240 



Popular Science Monthly 



The First Life-Long Flashlight. 

 A Generator Furnishes the Power 



THE first life-long flashlights are soon 

 to be placed on the market by French 

 manufacturers. They will be warmly 

 welcomed by motorists. The usual bat- 

 teries, which are frequently renewed 

 if used constantly, are replaced by a 

 tiny electric generator. The generator is 

 driven by a clock-work mechanism which 

 is simply wound up when the battery is 

 to be used. Since the ordinary flashlight 

 bulb requires very little power, the strong 



Sprinkler cylinder 



Regulator wheel 



Most sprinklers stay where 

 they are put. This one 

 hops along like a toad 

 and waters new ground. 

 At right is shown the 

 details of the design 



A Sprinkler Which Propels Itself 

 Over the Lawn 



A LAWN sprinkler which crawls or 

 rather hops along the garden under 

 its own power has been invented by George 

 C. Bohnenkemper of Denver, Colorado. 



The apparatus is sim- Doub)eswIvel 

 ply constructed, consist- 

 ing mainly of a cylinder 

 and piston mounted on a 

 pair of wheels. A hose 

 leading from the water 

 supply main is attached 

 to the sprinkler. When 

 the water is turned on, 

 the piston within the 

 cylinder reciprocates. At 

 each forward stroke of 

 the piston a curved metal 

 foot, spiked at its lower end, is 

 dragged along the ground. The 

 spiked foot stabs the ground on 

 the backward motion of the 

 piston, causing the sprinkler to 

 advance the length of the piston 

 stroke. The rapidity of the 

 aiston movement may be regu- 

 ated by means of a wheel 

 ibove the cylinder controlling 

 he supply of water. 



As a comparatively small 

 amount of water is required to 

 operate the motor, the main 

 supply finds its way to the 

 sprinkler-nozzle which keeps up 

 a continuous spray. 



clock spring will keep 

 the bulb lighted for a 

 considerable time. 

 There is nothing in 

 the battery mechan- 

 ism to deteriorate. 

 With a little care, it 



_ will last for years. 



Exhaust water ' Elongated 



x lease spike . valve , 



A Spoon Hook Which Will Not Tangle 

 Your Fishing Line 



FOR ten years Charles Leonard, of 

 Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, got his fish- 

 ing line tangled or fouled when he used a 

 spoon hook and pork bait for the large 

 mouthed bass that abound in 

 that section of the country. 

 Sometimes the hook would snarl 

 his line four or five times in 

 succession, taking all the pleas- 

 ure out of the pastime. Making 

 up his mind one day that he 

 would invent a spoon hook of 

 his own that would not tangle 

 his line, he proceeded to the 

 task, and the result is that his 

 name is in the Patent Office and 

 he has a spoon hook which can 

 be cast all day without snarling 

 the line. 



In the old type of spoon hook 

 the casting weight was attached 

 to the line just above the spoon. 

 This was the cause of all the 

 trouble. In this new hook the 

 weight is attached at the top of 

 the hook, above the joint. At- 

 tached to the under side of the 

 lead weight and leading down to 

 a ring below the joint are two 

 wires which prevent the spoon 

 end of the hook from buckling 

 or doubling back. The inventor 

 says he has cast the hook for 

 three hours without a tangle. 



The spoon hook 

 with new position 

 of lead weight, and 

 two wires directly 

 beneath it to pre- 

 vent tangling line 



