Alarm Belli Garden Scraper, and large Sj/camore. 403 



time, the robbery would have been prevented ; because, at the 

 moment the thieves were commencing their entrance, a friend of 

 Mr. Tongue's was passing but a very short distance from the 

 house, and, if he had been aware of the robbers, he would have 

 been able to muster a considerable strength in a few minutes 

 and take some of them. 



I have seen Mr. Tongue this morning, and have had some 

 conversation with him respecting the plan of my bell. He 

 thinks of putting one up in one of the chimneys, as I have 

 marked at Z>, with the wire passing down the flue into his bed- 

 room, as he does not make use of fire in it; and I think it might 

 answer. 



He has not yet been able to make out the thieves who robbed 

 his house; they got 13l. 10s. in cash, his watch-chain, seals, and 

 key; it so happened that the watch was gone to be cleaned. His 

 loss, I suppose, will amount to above 30/. including the damage 

 done. It was a great wonder he was not murdered, as he re- 

 sisted them as long as he had strength ; but what chance has one 

 man against four villains, all armed with desperate weapons ? 



I have also enclosed a drawing of an improved garden scraper. 

 (Jig. 39.) Our ideas are more easily accomplished by the light ex- 



Fig. 39. An improved Garden Scraper. 



pense we have to encounter in putting our expectations to the 

 test by the means of cast iron. This scraper acts both as a brush 

 and a scraper, which is a great advantage in wet weather. It is 

 cast all in one piece, and is hollow to receive three brooms. They 

 are made either of birch, ling, or whalebone, just the size that 

 will press tight into the ends of the cast-iron tubes, as shown by 

 the figure. 

 : As soon as the shoes are scraped on the scrapers (a), the foot is 



D D 2 



