Popular Science Monthly 



863 



A Tunnel Is Coming. On with the 

 Fresh -Air Mask 



LOCOMOTIVE engineers of trains 

 ^ which pass through long tunnels or 

 snow sheds often suffer from lack of pure 

 air. The smoke and the exhaust gases 

 pollute the stagnant air in the tunnel 

 and make it almost suffocating. To 

 remedy this 

 condition an 

 engineer of the 

 Southern 

 Pacific Com- 

 pany invented 

 a device which 

 is shown in the 

 accompany- 

 ing illustra- 

 tion. A funnel 

 fitting over 

 the nose and 

 mouth of the 

 engineer is 

 connected by 

 means of a 

 rubber tube 

 'iWith an air- 

 pipe which 

 runs to the 



main air reservoir of the air brake system. 

 A small cut-out cock in the pipe permits 

 proper regulation of the supply of air. 



Fold Up the Propeller When You 

 Want to Row 



The engineer in this picture regales himself with 

 pure air while his train runs through a snow shed 



The propeller is not situated aft, but 

 amidships. The shaft protrudes through 

 an encased slot in the bottom. The 

 casing of the slot is proportioned so that, 

 when the propeller is not needed, or when 

 it drags bottom in shallow water, both 

 propeller and exposed shaft can be lifted 

 up out of the way of rocks and sand. The 

 casing which is built along the center 



of the floor is 

 water-tight. 

 The toggle- 

 jointed shaft 

 from the en- 

 gine enters it 

 at the forward 

 end through 

 a water-tight 

 journal. 



The pro- 

 peller and 

 shaft are in- 

 geniously 

 brought in- 

 board by a 

 lever, the 

 handle of 

 which is sit- 

 uated con- 

 veniently 

 on the outside of the metal casing. The 

 handle works a pivot which communicates 

 with the inner side of the casing. 



This Isn't the Only War Which Has 

 Caused Prices to Soar 



N-^ 



AVIGATING small motor boats in 

 the waters of Hudson Bay and the 

 contributory rivers is not easy. Shoals 

 mean frequent portaging. The situation 

 has stimulated a Canadian inventor to 

 bring out a small engine for rowboats, 

 the propeller of which can be lifted up 

 into the boat by the twisting of a handle. 



I 



In shoal water the propeller and shaft can be lifted 

 out of harm's way into a water-proof metal jacket 



N these days of tribulation, when 

 everything rises but father's wages, 

 we all very consistently bemoan the high 

 cost of living. But this is not the first 

 and only time that prices have been high. 

 During the Civil War wages ran from 

 $1.12 a day for laborers, to $2 a day for 

 skilled workmen. This, however, did 

 not prevent a shave from cost- 

 ing ten cents, or a haircut 

 twenty cents. Hotel rates 

 were .$1.50 to $2 a day, and 

 ice, which was considered a 

 great luxury, was supplied 

 at fifty cents a week for ten 

 pounds daily. Strangely 

 enough sugar was the chief 

 bone of contention in those 

 days, too, and it cost twelve 

 to fifteen cents a pound. 



