Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/359

 Popular Science Monthly

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��What the First Telegram Really Said

ONTRARY to general belief, "What hath God wrought?" was not the first message to be sent by telegraph nor was Morse the sender of the first communication. Instead, it was sent by one of the committee who were debating upon the proposal of Morse, the inventor, to string a telegraph line from Baltimore to Wash- ington. Mr. Morse, who wanted to end the discussion and at the same time demonstrate his invention, strung a wire from the committee room to the top of the Capitol. One of the com- mittee, who was opposed to President Tyler, wrote "Tyler deserves to be hanged." This was received by the man at the other end exactly as it was composed.

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��A Horse-Collar Grows on a Tree

TREES assume every shape im- aginable, but it is a rare one, indeed, that has a perfect horse- collar growing on it. The horse- collar illustrated came from Na- ture's own workshop in the woods of northern Michigan, where it had been grow- ing undisturbed for years until found by the woods- men.

It is possible that the horse-collar was formerly the top of a slender sapling near the tree on which it was found, or perhaps it was a young pliable limb growing on the tree itself. It was evidently twisted around the tree and fastened in such a way that it re- mained in that position. This might have been done by some person, although it may possibly have come about from some natural cause.

The collar is grown so perfectly that if the proper rings or snaps were placed on it, it could easily be put to actual use. Compared to the leather collar it would last twice as long, but it would not afford the horse so much comfort.

��Twenty-five feet of shore were taken away and old walls and foundations removed by the dragline excavator equipped with a one-yard bucket

Widening a River with a Steam Shovel

SCIENCE is proving that there is no impossibility to the truly ingenious. The widening of the Sandusky River, at Tiffin, Ohio, recently was a case in point. Primitive man would have waited patiently for the river to widen its own banks or for storms to wear them ^ away during the course of years, but the engineers made the experiment of using adraglineexcava tor and accomplished their purpose in short order. Twenty-five feet of the shore was to be taken away, necessitating the removal of old walls and foundations. The exca- vator, which carried a forty-two-foot boom and was equipped with a one- yard bucket, had no difficulty in clearing away the most formid- able obstructions, al- though several of them were partially under water.

It was also possible by this means to load wagons on the street level, and the river bank was soon cleared away. The apparatus moved by means of caterpillar traction un- der its own power as fast as the widening of the river on the Tiffin side was completed.

���This horse-collar might have been the top of a sapling, or a pliant limb which was made to encircle the base of a larger tree

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