>58 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[April 13, iS 



RECENT INVENTIONS. 



The following list has been compiled especially for the SCIENTIFIC 

 News by Messrs. W. P. Thompson and Boult, Patent Agents, of 

 ^2Tfy Higk Holborn, Londofi, IV. C.; Newcastle Chambers, Angel 

 Row, Nottinghafn ; Ducie Buildings, Bank Street, Manchester; 

 and 6, Lord Street, Liverpool. 



Aerial Machine. — Mr. S. Lemmon, Union-street, 

 Portsea, has patented an aerial machine. In this inven- 

 tion balloons proportioned to sustain the machine and 

 rider above natural obstacles are attached to two angular 

 frames, the front frame of which can be inclined by 

 cords and a windlass. The machine is propelled by the 

 rider seated on a seat, operating paddle-wheels on a 

 shaft, through treadles, connecting rods, cranks, and cord- 

 pulleys. Steering is effected by turning a handle con- 

 nected by gearing to a rudder or to a clutch-box for 

 rendering one paddle inoperative. 



A Lamp Extinguisher. — Mr. F. R. Baker, of Snow 

 Hill, Birmingham has patented a lamp extinguisher. 

 The object of this invention is to automatically extinguish 

 hydrocarbon and other oil lamps, and is effected by means 

 of a ring of metal sliding down an incline, and carrying 

 forward an extinguishing shutter- case, having single or 

 double shutters, upon which are projections. These 

 projections, as the shutter case advances, come in 

 contact with the interior of the cone, and close the 

 shutters together, thus extinguishing when overturned. 

 To operate the mechanism by hand, an arm is provided, 

 standing out from the sliding shutter-case to the outside 

 of the lamp, accessible to the hand. 



Boot Soles. — Messrs. J. Thornhill, and T. Gallimore, 

 Gainsborough, have patented an improvement in the manu- 

 facture of soles for boots, with a view of making them very 

 durable for this purpose. Holes, preferably of an 

 elliptical shape, are cut through the sole of the boot at 

 the parts where the greatest amount of wear takes 

 place; in these holes are inserted, from the flesh side of 

 the sole, pieces of suitable metal, provided with points 

 which enter the leather and secure the protectors in 

 position, the other surface of the protectors coming flush 

 with the wearing side of the sole. Each protector is cast 

 in sections, which allow of their being easily inserted, 

 and of the sole bending freely to the movement of the 

 foot of the wearer. 



Atmospheric Break. — A pneumatic railway brake has 

 been patented by J. Y. Johnson on behalf of L. Soulerin, 

 Paris. The invention relates to apparatus for working 

 railway brakes by means of compressed air or vacuum, 

 combined in some cases with electrical appliances for 

 operating the valves. When compressed air is to be 

 used, an automatic air-pump, worked by steam from the 

 boiler, keeps up a constant pressure in a main reservoir, 

 from which the air passes through a driver's valve of 

 special construction to the train pipe, and thence through 

 distributing valves, also of special construction, to the auxil- 

 iary reservoirs and brake cylinders. The driver's valve is 

 a spring-reducing valve, by which the driver can regulate 

 the pressure of the air in train pipe, and it has attached 

 to it a slide valve controlling an opening to the atmo- 

 sphere, by which the train pipe can be opened to the 

 outside air for reducing the pressure in applying the 

 brakes. 



Deflectometer. — Mr. O. Leuner, Dresden, has 

 patented a deflectometer. The apparatus is intended to 

 show the deflection of bridges when loaded. It is fixed 

 to the bridge by set-screws, and one of two stepped pulleys, 

 carried in centres on the frame, is connected by a steel 

 ribbon and stout wire to a fixed point, such as a weight 

 at the bottom of the river below. The largest pulley is 

 connected by a steel ribbon with a spring barrel ; carries 

 a pencil for tracing on a drum covered with paper, and 

 revolved by hand by means of a worm and worm wheel.. 

 The action is as follows : — Before the load is on the 

 bridge, the ribbon is made quite tight, and the spring 

 barrel wound up; the pencil is then set at the extreme, 

 left of the ribbon. When the bridge gives to the load, 

 the ribbon slackens ; but the slack is immediately taken 

 up by the spring barrel, and the pencil moved to the 

 right ; the drum is meanwhile turned by hand, so as to 

 obtain a diagram. 



Stove. — Mr. D. Cowan, of Mount Gerald, Lar- 

 bert, N.B., has patented a stove. The invention 

 relates to stoves from which the smoke and 

 products of combustion are led away by a pipe. 

 In carrying out this invention, instead of making 

 stoves of two or more different patterns as regards the 

 arrangement for the attachment of the smoke-pipe, each 

 stove is made so that the smoke-pipe may be attached to 

 it, either vertically or horizontally. The smoke-flue is 

 arranged inside of the stove, so as to communicate with 

 two openings, one in the top and the other in the back 

 of the outer casing of the stove. These two openings are 

 of exactly the same size, and a single closing plate is 

 provided for closing whichever of the two openings the 

 smoke-pipe is not fitted to. The closing plate is by 

 preference made so as, when in position, to be flush with 

 the outside of the stove, and is fitted with a bayonet 

 joint so that it is secured by turning it partly round after 

 placing it in the opening. 



Contact Breaker. — An arrangement for making and 

 breaking an electrical circuit has been patented by Mr. F> 

 P. Schmidt, of Hustlergate, Bradford. The object of the 

 invention is the automatic breaking and closing of an 

 electric circuit. The apparatus is secured inside a box,, 

 and consists of a series of wheels mounted in suitable 

 framework : round one of the axles and secured to a wheel 

 thereon is a coiled spring, and on the axle is fixed a 

 lever. The spring is coiled up tight, and when the 

 before-mentioned lever is operated, the spring is coiled 

 tighter, thus setting the wheels in operation. On 

 one of the shafts is a disc having a number of 

 pegs inserted, which project therefrom ; as 

 the disc rotates, the pegs come in contact with 

 an arm attached to a lever forming part of the 

 electric circuit, thereby breaking the circuit as often 

 as there are pegs in the disc, thus indicating at the 

 central station the number of breakages, by which the 

 attendant knows the district from whence the alarm has 

 been sent. 



Fatty Matter in Milk. — Some experiments conducted 

 at the New York Agricultural Station have proved that 

 the fats of butter are not derived directly from the fatty 

 matter of the food, but are elaborated in the body of the- 

 cow. 



