Popular Science Monthly 



521 



A Shock Absorber for the 

 Soldier's Kit 



NOT all the difficulty that 

 a soldier has in carry- 

 ing a pack on his back is 

 due to the sheer weight of 

 it. An equal, if not a greater 

 strain is caused by the con- 

 stant jolting of the equip- 

 ment as he walks along. 



To ease this strain, «an 

 Englishman, James A. Pugh, 

 of Cardiff, Wales, has in- 

 vented a pneumatic shock 

 absorber for the soldier. The 

 incessant jolts of the soldier's 

 pack are cushioned on this, 

 and the strain of marching is 

 correspondingly lessened. 



Two small pads Of rubber 

 are sewed in pockets at the 

 shoulders of the man's tunic. 

 Another similar, but larger pad is sewed in 

 the back of the tunic, just above the belt. 

 Corrugations on the under side of these 

 pads allow the circulation of cool air, so 

 that the soldier's back will not feel the 

 heat of the pack. By inflating all three 

 pads through the small connecting tubes 

 and their check-valves, they are converted 

 into veritable cushions which will take 

 away all the shock of the heaviest pack. 

 The pack is fastened on in the usual manner, 

 and is then inflated through the mouthpiece 

 shown in the photograph below. The two 

 ends of the mouthpiece fasten together 

 across the front when not in use. 

 When unclasped, the pads be- 

 come deflated automatically 



lid Brown and Dawson 



A life-boat drill on board a coast liner. All on 

 board must don life-preservers when a bell rings 



The Life-Preserver Is More Important 

 Than Meals Aboard Ship 



THE life-preserver is your best friend 

 when you travel on ocean liners these 

 days. Even the captains of ships that 

 steam along the coast insist that you get 

 acquainted with the life-preserver the first 

 hour or so you are on board. 



Lifeboat drills are now regularly held 

 on all liners. At the sound of a bell the 

 passengers and as many of the crew as 

 can get away from their posts, rush to 

 positions on deck previously assigned 

 to them. They immediately 

 don their life-preservers and 

 then wait for the next signal, 

 which may direct them to get 

 into the boats or order them 

 back to their staterooms. 

 A certain number of pas- 

 sengers are assigned to 

 each boat and an officer 

 is appointed to take 

 charge. 



Sometimes drills are 

 held every two hours dur- 

 ing the day to acquaint 

 the passengers thoroughly 

 with their positions on 

 deck and to get them used 

 to the warning bell which 

 usually sounds when least 

 expected. The life-pre- 

 These air -filled cushions keep the servers are made of 



back cool and protect it from jolts canvas-COVered Cork. 



