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ENGINEERINGWORKSHOP PRACTICE

Recent developments in engineering workshop practicehave been so rapid that it has been found necessary toproduce a new and revised edition. This new editiondeals with the underlying principles, craftsmanship,machines, tools, measuring processes and machiningmethods of to -day, and it will prove indispensable tothe engineer, draughtsman, mechanic, apprentice andengineering student. Its scope extends from simplehand tools and machines to the latest elaborate machinesand methods employed for mass -production purposes.

SOME OF THE SUBJECTSFiles, Chisels, Scrapers, Shears, Punches, Burnishers, Hand

Screw -cutting Tools, Spanners, Vices, Various Measuringmethods. Verniers, Micrometers, Gauges, Optical Devices,Fluted, and Twist Drills, Grinding Angles, Drilling Data,Small and Large Drilling Machines, Electric Drills, PracticalLathework in all its branches. Machining of Metals andSynthetic Materials. Tungsten -carbide and Diamond Tools.Lapping, Honing, Cleaning, Polishing and Rust -protectionof various metals. Grinding Operations and Machines,Milling Operations, Cutters and Machines. Planing, Shaping,Slotting and Broaching Operations. Special Machines forProduction Purposes. Plate and Bar Machines. Gears andGear Cutting Methods. Templates, Jigs and Fixtures,Overhauling and Adjusting Machines, Millwright Work.Welding, Brazing and Soldering Metals. Forging Work.Sheet Metal Work. Foundry Work. Patternmaking Practice.Press Work. Engineering Steel and other Metals ; theirProperties, Testing, Hardening, Tempering and Annealing,Engineers' Drawings. Workshop Calculations, Data, Hintsand Recipes. British and Foreign Screw -thread Tables.

THE ILLUSTRATIONSThe book is lavishly illustrated so that the explanations

are rendered very clear with examples taken up from actualworks practice in many instances. There are 24 full -pageplates and It% line and photographic illustrations in the text.

ENGINEERING POCKET BOOKIn order to make the work even more comprehensive we

have brought out a pocket hook, which is supplied free to allpurchasers. It contains many useful tables of Screw Threads,Tapers, Angles, Drill Speeds and Sizes, etc.

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Owing to the paper shortage " The Cyclist," " Practical Motorist," and " Home Movies "temporarily incorporated.

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VOL. IX. SEPTEMBER, 1942 No. 108

New ProcessesTHE good which arises from the evil of

war is the knowledge it creates in aneffort to win it. We discover new

methods, new materials, new sciences arise,and new opportunities open up, whilst theindustries which languish in peace throughlack of support (the aircraft industry is a goodexample) are enabled to develop to an extentwhich it would require 5o years of privateendeavour to attain.

Two of the industries which have comeinto their own as a result of the war are plasticsand welding, and in plastics I am alsocluding the new powder metallurgy, formetals can be treated as plastics, when theyare used in a finely divided state prior tomoulding, or pressing. Plastics have nowbeen used in almost every branch of industryfor parts which were formerly made of woodor metal. Thus, old industries die andPhoenix -like from their ashes arises a newand better one.

Welding, however, ' has not made quitesuch rapid progress as it deserves to do. It issignificant, however, that an enormousAmerican factory engaged upon the manu-facture of tanks has switched over fromriveted construction to welded construction.The advantages of welding as applied toships are already well known, for ships havebeen employing welded construction for sometime. In this country we have been pro-ducing all -welded armoured cars since 1939,yet in tanks, which will be required in ever-increasing numbers, welding is confined tocertain parts of the superstructure. TheGerman tanks are of welded constructionthroughout. It is known that as far asarmoured cars are concerned welding in-creases production from 300 per cent. to400 per cent., using the same man -powerand floor space. With riveted construction,the heads of the rivets are likely to fly offwhen the tank is hit. They would thus actas bullets, and although we need not be tooconcerned about their effect as miniatureprojectiles on the enemy, such a happeningwill have disastrous effect upon the tankitself. Our designers, therefore, should cutout complicated construction calling foraccurate drilling jigs, expensive riveting, slowproduction, and complicated tooling up, andswitch over to a system which yields superiorresults at but a fraction of the cost in timeand money.

It is noteworthy that one or two of theGovernment Departments are alive to the

possibilities of welding, for the Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries has just issued apamphlet entitled, " How Welding can Helpthe Farmer." In this pamphlet an appeal ismade to the farmer not to scrap worn orbroken parts. He is invited to take them tothe local welder for repair. Even where apart is missing it can often be`built up bywelding. Farm machines which are standingidle because spare parts are difficult to getcan be rendered usable within a very shorttime by welding. Every industry is usingthis of course, to repair and rebuildmachinery parts. There is an AdvisoryService on Welding run in conjunction withthe Research and Development Departmentof the Ministry of Supply. The pamphletto which I have referred illustrates howcertain parts can be repaired by welding.Copies of the leaflet are obtainable fromThe Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,St. Anne's -on -Sea, Lancashire.

POST-WAR BUILDINGBEFORE the war the building trades

between them erected something like200,000 houses a year. There was a defi-ciency of 3,000,000 houses in this country,and the building trade had not caught upwith the shortage created by the last war.In fact, the shortage was increasing. Housesare not being built during this war, and sowhen this war finishes the building tradewill be confronted with an even greaterdeniand which their obsolete methods of con-struction will be quite unable to supply.For, of course, the methods of building houseson the site by laying one small brick uponanother small brick, by using wood for nearlyone-third of the structure, by placing the waterpipes in such a manner that they freeze andburst in winter, and by using plaster for theceilings which are bound to crack, are methodsmore reminiscent of the building of Solomon'stemple, than the highly scientific twentiethcentury. The building trade, for some un-known reason, consistently refuses to make useof the new methods, and the new materialswhich science constantly brings to them.

Engineers have come to the rescue ; theyhave formed a Society for Scientific Re-housing, and the houses which they proposeto erect will 'to a large extent be pre -builtin the factory-not on the site. The plumbingwill be so designed that frozen pipes will beimpossible. The ceilings and the floorswill be made of new non -cracking plastic

are

BY THE EDITOR

materials. Instead of using wood whichwarps and shrinks, they will use foam flagwhich does not warp or shrink, nor does itdecay. The plumber and his mate will ceaseto be a music -hall joke, for his craft will betaken over by engineers who will designthe houses with just as pleasing an architec-tural layout but in a more scientific mannerthan architects seem able to do. The houseswill be pre -built in the factory on mass -production lines. They will be designed byengineers and come off the assembly line.Walls will be largely jig erected and takento the site. Because of this, houses will bemore rapidly erected, they will be cheaperand roomier, more pleasant to look at, andrequire far less attention because of the newpaints and finishes which will be used to with-stand the weather. Lead base paints are totallyunsuited for external woodwork. The newcellulose paints are ideal both for indoor andoutdoor finishes. Scratches may easily bemade good and the paint applied by means ofa spray instead of an old-fashioned brush.The heating of the premises will not be bymeans of old-fashioned coal fires, with theirdirt and smoke ; there will be no more plaster.These are but a few of the directions inwhich post-war building will change. Likeupholstery, the building trade has not mod-ernised itself, and within the next so yearsthe trade as we now know it will be chieflyoccupied in maintaining and repairing theold-fashioned structures with which it hassupplied the country.

" SCREW -THREAD MANUAL"A NEW volume entitled " Screw -Thread

Manual " has just been published fromthe offices of this journal, for 6s., by postfor 6s. 6d. It contains 192 pages, and includesalmost every known fact, figure and formularelating to screw -threads and methods ofproducing them. The book contains a greatdeal of information which has never beenpublished before, whilst the tables deal withevery known screw -thread at present in use.The chapters 'include Screw -Thread Terms ;Screw -Thread Forms ; Use of Taps andDies ; Machine Taps and Dies ; The Useof Die -heads and Chasers ; Die -heads andTappers Screw -cutting in the LatheThread Milling ; Thread Grinding ; ThreadRolling ; Bolt and Screw Manufacture ;Measuring Screw Threads ; Measurementby Optical Projection ; Extracting BrokenTaps ; Aero Threads ; and Tables.

340 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS September, 1942

NC

"logos

The Pan-Amkrican " Yankee Clipper." Amodern development of the " Clipper III."

It accommodates 74 passengers.

IT is not so many years ago since thewhole world was thrilled-and manyexperts confounded-by the first flight

across the Atlantic by a heavier-than-airmachine. 'Even before that epoch-makingevent, many possessing foresight and com-plete confidence in the future developmentof aircraft visualised the linking of the fivecontinents by speedy aerial transport. Theywere, of course, sutjected to much derisionfrom the sceptics, not all of whom were lay-men, who thought that such possibilitieswere purely visionary and fantastic. Thesame school of thought gave scant praise tothose intrepid pioneer long-distance flierswho risked their lives to blaze new pathsacross the world and to prove their faith inthe infant of the transport family. To thosepioneers the whole world owes much, an& itwas not until July 6th, 1937, that the untiringlabours of the designers and the sacrificesof the aviators-so far as transatlantic cross-ings were concerned-bore fruit iii a practicaland active form.

It was on that day that the Imperial Air-ways flying boat Caledonia, and the Pan-American Air Lines Clipper III, started aregular two-way mail and passenger serviceacross the Atlantic, and in those flights manysaw the realisation of their dreams. The

Air Frei hters ofIs there a Limit to the Size ofVessels Supersede Ocean-goingRaised by the Writer of ThisForesee Future Developments.transatlantic air service, and there can be nodoubt as to their success.

It is interesting to note at this stage thatthe British flying boat was only allowed aloading of 45,000lb., which restricted heruseful pay load for the trip to t,000 lb., thegreat difference being accounted for by herunladen weight of 25,000 lb. and 19,000 lb.for oil and fuel, to which had to be added theweight of crew and food. The payload is

The " Golden Hind," one of the series of sister flying boats to the " Caledonia."built for the London -New York service over the northern route.

Caledonia flew from east to west, and theClipper from west to east, their times being15 hrs. 3 mins. and 12 hrs. 4o mins. respec-tively.

If considered solely from the point of viewof distances flown, the performances of thetwo flying boats were not outstanding. Theycovered 1,933 miles-west to east-and1,963 miles east to west, whereas the Pan-American Air Lines had been operating ontheir Pacific run of 2,400 miles for some twoyears previous. But those concerned withthe flights of the Caledonia and Clipper IIIwere out to prove the possibility of a practical

It was

a vital matter, if such flights are to become acommercial proposition, and the problemsconnected with increasing it, while still re-taining a wide factor of safety on wing loading,lifting the total load off the water and gettingthe craft airborne and securing a sufficientlyhigh economical cruising speed are everbefore the designers.

Since July, 1937, much has happened inthe world of aviation : speed, size, weightand range of aircraft have reached proportionswhich even in that year would have seemedas fantastic as the ideas of the early enthu-siasts. Although prior to 1940, designers

The Pan-American " Clipper III " anchoring at Hythe, to which she had flown from Foynes, Ireland, after her lawic crossing.


the FutureAircraft ? Will 500 -ton Flying

Ships? These are Two QuestionsArticle who Endeavours to

By JOHN TOWERSand manufacturers of the Five Powers hadbeen competing against each other in the raceto achieve maximum progress In aircraftdesign, their efforts, when considered in thelight of the knpwledge of to -day, are castinto the shade by the brilliancy of the almostincredible achievements which have beenattained under the relentless pressure of war.

Conservative ideas and theories of the pasthave been ruthlessly but scientifically shat-tered ; progress no longer proceeds along itscourse in stately academical steps, but out-strips the production bench by leaps andbounds, the length of which only are limitedby the speed with which the draughtsman canportray the creations of the minds of theimaginative progressive designers of to -day.Aircraft production has been revolutionised :time and comparative costs have been cut toa mere shadow of their former figures of eventhree years ago, and new methods of assemblyand testing have permitted radical changesto be made in the personnel of the factory asregards craftsmanship, without reducing theoverall efficiency of the finished product.

The designers' aims to -day can be classifiedunder two broad headings: there are thosecovering speed and manoeuvrability, andthose embracing size and great load -carryingcapacity. as this article is concerned,the former will be ignored and the latterexamined from the point of view of com-mercial activities rather than war require-ments.

The ever -raging Battle of the Atlantic,with its heavy toll on the shipping of theUnited Nations, has brought forth a boldsuggestion from two leading American ship-building experts, Mr. Andrew Higgins, ofLouisiana, and Mr. Henry Kaiser, of Cali-fornia. They have advanced a plan for thebuilding of a huge fleet of 7o -ton cargo'planes, which they claim could be in pro-duction in six months and reach a maximumoutput of 5,000 'planes a year. It is also

An artist's impression of the air freighter ofarticle. These gigantic craft will ply the

claimed that a fleet of 5,000 of these hugeaircraft could land half -a -million equippedmen, or the equivalent weight of cargo inEngland in a single day.

The Caledonia was 45,000lb. ; the 'planesmentione I above would be 156,800lb.This increase, if we take the Caledonia as 'ourbasis for comparison, is the result of fiveyears' progress ; now that the experts aretalking in this bold but not impossiblemanner, what revelations can we expect inthe near future ?

Compared with ocean-going cargo ships,the payload of the 7o -ton 'plane would appearto be small, but the great increase in speed-with the consequent saving in time-wouldallow the cargo vessel of the air to make fromten to fifteen trips while the sea -going vesselis making one.

The Kaiser plan is far from fantastic :aircraft already in use or in production provideample evidence that the limits of size and load -

One of the floating harboUrs, which would act as junction points, servicing and re-fa.11ii; stations.They -would be located at key points along the transoceanic routes.

carrying capacity have not been reached; infact, it would appear that we are on thethreshold of a new era of aircraft design andrapidly approaching the time when airbornetransport will exceed the most optimisticdreams of the experts of even three years ago.

What-if any-are the limiting factors

the future as visualised by the writer of thisnew aerial commerce routes at high speeds.

governing the load and size of the aircraft ofthe future ? Is it wing strength, engines,power required for take -off or general struc-tural problems ? Whichever item is putforward as the retarding factor, fresh datacomes forward totcause further doubt,.thoughit would seem that wing loading or, in otherwords, the interconnected problems ofstructural strength of the wings, weight,shape and size, plus, of course, the knowntheoretical considerations, form, as it were,the bottle -neck to the designers' ambitions.

When the American Douglas B19 took offwith a gross weight of 62i tons, it lived up toits reputation of then being the heaviestaeroplane to leave the ground. It has a wingspan of 212 ft., and is powered with fourengines, each of which develop 2,000 h.p.The 'plane weighs 32 tons, and it has-undernormal conditions-a range of 7,000Again, there is the Martin XPB 2M -I, a hugetwo -decker flying boat of the 7o -ton class,which has a wing span of zoo ft. and ispowered with four Wright -Duplex engines of2,000 h.p. each. It can undertake a trip acrossthe Atlantic and back. At the time of theCaledonia-with its four Bristol engines of900 h.p. each-it was thought that it wouldnot be a feasible or economic proposition toconstruct larger flying -boats, owing to thepower required for the take off ; therefore,once again 'progress has overcome whatseemed a formidable obstacle.

The Glen Martin company are alreadypreparing, in a practical sense, for an airliner to carry 300 people on a to -hour tripfrom New York to Southampton.

With the increase in size of aircraft, progressin engine design and construction mustproceed hand in hand. Anyone who hasexamined or studied the specification of amodern aero-engine would rightly think thatit represented the peak of the designers' andengineers' skill. Yet, in spite of thesewonderful high -power, intricate and super -precision machines, there are already indica-tions that .the scientists and .engineers areexploring fresh avenues in their eagerness tofind even a more perfect power unit for air-craft.

It can rightly be said that the petrol


internal combustion engine made possiblethe development of the heavier-than-airmachine, but has it had its day? Is it notpossible that the scientists and engineers,during their concentrated work through theseyears of war, might not have touched thefringe of or experimented with some newpropelling force for aircraft ? Already weknow that crude oil is being used successfully,thus eliminating much of ,the danger of fireand explosion associated with the morevolatile spirit ; flights have taken place with'planes driven by hot air or jets, while rocket -propelled craft have passed through someinteresting stages ; therefore, fantastic andinefficient as these sources of power mightseem at the moment, they have entered therealms of possibility by practical demonstra-tions. Sir Hiram Maxim, during his experi-mental work with heavier-than-air machines-back in the days of their infancy-designedand constructed a power unit operated bysteam. This he fitted into a 'plane of his owndesign, and although the craft did actuallyrise off the special railway -like track whichformed its runway, Sir Hiram's efforts didnot meet with success, and he finallyabandoned the idea. This is going back alongway, and in spite of the fact that steam as amotive power for 'planes was ridiculed then,and in the intervening years, we shall yet hearmore about it in the future. When it nextappears, it will, no doubt, be as revolutionaryin design and construction as the modernsuper -charged I.C. engine of to -day is to thelow -powered affair used by the Wright Bros.Reports from Germany indicate that theyare carrying out experimental work with ahigh -power steam engine, which for highaltitude or stratosphere flights should possesscertain definite advantages, owing to the factthat the boiling poinof water is lowered as thealtitude increases. Terrific power can beexerted by steam, even with the types ofengine in common use to -day, therefore it ishighly probable-especially in view of theabove reports-that some entirely new systemof steam generation and utilisation of its greatlatent forces will be revealed before manyyears have passed.

What of the Future?From the details available, covering both

practical and hypothetical designs, one isable, with a little imagination and a reasonableamount of just confidence in the futuredevelopment of aircraft, to visualise thecommerce of the future being handled byfleets of gigantic cargo vessels of the air.

These fleets will carry vast quantities ofmerchandise, over new commerce routescovering the whole world, at a speed of 15to 20 times faster than the average ocean-going cargo ship. The size of the vessels willapproach dimensions hitherto undreamed of ;in fact, as I see them, they will be so largethat they will carry two or more fast light'planes to act as scouts or aerial lifeboats,/apable of being launched in mid-air fromtheir parent 'plane.

The 7o -ton Martin flying boat mentionedearlier will be superseded by flying vesselsof 15o tons, 25o tons and even Soo tons, whosevery size and construction will make them,literally, flying vessels compared with whatwe now call flying boats.

Special vessels will be used for perishablefoods and fruits, and, by virtue of their highspeed, will be able to dispense with the coldstorage and attendant problems necessary insea -going ships. Mails will be delivered acrossthe Atlantic as quickly as a letter travellingfrom the south of England to Scotland, whileair liners will be able to take 500 or morepassengers across the Atlantic and backfor week -end trips, in less time and with lessdiscomfort than many a train trip acrossBritain.

The cargo vessels of the air will be designedfor speedy loading and safe stowage of thecargo. The fuselage or hull, apart from thatdevoted to the crew, engines and control,might well be built up with special containers,each of which is so shaped that when theyare packed with cargo they lock together toform the upper part of the hull. The systemmight be likened to the railway comainers

'planes, to allow them to re -fuel, so thatthey might carry a heavier payload and lessreserves of fuel.

The floating harbours, specially designedto cope with the huge flying vessels, would beequipped with workshops, spares, fuel storagetanks, radio communication, beacons and beamsystems. They would also carry several fast'planes to serve as emergency craft and as

The aerial tug towing a string of heavily ladened gliders, each of whicharrives over its destination.

now used for the transport of goods from doorto door, which dispense with intermediatepacking and unpacking during transit.

The power or propelling units will formpart of the huge wings, which will be of suchdimensions that the engineers will be able towalk about inside them to attend to theirduties. Lighting and .air-conditioning plantswill form part of the equipment, while navi-gation will be rendered practically automaticby a highly developed system of beam radiocontrol.

Tugs and GlidersOther 'planes, smaller in size, but very

powerful, will play the part of ocean-goingtugs, and serve the same purpose, as it were,in the air. Their chief difference, comparedwith their sea counterparts, will be their usein the hauling of a number of heavily ladenedcargo gliders. Already gliders are beingused for the transportation of heavy mechanicalwar equipment, and some types are fitted withlow -powered engines to provide additionalcontrol for landing, etc.

The cargo gliders could be used for trans-oceanic voyages, although they would, nodoubt, prove more useful for the speedydistribution of cargo from the main flying -vessel ports to overland destinations. Theywould be loaded for definite areas, andreleased from the tug 'plane during flightwhen over their destination.

With power assisted machines, and with theuse of a developed rocket -launching system,the gliders will be able to take the air andlink themselves to the tug 'plane while thelatter is in flight.

Floating HarboursTo serve the purposes of service station,

re -fuelling depot, and, possibly, a distributionjunction for cargo and passengers, hugefloating harbours or docks will be located onthe sea at key points along the various aerialcommerce routes. These will be an adaptationof an idea put forward some years ago by- anAmerican inventor, who saw the need for afloating landing -place for transa-lantic

would be released as it

links, for passengers, between junction points.

HelicoptersWhile looking into the future, we must

remember that the helicopter principle doesoffer solutions to problems which have, so far,eluded the designer of the normal type of air-craft. Vertical take off and landing, and theability to hover, have already been demon-strated but, prior to the war, the machines hadnot reached the utility stage of the ordinary'plane. It is interesting to note, however,that the Focke-Achgelir concern of Germanyhas succeeded in producing a helicoptercapable of lifting and transporting a lightfighting tank, and, what is even more import-ant, in view of his great contributions tothe progress of aviation-that great Russian-.American aircraft designer, Igor Sikorsky,has made great progress along similar lines.What, then, can we expect in the future ?From the available facts, and the ideas nowbeing put forward by the experts-as visionaryas they may seem now to us-it is clear thatrevolutionary changes are about to take placewithin the next two years, and one of thechanges might well be a heavier -than -air -cum -lighter -than -air machine, which will bepropelled and lifted by a combination ofhelium gas, engines and air tunnels. Thissounds fantastic, but the idea has already beendescribed to the American Senate MilitarySub -committee by two engineers, HoraceChapman Young and Eric Langlands.

The first non-stop flight across the Atlanticwas carried out by two Englishmen,Alcock and Brown, on June 14-15, 1919.This epoch-making event formed a blazingbeacon to guide those who followed, and toilluminate the deeds of our indomitablepioneers of the air who, by their unremittinglabours and sacrifizes, paved the way to suchachievements. Our sea faring ancestorssailed the seven seas and made Britain themaritime power of the world ; our navigatorsof the air have emulated them, and the Britainof the future must, therefore, ser.1!.7:a andmaintain an equivalent positron he roverand commerce of the air.

Seplzmber, 1942 NEWNIES PRACTICAL iv1ECHANICS 343

An architect's drawing of the new Bridge looking towards the West. (By courtesy Of the L.C.C.)

IN the new Waterloo Bridge, recentlyopened to vehicular traffic, Londonhas a modern and imposing structure,

one worthy of its unique set-ting across the Thames in the Londonsvery heart of the Metropolis. Raged atThere is something fascinatingabout the construction of a bridge,compared to which. the erectionof a building seems a soullessbusiness. There is mystery about it.

Beneath the ever -flowing waters men pittheir strength and ingenuity against theforces of Nature. As a result of their skillsubstantial piers arise above the tide as if bymagic. From the piers spring graceful butmassive arches of immense strength carryingthe roadway by which man and his fast-movingself-propelled vehicles pass quickly and safelyfrom one side of the river to the other.

It has been said that the history of the bridgeis an index of man's social and mechanicaladvance. This is true, and is. evidenced in thecase of the new Waterloo crossing. For yearsthere was a long controversy among politicians,engineers And architects as to whether_ the oldbridge should be reconditioned or an -entirelynew one built. In the end a new bridge wasdecided upon.John Rennie's Masterpiece,

Old Waterloo Bridge, built by (not designedby) the contractor John Rennie; had servedthe public well for just over a century. It wonuniversal praise as a work of art, the great

Italian sculptor, Canova, going so far as to Until 1878, when the bridge passed intocall it " the finest bridge in Europe." Built the hands of the Metropolitan Board of Works,by a private company, it was to have been which preceded the London County Council,

it was a toll bridge. It narrowlyescaped disaster in the firstworld war of 1914-18, when aGerman bomb exploded on thebed of the river almost beneaththe bridge itself.

In 1923, however, there was aserious subsidence of some of its piers. Thebridge was closed for a time in order that theweight on its foundations might be reduced.

Latest Bridge, Over Which so much ControversyOne Time, is an Imposing Structure, and Many

Interesting Details About it are Here Given

By HAROLD J. SHEPSTONE, F.R.G.S.

known as the Strand Bridv. But the battleof Waterloo had just been won, and the namewas altered to Waterloo.

(Above) A skip loaded with 1E tons of con-crete being drawn along on an electric truck.

(Left) The underside of the bridge, showingthe twin arches, and the concrete girders

joining them.

To effect this, part of the heavy stone roadwaywas replaced by one of wood and a temporarybridge was erected beside the old one. Thiswas no light job, as though only a temporarystructure it had to be strong enough to carrymodern motor traffic. It consists of massivesteel latticed girders carried on great circularcaissons sunk deep into the bed of the river.

Disniantling the Old Bridge ,

It was at this period that considerablediscussion arose as to the future of the oldWaterloo Bridge; Many experts declared thatthe structure was worn out and dangerous,and recommended that it be demolished.


A drawing of the northern end of the bridge, shswing how the first arch spans the Embankment. (By the courtesy of L.C.C.)

Members of various London societies, anxiousto preserve such an historic landmark, tookthe matter up. They sought the opinion ofleading engineers up and dovin the country,with the result that a scheme was prepared forthe widening and strengthening of the bridge

Placing the massive reinforced concretegirders in position. (Right) The newbridge nearing completion. Note the servicegantry, with its cranes, from which the

bridge was built.

at a cost of L65o,000. The appearance offurther defects subsequently showed this tobe an extremely difficult undertaking. Mean-while, a new County Council had been electedwho decided that the old bridge would have togo, and on June 20th, 1934, the sad task ofdismantling it began.

But what kind of bridge should replaceRennie's great masterpiece ? It had to beone possessing distinct artistic merit, and inkeeping with its surroundings. In the end thedesign prepared in collaboration with SirGiles Gilbert Scott, the famous architect, bythe engineers, Messrs. Rendel, Palmer andTritton, and the L.C.C.'s own chief engineer,Mr. (now Sir) T. Peirson Frank, was selected.Though there is a straightforward simplicityabout the new bridge, it is really a handsome

structure. Its comparatively slender piersand general lightness was rendered possibleby the use of reinforced concrete, and bythe balanced, cantilever principle of con-struction which is such a prominentarchitectural feature of the present age.

Interesting FeaturesMr. H. F. Nolans, the resident engineer

at the bridge, kindly pointed out to the writersome of its most interesting features. First,of course, came the task of taking down theold bridge. This was no light undertaking.Indeed, at the time of its erection it was themost massive structure of its kind. It is theopinion of many experts that its collapsewas partly due to that fact. But Rennie'sold masterpiece had won the hearts of many,and balusters and such -like souvenirs fromthe bridge have gone all over the world, andto -day adorn many a private garden.

In Mr. Nolans's office may be seen manyremarkable finds which the workmen inremoving the old bridge recovered frombeneath the waters of Old Father Thames.They include an ancient cannon ball, a pairof handcuffs, a service rifle (probably jettisonedby a soldier in the last war), an anti-aircraft,shell of the same period, an empty cash -boxa pair of leaden dumb -bells, and most inter-esting of all two nautilus shells belonging to aspecies that exist only in tropical' countries.They were found buried thirty feet deep inthe clay of the river bed. The conclusionof many naturalists is that this is proof thatat one time Britain enjoyed a tropical climate.

,


Here it should be borne in mind that thenew bridge had to be built in a busy tidalriver, subject to currents caused by the curveof the river, and without interfering with thetraffic upon it. Work was started upon it inOctober, 1937, and it was to have been finishedby the spring of 1940. But the war inter-vened and considerably delayed the work.Many of the workmen were called to thecolours and there was for a time a shortageof the necessary materials. Then the blitzand the black -out hindered the work. For-tunately the structure escaped serious damageby bombing and the anxious watchers on thebridge knew what it was to wrestle withincendiaries.

Width of So FeetThe new bridge occupies the site of the old

one. It has, however, a width of 80 feetagainst Rennie's 4.2!, feet. This will allowfor six lines of traffic and there are two 11 -feetfootpaths for pedestrians. There are fivearches, whereas the old bridge had nine, andthis means additional space for navigation.They appear to be the same size, but actuallythe three central arches are ten feet longerthan those at the shore pis, having a lengthof 2524 feet.

One of the first things the layman noticesabout the new structure is that the first spanstretches right over the Victoria Embankmentinto the river. In the old bridge it sprangfrom the edge of the water. As a result itinterrupted the view of the curving river atthis point. Not only is a much better viewobtained of river and bridge, but there is farmore light. The increased width of thebridge made it necessary to divert the tram-way subway from the Embankment underAldwych for a short length in order to bringits entrance immediately under the centreof the bridge. Looking up here one noticesthe graceful sweeping arches and the immenseconcrete girders which carry the crown ofthe bridge joining them. The latter, it maybe added, are hollow.6o,000 Tons of Concrete

The bridge was built from a service gantry

which is in effect the contractors' workingplatform. It is a bridge carried on piles closealongside the site of the new crossing. Uponit run the cranes by which the -heavy loads arelifted and also the concrete. The materialfor the concrete came by barge to a wharf alittle distance upstream of the bridge, whereit was mixed and discharged into skips.Although the concrete in them weighed IAtons the skips were easily picked up by thecranes, and dumped on to trucks to be carriedwhere it was wanted. There are some6o,000 tons of concrete in this single structure.

Its great strength lies in the miles andmiles of steel bars by which it is reinforced.All told, 6,000 tons of these steel bars were

requisitioned. Theyvary in thicknessfrom that of anordinary pencil upto a diameter of 23.inches. The variouslengths had to bewelded together toan accuracy of one -sixteenth of an inch.

The superstructurewas built indepen-dently of the piers,and transferred tothem by jacks, someof which are seen in

this illustration.

(Below) The servicegantry, showing oneof the large cranesin operation. Thetemporary bridge isseen on the right.

It is rather startling to be told that theimmense weight of the bridge is borne bywalls within the piers no more than 2} feetthick and 83 feet long. They were con-structed within cofferdams 120 feet long and27 feet wide. The cofferdams were fashionedof interlocking steel sheet piling 65 feet inlength driven 3o feet into the bed of the river.When the water was pumped out the coffer-dam was practically dry, only a small pumpbeing necessary to remove any water thatmight filter into it. Several tons of Londonclay were then excavated until a solid basewas found 20 feet below the bed of the river.The weight -bearing walls rise from a bed ofconcrete six feet thick. Surrounding themare hollow shells of reinforced concrete14 feet wide and 106 feet long which protectthe walls against blows by shipping.

Supporting PiersThe piers were built up to meet the super-

structure, or bridge proper. The latter wasconstructed quite apart from the piers, andwhen these had reached the desired heightthe superstructure which carries the roadwayand the footpaths was ingeniously placedupon them by means of jacks. From eachpier spring twin arch -shaped girders, one ateither end, the two arches being joined bymassive reinforced crossbeams.

Under the roadway at the Surrey side ofthe bridge is a stairway leading down to theriver. There is another stairway at the VictoriaEmbankment end of the bridge. All thematerial used in the construction of thebridge-steel, timber and material for theconcrete-is Empire production. In thefoundation stone, which was laid on May 4th,1939, there were placed copies of six Londondaily and evening newspapers, three magazinesdevoted to contemporary fashions, currentcoins of the realm, postage stamps, and twophotographs of the former foundation stone.


High Voltage Through SpaceTHREE methods have been proposed

up to now for carrying out the ideaof supplying high-tension current

through the air. The first plan is to makeuse of the greater conducting power of themore densely ionised upper regions of the airand their diminished resistance to the flowof electric current on account of the rare-faction of the air. The second plan is tomake use of the resonance of the surfacewaves, such as the long waves of wireless.Finally, the third plan is to ionise the air forcertain distances, so that it may conductelectricity and pass high voltages throughthese aerial cables. This third method isapparently the cheapest in practice to -day,and at the same time the most important in amilitary sense.

In order to carry out the first plan, giganticpreparations would be necessary. It was pro-posed to erect towers on mountain summitsand to carry the radiating aerials still higherby means of captive balloons. Such captiveballoons, covered with metal, were employedin Marconi's first experiments on Englishsoil. They were taken into " extremely loftyregions " whereby the radius of the emitterwas extended to 15 kilometres. The plansfor power transmission naturally had fargreater distances in mind. This was to beaccomplished by stationing the balloonaerials at a height of 9,000 metres. It hasbeen proved by balloon ascents that at 6,000metres, the ak, is a thirty -fold betterconductor. This would mean that onecould bridge an average of 30 centimetreswith every thousand volts of tension. Itmust be doubted whether such a multipli-cation of conductivity would ensue at 9,000metres, so as to attain the necessary range.With the conducting capacity of air againmultiplied by one hundred, Tesla's hundred -million -volt dynamo would then be able tosend electric power waves over a distance

A huge cathode-ray tube andgenerating plant of the future.Note the insulation suits. of theoperators to protect them from

high-tension current.

Its Possibilities in WarfareBy K. DOBERER

of 3,000 kilometres. This signifies that ifthe British engineer, Hugh Pollard, pro-poses to transmit power from North Americato Mont Blanc, even these fantasticfigures will not suffice, quite apart fromthe consideration as to which course theseaccumulations of high voltage might take.

The second plan, to use the resonance oflong electric waves, also suffers from the factthat this system does not provide the abilityto direct the emitted power. It belongs, there-fore, to some far distant future which willhave no frontiers in the present sense and inwhich power will be common property likethe air itself. According to this project, amillion -kilowatt emitter is to generate along wave which would swing as a surfacewave on the boundary between atmosphereand earth's surface, return upon itself andoscillate in resonance. This method is pro-bably identical in the main with Tesla's newpower station, except for the length of thewaves.

Cables Made of AirThe system which makes it possible to

focus electric energy from one point to acertain other by a cable made of air, providesus with the proper method for a populationwith sufficient technical knowledge, but in-sufficient organisation in an epoch in which itis not yet possible to direct electric powerfree anywhere it may be needed. Even theidea that a properly registered radio listenermay take up, from the oscillations whirlingthrough space, as much as he likes, is an illu-sion. This was made clear by a law -suitround a trick engineered by the members ofan association of allotment holders. Themembers, the only group that until now hasorganised. the reception of wireless electricpower, stood before the court in a body.The charge against them, magnified into ahuge affair, was that they had stolen some

five thousand pounds worth of radio energyfrom the air. Evidently wireless power wasstill very expensive in the year 1937. All theaccused had their allotments at Billebrook,which lies at the foot of the great wirelessstation of Hamburg. It is well known that allallotment holders pursue some favouritehobby, and it is no Wonder that they did theirbest at building wireless sets and erectingaerials. It was not long before one of themhit upon the idea that the supercharged elec-tric field immediately in front of the wirelessstation could do more than produce marchmusic and Hitler speeches; it could also beused to light electric lamps. Since allotmentholders always stick together in good fellow-ship, this discovery led to an era of " powerfrom the air," such as ordinary folk haveonly thought of as a vision of the distant future.The Billebrook colony began to build a greatcommunal aerial in order to secure theprovision of electric light for the whole colony.They connected their lamps and otherapparatus with this aerial and were thenindependent of current supplied in the old-fashioned way by the cables of the HamburgElectricity Works.

In peace, the general unauthorised use ofradiated energy can be forbidden, but itwould be impossible to prevent it beingused in time of war, if the powei were emittedin the vicinity of the front. The enemycould use it as well as ourselves. For militaryuse, therefore, a method is preferable whichenables the electric power to be directedthrough the air only to certain definite points.This idea can be put into practice by meansof the " cable made of air."

The fundamental idea of this process is todirect a beam through the atmosphere which,on a certain track, will so supercharge theseparate gaseous constituent parts of the airwith electricity that they become electricconductors. A sort of tube is formed, through

which a powerfulcurrent can be passed.High tension iscarried along an in-visible line as goodas by a metal cable.

Ultra -short WaveBeamAttempts are being

made to -day to buildup such air -cableswith protons, positiveemanations ofmatter, and withelectrons, negativeradiation of matter.The most promisingsolution would seemto be the productionof an air -cable witha beam of ultra -short waves, overlaidwith high -frequencyhigh-tension current.

Electron ArtilleryA mighty cathode

tube eight metreslong hums awayunder high tensionof over a millionvolts. Out of thesilver -shining beryl-lium window surge

4


the cathode rays, the beams of electrons ata speed of 290,00o kilometres per second.The speed needs only to be increased slightlyby raising the tension pressure, and particlesof matter, atoms of negative electricity,would on their way begin to transform intothe pure power oscillations of the hardgamma rays. The most rapid cathoderays are known as " death rays " be-cause they mean instant death to any smallwinged creature which may cross their path.Where they strike, the air turns violet. It isionised and ready to carry high -frequencycurrent like a copper cable.

This mighty tube no longer resembles theluminescent, in coloured light gleamingGeissler tubes from which it sprang. WilhelmHittorf would be astounded at the developmentof these glint -light rays which he discovered.Sir William Crookes, who designated thisglow so years later at the Royal Society,London, as radiating matter, the fourthaggregate state, could declare enthusiasticallythat his theory had been proved correct: Acondition of matter in which it is no longersolid, or liquid, or gaseous, and in which itis ready to transform itself into incorporealenergy.

When, in Heidelberg, Professor PhilipLenard cut an opening in the glass of thecathode tube, so as to give the rays free accessto the air, they were still weak and thrustthrough the aluminium plate, stuck over theglass opening to make it airtight, only at a rateof a few thousand kilometres per second.

Cathode-ray Tube DevelopmentDuring the last to years the cathode-ray

tubes have been continually enlarged and thevoltages increased. Thus, in the year 1935, thespeed of the cathode -rays could be increasedto z4o,000 kilometres per second. TheAin :tic zn s cie atist, Coolidge, had achieved thisresult by applying a tension of 350,000 volts.He used small nickel plates as windows on theglass tubes. Towards the end of 1935, thechemist, Dr. Thiele, found a way to producegas -proof graphite foil of some hundredths ofa millimetre thickness, using this as improvedcathode windows. But the most up-to-datewindow material seems to be beryllium, whichis invula !rabic , arid chemically more resistantthan platinum. The immense tubes in thenew Kaiser -Wilhelm Institute of Physics atBerlin-Dahlem, said to propagate the speediestpossible cathode -rays, seem to be providedwith such windows.

The electrons are thrust out of the mostup-to-date tubes at speeds approaching thatof light itself. But do they fly far enough toform an ionised cable of air ? That is thedecisive question. Since the electrons can bediverted by magnets, the beams of electronsmight also be concentrated by powerfulmagnets-there is such a magnet in aLeningrad Institute, capable of attracting amass of iron weighing 150 tons. Everything,therefore, depends upon the range. But evenif it is doubtful whether the cathode -rays alonecan achieve a radius of atmospheric ionisationcapable of being put to military uses, it isnone the less important to investigate all theirpossibilities. Many kinds of rays, which ofthemselves promise no results when directedto perform a certain task, might have theirfull effect when used in combination withothers. Thus, every chapter on the militaryuse of rays which must conclude to -day witha query mark is just as important as thosewhich already guarantee certain possibilities.

The Proton CannonThe note of interrogation which was used

in speaking of the range of electrons is stillmore definite in the case of the short-livedpositive electric atoms, the protons, which arealso propagated in the cathode tube. Theypossess a hundredth of the speed of theelectrons. One of the most popular of modern

scientific charlatans, the Polish engineerDunikovski, broached the question of thepower of these protons in his revelations to theworld press, with the result that, even in highmilitary circles among the Great Powers,interest in his work was aroused. In hisinterviews badly -digested facts are so cleverlyassociated with the wish dreams certainquarters would be only too glad to welcome asfacts, that these people were snared againsttheir will by the clever " bird -catcher.'

Under the title " Death -rays Which DestroyEnemy Armies and Squadrons of 'Planes,"the world press published a Havas report onFebruary zoth, 1935, which contained thefollowing example of a Dunikovski interview :

" I have already used the radiations ofatoms in order to send an electric current ofhighest voltage into the atmosphere. Thedeath ray, of which so much has beenheard in England, but which up to now couldnever be generated, has thus, as far as Iknow, become a fact. I have observed thata high-tension electric current cannotpenetrate the atmosphere. It is hindered, ifnot neutralized, by light. The rays of myprotons enable the current to surmount theboundaries of the infra -red rays and, carriedby these, the high -voltage current canspread with the speed of light.

" My apparatus could also be of advantagein wireless telegraphy, or could be used forelectric transmission of power. But, in thiscase, the invisible line traversed by thecurrent would be just as enormouslydangerous as a non -insulated cable with atension of 20,000 volts. An airplane flyingthrough this invisible line would go up inflames like a lighted match. The crew woulddie instantaneously. For this reason, myinvention could, first and foremost, be usedas a mighty weapon of defence. The powerthat holds it would be invincible and un-assailable. Every enemy air -fleet would be

invisible line, every army would bedestroyed by the completely invisible andinaudible projectiles directed against them."In this vainglorious interview, Dunikovski

speaks of a current of 20,000 volts, and is thushopelessly left behind. Even if a favourablecombination of rays should give a loneinventor the advantage to partly cope with thesuperiority of the gigantic apparatus in the biglaboratories of the Great Powers his advantageis never likely to be so great that he couldachieve any success in this domain with protonsaccelerated by a tension of 20,000 volts.

The Carrying WaveIn the oscillations of the electro-magnetic

ultra -short waves we obtain energy whichcan easily be focused by means of largereflectors and, thus concentrated, can bepropelled through the air for long distances.But with the wavelengths under four metres,

A suggested method of supplying high tension current through the air. Towers areerected on mountain summits, and captive balloons are used for carrying the radiating

aerials still higher.


" An aeroplane flying through this invisible raj) would go up in flames like a lighted match."

which come into question fpr this purpose,the propagation of quantities of energy ex-ceeding a few watts is extremely difficult.

Nicola Tesla also seems to have con-centrated his attention on the same problem.This can be concluded, in addition to otherreports, from a sensational patch of newsitems in American papers during summer,1934. These news seemed to be based onviews given by Tesla himself, or of someonein his confidence, and which have beenexaggerated and sensationalised by the press.The items were then copied by the Europeanpress in the same style. Thus, the officialgovernment organ of a European powerreports, on July 12th, 1934 :

" New York.'-Nicola Tesla, the well-known discoverer of the so-called Tesla

currents, made the sensational announce-ment in an interview that he had inventeda new apparatus with which he could relaya new kind of energised ray which would beable to force down aeroplanes at a distanceof about 18o miles. The same rays canalso be used to destroy human life. Inhis opinion, these discoveries should makefuture wars impossible."Of course, Nicola Tesla expressed this

opinion many years ago in a patent applica-tion. But, meanwhile, he had long sincerevised it and declared that wars would neverbe prevented by new war inventions, butonly by the general human progress. Anotherguess appearing- in some papers was equallyunauthorised. They declared that NicolaTesla intended to submit his invention to the

Disarmament Conference at Geneva. ButNicola Tesla did not believe in the value ofthe Geneva institutions. When Andre wCarnegie, in the year 1912, made propagandafor a kind of League of Nations, Nicola Teslaanswered him that such leagues could notprevent wars, but were only a means ofdelivering the weak into the hands of thestrong. Nicola Tesla saw a guarantee. ofpeace not in the union of diplomats, butin the unity of the peoples :

" Peace can only come as a naturalconsequence of universal enlightenmentand the amalgamation of races, and we arestill far from this happy state of things."Thus, already the faulty intellectual con-

struction suffices to prove that the interviewswere not genuine or were, at least, inter-polated. What Tesla never doubted-andthat is the real core of the whole story-isthe possibility of despatching a flickeringbeam of high tension through an atmosphereionised by a combination of rays, as soon asthe technical possibilities could be suf-ficiently increased.

The Silent DeathCan this cable made of air really be so

exactly compared with the cables of copper oraluminium on the steel towers for overlandpower transmission ? It seems far more likelythat the space, ionised along the way of thefocused beam, will resemble a gigantic longcathode-ray valve, in which air will tremblein violet brilliance. May it be directedtowards the skies and, whilst sparking intospace, attacking warplanes, or may it beturned to strike downwards to the earth,blowing up munition depots, striking menand war machines-always it will fizzle andglow like St. Elmo's Fire, or strikeshatteringly like a flash of lightning.

Notes and -NewsThe " Singing Propeller"THE problem of the " singing propeller "

has been solved by Professor W. Kerr,of the Royal Technical College, Glasgow.This phenomenon was reported in a shipfrom the United States, the first of its classbuilt for Britain. He discovered that theblade edges had a slight streamlining, andwhen this was rectified the " singing "stopped.

U.S. Tanker Speed-upACCORDING to a recent announcement

by the U.S. Navy Department " assem-bly line " shipbuilding- has advanced a stagefarther in the United States. At one ship-yard one tanker and three-quarters of asecond tanker were being built on the sameslipway at the same time. The new tankers,of a secret type, are to be launched bow first.As fast as one ship is launched the partly -completed second tanker slides down a bitfarther and its pre -fabricated bow is weldedon. In the space vacated work starts on athird tanker.

Amphibian TanksNEW three -and -a -half ton tanks that can

cross rivers are the latest addition toBritain's mechanical armament. Thesemachines, which weigh three -and -a -half tonswithout the men inside, were recently demon-strated to War Office officials and officers ofmechanised units at a Royal Engineers' schoolin the north. They are really Bren-guncarriers that can plunge into miver, cross tothe other side, crawl up the bank, and gostraight into action against enemy tanks.

Rivet -Driving RecordTT is reported that while working on a

U.S. destroyer at Bath, Maine, a teamof four men drove 1,768 rivets in an eight -hour shift, beating the world's record set upby Carl Simmons, whose team drove 1,456rivets in a shift at Los Angeles.

Worked with EdisonMR. CHARLES BRADBURN, who was

associated with Edison, died recentlyat Tillsonburg, Canada, aged 74. He wascredited with the invention of the blocksystem of railway signalling.

A good line up. Young airmen cadets standing to attention in front of their trainingaircraft during a recent inspection at Randolph Field, Texas. About 200 aeroplanes

were lined up for this review.

September, ;1942 . NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS 3 4 ?

A

The Possibilities of Cheap Power

SPRINGTIDE ATFULLMOON

SMALLEST 7713E5 OCCURWHEN SUN E. MOON ARE ATRIGHT ANGLES TO THE EARTH

SPRING, TIDEAT

NEW MOON

Diagrams indicating the rise and fall of the waters of therotating Earth due to the pull of the Moon and Sun. Thelargest, or spring, tides occur when Sun, Moon and Earth arein line, and the smallest, or neap, tides, when Sun and Moon

are at right angles.

FOR some time there has been a strenuousattempt in England to develop a schemefor the manufacture, or more properly

the generation, of electricity by means of tidalpower. " Here we are," say the would-bedirectors, " living on a little sea-girt island,"which sounds very poetical but Which, infact, ought to form the basis of a good solidbusiness at a time when coal prices are soaring,and fuel rationing is an order of the day.

The problem of obtaining power from thesea has been tackled in many ways; all workreasonably well but none are capable ofapplication without the expenditure of hugesums of money. The earliest of all schemeswas put forward, I believe, about a centuryago when it was suggested that enormouscylinders could be fastened round the coast,so arranged that the waves which dashedagainst them would drive a piston which, inturn, could be geared to some form of pumpingmachinery, or even, in later years, to adynamo.

In effect, this amounted to using, partly thekinetic energy of the waves which struck themoving piston a blow and transferred to itsome of their own energy, and partly amethod of using the weight of the water whichdashed up to fall again into this queer cylinder.The next method, similar from the technicalaspect, consisted of the use of a raft whichwas allowed to float on the surface of thewaves and to transfer the rippling action bymeans of gears to the inevitable dynamo.Not only did the raft ripple like a flag in theprocess, but it rose as a whole so that as thetide lifted the weight, the raft could also beused in its fall to provide power.

Subject of Topical InterestBy Professor A. M. LOW

These designs, al-though ingenious, werenot generally success-ful for a reason which ispainfully easy to find.They need a great dealof money, they occupya great deal of space,and worst of all they areintermittent in theiraction so that the powermust be stored duringthe "dead" periods.Another unpleasant diffi-culty which so manydesigners prefer not toface, is that the use ofcranks and levers whenexposed to sea -water isextraordinarily utunech-anical, lays itself open towear, and wastes mostof the hard -gained poweras friction.

Storing EnergyUnfortunately, science

has not yet taught ushow to store energy inan economical manner,when this energy is inthe form of heat or elec-tricity. Coal, petrol andoil are stored energy,but in a chemical state,so that when we requireto use them as a sourceof power they are turnedfirst into heat and thenwe allow this heat todrive an internal-com-

bustion engine or to raise steam in a boiler.But heat itself, such as comes from the sun,or electricity which could be made spasmodi-cally by tidal rafts, cannot be kept in con-densers or anything so simple. It must beturned back again chemically into energy bymeans of an accumulator, and then releasedwith more chemical changes, more expense,more loss and general inconvenience. This,is, of course, why windmills or turbines arenot more universally used.

There is another tidal power plant whichhas been put into operation in a number ofplaces, and which has the basis of real prac-tical value. It is to allow the tide as it risesto fill a huge basin, usually artificially made bydamming some section of a river. On thefall of the tide the water in the basin isallowed to run back again to the sea throughsome form of hydraulic turbine.

By allowing the reservoir, which costsnothing to fill, to discharge so slowly that thereis power available during low tide periods,or by pumping up a certain amount of waterto a secondary reservoir, this plan can beused with great success. It is economicallyimpracticable other than in a very few districtswhere the distance between high and lowtide is great and where the natural geologicalformation exists to permit of building thehydraulic accumulators on a huge scale.

Sunken Shaft IdeaThere are also other methods of obtain-

ing so-called natural power, and theyare rather more practicable than those whichclaim to store lightning ! I am thinking ofthe differences in temperature which mean asource of power between sea level and deepsea. This is more practicable than thedifference of electric potential, which has alsobeen investigated, between the lower andupper strata of the air. Temperature differ-ences have been considered more than oncein the world's search for cheap power, and atthe moment investigation is being made intothe idea that a very deep shaft might be sunkinto the earth down which water could bepumped and raised again as steam. Thedifficulty is that of conductivity. Althoughunderground rocks may be hot, they do notconduct heat very well, so that unless theboiler chamber was very large its surfacemight be cooled without external heat beingable to penetrate where needed.

Shafts of this type might need to be severalmiles deep, and at high temperatures it isdifficult to see how any human agency could,with our present knowledge, construct thesevast underground caverns.Cheap Fuel

I have mentioned the words " cheap fuel."I do not wish to discuss the troubles which

An early scheme .for utilising the power of the waves along the coast.


are being faced throughout the world, butwe have to deal in our country with the fuelproblem for motor -cars. Some people aresuggesting the use of gas in balloons, but asit requires about 265 cubic feet to replaceone gallon of petrol we find that our balloonsdo not give us more than a few miles' motoring,although they are of unconscionable size anddepressing appearance.

Compression cylinders of gas would be farmore effective, but England, alas, has nohigh -compression gas grid, so that except fora few fortunate county councils or largeengineering works the provision of cylindersseems mildly unpromising.

DifficultiesWe cannot mix paraffin with our fuel

because it is wanted elsewhere-butane incylinders is difficult to purchase, and even ifwe foolishly defied the law we should findparaffin to be a difficult fuel in the ordinarycar on account of the fact that it only vaporised

cleanly within a narrow limit of temperatureand pressure. It is liable to deposit materialin our cylinders which is so hard that wewish we had stayed at home.

To mix alcohol with petrol or benzole ispossible, but although it gives a cool engineit really needs a higher compression ratio if itis to be economical, and in any case it is of littleuse to discuss it, for the sale of alcohol of anindustrial type is only permitted at certainhours, and the alcohol which is usually mixedwith water for quite a different purpose wouldbe hopelessly expensive. We cannot even mixwater with our petrol, although up to 5 percent. is quite satisfactory if the mixing ismade by means of a colloidal mill. Thestandard grade of pool petrol which issupplied to -day is of such a nature that itsburning' is very quick indeed. As a naturalresult our engines must run fast and as theyhave relatively low compression it is difficultfor them to do so if they are to maintain anyreasonable degree of volumetric efficiency.

Decomposing WaterThe papers are full of suggestions from

people who want to decompose water bymeans of electricity and to use the hydrogenwhich results, but as they always finish theirletters by saying that electricity could com-fortably be obtained. from the car -lightingdynamo, one can only reply by pointing outthat the problem of perpetual motion has notyet been solved.

Electricity from photo -electric cells, thermo-couples and sun -operated boilers is not verypracticable. The sun does not always shine,and maintenance costs or convenience makethese cunning schemes look small in the faceof the niost modest internal-combustionengine. Convenient power is important aswell as thermal efficiency, even though everymotor -car tacitly refuses to acknowledge thisfact by using a motor which has no startingtorque. A subject highly suggestive ofpetrol -steam turbines, power by radio andother happy dreams of the future.

The World of AviationRommel's Storch

Rommel's StorchSOME interesting points have come to

hand concerning the Fieseler Storchmonoplane, which was recently shot downin the desert. The 'plane, which is verysimilar to our Lysander, is not a fighter, andapparently is only used as an " air taxi " forhigh officers in the German army. Fitted witha 240 h.p. engine, the machine can take offand land on a piece of ground about 5oyds.in length, and when in the air it can cruisearound at a speed as low as 3o m.p.h. withoutstalling. Special slots in the leading edge ofthe wing reduce the stalling speed.

The "Hell -diversTT was recently announced in Ottawa that

the Fairchild aircraft works, near Mon-treal, are to build the new Curtiss-Wrightdive -bombers, known as the " Hell -divers."They are two-seater monoplanes, and aredesigned for land or carrier -based operations.

The Grumman TBF1THE latest American torpedo bomber on

active service is the Grumman TBFr(the Avenger r), which was in action duringthe Midway battle, when it scored successesagainst Japanese warships. It has a short,stumpy fuselage, and the raised cockpitenclosure accommodates a crew of three-thepilot, radio -operator under gunner, and atop rear -gunner in a " bubble " turret. Theaircraft carries a 2tin. torpedo inside thefuselage, enclosed behind bomb doors underthe mid -wing. Alternately, a bomb load ofone ton can be carried. Fitted with a 1,600 h.p.Wright Double -row Cyclone engine, theGrumrnan'has a top speed of 270 m.p.h., anda range of 1,40o miles at 215 m.p.h. Theaircraft has a length of approximately 34ft.and a span of 46ft.

Mauritius Fighter-bomberSquadron

THE newly named " Mauritius " Squadronof Fighter Command, formed early this

year, carried out its first offensive operationfrom its base in South England 25 dayslater and followed up with 19 more raidsover enemy territory within a month-aremarkable record for a new squadron.

The Grumman TBF1 : Empire Central Flying SchoolThis fighter-bomber squadron has played

a large part in the R.A.F.'s non-stop daylightoffensive on the Western Front, on manyoccasions being the " sting in the nose " offighter sweeps carried out by hundreds ofaircraft. Targets have included industrialplants working for the enemy, docks, shipping,railways and airfields. Its most spectacularachievement so far was the bombing of aFrench shell -turning factory working for theGermans. Eight Hurricane bombers divedfrom 7,000 to r,000ft. at 35o m.p.h., andbombs were planted right on the factory,which was extensively damaged.

Empire Central Flying SchoolREPEAT doses of the thousand -a -night

bomber raids and the big day fightersweeps, mean large-scale production of aircrews, and an added strain and responsibilityfor those " back room boys " of the R.A.F.

-the flying instructors of Flying TrainingCoMmand.

New types of aircraft and new crewsinvolve the inevitable development of newtraining ideas. Instructional technique darenot lag behind. One sign of the times hasbeen the development of the Central FlyingSchool-the world's .most famous FlyingSchool-into an Empire Central FlyingSchool. Here experienced flying instructorsfrom all parts of the Empire now go for anadvanced course to pool ideas, and to learnas much as possible operationalrequirements.

These graduates of E.C.F.S. will spreadtheir teaching to the Flying Instructors'Schools, which will in their turn pass it onto the various training schools in FlyingTraining Command. Here, indeed, is a flyinginstructors' " brains trust " to guarantee thatthe quality, as well as the quantity, of Britain'sair crews of to -morrow shall be maintained.

The crew of a U.S. army Flying Fortress bomber studying their maps before takin;off on a raid over enemy territory in the Pacific war area.


The Trend of TurbineDevelopment

FEW engineers need reminding of thefact that the turbine is fundamentallythe oldest of all steam engine types.

The somewhat enigmatical Hero of Alex-andria, who lived in the third century Lc.,is usually considered to have originated theworld's first turbine engine when he describedhis famous " " or whirling sphere,which comprised a hollow metal ball pivotedbetween two steam pipes projecting from aboiler, and which revolved rapidly on its ownaids in virtue of the reactionary force of thesteam escaping from two oppositely placedjets.

But very probably this semi -mysteriousAlexandrian savant copied the idea of hiswhirling ball from some much older source,for it is noteworthy that, in his writings, Herodoes not actually claim the device as his owninvention.

Between Hero's description of this crudesteam -power device and the next applicationof a similar principle came a period ofsome 17 centuries, for it was not until thenew spirit of scientific and mechanicalinquiry which took firm root at the beginningof the seventeenth century that the possi-bility of employing steam power began tobe mooted.

In 5629, one Giovanni Branca, an Italianarchitect and engineer, published, at Rome, abook descriptive of various mecfianisms,which he alleged he had either invented orcollated from diverse sources. In this bookBranca has an illustration showing amechanism which is operated by means of asteam jet impinging upon vanes set on theperiphery of a wheel. Branca, in his book,depicts his device as being used for poundingdrugs and minerals. Yet it is doubtful whetherGiovanni Branca ever constructed, let aloneinvented, this particular power device which,dearly, implied another stage of turbinedevelopment.

Kempelen's InventionThe reciprocating or " piston -and -cylinder "

steam engine was introduced in the eighteenthcentury; and the world of mechanics seems tohave been so taken up with this type of primemover that it overlooked the importance andsignificince of steam escaping from a jet ornozzle with a high velocity. One of the fewmechanics who did devote a little time to theidea of turning a wheel by means of a jet ofstem was Baron von Kempelen, a ' Hun-garian, who is nowadays best known as theconstructor of an automaton chess player.KettIpelen patented his idea in 1784. Thefamous chemical investigator, Dr. Joseph

' Priestley, became interested in Kempelen'sidea, so much so that he made the

The March of Ideas which has Led to theModern Ultra -efficient, High-speed Turbine

The world's firstturbine -equippedvessel, the " l'ur-binia," built in 1887.

announcement that it Kempelen's claimscould be substantiated. Watt's steam enginewould be driven out of the field.

James Watt, who claimed (most unjustly)an absolute monopoly of steam power, be-came alarmed at Kempelen's invention. Hedid his best to ferret out the details of thesteam -jet engine, and even endeavoured toprove its uselessness. Fortunately for Watt,Kempelen had other interests, and he allowedhis crude turbine engine to lapse intoobscurity.

Richard Trevithick, the Cornish engineerand steam locomotive pioneer, toyed with thenotion of driving a vaned wheel by means ofa powerful steam jet. But Trevithick was toofull of other novel ideas to settle down to thedevelopment of this solitary notion. He, too,let the matter lapse in consequence of morepressing pursuits.

First " Compound " TurbinePerhaps the first practical and determined

attempt to design a steam turbine was thatcarried out by an engineer named Gilman,in 1837. This inventor used the same vanedwheel principle which was put forward byGiovanni Branca in 1629, but instead ofattempting to extract all the available energyfrom the steam by means of a single -vanedwheel, he employed a number of such wheels.The steam, after being partially expandedand after imparting a portion of its energy tothe first wheel, passed on to succeeding wheelsuntil all the available energy had beenabstracted from the steam. Gilman's inven-tion clearly constituted the world's pioneer" compound " turbine.

After Gilman came James Pilbrow, who, in1843, made a turbine in which a portion ofthe steam's energy was abstracted by a firstimpulse wheel, after which the steam wasturned back by a fixed blade to strike againin the same direction the next impulse wheel,and so on. By having a number of these im-pulse wheels, Pilbrow managed to build up apracticable turbine. This inventor, indeed.seems to have been the most enthusiasticof all the early turbine devotees. He was thefirst man to appreciate the importance of steamexpanding from a jet with high velocity.

Contemporaneously with James Pilbrow,Robert Wilson, another practical engineer,worked on the same problem. Wilson, in1848, patented a turbine engine which wassimilar to that of Pilbrow. In the Wilsonengine, however, the blades were fixed to thesides of the impulse wheel in concentricallycircular rows, and the steam flowed from thecentre of the wheel to the periphery as itexpanded, being deflected .after passing eachrow of moving blades by means of a row ofblades fixed to the casing of the steam cham-ber.

The turbines of James Pilbrow and Robertto command practical

success in consequence of their lack ofworking efficiency, coupled with their un-reliability, and, although in the ensuingdecades several inventors gave their attentionsto the subject of the steam turbine or rotaryengine it was not until the Hon. CharlesAlgernon Parsons (1854-1931) devoted him-self to the task that the problem of the prac-ticable turbine really became satisfactorilysolved.

The Parsons TurbineWhen, in the year i88o, Parsons was still a

student at the famous Armstrongs' Works atElswick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he becameinterested in the notion of deriving powerfrom the kinetic energy of an expanding gas.His first idea was to drive a sea -going vesselby means of a jet of compressed air impingingupon the vanes of a propeller. Followingthis, he conceived the notion of his now

The first Parsons turbine. Built in 1884, it developed to b.h.p. at ',Soo r.p.m.:and is here shown directly coupled to a bi-polar dynamo of the period.


famous steam turbine upon which he beganwork in 1884.

Parsons has concentrated the early historyof his turbine into a comparatively few words :

" In commencing to work on the steamturbine in 1884, it became clear to me that,in view of the fact that the laws of theflow of steam through orifices under smalldifferences of head were known to corre-spond closely with those for the flow ofwater, and that the efficiency of waterturbines was known to be from seventyto eighty, per cent., the safest course tofollow was to adopt the water turbine asthe basis of design for the steam turbine.In other words, it seemed to me to bereasonable to suppose that if the total dropof pressure in a steam turbine were to bedivided up into a large number of smallstages and an elemental turbine like a waterturbine were placed at each stage then eachindividual turbine of the series ought togive an efficiency similar to that of thewater turbine, and that a high efficiencyfor the whole aggregate turbine wouldresult; further, that only a moderate speedof revolution would be necessary to reachthe maximum efficiency.Previous inventors, such as James Pilbrow,

had realised that an impulse turbine couldonly reach maximum efficiency when itsimpulse wheel revolved at approximatelyone half of the velocity of the steam. Butsince this condition usually made it necessaryto have the impulse wheel revolving with aspeed of about 3,000 r.p.m. the practicaldifficulties in Pilbrow's time connected withthe utilisation of a rotational velocity of thisfigure rendered the earlier turbines quiteimpracticable.

Parsons, however, proposed to run histurbine at a considerably lower speed thanone half of the velocity of the expandingsteam. He constructed a ring of bladesfixed on to a rotor which revolved within astationary cylinder or casing; from the innersides of which projected inwards rows ofblades alternating with the blades of therotor. Several series of blades were mountedon the one shaft and corresponding bladeswere provided on the casing of the engine.Steam flowed into the turbine " cylinder ' ina direction parallel to the central shaft oraxis. It expanded against the first set ofturbine blades, the exhaust from these bladesbeing then allowed to expand against thesecond set of blades, and so on until the steamfinally escaped from the casing. The pressuredrop between each series of vanes was onlysmall. Consequently, a constant pressureor thrust was maintained through the series,the flow of steam being continuous throughoutthe turbine.

The coming of the commercial dynamo inthe '8os of the last century gave Parsons theright opportunity for utilising his turbine,since a dynamo requires to be run continuallyat a high speed. The newly introduceddynamo of the '8os demanded a rotationalspeed of about 1,zoo r.p.m. This was a veryhigh velocity for an ordinary reciprocatingengine, but with the Parsons turbine a speedof more than to,000 r.p.m. was normallyattained, which velocity was far in excess ofthe requirements of the dynamo.

First Turbo -electric PlantTo get over this difficulty, Parsons designed

a new electrical generator capable of beingoperated at higher speeds, and, coupling thisto his turbine, he produced the world's firstturbo -electric generating plant in 1884. Thegenerator developed approximately 7.5 kilo-watts at too volts, and at a speed of 18,000r.p.m.

In 1888, the Parsons turbine was firstinstalled in a public power station, that ofthe Newcastle and District Electric LightingCompany.

Parsons was not entirely alone in the fas-cinating field of turbine invention and design.Another celebrated pioneer was Carl GustafPatrik de Laval (1845-1913), a Frenchman.De Laval was originally interested in theconstruction of a separator for removingcream from milk. Faced with the necessityof getting a high speed of rotation for his

Hero -s " ceolipile." The first recorded ,tent:engine in history.

cream -separator blades, De Laval conceivedthe notion of employing a steam jet impingingupon a vaned wheel.

De Laval's Impulse TurbineFrom these beginnings De Laval gradually

built up a type of impulse turbine in which,by means of a specially designed nozzle, thesteam velocity was made to attain the rateof nearly a mile a second. No wheel couldbe revolved at anything like this enormousvelocity without flying to pieces. -However,

A reproduction from Branca's book published in1629, showing his notion of a crude turbine

engine.

by a special design, De Laval toned down hisimpulse turbine until he was able to get itswheel to revolve with a, peripheral or edgevelocity approaching the speed of a riflebullet. At this velocity, perfect balancing ofthe engine parts was essential. Yet, ordi-narily speaking, this was found to be im-possible. De Laval solved this-his greatest-problem of balancing by dint of fixing hisimpulse wheel in the middle of a long flexible

- shaft, one end of which is fixed within a plainbearing, the other end being carried in aspherically mounted bearing. At full speedthe wheel determines its own rotational axisas does an ordinary spinning top.

The speed of the De Laval turbine was faxin excess of all commercial requirements.The inventor, therefore, had invariably togear the turbine down in the ratio of to :by means of helical gears. Thus geared, theturbine was suitable for dynamo driving.

The De Laval turbine still persists, andto -day it constitutes perhaps the best-knownof the smaller powered turbines. Since itsoriginal invention, many modifications, im-provements and refinements have beeneffected to the turbine, yet basically itremains very much the same in principle asthe original invention' of De Laval. Theefficiency ratio of a De Laval turbine rangesfrom about 35 per cent, in the smaller sizesup to about 6o per cent. in the larger engines.

Auguste RateauAnother type of practical turbine is the

invention of Auguste Rateau (1863-1930),who was also a Frenchman. Rateau spentmuch of his life as an engineering teacher andinstructor. Ho took up the turbine in 1896and patented several improvements on it inthe ensuing couple'of years. The first Rateauturbine was built in 1898, and first came intoengineering prominence when it was exhibitedat the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900.Essentially, the Rateau turbine comprises oneof the pressure -compounded impulse type.At each stage of the turbine system Rateauhas a set of fixed jets through which thesteam is expanded, and with each set of thesejets there is provided an impulse wheel whichabsorbs the 'kinetic energy or energy ofmotion of the expanding steam. 'By expand-ing the steam in stages, the 'speed of theturbine is such as corresponds to the pressuredrop in the steam at each expansion stage.Hence, the turbine revolves at a slowerspeed than the De Laval turbine.

The mechanical construction of the Rateauturbine is considerably complicated, butit has been taken up in many countries.

Ljungstrom TurbineA further type of turbine is that due to

Birger Ljungstrom, a Swedish engineer, whowas first attracted to the subject of turbinesby seeing a De Laval turbine in operation.During an illness which occurred in 1906,Ljungstrom was obliged to give up all activeengineering work for a period. During thistime he evolved a number of novel ideasconcerning turbine construction which heconvinced himself were all of practicalattainment.

After one year of experimental work,Ljungstrom developed his own turbine design,his first British patent being taken out in1907, and in the following year (1908) thisinventor succeeded in floating a company forthe manufacture of his new engines.

At the beginning of 1910 the first Ljung-strom turbine was completed. It developed50o horse -power, had an efficiency of 68 percent., and ran at a normal speed of 3,000 r.p.m.

The Ljungstrom turbine, which is a highlycomplicated machine, operates on the " com-pound " principle, energy being given up tothe main shaft in a series of successive stages.Yet,. apart from the period of the Great War,this turbine has been manufactured in severalcountries, and has been regarded by manyexperts as a turbine of probably the mostadvanced of practical designs.

The possibilities of the steam turbine Areby no means ended. In some respects this,the oldest of steam -power devices, is evenyounger than the reciprocating or " piston-and-cylindei " steam engine. The presentwar will, of necessity, hold up further turbinedesign for many years.


Our Busy InventorsGumming ApplianceTHE salvage of paper at the present

juncture is a stem necessity. One widelyprevalent method is the utilisation of usedenvelopes by means of a gummed strip. Thispractice makes apposite the advent of animproved appliance for printing and moisten-ing or gumming paper strips, for which apatent has been applied in this country.

This appliance includes two parts. Thereis a trough -like lower part which carries theaxle for the paper roll, the counter printingroller and the moistening or gumming roller;and there is a bridge -like upper part whichcarries a guide for the paper strip, the printingroller, the knife for cutting the strips and acounter roller for the moistening or gummingroller.

This, it is maintained, is an improvementupon existing methods which are stated to becumbersome, so that there cannot be obtainedrapidly and simply a ready moistened andprinted slip for packing purposes. In thenew invention it is asserted that the automaticfinishing of the strips is rendered possible bya simple manipulation.

Cigarette SalvageIN pre-war times it used to be said that a

fortune was made from the mustard weleft on our plates. The waste of the goldencondiment proved to be a gold mine for themanufacturer.

A similar waste has occurred in connectionwith cigarettes. A " down and out " whohaunted the portals of institutions in whichsmoking was prohibited could easily fill hispipe or roll his cigarettes by salvaging themore than "fag ends " thrown away.

Those smokers who are not guilty of thisextravagance may snuff their cigarettesbetween the thumb and the forefinger ; butthis method of preserving the cigarette is nota very satisfactory one.

To prevent the waste in question an inventorhas conceived a device for extinguishing andpreserving a partially smoked cigarette. Thedevice comprises a cigarette holder and acylindrical casing for containing the same.The holder forms a push fit in the casing, onto the open end of which a cap fits.

In use the cigarette, while still alight, isinserted in the casing. And as the latterwhen closed by means of the cap is airtight,the cigarette is quickly extinguished andavailable for relighting.

A clip is provided for securing the deviceto the pocket.

Cork Tip with Firm GripANOTHER recent invention concerning

the cigarette relates to cork tips.The cork tip consists of a very thin layer of

cork which has a paper backing. The tip isattached to the cigarette by an adhesiveapplied to this paper.

It is pointed out by an inventor that, owingto the surface of the backing being smoothand, in some cases, slightly glazed, difficultyis experienced in securing the proper cohesionbetween the paper on the cork and that of thecigarette.

He further remarks that the tipping;material is in the form of rolls, which containa considerable length of the material. But if itbe found that the tip, after application, doesnot firmly adhere, it is customary to scrapthe whole of the particular roll being used.As a consequence, obviously this causeswaste.

To prevent such a disadvantage, the inventorin question has applied for a patent for a corktip which is formed from a paper -backed

By "Dynamo"strip of cork having its outer surfaceroughened. This method provides a key forthe adhesive.

An Odourless FirelighterTO facilitate domestic fire -lighting various

kinds of firelighters are used, but someof them have an unpleasant odour.

The information on this page is speciallysupplied to " Practical Mechanics " byMessrs. Hughes & Young, Patent Agents, of7, Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, London,W.C.2, viho will be pleased to Send free toreaders mentioning this paper a copy of theirhandbook, " How to Patent an Invention."

An inventor points out that a number ofthese firelighters are produced by theimpregnation of wood waste or other materialwith melted or dissolved naphthaline. Thesefirelighters make manifest the great volatilityof naphthaline, which emits a strong anddisagreeable odour. And during storagethere occurs a continual diminution of theefficacy of the firelighters.

This inventor has devised a firelighterconsisting of wood waste and naphthaline.He incorporates with the naphthaline amaterial which is stated to stabilise it againstvolatilisation.

Showing Dr. y. C. Patrick, a Kansas. Citychemist, who is credited with the discovery of" Thiokol," a rubber substitute which mayhelp through the "duration,"and might eventuallysupplant natural rubber. This tyre is retreadedwith " Thiokol," and has run 4,000 miles.

Pneumatic RazorTT is asserted that the practice of shaving

in the bath has increased lately to aconsiderable extent. There is at least onedrawback associated with this custom. Ifone drops the razor, it sinks beneath the soapywater and is not easy to recover.

To guard against this contingency therehas been designed a safety razor especiallyfor use in the bath. If dropped in the water,it will float.

This razor has a hollow handle formed of aresilient or elastic material capable of beinginflated in order to enable the complete razorto float.

Razor SharpenerTN these days safety -razor blades ..se" becoming scarcer. An easily availableeffective means of sharpening old ones, at thepresent juncture, would certainly he a boonto many men.

Among the recent applications for patentsin this country is one relating to an apparatusfor putting an edge upon a large number ofsafety -razor blades simultaneously.

The blades are engaged by spindles andcaused to move through a circular pathbetween two sets of hones by means of amovable supporting plate, to which anoscillatory movement is imparted by a crankor eccentric mechanism.

Tongs for BombsTHE incendiary bomb is again the subject

of an invention for which a patent inthis country has been applied. This time itis an improved means of quickly picking upand depositing the fiery projectile in a saleplace.

The contrivance has a long handle, at oneend of which are two pairs of jaws, one ofwhich is practically at right angles to theother pair. The operator is enabled by theconstruction to bring the jaws togetherso as to grip the bomb between one or theother of the two pairs of jaws according tothe position and accessibility of the bomb.And the dangerous missile can then berapidly and conveniently transported to a

place where it will be harmless.

Well-oiled Hair ClipperAFAMILIAR object in the hairdresser a

saloon is the hair clipper, that Lilliputianlawn mower which quickly cuts the tinyblades of hair on the nape of one's neck.

It appears that this implement requiresconstant lubrication. This, we are told,is necessary because the hair being cutrapidly absorbs the low viscosity oil cus-tomarily used, so that the blades become dryand sticky. Such perpetual lubrication isobjectionable because it entails loss of timeand also owing to the fact that any excess ofoil applied is liable to be imparted to thehead of the customer.

An improved hair clipper is the subject ofan application accepted by the British PatentOffice. The inventor states that this clipperneeds lubricating only at four- or five-dayintervals, and that it will not transfer oil tothe head of the customer.

His idea contemplates a system of oilingwhereby the bearing surfaces between thecomb and cutter blades will he supplied withoil in such a manner that ill flow is from asupply source across the bearing surfacestoward the teeth. With this system the cuthair absorbs only that oil which has passedbetween these surfaces which it keeps clean,as the spread of the oil is toward the teeth.

354 September, 1842 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICSNEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS September, 1942

(Above) An instructor explaining the working of the Momsen " lung " beforethe men take their turn in the water bell. (Below) Final adjustments before

going down in the water bell.

HEN a submarine is reported lost, this does notnecessarily imply that the entire crew is lost.Escape apparatus provided on submarines to -day

is much more efficient than that provided during the lastwar, when few men ever escaped from a sunken submarine.

A number of different devices for saving life in sunkensubmarines have been suggested from time to time, manyof them, however, proving impracticable.

Many of the submarines of the British Navy are providedwith collapsible trunks fitted to special hatches. Theyare stowed ready for instant use, and when required they arepulled open, the compartment is flooded, trapped air in thetrunk is released by the opening of a valve, and the escapehatch is then'opened, allowing a'man to escape to the surface.

Davis Escape ApparatusThis device, designed by R. H. Davis, which was adopted

by the Royal Navy, came into prominence at the time ofthe "pre-war disaster to KM:S.-Poseidon, in the China Sea,when half a dozen men made their escape with the aid ofthe device.

The Davis apparatus consists of a special rubber -and -fabric waistcoat,. fitted with a small cylinder of compressedoxygen that can be released and breathed through a pliabletube, ope end of which is securely held in front of the user'smouth by means of a strap fastened round the, lower partof, the face. The outfit, also includes nose -clips whichclamp over the nostrils of the wearer, and goggles for pro-tecting the eyes. There is also a rubber apron attachedto the front of the apparatus, by means of which the usercan check his rate of ascent through the water.

Operational DetailsTo provide means of escape for trapped crews the latest

types of British submarines have air -locks built into thevessel. These steel chambers have watertight doors whichgive access to adjacent compartrhents in the submarine.

At the bottom of the tank, one manemerges from the water bell andascends to the surface, guided by

a knotted rope.

Controls are arranged so that the locks can be operatedeither floom the interior, or from the outside compartments.The men can make their escape without previously floodingthe locks.

In case of emergency two men would enter the lockswearing Davis apparatus, close the watertight doors, andflood the locks and release the trapped air. When equalisa-tion of pressure has taken place, the men open the upperhatches and, floating through them, make their way to thesurface. The hatches would then be closed, the locksemptied of water, and the next two men to be releasedwobld:then enter the lock and repeat the operations.

. Every rating in the submarine service is taught the use ofthe Davis apparatus. He first receives instruction in thedetails, and working of the apparatus, and has to wear itfrom time to time; on board, to get used to the, breathingarrangements. Then, with the aid of instructors, he istaught how to use the device under emergency conditionsin a large tank, which is provided with air -locks, so as toapproach as near. as possible the conditions of an actualescape from' a submarine.

At one training depot the tank used is of steel, i6ft. indiameter and about the same in depth. At the bottomof the tank is a steel chamber representing a compartmentof ubmarine, the chamber being entered through aw t door in 'the wall of the tank. in case of anem cy, the opening of sluice valves would empty thetank in half.a minute.

The 41 lonasen LungTIt latest escape device for trapped submarine men is

known as the Mcmsen lung. This is similar to the Davisapparatus and is held across the chest of the sailor by strapsaround the body and neck of the wearer.

T he accompanying illustrations show various phases in

355

A description of. the Latest Apparatus forEnabling the Crew Trapped in a Submarine.

to Escape to the Surface.

the training of submarine ratings in the use of the Momsenlung apparatus.

Training in Water TowerFor this purpose a steel tower is used containing 5o ft.

of water, the top platform of the tower being reached by aspiral staircase outside the tower. On arrival at the operat-ing platform the trainees strip, with the exception of bathingslips. The breathing apparatus is then strapped on andadjusted by the instructor. When ready, the instructor,with one or two pupils at a time, step on. to the bottomof a water bell, which is then lowered into the tank. Thisbell, which provides an air -lock, corresponds, to the stib-marine hatch from which the men may. actually- have toescape at some future time. ,

After any necessary final adjustments have been made,the bell and its occupants are slowly lowered to the bottomof the tank. Here the instructor explains how to properly -

emerge from the bell, and then the menescape from the bell and gradually riseto the surface, feeling their way withthe aid of a rope, on which are knots forchecking the rate of ascent. The menmust make their ascent -slowly in orderto maintain pressure. In a case of emerg-ency in an actual submarine, these hand -lineswould be brought to the surface by means ofbuoys which would be released for the purpose.

Having reached the surface from a depthof 5oft., the men release the nose clips andthe breathing apparatus which has providedthem with oxygen while their heads wereunder water. The nose clips prevent themen from sniffing in water.

It will be apparent from a perusal of theillustrations that the men who man our sub-marines have to be tough and cool in anerr erger cy.

The huge steel tower

which forms a watertank soft.'cleep.

(Below) A llavatr a Iing ascending

to the sUrface,.and feeling his. way

.

by means .of the .

guide rope.


THE WORLD OF MODELS

The mountain railway and roadway on Donal Sankey's model railway. The castle at thesummit is entirely modelled in " Pyruma," air-dried to stone -hardness and painted in postercolours. The mountain sides are naturattree-bark. The plywood roadway is Tilunra-eoated

to give a rough stone surface.

Modelling with Fire CementBEST known in the modelling world of

plastic modelling mediums is, Ishould say, Harbutt's plasticine, but

I was glancing through " Sankey Selections,"the house organ, " Plan Ahead "number of Messrs. J. H. Sankeyand Son, Ltd., of London, andI see that their " Pyruma " puttyfire cement has recently comeforward as a remarkable mediumfor models. Originally it wasproduced for making repairs tobroken firebrick linings in fireplaces, stoves, kitchen boilers andso forth, but' its use has beenwidened amazingly of late, andon the special modelling instruc-tion sheet they have producedI see it is now used for reliefmaps, military lecture models,architects' models, surgical models,handicraft and school models, and,more interesting to my readers, nodoubt, for model ships and fur-niture, miniature railway build-ings, and model cottages.

r. Herbert Sankey, head ofthe firm, is a keen model railwayenthusiast, and his son, Donal,evidently follows in father's footsteps. Insome of the photographs reproduced hereare shown what has been accoMplished OnDonal's model railway with the aid ofPyruma, and other simple materials.Realistic Background

The first achievement of father and sonin providing " background " for the railway'sfine scale models, was a mountain fastness,topped by an ancient castle and surroundedby suitable scenery of woodland and meadow.Not content with making it purely rural, theyproceeded to build a mountain railway,rising to the summit, with an alternativemotor road.

Down in the lowlands, too, this enter-prising company of " Sankey and Son " havebeen at work and the result-an old-worldvillage (with manor house, working mill andother interesting buildings, including YeOld Inne) is quite a masterpiece of modelling.The industrial world, too, is not forgotten-one of the illustrations shows a workingmine, and the minehead and adjacent railtracks are very realistic.

" Building " MaterialsNow to the practical side-how is it done ?" Treebark," says Mr. Sankey, " becomes

mountain crag and rock, cupressus twigbecomes mountain pine, while the ubiquitous

The village by the railway, where Pyruma houses, a plywood bridgefaced with Tiluma, natural rocks and Cellophane brook come to life

with surprising realism.

Pyruma produces at will twisted oaken beam,mellow tile, ancient wall or crumbling stone-work." Pieces of real rock are included inthe landscape andcrumpled Cellophanemakes an ideal spark-ling brook.

All the model housesare built of PyrumaPutty Cement, cut ormoulded in sectionswhile plastic and bakedafterwards beforebeing assembled to-gether by "Tiluma,"the non -inflammablejointing cement.another Sankey pro-d u c t, manufacturedin tube form.

The relief map formilitary lectures shownon next page is model -led Pyruma putty overa core of sand under

By "MOTILUS"A New Modelling Medium ...and Details of How an AmateurModel -maker Helps the War

Effort

men, and is painted in natural colours afterhardening, but most interesting to me per-sonally was the masterpiece of a modelledhouse or cottage, particularly if madehollow in sections.

No doubt readers would like to knowexactly how a " hollow model " cottage ismade in Pyruma and Tiluma. First of allyou draw and cut out a stiff paper pattern ofeach section. This will ensure the perfectfitting together of the model itself.

"Hollow" ModellingWork the Pyruma in the hands for a few

moments to improve the plasticity, and thenspread it out on an oven sheet (over whichhas been laid a piece of newspaper which pre-vents the cement sticking to the sheet) toa thickness of about Win. Now place thepaper pattern upon the putty and cut aroundthe outline with a penknife, the blade of

which has been moistened slightlywith water. Remove the pattern,and, copying the drawing or photo-graph, score in the stone workwith your penknife. Windowrecesses may be pressed in bythe use of rectangular wood dies,and the windows stamped intoseries of panes by the square endof a match, or a stick cut toshape. Put the completed sectioninto a slow oven for about 3ominutes, or let it bake on thetop of a heated boiler, hot watertank or before a fire.

To join up the sections withTiluma, both surfaces to be unitedmust be spread thinly and heldtogether in position until theTiluma is set. This setting maybe hastened by baking, or can bedone instantaneously by runningthe flame of a gas burner or blow-lamp up the Tiluma joint. Then,

when all the sections have been firmly joined,reinforce all the joints by applying a layerof Tiluma to the inner angles.

The minehead-a working model. The two cages actually work, and,from the same motor which drives them is the shaft to the bottom of the

mine, which also works the endless cable drawing the little tubs.

September, 1942 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS 357.

Solid Modelling in PyrumaWhere solidity is required in larger scale

work, Pyruma can be built up on any hardcore, such as a wood block, a piece of rock orstone, etc., provided the first layer is plas-tered over the wetted surface of the corechoseri, and is- dried out slowly. Actually,solid modelling in Pyruma is_ confinedmostly to small objects such as ashtrays,inkstands and small scale relief maps. Ifthe solid model cannot be completed at onesitting,- the modeller should either store it ina :cool place and cover with a piece of well -dampened cloth, or, when commencing workagain damp the , hardened Pyruma whenapplying, a. new layer. One of the propertiesof this cement is its strong adhesiveness toany slightly dampened surface, including stone,steel or wood. As a third alternative solidmodels can be completed in definite separatesections, and after hardening the sections canbe joined with Tiluma cement." Baleng" the Model

The " golden rule " to remember, which-ever type of modelling you choose to do inthis plastic cement, is to be sure that yOurPyruma is thoroughly dried out and hardenedinside as well as out, before applying colour.Then you will prevent efflor-escence, or the exuding of a saltpowder, often seen on the surfaceof, some house bricks. " Makeit and bake it "is the best possibleway to treat your Pyruma model,otherwise you should give thematerial a long air -drying in awarm atmosphere or in the sun.If efflorescence shows aftercolouring, it can be removed bya rag slightly moistened withlinseed oil and will probably notoccur again.

In case of any difficulty inobtaining Pyiuma, Messrs. Bassett-Lowke, Ltd., are stocking alimited quantity of this material inrib. tins at 7 Id. and 21b. tins atis., and Tilutna in 70. tubes,postage in each case extra. Ifyou would like to see a modellingsheet, write to the editor. .

Helping the War EffortCommercial models fbr displays

to help the war-Warship weeks,War- Savings weeks, War Weaponsweeks, and so forth-are nowabsolutely " at a premium," andno more will be made until the pipingdays of peace, so it is now up to the

Relief map for military lectures, modelled in Pyruma Putty Cementover a core of sand wider linen. Painted in natural colours afterhardening, it represents a battle -area 3 miles by 4 miles, with all the

features of the landscape:

Example of abuilding modelled by

the hollow" method- inPyruma and Tilitma-" The

Bell Inn," Molesev, famed for 'its ctazywindows and centuries -old oddities inarchitecture. This picture gives a good

idea of the modeller's skill.

amateur model maker to do all he can to and displayed by Mr. Joseph R. L.help in this way. Aldridge, of Chalfont Villa, Totteridge, High

Some readers may remember reading, a Wycombe, Bucks.I have recently heard again

from Mr. Aldridge, and themodel warship shown in the illus-tration here is his latest effort.

A few weeks before last Christ-mas the Commanding Officer ofthe High Wycombe Naval Cadttswrote to Mr. ,Aldridge, askingfor his help. Subsequently hecalled, and the help was definedas a " Todel destroyer." " I askedwhat was he willing to do towardsit," writes Mr. Aldridge, " Wouldhe give site the guns ?" and thereply came ' Yes.' My wife, whowas present, then said, ' I willgive you two.' " So it wassettled, and with this short pre-amble the model maker soon gotdown to his job.

The hull was made from themould of the Queen Mary (whichwas described in the May issue),after alterations, and it is loft. 6in.long, 181 in. beam, and isfitted out with 4.7in. naval guns,Sin. quick -firing guns, twin tubes,A.A. gun and searchlight andall breech - loading equipment,lifeboats with davits of correct

few issues ago, about the fine Quee pattern, and altogether represents a destroyerMary and Queen . Elizabeth models made of 1,640 tons displacement of the Broke

(Campbell class). It was wanted very quickly,and _only about to weeks were spent on itsconstruction.

At -a parade of naval cadets, R.A.F.,W.A.MF., and Old Comrades on February15th, Mr. and Mrs. Aldridge presented theboat and handed the deed of gift to theCommanding Officer. There was a churchservice, and, in company with other " influ-ential people," Mr. Aldridge took the saluteat the march past.

The model collected over L52 for theWarships Week, a fine beginning indeed, andlet us hope it will continue to help otherinstitutions in the same way.

The destroyer modelled by Mr. J. R. L. Aldridge, of High Wycombe, which is being exhibitedfor war charities. "Pounds and Pence are our Defence" is, of course, correct.

NEW EDITION,

PRACTICAL MECHANICSHANDBOOK

(Fourth Edition)

400 pages, 390 i flu- tr a tion

12/6, by post 13/-, fromGEORGE NEWNES, LTD., Tower House

Southampton St. Strand. W.C.2.

NIB

`- 358 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS September, 1942

Odd Jobs in House and Garden

Fig. I.-Using plastic cement for repairing sheback and sides of a fireplace.

AT this time of the year it is a good planto overhaul fire grates, especiallythose that have seen service for

several years. Cracks in the sides or backs ofthe grates may be discovered, and these caneasily be made good with plastic fire cement,which can be purchased at any ironmonger'sshop. Well clean the cracks with a stiffbrush, and apply the cement with an oldtable knife, or a small trowel, as in Fig. t.

Press the cement in firmly, and finish offlevel with the surrounding surface. Wherea large crack has to be made good, smallpieces of broken firebrick can be worked inwith the cement, which can afterwards be" baked off" by lighting a fire.

Laying a Tiled HearthIn cases where a cement hearth is badly

damaged, it can be made good, and modernisedat the same time, by laying a new one of tiles.A hammer and cold chisel will be necessaryfor removing the top layer of the old cementto a depth equal to the thickness of the tilesand cement used to fix them. Along the frontand sides of this space fix an edging of planed

Cement Bed

Screed

Fig. 2.-Using a " screed" for levelling theon a hearth.

hardwood, about tin. wide, and flush withthe floorboards, as shown at A, Fig. 2.Make a " screed," or traversing rule (B)from a piece of wood tin. wide and tin.thick, and notch the ends to a depth slightlyless than the thickness of the tiles.

Before proceeding further the tiles must beat hand. Measure the hearth and after ob-taining sufficient tiles to cover it, lay theouter rows in position to make sure that theyfit the space. Soak the tiles in water for atleast one hour before laying. When ready,

cement bed

6.-Fireplace Repairs, Simple DraughtFurniture Renovating

By "HANDYMAN"mix some Portland cement with water toform a stiff plastic mass. With a brush dippedin water thoroughly damp the surface of theold hearth, spread the cement mixture overit with a trowel, and level it by passing thescreed slowly to and fro (while resting on thewood edging), as shown in Fig. 2.

Lay the tiles, as quickly as possible, fromthe border inwards, as in Fig. 3, and levelthem with the back of the screed. As thetiles are pressed down sufficient cement willwork up in the joints, and any surplus canbe wiped away with a damp rag. Allow atleast 24 hours to set.

A good bedding for tiles that work loose infront of a fireplace can be made with plasterof Paris and whitening in equal quantities.These ingredients must be powdered finelyand well mixed in a dry state ; then mix withwater to a thick cream, and use like Portlandcement.Simple Draught Excluder

During the winter months an unpleasantdraught is often noticeable, coming fromunderneath a door. This calls for somesort of draught excluder; a simple but effectiveone can be made from part of a broom -handle and a piece of thick felt or baize.Cut a piece of broom -handle about zin.shorter than the width of the door betweenthe jambs, and cover it along its entire lengthwith the piece of baize, or felt, as shown inFig. 4. Fix the edges of the material in placewith small flat -headed tacks. In the centre ofeach end of the wooden roller, bore a hole and

screw in two stout round -headedwood -screws (one in each end)till only the plain shank isvisible, as indicated at C. Havingclosed the door, lay the coveredroller on the floor against the

door-on the outside-andcarefully mark the positionsfor two screw -eyes, whichhave to be screwed in sothat the rol-

ler can turneasily when thedoor is openedor closed.

After thescrew -eyeshave been

screwed into the door,remove the screws at theends of the roller, put thisin place, and then insertthe screws again, throughthe eyes. An end view ofthe roller fixed in position isgiven at 1).

Fig. 5.-The .finished draughtexcluder fitted to the bottom

of a door.

Excluder,

The screw shanks will have a certain amountof play in the screw -eyes, and this will allowthe roller to ride easily over the carpet orlinoleum, when the door is opened or closed.Fig. 5 shows the finished draught -excluderfixed to a door.

Furniture RenovatingThere are several furniture renovating

jobs that can easily be undertaken by thehandyman at home. For instance, a table with

fbund-headed Screw

Fig. 4 (Above).-Covering theroller with felt, and detail of one

end.

Fig. 3 (Left).-Laying a newtiled hearth.

a worn and scratched top, andlegs minus a good deal of theoriginal polish. First, clean thetop and legs with warm water, in

which a small piece of soda has been dissolved.Go over it again with clean, warm water, andwhen quite dry rub down the surface with apiece of fine glasspaper. Remove all dust witha clean piece of rag.

Obtain a bottle of French polish, and makea rubber with a pad of wadding wrappedround with a piece of soft linen, as at E (Fig. 6).Sprinkle a little polish on the pad, and rubit over the table top with small circular move-


ments, as at F. After going over all thesurfaces to be treated, allow the polish toharden, and then lightly rub down with fine,worn glasspaper. Dust off, and then repeatthe polishing process.

In cases where a bad crack develops in apiece of furniture, it can usually be madegood with plastic wood, which can be pressed

, II I/ I ,

C.)

Fig. 6.-Method of making and using apolishing pad.

in with the blade of an old penknife, as inFig. 7. After the plastic wood has hardenedit can be smoothed off level with the surface,and polished or painted.

When kitchen chairs of the Windsor patternshow signs of wear the best way to renovatethese is to use a good varnish stain, whichstains and varnishes in one operation. Itshould be applied with a small flat brush.Any shade a little darker than the originalcolour of the chair can be used. One advan-tage of varnish stain is that it effectively coversup scratches and other small defects.

Fixing Loose TilesWhen white glazed tiles in a kitchen

become loose, they can be securely refixedin place with Keene's cement. Before re-placing the tiles, remove from the back facesas much of the old cement as possible, andsoak the tiles in water. Mix the cementwith a little water, to the consistency of cream,apply a thin layer to the back of one tile andquickly press it in place, as the cementsets rapidly. Treat the other loose tiles inthe same way, one at a time. ' Use just enoughnew cement to allow the surface of the tilesto lie flush with the surrounding ones

Repairing LinoleumThe linoleum under the legs of a heavy

piece of furniture sometimes becomes badlyworn, and these worn parts can easily bemade good in the following manner. First,take a piece of linoleum of the same patternand from it cut four pieces slightly largerthan the worn parts under the table legs,so that they match up with the pattern.Place a cut-out patch over each worn partand mark round it with a sharp knife. Re-move the damaged parts of the lino, cut

pieces of thin canvas, slightly larger, andlay them in place where the new patches areto come. Give the canvas a coating of hotglue, fit the new patches in place, and pressthem down. Place a heavy weight of somesort on each patch, and leave till the gluehas set.

Treating Cisterns for RustWhen a boiler or water cistern shows signs

of rusting, the following simple treatment willprevent further rusting, and will present aclean surface to the water. Empty the vesseland remove the rust by scraping and scrubbingwith a hard brush. Obtain some quick -lime,slake it by splashing water over it, and whenit has cooled off, put it in a pail and mix withwater to the consistency of cream. Paint the

Fig. 7.-Using plastic wood for filling cracksin furniture.

surface with this, and brush it well in. Whenquite dry water can be run in the boiler orcistern as usual. It is not harmful to drinkingwater.

A Turn -table SwitchA Simple and Efficient Component for Various Uses

THE accompanying illustrations showan improved method of operatingan electrical contact from a rotatable

part, and is designed to give the maximumelectrical contact for any desired period oftime and frequency with the minimum ofeffort on the part actuating the contact.

The sketches illustrate the turn -tableswitch designed to open the contact once perrevolution.

Constructional DetailsSpindle A (Fig. I) is mounted on a disc B,

which has an indentation or projection D,and operates ball E. A plate C !is mountedon the frame and has three holes for ballsE and F. The hole for E can be elongatedto give an extra quick opening of the con-tacts. G is a round pivoted disc, free to rotatein the opposite direction to B, and H is themoving contact having a recess for thepivot G, and is kept lightly pressed againstballs E and F by adjustment of spring J. Anadjustable screwed contact, K, is also provided.

Spindle A is the operating spindle fixedto disc B, and can take any desired form tosuit the manual or power drive applied.

The pressure of the contact is governedby the length of and strength of spring J,which can be designed to give a slight rubon the contacts going On and coming off bysetting the spring short and curved. If re-quired for an internal-combustion engineplate C should be allowed slight movementon the frame for variable ignition. Fig. zshows a section of the switch with thecontact open.

For Slave -clock ControlThe turn -table switch is specially suited for

operating slave clocks, owing to the small

torque that is necessary to give a good elec-trical contact. For this purpose the disc B canbe mounted to the desired spindle, and the

- - - - ,,--r

'rI V-4/ I

E

Fig. 1.-Elevation and plan of a simpleturn -table switch operated by steel balls and a

rotating disc.disc can have the desired number of indenta-tions or projections.

The switch can be Operated by the spindlerevolving at the rate of one or one and a halfseconds per revolution in a synchronous motor,

but the usual spindle to mount the switch onis that which revolves once per minute in apendulum or synchronous clock. Anotherway is to mount the switch to the spindlethat revolves ,once per hour, but travels inminute jumps. In this case disc B has 6oprojections or indentations, and serves as aretainer, as well as a slave -clock control.

The size of the switch is not important, buta in. diameter for one or two projections orindentations, and 2 or 21 inch For a 6o projectionor indentation disc, is recommended. Unlessthe switch is also acting as a retainer it isrecommended that the hole in C for ballE should be elongated to give a quick openingof the contacts.

If it is desired to insulate the frame fromthe contacts, the pivot of disc B, and thespring, should be insulated in any desiredmanner. The pillars supporting the adjust-able contact can be insulation material or theadjustable contact can be insulated from theframe in any other desired manner.

C. 'T. D.

Mounting Plate andDistance Pillars for'Contact Support Plate

D

Spindle andDisc

SS

WAYNY

Ar A KrACCOMAXAtIfentWAINGIIIIE

MovingContact

Pivoted DiscAdjustable Contact

Fig. 2.-Section of the switch with contactopen.

Std -Ball Bearing

Spring


PHOTOGRAPHY

WHEN an amateur photographerbecomes really keen about his hobby,it is quite natural that he should long

for the time when he can claim one room inthe house and be able to arrange this so thatall his photographic work can be completedin it, thus avoiding putting the other membersof the household to a lot of inconvenience.Those of you who have followed these articleshave perhaps been able to do certain workquite comfortably in the kitchen, or even inthe dining -room, when these have been avail -

Shelfon 4 sides

Ruby GlassWindow

Benchwith 2 shelvesunderneath

Fig. z.-An

Darkroom TechniqueHow to Construct Serviceable Indoor and Outdoor Darkrooms

By JOHN J. CURTIS, A.R.P.S.

to 6ft. from the floor. The depth of thecupboard was 4ft., the width 2ft. 6in. It wasof no use for enlarging purposes, but as theowner could do this part of his work quiteeasily in another room, without creating toomuch disturbance, he felt that he could utilisethis space for most of the other work, and soit was agreed to place two 6in. shelves alongone side wall, and, as the door openedoutwards, to place the working bench underthe window at a height of 3ft. from theground. The bench was i8in. deep, with a

narrow return bench orshelf 8in. deep along theright-hand wall fromthe bench to the door,and at the same height.Under the bench hebuilt a small rack for

dishes and managed topurchase for a fewshillings an old cup-board with shelveswhich, with the aid ofa saw and a few nails,was adapted to fill inthe remaining space- under the bench. Therewas, of course, norunning water supply,but the bathroom wasnot very far from thisSupboard, and he alwaysworks with a fairly largeand deep dish of cleanwater at his side.Electric wiring wassoon arranged, a bulb(for white light) beingsuspended from the cen-tre of the ceiling, andred or orange light inthe usual lamp whichwas hung on the wallimmediately. under thewindow, and, therefore,just above the develop-ing shelf. The twoshelves provided ample

room for bottles and measures, while allsensitised material was retained in the cup-board. The woodused throughout theconstructing wasmostly old case woodon which a plane hadbeen freely used.

outdoor darkroom, with part of front cut away toshow shelving, etc.

able, but you have doubtless wished that youcould go straight to a room and find all theapparatus, measures, dishes and bottles tohand, so that you could get down to the workin a few minutes without the trouble of cleatingthis, that and the other out of the way, andthen having to put them all back again afteryou have finished your developing or printing.

In the course of many years' experience ofphotography it has been my lot to design orconstruct at least half a dozen different dark-rooms for my own use, of all sorts and sizesranging from a cupboard under the stairs to aroom 9ft. by 8ft., from outdoor shed to anattic ; and with each of these in mind, knowingtheir advantages and disadvantages, I willendeavour to put as many of you as possibleon the right track for getting a useful place towork in, having in mind also the fact that wemust, whether we like it or not, economise inmaterial, such as wood, etc.

A Cupboard DarkroomJust recently I was shown an empty space

in the house of a man who was consideringmaking, a darkroom. This space may havebeen at one time a large. store cupboard ; itwas very lofty so that many shelves could befixed to the walls; it had a small window letin the wall opposite the door, and about 5ft.

Some of you mayhave a spare cupboardunder the stairs witha door opening on tothe hall or landing.Carefully take thedimensions of this,and consider them inrelation to the dark-room just described ;it might be possibleto make a fairlysatisfactory place inwhich you could keepyour gear alwayshandy for a littledeveloping or print-ing to be done quickly.My first darkroomwas such a cupboard,but as electric lightwas not available

I was compelled to use a paraffin lamp whichon one occasion insisted on smoking justwhile two half plates were in the course ofbeing developed; it was impossible to openthe door or to stop the work, so I had toendure the fumes until the plates could betransferred to the fixing bath.

An Outdoor DarkroomThis experience was the cause of my next

move ; there was no other accommodationin the house and so outdoors it had to be.Match -lining was moderately cheap in thosedays, and this was used for the walls, theframework consisting of Sin. by in. quarteringbolted together. The roof consisted of sometin. planks covered with tarred felt. Thedimensions of this shed were 5ft. by 3ft. 6in.,with a fall in the roof of 6in. from back tofront of the structure. At the back the heightwas 6ft. 3in., and the front 5ft. 9in. Fig.shows how the internal fittings were arranged.So successful was this shed that it remainedin use for seven or eight years as a darkroom,and afterwards it was dismantled and re -erected at another house, but no alterationswere called for in the actual arrangement ofthe fittings. It must be noted that such ashed was not adaptable for enlarging, for inthose days the vertical type of enlarger wasnot known, and this work had to be doneelsewhere. Another experience was quite aninteresting one because it was in a so-calledmodern style of house, the third storey ofwhich consisted of a very large room coveringthe greater' part of the house, and out of thiswas a space leading to a dormer window.This space, which was about 41 ft. wide and9ft. long, had walls on the two long sides,the ceiling being tapered off where it joinedthe walls, but this did not matter for theheight was about 7ft. from the floor. Theentrance to it was open, so I partially closedthis in with a sheet of three-ply supported ona couple of uprights, one of which wasagainst the wall. This plywood sheet servedfor my easel for copying and enlarging. Thewidth of the ply was 2ft., leaving a space ofabout ain. as entrance to the room, and thiswas effectively covered with a heavy curtain.The fittings consisted of a home-made bench

n A

Lgh

Oeve/opinsBench

",1111 1 11

2.-One side of a well -arranged darkroom.


6ft. long by 2tin. wide, about 3ft. high, andthe remaining space at the window end wasfilled by means of an old deal table whichserved as the developing bench, with roomfor a dish 24in. by i8in. As there was nowater supply to this floor, all washing of filmsand prints had to be done in the bathroom onthe floor below. The accommodation for

provided ample space for working, and as itwas very easy to open the window, the roomwas never stuffy.

Before giving a description of an idealdarkroom here is a hint or two about the" bathroom " darkroom. Do not leave anystains on the porcelain bath or wash -bowl ;it is not only unpleasant, but it is an indication

that someone in thefamily is an amateur

DevelopingBench\

Wai r X rap

SinkFixingBench

ForDish20x16

Fig. 3.-Plan of an indoor dark-room, showing the general layout of

benches and sinks.

ElectricLight.0

Contactprinting

Dry BenchFor InlargingMounting etc.

Draining Boardfor Mei-sures

storing apparatus and material was on shelvesfitted to the supports and legs of the bench,and a useful box -cupboard under the table.Many very enjoyable hours were spent in thisroom over a period of three years, and somehundreds of films and prints made there.Although of small dimensions, the room

photographer who iscareless and not cleanat his work. De-veloper stains are notremovable if they areallowed to dry on thesurface of the bath,especially if they arecaused from one of thenew type of solutionsknown as "finegrain." If any personshould have the mis-fortune to spill some ofthe solution, then it mustbe mopped up whileit is still wet. If youare going to use thebathroom, then whynot cover the bath withthree-ply covered withAmerican cloth andmake a bench of it ?The standard bathmeasures 6ft. by 21ft.by eft. in depth,

which makes it rather low, but it is easy toraise this another 6in. by the use of supportsunder the plywood. One of our most success-ful regular exhibitors never had any otherroom than his bathroom in which to do allhis picture making, but he left the roomspotless after using.

The Ideal DarkroomI want now to give a full description of the

best darkroom I have had or ever likely tohave, and which was a great loss to me whenthe house had to be pulled down to makeroom for a larger building. There may besome who have got the means and space forconstructing a serviceable darkroom, andthey cannot do better than follow the generalplanning shown in the accompanying sketch(Fig. 2). The question of apparatus, apartfrom sinks, and the amount of money to bespent is for the individual to decide.

The space was originally fitted with awhole series of shelves on three sides, as ithad been at some time a store for all sorts ofbottles, jars and books and was open at thefront. On dismantling, it _proved to be71ft. across, with a possible depth of gft.,and height of loft. In planning the layout Iarranged for a bench to run along the threesides, and this was to be 2ft. in width, thusallowing 3l,ft. moving room in the centre, theheight of the bench from the floor being 3ft.Water was already laid on on this floor, so Imade sure of plenty of washing conveniences.It will be noticed from the plan, Fig. 3, thattwo sinks were installed, one a fairly large onefor enlargements, and a smaller one situatedin between the developing and fixing benches.On the other side, and running the wholelength of the room, was a bench for doing all" dry " work, such as enlarging, mounting,etc., and underneath the developing benchwere racks for storing dishes, and a tub forwaste paper, empty cartons, and other itemswhich tend to untidiness. The door was 2ft. 6in.across, and opened inwards, a button beingprovided on the post inside to preventanyone on the outside opening the door whenwork was going on. A ventilation trap overthe door with another under the developingbench supplied a current of fresh air.

THE "SEA OTTER"

An 8o ft. model of the United States " Sea Otter" class of cargo vessel of arc -welded construction and intended for use in theBattle of the Atlantic. The full-size vessel has a length of 250 ft., beam of 4o ft., and depth of 21 ft. Further particular.

of this remarkable craft are given in our issue !or March, 1942.


QUERIESoi.,4\ ENQUIRIES

Rewinding a 12 -volt MotorT WAS very interested in the article

" Armature Rewinding," in a recentissue, and as I have a C.A.V. r2 -voltcar starter motor I would like to rewindfor 23o volts. Would you please supplyme with the number of turns per slotrequired, also the number of turns forthe field windings, which is 4 -pole ?I have a quantity of 22 s.w.g. d.c.c. wireand would like to know if this would besuitable. If not, please state size, etc.-A. G. Hicks (Ross -on -Wye).IN order to calculate a suitable winding

specification for the above conversion itis first necessary to know the dimensions ofthe armature and field magnet. The diameterand length of armature core should be given,the number of slots, the number of bars inthe commutator, the sectional area of eachpolepiece, and the winding room on it.Also it is essential to know whether requiredto run on direct or on alternating current.Many of the low -voltage starter -motors inuse make very poor high -voltage motors,partly because of their extremely short ratingand inability to give much power withoutquickly over -heating, and partly owing to thesmall number of commutator bars, which,although suitable for low voltages, is a badfeature for higher voltages. If required foralternating current the motor is useless unlessthe fields and yoke ring are laminatedthroughout.

Acetylene Gas and a Motor MowerT READ in the June issue of

" Practical Mechanics " a paragraphon the use of acetylene gas for a petrol -driven mower. Would it be possible,using apparatus similar to that described,to run a motor -cycle of the 25o c.c. typeon acetylene gas ? I have some jets ofvarious sizes taken from Primus stoves.Could I use them instead of the Amaljets described ? Also, would it be betterto insert a filter in the gas lead tubebefore the carburettor ?

If I used apparatus similar to thatdescribed, how much carbide would I4eed, and how long would it last goingat an average speed ? I have been quotedtoy a local firm for carbide at 12s. for28 lb. Is this a reasonable price or couldI obtain it cheaper at the address men-tioned in the June issue ?-Paul Maslin(Hull).

WE are afraid that it will not be an economicscheme to run a motor -cycle on acety-

lene gas, even if the authorities permitted it.A 25o c.c. engine developing, say, half power,at 5 b.h.p., would require 51b. of calciumcarbide per hour to keep it going, or roughly2S. 6d. for 4o miles, equivalent to petrol at5s. a gallon. Replying to your technicalqueries, Primus stove jets would undoubtedlybe too small ; we do not think a filter wouldbe necessary as the gas generated is quiteclean.

We cannot help you on the question ofcost of calcium carbide, but we can say thatthe price you mention is very reasonable.

A stamped addressed envelope, three pennystamps, and the query coupon from the currentissue, which appears on page iii of cover, must beenclosed with every letter containing a query.Every query and drawing which is sent mustbear the name and address of the reader.Send your queries to the Editor, PRACTICALMECHANICS, Geo. Newnes, Ltd., Tower House,

Southampton Street, Strand, London, W.C.2.

Armature WindingIHAVE an armature from an electric

vacuum -cleaner motor, and it appearsto be of foreign make. I cannot quiteunderstand the winding. Particulars ofthe armature are as follows : Length ofcore, if, in. ; diameter of core, I & in. ;number of slots, It ; number of coils, II ;number of turns per coil, 95 ; number ofcommutator segments, 22. There werenaturally two coil -sides per slot andthe wire was .009z enamelled and singlesilk covered. I cannot understand theII coils tapped to'22 commutator

ti-Slot ArmatureCoil

22 Pa'rCommutator

Fig. 1. Fig. 2.Details of coils and connections to commutator.

segments, but the coils may possibly becentre -tapped.

I have a supply of the necessary wire andwould be pleased if you would inform meof a method of rewinding this armature.J. M. Robinson (Runcorn).THE rule to remember in all armature

winding problems is that there is alwaysthe same number of sections in the windingas there are bars in the commutator, althoughthe sections may be grouped together andtapped up as one, in sets of two, three oreven four, for ease of assembly in the slots.For instance, with an t t -slot armature coreand a 22 -part commutator, there would be22 sections of armature windings, but theymight be tapped up in pairs, making apparently

it coils in all, each coil with a tapping takenout at the midway position. The finishedtapped -up coils would appear as in Fig. I,but there would be three connecting points,that is one start, one loop or tapping, andone finish, and their connection to the com-mutator would be as in Fig. 2.

Waterproofing a Concrete FloorCAN you inform me of a treatment

I could use to waterproof the surfaceof a concrete floor, which has been laidin a room in place of an old tiled floorafter the removal of the tiles ?

I am afraid the concrete was not quiteas good as it might have been, owing tothere being insufficient stone dust inthe mixture to give a really close face.The floor is covered with linoleum which,after a short period, seems to attractmoisture through the concrete, andsweats badly.

I have treated the floor with " Gran-ger's Solution," Grade 121o, allowed itto dry, and then painted the surface witha grey priming paint. After about aweek I find the paint has become wet.I have heard of water -glass solution asbeing a good thing for this, or is there abetter method you could recommend ?-R. Emmerson (Desford).TT is always an extremely difficult matter

to waterproof an unsatisfactory concretefloor, and, despite the claims of someexperts' preparations for this purpose, theresults are seldom reliable.

In the first place, however, you may liketo experiment with one of the many concrete -waterproofing preparations which are on saleat all paint and decorators' stores. Alter-natively, you might care to paint over thefloor surface with a bituminous paint, such as" Mariolene " (British Asphalt and Bitumen,Ltd., Preston), but, even in this case, if theaccumulation of dampness in the subsoilreaches any intensity, it will, in its rising,merely force off the paint layer or any otherapplied layer from the concrete surface.Water -glass solution is worse than uselessfor the job you name, If anything, its usewill make the floor damper than ever.

Any lino or oilier covering applied to theconcrete surface only delays the evaporationof water from the surface of the floor. Thelino is consequently gradually rotted away,and because the water is unable to evaporatespeedily, the lino appears to make the floordamper than usual.

The only radical cure for your trouble isto uplift the whole of the concrete floor andto replace it with a better type of concrete.Or, alternatively, to get your local contractorto lay over the existing concrete floor a lin.layer of hard flooring asphalt. This, however,is an expensive job, and you would probablynot be able to get it done in war -time. Wefeel, therefore, that, in your case, you mustrely upon the efficiency of one or more of the

THE P.M. LIST OF BLUEPRINTSThe " PRACTICAL MECHANICS " E20 CAR

(Designed by F. I. CAMM),10s. 6d. per set of four sheets.

" PRACTICAL MECHANICS " MASTERBATTERY CLOCK

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A MODEL AUTOGIROFull-size blueprint, Is.

SUPER -DURATION BIPLANEE-; Full-size blueprint, Is.

The P.M. " PETROL " MODELMONOPLANEComplete set, 5s.

The I-c.c. TWO-STROKE PETROL ENGINEComplete set, 5s.

STREAMLINED WAKEFIELDMON OPLANE-2s.

LIGHTWEIGHT DURATION MODELFull-size blueprint, 2s.

P.M. TRAILER CARAVANComplete set, 10s. 6d.

The above blueprints are obtainable, post free,from Messrs. G. Newnes, Ltd., Tower House,

Strand, W.C.2.

-.=


many proprietary waterproofing liquids whichare on sale. These frequently contain casein,which is as good a waterproofer as any.

Electric WeldingT WISH to do some experimenting withA electric welding and would be glad toknow the simplest method, using houselighting supply, or batteries.-HughNorman (Belfast).NO useful purpose will be served by

attempting electric welding with currentfrom small batteries. A minimum of so voltswould be required, and a discharge capacityof 5 to 3o amperes, according to the scope ofwork you are experimenting upon. Evenfrom the house mains you would find it anexpensive process, as the mains voltage ismuch too high and would have to be reducedby means Of a transformer to 4o volts, and thecost taken at " lighting " rates would beprohibitive. Welding from A.C. is less easilycarried out than from D.C., and the usualprocedure is to install a motor -driven direct -coupled generator giving a dropping voltagecharacteristic, to overcome the heavy rushof current due to momentary short-circuitingwhen striking an arc. Write to the Quasi ArcCompany, of Bilston, Staffs, for particularsand prices of equipment. Many training anddemonstration centres have been institutedby this company, one or other of whichmay be within your reach for instructionalpurposes.

Water -softening ChemicalsCAN you tell me how sodium aluminium

silicate is made commercially? Canit be made from water -glass ; if not,where can it be obtained ? What are thechemical reactions concerned in thislime removal ?-R. R. Gosden (Peel).THE sodium silicate of com-

merce is made by the treatment ofbauxite or other aluminium residues or oreswith sodium silicate. We hardly think thatyou could imitate this process on the smallscale, although you might try boiling upsodium silicate solution with alumina andfiltering the reaction mass.

You can, however, procure this material ina form suitable for water softening fromBurgess Zeolite Co. Ltd.,68-72, HorseferryRoad, London, S.W:t. Also, we believe thatSofnol, Ltd., Greenwich, London, S.E.to,can also supply such material, and they will,we feel sure, be pleased to send you one oftheir brochures on water softening.

In the zeolite treatment of water forsoftening purposes, the sodium aluminiumsilicate (or artificial zeolite) gives up itssodium to the dissolved salts in the water,in exchange for the hardness -forming ele-ments of the water, such as calcium andmagnesium. The zeolite material can, aftera time, be regenerated by filtering through ita solution of common salt. The chemicalreactions involved are complex.

Glazing of WindowsCONCERNING the glazing of windows,

will you please tell me if there areany more satisfactory alternatives tolinseed oil putty, which, I have repeatedlyfound, shrinks and deteriorates in sum-mer, leaving windows far from weather-proof? I may mention that I haveexperimented with a mixture of silversand, whitening and water -glass solution.This hardens and seems as though itmight serve, but its alkaline natureprevents painting.-J. D. Hughes (Har-row).

ANY variety of oil -bound putty willgradually contract with the lapse of

time owing to the slow oxidisation and

removal of the oil. Putties which do notcontain oil have been experimented with forwindow -glazing purposes but they are notsatisfactory.

The following putty contains about 20 percent. of lead and its degree of shrinkage, evenin really hot weather, is only very slight.For this reason we suggest that it may meetyour requirements :

Whiting, 125 parts.White lead, 38 parts.Ground silica, 12 parts.Raw linseed oil, 32-35 parts (according to

required degree of softness of the putty):Flour paste, to parts.

The flour paste is made up by beating llb.flour in one quart of cold water and by thenpouring this cream into 3 quarts of boilingwater, and by boiling for five minutes,finally allowing the paste to cool.

Wind -charging DynamoT WISH to re -wind a Lucas 12 -volt

dynamotor of the following dimen-sions : pole faces (four), Sin. by tin. ;armature diameter On., length Min.,slots, 43 ; corn. bars, 43. I want to getall the amps. possible at a speed of about35o revolutions per minute. Dynamo tobe wind -driven. Please let me knowgauge of wire and number of turns percoil for armature.-Thos. Freeburn(Tyrone).IT is hardly likely that you will get much

of an output at 35o r.p.m. even from anarmature of the size you mention, as thisspeed is at the critical point for self -excitation.It can only be obtained by an extra number ofconductors on the armature which, of course,necessitates using a smaller gauge of wire toavoid crowding the winding space, and thesmaller the gauge the less the output incurrent. We suggest you wind the 43 coilswith No. 20 s.w.g. special fine d.c.c. copper,wave -connected to the 43 -part commutator,using the greatest number of turns per coilthat the slots will hold after lining with12 -mil. leatheroid. The coil -span will bethe same as that of the poles, that is 90 deg.with a 4 -pole field. The rule for finding thecorrect pitch of armature connections tocommutator is to place any one of the arma-ture coils with its two sides at right angles tothe centre line of one field pole, and thencarry the coil ends down one to the mainpositive and one to the main negative brush.Having once set the pitch in this manner, therest of the coils follow on .in symmetrical

New

order. Illustrations will be found in " Practi-cal Armature Winding," by A. H. Avery.

Fixing a CommutatorIWISH to procure some insulating

moulding powders for fixing thecommutator on to the shaft of my electricmotor. This is the way it was fixed in thefirst place, but owing to it burning outthe commutator broke away from shaft.Could you advise me as to the bestpowders to use and where to obtainthem ?-F. Hodgson (Dartford).IT seems doubtful if you will be able to

remount the commutator on the shaftof the motor, since the segments are usuallymoulded in as inserts. This process requiresa tool to hold the segments, and a press withwhich to compress the powder to about II tonsper sq. in. However, enquiries may be madeto the following firms for suitable material :Messrs. De La Rue, Ltd., WalthamstowAvenue, Walthamstow, manufacturers of" Telenduron" bituminous moulding material.

Messrs. I. C. I., Ltd., The Hall, Welwyn,Herts, manufacturers of " Mouldrite "phenol -formaldehyde powders, which arethermo-setting, and, therefore, require" curing " under pressure for a few minutes.

Converting Tent into TarpaulinSheet

T HAVE an old tent and I wish to convertit into a tarpaulin sheet for use on a

trailer. Could you please help me ?-W. D. (Millom).IT will not be possible for you to con-

vert' your old tent fabric into a truetarpaulin sheet, since tarpaulins are made byhot rolling between large pressure rollers;however, you can make a good imitation.Stretch the fabric oat on a roughly -made frame and give it a good dressing onboth sides with hot plain boiled linseed oil,giving the fabric sufficient of the oil tosaturate it, but no more. When the fabricis dry, rub into it (from both sides) a sloppypaste made from boiled linseed oil and ochreor some similar pigment. It is best to incor-porate a small percentage of paint " drier "with this paste in order to speed up its rate ofdrying. Do not add too much of the " drier,"however, since if the oil -treated fabric driestoo quickly, it will crack. The dressing shouldtake about a week to dry. Finally, it shouldbe rubbed over with finely -powdered ochrein order to remove any surface tackiness.

Instrument -soldering ironTHOUGH many types of soldering irons

are available, none has been foundsuitable for instrument and similar delicatework in confined spaces. "

Messrs. Runbaken Electrical Products,71, Oxford Road, Manchester, t, havedesigned one for use in their workshops, andit has proved so successful that they haveincluded it in their range of products. Theystate it definitely turns out neater work andspeeds up production.

Manufacturers of electrical instruments,scientific instruments, etc., will be quick toappreciate its advantages for delicate work.It is accurately made, nicely balanced andwell finished. Operation is through thetransformer, so that low voltage current issupplied to the heating element, and break-downs and renewals are unknown.

SpecificationWeight, 5oz. approx. (without flex) ;

size overall, gin. ; copper bit, adjustable anddetachable (several types 'available), thestandard bit, Min. by -A-in. ; current con-

sumption, 3o watts ; handle, bakelite orsimilar material ; cooling, radiating fins fittedto dissipate handle heat; finish, chromium ;operation,by transformer,at 12 volts, andunder these con-ditions the ele-ment will lastindefinitely;transformermodels avail-able to operatefrom t to 5oirons, a pilotlight being fittedto the trans-former. It issuitable for zoo/25o volts A.C.or to order.Models for D.C.mains are avail-able. Prices The new solder -range from 7 .ng iron with(2 IOS.-(I2 IOS. Iransform2r.

A 364 NEWNES PRACTICAL MECHANICS September, 1942

GALPINSELECTRICAL STORES -

r2 1, WILLIAM ST.,SLOUGH, BUCKS.'Phone : SLOUGH 2:855TERMS: Cash with order

DYNAMO, 110 volts, 60 amps. shuntwound, interpole, ball bearing, speed1,750 r.p.m. continuous rating. Price115, carriage forward.

SHEET EBONITE, size 12in. by llin. by1/32in., best quality. Price 4/- per doz.,post free.ELECTRIC LIGHT CHECK METERS,well-known makers, first-class condition,electrically guaranteed, for A.C. Mains200/250 volts 50 cy. 1 phase 5 amp. load,10/- each; 10 amp. load, 12/6; carriage1/,-D.C. ELECTRIC LIGHT CHECK METERS,200/250 volts, 5 and 10 amps., in newcondition and electrically perfect: 7/6,post I-.

AUTO. CHARGING CUT-OUT AND VOLT-AGE REGULATOR, ex-R.A.F., suit anydynamo up to 20v. at 15 amps., fullyadjustable, with wiring instructions,complete in met al case, 3/6, post Dd.

AUTO TRANSFORMER, 1,500 watts,tappings 0-110-200-220 and 240 volts forstep-up or step-down. Price 36, carriagepaid.LARGE TRANSFORMERS for rewinding,size 2 kW. auto, rating unknown. Price30/-,carriage forward.HIGH FREQUENCY TRANSFORMERS,75 v. A.C. input at 300 cycles; output5,000-0-5,000 v. at 500 watts. Price 45/-,carriage forward.HEADPHONES, 120 ohms, complete withheadband and . cord, In good workingorder, suit H.G. and N.F.S. Price 5/6per pair, post free.AIR PRESSURE GAUGE, 9in. dia., scale0-4,000 lbs. per square inch, in gunmetal.Price 24 each.PYE WAVE CHANGE SWITCHES, 2-Ba od,2/6 each, post free.110 v. D.C. MOTORS, maker KLAXON,precision built. approx. 1/10 h.p., ballbearing, variable speed, laminated fields,in new condition. Price 20/-, post free.ROTARY CONVERTOR, D.C. to D.C.Input 220 volts D.C. ; Output 12 volts at50 amps. D.C., bail -bearing, condition asnew. Price 310 carriage forward, or 17/6passenger t rain.DOUBLE OUTPUT GENERATOR, shuntwound, ball -bearing, maker " Crypto,"outputs 60 volts at 5 amp, and 10 volts at50 amps., condition as new. Price 010carriage forward, or 20/- passenger train.ALTERNATOR, output 220 volts, 50cycles, 1 p.h. at 180 watts, will give 1 amp.easily, speed 3,000 r.p.m., self -exciting,condition as new. Price 28 carriage for-ward, or 15/- passenger train.TRANSFORMER, input 230 volts, 50cycles, 1 pit. ; output 1,100-0-1,100 voltsat 220 milliamps, and 6 volts C.T. threetimes, earth screen, wound to B.S.R.,weight 32 lbs. Price BB, carriage pas-senger train 7/6.

BRIDGE M EGGER, by Rvershed Vignoles,250 volt .20 inegohms. Price 120, carriagepaid.PORTABLE AMP. METER, reading 0-75amp., calibrated at 50 cycles, mirror scale,as new. Price 25, carriage paid.LOUD RINGING BELLS, working on20 volts D.C., Sin. dia. gong, plated,waterproof, absolutely as new. Price32/6, post free.METER MOVEMENTS, all moving coil,minor repairs needed, F.S.D.,/ 5 m/a.Price 15/-, post free.MOTOR BLOWER, 110 v. D.C., bin. dia.,inlet and outlet, h.p. motor, conditionas new, portable lightweight, speed2,800 r.p.m. Price 17/10, carriage paid.SEARCH or FLOODLIGHT, 20in. dia., onswivel stand, Mangin mirror reflector.fitted G.E.S. lamp holder. Price 2710,carriage forward.

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ZYTO "Super Quality SlidingTallstock Dieholder

No. 1 M.T. shank, long barrel,precision finish. For 13/161n.O.D. dies. Price 8/9. For lin.O.D. dies, 11/3. With No.

M.T. shank. 13/9.

DELIVERY FROM STOCK

We also stock Self ReleasingDie Holders. Will producethreads to correct length withoutvariation. Fulidetails onrequest.

PRICE /4 4s. (not includingcutters)

Delivery from stock.

THE SIX -HOLE" AUTO " OFF -SET

TURRETThis Six -hole Turretis adaptable to anyCentre Lathe havinga No. 1 Morse Taper inthe tailstock.Owing to the recessbeing in an off -setposition, the toolswhich are not in useswing well clear of thework. The Turret isrotated by means ofthe knurled flange,and each tool auto-matically centres andvery rigidly locks itselfin position. They arereleased by means ofthe knurled nut at the

back.ELECTRIC GRINDERS AND

POLISHERS(Double -ended)

1/20-1-I h.p.UNIVERSAL MOTORS

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Te/ephonL CLE 4004-5-6

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NAME

ADDRESS

P.M.73

WHY WORRY?

WORRY uses an immenseamount of vital force. People

who worry not only use up theirenergy during the day by worrying,but they rob themselves of thatgreatest of all restoratives, sleep.People who worry can't sleep. Theylose their appetite. They often endup by getting really ill. How oftenhave you heard it said, " I amworried to death " ?

What do you suppose wouldhappen if a person who was puttinghimself into mental, moral, andphysical bankruptcy by worrying,were to convert all this worryenergy into constructive action ? Inno time at all he would have accom-plished so much that he would havenothing to worry about.

Nothing is more discouraging toa worrying person than to havesomeone say, Oh, don't worry, itwill all come out right " ?

This is not reassuring at all. Th9worrying one can't see how it Isgoing to come out all right. But ifthe men and women who worrycould be shown how to overcomethe troubles and difficulties that causeworry, they soon would ceasewasting their very life -blood - inworrying. Instead, they would begindevoting their energies - to a con-structive effort that would gain themfreedom from worry for the rest oftheir lives..

You say that sounds plausible, butcan it be done ?

i Half fees for serving members ofHis Majesty's Forces

(Apply for Services Enrolment Form)

It can be done, and is being done,by Pelmanism every day in the year.This is all the more remarkable be-cause to -day the whole world is in anupset condition and people areworrying to an unusual extent. Yet,every snail brings letters to thePelman Institute from gratefulPelmanists who have ceased toworry.

People to -day are all too prone tocomplain that they just have toworry. But once they becomePelmanists they cease this negativeform of thought.

Remember-Everything you do is,Preceded by your attitude of mind

The Pelman Course is fully des-cribed in a book entitled "TheScience of Success." The Courseis simple and interesting, and takesup very little time ; yon can enrolon the most convenient terms. Thebook will be sent you, gratis andpost free, on application to :-

Reiman Institute,(E,tabli she over 81 years)

130, Albion Milos', New Oxford Street,London, W.C.I.

Readers who can call at the Institute will beivelcomed. The Director of I nst ruct ion u.ill bepleased to have a talk with them, and no feewill be charged for his advice.

PELMAN (OVERSEAS) INSTITUTES:NEW YORK, 271 North .4,e/use, NewRochelle. MELBOURNE. 391 MindersLane. JOHANNESBURG, P.O. Box 4928.DURBAN, Natal Bank Chanibers (P.O.Box 1489). DELHI, 10 Alipore Road.CALCUTTA, 102 Clive S'

September, 1942 ,THE CYCLIST 89

VOL X SEPTEMBER, 1942 No. 247

Comments of the Month

All letters should be addressed tothe Editor, " THE CYCLIST,"

eorge Netvnes, Ltd., Tower House,Southampton Street, Strand, London,

W.C.2.Phone : Temple Bar 4363

Telegrams : Newnes, Rand, London

The Position of Cycle RetailersSOME time ago Mr. Oliver Lyttelton, who

was then President of the Board ofTrade, outlined to representatives of the

technical press his scheme for the concen-tration of industry. It was necessary whereparticular shops or factories were not workingat too per cent. capacity to telescope thesefirms to conserve transport and labour and inothers to release labour for the Services.Three factories, for example, in that particulardistrict might be unable to work to fullcapacity because of staff shortage. Bycombining the remaining staffs of the threefactories one factory would be enabled to workup to its full productive capacity. Much ofthis concentration has already taken place,even in the case of manufacturers of brandedgoods with, of course, adequate safeguard forthose whose wares were manufactured bysecret processes. Much of the concen-tration has taken place in industries . notassociated with the war effort.

The principle has been applied to retailshops, and the cycle trade among many othertrades will have to face up to the new situa-tion. Materials are in short supply ; sparesand replacements are supplied on quota ;manufacturers are not able to supply in pre-war quantities, and thus many retail shops havebeen merely ticking over and scarcely makinga living. Some have indeed been running ata loss with no hope of being able to run at aprofit until the war is ended. This meansthat some thousands of men (there were about17,000 retail cycle dealers in the countrybefore the war) have not been fully occupied.In a particular district there may be somedozens of cycle shops all retailing small stockswhich could adequately be distributed by oneshop, thus relieving the manufacturers ofhaving to make up several parcels, keepingaccounts for different firms, releasing menfor more important work, and in other wayseffecting economies. It may seem hard onthose small retail businesses which have toclose down, and the Government is alive tothis hardship. The proposals of the RetailTrade Committee make it clear that thoseretailers who voluntarily withdraw frombusiness for the duration of the war willreceive compensation at the rate of 5 per cent.on turnover to meet continuing obligations.The payment will be made as long as obliga-tions continue. Payment of compensationat the rate of 5 per cent. will be made in respectof the first £5,000 of turnover to traders whowithdraw and have no contractual obligations,the payment being limited to six monthsonly.

The Committee propose a levy of r per cent.on turnover on all traders continuing inbusiness. Traders who withdraw will have acertificate giving priority of re-entry into thetrade after the war. Those traders whoseturnover is below £1,000 per annum areexempt from compulsory participation in theproposed scheme. Of course, at the time ofwriting the Committee's Report is in the

form of recommendations only ; whether theywill be adopted by the Government is doubt-ful. Certainly they will not be adoptedwithout considerable modifications and dis-cussion with the representatives of thoseaffected. As we see it, the situation is notlikely to improve, for as from August 1st themanufacture and supply of many classes ofgoods have been prohibited or considerablyreduced by the new Control Orders issuedby the Board of Trade. All classes of sportsgoods and accessories, with the exception ofclothing and gauntlets, as well as the manu-facture of gramophones, gramophone records,and radio gramophones may only be made andsupplied by manufacturers under licence.Most of these lines provided profitable side-lines for cycle dealers. The cycle retailbusiness, therefore, is faced with temporaryextinction during the war, and if the schemein some form is not accepted, the retailer mayfind himself in the position of having to closedown for want of stock and trade, and withoutcompensation of any sort. At the same timethe Government will remain alive to the needsof maintaining a sufficient number of cyclerepair shops, especially in view of the factthat many more thousands of people are nowcycling, now that private motoring hasceased.

Report of the Retail CommitteeWhen the Report of the Retail Committee

was debated in the House of Commons, thePresident of the Board of Trade, Mr. Dalton,stated that the opinion among those he hadconsulted was hostile to the proposals. TheNational Chamber of Trade was critical of theReport, and carried the war into the enemy'scamp by insisting that the problem was nothow to facilitate withdrawal from industrybut how to keep the small trader in business.This rather suggests the problem of how toproduce an egg from a hat without anegg or a hat and even without a conjurer.It was argued that the larger shops were get-ting a disproportionate share of the availablesupplies, that they were being too generouslytreated in the call-up of labour. There hasbeen a formidable ray of opposition amongthe interests affected by the proposal and theGovernment must necessarily take accountof these expressions of opinion. He said itwould be foolish to try to force down the throatof those engaged in the retail trade a schemeto which a considerable number is opposed.He did not share the view that it is practicablein war -time, and probably it is not at anytime desirable, to have a thoroughgoingrationalisation of the retail trade so that wehave nothing left but multiple shops and chainstores. We agree with that view. The smalltrader built up the bicycle trade, and thelarge stores with their somewhat impersonaland disinterested outlook were not slow tocash in on the demand created. The smalldealer gives individual attention to his corn -

By F. J. C.

paratively small group of customers, whereasthe multiple store exists chiefly to sell goods.

Mass -start RacingTHE N.C.U., having suspended and rein-

stated with a warning all those riderswho took part in the Llangollen -Wolver-hampton Race, is now faced with imple-menting the threat to give full effect to itspowers if riders transgressed again. Othermass -start races have been held, and severalmore are in contemplation. This is a directchallenge to a governing body ; it is arguedon the one hand that the governing bodies-not only the N.C.U.-Lhave not broughttheir ideas up. to date, and that they stilllive in the past. The governing bodies on theother hand claim that they are democraticbodies on which clubs have their representa-tion. The' clubs, in fact, assisted in theframing of the rules. It is apparent thatconsiderable numbers of riders want mass -start racing, and the main argument againstit seems to be that it is not in the best interestsof the sport, that it may cause dislocation oftraffic, obstruction, endanger life, and thatin any case it is illegal. If it is illegal (the pointis by no means clear), the Home Office isfaced with a dilemma, for mass -start racesare being run with the approval and co-operation of the police. Mass -start racescould be run by anybody not associated withorganised cycling. Someone could start amass -start race on a course used by timetrialists, at the same time as the trial is inprogress, and without reference to anygoverning bodies. If, therefore, the N.C.U.and the R.T.T.C. are to continue to exercisecontrol, they must act firmly, otherwise theirauthority goes, and other controlling bodieswill be set up.

Wood Blocks

THERE are about 500 miles of wood -blockroads in this country, but they cause an

enormous amount of traffic disruption everytime we have a heavy storm. We encounteredsuch a storm towards the end of June, whenmany of the wood -block roads in the Londonsuburbs were thrown into heaps as a result ofthe rain. Wood -block roads were first laid inLondon, I believe, about 3o years ago, 'andthey have always given rise to this trouble,but nothing has been done about it. Yet aslight modification of the design of the blockwould cure the trouble. If they were madewith taper sides the traffic load would tend tolock them together, and they could not moveunder traffic conditions. Something shouldbe done about this. Buses are stopped, andtraffic is diverted when we suffer a heavyrain storm. Until someone complains nothingwill be done. The House of Lords SelectCommittee, of course, recommended thatwood -block roads should be abolished, butlike so many other reports, recommendationsare made, but no notice is taken of them.

90 THE CYCLIST

ith

September, 1942

PAR

B....5einthkaatto LIke OLZ",.\Looking ...rani; SitIppitV., v\vok

-.4. \

Against Cycle -thievingSPECIAL measures are being taken in CUmberland

to track down cycle thieves.

Lord Keith Supports HostelsONE of the keenest members of the Scottish Y.H.A.

is Lord Keith, the Scottish law lord,

Nazis Requisition BicyclesMOSCOW sources recently reported that the Ger-

mans were confiscating all bicycles in Norway.

Road Warning from NorfolkTHE Norfolk County Surveyor` has stated that the

present neglect of road maintenance will lead totrouble after the war:

Standard Meal'PricesPRICES of youth hostel meals in most of the hostels

in"Yorkshire. and County Durham have beenttandardised at rates from is. 3d. to is. 6d.

Advice from the BenchWHEN a private was acquitted on a cycle -stealingvv.: charge at Bromley (Kent),'the magistrate advised

the soldier to forgo his leave and return to the ArmyOut of the way of temptation.

" Halt" Sign Criti-cised

AT the Biggleswade Courtrecently, a man who

claimed to have cycled inall parts of the country wrotethat he had . never seen aworse " Halt " sign thanone at Stotfold. He addedthat the sign was overgrownwith a haWthorn hedge.Along with two other de-fendants, the cyclist wasfined ios.

T h e W.A.A.F.'sPoint of View

WHEN a member of theW.A.A.F. and an air-

man were fined -5s. 'each atWoburn (Beds) for' ridingtwo- on a bicycle, the girlprotested . against trivialprosecutions. She wrotethe court to say that whenshe got on the crossbar ofthe airman's bicycle a po-

liceman was standing close by, and instead of warningthem and saving the court time, he waited until theyhad gone some distance, and then rode after them.

Menace to " Moving -on" TouringFROM some parts of the countrycome reports that

a new threat to " moving -on " touring has arisen.The danger comes from one-time cyclists who are nowtaking their friends and families to catering -houseswhich formerly reserved accommodation for tourists.Instead of the appointments being available for regulartourists, they have been full during the summer withnon -cyclists spending their holidays in the countryinstead of by the sea.

The Eskdale RailwayTHE narrow-gauge railway between Ravenglass and

Eskdale, in the Lake District, is at present doinga job of national service. It is to be reopened forpassengers, however, at the end of the war, and all therolling -stock, including the scale -model locomotives,is being kept in condition. The railway is a favouritewith tourists who travel along the Westmorland coast,and many cyclists take a day off their machines totravel by it.

New Suffolk HostelANEW youth hostel has been opened, at Finningham,

. eight miles north of Stowmarket, in :Suffolk.There is accommodation for six men and four women.

Queues for Bicycles

Club Riders MissingQERGEANT PILOT JACK KEEN, Finsbury ParkS

C.C. official and well-known time-trialist, isreported missing following a raid over enemy territory.He had been posted with Sergeant Pilot Arthur Lewry,Kingsdale C.C. (who is also missing), from the earlystages of his training both in this country and in Canada.

Veteran's. Diamond WeddingSHAKESPEARE, of Guildford, who finishedW third in -the Six Day Race in the Agricultucal

Hall, Islington, in 1880, has celebrated his diamondwedding:

Bath Roaders in Royal NavyFORMER winner of the. Bath Road " too," Ruben

Firth is now in the Royal Navy, as is anotherprevious winner-Keith Moaedale:

T.T. Secretary Killed in ActionFOUNDER member and former time -trials secretary

of the St. Christopher Catholic C.C. of Leeds,Sergeant Pilot B. Williams has been killed in action.

Scottish Tandem:Retord - - - .

JOET MACRAE and Duncan McCullum, DouglasC.C., made the first Scottish place -to -place record

for two, years when they beat the existing figures of theScottish R.R.A. tandem record from Glasgow -Dundee -Glasgow by two minutes. Their time for the 104 mileswas 7h. 51m. 6s.

More Missing ClubmenALBERT LAXTON, Vegetarian C. and A.C.

enthusiast and member of the East Clarion C.C.,is reported missing in the Middle East. Anothercyclist reported missing in the Middle East is GunnerClarence Moore, Keighley C.C.

Dave Ricketts Rides AgainFORMER crack member of the Polytechnic, Dave

Ricketts, invalided from the Royal Navy, isagain in action on the track.

Club Events for Red CrossST. NEOTS and District C.C. aim at raising £25o

for the Red Cross by. means of cycling events.Last year the club raised £12o.

Scottish Club Seeks New MembersPECOGNISED as one of Scotland's strongest pre-

..-1.%war club, the Johnstone Wheelers seek hew leaseOf life by the introductiOn of new members.

New Clubs loin N.C. UWITHIN a few weeks z3 new clubs, applied to the

. 7 National Cyclists" Union for affiliation.

Coroner Condemns Riding Three- Abreast THE .lateat" q ues are for hired bicYcles. At . Prisoner of Warv. 15RING the inquest on a Billing ham cyclist, the long queues for such Machines. daring the Glasgow N is to H. .. nc ingham, one of

London's Well-knoWn pre-war - startdeputy coroner drew attention to the danger% of holiday period.. . . _ .

' Cyclists riding -three abreaSt. While ' riding with two .

. ,. . riders, who was reported MisSing .folletwing a raid over,- enemy territory, is safe and in Italian binds. He was- other cyclists, the dead man was killed by ,a passing New Road Link for Wales

a sergeant pilot. .

.

lorry. . . _ . . . -

BicY cle in Bushes , . - ' P°Titrft, Mg.plans tt=it''d4. a

nl°d:reTI . Gafford Member's Death --- .. . . ..

A.T Hitchin Court recently a boy evacuee was stated - .

gunner J. -Macinurdie; R.A.F., - who'lost: his life. L i to have stolen a biCycleirom a local picture -house, : Food Problem Solved. iiii a flying accident ifterreturning safely from -a number 'and then hidden the machine in some bushes; riding it - - - - - _

at ,night, because he did .not wish to . take it to his MR. HOWARD, warden of Malham (West Riding) . of heavy,bombing raids over Germany..billet. - youth hostel, has partly solved the .hostellers' of .76 - 'serving Catford members to make the supreme

' food prohlem by groWing crops on the hostel land, and sacrifice. -

Famous Inn Still Open on a nearby fellside. - One-armed Rider AwardGood Work. by a DealerA MANCHESTER bicycle dealer who bought a" bicycle for 35i.; big first examined the identityCard of the seller,. proniptly notified the Pollee when'they circularised details of a - stolen machine similar:to the bicycle. ' Arising. froth the dealer's smart work,the thief was traced to. Stockport, and was later foundguilty" at Roehdele of stealing five.bicy'cles in "all.' The -man was sent to prison for a total of nine weeks. ' . :-,_

Girl Rider's Weekly MileageEILEEN JORDAN, the' 20 -year -old -cyclist, who has

been putting up some Wonderful rides (including'the women's '25 -mile tandem record, with Joyce Dian, of th. 6m: 6s.); cycles. abnut .4.od miles a week, includingdaily tripsof over 3o nilea. - .

_ . . . .

Neu) R.T.T.C. CommitteemanSTEVE PONTIN, Finsbury Park C.C. has been

elected 'to -fill the vacancy on 'the' R.T.T.C.National Committee, caused by the resignation of W.Frankum, North Road C.C., now in the Army., .

D

. .

THE famous Cat Hole Inn, at the head of Swaledale,in the-NorthRiding, is still providing accommoda-

tion and food for tourists. The inn stands above thevillage of 'Keld,"and close to Kisdon Force, one of thefinest of Yorkshire Waterfalls. .

Cycle Path for OxfordTHE. Samuel -Commission, appointee some years ago

by 'the Oxford Preservation 'Trust,'.has justrecommended that a. cycle road and bridge should be

' made across the River Cherwell to- relieve the trafficcongestion on Magdalen Bridge. --

Progress by National TrustTHE annual report of the National Trust shows that

despite the war its work of safeguarding places ofinterest goes on. The Trust is now a large landowner,in charge of over too,000 acres of, Britain. During

' last year some 16,000 acres were acquired. ,

Club Treasurer Marries _

TREASURER of the Goldberry C.C. of Kilmarnock,'Andrew Aird; has married Helen Cantley of the

same club.

Soldiers Steal Bicycles'WHEN two soldiers were charged with stealing two -

- bicycles at Mitcham. Police ,Court, the chairman -of the magistrates 'stated that a lot of bicycle stealingwas going on, and the magistrates intended_to stop it.'fhe soldiers pleaded guilty and were fined £2, each.

Rothesay, thee Firth of Clyde resort, there were OA'S' handthat

as further development of the coast and inland resorts. CATTGRD C.C. mourn the death of Sergeant Air

Club Champion ,Passes ,C)vfr,CLUB champion in t896-7, A. C. Orem, one of

Southgate Cycling Club's viee-presidenti, has died. -

Deputy Secretary of R.T.T.C..NATIONAL duties of the R.T.T.C. are being

handled- by F. A. Beardsinore, 13 1, KeyhamLane, Leicester, the "former secretary having joined theR.A.F.

massed

He is the fifth

HIGHGATE C.C." have made a special award to .R. Brown, a 'one-armed rider, who clocked 411.

56in. in their open " too ' . but Who failed to figurein the prize list.

ysHolida at Home" Eventsn

. _

IN connection with " Holiday; at Home " m.myclubs' are .promoting grass track events in their

areas. ^ Clubs are also arranging- evening' spins fornondescript cyclists.

Club President Presents Trophy"TN remembrance of 5o happy years membership "

1. is the apt inscription on a'trophy presented toSouthgate CyCling Club by G. C. Gram, charimion in1892-3, and former president. -

President of F.O.T.C.TI -E reigning president of the F.O.T.C. is 'I. G.

Scarfe, Secretary of the organitation 'from 1933until recently.

" Crack" Rider's MarriageFORMER .Queensbury Road " crack," Jack Shackle -

ton, now serving,with the Forces in ScOtland,has married Miss Margaret Bradshaw.

Bath Roader's' Adventures -PETER COLES WEBB, son of E. C. ColesWebb,

well-known -Bath Roader,- is .understood to -7beinterned: in -Algiers, after some amazing adventure:which included two shipwrecks.

September, 1942 THE CYCLIST 91

Around

The old church at Rudgwick,

The Wheelers' FraternityHEBERT GOODWIN, who is directing

the Special Cyclists' Appeal for theDuke of Gloucester's Red Cross and St.John Fund, tells me that cyclists have starteda new drive to help the national war effort, infounding the nation-wide Wheelers' Fraternityin aid of. this worthy cause. Every memberhas to promise to ride his or her cyclewhenever it is reasonable to do so, instead ofusing buses and trams. By this means theywill conserve fuel needed for the Services.The founder members 'are Mrs. WinstonChurchill and Sir Stafford Cripps. TheFraternity was, of course, started by HerbertGoodwin, the president of the PickwickBicycle Club, which, no longer an activecycling club, is the oldest bicycle club inthe world. All members of the Wheelers'Fraternity agree to help each other on the road,and every rider in the country is eligible tojoin. A letter to the Hon. Secretary, Wheelers'Fraternity, 22, Lancaster Gate, London, W.2,with a postal order for is. or more, and astamped. and addressed envelope for reply,will bring a badge and a membership card.All monies go to the Red Cross Cyclists'Fund. Patrons of the Special Cyclist Appealfor the Fund are J. B. Brooks & Co., Ltd.;B.S.A. Cycles ; County Chemical Co., Ltd. ;Currys, Ltd. ; Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd. ;*Rudge Whitworth, Ltd. ; Raleigh Cycle Co.,Ltd. Vice -patrons are : Aberdale Cycle Co. ;Bluemel Bros., Ltd. ; Enfield Cycle Co.,Ltd. ; Halford Cycle Co., Ltd. ; andVice -Presidents are : Armstrong Cycles, Ltd. ;l3elstaff Mnfg. Co., Ltd. ; James Grose, Ltd. ;Dawes Cycles; Ltd. ; and the Norman CycleCo., Ltd. Clubs can help in this appeal.They can vote an annual subscription fromthe club funds ; they can give Red Crosscertificates as awards in their events, anddonate the prize values ; they can promoteoutdoor and indoor social fixtures, such asrallies and dances with a Bed Cross appeal.Suggestions will he welcomed by the

near Horsham, Sussex.

the Wheel -worldBy ICARUS

organiser at 26, BurleighMansions, Charing CrossRoad, London, W.C.2. TheRed Cross Sports Com-mittee's Appeal during thewar has collected over£180,000 up to December,1941. Of all the sportswhich have contributed tothis large sum cyclists arealmost at the bottom ofthe list, and it is Mr.Goodwin's intention thatthey should show up morefavourably as a result ofthe present appeal. Makesure when sending dona-tions to the Fund that youclearly state on theenvelope, and on the letter,that the donation is sent inresponse to the Cyclists'Appeal.

Waterloo BridgeWAS one of the first tocross Waterloo Bridge

on the first day of its un-official opening.. At thehead of the file of traffic wasa horse-drawn vehicle drivenby a torpid upside -down-pipe -smoking driver. Ittook nearly six minutes tocross the bridge, which wasopened to two lines oftraffic only. This was not

a very happy augury, and it raises onceagain the question of horse - drawn trafficon the busy streets of London. The horsemay come into its own again during the war,as petrol vehicles are parked for the duration,unless the Government further restrict food-stuff for horses. But that is no reason whythey should be permitted at a time when weare told that every second we waste costslives, to delay road travellers. After all,everyone who is travelling to -day is engagedon essential work. The horse-drawn vehicle,with its leisurely progress, is too vivid areminder of the mentality of our pre-warpoliticians, and especially our pre-warMinisters of Transport. In any case, thetemporary bridge across the Thames atWaterloo could have been used for one-waytraffic of slow -moving vehicles. The incidentto which I have referred suggests that ourpresent War Transport Ministry still has' itsmind back in pre-war days.

More Cyclists Than EverWHILST the press has been reporting the

presence of large numbers, of cyclistson the roads since the parking of cars, I havenot noticed any greater number of cyclistsalong the by-ways-in fact, less. Many tensof thousands of people may now be cycling toand front work, but the deserted by -waysencourages the thought that at week -endsthese people do not cycle. During a 40 -milespin the other Saturday afternoon in Surreya friend and I encountered three. At thetcashop we were the only customers. Now agreat deal is expected of those who have beendriven into the ranks of cycling as a result ofthe petrol restrictions. I mean that the cycleindustry is expecting them to remain ascyclists after the war. If that is the desire,the cycle trade should do something about itnow. I have no doubt many of these newcyclists are finding it hard work, partly becausethey have not cycled for many years, but moreprobably because they are riding unsuitable

bicycles. Cycle dealers, short as they are ofstock, and in spite of the efforts to clean upthe bicycle trade, still sell any sort of bicycle,whether it is suitable for their customer or not.

The founding of clubs and societies froman idealistic point of view should not beconsidered as having achieved an end nor behonoured by awards until the end has beenachieved. Before the cycle trade can beproperly cleaned up it will have to be mademore attractive to an intelligent youngergeneration to enter as- a trade. A lot needsto be done in connection with the bicycleitself. In many ways it remains, like theminds of many of the old-timers, back in the'nineties. Which invites the thought thatlittle will be done until some keen cyclistswith more modern ideas enter what we like toconsider as a movement, the cycling movement.Actually there is no such thing as a cyclingmovement. A few thousands of people belongto this society or that out of a total of, shallwe say, 12,000,000.

Tricycle RecordsGEORGE LAWRIE and R. Morford, of

the Viking R.C. and the South WesternR.C. respectively, created new 12 -hour andLondon, to Bath and Back tandem cyclerecords in one ride, the former by three miles,and the latter by 28 minutes. The newfigures for the Bath and Back are to hrs.5o mins. 34 secs., and that for the 12 -hour,2321, thus beating Ferris and Rowell's Bathand Back record of 11 hrs. 18 mins. 19 secs.,and the 12 hours of Jonas and del Banco's229.

Works CouncilsWORKS councils are often thought to be

one of the war -time innovations inBritish industry, but they had actually beenin existence for a number of years in some ofour leading factories. A works council wasstarted by The Coventry -Eagle Cycle &Motor Co., Ltd., as far back as 1933, at theinstigation of Mr. A. Douglas Mayo, thefirm's managing -director, who declares thathis experience has convinced him of the valueof these joint boards of employers and em-ployed. This council, which must have beenamong the first to be constituted in the cycleand motor trades, has just been reorganised tomeet the special needs of present conditions.

Canadian Bicycle Advisory CommitteeTHE Canadian Munitions and Supply Dept.

announced the appointment of a bicycleadvisory committee to co-operate with SuppliesController Alan H. Williamson, in connectionwith control of bicycles and their place in theCanadian war programme. Since manufactureof automobiles in Canada ceased, as plantswere converted to the task of turning out warweapons, demand for bicycles has increasedenormously. Rationing of petrol and theshortage of rubber for tyres have also steppedup the demand. Many people who ordinarilydrive cars are now seeking to obtain bicyclesfor travel back and forth between their homesand places where they work.

At the same time manufacture of bicycleshas been sharply curtailed to conserve vitalmetals and to release workers for transfer toessential war industries.

The order issued by Mr. Williamson andapproved by R. C. Berkinshaw, chairman ofthe War -time Industries Control Board,named H. 0. Higgins, of Weston, Ont., aschairman. Associated with Mr. Higgins willbe V. G. Sayers, of Toronto, and S. Mace, ofWaterloo. Quebec.

92

lav tl.e shore ofAldSE Water '

'oolong towardsCrest Cable (2949x). ThIs a U.

loneliest And deepest total' the lakes

e'4";;

Rubber SuppliesSINCE our rubber supplies were so reduced

by the doss of the Malayan plantations,and the Dutch East Indies, I have had manytalks with riders about rubber . . . so oftencalled " The Product of a Thousand Uses."And I have been rather amazed at the lack ofknowledge of this essential raw material-and its places of cultivation. One goodfellow, chatting to me over a welcome tankardof ale in an old inn somewhere near Henley -in -Arden, suggested hopefully that as Malayahad gone, we should doubtless get our rubberfrom America ! The optimistic commentmade me smile . . . when I rememberedthat raw rubber had for years been one ofAmerica's " industrial headaches." Beforewe parted in that old inn, I had been able toimpart a little knowledge about world pro-duction of raw rubber, and inform my cyclingfriend that some 340,000 tons came annuallyfrom Malaya, and about the same amountfrom the Dutch Indies. He was suitablyimpressed-and went away vowing to thinkout how some alternative material could beused. Actually, I do not suppose that itwould be beyond the abilities of °Ur industrialchemists to produce something to take theplace of rubber for cycle tyres . . . though Iam going to take extra care of my " road-sters " and obey all those simple little hintson care and maintenance which now form thebackbone of the advertisements put out bythe cycle tyre manufacturers.Old-time CyclesMY recent references to famous old-time

names of cycles has brought me almosta " fan -mail "-to use a t)hrase associatedwith that glittering and glamorous worldwhere stars of the screen have their being.Someone writes to me asking why I .did notmention the Raglan, the Cluley; and the Cen-taur. 'Well;I was not endeavouring to give acatalogue of names famous" in the days oflong ago . . . but I am glad to add the fore-going to my little list. All are remembevedwith affection. All have their honoured placein the great gallery of immortal cycle nantory.

THE CYCLIST September, 1942

One correspondent, a Centaur enthusiast,sent me a snapshot of himself beside hismachine . . . and called attention to his" boater " and long moustaches ! Happymemories !

The Weather-and Old CottagesAS I write these rambling notes, the rain is

tumbling down, the skies are grey, andthere is a wind blowing which soundsmore in keeping with October than the monthsof summer. But I am not grumbling aboutthe rain . . . my garden needed it badly, andI know that the following sunshine (whichwill surely come) will " bring on " my peas,and spinach, and carrots, and beet, andparsnips-and all the other good thingswhich grow in that garden which, not so verylong ago, was a piece of untilled waste land.To -day, I could almost wish that the Minister

CycloramaBy H. W. ELEY

of Food himself might see it-so useful apart is it going to play in the great effort togrow more food. And, talking of the weather,I recall that I made a note in my diaryrecently that there would be a sharp frost inthe very near future. I did so because an oldcountryman, well versed in weather -lore,assured me that I could " bank on " such anoccurrence. And you know how oftenthese old weather -prophets are right in theirpredictions ! Well, the night passed withoutthe frost . . . and I shall duly chide thatcountryman . . . who lives in a cottage inWarwickshire, where he was born nearlyeighty years ago ; a tumble-down cottage,but very picturesque . . . and though nomodern housing reformer would tolerate itsremaining, it is a bit of England and theEnglish scene. I admit to being a sentimen-talist about old cottages . . . with rosesround the door . . . and thatched roofs . . .

and little diamond -paned windows. They maybe unhealthy, but I do so prefer them tothe ugly stucco dwellings erected by themodern builders. But I'm glad we escapedthat frost . . . for it would have just playedhavoc with the young fruit.

Durham AttractionsCOAL mining and miners are very much

the topic of the day, and a week or soago I talked with a Durham ex -miner whowas doing a little cycling tour round Shake-speare Land. He chatted in interestingfashion about his native Durham and correctedany impression I may ever have had thatDurham was nothing but coal and the grimeof the collieries. There are, of course, wildand beautiful areas in that county. There ishistory, too, for Durham Cathedral was builtas far back as 5093. Actually the ecclesiasticalhistory of Durham goes farther back thanthat, for the monks of Lindisfarne selectedthe place as the site for a religious settlementin A.D. 997. It is doubtful whether any ofour cathedrals is placed on a site of greaterbeauty. Durham is a cathedral of stem andmassive grandeur, fitting indeed for thatrugged northern land.

At the head of the Great Langdale, in the Lake district.

September, 1942 THE CYCLIST 93 4f

e Marquess of Queensberry

The Marquess of Queensberry and C. A.photograph was picked up in hospital lager

7th, 19oo, by

THE Sporting Queensberrys," by theTenth Marquess of Queensberry, isan interesting volume, but curiously

enough not a word is said about the LordQueensberry, and his cycling activities, who, inJuly, 1894, became a vice-president of the BathRoad Club. At the time of his appointment,introduced to the club by Harry Burr, Sir JohnAird, M.P. was president of the Bath RoadClub. " Q," as he was known in the club, tookan active part in the club's cycling affairs. Heattended the runs, did a little boxing, andlater competed in the road handicaps. " Q "

took the chair at the club's annual dinner in1895. In proposing the health of the clubhe remarked that it was his first appearancein the chair since he joined the club. Cyclinghad become as enjoyable as ever the horse -riding had been to him in his young days.

The question of high and low gears at thisperiod-5896-was being discussed every-where in cycling circles, and this led toa challenge from C. B. Lawes, later " Sir,"the famous sculptor, championing the highgear, to " Q " to race him over a distanceof, say, so miles. " Q " accepted thechallenge, and on February 26th, 1896, therace took place on the Ripley road. HereI must tell you that the police somehowor other got the information that somethingwas on ! Just at that time the police werepersecuting cyclists all over the country, withKingston holding the lead. [Disgraceful-ED.]On the morning of the race police were noticedoutside the White Lion Hotel at StreetCobham. Now, as the race was to be startedjust close to the " Hut," it was thoughtdesirable to reach the starting point bystealth. At the back of the " White Lion "is a field, which presented a good means ofavoiding notice, so away the party went withthe timekeeper (E. A. Powell), making throughChatley to the Ripley road. " Q " was ridinga low gear, about 65, and Lawes a high,84. " Q " had been advised to get off themark as quickly as possible; this he did andwas soon a few yards ahead. He increased hislead every mile. At the turn Lawes changedhis mount to one with a lower gear,but it was of no use; " Q" retained his leadand finished quite two minutes before Lawesarrived. As we all knew the police were still

" BICYCLE. or a tricycle is a more orless complex machine," said ProfessorArchibald Sharp, B.Sc., in 1896

(" Bicycles and Tricycles," Longmans, 1896)," and for a . thorough appreciation of thestresses and strains to which it is subjectedin ordinary use, and for its efficient design,an extensive knowledge of the mechanicalsciences is necessary. Though extensiveliterature on nearly all other types of machineexists there is, strange to say, very little onthe subject of cycle design ; periodicalcycling literature being almost confined toracing and personal matters. . . . In the presentwork an attempt is made to give a rationalaccount of the stresses and strains to whichthe various parts of a cycle are subjected.Only a knowledge of the most elementary por-tions of algebra, geometry and trigonometryare assumed, while graphical methods ofdemonstration are used as far as possible. Itis hoped that the work will be of use tocycle riders who take an intelligent interestin their machines, and also to those engagedin their manufacture. The present type ofrear -driving bicycle is the outcome of abouti.o years' practical experience. The oldordinary, with its large front wheel, straightfork and curved backbone, was a model ofsimplicity of construction, but with the intro-duction of a smaller driving wheel driven bygearing from the pedals, and the consequentgreater complicity of the frame, there was morescope for variation of form of the machine.Accordingly, till a few years ago, a great varietyof bicycles were on the market, many of themutterly wanting in scientific design. Out ofthese the present-day rear -driving bicycle,with diamond frame, extended wheel base, andlong socket steering head, the fittest hassurvived. A better technical education on thepart of bicycle manufacturers and their cus-

By C. A. (Bath Road) SMITH

waiting for us in Street Cobham,we crawled back to the " WhiteLion " and chuckled to see thepolice force waiting. There wasnothing they could do, no " furiousriding," no nothing ! So theyeventually issued a summonsagainst Sir Claude de Crespignyand the writer of these lines for

Smith on a tandem in the 'nineties. Thisat . Afodder Spruit, near Ladysmith, on AprilG. H. Hiscock.

riding " to the danger " earlier in the morningdown Pains Hill. Sir Claude, never havingridden a cycle, was taken for a spin some houzsbefore the match, and, of course, he couldnot keep his feet on the pedals of the tandemgoing down the hill. It so happened that thesuperintendent and a sergeant were walking

down the hill, too. They followed us into thehotel and took particulars of Sir Claude'sname and address-and mine ! I rememberthat I had to spell Sir Claude's name, as thesepoor chaps could not tackle the job ! Twowitnesses testified that there was no dangerto anyone, because there was no one to endan-ger. But, of course, the Kingston " unpaids "ignored this fact and we were fined 25s. each !So I suppose one may wind up by stating thatthe police had not altogether wasted their time.

In June, 5896, " Q " was given 16 minutes'start in a club handicap and finished last.In a "50" in September, with one hour'sstart, he got second place. He had a fall anda puncture, too, in this competition. " Q "reported : " I had a bad fall about 3o mileson the road and rather smashed up mymachine. I hurt it more than I did myself, andfrom that point could get no greater pace outof it than to miles an hour ! " In 1897 " Q "missed several races, but started in the fourthwith 45 minutes' start. He finished seventh,his net time being 3 hours 26 mins. for the 5omiles. Not bad for an old man over 5o yearsof age ! He was always full of pluck and vimand always did his best to ride fast, whenoccasion required.

I always feel sorry when I think of ourparting. He had gone to the Oatlands ParkHotel, and after some days I received a letterfrom him explaining why he had left. He hadcome to the conclusion that I was trying topoison him, so he thought it best to clearout ! We never met again, and from the letterswhich are reproduced in " The SportingQueensberrys " which " Q " wrote to his son,after the Oscar Wilde case, one can see that hewas mentally afflicted.

Bicycle Design in 1896tomers might have saved them a great amountof trouble and expense. Two or three yearsago, when there seemed a chance of the dwarffront driving bicycle coming into popularfavour, the same variety in design of framewas to be seen, and even now with tandembicycles there are many frames which evinceon the part of their designers completeignorance of mechanical science. If thepresent work is the means of influencingmakers or purchasers to such an extent as tomake the sale and manufacture of suchmechanical monstrosities in the future moredifficult than it has been in the past,the author will regard his labours as havingbeen entirely successful."

Readers should note that the above waswritten in 1896, nearly 5o years ago, andwe have still the same difficulties to contendwith ! Look at the frames-bicycle andtandem ! The latter are far the worse !Even in 1942 one continually notices tandemsin trouble with one of the chains off. Nowwe have to submit to " stamped -out chain -wheels" made of inferior metal, because ifthe metal was " hard " they could not bestamped out. So " stamped -out wheels "have been adopted by the trade becausethey are turned out cheaply.

When Professor A. Sharp wrote this book" stamped -out " chain -wheels were unknown,as chain -wheels were then cut out by means ofa milling cutter. And we remember whenseveral firms had their own ideas about toothform, Humber's used to cut their teethquite straight and the result was the chainhad a tendency to mount the wheels. Ifonly the managers of present-day cyclemanufacturers would recognise that bicyclegearing is an engineering job, and requiresskilful workmen to cut the wheels withmilling cutters.

94 THE CYCLIST

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September, 1942 THE CYCLIST 95

WAYSIDE THOUGHTSBy F. J. URRY

Singleton, Sussex. A corner of this pretty village with its ancient church and old houses.

and properly adjusted so that the changes respondslickly to the movement of the controls. Many peoplewill not take the little trouble to understand the simpleadjustment mechanism, particularly of the hub 4 -speedmodels which are so delicately made, and I think thatneglect is the main cause of making trouble for ownerand manufacturer. Well, the day will come-I hopeit is not far distant-when change gears will return totheir important place in bicycle equipment, and thecyclist will be a happier wanderer as a result, for nextto the invention of the pneumatic tyre the change gearranks in importance. It has curbed the strength ofthe wind as a pressure handicap, and made of the longupgrade a cheerful passage, always provided the changesare intelligently used, and the device is not looked uponas a miracle worker to level stiff ascents, which arealways better walked. Change gears have addedcomfort to cycling, and comfort, after more than halfa century of riding, is a thing to be desired. 'That iswhy I cherish my change -gear bicycles.

A Certain CureISUPPOSE to all of us come moments when we

suffer under an attack of " the blues," and perhapsthese visitations are more frequent as we grow older,because we have lived long enough to have shed mostof our illusions. The news was bad, the day was hot,the works were foul with the smell of oil, tempers wereshort, and indeed all things seemed to conspire tomake the moment of existence most unhappy. If you-who read these notes have worked and worried in afactory with the shade temperature over 8o deg., youwill know how I felt on that evening. The fellow atthe other end of every telephone call seemed to want abother with me, so I suspect he was not having a verygay time, 'though I am bound to confess I had noimmediate sympathy with him. Just after five o'clockon that evening a man 'phoned to say he would be

' free in half an hour; would I come fors ride, as he_was " fed -up." Here was a temper to match mine, sowith a cup of tea and a cake for cargo I joined myfriend on the outskirts of the city at 6.15, and, believeit or not, neither of us said a single word of the caresthat had infested our working hours. We were freefor a few hours, free to wander over the lonely roadsinto the rich sunshitle of the evening and see the bloomon the grain. Where we went and what we did doesn'tmatter, and I can only speak for myself that when I gothome about nine o'clock I was a fit and proper personto -return a respectable salute, having recovered a senseof proportion because of those few hours of change andtalk, and the mental reaction of looking at this preciousland getting ready for its harvest. It was Dr. Bicycle

A Joy to Come practice. The 2 -speed bracket gear on the old Sunbeam again working the simple miracle of mental and bodilyhas been working for 23 years with one change of health through the channel of change of occupation and

T WAS reminded the other day by a sentence in a operating cable ; the 3 -speed derailleur on the tandem environment. Nothing else could have done it ; IA letter from a friend of mine in U.S.A.,that when is 14 years old and has had two changes of rear cogs should have taken my problems to golf and playedthis war is over, we in these Islands will ave the joy when new chains have been fitted the other derailleur badly ; and in a car the worries would have throbbedof entertaining many American civilian visitors, and I has only been at work four years, but is now demanding in unison with the engine -beats

'

while walking wouldhope we on our part will also be visitors to the States a new set of cogs ; and the oldest S.A. 4 -speed is well have only kept me on the outer edge of industry. No,in ever increasing numbers. Even before the U.S.A. was into its second season. I have had no trouble with any the bicycle is best ; stick to a bicycle and you have.in the war the notion of " changing places " in the of them, mainly I think because I keep them well oiled when occupying its saddle, the cure for many ills.teaching profession had been put into practice, for inthe spring of t94o I happened to be holidaying for abrief period in Somerset and Devon, and met-or wascaptured by-a bevy of school teachers who had" changed places " with their British sisters -for sixmonths. These lassies were riding bicycles over theupended roads of Somerset and Devon, and ridingthem pretty badly, for apparently no one had taken thetrouble to see they were seated correctly, or imbueet,em with the slightest notion how to care for theirTroperty. As it happened T was a trifle useful inrepairing a puncture, and during the process listenedto their chatter on a dozen subjects mainly concernedwith the history of the area, for they had been readingBlackmore's " Lorna Dome " to some purpose, andevidently looked on that romance as gospel truth.When we did get down to cycling topics, the hardwork " bogey immediately cropped up, and as a resultmy next hour was spent with spanners and adjustments(mainly saddles and bars), alterations which wereacclaimed (though I suspect as a return of compliment)on our way to the Oare valley. I never spent a liveliertea -hour than with those seven girls at MarmsmeadFarm, and to -day I bless the puncture that made myintrusion to their company so interesting an introduc-tion. Those girls were filled with the joy of life, andwhen I reached Minehead in the late evening I hadadded quite a bonnie collection of colloquialisms to mylimited vocabulary. The point I want to make, however,is that there is a genuine pleasure in scraping acquain-tance with the stranger within our gates, for the changeof opinion is good for both of you. And unless I ammistaken the opportunities of breaking down the racialbarriers will be multiplied many times when this dreadwar is over, and all of us who roam should do our partin making the visitor feel happy and familiar duringhis sojourn in " this green and pleasant land."

I Like Them"TOW lucky are those of us who possess the easy aid

of change -speed gears. It seems almost unfairto write of such accessories to comfortable travel duringthese days when they are not obtainable, and my excusefor doing so is to try and make folk realise they cannotfully enjoy the comforts of moderate cycling, andespecially touring, until they have known the valueof the change speed. All my bicycles are change speedequipped with similar gear ratios, but not similar makesof gear; for I have the bracket 2 -speed, the Cycloderailleur 3 -speed, and the Sturmey-Archer 4 -speedin both close and medium ratios.' My highest gearis 75in. on a tandem, my lowest 43im on a 4 -speedS.A. medium ratio single, and between these ranges Ithink I have every combination I can usefully put into

What the Clubs areLife in the NorthALOCAL group of the Scottish Y.H.A. has been

founded in Morayshire, largely upon the initiativeof the Forms Cycling Club.

Kingsbury EnterpriseVOUR members of the Kingsbury C.C. (London)

entered two Scottish opens while on tour inthe North. The riders were S. E. Slough, T. S. Banton,E. G. Phillips and W. Suttie.

Ayrshire Clubfolk ManyA NDREW ;treasurer of the Goldberry C.C.," of Kilmarnock, married Helen Cantley, of thesame club, recently. Both are very well known inWest of Scotland club and youth hostel circles.

Scots Clubmen as P.T. InstructorsTWO well-known Scottish speedmen are now

physical training instructors. They are " Jock "Martin, of the Douglas C.C., now sergeant in the Army,and John Jamieson, Zenith Wheelers, who is in theR.A.F.

Yorkshire Time Trialists MarriedTWO regular competitors in West Riding time trials,

T. Leech and Miss E. Smith, both of theKeighley Road Club,. have just married. They spenttheir honeymoon touring in the Yorkshire Dales. Mr.Leech is serving in Britain with the Royal Tank Corps.

Johnstone Wheelers ReviveTOHNSTONE Wheelers, in pre-wat. days theJ strongest club in Renfrewshire, ffave revived andare now carrying out a full social programme. Thesecretary remains as before, Walter Buchanan. 18,Broomward Drive, Johnstone, near Paisley.

Armour Back to FormTACK ARMOUR, Fife C.A., last year's fastestJ 25 -miler, celebrated his return to form by winningthe Mid -Scotland T.T.A. open ;25 with ihr. 2mins.

isecs., one of the fastest times done in Scotlandthis season. No fewer than to riders beat " 1-5 'in this event, which had an entre, of 7o.

DoingCyclists' War Charity Sports

THE Upper (Nithsdale C.C. recently co-operated withother Dumfriesshire sports bodies in running a

grass -track meeting 'at Kirkconnel. A large crowdwatched the event, at which T. Edwards, of the UpperNithsdale C.C., was the leading prizewinner. Proceedswent to local war charities.

Brothers Lead in ScotlandTWO prominent Scottish time trialists and brothers,

James and Tom McGuinness, Glasgow NightingaleC.C., filled the first two places in the Hamilton C.C.open 25 with times of ihr. 3mins. 8 secs. and ihr.4mms. 42secs. respectively.

Cumnock Rally SuccessTHE attendance at this year's annual Cumnock rally,

promoted by the West of Scotland Cyclists'Defence Committee, was rather less than last year,some 8,000 persons being present, including 371campers, which latter figure was only slightly lowerthan that of to4i. Riders were present from all partsof the country, and were given a civic welcome byProvost Nan Hardie Hughes.

Scottish Record BrokenTHE first Scots 'place -to -place record to be broken

for 'two years was recently passed on to theScottish R.R.A. for confirmation. J. Macrae andD. McCallum, Douglas C.C., beat the existing Glasgow -Dundee and Back record (by 2mins. 23secs. at theirfirst attempt. They covered the 164 miles in 7hrs.s mins. 6secs., compared with the time of 7hrs.53 mins. 29 secs. clocked by F. Anderson and H. Keefein 1936.

" Shake" Earnshaw's Good Turn" SHAKE " EARI`:.1SHAW, in pre-war days a

professional rider for the Hercules concern,and now in the R.A.F., recently met Joy Drage, thespeedy Bedfordshire Road Club girl, as she was en routefor a Yorkshire road event.

Earnshaw, who was on leave, took Mrs. Drage'bomefor lunch, and later put her on the right road forWetherby where she was bound

96 THE CYCLIST September, 1942

Ott.1-11

St Mary the Virgin[. Adderliory(0.4"F sungt6

Potted WisdomNOT every flat tyre means a puncture. Therefore,

before you get busy with tyre levers and things,test the valve.

EffronteryTT has been announced that, in the interests of tyre

economy, " roads surfaced with flints and loosegrit, which cut and eat into tyres, shall be reduced to aminimum." For which Allah be praised. But-mark you 1-it takes a great war, costing millions ofpounds a clay, to turn Authority (with a capital " A ")from the error of its ways, and cease making roads thatcause trouble. '

" Retort Courteous "GEORGE BERNARD SHAW is reported to have

once said that a man on a bicycle is " the mostridiculous sight in the world." %he obvious " retortcourteous" is that some men do not need to get on abicycle in order to look ridiculous ! But I prefer tooffer a more polite answer. Let us look ridiculous, by

21Zi!5"7 ,

My Pointof View

P,Y WAY GA R E .4./

Af/V// / /WI WX4'all means. It is a mighty small price to payfor the blessings bestowed on us by the.

=,-*--."- magical bicycle. Personally, I Want td look ridiculous just as often as possible !

Ac6.12:

Tonic1,1-1E other evening, at the end of a hectic

day which had barely allowed me amoment for leaving my office chair, I decidedthat something would have to be done aboutit. Reaching home rather late for tea, the ideacame to me that there was a letter awaiting

despatch to a house some t s miles away. The oppor-tunity to save aid.-at whatever cost in time andeffort !--was-not to be resisted, though I felt far moreinclined to sit down and go to sleep. However, it didnot take me long to change from business garments intomy best suit, and soon I was speeding towards thecountry in all the glorious freedom of shorts and open -neck shirt. Some of my problems showed a dispositionto accompany me, but I wasn't having any of that, andI quickly outpaced them I What a joy it was to bereasonably clothed and to be rollicking along the openroad ! What a delight to be obtaining the vigorousexercise which the bicycle can provide ! Soon thestuffiness-mental and physical stuffiness-and theincipient headache departed, and I began to feel a newman. Through meeting one or two friends, and alsothrough slightly extending my route, it was rather latewhen I " docked " at home, and quite a differentindividual from the one who had trifled with his teasat down with eagerness to a well-earned supper.Cycling is a grand tonic : try it, and see for yourself.Never mind how tired-how disinclined for riding-you may feel. Change into your glad -rags, and getthe bicycle out, and make it serve your purpose, as itwill do, so readily and inexpensively.

-A Possible Sanctuary -

TN these days when we hear so much about stolenA bicycles-surely the meanest of all thefts-theexperience in a south -country town makes interestingreading. I gather that people cycle into this place,

. park -their machines in a churchyard where a cycle -stand happens to be provided for Sunday use, or inthe subway of the railway station, and then incontinentlytravel to London and back by train, secure in theknowledge that their property will be awaiting themwhen they return. It seems incredible, but I amassured it is true. Then I was told the other day of alady who went shopping on her bicycle, in this sameapparent sanctuary. At the grocer's shop she stoodher machine at the kerb and made her purchases,afterwards Walking on to two or three other shops,and finally walking home. After lunch she wanted touse her bicycle again, but it was missing from its usualplace in the shed. She remembered where she had hadit last and went back to the grocer's (it was early -closingday), and there, sure enough, was her machine patientlywaiting at the kerb. I suppose that there are few placeswhere you could carry on like that : certainly, in the citywhere I reside it would be fatal to desert your bicyclein this way ; but, as the- proverb nearly says, othertowns, other manners.

That Utility BicycleIT might almost be said-once more-that the

bicycle is coming into its own again, especially theutility bicycle.- Three recent incidents on the continentof Europe prompt the suggestion. We are told that theattack on the monster Heydrich was made by two men,one of whom " rode away on a bicycle " after throwinghis bomb and firing his automatic rifle, while the otherman, presumably, forgot that he had come to the sceneon a lady's bicycle. At any rate, one was left on thespot. On an earlier occasion, when " a cowardly andvile attack " (sic) by persons using bicycles was madeon a German soldier in Paris, a decree was promptlyissued forbidding Frenchmen " to ride, or even walkwith, bicycles " between certain hours in specifiedDepartments, and it was then recalled that, when aGerman officer was assassinated in Nantes in theprevious October, " bicycles were stated to have beenused." The fact of the matter is that the bicycle, withits- speed, its quietness and its unobtrusiveness, hasbecome a considerable asset to those curious peoplewho object to invasion, and like to get a bit of their ownback on the hated Nazis, who ravage and steal. Then,and much more happily, the Russians in a town behindthe German lines were said to be showing rare enterpriseby " keeping the local wireless station going by pedallinga stationary bicycle to generate current' ! Good forthem !

NotesVirtue of NecessityEVEN this horrible war has its uses. ,Owing to the

numerous restrictions impOsed upon all .andsundrY, everybody is being forced back upon thesimpler things of life. To=clay there are literally thou-sands of motorists reverting to _cycling, and, what ismore, many are enjoying it. It is probably very easyfor us hard-bitten cyclists to treat them in a superior

'sort of " told -you -so " attitude, but we must bewareof " glass houses " and the inevitable bricks. Wealso are operating in a similar way, although we maynot be so acutely 'conscious of it as the motorist. Somany areas are closed to the public ; railway assistanceon our long tours is not now so easy ; time available isnot so generous, and as a consequence we are all cuttingour cloth to suit the coat. 'Pouring on the continentis a thing of the past, so that what touring is beingdone is at home. And those who thought that all thethings worth seeing were the other side of the waterare now seeing their own country for a change --andthey are enjoying it. Similarly those who went gaily offon a t4 -day tour, covering, perhaps, a thousand milesin the fortnight are now contentcperforce, with some-thing far simpler. These people are being compelledto see something of those hitherto despised lanes nearhome, and once more they are e:tracting considerablepleasure in the process.

Towards the Simpler Life .

WHO knows where' all this might end ? Is this per-haps the thin end of the wedge towards the

simpler life ? So far as I am concerned. it is out of thequestion to go far from home. It is not easy to take afamily on a cycle tour ip.these days of precariouscatering. To leave the fa11111:: at home means to theaverage individual inability to enjoy a complete mentalrest. So as a happy compromise we toddle aboutwithin a few hours of our own doorstep and enjoy it.Mountain ranges and rushing rivers are beyond ourreach for the time being,'so we stay and examine moreleisurely than ever before the quaint old cottages inthe nearby villages. Ayot St. Lawrence has alwaysbeen there, but usually we were in too great a burr!, onthe main road to step aside and look. Now we -findwhat a delightful little spot it is. Here are quaint oldcottages and peaceful charm ; black and white architec-ture strongly reminiscent of the Cheshire and Shrop-shire villages. We still have plenty of time to spare,so we chat to some of the locals and find that Sir William

of a ffigh.waymanBy LEONARD ELLIS

Parr, brother of the famous Catherine Parr, once livedhere. We learn also that a great person even livesthere to -day, but we are not sure of which they are prouder.

.

Hertfordshire LanesWE are in the lanei and there is no great inducement .

to go back to the main road, so we continue wartdering from village to hamlet, learning and gleaninglittle facts that had hitherto been overlooked or evencontemptuously ignored. Away through RedbOurnon the Watling Street, or A5, there is little remainingof its past importance in Dickens's day as a calling placefor coach travellers. It still sits, or rather sprawls, along

the road, its old church still stands, but Londontravelleis to Holyhead .no longer stop there for break-fast.. More lanes bring us into the valley; of the Gade.'Little and Great Gaddesden give the clues to theirloCation in their names as Gaddesden merely Means the" derie " Or YalleY of the G ode. .SO We continue through "the uplands of the north -eastern -Chilterns where liemany charming spots and grand views. We see enoughin this lazy ramble to realise that in the past we haVescurried past all the -little things that matter, oftengrasping the shadow and losing 'the sUbstahce. Hereis ample material, within easy reach of everyone'sdoorstep, to keep us interested. even though presentconditions last a long while.

Part of the charming village of Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire.

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BUY, EXCHANGE OR SELLAdvertisements are accepted for these columns at Sd. per word (minimum 12words at Ss. -advertisements of less than 12 words are charged at the minimumrate of Ss.). TERMS :-Cash with order. Cheques, Postal Orders, etc., shouldbe made payable to George Newnes, Ltd. The Proprietors reserve the right to refuseor withdraw advertisements at their discretion. All advertisements must be received onor before the Sth of the month preceding date of publication and should beaddressed to the Advertisement Director, " Practical Mechanics," George

Newnes, Ltd., Tower House, Southampton Street, Strand, W.C.2.

TOOLSNEW MACHINERY. For Government

Work only. Electric Motors, Band Saws,Drilling Machines, Pumps, Grinders,Welders, etc. -John P. Steel, Bingley.

WATCHMAKINGWATCH AND CLOCK REPAIRERS.

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MISCELLANEOUSREQUIRED. A Trix or Dublo railway

or parts, also a Juneero Outfit. Reason-able prices. -Box No. 136, c/o " PracticalMechanics," Tower House, SouthamptonStreet, Strand, London, W.C.2.

A NEW AND PROFITABLE winterHobby. Make and sell your own CHERRYWOOD PIPES. Full details and instruc-tions 3s. -P. T. Gavin, 38, BeaufortGardens, Knightsbridge, London, S.W.

ESPERANTOpaves the way to

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HOBBIESSupplies are getting short andmany normal lines are out ofstock. We can still providemuch, however, to help thehome craftsman, and you shouldwrite about your needs toHobbies Ltd. (Dept. 70), Dere-ham, Norfolk, or call at oneof their Branches in London,Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield,Leeds, Hull and Birmingham.

WILL MAKE YOU ABRILLIANT PIANIST

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ELECTRADIX for DYNAMOS(All sizes at bargain prices).

ALTERNATORS. 50 to 500 cycles. Frac-tional H.P. Motors. 1140th to I H.P. All atBargain prices. Large Motors in stock ;still cheap in price.VEE PULLEYS for Sin, belt, turned steel.51n. outside, Sin, bore, 4i6 each.COUPLINGS. Simm's vernier tooth.brass, Sin. hole, self -aligning for motor ordynamo to I H.P., 6/- pair.GAS ENGINE. I H.P. horizontal, mag.ignition, 2. fly wheels. Nice little engine,unexamined and wants good clean up.open type, bargain at £7 106.OTHER ENGINES. Almost New ; twincyl. Douglas fan -cooled, If H.P., governed.mag. ignition, light weight, £12. Larger,21 H.P. ditto, £15. 12 volt Petrol -ElectricLighting Set, second-hand, Stuart type.with two 6 -volt batteries. £15. 50 volt.

kW. Sets, water cooled. £25.WATER TANKS for engines, storage, etc.,I kW. Stuart galvo iron, 5ft. high, 14in.dia., with pipe unions, 45/-.TANKS. Small oil or suds tanks, square.plate. Shin. x 31n. x lin., 118, post 6d. Weldedsteel, high press. containers, for liquid gas orrefrig.. pint size, shin. x 2fin., new. Makegood model boiler, 3i6. post 6d.:SiR COMPRESSORS. 2Ift. verticalefrig. type, unused, worth a fiver, £3 10s.

PERISCOPES. Trench -type, opens 251n,high x shin. x 3in.. with spare mirror. foldinginto canvas carrying case and sling, 12,6.post 1/-.SEXTANT. Second-hand, by Cary, London,mirror scratched, in mahogany case, NavalService purchaser only, 21/6.DYNAMOS BARGAINS, Rotax, 6/12 volts80 amps., D.C.. 3rd brush size, Bin. x 411n.,11 lb., cost £10, unused, 15/-. G.E.C. Double -current Dynamos, 6 volts and 600 volts.ball -bearings, 17 lb., as new, 25/-. ChargingDynamos. 30 volts, 15 amps..Crompton.3,000 revs., 26/106.DRILLS. Electric Bench Drills D.C..Wolf, 110 volt, massive pillar type. gearedfeed, counter weight rise, No. 1 morsesocket for /in. steel. Can be unshippedfor portable use. 12 for delivery withoutpermit. £E/10s. each.Callers can see many other excellentbargains, All post enquiries should beaccompanied by stamped addressed envelope.Nearest Rly. Station : Queen's Road,Battersea. 2 stations from Waterloo S.R.

ELECTRADIX RADIOS19, Broughton St., Battersea, London,

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"Practical Mechanics COUPO NAdvice Bureau'This coupon is avadaLle until Septem-ber 3oth. 1942, and must be attachedto all letters containing queries, to-gether with 3 penny stamps. A stampedaddressed envelope nnot also be enclosed.

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iv

have you joined...coupling proper for fitting up with other types of coupling. it will couple up...

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