines fires could be prevented by the use of this material. It is recommended that all underground permanent timbering in mines as well as mule barns, ventilation doors, power stations, hoist stations, timbered haul- age-ways and fan stations can be effec- tively fireproofed by this method. Gun- ite coatings can also be used to good advantage on transformer houses, assay offices, powder magazines and other surface building around a mine. New Specific Against Diabetes PRODUCT by the name of isulin A has been prepared by Canadian biologists in Toronto, which it is claimed is a specific against diabetes. The preparation is made from the pancreas of cattle, sheep and swine. Making New Phosphorescent Salt INC sulphide, which has a greenish phosphorescence, and which can therefore be used for the many purposes for which phosphorescent salts are util- ized at the present time, is made in accordance with a new process, described in the Ber. d. chem. Ges., 1922, pages 2988-3989. Equal weights of pure zinc sulphate and acetate of soda are dis- solved in hot water. Then a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen is allowed to flow into the solution, which is kept con- stantly hot, until the zinc has been pre- cipitated completely. After the zine sul- phide has heen allowed to settle, then the supernatant liquid is removed by siphoning. The sulphide is washed with hot water by decantation. It is then filtered and washed thoroughly once again and finally dried on the water bath. Then about 200 parts of the zint sulphide, prepared in this manner, is uniformly moistened with a_ solution containing 20 parts of magnesium chlor- ide, 10 parts of calcium chloride, 10 parts of strontium chloride and 10 parts of crystallized barium chloride, all being dissolved in 22 parts of water. Before this solution is added to the zine sul- phide, it is mixed with 10 parts of a solu- tion of ammonium tungstate, which con- tains 0.004 gram of the salt per cubic cen- timeter. The mixture of the prepared chloride solution and the zine sulphide is evaporated to dryness on the water bath with constant agitation, and the dried mass is then transferred to a crucible and heated in a gas muffle fur- nace. The heat is applied gradually so that the crucible becomes red hot within an hour’s time. The crucible is main- tained at this temperature for about 30 to 40 minutes and then the crucible is allowed to cool while still in the oven to the room temperature. The soluble salts are removed by decantation and washing with water. The washed sul- phide of zine is then dried on the water bath. Deterioration of Calcium Arsenate in Storage 6 pes Department of Agriculture has recently made exhaustive experi- ments to determine whether there is any deterioration of that important insecti- cide, calcium arsenate in storage. It was found that when the arsenate is packed in containers that were not air- tight, the salt absorbed carbon dioxide from the air with the resulting forma- tion of small amounts of water soluble arsenic. Water soluble arsenic is in- jurious to the foliage of the cotton plant. There was no change observed in calcium arsenate storage stored in air-tight sheet metal drums over a period of 20 months. Hardwood barrels were also very good for preserving the chem- ical in its original condition. Veneer drums, both unlined and paper lined, and sugar barrels, paper lined and un- lined, were not so satisfactory when cal- cium arsenate was kept as long as 20 months. For further details see De partment Bulletin No. 1115. New Moth-Proofing Agent NEW process of treating woolen fab- rics to moth-proof the same is the subject of German Patent No. 357,063. The fabrics are subjected to the action of alpha-tetralon in the vapor form. The chemical name of this substance is alpha-tetrahydronaphthalene ketone. The protective action of this substance is greater than that of the chlorinated aromatic compounds, since it is less vola- tile. The product is obtainable as an emulsion in soft soap or in the form of a powder, pellets or tablets. Paper and fabrics may be treated with solutions of alpha-tetralon in petroleum spirit of high boiling point. Direct Reproduction of Half Tones on Lithographic Plates RENCH Patent No. 539,639 is con- cerned with a process of reproduc- ing direct images on lithographic stones, on zine or offset work, without it being necessary to engrave the half tone. The process consists essentially of producing an image on sensitized paper, which has the following composition: Two grams of ammoniacal citrate of iron, 0.8 gram of potassium ferri-cyanide, 0.2 gram of potassium bichromate, 0.2 gram of car- bonate of soda and 20 cubie centimeters of water. Any positive may be used; for example, a blue print, or a film or a photographic plate, which are fastened in the printing frame. After the sensitized paper has been exposed for a suflicient length of time, it is applied on a special paste which has the following composition: Gelatine 1000 grams, water 5 liters, yellow ochre 200 grams, ox-gall 750 cubic centimeters, pure sulphate of iron 50 grams and sul- phate of manganese 30 grams. The pic- ture is transferred in this manner. After this has been accomplished the picture is inked by means of an ordinary roller. A print can then be taken on a piece of paper. Then the picture is fixed either on a lithographic stone or on a zine plate or by the offset method. New Refractory Product From Dolomite OLOMITE cannot ordinarily be used in the manufacture of refractory products, due to the fact that it falls into a powder in a short time. Even when it is mixed with tar it does not give durable products. But when it is mixed with alumina, the product is free from this objection. About 100 parts of dolo- mitic limestone, which has been ground to a fine, impalpable powder, is mixed with 10 to 20 per cent of its weight of bauxite. The mixture is then melted in the electric furnace. The product is just as refractory as pure dolomite and can be worked in various ways. For further details see French Patent No. 537,511. Tantalum a Commercial Product ANTALUM is a rare metal, which finds important use in the manufac- ture of different electrical instruments. It was imported into this country from Germany prior to 1914, but a process has been developed within the last year for its manufacture on a commercial scale in the United States. The metal is soft and easily workable and at the same time it is very resistant to wet corrosion. It is not attacked by any acid or alka- line solution with the sole exception of hydrofluoric acid. It finds important ap- plication in the manufacture of valves in electric cells and in the construction of electrolytic rectifiers in alternating cur- rent work. Seasoning Wood by Ozone OOD must be seasoned before it can be used for many purposes, as in the manufacture of furniture. Nat- ural seasoning of wood is a long process; in extreme. cases it may take as much as two to three years. The ozone proc- ess accomplishes the same results within a period of a few weeks. If the wapd is subjected to drying with hot air, the wood becomes dry but the starch in the cells remains unchanged. It attracts parasites and gives rise to the formation of molds. When hot water or steam is used to dry the wood, then the same effect is secured as when the wood is over-dried and the*cells are left empty. The wood is rendered brittle and lifeless. In the ozone process the wood is. sub- mitted to the combined action of gentle heat and ozonized air, which brings about simultaneous evaporation of -water and oxidation of the organic constituents of the cell sap. Specially designed kilns are employed in the process; one type of kiln is continuous and the other is divided into compartments.. The treat- ment takes from ten to fifteen days, ac- cording to the nature of the wood. In that period green wood can be converted into seasoned wood possessing all the characteristics of wood which has been exposed to the action of air for ten years. The physical properties are iden- tical. No difference is detected by me- chanical, chemical or microscopical tests. The process is being worked on a com- mercial scale in Paris.—/Jour. Soc, Chem. Ind., 1922, 547R. Renovating Old Corks LD cork stoppers can be cleaned and softened by boiling them, suit- ably weighted, in a 5 per cent solution of sulfuric acid for 15 minutes. After rinsing several times in water, the corks are boiled in clean water for 15 minutes, and when cold they are placed in a 5 per cent solution of alum for six hours, and then dried in the sun for 2 to 3 days.—Chemi- ker Zeitung, 9-28-22. Helium Cracked From Carbon F pean yr clang of the sup posedly elemental carbon into helium has been accomplished according to a report, published in the Gil Paint and Drug Reporter, Jan. 29, 1923, of work done at the Sperry Gyroscope Research Laboratory. The transmutation was effected by means of the electric are at a temperature of 5000 degrees C. Activated Carbon With the Aid of Selenium Chloride CCORDING to Chemical and Metal- lurgical Engineering, Jan. 24, 1923, a new method of making a pure carbon at a moderate cost consists in treating charcoal with selenium oxychloride, a solvent for the hydrocarbons, remov- ing the solution and washing the residue. The material that is obtained in this manner may be used for various pur- poses, such as an activated carbon in gas masks, or in the recovery of gasoline from natural gas. As a purifier material it may be used in the manufacture of dry-cell batteries or for electrodes. Function of Magnesium in Fertilizers ge ented investigations mode by the » Bureau of Plant Industry have re- vealed that the presence of magnesium in fertilizing compositions is necessary to the proper growth of the plant. The magnesium performs a definite function. Tobacco, corn and other plants are sub- ject to a certain leaf disease, which is known to tobacco growers as. “sand drown.” In this disease the green and yellow coloring matter in the chlorophyll is affected and the leaf tissues are blanched. This blanching always begins with the older leaves. It has been found that this disease is due to the absence of sufficient magnesium in the soil or fer- tilizer. The trouble can be prevented by the addition of comparatively small quantities of magnesium salts in the soil, according tothe Government authorities,

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336 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923 The Heavens in May, 1923 The Mechanics of the Meteor and Its Role in Everyday Astromony IVERYONE is familiar with “shooting stars” those specks of light which dash swiftly across the heavens and vanish almost as we perceive them. Usually they are com parable in brightness with the more con- spicuous stars, but occasionally great “fireballs” appear which far outshine Venus, and may even light up the whole landscape, like the Moon— though few of us have the good luck to see one. It has long been known that these meteors are rela- tively near us—in the upper part of the Earth's atmos- phere. Small bodies, pursuing each its own orbit about the Sun, after an independent existence of millions of years, finally find the Earth in their way. So long as they move in empty space they are cold and invisible; but the moment they enter the air their rapid motion energy converted into heat, and they blaze is slowed, its usually to be consumed, though a out for a few seconds, few big ones get through and fall as aerolites. The meteorites which fall on the Earth’s surface are composed usually of stone, or more rarely of iron. In either case they are dense, solid bodies, and we may well suppose that shooting stars are similar in nature. When two or more observers in different places get a good sight of one, it is pos sible to work out its true path, and it is thus found that meteors usually light up at heights of 50 to 100 miles, and disap pear when they have come from 10 to 40 miles lower down, though usually at heights exceeding 40 miles. Their velocity is very great, averaging perhaps 25 miles per second—as might be expected from the nature of their orbital motion. A very interesting discussion of these bdédies has just been published by Profes- sor Lindemann, of Oxford, who, by apply ing modern physical principles, has ar- rived at a most satisfactory explanation of the facts. When a small, dense, swiftly moving body enters the upper part of the atmosphere, where the molecules of gas are far apart, it will fling those which it strikes violently aside, in all directions, according to the angle of impact. At first these molecules will escape individually, but when the air grows denser, they will find other molecules in their way and bounce back toward the advancing meteor As soon as this happens, the front of the meteor will be covered with a layer, or “cap” of compressed gas, continually in creased by the impact of new molecules on the front, and as continually sweeping round to the sides and streaming away to the rear. The rapid compression will heat this gas and the surface of the meteor to a high temperature (Lindemann it as about 2200 degrees Centi that the stone and iron will estimates grade) so evaporate, and add their vapors to the mass of gas. This process continues until either the meteoric mass is completely vaporized away—if it is smail—or, if larger, till its motion has been so much slowed down by the resistance that the heat dies away. The moment at which the “cap” forms is that at which the meteor begins to shine. Before this, the air is so rarefied that it offers very little resistance to the small, dense projectile: but, as soon as it covers itself with a shroud of vapor, it stirs up the air more and, moreover, finds more air to stir up, so that the “friction” is much greater and more energy is turned into heat and light. Hot as the meteor is, the direct radiation from its surface probably ace- counts for but a small part of its light Most of the energy goes into setting the molecules into such rapid motion that they knock electrons off one another. and so become ionized. The recombination which follows gives rise to the emission of light (as has often been explained in these columns) and Lindemann believes that much the larger part of all the original energy of motion is converted into light in this fashion. From the observed brightness of a meteor, we may estimate the amount of the light-energy, and so find the original kinetic energy of the body and, knowing At 11 o'clock: May 7. At 10% o'clock At 10 o'clock : By Professor Henry Norris Russell, Ph.D. the velocity, also the mass. Lindemann takes as a typical shooting star one which appears at a height of G2 miles and disappears at 50 miles, after travel- ling downward obliquely in a 40-mile path at a speed of 25 miles a second. If such a meteor, to an ob server 90 miles away, lookéd as bright as a first- magnitude star, it is easy to calculate that it must have been radiating energy during its brief appari- tion at the rate of more than four horsepower. Even so, a very small mass, moving at so great a speed, would suffice to carry the necessary energy. One-tenth of a gram, corresponding to a speck of iron less than one-twentieth of an inch in diameter, is all that is needed. A lump weighing only two ounces would suffice to produce a huge fireball, which would light up a district a hundred miles across, almost like the Moon. Extraordinary as these conclusions appear, they are based on exact and sound reasoning —and they are fortified by experience, since aero- lites, when they fall by night, appear like the great May 15. May 22. Outhern| Horizon _— At 944 o’clock: May 30 The hours given are in Standard Time. When local summer time is in effect, they must be made one hour later: 12 o’clock on May 7, etc. NIGHT SKY: MAY AND JUNE balls of fire which have so often been described. Such large masses, on their mad career, may meet with more vicissitudes. They penetrate to lower levels where the air is denser, and the blast on the molten surface carries it off in spray, forming a luminous train. Unequal air resistances may set the mass spin- ning even so fast that it bursts asunder, as many fireballs have been seen to do. Finally, when the speed falls below eight or ten miles a second, the surface is no longer kept incandescent, the mass cools very rapidly, since the heating is so fast as to be only skin-deep, and the aerolite reaches the solid Earth with a low speed, like a spent cannon ball. The smaller particles, which never reach the ground, may be wholly consumed in the upper air befcre they have lost much speed, which again agrees with observation. Professor Lindemann goes further and calculates that, at a height of sixty miles, when many meteors light up, the density of the atmosphere is about 1/120,000 of that which prevails at the Earth’s surface. Though we would commonly eall this a good vacuum (unless we were making X-ray tubes, or the like) there are plenty of air-molecules left at this height, more than three million billions of them per cubic inch, so that there is matter enough there to act upon the meteors. At 9 o'clock: At 814 o'clock: June 14. At 8 o'clock: Previous calculations had made the density at this height much lower, and the difference means that, at this elevation, the temperature of the air must be higher than has been supposed—indeed, much like that at the surface, instead of about 60 degrees below zero, as it is at heights of from ten to twenty miles. Lindemann suggests that this may be explained by the presence of ozone in these high layers. We know that it is some- where above our heads, because it absorbs very strongly with ultra-violet light from the Sun and stars, limiting the observations of the spectroscopist in a very serious fashion, and that it is high up, because no change in this absorption has been detected in the highest balloon flights. Such an ozone-containing layer must get rid of the energy it absorbs from the sunlight, and it may well therefore be warmer than the nearly transparent layer of ordinary air below it. The Heavens At our usual hour of observation (as indicated below the map) the most conspicuous star is Arcturus, high up on the meridian. Almost directly under it, but much lower, is the planet Jupiter, which is still brighter. The bright stars, Antares, or Scorpio, and Spica, or Virgo, are about equally distant from Jupiter, to the left and the right, and the planet Saturn is to the right of the latter and a little higher up. Leo and Gemini are the most prominent constellations in the west, the latter set- ting. The Great Bear is high in the north with the Little Bear and Dragon below, and Cassiopeia on the horizon. Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila form a fine group, low on the east, and Ophiuchus and Hercules are high above them. The Planets Mercury is an evening star, and is excellently placed for observation early in the month, being more than twenty degrees from the Sun and about eight degrees north of it. During the first ten days of May he sets at about 8:40 P. M. and should be very easy to see, appearing brighter than Aldebaran, which is a few degrees above and to the left. He then moves rapidly between us and the Sun, and is in conjunction with the latter on the 20th. Venus is a morning star in Pisces and Aries, rising at 3:35 A. M. on the 15th, and is still very bright. Mars is slowly drawing nearer to the June 7. Sun, but is still visible as an evening star, setting about 9:00 P. M. in the middle of the month. Jupiter comes into opposition on the 5th, and is the brightest object in the eve- ning sky. His satellites afford a fascinating spectacle with even a small telescope. Attention may be called to the evenings of the 23d and 20th, when the first and third satellites go behind the planet, and the second in front of it. From 9:20 to 10:22 P. M. on the 23d, all three of them are thus hidden at once. The fourth satellite is also in line with the planet and behind it, but its orbit is tilted so that it escapes being hidden, though it will take eareful looking to see it with a small telescope, just south of the planet. Saturn, which was in opposition in April, is about 25 degrees west of Jupiter, and 10 degrees higher in the sky. This too presents a fine telescopic sight, June 22. with rings wider open to our gaze than they have been for four years. Uranus is in Aquarius and is still a morning star, rising at 2:00 A.M. in the middle of the month. Neptune is in Cancer and is in quadrature east of the Sun on the 6th, becoming an evening star. The Moon is in her last quarter at 1:00 P. M. on the 7th, new at 6:00 P. M. on the 15th, in her first quarter at 9:00 A. M. on the 23d, and full at midnight on the 29th. She is nearest us on the 28th, and farthest away on the 13th. During the month she is in conjunction with Uranus on the 10th, Venus on the 12th, Mercury on the 17th, Mars later on the same day, Neptune on the 22d, Saturn on the 26th and Jupiter on the 28th. in ti ti pl th ty suc of The anc resi worl tise ver: give othe is | mus T par fror hou tuni part done tra rate whe the tion test no | one | ing hors one give max!

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92:3 his at her the ; it inn of ne- gly ing us in on of ay ent OW ht en M. ag WwW pn —_ May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN The Motor-Driven Commercial Vehicle Conducted by MAJOR VICTOR W. PAGE, M.S. A. E. This department is devoted to the interests of present and prospective owners of motor trucks and delivery wagons. The editor will endeavor to answer any question relating to mechanical features, operation and management of commercial motor vehicles The Acid Test for Tractors NOLLOWING the mandate of a re- cently enacted law, the State College of Engineering in Nebraska has devised a set of testing apparatus hitherto un- known in that industry. A great many tractors have been sold in the State in the past few years, and not all of them have come up to representations. There- upon the legislature passed a law pro- viding that before any make of tractor can be sold in the State a stock model shall be tested and passed upon by a board of three university engineers. This is the only State where such a law exists and where such tests are made. This put upon the engineering staff the task of improvising testing ap- paratus that would uncover any defects in construction and give a reliable guide to the power capacity and fuel consump- tion of each tractor as well as informa- tion with respect to endurance. The object of the law is not only to protect the purchaser but to encourage the manufacture and sale of improved types and thus add to the scope and horsepower test at half-load for an hour with carburetor adjusted for most eco- nomical operation at half-load—to show fuel consumption at half-load. Draw- bar-horsepower test at rated load for 10 hours, on half mile cinder track—to show if it will carry rated drawbar load continuously, and also fuel consumption on drawbar work. Series of short runs with an increase of load for each run until the engine is overloaded or drive wheels slip excessively—to show maxi- mum drawbar-horsepower. Miscellaneous tests to include work on inclines, turn- ing radius, effectiveness of brakes or any feature demanding special investiga- tion. The fuel and oil costs are paid by manufacturers. If the manufacturer says his tractor will operate only on gasoline, it is tested on the lowest grades of gasoline sold in the State; and if on gasoline and kerosene, the test is by the less volatile kerosene. The manufactur- ers also specify the kinds and grades of lubricants. The testing machinery consists, in the The loading machine has a capacity up to about 30 drawbar-horsepower. For the larger tractors additional loads will be pulled behind it. The drawbar pull is registered by a traction dynamometer, attached between car and tractor. For brake tests the fuel tank is put on a scale and set at the same height as the tank on the tractor. In the second test the governor is set to run the engine at the rated speed, and if it does not come up to rated speed at rated load, the test is made to deter- mine the greatest load at that speed. The third test is made without any engine stop or change of adjustments on tractor. The same conditions govern the fourth test, and if the speed should change during the test enough to indi- cate that conditions had not become con- stant when the test started, it is re- peated with the necessary change in load. In the sixth test the load applied is the rated load and the speed is that obtained with the gears set as recom- mended for plowing. If this proves to a mixture of one-fifth charcoal and four- fifths wood. The competition showed that with an engine designed for gasoline there was a loss of power when gas was substi- tuted. Taking the power of the gasoline engine as 1, with producer gas the power would drop to between 0.50 and 0.73 if the engine were not altered in any way, and to between 0.70 and 0.90 if changes were made in the compression, size of valves or areas of valve-openings und gas passages. It has been considered that the results of the trials show that there is an economy of 25 per cent in the use of gas compared with gasoline. The Thornycroft power plant differs essentially from others on the market in one or two features. The steam is pro- duced in a separate generator, which is not attached to the producer, by heat from the engine exhaust on the principle that the heat of the exhaust gases must necessarily be proportionate to the power developed, and thus the amount of steam ean be made proportionate to the work- ing. This generator can be detached a hae success of their use. Pending the result of tests temporary permits are granted. The tests are in no sense competitive, and companies are forbidden to use the results of the tests in any manner that would cause the reader of their adver- tisements to understand that the uni- versity recommended the use of any given type or model in preference to others. If the result of the official test is published at all, the entire report must be included. The complete tests consist of eight parts, as follows: Drawbar work at from one-third load to full load for 12 hours, which gives the tractor an oppor- tunity to be limbered up and is the only part of the testing that is allowed to be done by tractor company representatives. Brake-horsepower test at rated load and rated speed for two hours—to show whether it will carry its rated load on the belt and also to show fuel consump- tion for rated load. Brake-horsepower test at load varying from maximum to no load with all engine adjustments for one hour—to show speed control on vary- ing load and fuel consumption. Brake- horsepower test at maximum load for one hour with carburetor adjusted to give maximum power—intended to show maximum horsepower on the belt. Brake- Left: The dynamometer car used for the drawbar tests. Right: main, of three devices, one for fuel weighing, one for obtaining belt horse- power and one for drawbar tests. The two latter call for the use of the dyna- mometer. For belt tests an electric dyna- mometer of 150 horsepower capacity, is used. This is driven through an exten- sion shaft mounted on ball bearings and carrying a paper pulley 10 inches in diameter and 12-inch face. The tractor is belted to this pulley. The generator can be adjusted to offer any horsepower resistance. While this test is being made the tractor fuel-tank is disconnected and connection made with the special fuel- weighing tank. The drawbar tests are made on a cin- der track that has several short grades, none of them over 314 per cent. The track is kept in as nearly the same con- dition as possible, through dragging, rolling and sprinkling when necessary. To provide a drawbar load that can be kept constant during a test and which can be adjusted to different sizes of tractors, a dynamometer car or loading machine is used. This loading machine consists of a tractor chassis with an electric generator mounted in place of the engine and driven by power from the drive wheels of the machine as it is pulled by the tractor under test. be an overload it is reduced until the engine speed is up to rating and the slippage on the grounds deemed not ex- cessive. In the endurance test it is not deemed possible to determine the efficient life of the tractor. If an undue amount of wear is suspected in any part it is taken to pieces for inspection. The test makes it possible to detect any features that will give trouble. Observation is also made of all replacements, repairs, ad- justments and cleaning; also any dif- ficulty in the operation of lubrication, cooling or any other part of the machine. French Are Testing Producer Gas Trucks HE shortage and consequent high price of gasoline and similar fuels in Europe has created considerable interest in substitute fuels. Producer gas is be- ing experimented with and it is stated that marked progress is being made in England with trucks using producer gas engine. First prize in the French gas- producer trials has been won by the British entrant, the Thornycroft suction gas vehicle. The six competing trucks used four-cylinder engines designed to run on gasoline. Four of the trucks em- ployed charcoal as fuel; the other two, Stationary dynamometer employed for the block tests from the engine and entirely taken to pieces for cleaning, which is a point of very great importance. The Thornycroft power plant is intended primarily for use with the chassis of the British War Office pattern, known as the J type, and is designed as an integral part of the machine. Consequently, every part is easily accessible, in no way interfering with the fitting of an ordinary cab or body and detracting but little from the appearance of the vehicle. Moreover, the weight can be cut down to a mini- mum. Generally speaking, the engine can be started on gas in less than 10 minutes from cold, after which it is said that the car can be left standing for an indefinite period, the engine idling, with a cer- tainty of starting away as soon as the throttle is opened, whatever the load. No water is used for the cleaning or scrubbing of the gases, and cleaning is thereby much simplified, while the possi- bility of any corrosion or electrolytic action taking place is eliminated. During the war, it will be reealied, motor vehicles were operated with il- luminating gas as fuel. Good results were obtained, but not sufficiently good. to replace gasoline, even at present high prices.

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338 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May, 1923

Recently Patented Inventions Brief Descriptions of Newly Invented Mechanical and Electrical Devices, Tools, Farm Implements, Etc.

Pertaining to Apparel Barzano & invention re- formed of a a covering MAGALDI, ¢/o Italy. The having a sole SHOL.—E Zanardo, Naples, lates to a shoe pad of soft material enclosed in of fabric, a semirigid sele, and an insole composed of impermeable fabric. A purpose is to attain a good ventilation of the lower part of the shoe, to condense the vapors given off by the foot, to preserve the parts constituting the bottom of the and to make its outside and inside impermeable. LIMB ATTACHMENT.—J. E. GANTEN- BEIN, Box 457, Kelso, Wash. This invention relates to an attachment for use in connec- tion with high shoes. An important object is to provide an attachment for the forelimb which overlaps the shoe tops and thereby prevents foreign matter, such as dirt and snow, from entering the shoe top, in addi- tion, the attachment is a means for bracing the limb and keeping the same warm in cold shoe weather. The device is secured by eyelets and laces and is neat in appearance. (See Fig. 1.) GARMENT. — I. o Royal Novelty This invention a convertible wear | CONVERTIBLE WHeEFLeR, 14 E. 32d St., ¢ Mfg. Co., New York, N. Y. has for its object to provide garment more especially designed for by children, and arranged to be worn either combined waist and bloomers or as a dress and bloomers. A further object is to | provide a garment which will be exceedingly | neat in appearance when worn in either of | its two forms, and to permit of convenient | opening for sanitary purposes. SUPPORTER.—D. Gorrites and L. B. Srecet, 1744 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. The invention relates to supports for | soft collars. Among the the in- vention is to provide a support by means | of which the body of the collar will at all | times hold its normal, i. e., straight position | so that a neat appearance will be presented, and to provide means for engaging the body | of a tie to hold the tie in its proper position as a objects of with respect to the collar. DISPATCH JACKET.—W. E. Moore, | 25 Van Cortlandt Ave., Staten Island, N. ma An object of the invention resides in the | provision of a garment in which a large amount of bells, coin and other valuables ean be carried comfortably under an ordi-| nary coat or overcoat without being evident, and in which the disposition of the articles is such as to make it difficult for them to be stolen, the wearer of the jacket having both free for self-defense. hands

Electrical Devices AUTOMATIC REEL FOR ELECTRIC DEVICES.—R. B. Boyie, 4262 Jefferson St., Kansas City, Mo. An object of the invention is to provide a device adapted to be attached to a teléphone instrument or the like, to receive a portion of a flexible electrical conducting member connecting the instrument with a fixed connection, whereby the telephone may be positioned at varying distance is decreased action of a distances, and when the the slack is taken up by the spring. , FUSE PLUG.—W. F. and J. HEtns, c/o W. F. Heins, 24 Barrow St., Albany, N. Y. Among the objects of the invention is the plug which may be readily taken apart, cleaned, and replaced without the tools. A further object is to provide a fuse plug wherein the con- the fuse while being provision of a fuse use of tact resiliently grips easily removable. The device is formed in such a manner as to cause the burnt gases to slowly ooze out should the fuse “blow.” REMOTE CONTROL FOR INDICA- TORS.—O. E. GrRosuety, 1808 W. Diamond St., Philadelphia, Pa. The foremost object of the invention is to provide electrical switch mechanism to be operatively associ- ated with any type of indicator, such mech- anism comprising an electro-magnet, a nor- mally raised locking pawl, a latch disk with an armature capable of attraction by the electro-magnet, and connecting means be- tween the disk and pawl, to lower the pawl when the disk is rocked. CORD ADJUSTER.—N. L. Proven, Box 14, Florham Park, N. J. The invention re- | lates more particularly to an adjuster in the form of a shell and spring pressed plungers for holding electric lamp cords or other electric fixtures, and object is to provide an adjuster which may be connected to a cord at any point, and which will permit any desired adjustment to take up slack. A further object is to provide an adjuster | which can be manufactnred and sold at a reasonably low price. (See Fig. 2.) TELEGRAPH RELAY—C. J. Rogers, 914 S. Vresa St., San Antonio, Texas. One of the foremost objects of the invention is to provide a relay, employing differentially wound transmitting coils which are par- ticularly adapted for use on “leaky” lines. Another object is to provide a relay em- ploying differentially wound transmitting magnets or in other words, magnets on the cores of which there are separate windings of different cubical content of wire of the same gage, the use of such magnets resulting in a very prompt armature action. | other, the larger end having a concave bear- REMAGNETIZING APPARATUS—J. C. | Benner, Box 252, Webb City, Mo. Among the objects of the invention is to provide an apparatus having poles adapted to directly }engaye the poles of the magnet to be changed land of such construction as to be capable lof this direct arrangement without remov- ing the magnets operated upon from the structure with which they are associated, the device being especially adapted to directly engage the poles of the magnets of a Ford magneto and to effectively remagnetize these magnets. ELECTRIC MOTOR—C. Z. CoLeMAN, 698 Bush St., San Francisco, Cal. The principal object of the invention is to pro- vide an electric motor that will develop a maximum of power although confined in a comparatively small space. It is customary in a motor to arrange the armature coils so that they rotate between the respective north and south pole pieces of the field, this in- ventor arranges the armature coils in front of the magnet or magnets. In this manner a longer lever arm is provided for the arma- ture resulting in a greater power being ob- tained. (See Fig. 3.) permanent

_ Of Interest to Farmers _ DEPTH GAGE FOR DISK HARROWS. —S. H. Puetrs, c/o Blount Plow Works, Evansville, Ind. This invention relates to a depth gage for disk harrows having a hub to be fitted on an axle between the harrow disks, and having a broad area to ride on the surface of the ground, one end of the hub having a greater diameter than the|

ing surface to contact with the convex side | of a harrow disk. SPRING GATE AND SEED WHEELS.—B. N. Roppa, c/o Col-| lison & Co., Torrensville, South Australia, Australia. This invention has for its object to improve the grain feed of a seed drill and cause a positive delivery of the seed or grain from a supply hopper through a smaller and automatically adjustable outlet to the grain funnel or tube, and in particular to insure the sowing of the grain more evenly. A further object is to provide an outlet which shall be capable of automatic adjustment. BACKBAND HOOK—E. W. Batrey, Lawley, Ala. The invention relates to hooks for the backband of draft animals, the prin- cipal object being to provide a hook a | | WIPER FOR

will serve to firmly support the trace chain and prevent the same from slipping in either direction. A further object is to provide a hook so constructed that a trace chain may be readily attached thereto, and a hook which will be simple and practical in construction, strong and durable in use, and inexpensive to manufacture (See Fig. 4.) GRAIN TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR SEPARATORS—B. B. StravuFrer, 1323 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. An object of the invention is to provide a mechanical means for transferring grain or straw from a loaded wagon or stack to a desired place. A further object is to provide a device having a grain carrying fork arranged for move- ment in a horizontal plane, whereby the fork may be moved the length of the stack and adjusted automatically as the height of the stack is decreased. <A further object is to provide a device for use with a grain separa- tor of the ordinary type.

Of General Interest TRAP.—S. B. Conner, Toppenish, Wash. The invention relates to animal traps, par- ticularly to that form which is normally concealed in leaves. The principal object is to provide a trap in which the leaves or rubbish are automatically thrown from be tween the jaws as the trap is sprung. A further object is to provide an ejector de- vice which is operatively connected to the jaw actuating means so that the jaws and ejector are operated simultaneously. APPARATUS FOR FASTENING! STEEL PAIL TOPS.—S. M. JoHNson, Middlefield, Ohio. Among the objects of the invention is to provide an apparatus for fastening steel pail tops, including a base | plate on which crimping jaws are mounted, | and embodying means for holding the plate | up so that the crimping edges of the jaws | will come no lower than the edges of the lugs which are to be crimped under. The ' device can be set upon a pail and all the lugs of the lid crimped under in one opera- tion, GUN SIGHT.—H. H. Jones, 41714 So. Main St., Los Angeles, Cal. An important object of the invention is to provide a gun sight having means whereby the same may be adjusted transversely of the barrel so as to compensate for wind. A further object is to provide a sight with means whereby the same may be adjusted vertically so that the gun may be inclined in accordance with the range. MASSAGE DEVICE.—J. O. LINDEN, Box 491, Albuquerque, N. M. Among the objects of this invention is to provide a massage device in the form of a watertight container, and to provide means for facilitat- ing the filling of the same, and locking means for holding the cover in position. The device is of elliptical shape and provides a pair of massage surfaces, one being per- fectly smooth, the other transversely ribbed or corrugated. MOVABLE DAM.—H. E. Frye, 723 Second St., Marietta, Ohio. An important

| object of the invention is to provide a dam which may be raised or lowered during any stage of water by means which are entirely under the control of a single operator. A further aim is to provide a dam whereby the entire width of the river may be navigated, and which provides means for directing the flow of water so as to protect the banks from strong currents of water. The device may be easily exposed for repair by work- men in small boats. POISON CONTAINER.—S. S. Snyper and G. W. Snort, White Sulphur Springs, Mont. The invention relates to the con- struction of a poison container in which the poison is readily accessible to rats, mice or other small animals or rodents, and which is so formed as to be inaccessible to fowl and birds because the latter find their food by sight. A further object is to provide a container which ean be readily secured to the ground and moved from one location to another. DRINKING CUP.—H. ScHNACKENBERG, tox 101, Stroudsburg, Pa. The general ob ject of this invention is to provide a drink- ing cup made from wax paper, the bottom being formed by overlapped tongues integral with the cup and bent into position to form a closure at the bottom, a flange at one side is adapted to overlap the opposite edge when the blank is bent to form a round body. METHOD OF CLEANING TUNNELS, SUBWAYS, OR THE LIKE. ee SmirH and A. R. Burnette, c/o W. I. Smith, 44 Fourth Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. The invention relates to a method of clean-

ling tunnels, subways or the like of refuse, papers, dust or other extraneous matter by means of air. A further object contemplates a method which effects the washing, filter- |ing and purifying of the air, and the redis- tribution of the purified air. WEATHER STRIP.—F. C. Gorpon, High Orchard, Westfield, N. J. The object of the invention is to provide a simple and durable flexible metal plate that may be

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SS ——. ih Fig. 1.—A detachable extension of the shoc | which excludes foreign matter is the invention of J. E. Gantenbein

VON UA) oor “

Prudden invention of N. L. takes up the slack in electric lamp cords Fig. 2.—This

Fig. 3.—The inventor of this electric motor, Cc. Z. Coleman, increases power and conserves space

Fig. 4.—A hook for holding trace chains to the backband is the invention of E. W. Bailey

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eas cor mo do per pro s ane ma met shi ous met wil and wil will sto! I Par ven ada fou! ject the 4 arti tion to t sim if Roa the fit f is t be 1 of 3 tica app . BER Nev inve by 1 umb tudi or e per shay R sox The part com geth ishe cord untv yarn the thro cr 1306 ject seaff that space a se a re vide pers SI Past the prov will door is to for « fram pose Cc 16th the meal

Page 53

q rs ‘Ss TT Ft ee eee Te May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 339 Fig. 5.—D. F. Ebbert is the inventor of this metal shipping case designed to protect its contents Fig. 6.—A baby carriage whose self-contained parts permit it to be carried like a suitcase. Invented by F. Paschoal Fig. 7.—This ingenious mechanical invalid bed is the invention of W. W. Zachary = ie. 8.—A knock-down signboard invented by J. B. Whited permits quick removal and re-assembly easily fitted on doors or windows during the construction of a building, or may be readily mounted after construction to make the win- dows practically airtight when closed, permit them to open freely. The strip is not prominent, and presents a good appearance. SHIPPING CASE.—D. F. Essert, Main and 4th Sts., Wheeling, W. Va. The pri- mary object of the invention is to provide a metal shipping case which is designed for shipping dry goods and piece goods of vari- ous kinds. A further object is to provide a metal case which will be comparatively light, will effectively protect the goods from and water, as well as from chafing in transit, | as a wooden ease and will be useful not only in shipping, storing the goods. (See Fig. 5.) PRICE MARKER.—G. W. GILMAN, Parker Pen Co., Janesville, Wis. This in- vention relates to a price marker especially adapted for use in connection with pencils, fountain pens and the like. Among the ob- jects is to provide a price marker on which the marking element is so constructed that it depends upon the construction of the article with which it is used for its opera- tion, and which may be removed from time to time and used with various articles of a similar nature. RING. — A. A. O. SeELER, 622 Varsity Road, South Orange, N. J. An object of the invention is to provide a ring which will fit fingers of various sizes. A further object is to provide an adjusting means which may be used for regulating the will not be as bulky of a ring, which will be simple and prac- tical in construction and will not affect the appearance of the ring. PARASOL.—I. H. WEIN- } 21st St., UMBRELLA BERG and C. F. Bispine, 23 E. New York, N. Y. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a construction where- by the cover connected to the ferrule of an umbrella or parasol is caused to move longi- tudinally of the rod by the action of a spring or elastic member to compel the central up- per portion of the cover to assume a canopy shape when the cover is opened. ROPE tox 58, The invention City, N. J. and more Bergen P. O., Jersey relates to cordage particularly to a strand structure for ropes | a plurality of strands laid to- gether in twisted relation to form the fin- ished rope, each of the strands comprising a cord of fibers laid parallel in substantially untwisted relation and a covering of spun yarns, these yarns being spirally laid about the core and in contact with one another throughout their length. CORNICE SCAFFOLD.—F. 1300 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. comprising The ob- ject of this invention is to provide a cornice | disassembled so scaffold that it space. eapable of being may he stored in a minimum of A further object is the provision of a seaffold which may be readily handled by a relatively unskilled person, and will pro- vide a structure insuring the safety of the person while effecting repairs. SIDEWALK DOOR.—B. Scuacurt, 279 East 148th St., New York, N. Y. One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a door equipped with a guard which will effectively protect the public when the door is in open position. Another object | is to provide a door which includes means for detachably associating the door with its frame to permit of its removal for the pur- pose of repairs or the like. COMPASS.—H. Gorpsiatt, 3924 West | 16th St., Chicago, Ill. Among the objects of | the invention is to provide a compass by | means of which the direction in which a but | fire | but in| c/o | internal diameter | * STRUCTURE.—H. V. Wurrtock, | ORTHMANN, | | person is facing may be actually indicated by the needle itself, thereby eliminating any necessity for calculating such as is necessary with the ordinary compass. The compass may be used in the ordinary manner to in- dicate the north by means of the needle. BABY CARRIAGE OR COLLAPSIBLE CART.—F. Pascuoat, 218 Central Ave., New Rochelle, N. Y. This invention has for an object the provision of a carriage in which the various parts can be collapsed within the body portion, so that in collapsed condition it is entirely closed up and sub- stantially simulates a suitcase and can be A further object resides in | the simplicity and ruggedness of the parts, which may be made ready for use with a |}minimum amount of effort. See Fig. 6.) AUXILIARY BED.—C. Korp, Box 442, Okmulgee, Okla. An object of this invention |is to provide an auxiliary bed which may be folded up and slidably disposed beneath an ordinary type of bed by means of track members, free from the floor, while not in use. A further object is to provide a device | earried as one. that is durable and simple in operation. STOP PLATE FOR SLICERS.—J. A. Cuow, Quarters 8, Fort Sheridan, Ill. The invention has for its object to provide a ver- tical stop plate for a cutting board, which |is adapted to have a vegetable held there- against so that a piece, ordinarily too small to eut, may be held by the the stop plate, and with a knife in the free hand eut the piece into as many thin slices | °F the like. as desired. INVALID BED.—W. W. Zacuary, W. 10th Ave., Pine Bluff, Ark. An portant object of the invention is to provide a bed having means whereby the patient may be temporarily raised to permit the entire mattress, or a section, changed in its position, or replaced by an- other mattress without inconvenience or dis- comfort to the patient. A further object is to provide a bed whereby the adjustments may be made by one person without going from one end of the bed to the other. (See Fig. 7.) BOTTLE STOPPER.—J. P. McLaurin, c/o Mel eurin & Thompson, Dillon, 8S. C. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a cap for bottles which extends over the outlet for the purpose of protecting the bottle, whereby when the liquid is discharged it will not come in contact with dust or dirt. A further object is to provide a cap which may be used in conjunction with any kind of a bottle closure, and does not interfere with the free applicaticn or removal of the closure. CORD HOLDER AND CUTTER.—M.EF. | GEROULD, 39 Howell St., Rochester, N. Y. This invention relates to supports for balls of twine. earrier having means whereby the same may be conveniently applied to one’s clothing, so as to be within convenient reach when it is desired to wrap a bundle or the like. A further object is to provide a simple means for folding the free end of the twine and | severing the same. WINDOW SCAFFOLD.—F. OrtTHMANN, 1300 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. The in- vention aims to provide a_ seaffold which may readily be applied to and removed from |a window by an unskilled operator without marring the woodwork of the window frame, | and which will provide an absolute rigid | support. The device may be associated with different portions of the frame with equal facility, and when not in use may be stored within a minimum amount of space. THREAD-GUIDE GRIPPER. — S. Hatt and A. N. KAZzNAKorFrFr, c/o Miss ‘Ella 'D. Hall, 150 W. 92d St., New York, N. Y. |in vanity | vides for the removal of the securing means, | fingers against | im- | to be withdrawn and | | An object is to provide a twine | | Among the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, nomically manufactured device in the form of a metal cap and spring, which ean be attached to any type of thread spool whereby thread may be easily held to prevent the unravelling of the thread from the spool. WINDOW GUARD.—S. KavrMan, c/o Butler Printing Co., 239 W. 35th St., New York, N. Y. This invention has for its ob- ject to provide an arrangement for show windows wherein means are provided for covering automatically and quickly the goods displayed in the window, in case the same is broken and thereby protecting the goods against theft. The breaking of the window automatically sets in operation the mechan- ism connected with the covering device. VANITY CASE. G. Kenpatr, 118 Market St., Newark, N. J. vention relates more particularly to metallic spring means for securing powder compacts eases, and at the for the purpose of replacing or renewing of the powder compact. ABRADING COMPOUND.—C. F. STEPHENSON, 146 FE. South St., Fostoria, Ohio. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a grinding compound which will possess all the abrading qualities to suecess- fully act on relatively soft metal, such as Babbitt metal, but will not injure the work- ing parts of machinery which are of steel The compound comprises abrad- pounds, Venetian red 3 ing powder 50 1921 | pounds, table salt 2 pounds, powdered bluing 4 pound. FLY SWATTER—C. D. Youncer, Edge- ley, N. D. An object of the invention is to provide a simple means for detachably mounting the flexible striker sheet on the handle to permit the substitution of a new | while re- Another sheet when an old one is worn, taining the handle and other parts. object is to incorporate in the structure an | | inexpensive handle of lighter weight, prefer- | suit- | ably formed of a single length of wire ably bent. WINDOW SHUTTLEWORTH, 763 MeDonough St., lyn, N. Y. to provide a construction which may be bodily applied and removed and may be ar- VENTILATOR—J. C. Brook- ranged at the top or bottom of any window | within certain limits. Another object is to provide a ventilator having sliding end mem- bers for adapting the ventilator to windows of different sizes, and having spaced pro- tecting screens, forming chambers for re- ceiving a disinfectant in addition to provid- ing for the passage of air. NBOARD—S. J. B. Wuirep, ¢/o Shreveport Blowpipe and Sheet Iron Works, Shreveport, La. This invention relates more particularly to the structure of a knock-down sign or bill board, and has for its object the provision of a structure of this character which may be very compactly stored and easily assembled and erected. The device is durable and strong, the framework being of metal firmly bolted together, with surface of galvanized sheeting. (See Fig. 8.) POWDER PUFF—E. G. Grres, c/o Ox- ford Down Mfg. Co., 127 Walnut St., Lock- port, N. Y. An object of the invention is to provide a powder puff which comprises a receptacle for powder and which is pro- | vided with draw strings having applicator puffs at the ends of the draw strings so that the puffs can be enclosed within the re- ceptacle when the latter is closed. A fur- ther object is to provide a powder puff which is ornamental in appearance. PRESS CLOTH—W. A. Lee, Box 240, Augusta Ga. The invention relates to what efficient, durable and eco- | The present in- | same time pro- | The invention has for an object | | are commonly known as press cloths, that is cloths used for wrapping oleaginous seeds and other oil bearing material while the latter are pressed in hydraulic presses, the press cloth acting as a filter through which | the oil may be discharged and will retain the meal or cake within the cloth. The in- vention aims to provide a device which will not only increase the yield of oil but reduce the amount of meal which passes the usual | cloth. Hardware and Tools _ VAL VE LIFTER.—R. I. Surerya, 5371 N. 27th Ave., Omaha, Neb. This invention has for its object the provision of a simple, strong and compact tool whereby valve springs may be lifted and held in an elevated position while the stems of the valves are being removed, together with the valves, for purposes of repair. Another object is the | provision of means whereby after the tool | has been operated to lift the valve the hau- an be left in place and are locked in | their operative position and released when the work is finished. APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GROM- METS.—R. E. Maroy, 25 W. 15th St., New York, N. Y. An object of this invention is to provide a device in which the initial cut- ting away of the material is eliminated and in which means are provided for initially puncturing the material and gradually en- larging the puncture by rolling the edge of the material defining the opening to produce a bead and at the same time rolling the | grommet body over the bead to insure the | proper gripping of the material. WRENCH.—A. W. MINNEY, 5265 Me- Kinley Ave., Stockton, Calif. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a pipe wrench which is simple in construction, easy to manipulate, compact and _ exceedingly strong. A further object is to shape the jaws to grip a pipe upon the initial move- ment of the wrench, and to adapt the wrench to operate upon pipes of different diameters, pipe |and without lacerating or marring the to any appreciable extent. KEY PULLER. Ek. STEPHENS, Box | H, Fellows, Cal. The invention relates to key pullers adapted for removing keys from shafts. The object is to provide a key puller having means whereby the grip on the key is tightened as the key is being with- | drawn so that the device will not slip when in use. The device is particularly useful in pulling keys of various sizes or removing broken or headless keys. NUT LOCK.—B. G. PATTerson, terson Lock Nut Mfg. Co., 916 Wrigley Bldg., Chicago, Ill. More particularly the invention relates to a nut of that type in which the nut itself is provided with internal means to lockingly engage the threads of a bolt, and aims to provide a simple means for holding a locking dog in the nut slot against accidental displacement while the nut is being screwed onto the bolt. | WRENCH.—M. N. Erickson, Box 147, |Columbia Falls, Mont. ‘The invention re- | lates more particularly to ratchet wrenches of the kind employing a brace. The object jis to provide a wrench having a brace of novel formation so as to especially adapt the same for use in connection with the nuts of the fourth connecting rod of a Ferd ear, or the like, although it is obvious that the device may be used in inaccessible places. CORNER BRACKET AND FASTENER FOR SCREEN FRAMES AND THE LIKE.—R. J. BurHeEN, Kirkwood, Mo. The object of the invention is to provide a simple device by means of which the corners of screen frames may be rigidly connected and c/o Pat-

Page 54

340 in such manner as to obviate the necessity of a skilled mechanie in the assembling opera- tion. A further object is to provide a brace and connecting member which is formed from a single piece of sheet metal with parallel side plates. NUT - HOLDING Crumiey, R. No. 3, La invention relates generally to nut holders for with the band adjusting and manipulating rods located within a transmission case of an automobile which bands require replacement from time to time, MEMBER.—L. F. Follette, Tenn, The use In connection at points where the lack of space render the usual nut removing operation difficult and frequently resulting in the dropping of the nuts into the transmission case. The object is to provide an implement by which the nuts may be securely held and withdrawn when free of the rod. WRENCH. —R. Bvuxker, Castle Rock, Wash. <An object of this invention is to provide a wrench which is designed to grip applying have pressure been ad- to loosely fit the position of the nuts or other objects by on a lever after the justed with a thumb-screw object to be gripped. The jaws does not determine the position of the lever. The lever makes it possible to main- tain a tight grip on the object with a rela- tively light pressure. (See Fig. 9.) THREAD-GUARD CASTER. — H. C. MILLER, 11 Floral Ave., Binghamton, N. Y. The general object of the invention is to provide a caster with a scraper for use on jaws trucks in textile mills, factories and like places, whereby not only will threads be effectively prevented from winding in the wheels, but the wheels and axles may have lateral tilting movement relatively to the truck or rack to conform to uneven floors. HACK SAW.—F. M. Swsrrua, Bridge- water, S. D. The general object of the invention is to provide a hack saw so formed be available for sawing in places under conditions affording only the most limited clearance for the movement of the saw. <A more specific object is to pro- vide a hack saw reflecting practical con- siderations looking to the facility with which the parts may be assembled and adjusted. HANGER.—C. A. Mecntrer, Middleneck Road, Great Neck, N. Y. Among the ob- jects of the invention is to provide a gutter hanger which may be constructed of copper or other suitable material, and will incor- porate sufficient rigidity to withstand any strains to which it is subjected without hav- ing its body distorted. A further object is to provide a hanger which will serve to sup- port the gutter in such a manner as to pre- elude any danger of the latter becoming detached from the body of the former. DOUBLE SEAMING TOOL.—F. B. WeENvDEL, 465 Hawthorne Ave., Newark, N. J. The invention relates to the manu- facture of cans and refers to a seaming tool for associating the ean heads with the body of the can. The object is to provide a tool which is adapted to be associated with a punch press by means of which the tops and bottoms of the cans may be directly pressed and secured to the ean body in a single con- tinuous stroke of the punch press. HOSE-CLAMPING TOOL.—F. W. Gunn, 318 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass. This invéntor has been granted patents on two tools of a similar nature. The inven- tions relate to tools for manipulating and applying bands or wires, and while having other fields of usefulness, are well adapted and designed for applying clamping bands or wires to hose or like flexible tubes for clamping and securing the same to pipes, nozzles, couplings and the like. The prin- and arranged as to

SCIENTIFIC cipal object is to provide a simple and easily operated tool that is adapted to first draw up a metallic clamping band or wire tightly around a hose, then bending a proper length of the wire back to make the coupling se- and then severing the extremities that the device after an operative cure, are caught in movement thereof. (See Fig. 10.) COMBINED CASING AND TOOL SPEAR.—M, W. Jones and B. H. Brusa, c/o Jones-Everett Machine Company, Ard- more, Okla. This invention relates to spears used in the drilling of wells, the purpose being to provide a spear which is operable effect the withdrawal of and drilling tool or well, and to thereby of withdrawing the to simultaneously both the well casing underreamer from the eliminate the necessity drill line through each and every joint of the casing as is necessary with spears as constructed. BED FRAME usually CONSTRUCTION.—M. HERING, 472A, Route 2, White Plains, N. Y. The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the rails and posts of beds ean be easily, positively, firmly and pivotally connected together. Another object is the provision of means whereby if the bed frame is to be moved out of a room through a narrow opening such as a door, it can be easily collapsed without taking the posts and rails apart. RAKE.—R. F. Leas, Suvern, Minn. The inventor has been granted two patents of a similar nature; they are primarily intended although limited to for use on lawns, not this particular adaptation. In connection with rakes of this type considerable difficulty is experienced, incident to the fact that leaves, dead grass, ete., quickly clog the teeth of the rake, the inventions aim to provide rakes in which the teeth may be easily cleaned in semi-automatic manner, and without necessitating the operator using his fingers, also overcoming the delay ex- perienced in the usual accomplishment of this result. RAZOR-BLADE POCKET KNIFE— A. A. Tusss, Hotel Carlton, 68 Plummer Ave., Hammond, Ind. Among the objeets is to provide a device in which a eutting blade may be detachably sheathed within a com- bined handle and sheath when not in use, and extended at will to permit the use there- of as a knife. A further object is to pro- vide a simple device in which safety razor blades, that would otherwise be discarded, may be utilized.

Heating and Lighting _ REVERSIBLE COVER FOR COOK- PRS.—T. Ketty, Peralta St., Oak- land, Cal. The particular object of the in- vention is to provide a cover or lid for a cooking vessel formed in such a manner that it can serve several functions. If secured on the vessel in the ordinary way it serves as a lid while when it is reversed it constitutes a second cooking vessel which may be used for such foods as jams which do not require excessive heat, while the main vessel may be simultaneously used for cooking foods which require more heat. (See Fig. 11.) HOPPER FOR HEATING PIPES— Cc. D. McCatr, c/o Atlanta Blow Pipe & Heating Co., Atlanta, Ga. An object of this invention is to provide a hopper in the nature of a catch-all with an outlet door to be applied to heating and ventilating pipes in a manner as to catch such dust or other matter as may fall into the pipe through the floor grating. A further object is to provide a hopper which can be readily at- tached to existing pipes without the necessity of taking the pipes down, 3527 such

| setting AMERICAN

_ Machines and Mechanical Devices COMPENSATING APPARATUS FOR WELL DRILLING OUTFITS.—O. E. OAKES, Baxter Springs, Kan. A specific ob- ject of the invention is to provide a frame with reciprocally mounted spring-held pul- leys to which a wire line is applied and which is so employed in connection with the drilling outfit that the springs are made to take up shocks and unusual strains in the drill cable to prevent breakage thereof. (See Fig. 12.) WINDMILL GEARING.—J. F. Strv- BLE, 421 W. “B” St., Hutchinson, Kan. An object of this invention is to provide means for converting a rotary into a reciprocatory motion, and to provide a windmfll gearing having means whereby the purtap rod is caused to reciprocate with a uniform and steady movement thereby eliminating the possibility of serious breakage of the parts and excessive wear. PRINTING PRESS.—A. Herner, 447 E. 80th St., New York, N. Y. The invention aims to provide a printing press which may be either manually operated or power driven, and which permits of its being manufac- tured and maintained in operation at a mini- mum of cost. Among the objects is to con- struct a device of this character which al- though embodying extremely simple construc- tion will include an inking, printing, feed- ing and cutting mechanism, so that the en- tire operation of printing may be performed by the one machine. ADAPTER FOR ACETYLENE TANKS. —B. WeEstTERVELT, 331 Bainbridge St., Brooklyn, N. Y. The invention relates to an adapter for acetylene tanks, and comprises a tubular shank, an integral head formed at one extremity, an enlarged elbow at its opposite extremity, said elbow and head hav- ing central bores communicating with the bore of the tubular shank, and a retaining sleeve including a pair of semi-cylindrical mating sleeve sections and means for retain- ing the sections in mated relation on the shank to permit of rotary and sliding move- ment.

TYPESETTING MACHINE. . B. HANLON, Martinez, Calif. The invention re- lates to a machine to set and distribute printing type which is operable by keys in a manner simulating the typewriter thus ac- complishing the result of moving the type rapidly and entirely mechanically both in the and distributing thereof and prac- tically as rapidly as a typewriting machine |is operated.

FLOW BARREL.—W. G. Ricketts, ad- dress George H. Myers, Box 2022, Tulsa, Okla. This invention relates to flow barrels especially adapted for use in oil wells. The flow barrel is intended for use only in wells that produce considerable gas with the oil and is provided with means whereby to re- lieve the gas pockets in the oil column. It may be placed anywhere in the tubing of the well so long as it is above the working barrel and beneath the level of the oil. TYPEWRITER.—J. T. Frexp, 339 West Clark St., Pocatello, Idaho. An object of the invention is to provide an improved means and method of suspending the type-bars, whereby primarily, a medium will be pro- vided permitting an individual, as well as an aggregate adjustment for these members, per- mitting wear to be compensated for. A fur- ther object is to provide means which will serve to reduce the complication incident to i “double bank” machine. COTTON UNLOADER AND CLEANER. —J. L. Hart, c/o Hart Cotton Machine Co.,

May, 1923 Chickasha, Okla. The invention has for its object to provide mechanism adapted to be arranged in the gin house or.the like, for unloading the cotton and passing it to a place of storage, and a plurality of cleaning mechanisms is provided, and so arranged that the cotton may pass from the gin house to the place of storage without cleaning, or may be subjected to a single or double cleansing operation with but a single handling. AUTOMATIC FILLER.—D. FE. A. Savoy, Neweastle, N. B., Canada. This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring liquid as it is dispensed from a container and for automatically shutting off the flow of the liquid after a predetermined amount has been dispensed. An object is to provide an apparatus which may be conveniently at- tached to various forms of liquid containers, and which will be simple and practical in construction. PLASTIC PACKING MATERIAL FOR STUFFING BOXES.—D. STeRnutes (De- ceased). Address Paget Moeller & Hardy, Rienergasse 6, Vienna, Austria. The object of the invention is to provide a plastie pack- ing which will keep perfectly tight even un- der severe conditions of use for a long time. The composition consists of metal sponge, as distinguished from solid metal grains, fatty substances preferably oils, flaky graph- ite and pulverulent filling substance such as chalk. FEEDING PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR PRESSES. — J. BIver and J. S. Koscn, c/o J. Biver, 1201 Peach St., Alameda, Cal. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a feeding attachment for a printing press which can adapt itself to a wide range of different sized objects and which can be easily adjusted to feed folded envelopes of any size as well as letterheads or other single sheet units of paper. TRAMPER.—W. H. Horry, 2155 E. Pierce St., Mangum, Okla. The invention relates to trampers for packing or baling eotton or the like. An important object is to provide mechanical means for feeding the cotton and raking the same into the central portion of the press box, such means operating in conjunction with the tramper head, so that the feeding automatically stops upon the descent of the tramper head. ICE CREAM CUTTING MACHINE.— V. GvarpINno, 3014 Ocean Ave., Sheepshead say, Brooklyn, N. Y. Among the objects of the invention is to provide a device in which the feeding mechanism will form a part of the machine. A further object is to provide a cutting element which will have a strip- ping mechanism associated with it, whereby any tendency of the material being cut, clinging to the knife will be avoided, the device also provides for the cleansing of the feeding mechanism after each operation. CALENDAR WATCH.—K. K. Buro, ¢/o Geneva Watch Company, 127 North Dear- born St., Chieago, Ill. The object of the invention is to provide a watch for indicat- ing the day of the week and the day of the month in addition to the time of day. A further object is to provide a device which may be inserted in an ordinary type of watch after the watch is manufactured, and in which the several indicating hands may be set, one independent of the other. ROTARY PUMP OR MOTOR.—R. N. TRANE, c/o The Trane Company, La Crosse, Wis. An object of the invention is to pro- vide a rotary pump which, unlike most of the pumps of the type, has instead of a line contact, surface contact of relatively con- siderable area, thereby obviating the disad- vantages which arise when the contacting

LL)

Fig. 9.—This practical wrench, the invention of R. Buker, prevents rounding of the nut

a Fig. 10.—This invention, made by F. W. Gunn enables hose-clamp to be neatly and tightly applied

i,

Fig. 11.—A combined lid and second cooking vessel is the invention of T. Kelly

ee ew | Fig. 12.—To absorb ,*rks in well-drilling cables O. E. Oakes y neha vented an ingenious levice

Page 55

S b+ CN A&R oe SF > hh — Ph ee May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN d41 oe (rane Beauty in the Open ji (rane Quality | In all Hidden Fittings & | The remarkable development ot water, heating and sanitation sys- tems in American homes has been the work of two generations of engi- neers, designers and manufacturers. Popular taste and appreciation have | kept pace with creative progress. Crane service in this specialized | field is comprehensive. It supplies | complete appointments for the sim- | plest or the most finished bathroom, kitchen or laundry. Italso provides | the equally important valves, fit- tings and piping on whose efh- | ciency the comfort and smooth operation of the home depend. Crane branches, ofhices, and display rooms in all sections of the country make this service prompt and con- venient and render easy and certain the selection of equipment and ac- cessories exactly adapted to your needs and your individual desires. | ae aE Crane Globe Valve No. 1-B Radiator Valve No. 231 CRANE GENERAL OFFICES: CRANE BUILDING, 836 S. MICHIGAN AVE., CHICAGO Branches and Sales Offices in One Hundred and Thirty-fize Cities National Exhibit Rooms: Chicago, New York, Atlantic City Works: Chicago, Bridgeport, Birmingham, Chattanooga and Trenton CRANE, LIMITED, MONTREAL. CRANE-BENNETT, Ltv., LONDON CRANE EXPORT CORPORATION: NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO C!® CRANE PARIS

Page 56

342 SCIENTIFIC If the subscriber paid direct which has made the service possible. Then there are the people who pro- duce the raw materials, the supplies and manufactured articles required for telephone service. They would include hundreds of thousands of workers in mines, smelt- ers, steel mills, lumber camps, farms, wire mills, foundries, machine shops, rubber works, paint factories, cotton, silk and paper mills, rope works, glass works, tool works, and scores of other industries. Suppose that every Monday morn- ing all the people who have a hand in furnishing your telephone service came to your door for your share of their pay. From the telephone com- pany itself, would come operators, supervisors, chief operators, wire chiefs, linemen, repairmen, inspectors, installers, cable splicers, test-board- men, draftsmen, engineers, scientists, executives, bookkeepers, commercial representatives, stenographers, clerks, conduit men and many others, daily serve your telephone require- who When you pay your telephone bill, the money is distributed by the com- pany to the long line of people who have furnished something necessary for your service. The Bell System spares no effort to make your service the best and cheapest in the world, and every dollar it receives is utilized to that end. ments, unseen by you. There would be tax collectors to take your share of national, state and amounting There would municipal taxes, to over forty million dollars. be men and women coming for a fair return on their money invested in tele- phone stocks and bonds—money “BELL SYSTEM’ AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY AND ASSOCIATED COMPANIES One Policy, One System, Universal Service, and all directed toward Better Service ‘INVENTIONS ee ceotnces Seren vid WHY: ering butte I buy hundreds « lections. Perfected a ~ dels Made Can develop inventions, | some worth $1 to 87 eact e werk make dic ols, igs. fixtures, manufacture and act a3 | with my instructions, pictures, price | Send 10e t stamps) for my Illostrated Prosnectus before ur tactory butterflie: MR. SINC LAIR Dealer ing in ects, Dept. 36, “oc EAN | PARE, CALIFORNIA MOORE & COMPANY, 301 W, Grand Ave., Chicago, [il. inset Ww. L.DOUGLAS RTRAIT is the best known shoe nA ar Mar P. the world. t stands for the highest standard of quality, style and workmanship at the lowest possible cost. W.L. DOUGLAS shoes are actually demanded year after year by more people than any other shoe in the world BECAUSE W. L. Douglas for forty-six years has been making surpassingly good shoes. The smart styles are the leaders everywhere. When you need shoes and are looking for the best shoes for your money examine W. L. Douglas $7.00 and $8.00 shoes. They are exceptionally good value for the price. Wear them and save money. $55657°8.&59, SHOES iiomen & WOMEN NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE shoe dealers can supply you with W.L. Douglas shoes. If not con- venient to call at one of our 116 stores in the large cities, ask your shoe dealer for W. L. Dovglas shoes. Protection against unreason- able profits is guaranteed by the name and price stam on the | sole of wer | pair before the shoes leave the factory. Refuse sub- /, stitutes. ( ee x he prices are the same everywhere. IF NOT FOR SALE IN YOUR VICINITY WRITE FOR CATALOG. TO MERCHANTS: I no dealer in your town handles W. 1. Douglas shoes, write today for exclusive rights to handle this quick-selling, quick turn-over line. $4.50 & $5.00 BOYS’ SHOES | University of Paris and the AMERICAN Science Notes Blueberries an Iuch Thick.—A _ blue- berry an inch in diameter is not a dream but a possibility. At the United States De- partment of Agriculture testing plantation at Whitesbog, four miles east from Brown Mills, New Jersey, about 25,000 blueberry hybrids have now been fruited. Many them have produced berries three-fourths of an inch in diameter, several four-fifths of an inch, and one of them this year reached almost ‘seven-eighths of an inch. Pictures on Apples. was recently cabled over to The New York Herald, and published without our being able to verify it. Pictures or photographs printed delicately on apples are the latest discovery of a French pomologist. Taking a negative, and carrying out a process whose secret he has guarded, this nurseryman able to reproduce the picture upon smooth skin of the apple, where it till the fruit is entirely decomposed. Should Scientists Give Their Discov- eries to the World? mittee of the League of Nations’ cooperation commission recently held Professor Henri Louis Bergson of the French Academy presided. The discussion centered particu- larly on the extension of rights of scientists that they may be able to share in the eventual benefits derived from the applica- tion of their discoveries. The example of the late Professor Roentgen should always be held up before any gathering of scientists. In England you can the intellectual a ses- sion. so Snow Insurance. insure against almost anything if you can pay the premium, and it is getting about as bad here. Who would expect anyone would he ant to insure against the loss occasioned by the failure to snow? Up in Lake Placid, howe ver, snow seems to be necessary for winter games, and as a great many expenses had to be met, failure of a sufficient quan tity of snow or a sudden thaw would have been disastrous. So the insurance’ broker was invoked to write a policy, which was done. The brokers wrote a policy providing for a minimum of a foot of snow for the two days that the ski jumping champions would need it. Stage Animals May Be Abolished in France.—Trained animals have always been very popular with the French and there are two “winter” circuses in operation all the time in Paris. Recently French authorities have been making exhaustive in quiries as to how performing animals are trained. It is understood that those in- quiries have shown that this training is almost torture. It is believed that efforts will be made to eliminate performing animals from all French films where they have a prominent place. The French Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has appealed to film makers not to employ ani- mals in the future. The members of this society have agreed to leave any theater or motion picture house where performing ani mals are shown. It is doubtful if this will | be effective. As we write there is a letter from a kindly lady in one of the evening papers who wants all the animals in the Central Park Zoo and in the New York Zoclogical Park returned to their native jungles. It is strange how many misguided at large! a Tea Substitute. — A new may give tea a run. manner of tea from persons are Cassina drink called “Ca ssina” It is brewed after the the leaves of the cassina shrub which grows abundantly along the South Atlantie and Gulf States. Its active principle is caffein. Cassina contains less tannin than tea, how ever, and is less harmful to the system on this account. The average of all analyses of ecassina made by the bureau showed a content of 1 per cent of eaffein, and some samples ran as high as 1.65 per cent. The highest amount found in coffee is given as 1.80 per cent, and for tea the percentage runs as high as 3.50. About a year ago, Congress appropriated $5000 for the investi gation of the possibilities of the ecassina plant. The Bureau of Chemistry, using this money and a lot of old tea manufacturing which had been used in the Gov ernment’s long and futile attempts to grow tea at a reasonable in this country, set up an experimental station for the manu- facture of cassina, near Charleston, 8S. C. The shrub grew wild in the vicinity, and the bureau's experiments hinged largely about the manufacture from its leaves of a product from which the caffein-containing drink could be brewed economically, and on a com- mercial scale. machinery cost | of | is | remains | | May, 1923 “We pay him $100 a week” Came — several years ago asking for ND he’s worth every cent of it. a job. He got just that—a small job at. a small salary. “Then I forgot about him—hardly knew he was on the payroll until one day I got a letter from the International Corre- spondence Schools telling me that he had enrolled for a course of home study. It was remarkable the way he went ahead. “We pay him $100 a week now and he’s going to be earning even a larger salary some day. wish we had more men like him.” OW do you stand when your employer checks up his men for promotion? Does he think of you? Is there any reason why you should be selected? Ask yourself these questions fairly. You must face them if you expect advancement and more money. One hour after supper each night spent with the I. C. S. in your own home will prepare you for the position you want in the work you like best. Yes, it will! Put it up to us to prove it. Without cost or ieeate, just mark and mail this coupon INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS Box 6107,-Scranton, Penna. Without cost or obligation on my part, please tell me how I can qualify for the position or in the subject before which I have marked an X: BUSINESS TRAINING DEPARTMENT (Business Management ) Salesmanship (Industrial Management Advertising beecennese Organizatien (Better Letters { )Traffic Management [) Foreign Trade (} Business Law () Stenography and Typies L) Banking and Banking Law ()Business English {_) Accountancy (including C.P.A.) OCivi rvice () Nicholson Cost Accounting Haas Mail Clerk |) Bookkeeping ommon School Subjects LJ Private Secretary Aiugh Scheol Subjects C) Business Spanish [() French Illustrating TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT () Electrical Engineering Architect () Electric Lighting slue Print Reading |) Mechanica] Engineer Contractor and Builder |) Mechanical Draftsman Architectural Draftsman ) Machine Shop Practice Concrete Builder Railroad Positions Structural Engineer Gas Engine Operating Chemistry 02 P ormaty Civil Engineer J Automobile ——— Surveying and Mapping | J Airplane Engin Metallurgy OM J Agriculture and. Poultry Steam Engineering wa] Radio Mathematics Name... ~ Street 1-10-23 --.fitate.... Occupatien Persons residing in Canada should send this coupon to the International Correspondence Schoole Canadian, Limited, Montreal, Canada MAXIM GUN SILENCERS MOTOR BOAT SILENCERS AUTOMOBILE SILENCERS OIL ENGINE SILENCERS AIR COMPRESSOR SILENCERS | PUMP SILENCERS SAFETY VALVE SILENCERS | BLOWER SILENCERS Built by THE MAXIM SILENCER CO. 122 Homestead Ave. Hartford, Conn. Write for Information |

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le 4 -" IO il te | May, 1923 GOES, : gn Caterpillar tires make any truck better Caterpillars make a truck more powerful because they fur- nish sure traction and prevent waste of power through slipping wheels. Caterpillars make a truck wear longer because they absorb road shock and protect both engine and chassis. Caterpillars make a truck more economical because they save the gas, oil and time ordinarily wasted by lack of traction. Caterpillars cost less per tire than pneumatics and less per mile than ordinary solid tires. So whether you want to improve the efficiency of your trucks, or merely to reduce your tire costs, you can accomplish your pur- pose by equipping your trucks with Caterpillars. There are no Caterpillar Tires but Kelly Kats 250 WEST 57TH STREET NEW YORK, N. Y. KELLY-SPRINGFIELD TIRE COMPANY SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN a ————————— a 'NTER DOALC 343

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Safety Insurance When Yellow Strand Wire Rope is on the job, the factor of safety ceases to be a factor for worry. With the “breaking strength’’ and ‘“‘safe working load” established and rigidly maintained by the manufacturer, capacity loads can be handled fearlessly. Yellow Strand is unusually strong, and re- markably flexible for its strength. One strand is painted yellow for identity. Any slight additional cost is more than ; offset by long, satisfactory, safe service. For Safety, carry a Basline Autowline In writing requisitions, specify Yellow in your car and Strand by name. Then look for the secure your spare f . tires with Power- Yellow Strand Both arc suede ot BRODERICK & BASCOM ROPE CO., ST. LOUIS Yellow Strand Branches: New York and Seattle Factories: St. Louis and Seattle | Yellow Strand WIRE ROPE

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We Are Equipped to Manufacture Your Product A large, established plant in Chicago seeks addi- tional product of merit to manufacture. We have very modern facilities (including belt line switch-track tapping all important trunk lines) for the manufacture of machinery and railway appli- ances with structural, boiler and tank, electric and oxy-acetylene welding, galvanizing and tinning, and wood-working departments. Arrangements may be made— For manufacture and sales on royalty—to manufacture for established sales organizations—to manufacture on contract. Efficient production — unequalled service. Let us help you. Mechanical Manufacturing Company 39th and Loomis Streets, Chicago

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Science Notes Copernicus Honored.—The 450th an- niversary of the birth of the great Polish astronomer was recently observed in prac- tieally all civilized countries, where there is any interest in astronomy. Copernicus cer- tainly went far to make astronomy an exact science, Esperanto Popular with Far Easteners. it is perhaps not strange that Esperanto, the auxiliary language, is gaining headway in the Far East. This language is more acceptable to Orientals than the existing languages of Europe. It has made special gains in Japan. Again the Metric System.—Like day- light saving the metrie system is almost sure | to bob up each year. There is little to re-| port, except some progress towards the goal | of the supporters of the movement has been | made. It is slow work, however, notwith- | standing the honest efforts of the good board | of the Metrie Association whose offices are at 156 Fifth Avenue, New York, where those interested can obtain fuli information.

The Eagle as a Nuisance.—Fox farm- ers report that eagles are a source of dif ficulty in the raising of blue foxes in Alaska, according to a representative of the Biolog ical Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, recently returned from a trip of investigation into the fox-farming in dustry in the Territory. Those birds are reputed to prey extensively on both silver and blue foxes, particularly on the young pups. Smallest Fish in World Inhabit Lake in Luzon.—Probably the smallest fish in the world are to be found in the mountain lake, Buhl, on the island of Luzon, Philip pines. This fish, which the natives eall the smarapan, is the most minute vertebrate animal known to science It weighs only half a grain, and half an inch is its maxi mum length. This appeared in a daily paper and as the item was interesting, if true, we took the trouble to eonsult Dr. Lueas, di rector of the American Museum of Natural History, and he not only said the item was correct, but gave some additional informa tion and compared the minute fish with a whale. Ile writes as follows: VWistichthys luzonensis—S weighed 130 m. grams: 1 weighs 1.9866 grains: 3500 weigh one pound JOOO grains: 14,000,000 weigh one ton and $40,000,000 weigh 60 tons—Blue whale. A Licensed Bank Vault Wrecking.—It is not often that a bank vault is entered except by the door, especially when the presi dent is looking on, but this happened in Paterson, N. J., when a bank clerk was locked into the vault by an aecident. The huge door moved noiselessly on its hinges, there was an ominous click as the time clocks snapped their tiny bolts and every thing was safe for the morrow except the young clerk was eaught The agonized friend who had inadvertently allowed the door to close, called the officers of the insti tution who began frantically telephoning to contractors who had @lectrie drills and burn ing torches and skilled mechanies. <A force of forty men was soon assembled, and realiz ing the impossibility of attempting to wreck the door, attacked the vault from the top, and in relays, cut through the conerete until the steel plates were reached. Electric drills were put into action and through the first holes oxygen was foreed, as the vault was not a very large one and the air must have soon beeome vitiated. The torches were then applied and after four hours’ work i surgeon and the president descended through the jagged hole and the door was released from the dominion of the clocks. The limp form with the face of agony was borne to the ambulance whose engine had been throbbing for hours. The victim had a very narrow escape. He was unconscious, deaf and terribly bruised on the knuckles | from fruitless attempts to escape. Hearing finally returned and it is believed that re- covery will be permanent. This dramatic incident gives much food for reflection. Every bank vault should be inspected care- fully by a high official, not a clerk, before locking and there should be an oxygen tank provided in the vault and every clerk should be instructed in its use. Whether the time locks should be arranged so that they ean be operated from the inside without keys is a technical question involving vault security. The event shows that it takes four hours with forty men working in relays with all

May, 1923

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© 1923

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MAY, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN The maintenance cost of an industrial truck is ma- terially decreased if the wheels are equipped with Timken Tapered Roller Bearings. Timken Bearings carry thrust loads, as well as radial loads. Consequently a truck piled high with heavy material can weave in and out through the factory, efficiently carrying the heavy thrust loads which develop from such conditions. Thus is power saved, wear minimized, and maintenance costs reduced. Labor is conserved by eliminating the necessity of frequent lubrication. The dirt-proof bearing enclos- ures retain the grease, and lubrication is necessary 2 ee es ee Trouble-Free Industrial Trucks ee Se ee ae ae a Ask your maintenance man to show you last month’s repair bills on your industrial trucks. Then ask us to give you comparisons with Timken-equipped truck costs, od only at intervals months apart. All wear is eliminated in wheel hubs, and on axles. Motion is confined to the inside of the bearings themselves and the axles and hubs are completely protected. And when wear in the bearing does occur (and wear must eventually follow motion) all resulting play is taken up by a simple, quick, easy adjustment—and your Timken Tapered Roller Bearing functions as when new. Thus does adjustment take the place of expensive, time-wasting repairs—and your industrial truck running gear continually functions as when new. The Timken Roller Bearing Co CANTON, OHIO 8345 © 1923, T R B Co, Canton, Ohio TIMKEN Tapered ROLLER BEARINGS

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+6 co -_— 7) - oa ‘American Beauty Electric Soldering lron Best Iron Made Does the work easier, quicker and better. For twenty-eight years our name and trade mark have been a guaran- tee of quality and dependability. For soldering all connections, parts, etc. Ready for use by attaching to any electric light socket. The cost of operation is insignificant. Many thousands in use by amateurs, engineers, manufacturers, telephone companies and many others. For radio, telephone and all light work our latest Model No. 3138 is ideal; also two larger sizes for doing heavier work. Sold by dealers and electrical companies everywhere American Electrical Heater Company DETROIT, MICH., U.S. A. Oldest and largest exclusive makers in the world —established 1894 NN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN The Burglar and the Alarm (Continued from page 295) if the teller makes the least false move. What happens in such cases may be judged from the robbery, three or four years ago of a Brooklyn bank by the bandit, Hamby. The teller set off such an external alarm, where- upon the bandit promptly killed him and shot another bank officer. He used an ordi- nary taxicab to get to the bank and to make his escape. The first improvement on this dangerous alarm was one of similar character, but with no gong on the bank front. Instead, a wire was connected with a buzzer in a nearby police station or store often in the adjoining building. By its means help could be sum- moned without letting the bandit hear any gong. In order somewhat to conceal the movements of the teller, the pushbutton was often placed in the floor where he might step on it. But it was soon apparent that this trick was well known to bandits and that false movements of the feet were as deadly as the use of the hands. So the} inventor toiled once more and produced | various types of bar or rod alarms. A| | typical form consists of a metal bar across the inside of the teller’s counter. On being ordered to hold up his hands, the teller obeys and apparently makes no false moves, but actually he leans against the bar and sets off the alarm. But bandits also know this device and they will, as criminals al- ways do, keep well abreast of all similar in- ventions likely to be evolved. The best and safest alarms of this type leave the teller’s cage unequipped with any device. But back in the banking rooms, out of the sight of the bandit, are buttons and bars, which unseen employes may press in |} time of peril. These do not expose their | |}users to death, but they send in an alarm | |of which the bandit remains in ignoranee, | perhaps until he had been surrounded. | So much for the banks. A more interest- | |ing development of the anti-burglar alarm has to do with the commercial houses and | |is especially important in the great cities, | | where its use, in one form or another, has | become general. The commercial alarm falls into two gen- }eral classes, called local and central office | systems. The former is always some adapta tion of the old gong alarm, often plus a roundsman or watchman. Various kinds of mechanisms, affixed to the doors and windows | of lofts and shops, are connected electrically | with gongs on the outside of buildings. To | supplement these there is usually the patrol- | man, whose duty it is to cover a certain number of blocks in a given district and rush to the point of attack in case any gong goes off. In the great central district of New York City, bounded by Fourth and Eighth Ave- nues and Twenty-third and Thirty-fourth Streets, perhaps the richest half square mile of mercantile territory in the world, with its |}enormous tall loft buildings crammed with the most precious silks and furs, many hun- dreds of svch alarms and of the more com- plicated kind have been installed to foil the silk and fur burglars, who are said to carry off about five million dollars worth of these precious stuffs every year. surglars beat some of these alarms by many devices. If the gong is situated no higher than the second story of the building, the marauders watch till both the special patrolman and the officer on the beat are out of sight. Then they run up light collapsible ladders and muffle the gong before making the break. Some makes of gong alarms are, however, so housed that this is impos- sible. Where the gong is situated just out- side a front window of some high loft which they intend to rob, one of their number hides in the street and waits till the patrol- man has passed and is round the corner and some blocks distant on his march. Then the outside man gives the signal. The burglars erack the lock in a second or two, rush through the loft, open the window, break or muffle the alarm, close the window and go to work. (This, according to the special detectives of the New York police depart- ment.) The watchman, who has heard the | gong sound briefly, comes running, but be- fore he ean reach the street the alarm has been silenced, the window is closed and all seems serene. There may be ten or twenty gongs affixed to the very building in which the robbers are at work. In any event, there are other gongs across the street and all down the block. How is the patrolman to know which one was tampered with? The best he can do is to summon aid and begin a slow and cautious search. The armed burglars have all the advantage, and in most May, 1923 FAIRBANKS~MORSE ball pall motors —built by pioneer manufacturers of ball-bearing mo- tors with eleven years’ successful experience. These more efficient motors lessen. fric- tion losses—re- duce current con- sumption — lower production costs FAIRBANKS, Morse & Co. CHECAGO-Proncer Manufatlurers ball arin moors MA i

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23 May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 347 o ; cases get away with their loot. This may | be hidden somewhere in the building and ; 2 oe & * tm cass ere tee: Replacing coolies in Japan and of the place in the ordinary course of busi- | ws mascots: Supplying shovel labor in Canada been much progress in the manufacture of these external or local alarm systems within | recent years and that some of them are highly regarded by the experts who pass upon such devices for the insurance com- panies. Many thousands of them are now in use in all parts of the country and all of the better makes are much more difficult to tamper with than some parts of my article may have indicated. The better types now have the gong enclosed in a housing which y makes it impossible or, at least, difficult for the burglar to do any muffling or tampering. The premises so protected are provided with unsuspected traps and switches which set the alarm ringing if disturbed, even though m the burglar may have sueceeded in entering a place in spite of the alarm. ~ out hidden But in the greater cities today the other js type of burglar alarm and protective instal- lation has come into favor—that is, the so- ron called “central office system.” With this de- vice there are no gongs on the buildings, and Z no patrolmen. Instead, the premises of the Y —to improve products banker or other business man are connected with conveniently located offices of the alarm —fo guard machinery company by underground electric wires. Armed officers wait at these central offices for alarms and rush to the scene in motor P , . cars. RON in raw materials is the The premises protected by this system are arch enemy of many products. | wired, completely or in part, with hidden In glass sand or cullet it means electric strands forming a network under the discolored glass. In brass scrap floors, above the ceilings, under the plaster and borings it means imperfect of the side and , end walls of the protected ‘. : . room or rooms, and with screens over all castings. In china or pottery slip openings, such as doors and windows. Dur- it means inferior pottery. In| ing the day, the alarm is disconnected but dairy food it means death of as soon as the place is closed, the system animals. In abrasives it lowers * in operation -_ regen rany wry at least, it . : yecomes impossible o enter by any means cutting properties. In hundreds | without alarming the central office and sum- of other processes the removal | moning the armed guards. The system is so of iron is essential. arranged that if a protected shop or bank lis improperly closed or locked the central It is nearly always hidden in| office is aware of the fact and enabled to send out its men to secure the premises quantities of materials, so the ‘ le - | correctly. old method of hand picking 1S At the switchboard the maintenance of a giving place to the positive | fine electrical balance on each installation is ‘ be FS be es method of searching out the | insured by terminating each circuit on a Barber-Greene Loaders working in Tokyo (above) and in Canada (below) hidden iron by means of high in- Fe eer ene 5 SALA IE > tral position when the protective installation pews no ae ce oan is properly “set,” but from which it devi- ul magnetic pulleys and special-| ates to sound an alarm whenever the circuit H th o. 2 f | ill ] ] | ized machines, built for definite | resistance is varied. Additional safeguards | Ow e rising cost or uns a r in the nature of visual “drops,” lamp signals | requirements and separations, and buzzers prevent the fluctuatior f the enforces machine sho eling & Zzers yreve 1 ctuations o | see what eyes could never see needle remaining unnoticed. A “station set’ | Vv and accomplish what thousands | at the subscriber's premises provides an in- With th lly ; d ind ial icin killed labor i of hands could never accom-|strument for sending and receiving signals ith the generally increase in¢ ustria activity, unskilled labor 18 plish and for cutting out the protection on doors getting scarcer and the rates for it generally higher. . ‘ rable wi . ; - re , ‘ ‘ - , ‘ : ee — wo gaa > ee Cay. ae ape There is little likelihood of material change in this condition; immi- Gans nae > tees yn Rane 4 sna.| The most generally known protective ele- gration is limited and it has long been a common statement that i . . . . ce . ’ . ver. | ment on the subseriber’s premises is the long we are absolutely dependent on alien labor to use the shovel. terial that is fed to crushers or puliver eee = “ izers. This eliminates the possibility familiar sereen” for door cand window pro- The situation is enforcing and hastening the broader use of Barber- of damage to grinding machinery and | tection, in which the circuit is earried back Cr Saciat tail & Rented oat | in mills and elevators it stops sparks— | 29d forth as fine wire embedded in the slats. eene Bucket Loaders (mechanical shovelers). the frequent cause of disastrous dust aoa form commonly seen from the street Their economy and efficiency is so pronounced that even in Japan, explosions. is the protective border of metal foil ribbon h ifot tn ale th h decided fit on glass panels in doors and transoms and on where 1ebor 1s Cheap, they show a decided pron. Every superintendent or executive who | Show windows. One of our illustrations In the remoter regions of Canada, where labor for road-building is Apa, shows the method of protecting walls and — wants to cut costs in sorting, refining, | S20w’ . € not easy to get and keep, they are used to keep down the size of partitions by fine wire embedded in parallel eparating minerals and ° reclaiming, and sep & construction crews. materials cannot afford to overlook | wooden strips. aes ‘ ‘ ’ ie Dings Magnetic Sep- gd inaesegee nates in og t York City Here in America, where they were first made and used, their use ‘es “4 > s { ‘a ” . . Srens arators. The many|may be taken as a fair rod by which to has become general among ccntractors and industrial plants. PEW TOSk: 2 Vendor Ave. uses are described | measure the efficacy of these various alarm 2 RichMOND: ” ‘I90e b ‘Nisin in separate bulletins. | systems. At least they reflect the opinion They are used for shoveling crushed stone, sand, gravel, coal and CHICAGO. 115 5, Dearborn St. Write of the concerns which pay the losses when similar materials. CLEVELAND: 1155 Leader-News one or the other kind of alarm is beaten by We have hundreds of recorded cases showing the cost of using st. tours: piget Federal Re- DINGS MAGNETIC | burglars. The old gong and patrolman sys- ei’PASO. TEAS: First Ne SEPARATOR CO. | tem _ a 10 per ae veered ae. ee these machines as against less efficient mechanical equipment and BIRMINGHAM: 848 Brown-Marx . normal insurance rate charged where there h 1 lab ° ° . - P shovel iabDor. e.° LOS “ANGEL ES: San Fernando 709 Smith Street is no protective device. Partial protection by Send for additional data PORTLAND, ORE: Lewis Bldg. Milwaukee the central office system gets a discount of W ill b lad al = h ith . Bank Bldg Wisconsin 25 per cent and complete protection by the we wi © gia to submit typical cases, toget er wit specifica- latter method is allowed a discount of 50 tions, drawings and photographs of the equipment. er cent. Accordingly, insurance - | : : C . eo Phage ceordingly, the insurance com- | Our material handling engineers will call at your request to study panies rate the complete central office system ° . . “ys five times as effective as the old gong and your material or coal handling problem and submit plans for utiliz- patrolman arrangement. ing Barber-Greene Loaders and Conveyors. But there is a strange contradiction in the , vas Geuses en thnnte’ Whine thane tenteiiations BARBER-GREENE COMPANY, een Western Park Ave. , Aurora, lil. have been employed. One of the largest in- surance companies made tabulations of its 1921 losses and found that for every $56,000 is paid out in cases where there was no alarm ARBER. system whatever, $43,000 was paid to firms using gong and patrolman systems and Co ee $42,000 to those employing the central alarm Portable Belt nveyors | system. It may be that figures such as these | GREENE Self FeedingBucket Loaders

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348 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Wide awake industries are installing equipment to handle their products mechanically—supplanting human labor and reducing operating expenses. More jobs than men will cut production unless machinery is installed to relieve the situation. We Make Conveyors for handling all kinds of materials Bucket Elevators Coal and Ash Han- dling Equipment, etc. YOU MAY HAVE A MATERIAL HANDLING PROBLEM. SUBMIT IT. Boston Baltimore New York WELLER EQUIPMENT WELLER MFG. CO. 1820-1856 N. Kostner Avenue Sales Offices: Pittsburgh Chicago, Ill. Cleveland Detroit San Francisco Weller Made Spiral Conveyor Gives the Service Or misunderstanding You Want To Avoid with your employees ? Then let them keep accurate count or record of their own work— allow them to know at the end of each day, hour or operation— exactly what they have done. No matter whether this is inches or miles, ounces or tons, picks or hanks, pieces or individuals, opera- tions or movements an accurate and verified record of it. Root Counters can give Why not allow our Engineers to come to your plant, at no cost to you, and see what they can save by suggestions. Will be glad to send our catolog ‘‘I’’ upon request. The f? T- | will disclose decided changes in risk if con- | tinued over a period of years, but on their face they show the old gong system to have been nearly as effective in practice as the most costly and complicated mechanisms. | The point seems to be that the burglars have probably not been able to beat the cen- | tral office system in a mechanical sense, but lin practice they have played loosely with it. | They cannot, or so I believe at present, | tamper with the finely balanced system of electric wires, but they can circumvent it. | This is one of the oldest of criminal tricks }and the one that most often surprises in- | ventors and officers. What the thief cannot penetrate he can get around. Sut how? A few weeks ago a firm which had in- stalled the most costly form of protection was robbed of $75,000 worth of furs. The burglars began by getting a young man or woman confederate employed by the firm for a short time. of the premises and discovered that at one point the ceiling over the factory was made of heavy concrete and that this had been cousidered so formidable a barrier that no The burg- Saturday wiring was needed at this point. lars waited until the following This accomplice made a study | evening, when they broke into the loft above | the one they planned to rob. This place had no burglar protection, being used only as a| | storehouse for ordinary merchandise. Be- tween Saturday night and Monday morning, the burglars picked, hacked and bored their way through that thick layer of solid con- crete, opened a hole two feet square and descended into the loft of the furriers, where they selected the choicest and most salable pelts and carried them off through the room above. Even more remarkable was a robbery of somewhat older date. Here it was the fac- tory of a large silk garment manufacturer in a big room on the eleventh floor of a great 20-story loft building. He had his place completely protected, or so he believed. The floors, walls and ceilings were all wired, the doors covered with intricate lattices and all the windows similarly protected, save one. This was a small affair opening from a washroom into the wide court or areaway of the building. This court was 40 feet across. There was not another window within 25 feet of the single unprotected entrance. A young girl studied this loft for the burglars, found the little window and re- ported. In the course of the next few nights the burglars made their preparations. | When all was ready, one of their number was let down from the roof on a ladder of light rope. Swinging 150 feet above certain death on the conerete pavement, on a frail ladder, 140 feet long, he reached the little window, opened it with a jimmy and en- tered, making fast the ladder so that his confederates might follow. The men on the roof came down this risky support to the loft, whence they carried a hundred thou- bolt by bolt, trip after trip, up that swaying | ladder, dangling frightfully over the chasm, |} where a crushing death lurked in the con- crete pavement beneath. And they got clean away with their loot. |} Fine rope ladders, electric alarms and state when the gay Ned Caisley put the sand dollars worth of fine silks to the roof: | eng buildings were still in the dream | | British jeweler and his ingenuities to defeat, | but was this old burglar not the father of these modern rascals and was not the battle quite the same then as now—an unremit- iting struggle between the genius of maker and breaker, inventor and thief? Tutenkhamon’s Tomb (Continued from page 296) was originally named, was evidently likewise but a youth. Rings and pendants bearing his throne name Nebkheprure, found at Tell el-Amarna, show that at first he maintained his capital there. But the rebound of in- herited beliefs, repressed but not conquered by Ikhnaton’s fervor, was too strong. Amon, the god of Thebes, now won honor even in his rival’s home, for some of these same trinkets add to the royal name the epithet “emanation of Amon.” Likewise a limestone memorial tablet now in Berlin shows Tutenkhaton worshiping Amon and his con- ' sort Mut. The other previously known relics of Tutenkhamon, bearing usually this _re- | vised form of his name, come mostly from Thebes itself and prove that this city had soon regained its leadership. Yet even here the king had at first ventured to enlarge his father-in-law’s temple to Aton; and the only date from his reign is one in his sixth year on a piece of linen from the tomb at Thebes (Continued on page 351) HE Hawaiian language has no word meaning ‘‘weath- er.” Why? Having no contrasts in temperature — nothing but perfect June weather all the year ’round—there’s never any need to discuss the topic, nor even tc think of it. In this land of ours, no build- ing is entirely fit for use until the word “‘weather” can be forgot- ten indoors. Powers Automatic Temperature Control will main- tain the desired temperature with such unconscious perfec- tion that this ideal condition will be happily realized. The Powers system will func- tion perfectly year after year, without adjustments or repairs. That’s why there’s practical economy in installing Powers— even though the first cost is higher. Its low operating cost, too, means a continuous saving —practically throughout the life of the building. The Powers system is the only one using the vapor disc thermostat—the only type not thrown out of ad- justment by extremes of temperature and long dis- use. Needs no annual ad- justments or repairs. The Powers Thermostat It pays you to enforce your specification—when it’s Powers! Let our engineers collaborate in your pre- 30 years’ experience Over liminary plans. is at your service. Specialists in Automatic Heat Control 2788 Greenview Ave., CHICAGO NEW YORK BOSTON Baltimore, Md. Milwaukee, Wis. Buffalo, N. Y. Minneapolis. Minn. Butte, Mont. New Orleans, La. Charlotte, N. C. Philadelphia, Pa. Cincinnati, O. Pittsburgh, Pa. Cleveland, O. Portland, Ore. Des Moines, Ia. Rochester, N. Y. Detroit, Mich. St. Louis, Mo. El Paso, Tex. Salt Lake City, Utah Indianapolis, Ind. San Francisco, Calif. Kansas City, Mo. Seattle, Wash. Los Angeles, Calif. The Canadian Powers Regulator Co., Ltd. Toronto, Ont. Calgary, Alta. Halifax, N. S. Montreal, Que. Vancouver, B.C. Winnipeg, Man. “ (2073A)

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May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Electricity Solves the Heating Problem The most valuable feature of electrically-heated furnaces is the accurate control which may be obtained. Westinghouse heating equipment is designed for efficient operation, accurate control and easy replacement. Progressive manufacturers are effecting tremendous sav- ings by baking enamel in elec- trically-heated ovens. Westing- house heating equipment for this service is characterized by accurate control, efficient and dependable operation and flex- ibility of arrangement. Westinghouse Space Heaters solve many awkward heating problems. These rugged “strips of electric heat’”’ provide a safe dependable means of heating valve rooms, crane. cabs, tanks, etc. Westingh This is the newest and most compre- hensive service that electricity has brought to Industry—the wonderfully effective solution of the problems pre- sented by processes that involve the application of heat. Here is a heating method—regardless of the temperature required—that pro- vides, for the first time, everything that is necessary or desirable for the satis- factory and economical operation of heat-generating apparatus. Where you heat electrically you are in absolute control of the process, or the situation, at all times. You can make this control automatic if you will. There is no dirt, no dust, no ashes, and, note well, no combustion. You can heat an office, or a watchman’s shanty, or you can have temperature so high as to be unattainable with any other fuel; and any or all with a degree of economy that will not fail to surprise you. In but a few years every industry, every manufacturer, will be using elec- tric heat as a matter of course. Why do you wait? WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING CO. Offices in all Principal Cities Representatives Everywhere Clean warm air, without banging pipes or hissing steam, without fumes or odors, in- stantly controlled by a con- venient switch, is provided by the Westinghouse Electric Air Heater. Better products are obtained by using the Westinghouse Elec- tric Reel-type Bake Oven. The control is entirely automatic, the labor required is a minimum and uniform results are obtained day after day. In candy manufacturing, uni- form results depend upon uniform heating. Westinghouse Electric Chocolate Warmers insure ab- solutely uniform heating, and are safe, easily controlled and clean. The Westinghouse Electric Solder Pot saves time by placing the solder beside the job, saves heat by proper insulation, and saves solder by reducing oxida- tion. Working conditions, are improved and fire-hazard elimi- nated. Ou © 1923 by the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company se

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0 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

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S When the Moon’s Shadow ‘Sgee Touches the Earth —when one of the mysterious, terrific sun spots flares into activity—you can study these and a thousand other wonders of the sky with Bausch & Lomb TELESCOPES Made by America’s leading lens makers, backed by seventy years of optical experience, Bausch & Lomb Telescopes are well-built, scientifically accurate and beautifully finished. They are equipped for both terrestrial and astronomical observation, and made in ranges of power from 24X to 120X, One of these beautiful instruments should be a part of the equip- ment of the country home, yacht club, school or country club. Write for literature describing these new telescopes—inspect them at your dealer's. BAUSCH & LOMB OPTICAL CO. 601 St. Paul Street, Rochester, N.Y. New York Washington Chicago San Francisco Londoa =F | | io | 1864 | 1923 hy —— —_ae | Simply Selling Service | | u *.* uJ ALL your securities should mM uJ be carefully examined at reg- | il ular intervals and changes I made where advisable. ul P = We have no securities for sale il and are, therefore, in a posi- | A tion to give disinterested advice. UJ = As custodian of securities we M | give this important service. | u Ld Our Officers will be glad to ll inten explain details to you. UI Acts as Executor Teatties _ and =| Under i Administrator Acts as Transfer Agent or Registrar | Mortgages " a ae Se sin CENTRALUNIONTRUST @OMPANY {i PLAZA OFFICE N Yi RK 42ND STREET OFFICE Ml sth Ave. & 6oth St. OF EW O Madison Ave. & 42nd St. WW 80 BROADWAY, NEW YORK i 4 (apital, Surplus and Undivided Profits over 33 —NGllion Dollars | <Wember Feverat Reserve System m9 = SSS SSIS SSS SS SSS | SS | SS SI Salen Mechanical Engineering Notes Machine Tools in Japan.—Of the | $15,000,000 annual sales of machine tools in Japan, two-thirds is imported, chiefly from the United States, which furnished about 80 per cent. Great Britain gets prac- tically the whole of the remaining business. tecently a large 40-inch double leather belt was removed from service after 34 years of operation in an industrial plant on a water wheel drive that operates 24 hours a day. Although the machine which it drove for these years was worn out, the belt was cut up and was still giving service on other machines. During this time there was no record of the belt having given any serious trouble. Hydraulic Bulging.—In the manufac- ture of many sheet-metal parts, operations such as bending, forming and expanding can be performed economically by hydraulic bulging. The work is placed in a die and water under a pressure of 600 to 1200 pounds is admitted directly into the work |itself. One advantage of this method of bulging is the rapidity with which the water under pressure forms the article to the de- sired shape. The Air-Steam Engine is Again the Subject of Experiments, according to The Practical Engineer, which states that the attraction to investigators is to be found in the fact that a mixture of compressed air and steam gives considerably more power | than that produced by the same weight of air }and steam used separately. Compressed air and steam are passed continuously into a mixing chamber, and on to the engine at un |changed pressures. A gain of about 25 per |cent in indicated horsepower was made in }ohe experiment. | Oil-Fired Boilers.—According to Lubri- cation, combustion in an _ oil-fired boiler | should be completed in the furnace before | the burning gases strike the tubes or boiler

| shell. If the flames strike the brickwork or tubes, overheating and blistering may occur. The high boiler efficiencies obtainable with fuel oil are due to a minimum amount of excess air passed through the boiler, to lower stack temperature, to smokeless com- bustion, to better heat transfer from furnace gases to boiler because of higher tempera- ture, and to cleaner heating surfaces. Anti-Galling Treatment for Pipe Couplings.—A contributor to the Amer- ican Machinist states that when the threaded joint of oil-well pipe is made up with steel against steel, there is a tendency for the mate metals to and gall than with wrought iron or steel. This action is due to highly localized pressure, which cannot be avoided in a die-cut thread. An anti-galling treatment has been worked out for couplings used in the oil country. The prin- ciple is to place a very thin gasket of some non-ferrous metal between the threads, which is most readily earried out in practice by electroplating the coupling threads with soft zine. Helical Gears.—The teeth of spur gears make contact over their entire length, and the load is first thrown on the end of the tooth, producing a sudden and severe strain on the metal. Under such conditions the transmission of power through the gears is practically a series of impacts. Helical gears were developed to overcome this defect. |The form of tooth employed is the involute, |}or a close approximation of it. In well- made helical gears there is a greater amount |of rolling action on the teeth than with ordinary spur gears of the same face, and the load is put on and removed slowly, so that shocks and severe strains are avoided. The chances of breakage are thus reduced, and operation is more quiet. seize

water-tubes have a diameter and are rotated by means of a small electric motor, is the invention of a Swedish en- gineer, as described in Power. Rotation at 330 r.p.m. throws the water to the outside of the tubes, thus greatly increasing the heating surface in comparison with the amount of water used. The rotors are car- ried on bearings outside of the brickwork. The flue gases, after passing the battery of rotors, heat the super-heaters, then the high- pressure water economizers, next the low- pressure water economizers, and then pass

This corresponds to a boiler efficiency of 80 per cent. up to 1500 pounds, are used, the shell of the rotors being three-fourths inch thick. An Aged Belt Without Whiskers. —| | steel | | A New Type of Boiler in which the | of 12 inches | into the stack at 350 to 400 degrees Fahren- | | heit. } | Extremely high pressures, | May, 1923 $7 00 ANSONIA Sunwatch Tells the Time and Points the Way Sportsmen, Campers, Scouts, Guides, Motorists and all outdoor people need a reliable Compass. The Ansonia Sunwatch is both Compass and Sun-dial. Tells correct time any- where in United States. Handsome brass case; fits vest pocket. $132 ANSONIA Gravity Clock The Keyless Timepiece Runs 36 hours by gravity and is rewound by raising movement to top of frame. No keys or springs. Suitable for home or office. or Verde finish. 10” hi

Radium dial $1.50 extra. GET THEM FROM YOUR DEALER If he has none in stock, we will mail postpaid on receipt of price Prices for United States only ANSONIA CLOCK COMPANY 99 John Street, Dept. S. New York Makers of Firse Clocks for Half a Century

BURN SMOKE-REDUCE FUEL BILLS We Save $3000 Every Year in One Plant The Twin-Fire Hand Stoker increases boiler Owe?r, saves 10-380 per cent fuel and eliminates amoke. nstalied under boilers from 680 to 1000 H. P. in Somriment,. age and lndustsial Buildings. Send Full of facts. Interesting. . FREE BOOK TWIN-FIRE FURNACE COMPANY ug, 4058. . Successful Furnace Builders Since 1898’’

GEARS All HKinds-Smali shipment. Can aise gears of all kinds. quiries nd us your in- Write for Catalogue 20 CHICAGO STOCK GEAR WORKS

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LATHES 9 to 18-inch Swing List price $150 and up ac- cording to size. fhen ready to buy send for Lathe Catalog and prices. W.F. & John Barnes Co. 1999 Ruby Sc, ROCKFORD, ILL.

Most Compact 4 H.P. Outfit The ideal Power Outfit for shop work, light industrial and special power service. Variable speed, 400 to WO r.p.m. Weighs only 230 Ibs. complete with base and clutch. Radiator cooling equipment. It is the famous original— LIGHT WEIGHT ENGINE —recognized everywhere as the world’s standard light weight highest quality power outfit. Magneto equipped; throttle governed to insure steady run- ning. Write for catalog of the full line of Cushman E) . 11-2 to 20h.p. i ‘Aine Cushaan Improved Electr rie Ligh at poy th Plant. si CUSHMAN MOTOR WORKS 870 N. 2ist, Lincoln, Neb.

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23 ob A ng | ee ah _ May, 1923 ENUS PENCILS The hangent selling quality pencil in the world 3 Copying To insure utmost satisfaction, efficiency and economy, always use VENUS Pencils, unsurpassed for drafting, sketching and gen- eral writing purposes. Plain Ends, per doz. - $1.00 Rubber Ends, per doz. . 1.20 VEN US HIN LEADS Supreme for all thin lead Metal Pencils. Venus Thin Leads are the same superb quality as in the famous VENUS Pencils. 7 degrees: 2B-B-HB-F-H-2H-4H. If your dealer cannot supply you, write us, Sample on request, American Lead Pencil Co. 217 Fifth Ave. 12 Leads. L5¢ VENUS EVERPOINTED are the simplest in o; . perfectly balanced, light weight. Many styles and finishes. $1.00 to 850.00 Gold filled plain $3.00, Silver filled chased $1.75 Write for booklet J Airplane Free With our course in Build- ing, Flying, Repairing of Airplanes and Motors. Write for Catalogue No. 1 Lincoln Standard Aircraft Corp. LINCOLN, NEBR. tos Send, by FREE BOOK WHEN “ Every fisnerman should have it. Inter- esting angling hints. Tells what baits to use for every kind of fishing. Postal gets it! SOUTH BEND BAIT Co. 1533 High St, South Bend, ind | —— +? [INVESTM@ENT VALUE | STEEL SHELVING Tool Stands, Tool Cabinets, Pressed Steel Bench Legs, etc. Ask for Catalogue C DAVID LUPTON’S SONS CO. Clearfield and Weikel Sts. Philadelphia | robbers who were brought to trial under |B. C.). The rubbish from the Jatter’s new | tomb above poured down and deeply covered SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Tutenkhamon’s Tomb (Continued from page 348) where Ikhnaton’s mummy had once rested. A large tablet found in the Karnak temple of Amon tells in Tutenkhamon’s own words about his change of heart: “. . . . When his majesty was crowned as king, the tem- ples of the gods and goddesses were |desolat]jed from Elephantine as far as the marshes of the Delta . . . His majesty - + took counsel with his own heart, . - searching for profitable things for his father Amon, . . . giving to him more than was done before.” (Breasted’s translation.) 'T'wo granite statues from the same temple, now likewise in the Cairo Museum, show the refined and delicate features of a sensitive youth. All three of | these objects, as well as a statue-group rep- | resenting Amon with his female counterpart | Amunet, had afterwards been pre-empted by | the later king Harmhab. The latter has} perhaps attained more than his share of | glory through other borrowings still un-| proved. Thus a famous statue of the god} Khonsu, the third in the Theban triad as offspring of Amon and Mut, has been shown by Legrain to parallel closely in its features | the above-mentioned statues of Tutenkhamon. | Moreover, the style of the Khonsu statue is | so like that of a renowned group of Mut} and Amon which bears Harmhab’s name on | its base that Maspero once suggested they | might even be due to the same hand. | The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New| York possesses a gold seal-ring of Tutenkh- | amon, presumably once worn by one of his officials; and the New York Historical So- ciety has a blue fayence ring to which his name gave value either as a symbol of royal favor or as an amulet. | Now in a flash comes a host of new material which may fill out to an undreamed | of extent the picture not only of this transi- | tional age, but of the extraordinary revolu- tion that preceded it. siban el-Muluk, the valley of the kings’ tombs, is a wild, desolate region amid the hills behind the western plain of Thebes. There, in chambers terminating series of cor- ridors tunneled into the native rock of the hillsides, were once buried the pharaohs of the Empire, beginning just before 1500 B.C. Some 60 tombs in the valley were already known when the Earl of Carnarvon began his search for any that might still lie con- cealed. On November 5, 1922, Mr. Carter. after years of fruitless effort, came upon a step cut in the rock under the path leading to the tomb of Ramses VI. As soon as Lord Carnarvon arrived from England in re- sponse to a hasty summons, the steps and passages of the L-shaped approach were cleared. Plundering was suggested already at this stage by the presence of holes just large enough for a man to crawl through penetrating the blocked and sealed doorways. But these openings had been closed and re- sealed; and careful examination of all the seals has proved that even the resealing took place within ten years or so of Tutenkh- amon’s burial. His tomb had, then, alone so far as we yet know, escaped the more destructive attacks of the XX. Dynasty Ramses IX. Its location had apparently | been forgotten during the two centuries be- | fore the death of Ramses VI (about 1150 the approach to the old one; and the work- men of Ramses VI even built their huts upon the sheltering débris. The ante-chamber which the discoverers first entered is the source of practically all the treasures which were removed this year. The early plunderers had taken only objects or parts of solid metal, leaving the abund- ance of gold overlay. High couches, elabo- rate chairs and stools, dismantled chariots, boxes of royal clothing, cases of mummied meats, torch-holders (the oldest ever found), alabaster vases of complicated and hitherto | unknown design, and even the funeral bou- quets remained almost intact. The gar- ments were badly decayed, but it was pos- sible to obtain a complete record of their elegant ornamentation by photographing each layer before removal from its casket. A child’s linen glove and a charming wooden bust have added new problems. Some have ealled the bust a dummy, a sort of glorified elothes rack portraying the king; but it seems to others, including the writer, much more likely to represent his queen, Enkhosn- amon. A chair of state is notable for its inlaid decorations, which have in one place retained the old name Tutenkhaton. Most exquisite, surely, is a little vaulted chest painted with hunting and battle scenes so Sold but not elivered vo sell a bill of goods. You ship them. But the transaction is not completed until the ship- ment is delivered. The wise shipper always covers his shipment with a Transportation Insurance Policy. Such a policy insures your goods against the risks and perils of transportation, not only when in the hands of the railroad but upon trucks, docks, fer- ries and public platforms . . . from the moment of loading at shipping point to actual delivery. A claim under a North America Transportation Policy will put you in funds promptly . . . always a great advantage in case of loss. Ask a North America agent or write to Dept. 15. Insurance Company of North America Third and Walnut Streets Philadelphia “The Oldest American Fire and Marine Insurance Company” Founded 1792 351

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Like Putting WS a New Light Bulb y in a Socket UTTING a Colgate “Refill” Shaving Stick into the “Handy Grip” is done in a few seconds. The “Handy Grip” lasts for years. “Refills”, threaded to fit it, cost you the price of the soap alone. With hot water or cold, with soft water or hard, Colgate’s makes a quick, fragrant lather which softens the beard at the base, where the razor’s work is done. It leaves the face cool and refreshed. Send us !0c for the “Handy Grip”, the metal container, and a trial-size shaving stick Eac "Refill" gives you three months’ easier shaving, at less than the price o of a ay 8 Cigars COLGATE & CO., Dept. 40, 199 Fulton St., New York THE SIXTH SENSE OF INDUSTRY COS esnierrars HE re-creation of the world’s most famous musical artists in your home is made possible only when tough elastic substances are com- pounded and blended accurately. These blended substances are then made into a ‘‘blank’’ record which in turn is pressed onto the master record. It is then ready to satisfy your musical tastes. Thruout the various processes of making the vic- trola record temperature assumes the role of im- portance. It is in the mastery and control of this factor that the “‘Sixth Sense of Industry’’ namely, The SIX SENSES Tycos Temperature Instruments are required. Ss They reach into each process and-take tempera- | er vad 5 tures or control them withaccuracy. That is why eeung~ manufacturers of many products who know what VHearing~ this ‘‘Sixth Sense of Industry’’ will do for them Smelling specify 7 ycos. Jasting MANUFACTURERS and ~~ Let us know what your product is and we will send you 7; cos literature of value to you Tycos engineers will help you to J solve your problems. Write. Temperature WE ALSO MAKE: Wall Thermometers, Quality Com- Control passes, Fever Thermometers, Bath Thermometers, Office Thermometers, Stormoguides and Barometers, Hygrome- ters ; Home Set, consisting of Bake Oven, Candy Thermom- eters and Sugarmeter for jelly makers. For the medical profession we make Tycos Sphygmo- manometers, Office and Pocket Types, Urinalysis Glass- ware, Fever Thermometers. Taylor /nstrument Companies : ROCHESTER, N. Y. Canadian Plant: 110-112 Church Street Toronto, Canada There is a Tees or %Gr Temperature In- strument for every purpose Tycos ZemperatureInstruments pocefciny * RECORDING - CONTROLLING SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN delicately drawn and colored as to resemble , the finest miniature work. A crowded annex beyond the ante-room, reached by a blocked doorway near the jeft end of the far wall, has not yet been dis- turbed, but only looked into through the unclosed breach. In the right end wall of the ante-chamber, however, was a doorway fully walled up, répaired as the outer barriers had been, guarded at each side by a splendid statue of the king. This doorway, opened on February 16 after the ante-room had been cleared, revealed the hoped-for sepulcher. jut the burial was } unexpectedly elaborate and complex. An |immense wooden shrine covered with gold and inlaid with blue fayence almost fills the chamber. Within is a second shrine, on whose bronze doors the original seals are still unbroken. It is, then, reasonable to assume that here for the first time an un touched royal Egyptian burial will be found. robbers’ Over the second shrine hangs a canopy, it too adorned with gold. An ancient plan of the tomb of Kamses IV on a papyrus in Turin shows his red granite sarcophagus surrounded by wooden constructions which we can now see represent an outer shrine, a canopy supported by corner posts, and four inner shrines. Faced by the prospect of finding such additional shrines here also, the discoverers can but postpone the further in vestigation of the burial until next winter. It may then be to take down part of the chamber wall to facilitate examina tion and removal of the successive coverings that protect the pharaoh. Facing the por tals of the shrines appeared the open door way of another called for distinction the “treasure name new marvels; but most of these, too, have not yet been removed. Among them is the box containing the so-called canopiec jars wherein the viscera are separately pre It is protected by “four lovely god standing in winsome possible annex, house.” The suggests served. desses in shining gold, grace with outspread arms and heads charm ingly poised on one side. These exquisite girlish figures are fundamentally a new revelation of grace and beauty in ancient art. They are quite equal to anything ever produced in Greek seulpture and rival the greatest works of art of any age.” When we think of how much still lies within the tomb and realize that the com- | paratively few objects brought out this win |}ter mean work for two years or more to 'eome if they are to be properly conserved, recorded and evaluated, it will be seen how inadequate as a basis of detailed discussion hurried comments so far published. tut full seientifie accounts are promised. The capable staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is making the photographic record of the find, and Howard Carter him- self is no mean artist. We may, then, reasonably look forward to a full complement of excellent photographs, on a par with those already been published, as well are the which have as plates in color that will reproduce the beauty, without the fragility, of these treasures. The approach to the tomb has now again been filled with rubbish for protection until next winter's campaign. Meantime the crowded condition of the Cairo Museum has occasioned discussion as to whether a new museum should not be established at Luxor or the tomb itself be enlarged so as ade- quately to display its contents. Whatever disposition is made of Tutenkhamon’s equip- ment, it will take its place in Egyptology as the outstanding embodiment of the world’s first epoch of intellectual and artistic eman- cipation. | Extinct Races of Ape-Like Man (Continued from page 308) further back by a mile or two, but if so, he did not know it was retreating. Through such gradual transitions man had little trouble in establishing himself, by adapta- tion, to his environments. Heidelberg man and Neanderthal man rep resent a branch of the tree which finally be- came extinet. Yet this branch of man lived during more than 200,000 years, leaving us many remains of his culture and fossils of himself. All we have of Heidelberg man is a single which may be seen in the photograph to the left of the center. The narrow space between the sides of the jaw could hardly have given space enough for a mobile tongue. If Heidelberg man spoke, it must have been by means of grunts and other crude noises. This jawbone is very large, and is ample evidence, coupled with | the fact that the stone implements found in | the same stratum are so heavy that no modern man would find them easy tools to work with, that Heidelberg man was a great, jaw bone, = + — St oe =Vt: ; os Using Your = Floor Space To The Best Advantage? Floor space is valuable. Are you get- ting full returns for the amount yours costs you? Globe-Wernicke Counter Height Filing Cabinets will enable you to econ- omize on space and at the same time have a most efficient filing system. Counter Heights being of uniform height and depth are often used instead of a fence to form a reception room or to separate various departments in an office. Each one is a complete unit in itself and has its own sized linoleum top. Obtainable with any filing device desired. Write For Descriptive Booklet Illustrating Uses ““Globe- Wernicke Counter Height Filing Cabinets.” dhe Slobe“Wernicke Co, SA 84 CINCINNATI Detroit Chicago Boston St. Louis Cleveland New York Washington Philadelphia New Orleans Fastest Portable Filter in the World FOR GRAPE JUICE, CIDER, ETC., ETC. HOME SIZE filters quart of water a wry No. ES 00 LARGE SIZE filters gallon of watera minute, No. 78 $16.00. Write for free circular. VACCU-FILTER SALES CO., Inc. Dept.7 70 Fifth Ave. New York May, 1923 EXPERIMENTAL WORK MODEL WORK IDEAS DEVELOPED in a hine shop equipped for PRECISION WORK THOMPSON TYPE MACHINE CO. PT. s Chicago. Tl. 223 W. Erie Street * STEEL STAMPS py | SPO METAL CHECKS: AN STENCILS SEALS ({ e \\ > ore? “\ _ iP Seno , SCHWERDTLE STAMP ‘co. . BRIDGEPORT, CONN Ice Making and Refrigerating Machinery Corliss & Poppet Valve Engines Bulletins sent upon request THE VILTER MFG. CO. 899 Clinton Street Milwaukee, Wis. UNISOL Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. In Singapore Straits Settlements, Porto Rico, Canada, throughout the U.S. A.—and on ste amships using waters of the various ports of the world—Unisol is being success- fully used by those who are interested always to the point of maintaining first-class operating conditions. If we were not 100% sure that Unisol will cor- rect undesirable boiler feed water conditions, we would not offer it, nor would we forward it through- out the world ON APPROVAL. Pamphlet on request. UNISOL MFG. CO. =«- Jersey City, N. J. car ies tro tilti 120 —f 30 pac per Also 11 430

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— a ~S Tra ree ork RK May 1923 The Lightest, Speediest and Most Durable Outboard Motor in the World. Almost as Easy to Carry as a Pair of Oars Makes a speedy power boat or pleasure launch of any boat or canoe. A boy or girl can handle it. The whole family enjoy it. 2H. P. Twin Cylinder. Weighs Only 35 Lbs. 15 to 50 pounds less than usual, yet guaranteed more durable. Has real carburetor, real magneto—no batter- ies to carry—spark and throttle con-| trol like an auto, instant reverse, self tilting and ten other valuable features. Write for Free Catalog folder today. JOHNSON MOTOR COMPANY 888 Sample St. South Bend, Indiana Eastern Office New York City 120 Broadway THE LIGHTEST. LIVELIEST BOAT MOTOR ON THE WATER Catalog FREE! Send for the MONARCH Lathe Catalog —fully illustrated—every type Lathe, up to 30 inches swing. [Illustrated here is the MONARCH Jr. Lathe—an accurate, com- pact, trouble proof Lathe for Inventors, Ex- perimenters, Mechanics and Auto Repair- men. Fully equipped — semi - quick change gear— auto safety de- vices. °225 bd wi bench oy Also built with bed lengths up to 5 feet. Made in 11 inch swing size too, at slightly higher price. THE MONARCH MACHINE TOOL CO. 430 Oak Street Sidney, Ohio BRUSHES For Household and Family re- quirements. Best patch oy tess wearing, perfect working. Ex | tensive assortment,—every brush needed for home life. Send for Illustrated Literature JOHN L. WHITING-J. J. ADAMS CO. BOSTON, U.S.A, srush Manufacturers for Over 118 Years and the Lurgest in the World ; and yellow races branched off. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN powerful brute of a fellow, with massive forearms. There are reasons for believing that Nean- derthal man, if not directly descended from the Heidelberg man of vious, did have his descent from ilar being. Neanderthal man Europe chiefly as a cave dweller. original “cave man.” ‘The advancing ice, chilling the climate of Europe, drove him into the limestone caves of the hills. There he seems to have existed during the whole of a very sim- | the fourth or last glacial period, sallying out to hunt the reindeer and little wild horse for food, stripping the flesh from the bones, and bringing the larger bones to his retreat to be split open for the succulent marrow. Although he was a man, he was not like homo sapiens (which is us) in many ways. Tle was lower than any human race now living, although his brain, as measured by the capacity of his skull, was not greatly smaller than those of our living lower races. He was a great, chesty creature somewhat like a professional wrestler in this par- ticular, with thick short neck, massive head and powerful arms. T he articulation of his skeletons, of which many have been found, shows that he did not habitually hold his head upright, but rather that it was bent well forward, throwing his eyes on ground. His forehead sloped quite sharply back, his brows stood out prominently, and his chin was entirely lacking, like that of an ape. But his nose appears to have been high, almost aquiline, unlike those of the more primitive modern races. the more advanced Cr6é-Magnon race which was destined to overwhelm and exterminate him. For the Cave Man came to an abrupt end some 25,000 years ago. He experiment that failed. A more intelligent | race took his place. Following back our diagram, we come to Eoanthropus. This is the name of the Pilt- down man whose skull is shown in the | photograph at the immediate left of the cen- tral bust. The Piltdown man was discovered in England in 1911, not in eaves, but in gravels. Only a single specimen has been found, and the jaw of this specimen remains doubtful. It was found at a distance of | three feet from the skull and may have been that of a chimpanzee. Therefore there has been much discussion over Eoanthropus. The skull itself is a very primitive sort with remarkably thick walls. Eoanthropus means “dawn man” and he is placed on the seale of intelligence where the ape has become a man, perhaps 125,000 years ago. Not long after this it is believed the black The state of opinion concerning them is too unsettled to warrant drawing definite conclusions. Of course, they have each been evolving along with the white race. Finally we come to the Pleistocene Cré- Magnon man, of whom we know more than of any of the early races so far discussed. The Cré-Magnon was the equal of any of the human races of today. As the cli- mate of Europe became more temperate at the close of the glacial period we find this race infiltering into Europe and displacing the Neanderthalers. He brought with him an already developed culture that indicates a long period of time spent elsewhere in evolving from some unknown, early branch of our great family tree which we able to supply. He was a big, many of the skeletons measuring six feet four inches. Otherwise there was nothing of the uncouth, animal appearance of Nean- derthal man about him. The most marked | peculiarity was a great width across his face at the cheek-bones, but bis skeleton is con- structed very much like those of modern men, The Cré-Magnons took over the same caves they had won from the Neanderthalers, and thus in France, Spain and Germany we are able to find many of the remains of their culture. Their weapons and imple- ments of unpolished stone are found mixed with the debris of bones and trash would accumulate in the cave habitation of a primitive people, and many cave burials of these people themselves have been Jo- cated, the skeletons often being practically intact. The ice of the great glacial cap had too recently retreated to permit of the reforestation of the landscape, so we find that these new peoples were hunting their game on the steppes, pursuing the same wild horses and reindeer their Cave Man prede- cessors had lived upon. The Cré-Magnons are the “Keindeer Man” we so often read of, although they, too, lived in eaves. They were artists, scratching crude drawings of animals (Continued on page 357) 200,000 years pre- | appears in | He is the | He must have | presented a truly forbidding appearance to | Was an| are un- | tall fellow, | that | 353 Thomas A. Edison Luther Burbank Henry Ford John Burroughs “They Found Their Happiest Hours Theodore Roosevelt among their friends of forest and field” the | UCH famous men as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Luther Burbank have found their greatest enjoyment in their understanding and appreciation of Nature. For them the fields and forests held a host of friends— the trees—each with its own individuality, its personal charm. For those who know |its language a wonderful story is told by the simplest The real enchantment of the out-of- doors is lost to those who do not know the secrets of A. Edison, John Burroughs, \the birds, the butterflies, the flowers, Nature abounds with magic. | | roadside flower. Nature, who miss its deepest meanings. How can the raven be distinguished from the crow? What plant gives a lost traveller his bearings? The answers to these and thou- sands . other interesting questions are found in the Nature Library—the beautiful four-volume set that brings to you the whole wonder world of Nature’s What birds walk on water? | Little secrets. Here is a set of Nature books that you It is an entire, comprehensive wonder Nature’s secrets, including phases about which most And now opportunity is offered you to see for yourself, with- out a penny in advance, the wealth of Nature lore contained in these four fascinating volumes. afford to be without. reference work of the whole readers know little or nothing. Thomas Ford and cannot world of — the Cardinal Bird, with his gorgeous coloring, is only one of the host of fas- cinating new friends vou will find among the birds, the but- terflies, the trees, and the flowers. a great SENT FOR FREE EXAMINATION In this, the most popular series of Nature beoks ever published, the story of the Birds, the Trees, the Butterflies and the Wild Flowers is fascinatingly told by recognized authorities, profusely illustrated with 144 beautiful full-page color plates and many black-and-white pictures. 465 different sub- jects are covered, 1200 pages in all. You are invited to examine the Little Nature Library without cost or obligation. The coupon below brings the books to you for 5 days examination. Note the wealth of interesting information, written by such authorities as Neltje Blanchan; examine the life-like illustrations in full natural colors, obtained from the National Association of Audubon Societies and painted by such famous artists as Bruce Horsfall. If you decide to keep the books, pay only the special low price on the convenient terms mentioned in the coupon. But take advantage of this Free Examination offer NOW, before it is withdrawn. Send no money—just the coupon. NELSON DOUBLEDAY, Inc., Dept. L-565 Garden City, New York dark green silk cloth. Cover decorations in gold and color illustrations on the covers. Pro- fusely illustrated with 144 full color plates, 48 black and white pictures. 465 subjects; 1200 pages. All the secrets of the Birds, Trees, Butter- flies, Wild Flowers so interestingly explained that every member of your family will enjoy reading these wonderful books. THE LITTLE NATURE LIBRARY Ae os” Nelson _ Santtetay ya Dept. L-565 Garden City, New York You may send me the Little Nature Library in four beautiful cloth bound volumes for Free Ex- amination. I will either return the books at your expense in 5 days or send you $1.50 and then $2.00 a month for three months. If you prefer % leather, send $2.00 for one ‘additional month. This coupon places me under no cost or obligation. PENNE Mubsduedeteussabwscdiusiesssenendeenesivgsaces TEED Snccccsdsenesecssdsabccccsscatgccsscceesces GP cndawdsdoadenoncdecddecsecancs ere If cash is sent with order deduct 50c.

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SCIENTIFIC $2,950 Mahogany Finish Phantom View Showing the Adjustable Air Gap Consists of an adjusting dial mounted in front of the cabinet, by means of which the distance between the magnetic poles and the diaphragm may be increased or decreased, thus varying the pull of the magnet on the diaphragm and permitting tuning up in complete harmony, under all varying conditions of reception. distribution. Dept. S. A., Dealers: Order through your jobber; The Most Wonderful Radio Loud Speaker in the World _ The DICTOGRAND With the Adjustable Air Gap Overcomes the defects common to all other radio loud speakers—the harsh jarring sounds, the noises and over- tones. It creates the illusion that the artists are in the very room with the listeners. The DICTOGRAND RADIO LOUD SPEAKER is designed to operate on any vacuum tube receiv- ing set, giving maximum results when two stages of amplification or more are used. Requires no extra batter- ies. You simply plug in—and listen. The DICTOGRAND RADIO LOUD SPEAKER, like all Dicto- graph products, is guaranteed for a period of one year against all elec- trical or mechanical defects. ASK YOUR DEALER TO DEMONSTRATE IT The unusual demand upon our facilities has not enabled us to complete our If your dealer has not yet received his stock of DICTOGRAND Radio Loud Speakers, send to us direct. Makers of the Famous Dictograph Radio Headset THE DICTOGRAPH PRODUCTS CORPORATION 220 West 42nd Street, Branches in All Principal Cities or send to us direct for names of authorized distributors. New York City counter on his machine. The large Set-Back Rev- olution Counter at right és less than *%% actual size. The small Revolu- tion Counter shown nearly full sise. below is necessity of making a good one is production-minded enough to use TTT COUNTERS __The Veeder Mfg. Co., | Is He Production-Minded ? PRODUCTION is a thing your machine operator must have on his mind, before you have it in hand. And the sure way to keep production on the workman's mind is to put a production- He works for a record—sees the when he knows his employer The Set-Back Revolution Counter above re- cords the output of the larger machines where the revolu- tions of a shaft record operations, or output. each revolution, and sets back to zero from any figure by turning knob once round. Supplied with from four to ten figure-wheels, as required. Price, with four figures, as illustrated, $10.00 (subject to discount). The Small Revolution Counter at left records the output of smaller machines where a shaft revolution indicates an operation. durable ; speed, making it especially adapted to light, fast-running machines. Will subtract if run backward. Price, Counts one for Though small, this counter is very high rate of its mechanism will stand a ve $2.00, There’s a Veeder to help you in developing any machine—or machine operator—into a better producer. new 80-page Veeder booklet ; the last word on Counters—free. You'll find it in the 18 Sargeant. St. Hartford, Conn. | current consumption of the tube is 0.25 am- AMERICAN Radio Notes More About the WD-11 Dry-Cell Tube. | —Through Mr. G. Y. Allen of the Radio | Division of the Westinghouse organization, | we have several interesting facts to report regarding the WD-11 dry-cell tube. First of all, this tube, which may be employed as a detector or amplifier, will stand 150 to 180 volts on the plate, successfully. The rated pere, and the terminal voltage 1.1. Tests have indicated that if the used on a single dry cell two hours a night, a fresh dry cell should last from 50 to 60 hours. In terms of maintenance expense, this would amount to about 40 cents per month. We are assured that, properly em- ployed, the WD-11 tube is the equal or even the superior of the usual 6-volt tube. The Radiotron UV-201-A is a new and improved high vacuum tube suitable for de- tection, radio-frequency amplification, and audio-frequency amplification, available. It contains the new thoriated tungsten filament, the characteristics of which are long life, low power consumption, and low operating temperature, and it con- sumes only one-quarter of an ampere (0.25 ampere). If the filament voltage is sup- plied by a six-volt battery, the resistance of the filament rheostat should be at least four ohms. It will be noted that the current consumption is very low; in fact, five tubes of the UV-201-A may be operated with the same expenditure of energy as is generally ealled for by a single tube of standard type. The UV-201-A, however, is microphonie and should be mounted on cushion or spring sup- ports to prevent noise from vibration. The life of this new tube is usually ended by a decrease in electron emission. This is indi- eated by an increase in the filament voltage required for satisfactory operation. Pick-Up Devices That are Different.— With the radio audience growing more and more critical regarding the rendition of radio programs, it has been necessary for radio broadcasters to devote no little atten- | flection or echo, until this — ise of the new r been found that the microphone or “pick-up” tion to their microphones or “pick-up” de- vices. In the early days of broadcasting, WD-11 tube is} which is now | not so long ago, considerable attention was | devoted to the acoustical properties of the | studio, particularly troublesome sound re- art was finally mastered. However, it has | link between the studio and the radio audience, and no matter how perfect the studio may be and no matter how flawless may be the music at the studio end, the microphone or “pick-up” stands in the way. The usual earbon microphone is far from an ideal “pick-up” device. It | misses many notes because its diaphragm, having a natural period or tone of its own, cannot be expected to vibrate over the wide range of frequencies encountered in a musi- device is the main eal program. Furthermore, its mechanism | is somewhat “heavy” and represents consid- erable inertia to rapid oscillations. The question of natural period also applies to the condenser “pick-up” device, in which the vi- bration of a diaphragm causes a change in the capacity of the modulating cireuit in accordance with the sound values. Of late the General Eleectrie engineers have been experimenting with the pallo-photo-phone de- it will be recalled, is also em- vice, which, ployed for recording sounds on a motion picture film by means of a_ photographie record. In the case of radio broadcasting, the pallo-photo-phone adaptation consists of a very sensitive diaphragm attached to a tiny mirror, which projects a beam of light on to a photo-electric or “light sensitive” cell. The cell, of course, forms part of the modulator equipment which, in turn, con- trols the transmitter. It so happens that the pallo-photo-phone diaphragm and mirror are so light and sensitive that they will pick up sounds which would be lost when using the heavier diaphragm and cumbersome mechan- ism of the usual microphone. Recently the Westinghouse broadcasters have been ex- perimenting with the glow discharge pick-up device of Dr. Phillip Thomas of the West- inghouse research laboratory. In this “pick- up” device a high voltage glow discharge takes place continuously between an upper electrode and a lower electrode, the spark of the discharge being exposed to the sound | waves. This ingenious device has no natural period and reproduces tones running from a frequency of 60 to 6000 with absolute truthfulness. Any one listening to KDKA during tests of the glow discharge transmit- ter, will immediately note the marked qual- ity of the emitted music. May, 1923 THE NEW PACENT UNIVERSAL PLUG One of the many PACENT Radio Essentials designed by pioneers in the field whose con- stant aim is to create devices for better, longer and more satis- factory service in radio. This new plug combines the utmost of excellence and economy. Don’t Improvise —‘‘PACENTIZE”’ Write for descriptive Bulletins G-5 PACENT ELECTRIC CoO., 22 Park Place, New York, N. Y. Pacent RADIO ESSENTIALS Inc. The New Burgess Radio Atlas of the World 10c Brings It Lists every broadcasting station in the world and contains three big double- page maps, 13x16 in size, showing—(1) The United States, (2) Canada, (3) The World. Lists stations alphabetically and by towns with wave lengths and names of owners. Maps show time di- visions and radio districts. U.S. Army and Navy Stations, also Relay System of Radio Stations. Simply send us 10c and your dealer's name and we will send you this big 16-page atlas containing all this information and many other descriptive facts and data. Edition is limited. 1 mention your dealer's name. BURGESS BATTERY COMPANY Madison, Wisconsin «TP Ay 6) BURGESS i oa = s Burgess Batteries, Ltd. Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal BURGESS RADIO BATTERIES Pride of Ownership You will have a just pride in the possession of a Ken- nedy Receiving Set. It is a remarkable example of craftsmanship. Unusual selectivity and long dis- tance reception. Write for descriptive literature THE COLIN B. KENNEDY CO. Saint Louis San Franci ee Oe |E ouots FRAN W: WI!

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923 May, 1923 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 355

Telephones on Moving Trains. — An| & article appearing in a recent issue of Jahr- buch der Drahtlosen Telegrafie und Tele- ri sto phonie describes a method of communication | from a stationary telephone to a subscriber ear sree traveling on a train which was tried on a 275-kilometer stretch of track between Ber- lin and Hamburg. All previously tried | Radio Notes

methods required either a very large amount of energy in the sending station or else a Loud Speaker high antenna somewhere upon the train. The former was too costly; the latter was the best results in adio communication

=NT impossible owing to the limited overhead by ae ata room in cuts and tunnels. The tests de- “ALL LISTEN IN” con- > ae Bs é scribed were made by the use of high-fre- s for j TAGNAVOX queney currents with wave lengths of be- ONDERFUL in Radi atis- Radio tween 3000 meters and 4000 meters emitted nee results in Radio- This r } from a station near the main line and ear- Phone receiving are secured by . a ried in a wire alongside the tracks. It is ave, the Loud Speaker combination claimed that energies of only 5 watts to 50| unit, including Bristol AUDIOPHONE oNo wireless | watts were required to establish perfect Loud Speaker and Bristol One-Stage E*° receiving set com | speech transmission. Power Amplifier.

plete without it hal ling Battery Recharging by Means of a The AUDIOPHONE Gives a large vol- |Small Motor-Generator Set is by no ume of tone, sufficient to be heard by

Inc. | RADIOS MESSAGES means a brand new idea. In fact, many} everyone in a room seating several hun- to ALL the Family 0 coer! still erento mosor-generater set for dred persons. The quality is round and ae larging eee a until now full, entirely free from mechanical dis- no stsempt 1as been made to b a mocee- tortion, and faithfully reproduces the fae “- generator set for recharging a single battery original broadcasting. No Auxiliary > . Ox at home—: as é extensive oP" “ 8 P The Magnav ox Co., Oakland, Cal. ind a , R: a. Bas sed — a. Pe Meany Batteries are required to operate. = New York: 370 Seventh Avenue ‘ 6 ’ 4g 7 = ered Se Ce enema : : LS the wer a type a nano = Made in two attractive models, the ; . ‘ oa Handsome bronze finish. Senior Horn, — Multiple Conn it. The motor and the generator of this P . “ - IT'Made. F-F BATTERY BOOSTERS are Complcis Hortable Automat , : 15 inches in diameter. Junior Horn ng ie its. Infusible Rectifying Brushes Maintain Uninterrupted set are connected by flexible coupling. : : 3 . ’ iveatConstant Efficiency, whileFullWaveDesien an 4 ‘ ll inches in diameter pay Son Battery minal ais | There is an ammeter and a rheostat to reg- ° F Conte Lena buy f-F BATE a Bodste | ulate the charging rate. The moter has a} Bristol One-Stage Power Amplifier, con- Without One ee The F-F | ten-foot cord with attachment plug, while “ame . — ; - structed on a new principle of Audio ao et SOPULAR Prices, | the generator has six-foot leads with con- we : east to Fhene BOUL AR ae . > - z - Frequency, uses a circuit which does rees AS Volt Hatters Ato ambesis | Venient spring clips. The charging rate may ‘ ‘ih C batt , Letnien th Goorace © Batteries Up to 150 Vette be varied from one to 20 amperes, which is ee eo 7 “ : fe Combination’of arp ta: : . ‘ . : rid negative. So designed and con- ORee Volt Haters Atiampegzo | Wide range in handliitg different sized & & feat di : f lity ) Type, 1628 is Combination rpekutet 1612828 | batteries. structed thai no distortion of tone quality 8 Lower Types forh : nere | 4 : | can be detected. 4 “ith AMMerEn & CLIPS, 11 The Kenotron Rectifier—The develop- \- tor Prompt Shipment. If Eat ie st | ment of three-element vacuum tubes for use AUDIOPHONE SR. . Reduced List Price $32.50 4 Charges Auto ho Batteries. Sei aaa ye: as generators of radio frequency power has AUDIOPHONE JR. . . . . List Price 22.50 ORDER Now, or WRITE immediately F ulletin 22 -_ ‘ 7 anie. , > . ra . Pome FRANCE PG, CO CLEVELAND, C980, U.S.A. been accompanied by the requirement for a ONE-STAGE # POWER AMPLIFIER ring - power supply of high voltage direct current, nee . . : © which is applied between the plate and fila- P ; 7 ment of the three-element tube. At lower Write for Bulletin 3005-N 0 powers the high voltage direct current is obtained from a_ direet-current generator THE BRISTOL COMPANY with a rotating armature. At higher volt- WATERBURY, CONN. n ages than are obtainable from such ma- chines, however, it has been necessary to BRANCHES develop other means for obtaining this sup- Boston New York Philadel phi Pittsburgh ply. The kenotron rectifier has been devel- Detroit Chicago St. Louis San Francisco ONE-STAGE POWER AMPLIFIER oped primarily for this purpose in connec- tion with radio telephone and _ telegraph | transmitters, although it is applicable od Res tole mle - | other uses where a high voltage direct-cur- Ge i i — CROSLEY RADIO rent power supply is required. The name a R TUS “kenotron” is being applied to the two-ele- HOMCHARGER a A Senne an —— — ment rectifying tube, while the term “plio- | Charges your AUTO or CRODLEY If interested in Radio, write for free GENERAL RADIO COMPANY tron” is being used for the three-element RADIO Battery at Home | oe or, Fs ee ane ea Mocsachesstte Avense and Windser Strest tube. The kenotron is similar in appear- | for a Nickel. Price $18.50. \ right instrument or parts, if you wish CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS peer vs io » Renniiinds dhenndimane tale 4 | prodUCts\ to build your own outfit. Sold by — - —_| ance to the more > amilar ire € “ene men u x ’ Send for FREE Bulletin | - I} dealers 2 ane are i the underlying difference being in the omis- eet tesd Dociens Co. 525 Alte et BPS. COs

sion of the third or control electrode, com- 130 West Third St Cincionati. 0. FREE CATALOG fs D e endable Ra 10 monly known as the grid. The kenotron de-| _ -* 7 p pends for its functioning upon its inherent conductivity. In common ’ ’ ry : ABA A. All Pv fis firflr Bs Bi As ArA Ar Ay As A-AsAeAeA A AeA Role eA AeA AeA Arf ads Ms Piah uni-directional y. DuLLishiseie Equipment & Supplies with the more familiar three-element tube, a = i Ne

LESS TES SEE FEAPE STL EFES

To obtain the best results in Redio com- filament, in a highly evacuated container, is i; oe - heated to ineandescence by the passage of | x lHlogg R dio Equipm nt itt gg Tey ys a ara pe a direct or alternating current through it. | e a e le tail Catale y eo Shot on seameet Under these conditions the filament emits a for Better Results i on. Vateegee am q ’ great number of electrons, which are unit HE BLEDAY HILL charges of negative electricity. If a poten- DOU - tial difference is created between the filament and the second electrode, known as the plate, E L E C T R | C C 0 ° and the plate is made positive with respect : to the filament, the negative electrons will Washington, D. C. Pittsburgh, Pa. be attracted to the plate and will enter it, VARIOCOUPLER | The Kellogg variocoupler is of the same standard design as our variometer, being | made of molded Bakelite, with reinforced construction. The stator has eleven taps, bringing the |; induction value from .1 to 14 Millihenrie. | For increasing the wave length from 500 to 2500 meters, the Kellogg standard wound induction is added to the variocoupler or variometer, the combination resulting in a single circuit tuner. It is arranged for either panel or base i mounting. No. 501 Variocoupler....$9.00 |; With No. 502 Diamond Wound Coil, as Use, Is the Test shown in illustration..............$12.00 KELLOGG SWITCHBOARD & SUPPLY COMPANY CHICAGO WMU Broadcasting Stations KQV causing a flow of current between the fila- ment and the plate inside the tube, and a eee _ | from the plate back to the filament in the cireuit external to the tube. If a kenotron | tube is placed in series with an alternating current supply, it will be found that current will flow in the cireuit only during every For Radio Receiving Sets other alteration, during which the current Cunningham Tubes will im- flows from the filament to the plate. For prove the reception of any the alternations which would normally cause | hissing and is soocguias d “ the flow of current in the opposite direction, | FE ng Went emtay tor book. the kenotron acts as an open cireuit. The ese meat Nate bet. end for output of such a reetifier, therefore, will be “sees pte ja pulsating direct current, each successive Super-Sensitive fhe, val Bureau alternation of the power supply of the same | $5.00 Op at seer coreiee. polarity, producing a pulse of direct current. | 2, CUNNINGHAM A. It is customary, therefore, where direct eur- Office Eastern Rep’ tive: rent of constant amplitude is required, |

Peed aad a ane | ve add a so-called “filtering system” in the out- put circuit of the rectifier, which will smooth | out the ripple. |

Home 248 San

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 99 66 Under such severe service what will your Electric Tool be worth a year from now ? & SUGGESTION: 160 Ibs. Against 15 lbs. Did you ever stop to consider that the weight of a general purpose drill averages about 15 Ibs. and the average weight of the man who handles it about 160 lbs.? That's only one reason why you cannot afford to experi- ment with cheap (or poor) Electric drill construction in your plant at your expense. Invest in a Van Dorn Elec- tric Drill or Grinder—it pays. Have you our catalog? The Van Dorn Electric Tool Ce. Cleveland, Ohio TYPE “A” STRIPPED TYPE “D” TYPE “Cc” Dumore Motors Insure Dependable Service ‘Le caliber of service given by motor-driven appliances depends largely upon the quality of the motors with which they are equipped. Leading manufacturers, in ever increasing numbers, are adopting Dumore motors as standard equipment for their appliances. They have found that the reputation which these fine motors have gained for unfailing dependability under severest usage carries a merchandising value which is of real assistance in marketing their product. The experience we have gained in building motors for special applications is available to anyone who has a special motor problem to solve. This service is free! Just let us know your requirements —we will do the rest. Write our Advisory Department today ! Wisconsin Electric Company 4859 Sixteenth Street, Racine, Wis. | American }eneased in | with a single watch-case receiver. Electrical Notes Summaries and Excerpts from Current Periodicals One Million Telephones in One City.— | Greater New York became the world’s first |eity of a million telephones in March, 1922. |The dawn of 1923 saw 1,071,848 telephones |in service in that city. In the short span of 46 years since the first telephone was in- stalled in the metropolis, there has grown up a gigantic system containing more than 6,000,000 miles of wire, 64 buildings, and 114 central offices, requiring the services of nearly 33,000 employes. A Trouble Finder.—An ingenious type of trouble finder has been developed by an manufacturer of linemen’s tools This device is a coil of wire, material, and connected The line- man, holding the receiver to his ear, brings the coil close to a wire or cable in order to determine if it is “dead” or “alive.” The coil intercepts the magnetic flux of a charged wire and causes a hum in the telephone re- ceiver. Thermionic Volt-Meter.—The vacuum tube forms a convenient method of measur- ing alternating electromotive forces of any and supplies. molding | frequency, because, owing to its asymmetric | duces a current the mean throughout a alternating electromotive mean value is zero pro- value of which is zero and which is readily measured by an ordinary milli-ammeter or micro-ammeter. Two methods of using the triode valve as a rectifier are described in a recent issue of Engineer. A Renewable Plug of improved design is now available on the market. It has a porcelain and cap, and instead of the usual metal top with mica window over the sometimes the top in this case is a unit of porcelain. Unserewed from the socket, the core pulls out and exposes the fuse to full view. If the fuse blown, a new core or refill is slipped into the porce- lain holder. Thus the holder is over and over again, and it is claimed by the manufacturers that a saving of 42 per cent of a new plug is effected in this manner. conductivity, an force of which the base visible fuse, has used The Recording-Demand Watt-Hour Meter.—By providing the usual watt- hour meter with an elaborate recording mechanism there has been produced the re- ecording-demand watt-hour meter which fur- a permanent chart showing the time occurrence of demand, the amount of the demand, and the variation of the demand. The meter makes use of a wide paper rib- nishes bon which carries perforations along both edges. A clockwork mechanism drives the paper along, while a long arm operated by the electrical mechanism of the meter and earrying a pen, marks the current consump- tion on the paper tape, which is printed to indicate the time interval and the current consumed. Such a meter gives an accurate record of how much current is consumed given period and indicates consumed, } Electrically Produced Steam. — The system of obtaining steam from water-power plants by using form of electrically heated boiler seems to have passed out of | the experimental stage into real engineering, according to The Hlectrician. The system has, of course, been extensively both here and abroad, but not on the seale now recorded from Niagara, where an 18,000- kilowatt boiler has been installed. This | boiler is heated by three-phase current at 12,000 volts and 25 eyeles, and evaporates 54.000 pounds of water per hour at a pres- | sure of 125 pounds. It oceupies a space of 21 feet by 10 feet 3 inches by 22 feet. Its thermal efficiency is said to be 99 per cent | and a full head of steam can be raised from | cold in about half an hour. Situated as we are with regard to fuel, the question cannot be of more than academic interest—at least in normal times, when coal is available in ample quantities for all ordinary However, such an installation indicates that there is no technical difficulty in providing either steam or hot water by electrical means. The Neon “Glim Lamp.”—The glim| lamp derives its luminosity from an electric | discharge between two electrodes placed to- | gether and enclosed in a rarefied atmosphere of neon gas, according to Electrical World. The lamp operates like an electric valve; when it is some used needs. that is to say, if a direct current potential of more than a certain critical minimum is placed upon its two electrodes, the cathode will be luminous, the anode will remain dark. If alternating current is impressed, both electrodes will appear to be simul- taneously luminous. At commercial fre- quencies of 25 to 60 cycles the alternations of light and dark will oceur so rapidly that the eye will see only a permanent glow of both electrodes simultaneously. The critical or minimum voltage to start any visible dis- charge is 180 volts for direct current and 130 volts for alternating current. The color of the luminous electrodes is a pleasing pink- ish-orange with a blue-violet fringe on the edges. The current consumption is negligi- ble. The shape of the electrodes can take the form of letters, so that signs may be made up of combinations of suitably lettered lamps. Assuming a consumption of two watts per letter, a sign bearing the name, “Dr. Jones” would require only about 15 watts. Electrical Properties of Neon-Filled Lamps are mentioned in the Proceedings of the Physical Society. A particular type of British neon lamp which contains neon with 20 per cent of helium, takes an inter- mittent current when shunted by a con denser and connected in series with a high resistance to a direct-current supply. For example, a resistance of one megohm and a capacity of -one microfarad on a 200-volt supply gave a frequency of about 1.2 flashes per When cold, it appears, the lamp fails to pass any current until sub jected to an e.m.f. of about 171 volts. If, however, the voltage be reduced when the lamp is glowing the current continues to pass until about 140 volts is reached, when the current suddenly falls to zero. When an e.m. f. of 200 volts is applied, some time elapses while the condenser is charging up to the necessary 171 volts. At the end of this time the lamp begins to take current, second. the current increases, and the voltage across the lamp falls to the limit of 140 volts, when the lamp goes out. The cycle of operation then repeats. When Electricity Regulates the Tem- perature.—While the automatic thermo- stat control is by no means a novelty at this late date, its use in the average American household is still rather limited, and only too many home-owners are not familiar with its numerous advantages. In brief, the auto- matie thermostat is a device which is placed in any room which is to be maintained at a given temperature, and serves to operate the drafts of a heating plant in another part of the house throngh the medium of a con- ducting cable. There are thermostat con- trols now available which are accurate to within two degrees of a fixed temperature ; that is to Say, a rise or fall of two degrees will operate the furnace drafts to counteract the temperature change. Heretofore most of the thermostats have made of spring motors or gravity motors to operate the fur- nace drafts, and these motors have had to be looked after so as to keep them in opera- tive order. More recent developments of automatie temperature control have brought the electric motor into the field, so that an electric motor through suitable reduction gearing, handles the drafts. One type with which the author is familiar, operates by means of the thermostat control through a three-conductor cable. The motor easing in- cludes a step-down transformer, so that the necessary control current going to the ther- mostat is of a safe low potential, yet no dry batteries are required. The thermostat con- trol in this particular type is provided with two cam adjustments, which regulate the temperature at night. Thus the cams can be arranged to lower the temperature by, say, 10 o’clock at night, and raise the tem- perature to the day-time requirements by, say, 7 o'clock the next morning. A clock drives the timing mechanism. Instead of shutting off the drafts altogether and allow- ing the house to become chilled, which is common practice, the present heat-control- ling system maintains the temperature at any degree desired during the night and brings it up to the day-time requirements by morning. Once the advantages of auto- use |matie temperature control are fully appre- ciated, the average home-owner will cer- tainly not do without it. Wh | i alll KKK KKK . Sav popu DEC] requi FOR) at o natio utiliz Unite (D-23 you publi

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ntial m is hode main ssed, mul- fre- tions that w of tical . dis- and color pink- | the gligi- take y be tered two ame, ¢ 15 ‘illed lings type neon inter con high For ind a )-volt ashes the sub ; 1 the Ps tO when When time ig up nd of rrent, CcTOss volts, le of Tem- rmo- t this ‘rican only with auto laced ed at yerate P part | con- con- ite to ture ; prees teract ost of spring e fur ad to ypera- its of ought that nection with es by ugh a ng in- at the ther- 10 dry t con- | with e the s can re by, » tem- ts by, clock ad of allow- ich is mntrol- ire at t and ments auto- appre- | cer- May, 1923 Patents Trade-marks Copyrights Designs 76 Years’ Practice Before the Patent Office If you have an invention which you contemplate patenting, or a trade-mark which you have registered, we shall be pleased to have you consult us. We have thoroughly « xperienced at our New York, Washington, Cleveland. Chicago and San Francisco offices, with long expe- rience desire to torneys in in } trade reparing and prosecuting mark applications, both patent and Prompt, Conscientious and Efficient Service The SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN contains Pate nt Office Notes, Decisions and other matter of in est to inventors—and particulars of recently p = ented inventions, We shall be pleased to send, without charge. our Handbook on United States and Foreign Pat- ents, Trade-marks and Copyrights.* MUNN & COMPANY Woolworth Building, NEW YORK Scientific American Building, | WASHINGTON, D.C. Hanna Building, CLEVELAND, OHIO = Tower Building, CHICAGO, ILL. = Hobart Building, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. = HUJONUUVOULULUOUIOLVOUUOSVNUUVUVOILULULUNGUNULUOUUHVUOEAULOUUGGNELUEUUULUUTULGLLOTOLUAUUOON OT HERES MORE _~ oe MONEY tor YOU 150 Home-Study Books Each of these eure | pay raising, self-help books Is a c omplete instruction They cover Electricity , Autor mobile, Machine Shop. C Sreentry, Painting, Engineering, Railroading and twenty other trades. Full catalogue FREE A postcard brings yours rake & (o., Publishers Yd. D 1065 > Michigan Avenue, Chicago MR. INVENTOR LET US SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS! CONSULT US NOW WE can develop that IDEA and build that perfected working MODELfor you. We are engineers and experi- mental machinists,and can develop your device intoa successful commercial product by MAKING IT WORK We are experts on automatic labor-saving machinery and gasoline motors. Mechanical drawings made from your sketches and specifications. Absolute secre cy guaranteed you. ELK MFG. ©€O., Ine. 19268 Broadway New York ) eax otees a toyou F Your J choice of 4 ityles, colors and sizes of the famous hones Bicycles, Express pre- id. Low Factcry-to-Rider Prices. Months to Pay {-eis¢ 2isny tore and girls caally save the ema!! eg A ag : " equipment ai ires i. half esual ort es. Write for remark- able factory marvelous offers. Mea Sycle-Company xz Fm KKK KKK KKKK KKK Study The Stars Extend the horizon of your concepts. Live with great thoughts. Let your mind play with ideas of vast space and countless multitude. Geta * RADIUM * STAR * MAP * * * -* It shines in the dark. Constellations shown by shining lines between stars. Used schools and colleges. Sample Star 4 ft. map, $8.50. Send for one today D. W. SUNDELL, 643 Ontario St., Oak Park, Ill. ‘2°46 by leading Group Free. oe 4% KKK KKK KKK KKK JEWELRY WORK LEARN WATCHWORK ie ERO, MARK A fine trade commanding a good salary and your services always in demand or you can start in business for yourself. At BRADLEY INSTITUTE The greatest school for watc mampere in the world Ad dress welo nai al Dept H, Braviey b oly chnic Inst., Peoria, ll,, for our ease catalogue. You Can Save $3502 Recover it $4.4 yourself. uarters sewed together, with rear fasteners, and Custom tailor up made tofit all d Anybody can put it and q welts and tacks, complete. on. Give name, year, model number of your car. Catalog FREE. Agents wanted. LIBERTY TOP & TREO. Dept. E106 Cincinnati, 0. Starting a Company ? Save expenses and taxes by organizing on the popular, COMMON LAW plan under a pure DECLARATION OF TRUST. No experience required ‘to fill in DEMAREE STANDARD FORMS, issue shares and begin doing business at once. Genuine DEMAREE FORMS are nationally known, approved by attorneys and utilized by successful concerns throughout the United States. Send for large, free pamphiet (D-23) containing valuable information that you may need. C. S. DEMAREE, legal blan, publisher, 708 Walnut, Kansas City, Missour;, Sc =% | to be |} and interesting, | that ferred by ino doubt, | nine 16-inch guns, and at a great sacrifice in | defensive qualities, 30 knots as against SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN Extinct Races of Ape-Like Man (Continued from puge 353) |on pieces of bone, and sometimes quite remarkably good drawings on the of their caves with various natural pigments, such as red and yellow ocher. These usually depicted the animals that so fully filled the horizons of a hunting people—the bear, the reindeer, the aurochs and the bison. Some of the figures are about on a par with those of animals drawn by clever children, or by the average adult. It is believed that the present peoples of Europe represent two invasions. First came the Mediterranean stock, having heads | which, if viewed from above, would be eai.ed long. Later came the Alpine stock, with broad heads. Both may have come from Asia, or the longheads may have come from northern Africa. They came fully evolved in body and in culture. Using weapons of polished instead of rough stone, they are the first European men of the New Stone Age. Who were their ancestors? Of this =| we know nothing. Anthropologists have =|been in the position, rather illogieally, but las yet unavoidable, of studying other races | without having an opportunity to study our own. In other words, we do not know any- thing of the whole course connects our own white early primate stem. The records probably lie in the soil of southern Asia and we have not yet got at them. The reasons for this are very practical, every-day sort of reasons, not the least of which has been the lack of money for this purpose. The results of the few expeditions that have been sent out have been meager there is such an im- mense area to hunt over; because it is so far from the centers of civilization; because of the climates and half-wild tribesmen of many of the regions suspected of holding the secrets of the evolution of modern man; and, race back to because lastly, because, compared to the results to be obtained from archxological expeditions in Egypt and Assyria, there is little that is spectacular and tangible enough to the aver- person with means to interest him in this long search. Such work, the discovery of the stages of the evolution of modern man from the early primate stem, would require the expenditure, year after year, of the in- come from a quite large sum of money. Its pursuance awaits the unflagging interest of some Lord Carnarvon who will be willing to send out small expeditions: to stay in the field until something is found. On the other hand, anthropological re- age making walls of evolution that | the | 35 The initials of a friend You will find these letters on many tools by which electricity works. They are on great generators used by electric light and power companies; and on lamps that light millions of homes. They are on big motors that pull railway trains; and on tiny motors that make hard housework easy. By such tools electricity dispels the dark and lifts heavy burdens from human shoulders. Hence the search has been comparatively easy in Europe. It is near. The area to hunt over is smaller. And we have found much in caves that are quite easy of access. In other words, lacking the means of to the remains of our own ancestors, we have had satisfied with a study, most valuable however, of the remains of but collateral races of men access several extinct and near men. The Washington Conference Battleship (Continued from page 304) majority of future fights, there is reasonable visibility, will take place at from twenty to thirty thousand y: ards, | ealling for an elevation of, say, twenty- five | to thirty With this high angle of | elevation the guns of No. 3 turret would not be masked, or would be very little masked, | even in fire-ahead, by turret No. 2. Another striking novelty in the Confer- | ence battleship is the masting; for in endeavor to provide several reserve fire-con- trol platforms, the ship carries no less than six masts, big and little. The forward tripod mast is enclosed by a lozenge-shaped plate- | steel tower, conforming to the tripod, which serves to house several searehlights during day fighting, an arrangement which is now followed in some of the later wartime Brit- ish battleships. Around the mainmast are grouped in triangular fashion three vertical tubular masts, each of which earries its own the where degrees. the | Boice Junior ual Gein A wonderfully practical, compact, all antes machine designed Special s saws cut type-metal, bakelite, brass, etc. socket. W. B. & J. E. Boice, Dept. $. A.5, 114 23d St., Toledo, Ohio letters G-E are more than a trademark. They are an emblem of service—the initials of a friend. GENERAL ELECTRIC Experimental and Model Work || Fine Instruments and Fine Machinery, nventions Developed. Special Tools, Dies, Gear Cutting, Ete. HENRY ZUHR, 489-93 Broome St., New York City | Better Work and More of it These are the results s obtained | te n zi ao aa a + ing degree by >| FES PLAINFIELD. N vi for accurate and ly sawing, b. "aden qpoovine. ete. uts | +9 stock deep an 56" wi iven by \4 or 1s h.p. motor. Portable. Attaches to lamp Write for descriptive literature on the oe Bench Saw, 4° Jointer. 14” Band Saw, ills, boc and Larger Bench Saws. platform, from which the ship ean be fought. The large single elliptical smokestack serves ou the whole of the boiler plant. Reduction ear turbines of 55,000 horsepower devel- pers on four shafts, serve to give the ship a speed of 24 knots. Although we are strongly of the opinion that, in the present state of the art, and of the strategy and tactics of naval warfare, plan “A,” as above outlined, will be pre- naval officers, there will be those, who will favor the ship shown in plan “C,” which, with the same battery of would have a speed of 24 knots. POST SOLDERING IRON “No larger than a fountain pen” Most essential in soldering head-phones, fine work. Universal current, standard transformer magnet wire, binding posts, socket, platinum heating unit, remov- and all radio parts. Unsurpassed for all able tip, large and small. Price $6.00. POST ELECTRIC COMPANY, 32 E. 42d St., New York City

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358 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN _ For Strength Use Steel fp - a e, Tug . “alin 27) 0 Steel Truck Wheels Our Psychic Investigation in Europe—I (Continued from page 308) alive or dead, “goes to bat’ whenever he feels like it, and stays as long as he wishes. | One does not feel foreed to believe that the sitting is what these people believe it to be, but one would respect them for conducting it on the basis which I have described. And one who has seen anything of spiritism as it is commonly practiced in America cannot help drawing a very deadly contrast. On February 27 1 had another seance with Mr. A. Though I had no desire to do so, and rather deprecated the position in which I was put thereby, it was insisted that as one who had come so far to see British mediumship at work, I should carefully ex amine the eabinet in front of which the “UNBREAKABLE HEAVY DUTY CHISEL STEEL 200.000 RIVETS Without Breaking Some record you will admit But nothing out of the ordi- nary for Ludlum Steels. They are made specifi- cally for the work to be done—it'’s a highly Spe- cialized line. We would appreciate the opportunity to study your problems—to assist you to reduce your costs. May we? RARAAAAAAAAAAAAAA “CUDLUM SPECIAL STEELS i COMPANY — VOVUUVUUVUTYCUTET Oe 3s 3 = SPECIAL PURPOSES WATtRVLIET-s ¥ $A vy) (vy yyvvvyrrrrr rr rrr already obvious, medium sat, and assure myself that it was hurmless. It was. This time there was more difficulty in | getting the medium into a trance condition. obvious that he was physically ex- before the seance started. He in- nees did not tire him, but It was hausted sisted that the se: that wheeling wheelbarrows all day did, and | that he was indeed very tired. I have |learned since that Mr. A works in a Lon- |}don garage and thinks the work is too hard is quite unhappy. idea of what he for him. As a result he But he is so faithful to the cannot properly do that he will not give his job and take medium that is offered to him by the psychic group, on the ground that he could not take up | wearer. up work as a professional | May, 1923 Classified Advertisements The Market Place for the Small Advertiser advertising in this section 15 cents per word, for each insertion, payable in advance. Minimum space acceptable, 20 words. Rate card giving discounts for number of insertions sent on request. Ad- vertisements for insertion in the August issue should be in our office by June 20. Rate for FOR ADVERTISERS ADVERTISE in 24 Big Sunday Newspapers, 24 words, $15. Helpful Guide listing 1000 publica- tions, 4c stamps. Wade Advertising, Baltimore Bidg., Chicago. AGENTS WANTED CLARKE made $18 an hour selling vestpocket windshield cleaner needed by every autoist, motor- man, engineer; one ru keeps glass clear 24 hours ; 60,000 sold ; amazing proposition free. Security Mfg. Co., Dept. 677, Toledo, Ohio. RUST-I-CIDE Patented chemical rust remover preventative; autos, tools, machinery. Literature free; bottle postpaid 50c. The Rusticide Co., Cleveland, Ohio. TELL THE WORLD WV WITH “SIGNS. uine gold window sign letters are an money-making prepeaiies for handy men Sign System, dethune Ave., Detroit, Mich. LARGE Our gen excellent Slan: SHIRT MANUFACTURER Agents to sell complete line of shirts direct to Exclusive patterns. Big values. Fre« Madison Mills, 503 Broadway, New York wants samples. FREE BOOK. Start anywhere. Home employment Dept. 216-A, 74 Cortlandt St., little mail order business evenings. Pier New York. money for his mediumship. He is a little a bit of a chap and very quiet and mild, in $60-$200 WEEK. Free samples Gold Letters for Wl he whisners “No!”. however, | tr windows. Easily applied. Liberal offer to truth. hen he whispers “No. , however, | general agents. Metallic Letter Co., 440 N he means it. His wage is something like 25/| Clark St., Chicago. shillings a week. He gives two seances a | MAKE MONEY silvering mirrors, all kinds week to a rather restricted circle, for which Rimi knives, spoons, auto headlights. Outfits he persistently refuses payment. is cirele | furnished; free booklet. nternational Labora- - pe — tently refuses payee nt " His circ tories, Dept. 305, 311 Fifth Ave., New York. is hoping that some solution will be found that will keep him in London in content AMERICAN MADE METAL TOYS AND ment. but thev are none too confident that NOVELTIES he will not pack himself off to Scotland MANUFACTURERS on large scale and home- again. workers waptee to penatnstere meatal | toys wine ‘ ee . novelties. Barking Dogs, Wag Tail 9s, Wild At any rate, the medium finally went intO | Animals, Automobiles, Indians, Bird Whistles, a trance state, after considerably more sing- | Cowboys, Baseball Players, Cannon, Toy Soldiers, Shatees of Liberty, Miniature Capitols, Bathing ing and playing than on the previous occa- | sion: and at intervals throughout the seance he called for more songs. On one occasion the trumpet voice led in this singing in powerful tones; and on another it joined in. Otherwise, the trumpet voices were weak and hard to understand. White Feather | again took charge of the proceedings. The first voice claimed to be that of Peter Gallo- way, ist. One member of the group referred to his death as having oceurred about six weeks before, and the corrected him, saying, “Three weeks ago tonight.” He pro- fessed great difficulty in using the trumpet, and White Feather gloated over this fact. A succession of voices, all extremely weak, followed, with nothing of sufficient worth to mention here. Then came Ellis Powell, a deceased spiritualist, and spoke in what I assured was a very characteristically vein. “No artist has ever painted, imagined, the beauty of the which we dwell.” I thought it so poetic that it seemed to me it must be a quotation. This to the sort of stuff that distinguishes the American seance from the British style it at the first seance. After a few more attempts trumpet, the medium pass around the circle. The spirit lights again appeared, and in one or cases were of extraor- | author well voice was poetic no poet land in ever close usual comes weak nrose to two dinary brillianey. Mrs. C., an known in Britain, was particularly favored. One is told that if the light is presented | intently Mrs. directly to one, when he looks through it he will see a spirit face. C. saw this clearly, though not in such a way as to recognize the features. In her ease and that of several other sitters the presentation of spirit lights was accom- panied by material contact described as that of draperies. However, the medium was en- tirely out of “control” here and nothing was said in description of these “draperies,” which would rule out the* hypothesis that they were not Mr. A’s pocket handkerchief, or something equally homely. Neither the light nor the drapery was presented to me, thongh I saw with lights that came to others. When the medium came to me in this cir- a recently deceased Glasgow spiritual- | — | Dages ; Girl Souvenirs and others. Unlimited possibilities Guaranteed casting forms, complete outfit, fur- | nished manufacturers from $5.00 up. No experi- ence or tools necessary. Thousands made com- |Buy per hour. 1923 business starts now. We | may poss all 4 and pay high prices for fin- hed goods. on delivery. Contract orders siead with a. Fe Special casting forms made to order. Catalog and information free Correspondence invited only if you mean business veto! Cast Products Co., 1696 Boston Road, New ork. AUTOMOBILES AUTOMOBILE owners, garagemen, mechanics, send today for free copy America’s most popular motor magazine Contains helpful articles on everhauling, repairing, ignition, carburetors, bat- teries, ete. Automobile Digest, 542 Butler Bldg.. Cincinnati. LIGHTS, COLORS, TONES AND NATURE’ FINER FORCES,” including vibrations: datee magnetons; Odic-auras; Radio; Coldlights; Com ing Inventions; Marvelous opportunities: 270 Satisfaction Guaranteed ; $2.00: Table Con Free. Stevens Scientific 242 San Francisco. Publishers, 1 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY tents Powell, Cc AN have a business profession of your YOU |own and earn big income in service fees. new as I had met| one at home in a few weeks. }ean attend to. at the | | perfect clearness the | eulating process, White Feather referred back to his communications to me in the| previous seance. Then he told me I was to make a trip over the water. This was for they all knew I was an presumption that I American, with the But he added, should ultimately go home. | man | Shultz, Colorado Springs, Colo. readily learned by any- Easy terms for train- ing; openings everywhere with all the trade you No capital required or goods to buy: no agency or soliciting. ddress Stephenson Laboratory, 23 Back Bay, Boston, Mass. RESPONSIBLE corporation wants general sales managers to open branch office, manage salesmen. $500 to $5000 necessary ; pense to Baltimore al- lowed if you qualify. Address Manager, 603 N. Baltimore, Md. system of foot correction ; Eutaw Street, WORLD'S fastest agent’s seller. 300% profit. Needed in every home and store. Establish per- manent business. Premier Mfg. Co., 821 E. Grand Bivd., Detroit, Mich. $75-$150 WEEKLY assured if you hustle. Sel! attractive gold signs to stores, offices. Unlimited demand. xperience unnecessary. Free samples. Acme Sign ©., 367 West Superior, Chicago. $200 to $500 will start a cash business. Free information; Dept. 172. Paul Kaye, 149 Bway., New York. CHEMISTRY YOUR chemical or electro-chemical ” ‘problem solved by an expert chemist. Consultation by mail Five Dollars. Write me. W. Stedman Rich- ards, Consulting Chemist, Box 2402, Boston. Mass. CALIFORNIA GOLD, $% sac. 2e piece and entalogue, 10¢e. size, 27c. $% size. Address Nor- FOR INVENTORS INVENTORS—Send your ideas for manufactur- ing development in our modern sheet metal and angle iron fabricating plant. _Liberal payment for accepted inventions. Kirk & Blum Manufac- turing Co., 2849 Spring Grove Ave., Cincinnati, O. io «> qt sh lan lish ese Ru tion rug Ne Fift buildi oxgir per | Founc Idaho. GE! on ea logue Calif. MIN ing di dian I 138652 Colvill BE . work, Union N MOL Steam Model illustra Co., D 158 Issues, Guatem proval wanted. Establis Dept. 1 you? Wireles panies ij quickly Great qd penses catalog. graph _WOR vices on ing at Co., 1 G

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923 ‘s, 24 blica- imore ocket 10tor Over “ature sines Pier home s and Wild 1istles, Idiers, athing ilities fur xperi com . We wr fin orders forms free siness . New hanics opular les on 3, bat- Bidg.. URE lectro Com e Con f your A new y any ' train- de you ods to henson I sales esmen. ore al- 603 N. th per- Grand . Sell limited amples. z0. . Free Bway.. yroblem ion by n Rich- . Mass % size, is Nor- ifactur- tal and ayment anufac- nati, O. May, 1923 Classified Advertisements ll Continued FOR INVENTORS INVENTIONS _ developed to practical manu- facturing basis. Research and model work strictly confidential. Light manufacturing. Reliance, 138 West Broadway, New York. PATENTS sold, leased, promoted; experienced handling; immediate action. Address Arthur S. Billings, 401 Dekum Blidg., Portland, Oregon. WE MAKE working models for inventors and do experimental work and carry a complete stock of brass gears and model supplies. Send for catalogue. The Pierce Model Works, Tinley Park, Ill. I SELL PATENTS. Established in 1900. To buy or sell write Charles A. Scott, 773SA Garson Avenue, Rochester, New York. USED correspondence school courses, only one quarter original price, Free bargain list 1,000 courses. Courses bought. Students Exchange, 47 West 42nd St., New York. WE DEVELOP your ideas into commercial shape for presentation to purchasers, making working models, drawings, experiments or tests. Courtesy, efficiency, secrecy and ample equipment ; 30 years’ experience. Ducorron-Rich Engineering Co., 504 Pacific Mutual Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. LANGUAGES ~ WORLD-ROMIC SYSTEM. Masterkey to All i 1.94 Languages. Primers, 23 languages, $1.94 each language: Arabic, Bohemian, Bulgarian, Canton- ese, Chindau, Danish, Dutch, English, Scotch Eng- ish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japan- ese, Latin, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Sechuana, Spanish, Swedish. Pronuncia- tion-Tables, 97 languages, 30c each language. Lan- ruages Publishing Company, 8 West 40th Street, New York. LETTERHEADS LETTERHEADS, well printed, and Steel Die Work are our specialties. If interested in high rrade work that will command attention for your message, write us. Letterhead Press, 1451B Broadway, New York. LETTER SPECIALISTS LETTERS, folders, campaigns. A better letter means bigger returns. Send me your copy. Tu give suggestions for strengthening it. No obliga- tion. Wilson, 247 Williams St., East Orange, N.J. LITERARY ASSISTANCE ~ SPEAKERS, Lecturers, Writers—-We speeches, lectures, essays, special articles. Prompt, scholarly service. Authors Research Bureau, 500 Fifth Ave., New York. ; MACHINERY BARGAINS in used machines, send for_ list. The Challenge Machinery Co., Grand Haven, Mich. MAIL ORDER METHODS $50 WEEK, evenings, I made it; mail_ order business. Booklet for stamp tells how. Sample and plan, 25 cents. Free 12 articles worth $3. Alscift Seott, Cohoes, N. ‘ > MISCELLANEOUS THE Bulldog Drift Bolt Puller, patented May 7, 1919. An especially designed tool for with- large spikes and rods from eavy wood timbers; to be operated with a com- mon crowbar; goes between timbers; can be car- ied in the workman’s pocket. Useful in bridge uuilding, car repairing, wharf and dock work, “ging chutes, etc. Price $1.00 each, or $10.00 per dozen. Order direct from Electric Steel Foundry, Portland, Ore., Fred Engstrom, Mullan, Idaho. drawing driftbolts, GENUINE Indian made baskets, blankets, best on earth, and wampum. Wholesale priced cata- | ogue mailed free. Francis Gilham, Kelseyville, | Calif. MINERS MACHINE DRILL HOLDER for hold- ng drill while swedging anc arpening. Cana- an Patent No. 216140, United States Patent No. 385523 for sale. Christopher Denenish, Box 43, Colville, Washington. BE A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT! Fascinating work, big salaries paid! Write Landscapers, 425 Union League Building, Los Anyeles, Cal. MODELS AND MODEL SUPPLIES MODEL Steam Engines, Boilers, Electric and Steam Boats, Yachts, Model Ship’s Fittings and Model Makers’ Supplies. Send 20c for new large illustrated catalogue and handbook. Bathe Mfg. Co., Dept. G., 5214 Woodland Ave., Philadelphia, POSTAGE STAMPS 158 GENUINE Foreign Stamps—Mexico War Issues, Venezuela, Salvador and India Service, Guatemala, China, etc. Only 10c. Finest ap- proval sheets 50 per cent to 60 per cent. Agents wanted. Big 72-p. Lists Free. We buy stamps. Established 29 years. Hussman Stamp Company, Dept. 109, St. Louis, Mo. A VACUUM Tube Hospital. We repair vacuum | tubes and guarantee them to work. Dealers, agents wanted. George A. Porell Co., Inc., West Somerville, Mass. | WANTED YOUNG MEN and women to learn Morse and Wireless Telegraphy. Railroads and wireless com- panies in great need of operators. We teach you quickly and procure positions at big salaries. Great opportunities for advancement. All ex- penses low; can earn part. Write today for free catalog. School established 1874. Dodge’s Tele- graph Institute, Vail Street, Valparaiso, Indiana. WORK on models, mechanical or electrical de- vices on contract basis; machine work and stamp- ing at reasonable prices. Williams-Purchas Mfg. Co., 1 Church St., Richmond Hill, Long Island. prepare | SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN “Not a long journey; just a short one.” This put the matter on quite a different basis. Unless the medium or some other intelli- gence was shrewdly guessing that an Amer- ican interested in psychic phenomena would not likely come to England without crossing the Channel, it looks rather like actual clairvoyance. White Feather went on to prophesy | specifically a trip to Austria and to Leipzig. Whether I shall go there or not, and whether the prediction was a genuine or a shrewd guess, I cannot say. My sponsor at the seances is very positive that my real posi-| tion and my plans have been divulged to no one; that to the medium and to every- body else I am simply an acquaintance of his from America. This has, of course, been necessary in order to guard against auto- suggestion of intimidation, bad conditions, hostility, ete., by the medium. An interesting phenomena then occurred. One of the sitters was an Italian gentleman. When the medium came to him, the trumpet voice began to talk clearly in a foreign lan- guage. Careful attention assured me it was French. Several times I distinctly made out “il-y-a,” and “francais,” and possibly “je pense.” The French seemed _ well | spoken, and certainly had no Scottish in it. The Italian gentleman understood nothing of it and asked it several times without re- sult to “parlate italiano.” It seems reason- ably certain that the Seottish medium, who has been most of his life a packer, knows no French. Old White Feather was very much exercised about the spirit that insisted on talking French, saying “Me not know what this man talking about,” and, “What this man say, Chief?” THe was very fretful. Just at the moment when the medium was presumed to come out from control and re- sume his own consciousness, an extremely large and bright light appeared. It was by far the most startling of any witnessed dur- | It was six or eight inches | across, flat, and semi-circular or elliptieal. I | ing the two seances. suppose the skeptie will attribute it to a lumi- nous smoke cloud fraudulently produced, and as far as appearance goes it might have been that. The members of the circle, of course, identified it with the departing spirit of White Feather. vicinity of the medium’s head and off and up. fast. It reached almost to the ceiling before it became visible. The medium was rather lame and accord- ingly his legs were massaged. The next day he was much worse. One of the par- ticipants, who had sat next the medium, said that on the next day he felt very weak and drawn out, and attributed this to a drain made upon him for the support of the seance. This reminded me that after sitting next the medium at the first seance I had not been able to walk nearly as far or as vigorously as was my wont, and that TI suf- fered from backache and other physical fatigue. I do not know whether there is any | eonnection, but I record the observation for what it may be worth. | When the Camera Turns Sculptor | (Continued from page 314) as the guide plate, and is placed on a carrier in the carving machine. The carrier is a cireular steel plate, mounted on a vertical shaft and geared to a worm so that as it rotates it describes a spiral. Above the plate is a longitudinal bar free to move in the direction of its length, only. Mounted rigidly on this bar is a microscope with cross hairs on the eye piece that locate the axis for the operator. The bar is supported | on rests in which it slides and can be moved along by a hand lever. At one end of the bar is mounted the drill or cutter, driven | by an electric motor. It is clear, then, that any longitudinal movement of the bar is followed exactly by the microscope and by the drill in the direction of its length. Op- posite the point of the drill is a headstock on which the material to be carved is mounted. As the headstock rotates, any point on the material describes a spiral cor- responding to the spiral described by the | carrier. The modus operandi is as follows: The guide plate having been fixed on the carrier so that the divergence of the lines is parallel with the moving bar, the operator focuses | and adjusts the microscope so that the in- tersection point of the cross hairs lies on | one of the spiral lines at one edge of the| photograph, the motors are started, and — guide plate and headstock begin to rotate. By means of the hand lever, the operator | moves the bar carrying the microscope, so It rose diagonally from the | floated | For a second or two it retained | its original brilliance, and then faded fairly | 359 “Always Good~ Now Better than Ever” Only the quality that brings constant, never-failing service to owners could have laid the foundation for Federal’s present enviable position. It is one of the sound- est companies financially with a dealer and service organization covering the country, backed by a 12 years’ record of success. Ask the Federal dealer near you to show you the truck best fitted to your hauling needs, from the complete Federal line of 8 capacities. The 5 to 6 Ton Truck owners are amazed at the power and stamina of the Federal 5 to 6 ton. Capacity loads are being carried over soft roads; out of deep excavations; anywhere the wheels can get traction. It is doubtful if any truck anywhere ever equalled it for pulling power. The Federal Motor Truck Company Detroit. Michigan FUEL OIL POWER SAVINGS FIRST COST FUEL COST UP-KEEP COST SAVING IN SPACE SAVING IN FUEL STORING SPACE Twenty-four thousand installations conclu- sively prove these five savings and illustrate the ever-increasing trend toward fhe oil en- gine as a source of clean, dependable power. Complete descriptive booklet on request THE BESSEMER GAS ENGINE COMPANY 14 York Street Grove City, Pa. BESSEMER OIL ENGINES were 15 TO 180 jee) HORSEPOWER ey Sores 50 AMERICAN OPEN HEARTH STEEL American Bessemer Steel Keystone Copper Steel KEYSTONE Black and Galvanize Keystone Copper STet is an alloy made by the addi- tion of a certain percentage of Copper to well made Steel, thereby increasing its lasting and rust-resisting qualities under actual service condition. Unexcelled for culveris, tanks, flumes, roofing, siding, gutters, spouting, and all exposed sheet metal work. Send for booklet giving results of actual service tests. We manufacture Sheet and Tin Mill products for all pur- poses— Black Sheets, Galvanized Sheets, Corrugated Sheets, Formed Roofing and Siding Products, Culvert and Flume Stock. Special Sheets for Stamping. Electrical Sheets, Automobile Sheets, Tin and Terne Plates, Etc. AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY, Pittsburgh, Pa. ean er Pacis GaP i) ch Kd ge

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5360 SCIENTIFIC } A Relay Switch That Can’t Stick In a Neutral Position— Dependable ! HE new Minneapolis Automatic Relay Switch in tests under full load and operating conditions made over a half million operations without a single failure. This is the equivalent of an operation every hour for a period of 54 years, an unparalleled performance for an automatic switch. This severe test produced no appreciable wear on contact or other mechanism. The Minneapolis Relay Switch operates on an entirely new and advanced principle. It is designed particularly for use with any Minne- apolis thermostat and provides an ideal means of temperature control for automatic oil burners, electric refrigerating apparatus, electric heating units, etc. Transformer is built into relay, providing 744 volts for thermostatic circuits. Main switch operates on 110 volts. On tempera- ture changes power is constantly applied to solenoid until circuit is changed. No dead center or neutral position for switch. No springs to weaken and wear out. Few moving parts. Gives long, dependable service. Will operate with any type of thermostat. ae b oi r/3 lp panel removed from cabine Underwriter approved) Switch Users and manufacturers of such equipment are invited to write for full details, giving purpose for which relay switch wanted, THE MINNEAPOLIS HEAT REGULATOR CO. 2901 Fourth Avenue So. Minneapolis, Minn. The AfINNEAPOLIS™ THERMOSTATIC RELAY SW/TCH is Why Have Oil Contaminated Water? Drinking water or other fluids you pump will not be contaminated by oi! and grease from Aurora Deep Well Turbine ae Rubber, water-lubricated sand-proof be arings. Open line shaft. Low maintenance. Hig n- my f insta) lation and remova » in. to 30 in. wells. Capacities 21 5,000 gallons per minute Settings down t THE RAILR D feet OAD PICTURE BOOK FOTRERY CYFOTAETEM, VEN tells you everything you want to know about rail- Aurora ieee & Mfg. Co. roads in a series of fascinating pictures. The most instructive and interesting collection of railroad Aurora, Il. Makers of Good Pumps—Deep Well Turbine, Centrif- agal, Power Heads 25 cents, postpaid. Washington, D.C. assembled P. 0. Box 840 photographs ever The Pictogram Co. ———— Years and years of service —true valve economy Jenkins Valves are made in NGINEERS and other users of valves select Jenkins Bronze, Iron and Steel, in types Valves for the economy that and sizes to meet all require- follows their use. ments. Obtainable through supply houses everywhere. JENKINS BROS. Each Jenkins Valve of every type is designed, made, tested, and guaranteed to withstand the severest service in the use New York Boston Philadelphia Sectional view, Fie. 106, for which it is recommended. Chicago Montreal London Jenkins Stande>d Bronze Globe Valve screwed ends Always marked with the "Diamond" enkins Valves SINCE 1864 | AMERICAN plate beneath. Thus, as the line on bar moves the drill further into or out of the material, so that it makes a depth of cut proportional to the divergence. So long as the operator follows the lines on the guide plate he cannot go wrong, and the result is a perfect facsimile of the original. As already stated, this process enables any object to be reproduced in any degree relief or intaglio, and on any seale within practical limits, and should prove of im- value in the matter of producing and faithful copies of specimens of mense accurate of | that the intersection point of the cross hairs| crop, by being grown in crop rotation with lies always on the same line on the guide| alfalfa, rids the soil of some of the natural the | guide plate departs from the true spiral, the | the sculptor’s art, as well as new and orig- inal work. The degree of relief is deter- mined by the relative distances of camera and projector to the projector and the ob- ject. Up to the present the inventor has found that about one-fourth or one-fifth is the most suitable. An advantage is that it is not necessary to take the carving machine to the object at all, the photographie record | being taken with little more trouble than an ordinary photograph, once the magie lantern and camera are fixed in position. Having | secured the record, the process of carving lean be earried out subsequently at any con- venient time and place. . . _ Feeding the Soils (Continued from page 316) greater or less extent. Where it is absent the soils become sour and crops cennot be successfully grown thereon. All soils contain some organie matter, the remains of previous crops or similar material that has been added to them. This organie matter decays in the soil, and among the products of this decay, organie acids are In soils in a condition of good eul- tivation and well drained, these acids may combine with mineral constituents of the their acid nature being thereby neutral- ized. On the other hand, they may be pre- vented from aceumulating to an injurious extent by drainage or changes promoted by free access of air. Where this is not possi- ble, the addition of lime to the soil results in neutralizing the acid and promotes plant present. soil, growth. In heavy soils, containing large propor- tions of clay or silt, there is a tendency under certain conditions for the fine particles to become associated so closely that the soil becomes compacted, preventing free access of unfavorable air and water, a condition to plant growth. The use of lime prevents this condition and renders the soil more porous to air and water. Lime in the form of oxide or earbonate |not only stimulates the decomposition of organie matter in the soil, but brings about there the nodules or wart-like bodies so characteristic of them. The legume group is a very large one, and members of it are found in nearly all parts of the earth. Among the ones best known to us are peas, beans, clovers, alfalfa, vetches, lupins, locust trees, mesquite, acacia and ironwood. In some parts of the world, especially in temperate and warm regions, these plants constitute a considerable part of the native | vegetation and have for ages been adding ito the nitrogen of the soil by growing and decaying in it. In some regions the le- gumes are principally annuals; in others, perennial herbs; and in still others, shrubs eonditions favorable to a decomposition that will be most beneficial to growing crops. One of the most effective means of re- storing vitality to depleted soils is to grow what is called “cover-crops” made up largely of leguminous pl: ints. The great importance of the legumes is due largely to their ability to obtain nitrogen from the air mixed with the soil in which they are situated, as well as from the soil solutions. This they do through the ageney of minute organisms called bacteria, growing in large colonies upon their roots, and by irritation producing or trees, Most of the eover-crops planted produce a dense vegetable growth above and below ground, and when this growth has been developed to the extent desired it is plowed under and the green leaves, stems and roots are allowed to deeay, adding humus to the soil, in addition to the large amount of nitrogen which the growing plants secured from the air and stored in the soil. Where alfalfa is used as a cover-crop it is possible to utilize the surface plant for forage while the roots are revitalizing the soil for future crops. In California and the southwest, where alfalfa is grown the year around, it is often rotated with cotton. up plant food for the cotton, and the latter | | The alfalfa stores | May, 1923 enemies which prey upon the alfalfa roots when grown continuously in the same place. Green cover-crops are extensively grown by orchardists between the rows of planted trees. Where the trees are young and not yet in bearing, the cover-crops will produce an income for the owner while waiting for his fruit crops, and when the trees come into full bearing the cover-crops keep the soil in good condition and store up plenty of humus for the trees. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (Continued from page 322 were able to to their homes. If some one had remembered that Pompeii was only ri go five miles from Vesuvius, whereas Kadiak was 100 miles from any voleano, and had assured the terror-striken people that noth ing worse than what they had already ex perienced could possibly come to Kadiak, one might have greatly alleviated conditions. The book deals with many scientific pects of the eruption and its aftermaths such as the climatic effects, the recovery of vegetation, the Katmai Crater itself, an other discovery of the wonderful “Valley Ten Thousand Smokes,” where cornbrea was baked by nature’s own fires, while not far away were ash-covered snowdrifts wher things that were perishable were admirabl) cooled. The story of the wonders seem ail most exaggerated. Think of steam-heated| tents and no coal bills to pay! A_ place where the cook never burnt anything, noth ing ever boiled away, and when steam cook ing was not desired other vents were found which were sufficiently hot to fry bacon and brown flap-jacks. It was all weird, uneanny, seemingly unreal. Elaborate scientific tests were carried on as to temperature, compo sition of gases, ete. Some of the colored plates in the book have to be seen befor: one can appreciate the riot of gaudy color, and pictures have even been painted using the colored muds for pigments. Other illustrations show some of the won ders of pumice, and how bacon was fried and drinking water obtained. Of course, not a stick of wood was available, but na ture furnished acceptable substitutes. The book will prove a valuable addition to the average man’s library, while for those who eare for nature in her wildest moods, it is indeed a treasure-house of information. The book is lavishly produced, and reflects great credit on the Society. From Battlefield to Road Jobs (Continued from page 327) are fastened securely gether by the use of one-inch bolts. As soon as the concrete or stone abutments are pleted, one of these rush order bridges can be erected in several days at a total cost of not over $200, Sixteen thousand sets of artillery breast harness have been made over into hame har ness at a cost of about $10 a set. These simple alterations converted harness equip- ments which were valueless for construction camp uses into horse trappings which were worth at least $40 a set. One State in three months saved enough to pay for the freight and the alterations on all of its army har nesses by hiring work animals without har ness at $5 a day or less per team. Over 20,000,000 pounds of T. N. T. have also been transferred to the States for road building uses, and at this writing more than 7,000,000 pounds of this explosive, which has demonstrated its superiority over dyna mite for such have already been dis as ot various sections to com uses | charged in paving the way for an extension chains of improved of our countrywide roads. The Nebraska Department of Public Works very aptly expressed the apprecia- tions of all the States which have been the beneficiaries of surplus Government war sup plies when its officials said, “Financially, th: State of Nebraska has been saved thousand of dollars by the receipt of this material for by being in a position with our ow! eonstruction organization to take any con tract at any time, we have been able to de velop the keenest kind of competition between contractors and to reduce bid prices to as low or lower than those received in other States. The war-salvaged materials and supplies have enabled us to complete 60 per cent more road building during 1921 than otherwise would have been finished. Dur- ing the last year, we have built nearly 1500 miles of durable highways with the equip- ment received from the Federal Govern- ment.”

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23 with : ural ce gs Sek = = ee es ‘alfa SS =e = = = : n by : ; = ———— : : nted a ————— === an not SS . — — Ast duce : => /; Fs ee = Fe === 7 r his Sr \ = into 2 2 Ss il in = E va mus ‘ = : == : AT THE SERVICE OF ie YOUR LINCOLN idiak ° ha The expenditure of effort and resources to make the _~ Lincoln the finest motor car in the world is no more on pronounced than the organization of means to rendet eas its maintenance convenient and economical. i Lincoln service, therefore, is being rendered by factory- ey 0 schooled men who are known to be competent to — handle any detail of the car’s care. wher . . ral: Wherever you go you will be only a short distance The ; great »bs aly to As soon ng 7 breast ne har The Le equip ruction h were in thre freight ny har ut har | T. have or road re than ~ which rT dyna pen dis <tensio! nproved Public ae pprecia ’ exact The Five-Passenger Sedan ally, th jousand naterial ur ow! ny con le to de | between es to as in other ials and e 60 per 21 than 4d. Dur- rly 1500

1e equip- Govern- Printed in the United States, by ANDREW H. KELwocc Co.

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