Polytechnic Association Proceedings. 883 



ROAD LOCOMOTIVE. 



Mr. R C. Vernol, exhibited a very curious brass model of a 

 locomotive, which iu its movements imitates walking. Its weight 

 rested in front on two wheels, and behind on four levers or legs; 

 one at each side being at rest while the other two were in motion. 

 The foot of each leg or lever was grooved so as to take hold of the 

 ground. The motor of the model is a spring which on beiug wound 

 up, made the machine walk off " like a thing of life." The inven- 

 tor asserts that a full-size wagon could be thus moved at a rate of 

 twenty miles an hour. The model certainly performed well on 

 the table, but doubts were expressed as to the performance of a 

 heavy wagon on a soft or muddy road. There was necessarily a 

 raising and falling of the hinder part of the locomotive, which indi- 

 cated that there were conditions of motion, which would not be 

 agreeable to passengers in this mode of conveyance. The meeting 

 was apparently gratified with the ingenuity displayed by the inven- 

 tor, but evidently it doubted the practicability of this plan of 

 locomotion. 



IMPROVED LATHE CHUCK. 



Dr. Warren Rowell exhibited Wm. Haight's improved lathe 

 chuck. Its peculiarity was its great strength, range of opening and 

 true centering. The jaws are drawn apart in two inclined planes, 

 and the whole inner surface of the jaws bears upon the drill and 

 holds it very firm. It will hold drills from a half an inch to those 

 of the very smallest diameter. It centers the drill very perfectly. 



FIRE-ESCAPE CARRIAGE. 



Mr. Oscar Burton, exhibited a new hook and ladder carriage, com- 

 bined with a fire-escape. He stated that the longest ladder now 

 used by the fire department of this city was forty-five feet; but the 

 ladder connected with this carriage, could be extended upward 

 sixty feet; the elevation of the folding sections of ladders was 

 done by a crank movement. One commendable peculiarity of this 

 invention is, that the ladders may be so placed as to form a plat- 

 form on a level with the fourth story of a house, which is capaljle 

 of supporting several firemen. The ladders can be raised to the 

 height of an ordinary six-story house in three minutes. The appa- 

 ratus was evidently approved of by the meeting. 



