Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/406

 The Stars and Stripes Forever!

A new strength-testing amusement device which settles an international question

���The player first deposits a coin in the slot and turns the crank in the box at the base of the appara- tus. This unlocks the cannon from its moorings so that the player can shove it up the incline

��THE player who undertakes to settle the patriotic question involved in the timely exercising game devised by Hans Gafner, Escanaba, Michigan, must be well prepared. His delivery must be strong or his "cannon" will go up the incline and down again, while the Foreign flag still flies above the fort. The object of the game is to displace the Foreign flag on the fort and to raise the Stars and Stripes by the impact of the missile driven by the player.

The player first de- posits a coin in the slot and turns the crank in the box at the base of the apparatus. This unlocks the cannon from its moor- ings and permits the play- er to move it into the field for action. Following this the player grasps the rail- ing firmly with one hand, and seizes the cannon with the other. Then he gives it a hard, firm push to send it up the incline, where on reaching the top of the incline it registers spectacularly. The Foreign flag is supplanted by Old Glory, and the doors of the fort swing outward, displaying a gay and patriotic picture. The result is ob- tained by means of a spring-pressed rack within the fort or tower, with which the cannon makes impact, and by means of which the flagstaff^ bearing the United States flag is rotated into display posi- tion and the Foreign flag rotated out of view. Bevel gears connect the flag staff

��DOORS THAT OPEN FOLLOWINS SHOT EXHIBITING PATRIOTIC PICTURE

���Detail of the end of the incline and the interior of the cabinet

��with a rod that is rotated by another gear that meshes with the toothed portion of the spring-pressed rack. The friction of the prominent cable retards the cannon as. it rolls down the incline, so that its return is not a rapid one. When it finally rolls back to its starting point it hits a lever that again locks the cannon and causes the doors of the fort to close and the flags to return again to their original position.

The operation of the device is unique, but the principle involved is the same as that of the "test- your-strength" apparatus familiar to frequenters of Coney Island and similar pleasure resorts. In the older device a hammer is used to strike a great ball, which rings a bell at the top of the column.

��Zinc Wire Is Now Used at the German Front

IN order to save as much as possible of her copper and iron, Germany has developed the zinc wire. She is now using it for both ordinary electric wiring at home and for telephone work at the front. Considerable trouble was experienced, however, in per- fecting the various stages of manufacture. The process of drawing the wire was especially difficult. But after innumerable experiments success was attained. The new wire has been found to have double the conductivity of iron wire.

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