Feb. 13, ISSo.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



139 



Onv {nbriitorEi' Column. 



We give here, iceel ly lecei, a terse description of such of the many 

 ineentions as ice think may be of use to our readers. Where it is 

 possible, the niiiiiiit')' 0/ the patent is quoted, to enable those icho 

 desirt fuller information to procure the spccijication from the 

 Patent OJice in Cursitor-street, Chancerij-lane. We shall, ijene- 

 ralty spcakinj,cotinne ourselves to the more recent invenlions ; but 

 it often happens that an article comes under our notice which, 

 although not quite novel, is worthy of mention for its utility and 

 ingenuity. In such a case we should not hesitate to refer our 

 readers to it. And ivhile we thus increase the interest of our pages, 

 ice at the same time assist the inventors by giving greater publicity 

 to their inventions (Knowledge being a popiilar magazine) than 

 is accorded by the most excellent trade journals. 



WINDOW FASTEXER. 

 [Patented, 1881.] TIio subject of this patent, taken out by 

 Mr. S. Willett, of Heme Hilt, ia a sash • fastener ivhich shall 

 lie burglar-proof. The two Figs, illustrate the closed and open 



of the 6re. Again, there has often boon more damage occasicuod 

 by flooding with water than by the lire itself. 



Amongst tliii nun\orou3 inventions anil devices which have been 

 brought to public view during the |iast few years, the Harden 

 Hand-(!renade Fire-E.-ctinguislier stands ]irc-oniinent as Bomelhing 

 that is simple, ofliciont, always ready, that will not get out of 

 repair, and at the samo time can bo effoctivoly used by any one 

 wlio happens to be near when the lire breaks out. 



The Urenado consists of a glass globe, heriMctically sealed, filled 

 with a chemical fluid which does not deteriorate with ago, is not 

 affected by any climate, will resist a temporatui'o of 20' below 

 zero, and is perfectly liarmless to llesh or fabric. 



The contents of these Grenades, when thrown upon or into fire, 

 vaponrise immediately into immonso volumes of a fh-e-e.\tinguish- 

 ing gas (carbonic anhydride), in the presence of which combustion 

 cannot possibly exist. They are small and convenient for handling, 

 can bo hung nj) in any place, and are accessible at an instant's notice. 

 They prevent damage from water. They operate instanta- 

 neously, and aro cheap. They are guaranteed to be perfectly uniform 

 iu (luality and eflicioncy, and every ono of them is subjected to a 

 thorough chemical test to assure absolute certainty as to its quality. 



Fire-Estingui.shing ( trcnade. 



Patent Window Fastener (Closed). 



portions respectively. The handle, on being turned, presses down 

 and passes over a flat spring, and when it reaches the end of its 

 movement, the spring being passed, rises up and presses against the 

 handle, thereby preventing it being opened in the ordinary way. 

 To release the handle a small knob is depressed, as shown in the 

 Tipper figure, ihe spring is lowered, and the handle may be turned 

 to the open position. This ingenious device precludes the possi- 

 bility of the handle being turned by inserting a knife blade between 

 the sashes, a proceeding which is also hindered by the fact that the 

 square part of the handle acts as a lug, which, when in the closed 

 position, squeezes the two sashes together. 



FIUE EXTINGUISHER. 



The losses of property by fire in this country are immense, but 

 might be very materially diminished by the introduction and 

 general adoption of a simple device for arresting the progress of 

 fires in their incipient stages. 



Large sums are annually spent by property owners in fire escTjies, 

 stand-pipes, sprinklers, and hose attachments in buildings, but 

 these too often fail to be of practical value at the inciiiicnt stages 



A NEW OCCUI/riNG 



Occulting Eye-piece. 



EYE-PIECE FOR ASTRONOMICAL 

 TELESCOPE. 



Mr. R. G. Mason, practical optician, of 21, Park-ro.ad, Clapham, 

 S.W., has recently introduced this valuable instrument under the 

 direction of Dr. Edmund J. Spitta, whose device it is. It consists 

 essentially of a shallow cylinder of brass, containing four shutters 

 placed over the arrangement of lenses. Byan ingenious contrivance, 

 which is fully esplaiued at page 92, R.A. Society's Monthly 

 Notices, No. 2, December, 1884, the " knife-edged " occulting end 

 of each shutter always remains in focus. The regulating screws 

 may thus bring any or all of the shutters singly or simultaneously 

 into effective use, without any inconvenience to the observer ; 

 they are "easily under his command, and not weighty enough to 

 require a counterpoise." 



■The figure herewith, shows the instrument viewed from above, 

 with lenses and cap removed to exhibit the occulting shutters. 

 Such an arrangement cannot fail to be of great value to every ob- 

 server of !the heavenly bodies, and we may fairly congratulate Mr. 

 Mason upon the skill he has displayed iu perfecting the practical 

 details of this useful contrivance. 



