Automatic Flash Light Snaps Chicken-Coop Marauder
This Photographic Evidence Was Proof Positive as to the Identity of the Thief in the Night
After the wire fence around the chicken house had been torn up, and the place entered 13 nights in two weeks, I decided on more preparedness. Various ways and means failed, so I used a comparatively slight knowledge of photography in the process.
I mounted my flash lamp on a piece of board, 1 by 4 by 8 in. long, and fastened this to a base, as shown. I attached a weight to the lamp, which was supported by a hinged drop, halfway down the upright board, which in turn was supported by a nail, to which was attached a string. The flash was set off by a slight pull of the string, which dropped the weight. This contrivance I concealed in the chicken yard, and the camera in the chicken house. That night I opened the lens of the camera in the dark, and attached the string to a loose board in the fence. The next morning, before daybreak, I closed the lens again. The flash had been set off during the night. Also there were drops of blood on the ground. I could hardly wait until the plate was developed. The result, as reproduced, was hardly what I expected.—H. U. Scholz, Medford, Ore.
A Fishing-Tackle Outfit in a Shotgun Shell
At the camp or on the trail, an emergency fishing-tackle outfit is almost as handy as matches, compass, and knife, and it may even be the means of saving one’s life. A convenient way to carry such an outfit is in two old shotgun shells, telescoped. The hooks, on a cork, and the sinkers are fitted snugly into the shell. Several yards of line are then wound on the outside. This outfit can be stowed into a pocket handily, always ready for use.—E. Everett Buchanan, Jr., Elmira, N. Y.
A Split-Bamboo Lettering Pen
This Pen, Cut from a Piece of Bamboo and Fitted with a Spring Fountain Device, Is Especially Useful for Marking Packages