Popular Science Monthly 



725 



The seventh heaven of a bather's delight is to be attained in this floating trolley-car — 



according to its inventor. The favorite recreation of letter-carriers is said to be walking. 



On the same principle city-dwellers presumably must bathe in trolley cars 



his hoof, learned to hobble around on 

 three legs and even acquired the trick 

 of lying down and getting up without 

 placing any weight on that leg. Four 

 months in the hospital would be an ex- 

 pensive period for an ordinary horse. 

 But this one was valued at $50,000. 



Another remarkable case which Dr. 

 Childs handled successfully was that of 

 a horse which had broken three ribs. 

 To-day that horse is back on the street. 



These cases are mentioned only to give 

 an idea of the work which is done in the 

 field of veterinary science. Cats and 

 dogs are brought to the hospital with 

 rubber ijands wantonly placed around 

 their tails, legs or necks. The bands 

 cut into the flesh and cause the animals 

 to lose their tails and often their legs. 



Cats seem to have a habit of swallow- 

 ing needles. When a cat is brought to 

 the hospital suffering with a cough Dr. 

 Childs looks for a needle. In one 

 instance he operated on a cat to remove 

 what he thought was an ordinary 

 needle. He found a hat -pin nine 

 inches long. But the cat's life was 

 saved. Dr. Childs has distinguished 

 himself as much by his work among 

 small animals, such as cats and dogs, as 

 he has among horses. 



The Trolley- Car Boat for Bathers 



A FLOATING, electric passenger car 

 service combining the pleasures of 

 boating with the conveniences of trolley- 

 ing is the daring proposal made in a 

 recent patent. The trolley-boat is in- 

 tended to enliven seashore bathing- 

 resorts, as if they were not lively enough 

 now. The cars used are similar to 

 ordinary trolley cars, but, instead of 

 being mounted on wheels, they have two 

 oblong floats, pointed at their front ends 

 for cutting through the water. At their 

 rear ends are propellers. 



The current is supplied by conductors, 

 supported by cross-beams attached to 

 steel poles. Each pole has a weight at 

 the bottom and a buoy in the middle, 

 just submerged in the water. The whole 

 structure is anchored to the sea bottom 

 with chains. The weight maintains the 

 vertical position of the pole; and the 

 buoy, remaining at the same distance 

 below the surface, makes it possible to 

 run the cars at high or low tide. 



The car is supplied with a regular 

 trolley-pole, pro\idod with three contact 

 wheels, one pressing against the under 

 surface, and one on either side of the 

 conductor. On the tops of the poles are 

 electric lamps for illumination at night. 



