DEVICE THAT WORKS WITH THE FOOT 165 



troublesome. Instead of representing an economy, they are ac- 

 tually wasteful, both in the probable damage to the door and live- 

 stock, and in the loss of one's time in adjusting them. I have 

 seen doors fastened by an involved system of cord, wire, hooks, 

 leather and other bits of junk that were more intricate to open 

 than a bank vault door, which means lost time — waste. 



If a door or gate hinges so that it opens against the building, 

 and there is nothing to prevent it from swinging flat against the 

 wall, it may be secured by a common gate hook. It is not always 

 convenient nor practicable to do this, however, on account of 

 windows, curtain frames and other projections. A similar strong 

 fastening may be made by driving a stake into the ground and 

 attaching the door to it by a gate hook. But this operation 

 requires stooping over, and perhaps the use of two hands, there- 

 fore an improvement is suggested in Figs. 114-115. This fasten- 

 ing is operated by a simple movement of the foot, and if the device 

 is securely made there is no chance of the door working loose. 



The stake is cut from any timber that may be available, though 

 two-by-four material is about the right size, pointed at one end, 

 to facilitate driving it into the soil. See Fig. 1 15. The rest of the 

 device consists of a button that is movable, and an off-set block, 

 which is nailed to the stake. The off-set block is cut from ma- 

 terial slightly thicker than the door, to allow a certain amount of 

 play. A carriage bolt and washer complete the aflfair. 



The hole in the button should be bored slightly larger than the 

 bolt on which it turns; the button, being longer at one end, there- 

 fore heavier, will always assume an upright position, which en- 

 gages the bottom of the door, as shown. By turning the button 

 with the toe of one's shoe to a horizontal position the door may be 

 released or secured. The stake may be removed complete and 

 driven elsewhere when desired. 



