Popular Science Monthly 



915 



Telephone -Mouthpiece Deadens 

 Outside Sounds 



THE added 

 mouthpiece 

 shown has a 

 second diaphragm 

 attached to its 

 inner end. This 

 absorbs the out- 

 side noises which 

 interfere with 

 telephone conver- 

 sation. Through a central hole in this 

 outer diaphragm sounds spoken into the 

 mouthpiece are carried to the inner 

 diaphragm in the ordinary manner. The 

 invention is particularly useful in mills 

 and factories where pounding and noise 

 make it impossible to telephone with 

 ordinary apparatus. 



Down with the Portcullis, and Your 

 Fish Is Caught 



THE fisherman 

 plants his 

 trap in paths fre- 

 quented by fish. 

 When the prey 

 swims through 

 the metal arch- 

 way, a quick jab 

 on the handle 

 causes the top 

 cross-piece to descend, pinning the fish 

 tightly to the spikes beneath. The 

 catch may then be drawn up through the 

 water and dropped into the boat. 



A' 



Improved Pocket-Knife Punch 



NEW pocket- 

 knife has a 

 blade L-shaped in 

 cross-section. It 

 is especially 

 adapted for use as 

 an awl or punch. 

 The inner edge of 

 the punch is 

 sharpened, so that it can be used in 

 reaming out and cutting into a hole. 

 Slanted corrugations on the blade's 

 exterior assist it to penetrate hard 

 substances, since they grip the material 

 screw-fashion. The new punch is no 

 more in the way than the ordinary 

 knife-blade, since it folds compactly 

 into the handle when not in use. 



A 



A Magnifying Needle-Threader 

 L M O S T 



every pro- 

 fessional or home 

 seamstress, as she 

 approaches 

 middle age, 

 begins to have 

 trouble to see well 

 enough when 

 threading her 

 needle. There has been devised an 

 adaptation of the magnifying glass to 

 serve her. A lens which will enlarge 

 three and a half times is supported by a 

 little standard fitting into the spool of 

 thread. The glass can be turned to any 

 desired position as the seamstress looks 

 down through it at her needle and thread. 

 The lens is also available for other pur- 

 poses, such as removing splinters, or study- 

 ing fine print or small pictures or maps. 



Mattress Handles Lighten Housework 



TWO rectan- 

 gular wire 

 frames, hinged 

 together at the 

 middle, are fas- 

 tened to the 

 mattress with 

 heavy safety pins 

 or any other con- 

 venient means. A handle is located 

 near each corner of the mattress; 

 other handles are provided in the center 

 if necessary. By grasping the handles a 

 housewife can move a mattress much 

 more easily than by seizing the bulky 

 cloth itself. 



A Perfume-Wafting Fan 



CONTAINED 

 within a 

 fan-handle is a 

 layer of cotton or 

 other fabric, while 

 at the top of the 

 blade is a strip of 

 blotting paper 

 clamped across a 

 hole. On both 

 these absorbent materials perfume is 

 I)oured. As the fan is swayed in the air 

 the perfume is given off. Because of the 

 novelty of the idea, the fans are advanced 

 as a valuable advertiser for perfumes. 



