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light steam engines, electric turret-revolving gear, signal lamps, steering apparatus, and above all, electric ammunition hoists and firing contrivances which have proved thoroughly successful. But appliances whose efficiency depends upon light-battery currents have almost all been found wanting, such as the water alarms and fire alarms, and bridge telegraph and telephone, and the indicators of the speed and the "helm-angle."

In the Japanese battleship Yashima a bold innovation made in the adaptation of the balance rudder, by cutting away the deadwood in the after underbody of the vessel, which was formerly thought applicable only to the yacht-racing craft. In the balance rudder the blade extends forward as well as backward of the rudder post, which is the axis on which the blade turns. A few years ago a ship showed good turning qualities when she described an arc of 180 degrees, whose diameter was four times the ship's length. But the Yashima has turned in twice her length. Her extreme length under water is 412 feet. The diameter of the circle in which she can be turned, with her rudder set at an angle of 35 degrees, is 750 feet.

Purifying ocean water by use of evaporators on war and merchant vessels, thus eliminating the salt from the sea water and making it potable and fit for use in the boilers, has come into general practice within the last few years. The outfit consists of an evaporator, a dis

tiller and a filter.

One of Edison's inventions is to utilize wave power by a machine which forces the waves to compress air, which is to be stored in great tanks and to be used as may be needed to run dynamos. A series of air-pumps are operated by the movement of a floating platform as the waves pass under it.

The idea of generating power by means of the tides is old. In France at Plouenan, and in England at Southend, in 1899, there have been put on foot extensive projects to run dynamos by utilizing the rise and fall of the shore waters. This is the same idea long employed at shore places on Long Island Sound and elsewhere, to grind flour in "tidal mills."

There is a wave-power machine on the Jersey coast, opposite Galilee life-saving station,the invention of H. E. Rider, on the principle of the monkey on the stick. At Ocean Grove there is a plant for this purpose, where a water-wheel is driven by the wash of the waves, and this in turn pumps water up.

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