As the name implies, the invention is a column to be attached to the boiler, answering the purpose of a water glass. By an ingenious electric apparatus, the height of the water is recorded by means of small glow lamps. As the water rises or falls, so the lamps at a corresponding position are lighted or extinguished. Should the water fall below the safety level, the next lamp below is a red one, and as soon as the water reaches the level of this, the red globe shines forth and an electrical alarm rings. The tube in which the water rises and falls is cast iron, three inches in diameter, which eliminates any possibility of it becoming clogged and thus registering a false level of water, which has happened in ordinary gauges.
A useful attachment to the water gauge on the boiler is an indication board, a duplicate of the one on the boiler, which may be installed in any part of the building where a steam boiler is run. Thus a superintendent is constantly aware of the state of a boiler, as the same lamps, globes, and alarm are used. The water column is made for use on locomotives, ships, water tanks, or any mechanism where water levels have to be registered.
“The device is a fuel and labor saver as well as a life saver. It has met with the approval of many of our boiler inspectors,” writes Oglivie, who is chief engineer of the department of mines at Ottawa.
Catches Chickens With Net.
Lewis Johnson, a young man who lives on his uncle’s farm near Troutdale, Ore., has invented a novel contrivance wherewith to catch timid chickens without the customary breakneck chase. Lewis was commissioned to catch the fowls for several large dinners, and it required a deal of chasing. He now has a neatly woven net, a fishnet in resemblance, round in shape, borders lined with auto drive chain, and a long rope attached to the middle of the net.
The net is compact and looks small enough, but when released by throwing, much as a lasso is thrown, it spreads out uniformly to a nine-foot circle. The spreading is automatic and the fall swift, so there is little chance for the fowl to escape.
Spoon in Two Parts.
The germless spoon is to be added to the individual drinking cups, pie plates, napkins, and other “use-once” devices. In a lunch place where people are fed by hundreds, a spoon is thrust into a large number of mouths during the course of its career, and should it be indifferently cleaned, it would afford a playground for millions of germs, according to the experts who study such things. The “germless spoon” has a new bowl for every use. Only the handle is used more than once. The bowl is of paper or compressed fiber. Means is provided for locking the two parts together for use, after which the bowl is destroyed and the handle goes to the kitchen for a bath.
HOW HE QUIT TOBACCO