842 



Popular Science Monthly 



Pivot-w 



The cradle complete. The 

 framework is hinged to- 

 gether so that it is easily 

 collapsed and stored away 



Pressure on- the treadle 

 bar causes the cradle to 

 tilt forward. The weight 

 of the child brings it back 



Rocking the Baby 

 Fore and Aft 



WHEN William F. 

 Walsh, of St. Paul, 

 Minn., finished reading all the litera- 

 ture he could find on the subject of 

 the harmfulness of rocking babies to 

 sleep in cradles, he was convinced 

 of only one thing — that the harm lay in the 

 direction of the motion, not in the rocking 

 itself. 



Therefore he gave his attention to con- 

 structing a cradle for William, Jr., which 

 would have a gentle motion forward and 

 back to equilibrium, rather than from side 

 to side. The result of his effort is shown in 

 the illustrations above. One of these 

 shows a detail drawing and the other the 

 perfected cradle in miniature. Being a 

 plumber by trade, Mr. Walsh used 

 gas pipe for the frame of the first 

 model, but later resorted to band 

 iron in order to make the cradle 

 collapsible. 



The basket of the 

 completed cradle shown 

 in the illustration is sus- 

 pended between two side 

 standards braced by the 

 base framework. A 

 chain extending from an 

 arm of the pivot pin at 

 one side of the basket is 

 connected with a treadle. 



In operation, a light pressure on the treadle 

 bar will cause the basket to tilt forward 

 slightly. When the foot is raised from the 

 treadle the weight of the child in the 

 basket restores the cradle to equilibrium. 

 A gentle motion is secured which is 

 neither a swing nor a roll and which the in- 

 ventor believes will not affect the nerves 

 of the most susceptible infant. The parts 

 of the framework are hinged together so 

 that they may be easily disconnected to be 

 stored away when the cradle is no longer 

 needed. There is room for indulgence of 

 personal taste in the choice of the material 

 and design of the bed portion of the device. 

 It may easily be a basket which may 

 be used for other purposes later. 

 Or the shape shown in 

 the detail of the design 

 may be used, made up 

 in metal or wood. Rods 

 may be attached to the 

 framework for curtain 

 supports. 



Steel strips and a handlebar on an 

 ordinary motor -wheel make a pull- 

 motor to whizz you over the ice 



The Pull-Motor: It 



Takes All the Work 



Out of Skating 



HAVING motorized 

 about every other 

 sport, the engineers have 

 turned to skating, and by 

 making a motor-wheel pull instead of push, 

 they have taken all the physical effprt out 

 of the sport. With the motor-wheel all 

 you need do is to steer with the handlebar 

 and hold on, paying your respects to your 

 friends as you scoot by them. 

 To make the wheel useful for 

 ice work, strips of steel are 

 fitted to the wheel to form a 

 handle. A wooden crossbar, 

 about fifteen inches long, fitted 

 across the top, serves as 

 the steering apparatus. 

 The control wires are at- 

 tached to the wooden 

 handle. Murray Fahne- 

 stock, of Pittsburgh, Pa., 

 is the man who conceived 

 the idea of putting the 

 wheel to work on the ice. 

 According to Mr. Fahne- 

 stock, the sight of a big 

 collie dog pulling a girl 

 over the ice gave him his 

 inspiration for the 

 motor- wheel. 



