Popular Science Monthly 

 A Fender for London Omnibuses 



THE darkening of London streets, 

 in the presence of hostile Zeppelins, 

 has given rise to a new danger — that of 

 being run down by automobiles. Many 

 such accidents have already been suc- 

 cessfully averted by a new device which 

 is attached to the front of the automo- 

 bile. Two heavy arms project forward 

 from the axle and support a piece of wood 

 two feet long and one foot wide, placed 

 on end, face forward, directly in front of 

 the wheel. 



At the base of this guard is a rubber 

 attachment, consisting of a short length 

 of large rubber tubing, the axis being 

 horizontal. Above is a similar piece of 

 rubber of smaller diameter, its axis 

 placed perpendicularly. These rubber 

 pieces are further strengthened by curved 

 metal pieces on their inner surfaces next 

 to the board. 



Whichever way the wheels turn, the 

 guards remain in the same relative posi- 

 tion, since the projecting arms are at- 

 tached to the rotary portion of the axle 

 next to the wheel. This attachment, 

 simple as it may seem, effectually pre- 

 vents running over a pedestrian by 

 pushing him out of the way. 



The exigencies of war have given rise 

 to many such safety expedients. The dan- 

 ger from darkened streets is only one of 

 the many problems to be dealt with. Even more 

 serious difficulties have to be met on the continent. 



877 



A magnet tied to a string picks up clips 

 and pins and thus saves money 



The rubber guards strike the body and gently tosses it 

 to one side away from the heavy wheels 



He Did It With His Lit- 

 tle Magnet 



GATHERING up the 

 fragments, as the Bi- 

 ble tells us, is a sure way to 

 a life of plenty. Even so 

 elusive and ephemeral a 

 thing as the soap bubble is 

 being conserved in these 

 da}'s of scientific manage- 

 ment and office efficiency. 

 Even the office boy has 

 heard the call of thrift, and 

 has answered it by attach- 

 ing a string to a magnet and 

 pulling it over the office floor 

 and pushing it into inac- 

 cessible corners, the result 

 of which has been an ac- 

 quisiti(ni of pens, pins, paper 

 clips and numerous office 

 accessories which would 

 otherwise be lost. 



