Popular Science Monthly 



505 



The Gila River is too deep to be forded. Hence this trolley ferry was constructed 



Operating a Stage under Difficulties 



OPERATING a stage line is not all 

 that it's cracked up to be when the 

 line happens to be in certain parts of 

 Xew Mexico. The illustration shows 

 one of the difficulties — and the picture 

 was taken under very favorable circum- 

 stances. 



The route of the stage is between 

 vSilver City and Mogollon. As the Gila 

 River generally is too deep to be forded, 

 it was necessary to construct the "bridge" 

 shown. The car is run on to the plat- 

 form at one side and then pulled to the 

 other side by a team of horses. Last 

 winter the "bridge" washed out and the 

 automobile was dragged across on the 

 bottom of the stream with nothing show- 

 ing but the top of the steering wheel. 

 It look ten horses to do the trick. 



A Calking Compound 



A(i(X)D calking compound can be 

 made by melting separately 1 lb. ot 

 beeswax and 2 oz. of rosin. When melt- 

 ed, mix them together. This amount is 

 sufficient to calk a 16' boat. The com- 

 pound must be applied while hot, and can 

 be poured into the seams or applied with 

 a varnish brush, and the surplus scraped 

 off with a putty knife. The hot com- 

 ])ound will penetrate the wood, thus 

 obtaining perfect water-tight seams. If 

 the seams are very large, first calk tight- 

 ly with cotton. 



Gaiters to Protect the Spring-leaves of 

 Automobiles 



THE importance of keeping the 

 spring-leaves on automobiles clean 

 and thoroughly greased, cannot be over- 

 emphasized. Every motorist soon feels 

 the effects of poor spring lubrication. A 

 novel device which reduces the trouble 

 to a minimum, by keeping the springs 

 free from dust and grit and from the 

 corroding influence of rain water, which 

 somehow or other always manages to 

 creep between the leaves, is shown in the 

 accompanying illustration. It consists of 

 plain leather or canvas gaiters, two for 

 each spring, easily attached and detached. 

 Additional grease can be injected at any 

 time without the trouble of removing the 

 gaiter, by means of a tube and screw- 

 cap attached at the side. 



Gaiters for automobile leaf-springs keep 

 out dubt and grit 



