Popular Science Monthly 



237 



When the Fighting Relaxes the 

 Bayonet Becomes a Periscope 



STUDY the accompanying illustration 

 and you will see what a British Tom- 

 my can do 

 with his bayo- 

 net, by exer- 

 cising some 

 cleverness and 

 ingenuity. At 

 the point of 

 the blade is 

 affixed an or- 

 dinary trench 

 mirror. By 

 leaning back 

 against the 

 parapet the 

 Tommy can 

 see the out- 

 skirts of No- 

 Man's Land 

 and the ene- 

 my's trenches 

 in his make- 

 shift peri- 

 scope. Beside 

 him are two 

 o b serv e rs. 



By attaching an ordinary trench mirror to the end of his 

 bayonet blade the Tommy has a makeshift periscope 



dilation is this: The sun is enlarged at 

 sunset because the air magnifies it. Of 

 course the air is in a condition tcr magnify 

 objects all day. But when the sun stands 

 high, we look up through only a thin layer 



of air, where- 

 as at sundown 

 our eyes have 

 to pierce the 

 entire depth 

 of tne atmos- 

 p h e r e — mul- 

 ti plied at 

 least sixteen 

 times. This 

 accounts for 

 the enlarge- 

 ment of the 

 sun. Dust and 

 heated air ap- 

 pear to be the 

 causes of the 

 magnification. 

 Thus the phe- 

 nomenon is 

 more notice- 

 able in sum- 

 mer and au- 

 t u m n , our 

 dusty seasons. 



Why Is the Sun Bigger On the 

 Horizon ? 



DURING the day 

 when the sun is 

 high, nothing is near 

 it to compare it with 

 in distance, so we 

 think it is small; but 

 when we see it on 

 the horizon with 

 houses and trees 

 and church spires 

 intervening, we 

 believe it to be large. 

 How often have you 

 swallowed this explana- 

 tion as the truth ? To be 

 candid, it is a scientific 

 fib. To prove it, look at 

 the moon from behind a 

 lace curtain or from be- 

 hind a bush. It will ap- 

 pear not a whit larger. 

 The real explanation 

 of the sun's apparent 



Trouser clip 



Showing the 

 elastic band 

 with the con- 

 venient clips 



This support- 

 er holds the 

 trousers firm- 

 ly to the vest 



w 



A Simple Supporter Takes the 

 Place of Suspenders 



'HEN both trousers 

 and vest are worn 

 without suspenders, the 

 trousers all too frequently 

 sag below the lower edge 

 of the vest, exposing the 

 shirt. This is very un- 

 sightly. To avcid it, 

 William Baake, cf West 

 Hoboken, New Jersey, 

 has invented a supporter 

 which fastens the trou- 

 sers securely to the vest 

 and at the same time al- 

 lows the wearer full free- 

 dom of movement. 



The supporter is a 

 simple elastic strand mth 

 clasps at both ends, one 

 for the vest and the other 

 for the trousers. With 

 the vest buttoned, the 

 clasp is invisible. 



