Page:Popular Mechanics 1928 01.pdf/98

 



Tests with a small model furnished engineers data for the construction of a hydroglider to cross the Atlantic from France. The craft was designed to be steered by speeding up or slowing down one of the three motors instead of by the usual guiding gear. Each engine develops 500 horsepower. The ship is supported on the water by two pontoons, each more than seventy feet long.

 



Disturbing reflections from headlights in the rear-view auto mirror are quickly stopped simply by pulling a little roller shade over the glass. It is made of transparent material, so that it does not curtail the service of the mirror and is attached to a spring roller so that it quickly rolls up again when the little hooks that hold it to the edge are released. The curtain can be adjusted in a second with one hand, is made to fit different sizes of mirrors and can be attached in a minute or two. A similar aid for the driver has been introduced in a windshield shade on a roller so that it can be pulled down, when needed, or kept out of the way.

 

Thousands of pounds of air are blown into big cabinets at the bureau of printing and engraving, where sheets of paper money are hung up to allow the ink to dry. The driers look like big safes and are kept locked during the process. From 150 to 200 are in constant use, and the large sheets of $5, $20 and $100 bills are placed on racks, where they are "baked" for three hours.

 



The task of cleaning electric-light fixtures hung from the ceiling, has been simplified with a separable plug and hook-connecting unit, permitting the quick detachment of the fixture and its readjustment with a minimum of trouble. The plug is a simple adaptation of the usual type, and the hook supports the weight of the fixture. The janitor can easily remove globe, bulb and all, clean them in a convenient working position and return them with less labor and less likelihood of breakage.

¶ Highways built by the ancient Romans were from eleven to fifteen feet wide.

