IMPROVED MAN-TRAP. 57 



Description of Mr. Salmon's Mqn-trqp, which detains the Of- 

 fender, without injuring or maiming him* See Plate II, 

 /%• I- 



The principal figure in the fore-ground of Plate II is a Description of 

 perspective view of this machine. Fig. 1, ABCisa frame 

 of wrought iron, about 19 inches square; it has an eye pro- 

 jecting from it to receive a short chain, the other end of 

 which is fastened to an iron screw, showu separately at D, 

 screwed into the earth by the key or handle E ; this screw 

 is about 14 inches long, and, when screwed into hard ground, 

 will hold so firmly, that there is no danger of its being drawn 

 out, even by two or three men, and having a small square 

 end, it cannot be turned without the key or handle E ; so 

 that an offender would find it extremely difficult to remove 

 the trap: efegare two iron frames moving on centres in 

 the frame ABC; these frames have a constant tendency to 

 close together, by means of tw-o springs, p p, fixed in the 

 frame A B, and acting against pins projecting from the up- 

 right sides of the moveable frame e e ; k k are two small iron 

 rods jointed to the upper rod of the movable frame g, and 

 passing through small locks, / /, fixed to the other frame^/l 

 These locks contain clicks which are pressed by springs into 

 the teeth, as may be seen upon the rods k k, so as to prevent 

 the two bdvafg from being drawn asunder when they have 

 been closed by means of the springs pp. The internal me- 

 chanism of the locks is explained by figures 2, 3, on a larger 

 scale at L M, in the same plate ; one side of the lock is sup- 

 posed to be removed to exhibit its interior parts, where k re- 

 presents the rack, or that part of the rod which is cut into 

 teeth, r is the click, which engages the teeth of the rack, 

 and prevents its being drawn through the lock: the click is 

 pressed against the teeth of the rack by a spring, which is 

 plainly seen in the figures ; the locks are attached to the ends 

 of the bar y of the movable frame, by the bar passing through 

 the locks, and when the lids are rivetted on it is confined in 

 such a manner that it cannot be got out. But as it is ne- 

 cessary to open the b&rsfg, and draw the clicks back from 

 the teeth of the racks, Mr. Salmon has contrived two dif- 

 ferent 



