390 



Popular Science Monthly 



it is woven back and forth arouiul wood- 

 en pins set in a receptacle the size of a 

 trunk, known as a "faking box." After 

 this operation the box is turned upside 

 down and the frame work hokling the 

 pins is withdrawn, leaving the line 

 ready to be "fed out," without becoming 

 tangled. Prior to the insertion of the 

 projectile in the gun, the first twenty or 

 thirty feet of the line are dampened, so as 

 to give it more elasticity and lessen the 

 danger of its parting. A cartridge 

 containing about ten ounces of black 

 powder is inserted in the breech of the 

 gun which is then aimed and fired. 



After ha\"ing traveled about two 

 hundred feet from the gun, the heavier 

 end of the projectile causes it to turn in 

 mid-air and assume the position of a 

 comet with a long tail streaming behind 

 it. Successful shots have been made 

 with the three and six-pounders up to a 

 distance of one thousand two hundred 

 feet, and it is believed by t'oast Guard 

 officers that further experiments with 

 the guns will result in shots of two 

 thousand feet and more. 



The use of the rapid-fire guns for line 

 shooting is something entirely new. For 

 some time the Coast Guard has been 

 utilizing shoulder guns for line shooting 

 when a cutter can get to within 450 feet 

 of a vessel in distress. The shoulder 

 gun is another example of a gun designed 

 to destroy but now used to save. The 

 gun used for this purpose is the old 

 56-caliber Sharpe's carbine, the first 

 breech-loading arm ex- 

 tensively used by 

 military forces in this 

 country. Although of 

 (obsolete type the weapon 

 is well suited for line 

 shooting and costs miu-li 

 less than any other t> pi' 

 of gun that could be 

 provided for the purpose. 

 The barrel is cut down 

 to about fifteen inches 

 in length and the breech 

 block is constructed so 

 as to receive a center- 

 fire cartridge. 



The projectile, shaped 

 like that fired in (lie l)ig 

 guns, is only about a 

 foot long, and the largest 



end is alxjut a half inch in diameter. 

 The line is also of a smaller size, and, 

 instead of being held in a "faking box," 

 is wound into a ball, which a sailor who 

 stands beside the gunner holds in his 

 hands. The line is wound in such a way 

 as to allow it to "feed out" from the 

 center of the ball. A regulation 56- 

 caliber blank cartridge is used to fire 

 the i^rojectile. 



Carpenter's Level, Compass, Grade- 

 Finder and Periscope Combined 

 A LEVEL and grade finder has been 

 placed on the market which will not 

 only give the exact distance out of the 

 true level but will enable the operator 

 to ascertain at one glance the true slant 

 on any line or grade, either in degrees, 

 inches or percentages or all at the same 

 time. 



It can be mounted on a tripod and 

 used in all forms of grading, laying out 

 roads, landscape gardening, placing of 

 pipes for drainage, ascertaining fall of 

 water, grade of hills for automobilists, 

 cutting of rafters and laying off and 

 leveling buildings. 



A spirit le\el glass placed in the 

 middle of the instrument can be seen 

 from all sides if it is placed at an eleva- 

 tion. By noticing the pointer on the 

 dial it will give three guides for leveling. 

 One of the most novel features of tht- 

 instrument is an adaptation of the peri- 

 scope principle in determining grades 

 and their percentages. 



If Placed at Sufficient Elevation, a Spirit Level Glass in the 

 Middle of the Instrument Can Be Seen from All Sides. The 

 Pointing Hand Can Be Plainly Seen Through the Lens 



