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Portable bridges made of piping are being used by the British army instead of the usual wood and rope units. They are stronger and more easily assembled, being especially suited for drill maneuvers.

 

Oil wells, drilled in the surf of the Pacific along the California coast, have been producing for some time, and now various companies are making plans to sink their shafts farther out to sea in the hope of tapping more abundant supplies of "black gold." The problems involved will tax the ingenuity of engineers, but are not considered so difficult as to balk the attempts to obtain the liquid wealth below the waves. Often the oil-well derricks and machinery weigh hundreds of tons. It will be necessary to build strong foundations for this equipment. Some of the wells are planned for areas where high tides will wash across the derrick floors part of the day. One concern has been granted permits to dig wells a quarter of a mile from shore, if it is mechanically possible to do so. Engineers estimate that it will cost approximately $25,000 to construct each of the bases for the derricks and difficulties, not known in land operations, are expected in drilling, but if the oil is present in as large quantities as the preliminary soundings indicate, it will pay to "buy the ocean and pump it dry," in the opinion of some of the experts.

 



Contained in a holder which is carried in the pocket, a pipe-cleaning set now on the market is kept from soiling the clothing and in position for use at any time. It consists of two tools, one for the bowl and the other for the stem.

