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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



innovation on the practice then prevailing, but it was a complete 

 success." Whereat the wise fools who had been posing as " ob- 

 servers," promptly swallowed all their observations, and with the 

 characteristic agility of their race turned each a back somerset, 



D _____ 



Fig. 25. Plan of a Modern Pdddling-Fdenace. 



and, coming up blandly smiling, with the remark "We always 

 told you so," forthwith proceeded to foolishly praise that which 

 they had more foolishly condemned. 



The rapid increase of the manufacture of iron in consequence 

 of the introduction of the puddling process naturally called for a 



Inches 12 



12 Feet 



_l 



Fig. 26. The Alligator Squeezer. 



more expeditious method than the blows of a " trip-hammer " for 

 expelling the cinder from the " puddle-balls " and forming them 

 into " blooms " ; and this necessity resulted in the invention of the 

 "alligator squeezer," which consisted (as shown in Fig. 2G) of a 

 lever whose long arm was operated by a crank, the short arm 



