506 



Popular Science Monffih/ 



the range. As the cloud of 

 smoke bursts in the air, it 

 represents within certain limits 

 the entrenched position of the 

 enemy. As he sees the smoke 

 curl upward, the commanding 

 officer gives his directions to the 

 gunners. The gun crews im- 

 mediately answer with dummy 

 rounds of ammunition. As the 

 bombs go off in different quart- 

 ers and at different heights, 

 they see to it that the guns are 

 trained to bear on the point 

 where the enemy fire originates, 

 and not on the actual pJace 

 where the cloud of smoke is 

 observed. In this way they 

 get accurate training, and more 

 complete preparation for actual 

 service "over there." 



A^ 



No, they're not fumigating an orchard. The 

 puff of smoke is a target for artillery practise 



Our Artillery Shoots at Curling 

 Smoke for Practice 



SOMEWHERE in the United States" 

 our artillerymen are practising. 

 They have to have something to shoot at. 

 Recently ingenious soldiers rigged up the 

 apparatus shown in the accompanying 

 illustration. It consists of a long pole 

 at the end of which is a container for 

 holding two 

 ounces of black 

 powder. This is 

 ignited by pulling 

 a string. A per- 

 cussion cap is sot 

 off. The resulting 

 puff of smoke sim- 

 ulates a bursting 

 shrapnel closely. 

 Somewhere in the 

 distance are a line 

 of artillerymen, 

 who want to get 



Here is 

 operated 



an 

 by 



It's Beginning to Rain, So 

 Bang! Goes the Windov,' 



N automatic device which 



takes care of the windows 



of a house or apartment, and 



closes them when it begins to 



rain, has been perfected by 



L. M. Phelps of Philadelphia. 



It is quite automatic and its 



action is said to be positive. 



In his device a loop lever, connected with 



a stationary rod attached as a permanent 



fixture to the lower corner of the upper 



window sash, is held in position by a 



narrow strip of blotting paper. So long 



as the paper is dry it is rigid enough to 



hold the delicately adjusted lever, but a 



single drop of rain will so soften the paper 



that it allows the loop of the lever to fall 



and thus to release the pressure of the 



lever against the 



lower sash. Since 



the sash is weighted 



with a bag of sand 



or small shot, it 



will drop and close 



t he window against 



the rain. 



In addition to 

 acting in case of 

 rain it can be made 

 to work at a pre- 

 determined time 

 by alarm-clock. 



autonijitic window-closer 

 a strip of blotting paper 



