SUNDIALS IN MEXICO IN many of the smaller towns as well AIR BY THE NICKEL'S WORTH AN enterprising inventor in Pasadena, California, has gone into the business of retailing compressed air for bicycles and motor-cycles on the principle of "drop a nickel in the slot" to get value received. His device is a cast iron pump about half as large as a U. S. mail box, which is attached to telegraph poles along the streets most frequented by cyclists. It is provided with a crank which is easier to operate than the small hand pump carried in the tool kits. WHERE'S THE THREAD? HERE is an idea for the housewife during sewing time. Instead of keeping the spools of thread in an open basket and fishing for them as wanted from a mass of other material, make one of these spool holders by driving a series of nails in a piece of wood. The spools can be slipped on over the nail, through the hole in the center of the spool, and can be readily picked out as wanted. AIR BY THE NICKEL'S Here the cyclist may inflate SAID TO BE THE ONLY VESSEL OF ITS KIND. The Currier, an American craft, built to carry shipments of molasses. petroleum, or general freight. MR. WHIRLS OF ELECTRIC LIGHT. WHIRLS OF LIGHT R. GEORGE W. PATTERSON has devised a means of swinging electrically-lighted clubs in such a way as to produce startling yet beautiful effects. He hit upon the idea entirely by accident. At one of his gymnastic performances the lights suddenly went out, and the electrician declared that he was helpless. Mr. Patterson happened to have in his dressing room a number of electric torches. He attached them to the clubs, lighted them, and swung them round until the electrician had got his wires working again. Apart from saving the situation, the lighted clubs were very popular, and he determined to see whether it would not be possible to fix electric lights to the clubs. The first thing was to design a special club. The ones now in use are made in two parts, the split being lengthwise. A flexible cable of five wires leads into the club handles through a rubber tube, the wiring of course being concealed. Three series of eight three candle-power miniature lamps are set in small, speciallyturned brass sockets the length of the club, so the lamps stand out at right angles to its surface. As the little globes are colored, there are no fewer than six series of different colored lights when the current is turned on. But these clubs could only be used in halls or houses wired for electrical illumination. To overcome this difficulty Mr. Patterson carries a battery about with him. IN HONOR OF HENRY CHADWICK, "FATHER OF BASEBALL." |