Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 92.djvu/124

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��Popular Science Monthly

����Periscope

��A one-man monorail for conveying boxed automo- biles from the shipping room to the railroad siding

��As Good as Ten Strong Men

CONVEYING sys- tems which are very costly to instal, become good invest- ments when there is a shortage of labor. An example of this is the long overhead mono- rail erected in a Tole- do, Ohio, plant. The electrically operated crane is handled by but one man. It car- ries boxed automobiles from the plant to the flat cars on the siding, where the turning on of the electric motor lowers them into place. Formerly it took ten hands, with trucks and gangways, to accom- plish the same lal)or. The work does not re- quire a highly trained man. Awomancandoit.

���The telescopic periscope for the engineer's cab is in two parts

��A Periscope for the Engi- neer in His Cab

INVENTIONS previously used exclusively for war purposes, are now finding their way into industry. Even the submarine, associated with destruction, has something to contribute. For instance, why not periscopes for railway engineers? Why is it necessary for the engineer to lean out of his cab to see the track ahead of him, or the signal of the conductor or flagman in the rear of the train?

According to A. G. Spencer, of London, England, periscopes would be a great help to all loco- motive engineers, eliminating much danger and inconvenience. He has invented two peri- scopes which can be attached to an ordinary locomotive cab, to enable the engineer to obtain an unobstructed view of the track ahead and of his train in the rear. The periscopes are supported by rubber or other flexible means in brackets, so that they can be readily adjusted i]i position or turned about a vertical or hori- zontal axis. The space between the periscope and the roof of the cab is filled with rubber rings. One of the periscopes is tele- scopic and is in two parts held together by a wing-nut and a bolt. It is provided with windows, a re- movable cover and projections which bear against the securing- clamps. The peri- scope may be of lazy- tongs type or otherwise adjustable in length, and the mirrors may be protected from smoke by a hood or casing.

So equipped, in an emergency, the engi- neer is able to see all that is necessary, with- out leaving his post at the throttle.

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