April 3, 1885.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



293 



Our Inbrntors' ^Column. 



We give here, tceeTc hy iccei, a terse description of such of the many 

 inventions as xce thitih may he of use to our readers. Where it is 

 possMe, the numier of the patent is quoted, to enable those u-ho 

 desire fuller information to procure the spccijication from the 

 Patent Ofice in Cursitor-street, Chancery-lane. We shall, gene- 

 rally speaking, confine ourselves to the more recent inventions ; but 

 «( often happens that an article comes under our notice which, 

 although not quite noreJ, is tcorthy of mention for its utility and 

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

 readers to it. And tchile ice thus increase the interest ofourpaijes, 

 tee at the same time aissist the inventors by giving greater publicity 

 to their inventions (Knowledge being a popitlar magazine) than 

 is accorded by the most excellent trade journals 



COFFEEROASTIXG MACHINE. 



This new coffee-roaster, by Messrs. Follows & Bates (Limited), 

 of Mancbester, is automatic in its action. It is also simplo in 

 construction and easy to manage, commending itself to every one 

 desiroos of making good coffee. It is a domestic machine, and 

 intended to roast from half-a-pound to a pound of coffee at a 

 time, which operation it performs perfectly in fifteen to twenty 

 minutes, according to the heat applied. As will be seen by the 

 illustration, the coffee is put inside a cylindrical drum, which is 

 actuated by a simple piece of mechanism at one end, encased in a 

 box and protected from dust, like an ordinary bottle-jack, but 

 wound up by a fixed key. A rod passes through the drum, which 

 answers a double purpose — by taking hold of the handle it may 



be removed instantly from the lire to see if the coffee is roasted 

 sufficiently without disturbing the hanger or the driving appa- 

 ratus. At the other end of the rod there is a small socket, like 

 that in a clock-key, which fits the spindle set in motion by the 

 apparatus. Before roasting, all that is necessary is to wind up 

 the machine once. Place the requisite quantity of green coffee- 

 berries inside the drum, and then hang the whole machine before 

 a bright fire. There are a couple of bars on which the drum 

 rests, which admit of its being placed quite close to the fire, or 

 at a distance from it. When the coffee assumes a bright brown 

 colour (the sooner the better) it will be found to have acquired 

 the flavour characteristic of the best roasted coffee. 



LETTER GRIP. 



Messrs. lies Bros., of Birmingham, have patented a form of 

 letter-holder of a most efficient character. It consists of one or 

 more spirals of nickel-plated steel wire, fixed at the ends, and laid 



along a wooden base-board, or bent around a semi-circiilar piece of 

 wood, as shown in the accompanying illustration. Letters and 



other odd jiapers to be retained for roforonoe, letters awaiting to 

 bo posted, Ac, are inserted between the coils. The advantages of 

 such an addition to the library or ollico aro apparent. It is simple, 

 effective, cannot get out of order, and is at least as commondablo 

 as any other device with which wo are actiuainted. 



IMPROVED SKYLICIIT. 



[Patent No. 7,838. ISS-i.]— Skylights have hitherto been hinged 

 so that the movable frame could bo easily un.scrowod from the 

 outside, and access to the inside gained without any visible dis- 

 turbance. The improvements introduced by Messrs. McDowall, 

 Steven, & Co., of the Milton Ironworks, Glasgow, audsliown by re- 

 foronco to the drawings, are that the unhingiug is accessible only 



from the underside of the frame, which is fixed securely to the 

 roof. Fig. 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, both representing 

 the skylight as open. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the fixed 

 frame as taken through the lugs to which the movable frame is 

 hinged. E E show how the lugs are fixed by the screws G G from 

 the underside of the fixed frame. This new feature in skylights 

 gives greater security than has been formerly attained. 



CASEMENT STAY. 



[Patent No. 0,877. 188-1.]— This fastener, patented by Mr. A. Dow- 

 ling, of Caroline-street, Birmingham, consists of an arm or stay 

 pivoted to the movable casement-frame, and passing through a box 

 pivoted to the fixed window-frame. A spring, with or without a 

 small friction roller, ' is attached to the bottom of the box, and 

 presses the arm upwards. This arm is provided with a number of 

 notches on its upper side, one or other of which, under the influence 

 of the spring, engage with a projection on the upper part of the 

 box. By pressing the free end of the arm and sliding it to and 

 fro in the box, the casement may be opened and closed, and by 

 simply releasing the pressure, the nearest notch is engaged and the 

 window fastened. If it should inadvertently be left unfastened by 

 any one opening or closing the casement it will, with the least 

 pressure of wind or otherwise, immediately lock itself. 



The Russian translation of " John Bull's Neighbour in her True 

 Light," will be published in St. Petersburg some time in May next. 

 A translation is also to be published shortly in Germany. 



A Frexcii translation of "The Siege of London" is to be pub- 

 lished in Paris before long. Messrs. Marpon & Flammarion will be 

 the publishers, and the first edition, we hear, is to consist of 50,000 

 copies. 



