November, 1912 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS KV 
PROTECTION FOR THE SPONGE 
ES view of the attention which has been 
given to the protection of seals in the 
northern waters, it may be of interest to 
note action that Congress is taking to pro- 
tect a product of the tropic seas—the 
ordinary sponge of commerce. 
It might be a matter of as much economic 
cstress—if not more—to have the sponge 
of universal use exterminated as would be 
the case if the seals were eliminated. Any- 
way, Congress has taken alarm and the 
Senate committee on fisheries has reported 
out a bill already passed by the house, to 
prevent illegal fishing in Florida and gulf 
waters, and at the same time extend the 
open season for the catching of sponges. 
Probably not more than one person in a 
thousand has known that there was such a 
thing as an open and closed season for 
sponges, but such is the fact. 
Although permitting a larger catch of 
sponges than has been possible in the past 
protection is to be afforded for young 
sponges than has been possible in the past, 
until they are at least five inches in diameter. 
THE SHRINKAGE OF EIFFEL 
TOWER 
GUILLAUME, according to a cor- 
* respondent of the New York Times, 
describes at length in The Matin his ap- 
paratus for measuring the vertical length- 
ening or shrinkage of the Eiffel Tower. 
To a stake driven into the ground at the 
foot of the tower is fixed a wire consisting 
of a certain alloy of iron and nickel, which 
is incapable of expansion or shrinkage. 
The other end of the wire is carried up and 
attached to the end of the lever projecting 
from the second platform. The free end 
of the lever is in contact with a Richard 
register, and in this way every vertical 
movement of the tower is automatically and 
instantaneously registered. At the end of 
each day the diagram is removed and 
preserved. 
“These diagrams reveal the sensitiveness 
of the tower, says M. Guillaume. “A 
passing cloud, a blast of wind, a sudden 
burst of sunshine, leave their mark in a 
more or less rapid ascent or descent of the 
mighty structure, and when a heavy shower 
falls the 116 meters of iron shrink abruptly 
into themselves.” 
This “abrupt shrinking” is an instance of 
picturesque imagination on the part of M. 
Guillaume, for the greatest variation in the 
height of the tower amounts to only a little 
over an inch. The writer goes on: 
“Normally the tower begins to rise and 
stretch itself at sunrise, and continues its 
upward movement till the middle of the 
afternoon. The susceptibility of these 
7,000 tons of iron to changes of tempera- 
ture is due, of course, to the ease with 
which the wind blows through its trellis- 
work or rods.” 
“Measurements taken by the geograph- 
ical section of the army show that even in 
a gale of wind blowing ninety miles an 
hour, the oscillations of the summit scarcely 
amount to four inches. In addition to this, 
there is a certain quantity of twisting or 
torsion due to the unequal heating by the 
sun of different sides of the structure. In 
some cases eight inches of torsion have 
been measured.” 
HE lemon and orange crop of Tripoli 
in Syria is estimated by the British 
consul at 500,000 to 525,000 cases, as com- 
pared with 370,000 cases in 1911. Ship- 
ments all go to Odessa and Constanti- 
nople. 
LONG: LIFE WHITE ENAMEL 
HEN you build or decorate, tell your painter and archi- 
tect that you want Vitralite, The Long-Life White Enamel 
used in your house. It will give a smooth, porcelain- 
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to apply, and covers so much surface. : on a 2 : 
Write ae aie es finished with ‘*61’’ and test it. You 
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Decorative Interior Finishing won’tcrack. Pratt & Lambert Varnish 
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Address all i induces to Pratt & Lambert-Inc.,119Tonawanda Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 
In Canada, 63 Courtwright Street, Bridgeburg, Ontario. 
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