856 



Popular Science Monthly 



The Upside-Down Watch — Successor 

 to the Wrist Watch for Soldiers 



THE wrist watch, which rose so high in 

 popularity on account of the endorse- 

 ment given it by men of the army and navy, 

 has retired to second place in the soldiers' 

 favor. The reason for this is not that this 

 style of watch proved to be less con- 

 venient than it promised, but that 

 bullets and bursting shrapnel 

 which constantly threaten 

 the exposed men are like4y 

 to strike the arm wear- 

 ing the watch and drive 

 bits of broken glass and 

 metal into the flesh, 

 thus aggravating the 

 wounds. 



The watch which 

 now holds first place 

 (it was invented by R. 

 A. Hempel of Berlin) is 

 worn suspended from 

 the belt by a loop of 

 leather. The loop ends 

 in a pocket into which 

 the watch fits, as shown 

 in the illustration. The 

 front surface of the 

 pocket has a circular 

 opening through which 

 the face of the watch 

 shows. A small strap encircles the watch 

 and fastens it securely in place, buckling on 

 the outside of the pocket. The watch 

 hangs top-downward, but when the wearer 

 raises it in his hand or glances down at it 

 as it hangs from the belt, it is in just 

 the proper position to be read. If it should 

 happen to be shattered 

 by a bullet the particles 

 of glass or metal would 

 be caught and held in the 

 leather case so that they 

 would do no harm. Many 

 a fighter has had to thank 

 the watch on his wrist 

 for stopping a bullet that 

 might have necessitated 

 the loss of an arm. The 

 very fact that the upside- 

 down watch is carried 

 against a more vulnerable 

 part of the body than is 

 the wrist watch, makes it 

 all the more valuable as 

 a protective medium. It 

 may be worn under the 

 cartridge belt. 



The watch appears upside-down to 

 everyone but the one who is wearing it 



Covering Steam Pipes with a Glass 

 Lighter than Cork 



SPUN glass, which consists of extremely 

 fine glass threads, is being used in 

 Germany as an insulating material to 

 retain the heat in steam pipes. Since it 

 is considerably lighter even than cork, it 

 adds less to the weight of the pipe than 

 other insulating materi- 

 als. Furthermore, it is 

 not affected by vibra- 

 tion, by high tempera- 

 ture or by the action of 

 water, steam or acids. 

 It retains its pristine 

 insulating power after 

 long lapses of time, and 

 can be used a second 

 time, because of this 

 lack of deterioration. 



Successful experi- 

 ments reveal the fact 

 that the admirable in- 

 sulating capacity of 

 spun glass is due to the 

 air held in the inter- 

 stices and to the mir- 

 ror-like surfaces of the 

 glass, which constantly 

 reflect the heat. 



The surf bather's receptacle for 

 her valuables and bath-house key 



The Summer Girl Carries Her Vanity 

 Case Even Into the Surf 



THE feminine bathing suit has graduated 

 from the ranks of the purely service- 

 able into the class of artistic creations. 

 Many and varied are the styles and colors 

 which its scant breadths 

 display. But in many 

 instances the effect of the 

 costume is marred by the 

 unattractive rubber cord 

 and brass bath-house key 

 which the bather wears 

 around her neck. The 

 latest addition to the up- 

 to-date suit, however, is a 

 belt strap from which a 

 waterproof -bag is sus- 

 pended. In this not only* 

 the objectionable key but 

 jewelry and other valu- 

 ables may be kept in safety. 

 The bag is made of a rub- 

 berized material and it is 

 fastened securely with a 

 rust-proof clasp. 



