Fo'pular Science Monthly 



Unaccommodating Wells — 



They Yield Water Only 



at Night 



IN the desert of western Aus- 

 tralia there are wells which 

 yield water only at night. Be- 

 fore the water begins to flow, 

 weird hissings and the sound of 

 rushing air may be heard. The 

 phenomenon is believed to be 

 due to a change in the form of 

 the rocky channel through 

 which the water flows, and to 

 the extreme change in tempera- 

 ture between day and night 

 whichoccursin this region. The 

 hissing is due to the escape of air 

 before the advance of the water. 



29 



Cold water 

 supply 



At Each Turn of the Crank, 

 a Cartridge Slips Into Place 



AN automatic machine-gun can dis- 

 . charge the two hundred and fifty 

 cartridges of a fully loaded belt in less 

 than twenty-five seconds. The loading 

 of the cartridge belts is, in comparison, a 

 leisurely occupation. To slip two hundred 

 and fifty separate cartridges, by hand, into 

 their individual loops in the cartridge belt, 

 is tedious and expensive. To expedite 

 matters, the little loading device, here 

 illustrated has been evolved. 



Layers of cartridges, as they 

 are removed from the standard 

 box of cartridges, are slipped 

 into the vertical guide, the beic 

 entered between the 

 feed-wheels of the 

 loading de\dce and 

 the crank turned, just 

 as one would operate 

 the handle of an ice- 

 cream machine. The 

 cartridge belt issiles 

 on the near side with 

 a cartridge properly 

 inserted in each suc- 

 cessive belt loop. In 

 a very few minutes 

 the belt is fitted 

 v/ith its complement 

 of two hundred and 

 fifty cartridges, and 

 is ready for imme- 

 diate use. 



What is the man doing — sharpening 

 pencils? He is not. He is loading a 

 machine gun cartridge belt with rapidity 



Using an old hot-water tank, 

 pieces of pipe and other scrap 

 metal, plumber-soldiers in the 

 Eighth Pennsylvania constructed 

 a shower-bath for themselves 



Plumbers Will Plumb- 

 Even in Army 



IN the Eighth Regiment, Pennsylvania 

 Infantry, there are plumbers. Plumbers 

 will plumb even if they are in the army 

 and can't go back to the shop for tools. 

 Ingenuity always takes the place of imple- 

 ments, as it did in this Eighth Regiment. 

 A few old pieces of pipe, some brick, a 

 tank, and odds and ends, were all that 

 was needed to rig up a shower bath 

 for fellow soldiers. How the parts are 

 put together is shown in the illustration. 

 Hot or cold water may be had as desired. 

 Real mortar is used 

 in the furnace's con- 

 struction, and over 

 the whole is a coating 

 of mud to help keep 

 in the heat. Fresh 

 water enters through 

 the coils next to the 

 fire and is made hot 

 as fast as drawn out 

 through the pipe 

 leading to the bath. 

 The soldiers may 

 retire to this impro- 

 vised bath room at 

 any time and enjoy 

 a hot shower. A fire 

 of old fagots, pieces 

 of coal, or anything 

 available, will keep 

 the water warm for 

 a long period. 



