The gazette-times., May 21, 1914, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 11, Image 17

11
Marvels of Everyday Science
Competent Scientists Apply Their Skill to Problems of Agriculture, Houskeeping, Schools, Business and Governmental Activities.
HOME AND FAEM ftLAQAZINE . SECTION ,
AN "AUTOMATIC flagman" for
railway grade crossings an ap
paratus that in addition to ringing
a loud gong at the approach of a train,
waives a red disk by day and H red light
by night has been devised, l it is oper
ated by a small motor, which, receives
its energy from storage batteries, light
ing circuits or trolley circuits. , On
steam roads the track is insulated and
bonded for the desired distance away
from the signal and is charged with
current from a small battery. . The train
on entering the block completes the cir
cuit and, operates a relay which con
nects tho motor with the power circuit.
When the train leaves the block tho cir
cuit is opened and the motor . discon
nected. Several hundred of the " flag
men" are in service on tho lines of the
Pacific ; Electric Railway, of Los
Angeles. ;
't '
Waterproof Case For Bell.
The accompanying picture shows a
bell with its working parts protected
by a waterproof metal case.
A peculiar appearance is given to the
bell by the hood which shelters the
metal tapper and its arm.
Electric Driven Ships. .
. Conl driven, and oil driven ships are
to be followed, it seems, by ships op
orated by electricity. The fircboats of
Chicago are both propelled and steered
through the crowded Chicago river by
electricity; there is the new electric
driven United States navy collier Jupi
ter, and the ship Tynemount, recently
completed in England and destined to
ply the waters of the great lakes of
North America, is one of the largest
vessels of this typo, The advantago of
Health and
The care of teeth is one of the $
most important features of a per- $
Bon's daily life. For that reason
$ Ir. Jones ' remarks are well worth $
J while. ' " , . ,
BY DR. II. A. JONES.
THE first process of digestion is per
formed in the admixture of the food
substance with a fluid Becreted by
the salivary glands during mastication.
This first step in the conversion of
food in to flesh and blood, is a most
important one, and the pleasures at
tending the sense of taste are doubtless
given to insure a proper performance
of this initiatory process of a trans
formation. If food is not well' masticated, the
Stomach cannot perform successfully the
lecond stage of digestion, and the dis
astrous effects of mal-assimilation will
oon be apparent, affocting in some de
gree tho whole body.
Many dyspeptics, and persons suffer
ing from nervous conditions1 are really
victims of mal nutrition due to careless
habits Of mastication or the inability to
properly prepare their food for recep
tion by the stomach.
'.-
THE influence of good roads on pub
lic health is a point in their favor
that has not received much atten
tion. Tho Kansas state board of health
electric propulsion, is greater flexibility
of control and. the. possibility of manip
ulation from the bridge. .' . ; . ....,.'..
Electricity Prom Coal Mine. .
In the production of coal of commer
cial sizes, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation
Company, which owns largo deposits in
the Mauch Chunk and Tamaqua regions
of Pennsylvania turns annually enough
coal refuse to maintain a 125,000 hp
electric plant in continuous operation.
The culm has no marketable value be
cause it would not bring enough to pay
for its transportation charges. To
utilize this refuse fuel from the breakers
and wa'sheries and have it perform some
commercial and economic service in
stead of dumping it on a heap to mar
the beauty of the scenery in that por
tion of Pennsylvania known as the
"Switzerland f America," the Lehigh
Navigation Electric Company has erect
ed a hugo generating station at the
mines. This plant will have an ultimate
capacity of 125,000 hp and transmission
lines have already- been designed to
carry the electricity generated at 110,
000 volts to distant parts. In the pres
ent state of the art, the whole state of
New Jersey and the immense cities of
Philadelphia and New York are within
commercial eleetric transmission dis
tance. Fuel being the largest single
item of expense in the generation of
electricity from steam, it will be evi
dent that the immense station at Hauto
will be able to manufacture electricity
for considerably less than it is being
turned out in the great majority of
water power plants throughout the
country.
i
Insulator For Phone Line.
The Scientific American in describing
an insulator, invented by O. C. Meuae
bach of San Antonio, Texas, says: The
more particular purpose of the inventor
is to provide an insulator suitable for
use upon telephone and telegr.aph lines,
.
as well as upon lines for general service
of various kinds, a special object being
to improve the insulation of the line and
at the same time to render the eoustruc-
Sanitation
puts the feature in the foreground and
wants modern improved roads in that
state because they prevent disease.
They do this because they afford
drainage. A good road can never re
main a good road unless it is well
drained. The roadbed must not have
any standing water either on its sur
face or below the surface. It must have
drainage, and the gutters beside the
roads must have slope and bo kept free
from obstruction, so that all surplus
water can escape quickly and easily.
. An old-fashioned, ill-drained road,
with its. frequent pools of standing
water on the road or by the roadside,
with its ditches filled with weeds, brush
and all sorts of trash, is a breeding place
of insect life.' Mosquitoes, flies and
other insects, such as chinch bugs and
grasshoppers, multiply there in profu
sion. It is these insects which either
carry disease or are of tho kind which
destroy the farmers'" Sops. For these
reasons well-built, well-drained high
ways are; a double benefit since they
give the farmer the inestimable advan
tage of easy communication with his
market at all times of the year and by
improving the drainage check the breed
ing of harmful insects.
Good roads mean, therefore, not only
a great saving of' time and labor for
the farmer, but the improvement in the
hygienic conditions of the farming com
munity. He is brought nearer to his
market, the hauling capacity of his
toanis is greatly increased, and he is
no longer marooned on his farm for
tion comparatively "clean, simple, and in
m'any ways efficient. , ,
-i .
Beaching Hailroad Wrecks.
When a train is derailed it is the job
of the wrecking crew to put the' line
back into service in the quickest possi-
bio time. Every minute counts and to
reduce the period of a tie-up the New
York Central has placed in service a
specially designed, self-propelled wreck
ing car, capable of picking up a load
of 100 tons and swinging it clear of the
tracks. Former wreckers depended upon
locomotives to haul them to the scene
of an accident, but by providing the
new apparatus with its . own motive
power an hour's delay is eliminated. It
is possible to run the wrecker either
from a third-rail or from storage bat
teries. Tus if the third-rail power
were shut off for some reason the
wrecker could still reach its destination
by running on electric current from its
own batteries. There is a cab at each
end, from which is controlled not only
the corresponding boom, but also the
propelling mechanism of the car itself.
Thu3 the wrecker can be operated equal
ly well in either direction from either
end, and no time need be wasted in
turning it All motions are controlled
by air and no heavy levers are required.
i
Life Preserver That Fits the Neck.
A cork life preserver which fits
around the neck rather than under the
arms and is designed to support even
I J Jftlfi:
an unconscious person has recently been
placed on the market, Tho advantage
claimed for the new life-saving device
is that it does not permit the body to
many weeks each year owing to the
impassable conditions of the roads. That
health is promoted as well as comfort
and wealth by good roads should give
the argument for their construction ir
resistiblo forco so that their building
shall not cease until the whole country
is lined with them.
A3 A RULE, it is well to dry-clean
the scalp as much as possible; and
it is surprising how clean the hair and
scalp can be kept just by thorough and
regular brushing and currying alone.
The most important detail about the
washing of the hair is that it should
be rubbed or brushed until thoroughly
dry. If this is done, in the short hair
of men there is no objection to wetting
it daily or even two or three times a
day if desired. The risk of leaving it
not perfectly dry is that the natural oil
of the hair, when mixed with water,
rapidly decomposes or ferments, with
the production of the all-too-familiar
and none-too-pleasant sour or half rancid
smell of badly, kept hair. This condition
both irritates tho scalp and furnishes a
fine culturo medium for germs which
thereupon promptly sweep in and give
rise to the commonest form of dandruff
or sealiness of the head.
THE uso of milk and eggs as a diet
or an aid in building up a patient is
often a trial for tho nurse. Many pa
tients will take milk slightly warm, r
even hot, and digest it readily, when
cold milk causes distress. It is an ex
cellent idea to rinse the mouth with
cold cool, or hot water, as preferred, be
fore and after drinking milk. The tasto
left in the mouth of many persons after
a drink of milk, especially a small quau-
overturn " and keeps the head" above'
water under any circumstances. .The,
life preserver is made of block corlc
covered with cotton drill and has under-.
arm straps arranged so that the body
weight is carried from rust proof burn,
on top.
Chinese Wheelbarrow Hauls Load.
A barrow with a wheel as big as that
used on a wagon is used in some part
of China, and loads of considerable
weight are hauled upon it. The box of
bed of the barrow is divided, so that the
wheel occupies the central space, the
load being piled or fastened on either
side. Such well-balanced loads as that
shown in the illustration are not uncom
mon. .
Street Farrier.
On the streets of Paris is seen a port
able smithy which does a profitable
business during the winter. The farrier
takes his tcolswith him on his tours'
through the streets, and finds ins cus-
tomers in drivers wno tiud that a uorse
has cast' a shoe or that weather condi-
tions call for sharpened calks.
'.''' '
Fire Engine aa Heater.
I When the resulur heatine plant of a
Mississippi railway station was put out
of commission by reason of damage to
the boiler, an old fire engine was cou
pled to the heating coils of the station,
and a comfortable temperature main
tained without difficulty. Pipes wera
run from the boiler of tho firo engine
to the mains in the basement of the
station and steam was sent to all radi
ators until the regular boiler was in ;
commission again. , .
tity, often causes the patient to dislike
it."
The secret of success in giving milk
and eggs to those who would rather not
take them is to prepare them in differ- '
ent ways. For a delicate stomach the
white of an egg, well beaten, added to
hot or cold milk, sweetened to taste, will
often prove tempting, when even the
sight of the yolk with milk is unpleas
ant. At a time a little of tho yolk may .
be used, the white of the egg being
added last, and not stirred into , the
milk, but left on the top of the glass for
ornament. . '
".'
THE morning cold bath is not a clean- '
sing bath, but a stimulating bath.
Following the plunge into the cold water
should come a lively rub. If the after
glow is not good, the cold bath does
no good.
WANTEu-Old Violins
TO REPAIR
I am an expert repairer of all kinds
of stringed instruments.
My price is one-half the customary
charge.
Gold Medal at the World's Fair.
W. E. McCORD,
105 Fourth St., Portland, Oregon.
We will be Pleased
to correspond with you in relation t
any condition pertaining to dental work.
Twenty years' practice in Oregon.
DR. M.A.JONES
245J Washington St., Portland, Orego
I . If
K t k '