Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/860

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��Popular Science Monthly

���A jointed ring buoyed up by two floats rubs against the pile and scrapes off marine growths

��Making the Waves Scrape Marine Growths from Piles

THE protection of wooden piling on wharfs and piers along our coasts from barnacles and the ravages of insect borers is a vital matter. Lives are endangered and much property is lost through .worm- eaten supports. For that reason a "pro- tector," installed at various points along the Pacific coast by Alva L. Reynolds, of Long Beach, California, is attracting considerable attention.

The device consists of a jointed ring which encircles the piling loosely and is buoyed up by two floats, which look like big wooden baits on rat-trap hooks, and prevent the iron ring from slipping to the bottom of the pile into the mud. Up and down with the tide goes this wooden-baited ring, con- stantly rubbing itself around the post and preventing the entrance of wood-borers, or, if the post be old and already covered, scraping ofif the ma- rine growths and undesirable ^^^ each n attachments of all kinds. three inches.

��How an Entire Railroad Car May Be Moved by Hand

WITH a tool such as that invented by Charles McCarter, of Decatur, Illi- nois, any one can move a railroad car by hand. It has a clamp that firmly grips the car wheel when a lever (shown in the hands of the man in the photograph) is lowered. The lever has its end secured to a crank pivoted on a triangular wheeled frame, the wheels of which always rest on the track rail.

When the lever is raised, cranks release the clamp from its grip on the car wheel. As the lever is arranged outside of the track it may be operated without any hin- drance where two cars are coupled, for there will be ample room to move the lever. The car wheel is rolled three inches at one stroke of the lever.

When the car wheel moves, the car-mover rolls ,on the rail and they both travel to- gether. One man can move the heaviest loaded car on any kind of track. Slippery rails do not hinder the operation, and there is not the least danger of the operator getting his fingers or toes mashed or being hurt in any way.

The tool and its frame are light enough to be easily carried where needed. It is especially useful where a car switched on a siding has come to a stop a few feet short of the desired place for loading or unload- ing. With the mover the car can be placed exactly where it is needed in a few minutes' time and without requiring the services of more than one man.

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��' of the lever the car wheel is moved Slippery rails do not hinder the operation

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