Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/580

 564

��Popular Science Monthly

���t^:i^epor^'i:^!:oTo?s-c'--xr>^^^^^^

��A Grass Bridge. A Remarkable Feat in Civil Engineering

SINCE bamboo is a grass the bridge il- lustrated is literally a grass bridge, its supports consisting of thousands of bamboo poles tied together to form a temporary falsework. The intricate structure is the work of Japanese bridge builders who were obliged to construct the bridge without interfering with railroad passenger and freight traffic. Because lumber is scarce in Japan the engineers had to rely upon the serviceable bamboo.

The bridge is four hundred feet long and one hundred and twenty-five feet high. As will be seen in the photograph the two masonry bases of the bridge are already completed. Two steel members already span the canyon, supported by the bamboo poles. The largest pieces of wood to be used in the construction of the bridge are those forming the superstructure— round poles supporting the weight of the top steel beams. When the steel bridge was com- pleted the bamboo falsework was taken apart and removed to the next bridge- building job. Bamboo is a long wearing material so that the framework may be used over and over again.

��A New Use for Rhubarb. You Can Clean Pots with It

ALUMINUM has won the housewife's . endorsement as a most satisfactory ware for kitchen utensils. But the kitchen maid is not so well pleased with it. Its beauty lies in its brightness, and when it is

discolored, "Madame" is so particular about how It is cleaned. If it is scoured, care must be taken that it is not scratched in the process.

Scraping must always be done with a wooden spoon since aluminum is soft and scratches easily. Strong alkalis are not available because they attack and dissolve the metal. Only mild soaps must be used. How then can that horrid discoloration be removed? It is very simply done.

Take a piece of rhubarb, either fresh or canned, cut it into small pieces and boil the pieces in the discolored kettle until it is clean. The acid of the rhubarb will remove the discoloration without in any! way injuring the metal. " Of course the i rhubarb used for the purpose must be i thrown away afterwards. When a vessel ; has been cleaned in this way ijt will need ^ only a little rubbing up to secure a bright metallic surface.

�� �