Ingenious Devices 
LABOR-SAVING SCHEMES AND SHORT CUTS IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE GARDEN 
For Door Troubles 
I T is quite a common thing, especially in 
old houses, to have a flight of stairs 
end abruptly in a door. In Colonial times 
with the meagre facilities for heating this 
arrangement was intended to keep the 
living-room free from the drafts and chill 
of the upper chambers. Such a door is 
quite a nuisance to open, as the knob 
placed at the ordinary height to be grasped 
from outside, is at a much lower level to 
the person standing on the last step inside. 
He must reach down awkwardly to open 
the door. This is especially difficult and 
annoying if he is carrying anything, or if 
the stairway is dark. 
A very simple appliance can be fitted 
to the troublesome knob by simply util¬ 
izing ordinary materials at hand. Fit a 
short arm, say three inches in length, to 
the square spindle so that it stands nearly 
on a line with the latch as in figure (c). 
This added thickness can be equalized by 
removing some of the little metal gaskets 
or washers from the knob shank. Run a 
fairly flexible wire from the end of this 
arm through a small staple about eighteen 
inches above the lock. Attach a knob 
to this end of the wire and the device will 
turn the latch sufficiently to release it 
by simply lifting the upper knob. T he 
accompanying cut shows the manner of 
placing this device. Such little improve¬ 
ments will tend to give added comfort in 
the house and will save losing one s tem¬ 
per in groping uncomfortably to open the 
door. 
Ingenious Washboiler 
A WASHBOILER that will not “boil 
over” has a rim on the inside 
about two inches from the top. The cover 
rests upon this brim, and no matter how 
lively the water boils, it will not run over 
and “spoil the whole range.” E. E. H. 
Tight Windows 
V\ 7 HEN the windows rattle and shake, 
* * more cold enters the house than 
even that bleak sound gives token of. 
Warped or worn weather strips or no 
such protection at all, allows the sash to 
have play, and disagreeable rattling, ac¬ 
companied by chilling draughts and dust 
- is the result. It is unnecessary to go over 
all the carpentry to repair this, as a little 
three-bladed metal wedge can be bought 
which alleviates these troublesome condi¬ 
tions just as well. This little device 
can be' instantly and simply applied with 
a screw to prevent its being carried 
away or lost. Mere finger pressure is all 
that is required to wedge it in place and 
it can be used perfectly well without be¬ 
ing screwed fast. It is of such size and 
construction that it is hardly noticeable 
and does not detract from the appearance 
of the woodwork. These wedges are fur¬ 
nished either in nickel or copper finish 
and cost twenty-five cents for ten of the 
former and fifteen of the latter style. 
A Convenient 
Cooker 
USEFUL and 
labor-saving ar¬ 
ticle is now on the 
market in a new com¬ 
bination electric stove 
and tireless cooker. It 
unites the principles 
of heat retention as 
shown in the vacuum 
bottle, with the advan¬ 
tages of electric heat¬ 
ing in such a manner 
as to save time and 
trouble. The uncooked 
food is placed in the 
utensil, then put in 
the cooker, and the 
electric current turned 
on for the partial 
cooking. After a^short 
time the electricity is 
turned off, and the 
cooking is completed 
by the stored-up heat, without having to 
disturb the food. 
The invention makes possible the use 
of electric cooking, hitherto desired for its 
facility and cleanliness, but too expensive 
for general use. Indeed, a comparison of 
cost of cooking the same articles by gas 
A device to open 
a door at the 
foot of a flight 
of stairs 
This pivoted three-bladed wedge will prevent 
a window from rattling 
and by this new cooker' shows the latter 
method to be about twelve per cent, cheap¬ 
er. This method of cooking economizes 
time for a busy housewife, especially one 
doing her own work. In the “inter¬ 
regnum'' of the kitchen it is a decided 
boon. For instance, the current may be 
turned on for a few minutes before re¬ 
tiring, and heat enough will be generated 
to cook cereal over night and still have 
the stove hot enough to start the coffee in 
the morning; or a meal may be started in 
the morning, and the wife after turning 
off the current may go out with perfect 
composure and return to find the meal 
ready to serve. The service rendered by 
this device is that it both creates and pre¬ 
serves heat, making it possible to save the 
unused supply from breakfast cooking for 
use at dinner time. 
Safety Boxes 
I N a new house, seen recently, the mis¬ 
tress has a “safety box’’ built in her 
own room for the temporary keeping of 
money and small articles of value. The 
box is sunken beneath the floor, and has 
a cover moved by a secret spring; a cor¬ 
ner of the rug still further conceals its 
unnoticeable opening. In another house 
there is a similar cache at one end of a 
window-box built with panels; in this case 
a panel pushes back, revealing the opening 
which is further reinforced with a lock on 
an inner door. The bottom stair also pro¬ 
vides an excellent hiding-place, accessible 
in a number of practical ways. In an old- 
fashioned house, having fireplaces with 
paneled walls, there are a number of tiny 
compartments reached through sliding 
panels. 
Of course these safety boxes are not 
fireproof, and would doubtless be discern- 
able to a lengthy and professional search, 
but for the ordinary instances of hasty 
ransacking of houses by sneak thieves or 
unreliable servants they offer absolute 
protection. Alice M. Ashton 
Renewing Burlap 
T HE floors of the rented house in 
which we live are too poor to be 
used uncovered with rugs, so we put down 
a dull green art burlap for the edges. 
After a year’s use, this was so faded as 
to be unfit for use. After cleaning the 
burlap and tacking it securely in place, 
I went over it with a green dye of the de¬ 
sired shade, using a wide paint brush for 
the purpose. When this had dried we 
found our burlap better than it had ever 
been before, as the wetting caused it to 
shrink a little, and it became smooth and 
tight and easy to sweep. A good, service¬ 
able dye can be purchased for this use 
which will hold its color fresh and un¬ 
faded for a considerable time. A. M. A. 
(48) 
