438 



Popular Science Monthly 



Conquering the Obstinate Oyster 



A 



hinged 



PAIR of 



jaws are 



to a T- 

 shaped handle. 

 Between the jaws 

 is placed a slid- 

 ing cam, termi- 

 nating in a button 

 protruding from 

 the handle of the 

 device. By pushing the button, the cam 

 is pushed down between the jaws, thus 

 spreading them, and opening the oyster. 



Can Maidenly Modesty Ask for More? 



A SHELF is 

 provided for 

 the seats of the 

 patrons, the seats 

 being placed con- 

 siderably above 

 the w^orkmen's 

 floor. In front 

 of the seats is 

 placed a desk, 

 the lower part of which forms a curtain, 

 leaving just enough space above the 

 floor to allow the workman to reach the 

 shoes of the patron. A speaking tube 

 is placed before the patron on the desk 

 so that she may give instructions to the 

 workman, and by means of an electric 

 light signal, the completion of the pro- 

 cess is announced. 



A Muscle-Saving Potato Masher 



A SPINDLE, 

 running ver- 

 tically through 

 the center of a 

 hopper, is rotated 

 by a s u i t a b 1 >■ 

 geared handle. A 

 set of rotating 

 arms at the bot- 

 tom are actuated by the spindle to force 

 the mashed vegetables through a per- 

 forated plate or sieve. The chief im- 

 provement consists in the rotating arms, 

 which are toothed on the upper edge, 

 thus serving to grate the potatoes before 

 they are forced through the sieve, ob- 

 viating any possibility of the potatoes' 

 remaining lumpy or hard. 



IJ^^ u 



One Motion of the Handles Works 

 These Scissors' Blades Twice 



/li>"'''"%^ 



THE shorter 

 blade of the 

 scissors is ac- 

 tuated by means 

 of a ratchet, 

 which, as the 

 handles are 

 spread apart, 

 opens the scis- 

 sors. A spring 

 closes the blades when the plunger has 

 passed the tooth of the ratchet. The de- 

 vice may be made to close the blades 

 tw^ice for every movement of the handles 

 by spreading the handles wide. By so 

 doing two teeth actuate the plunger. 



A Paper Milk-Bottle with a Window 

 RECTAN- 



A 



GUL AR 

 opening is cut in 

 the side of a 

 bottle made of 

 paper, pulp, or 

 other opaque ma- 

 terial. Into this 

 opening is in- 

 serted a section 

 of transparent material, such as celluloid. 

 A flange on the inside of the bottle pre- 

 vents the window from being pushed 

 out by interior pressure, and when the 

 process is finished, the joints are 

 covered with transparent cement. 



A Salt and Pepper Shaker 



A RECEPT- 

 ACLE is di- 

 vided equally in 

 two parts, to serve 

 as a combined salt 

 and pepper shaker. 

 A screen is fitted 

 on opposite sides 

 of the device, so 

 that either season- 

 ing may be poured 

 out singly. A ball 

 is held near the 

 screen in the salt 

 compartment t o 



break the lumps of salt to a fine con- 

 si stenc v. 



