Aug. 



8.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



119 



the top edge of the box to leave room for receiving the 

 suction tube when coiled, this being kept there by means 

 of an outside cover, and can then be placed in the pocket. 

 The inner cover is perforated, so that when in use the 

 water has access to the block both from top and bottom. 



Garment - measuring. — An apparatus for taking 

 measurements for garments has been patented by Mr. J. 

 Couteau. The invention consists of what maybe termed 

 a conformator, to be placed upon the body of the person 

 to be measured. It is composed of pieces of cloth ar- 

 ranged exactly in the same manner as those which will 

 constitute the garment to be made; but instead of the 

 different pieces being sewn together, they are attached 

 to each other by slide plates, so that the different parts 

 of the conformator can be drawn together or pulled apart 

 until it is suitably fitted to the person. The slide plates 

 are marked with scales which, after the fitting, are copied 

 on paper patterns, which have numbered lines corre- 

 sponding with the plates of the conformator. In cutting 

 the patterns according to the marks thus made exact 

 plans of the different parts of the garment are obtained. 



Pianofortes. — A repeating action for pianofortes has 

 been patented by Mr. A. Seppe. The mechanism is as 

 follows : The hopper has a swinging lever, one end of 

 which has a cushion to keep the hammer in suspense 

 when the top end of the hopper is driven out by the 

 stop cushion from beneath the hammer. To the other end 

 of this lever is fixed a cushion on a regulating screw 

 and a spring. The upper end of this spring is passed 

 through a projection of the hopper, whilst its lower end 

 passes round a pin set in the lever, and bending upwards, 

 bears against the regulating screw. Thus by means of 

 the regulating screw the tension of the spring can be 

 regulated with precision and the hammer balanced to 

 the required degree. The upward stroke of the horizontal 

 end of the lever is limited by a hook on the end of a 

 screw fixed in a horizontal block fixed to the back of the 

 hopper. The downward stroke is limited by the 

 cushion. A third regulating screw secures mathematical 

 precision in the hammer leaving the string at the 

 moment of the stroke. 



Alarm Gun. — An alarm gun has been patented by 

 Mr. E. Drinkwater. This gun instead of firing once 

 only, explodes several times in succession, thus more 

 clearly denoting to the person listening from which 

 direction it is fired. It consists of a metal box having at 

 one side a series of chambers at the inner ends of which 

 are holes communicating with the interior of the box. 

 The chambers each contain a charge of gunpowder, which 

 is fired successively by means of a fuse designed to be 

 ignited upon the explosion of a cap. The fuse is mounted 

 on a bar having arms which enter the communicating 

 holes ; at the end of each arm the fuse is slit, so that 

 when ignited it will fire each charge. The end of the 

 fuse is placed in a small box upon which is a nipple for 

 carrying a cap. Close to the [end of the fuse is a small 

 quantity of powder, so that when the detonator is fired 

 the fire will pass through the nipple, ignite the powder, 

 and then the fuse. The detonator is fired by means of 

 a hammer held up by a plate supported by a catch to 

 which is attached the wire drawn round the part to be 

 protected. When this wire is pulled by any means the 

 hammer falls and the alarm gun fires. 



TECHNICAL EDUCATION NOTES. 



Proposed Technical and Recreative Institutes for 

 North London. — Last week a deputation of gentlemen in- 

 terested in the movement of technical and recreative insti- 

 tutes in the boroughs of Finsbury, Hackney, Islington, and 

 St. Pancras, had an interview with Mr. Anstie, Q.C., one of 

 the Charity Commissioners. 



Sir A. Rollit, in introducing the deputation, said that in the 

 boroughs of Finsbury, Hackney, Islington, and St. Pancras 

 movements had taken place in favour of the establishment of 

 technical institutions and polytechnics, committees had been 

 formed, and considerable funds had been promised. The 

 parishes now came unitedly before the Commissioners for the 

 purpose of suggesting a scheme which they considered was 

 of a fairly definite character. They thought it was necessary 

 to have at least four institutions on the general lines of the 

 Polytechnic in Regent Street, one for each of the four 

 boroughs. 



Mr.R. Chamberlain, M.P., asked whether, after the boroughs 

 had raised as much money as they possibly could, the Com- 

 missioners would put a benevolent interpretation upon the 

 pound for pound principle, and would not deny to the differ- 

 ent localities the benefit of these technical institutes because 

 they had not been able to raise so much as 20s. for every 

 pound which the Commissioners were prepared to give. If 

 the pound for pound rule were rigidly insisted upon, it would 

 mean that the richer the locality the greater amount of charity 

 would be bestowed upon it. 



Mr. Bartley, M.P., said he did not agree with the general 

 view of forming a general committee and a common fund for 

 the whole area. He thought these great boroughs were big 

 enough to have schemes for themselves. If they were 

 boroughs in the country they would be treated separately. 



Mr. Anstie said, in reply, that as the deputation did not 

 appear to have absolute unanimity it would perhaps not be 

 very wonderful if the Commissioners found their schemes did 

 not please everybody. He could not answer all the questions 

 that had been put to him, as he was only there to hear their 

 views, but with respect to the pound for pound principle it 

 was a little hard upon the Commissioners that, having in that 

 respect shown themselves open to receive suggestions, they 

 should now have advanced against them the charge that they 

 were imposing some objectionable terms upon the metropolis 

 at large. The principle of pound for pound was suggested 

 by South London, and had been accepted by the Com- 

 missioners throughout, as they thought it a very reasonable 

 proposal. Chelsea — not the borough of Chelsea, but the 

 south-western district of London — had also accepted the 

 principle. This mode of dealing with the matter had proved 

 thus far eminently successful. South London was getting on 

 very well, although there was not, he believed, a poorer dis- 

 trict in the metropolis. The Victoria Hall had collected its 

 pound for pound, and the Elephant and Castle was getting 

 far on its way ; therefore, so far as experience went, he could 

 not see any objection to the very business-like proposal of 

 South London. He did not think it would work at all ill in 

 North London, provided North London did what South 

 London had done and was doing ; but if North London was 

 to be split up into a number of hostile camps, then he did 

 not quite see how that district was to be worked. With 

 regard to the position of these institutions it would be im- 

 possible to fix them in the poorest quarters, because those 

 were sometimes the most inaccessible parts of the parish, 

 and to place them there would prevent them from being at all 

 successful. He might mention that the Commissioners had 

 before them a proposal of an extremely good kind, which he 

 hoped would facilitate the foundation of some such institute 

 at Clerkenwell, which might be considered as one of the 

 most suitable places in London for such an institute. That 

 proposal had not been made by the poor inhabitants of 

 Clerkenwell. It had been made on behalf of persons who 

 were not resident in Clerkenwell, but who were generous and 

 wealthy. He mentioned that to illustrate the absurdity of 

 the notion that because this business-like proposition of 

 South London had been accepted by the Commissioners as 

 a working basis, therefore it meant that an institution must 



