Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/730

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��Popular Science Monthly

��properly trimmed or not. It is this system of installation which will give indication in the pilot-house or engine- room when the ship springs a leak. It is also possible to tell after the ship springs a leak whether the pumps are taking care of the inrush of water or not. By means of an electrical attachment to the mercury indicator, warning bells can be rung when a dangerous height has been reached by the mercury column, or, in other words, when the ship is listing in any quarter.

The possible uses of the pneumercator are almost limitless. It can be employed in oil fields, at hydroelectric plants, on warships, on gasoline engines and, in fact, any place where accurate pressure gages are necessary.

A pneumercator is installed on the U. S. S. New York for indicating the amount of oil in the auxiliary tanks.

A New Way of Driving a Bicycle with a Motor

ONE of the most ingenious motor attachments for bicycles yet placed on the market has recently appeared in England. The motor, which develops slightly over one horsepower, is attached to the luggage-rack; it weighs but six- teen pounds and occupies little space.

���new place for the bicycle motor

��A V-shaped belt-rim is attached to the back wheel, and on this fits a friction- wheel, which is chain-driven from the motor. A lever operated from the handlebar lifts this wheel from the rim, and thus provides a free engine and clutch.

��The motor is said to develop sufficient power to drive the machine at the rate of twenty miles an hour, although on a steep hill, the rider must help the motor by pedaling.

The makers assert that they can place this little machine on the American market at a cost of about fifty dollars. The expense of operating will probably be small, as the engine is designed to run nearly one hundred and fifty miles upon one gallon of gasoline.

���This electric fixture can be easily attached to any bed

Reading in Bed Made Easy

^N electric light device which can be attached to any bed directly over one's head has recently been put on the market. A strip of brass is bent into nearly a circle at one end, the other end being bent in the opposite direction to form a large hook for hanging over the headboard.

An ordinary electric socket is fitted with a short threaded tube having a flange at its outer end. This tube passes through a longitudinal slot in the brass strip and is held in place by a spiral spring which presses against the flange and the inner surface of the curve. The length of the slot permits a wide angle of adjustment of the light. This simple device may be easily attached to a desk or any other piece of furniture where a light is needed.

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