Making Silver Contact Points for 

 a Spark Coil 



A GOOD way to make contact points 

 for almost any kind of instrument is 

 explained as follows: Procure a piece of 

 carbon, such as is used in dry batteries, 

 and drill a hole in the center of it the size 

 desired for the contact. This hole is then 

 filled with small strips of silver, procura- 

 ble at a jeweler's shop. After the hole 

 is filled with the loose silver, the carbon 

 is placed in a fire and heated until the 

 strips are all melted into one piece. Then 

 the carbon is cooled and broken away, 

 leaving a rod of silver, the right size for 

 the contact. Such contacts 5/32 in. in 

 diameter have been in use on a 2-in. 

 spark coil for some time and they give 

 satisfactory results. — Odis Reynolds. 



Electric Toaster to Operate on 

 Dry Batteries 



THIS home-made toaster can be used 

 where no electric light current from 

 a power house is obtainable, by employing 

 either dry or wet batteries. Take a piece 



Insuloted 

 copper, wire 



German silver 

 wire 



Connecting wires 



Heating element wound on mica for an 

 electric stove to be run on battery current 



of mica — isinglass from an old coal stove 

 — and upon it wind about twelve turns of 

 German silver wire. A good size for the 

 mica plate will be 4 by 6 in. 



To support the mica with its wire coil, 

 cut out of K-in. hardwood, two pieces of 

 the shape shown in the drawing, 8 in. 

 wide at the base and 6 in. wide at the top. 

 A height of about 8 in. will be right. 

 These two pieces should be held 6 in. apart 



by means of two strips 6 in. long by 1 in. 

 wide nailed on the ends. On the top, the 

 mica is fastened with small tacks. 



Drive medium sized nails into the wood 

 at opposite corners of the mica plate, 

 driving each only half way in. These will 

 be convenient for holding the connecting 

 wire. This should be insulated copper 

 wire and should be connected with the 

 German silver wire and to the batteries 

 at either end. 



When the current from two or more 

 dry cells is turned on, the current will 

 flow from the batteries, through the 

 positive copper wire, through the German 

 silver wire, back through the negative 

 copper wire to the battery. The German 

 silver wire has so much resistance that it 

 will become red hot as the current passes. 

 A slice of bread laid on the red hot w-ires 

 will toast quickly. A trial test with the 

 number of cells to be used will determine 

 the size and length of wire that you will 

 need.— F. E. Brimmer. 



German Wireless Plotting Muffled 

 by Band Music 



A GERMAN cruiser interned at Hono- 

 lulu, relayed wireless messages from 

 German agents in the United States to 

 Japan, with the intention of embroiling 

 the two countries in war. The wireless 

 apparatus was worked while the ship's 

 band played vigorously. 



It appears that the former German 

 Ambassador and his principal aids figured 

 in the plot. The former German Consuls 

 at Honolulu and Manila were also impli- 

 cated. Both of these men pleaded guilty 

 recently of participation in a plot to 

 establish a revolutionary government in 

 India. 



A German secret agent, who was known 

 by a number similar to a submarine, aided 

 in the transmission of these messages, and 

 advised the German government of the 

 sailing time of vessels. The captain's 

 diary reveals these secrets. After its 

 discovery the captain was court-martialed 

 and is now in solitary confinement pend- 

 ing his removal to Fort Douglas, Utah. 



In February, 1917, the Cruiser Geier 

 was set afire by her crew and badly 

 damaged. The vessel was towed to the 

 Pacific Coast for repairs. 



