Popular Science Monthly 



435 



The Tintinnabulation of the Electric 

 Tubes — Playing Chimes by Electricity 



EXPENSE is the principal reason why 

 more church chimes aren't heard - 

 expense and the difficulty of getting heavy 

 bells up into a steeple. A Chicago 

 company, however, is manufacturing 

 chimes made up of heavy tubes instead of 

 the usual bells. A whole set of fifteen or 

 twenty may be stowed away in a small 

 space and erected with comparative ease. 

 Tube chimes may be tuned more closely 

 than bells. 



Instead of the customary ropes which 

 actuate hammers, the tube chimes are 

 played by electromagnets controlled from 

 a keyboard. The plungers, forming part of 

 the electromagnets, 



strike their respec- 

 tive tubes sharp and 

 sudden blows when 

 energized. 



The keyboard 

 used is about the 

 size of a suitcase. 

 It can be located 

 anywhere inside a 

 church, even next 

 to the pipe-organ 

 keyboard if de- 

 sired. The key- 

 board belonging 

 to the chimes 

 does not carry 

 power currents, 

 relays being in- 

 terposed to per- 

 form this opera- 

 tion. 



Relay 



U. S. Government Tested Much 

 War Machinery in 1917 



ACCORDING to an annual report 

 just issued, the U. S. Army's Board 

 of Ordnance and Fortification has experi- 

 mented with a number of interesting ma- 

 chines during the past year. 



For instance, the production and trying 

 out of a self-propelled, oil-electric, ar- 

 mored railway car was commenced. Tests 

 are under way of the Hammond radio- 

 dynamic system of torpedo control. For 

 the purchase of this system, if it proves 

 satisfactory to a Board of three Army and 

 three Navy officers, and the President, 

 Congress some time ago appropriated 

 $750,000, and an additional $417,000 to 

 buy material for and make a sample unit. 

 Much is expected from the system when 

 it is finally worked out. 



Some experimental gun emplace- 

 ments have been 

 built and put 

 through many 

 tests. Portable 

 searchlights for 

 the field artil- 

 lery have been 

 de\dsed. Flares 

 and star bombs 

 for trench use 

 were decided 

 upon. Pontoon 

 boats are to be 

 propelled by the 

 outboard type 

 of motor in as 

 many cases as 

 possible. This 

 familiar through 

 rowboats. Radio 



/ 



The keyboard of 

 the tube chimes 

 may be placed be- 

 side that of the 

 church pipe-organ 



motor is already 

 use on ordinary 

 sets, cameras, turntables for siege 

 artillery, illuminated compasses and 

 many other new conveniences for 

 military use are being developed. 

 Trinitrotoluol, the powerful explosive, 

 gave demonstrations of its powers at 

 the Sandy Hook pro\ang ground. 

 Several submarine detectors are 

 shortly to be tried out on actual sub- 

 marines. Our own U-boats will be used 

 for this purpose and a wide range of 

 experiments and tests will be made. 

 Investigators have been working on the 

 subject all summer, and it is hoped to 

 turn out perfected machines shortly. 



