davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
An Electrical Mail Box.

Every now and again nervous house holders are thrown into a state of greater or less disturbance by the re- ports of series of letter box pilfer- ings, and the announcement of the in- vention of a method of making mail boxes safe will be gladly received. Of course, electricity is the agency employed, and the arrangement is sim plicity itself. The mail box is cleo trically connected with the room, kitch- en or any desired apartment, and as the letter carrier raises the cover of the slot through which the letters are inserted the circuit is closed, and the ringing of a bell tells the owner of the box that his mail has been delivered. In order that there may not be the slightest mistake, a return signal is pro- vided. and this is sounded by the per son who hears the warning If the post man. That functionary, hearing the return signal, knows that there IS no further need of his presence, and goes away without waiting for any one to come to the door. If there is any tam- pering with the box, or if by any means it is opened, the inside warning bell is immediately sounded. A push buttSn is placed near the center of the box, and when this is pressed the answer ing signal comes back within the box, indicating that the bell inside the house has been rung and heard. A third wire can be attached to the box and connected with a burglar alarm system, if necessary, as an additional provision against after-dark thieves.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Bal1oon. n. Arcttc Me..enxer..


 The fact that many of Dr. Nansen's friends are sending letters to the ex- plorer by the Jackson -MarmsWorth polar expedition has led to the sugges- ton that small baIlons might be used by explorers to send news of their whereabouts and welfare, and even let ters, to the outside world. The balloons could be recognized by their color or other signal, and they might automati- cally distribute cards with fnformat. on in various languages for the finder to publish. It is pointed out that, al though the balloon itself must eventual ly come down through leakage of gas, it could be brought down by shot when recognized or be reported as trav- cling in a certain direction if the ob- server happened to be gunless. Bal looms are now used for automatically making meteorological observations in the atmosphere, and their use was re cently suggested for preliminary ex- ploration by means of sef-acting cam eras. In. many cases they would fill the role of aerial messengers where carrier pigeons would fail. Had Frank lin employed such a device his true position might have been revealed, and his party saved, for they were lost be cause the reliefs did not know where to look for them.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Detecting Flaws in Iron or Steel

Detecting Flaws in Iron or Steel.
 A modification of the, flaw deteetor brought out some time ago has been designed by Paris inventor. The ap- paratus is electrical, and consists of a small pneumatic tapper; worked by hand, with which the sample of steel or iron is tapped over. With the tap per is connected a telephone, with a microphone interposed in the circuit. For the operation of the, apparatus two persons are required, one to apply the tapper, and the other to listen through the telephone for the indicating sounds Although the operators arc in electrical connection, they are loca- ted in separate apartments, so that the direct sounds produced by the taps are normal, the operator at the tele~ phone does nothing. but directly false sound, which is distiES Sufshable from the normal sound, is heard, he sends a signal from the spot to be marked, and thus not only detects but locates the flaw.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
A Brush That Saves Lives.

The number of accidents incidental to the running of trolley and cable cars have compelled the companies to ex- pertinent with all sorts of devices to prevent them. The most unique of all is the device proposed by Boston in ventor. He has taken the large re- volvlng brushes from q street sweeper and placed them in such a position under the car that a person who happens to fall in front of the car will be practically swept from the track.
 The brushes are geared to the axle of the car so that they will revolve as the car moves along. Their position is much the same as that of a cow-catch- the point ahead. A person who drops on the tracks must strike on either side of the V, which, revolving, would roll them over and over until they are outside the line of the wheels. At least, that is the theory.
 Another device to save the hapless pedestrian from death by the trolley car is a car fender invented by J. S. Pe- den. MT. Peden's invention appears in two forms, as shown in the illustration. One is on the plan of a cow-catcher for a locomotive. It is triangular in shape and when it strikes a man it will throw him off to one side, knock ing him down, of course, but keeping him away from the grinding wheels. The other form of the fender or bumper is supplied with a rubber cush- ion to prevent the instant death of the person struck, and the fender is so constructed that it can be let down and out from under the platform, en- abling the person to chamber into it out of harms way. The better to do
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Machine for Testing Rubber Tirea,

A Machine for Testing Rubber Tires.
 A clever business move has been made by a bicycle tire manufacturing company. It was seeking to turn out the best tire in the market, and thought it would be better policy to test the tires in which they were making changes with view to improvements than run the risk of their turning out badly when tested by actual work on the road. It accordingly constructed machine by means of which the ordin- ary road wear and tear of the tire could be duplicated, the main elements desired being pressure and rough sur face. The machine consists of two radical arms or beams, carrying bi- cycle wheels of the ordinary pattern and shod with the tires to be tested The wheels being fastened to the mid dle of the beams, the tires are sub jected to a pressure of about 100 pounds. The tires rest on small wood en pulleys, across whose surface are fastened at short intervals, cleats of wood, to represent the rough surface of the road. The wheels are driven by belts at a speed of twenty-eight to thirty miles an hour, so that all the con- ditions of the actual use are obtained The distance run is measured by a cylinder All kinds of tires have been subjected to this test. and it is found that the tire which will, in actual use, run from twelve to eighteen months on the road, can be broken on this machine in from two to three weeks The majority of the ia abrics tested have run from two hours to one week be- fore giving out. To show the remarka- ble capacity for withstanding wear and tear that is exhibited in the best made tires, it is stated that one fabric has stood a test by this machinery of 1S,- 900 miles, which would represent sev- eral years of use at the hands of the average rider. This transfer of the expense of experimenting from the pa- tron to the manufacturer is certainly move in the right direction, and it is to be hoped that those who have taken the initiative in the new departure will meet with the success they de serve.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

whined with pleasure and gratitude. Androclns lost all fear of him, and they were great friends until he went on his way and left cave and lion behind
 One day many years after the great Coliseum in Rome was crowded with people. The cruel games were going 6n and man was to be given up to the lions. The man was Androclus. As he Stod in the arena in the sight of all the people he only hoped that it would soon be over. He remembered his es- cape in the cave, but he could not hope for another such. Then the door of the lions den was thrown open and the great beast rushed out. He was hungry, and would make short work of the poor slave. All the cruel Romans leaned forward to see better. But they Saw instead something very wonder ful. As the lion came near the slave his whole manner changed. His glar ing eyes grew soft, his bristling mane emoothed itself down. and he crept up to Androclus fawning like a pet dog. Then Androclus knew it was his own faithful lion, and he patted him on the head.
 The people shouted and cheered and they gave Androclus his freedom, and made him a present of the lion. And both lion and slave lived in Rome the rest of their days, honored and admired by all who saw them.
 ''No matter about your looks,' said Miss Laura, breathing fast; hell take you to be the hired girl Please go, Throne" she added, with urgent plead trg. "There! he's knocking again. she went on in a panicky way, twitch- ing and pulling at the curl-papers. EDo go along. Throne! I'd do as much for you; and will do a great deal more when I am able to, as probably shall be at an early day. I can't possibly go till get my bangs arranged and my Dress changed. Go along. Please do, Phrony, and make haste, or he'll go away. You can act like a hired giGl, and speak incorrectly; call me Miss taury, and he'll never know the differ ence"
 Until he's my brother-in-law, and then he will prosecute me for getting brother-in-law under false pretences. :"
 Sophonia was beginning to make ready, by ''sudsing" off her arms. Then she went forward to the front door, feeling awkward enough for the role of servant girl
 Sissy" was dismissed by the back way; she might have been sent to the door, if the idea had occurred to Miss Gaura's bewildered brain. MT. J. O. Gumm's card was soon brought to the destined trembling hand. And, at length, the bangs and the dress being arranged, Miss Laura went to the hap py meeting.
 Do not imagine that you are to be told what transpired at the happy meeting. Doubtless Sophronia could have told somewhat, since she made prolonged keyhole observations before returning to the washing It is about the Interruption of the happy meeting that you are to bear. This occurred about twelve minutes before 12, when the improvised servant maid put a head ln et the parlor door and intimated with an Irish brogue which was not above suspicion, that "a word was wanted with the misthress."
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Mistruetfu1.

Jim Thompson had just shaken hands with MT. Lucius Grant. Jim was the villa ge wag NIT. Grant was rich and pretty sharp"
 "One, two, three, four, f1ve," Jim was heard saying to himself, as he touched the fingers of his right hand with the tip of his left hand index hn- ger. Mr.. Grant was barely out of hearing.
 <sWhat's that for, Jim?" said one of the bystanders.
 "Oh, I always count my fingers after Grant shakes hands with me. They'Ee all here this time."
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Home Happiness.

Probably nineteen-twentieths of the happiness you will ever have you will get at home. The independence that comes to man when his work is over and he feels he has to run out of the storm into the quiet harbor of home, where he can rest in piece with his family, is something real. It does not make much difference whether you own your house or whether you have one little room in that house, you can make that little room a true home to you. You can people it with such moods, you can turn to it with such fancies, that it will be fairly luminous with their presence, and will be to you the very perfection of a home. Against this home none of you should ever transgress. You should always treat each other with courtesy. It is often not so difficult to love the person as it is to be courteous to him. Courtesy is of greater value and a more royal grace than some people seem to think. If you will but be courteous to each other you will soon learn to love each other more wisely, profoundly, not to say lastingly, than you ever did before.- Selected. -
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
A Steam Towing Machine

It has not infrequently happened that valuable salvage has had to be aban- doned on account of the breakage of tow-lines, and a machine that is es- pecially serviceable in such circ1m- stances is now commenting itself to the attention of ship owners. It is actuat- cd by steam and is designed for all purpose of towing. Its distinctive feature is that by means of it's steam cylinders it is provided with an elastic steam cushion, so that the tow-rope- preferably a steel hawser--is not sub ject to sudden strains. The wire haw- ser is wound on a drum that is driv- en by a pinion gear on the crank shaft of the engine, which engages with the gear of the drum shaft. There is also a valve for the regulating of the supply Of steam. which is increased or dimin- !sted in accordance with the fluctuation in the strain of the hawsef. The ac- tion of the machine is as follows. In
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Overcome.

- A slender pale child knocked down at auction!
 And yet humanity did not even shud- der.
 Going, going" shouted the aue- tioneer.
 Humanity surged nearer to him.
 Gone"
 With real lace curtains selling at $1 a pair it was, perhaps, no wonder that the slender, pale child was not only knocked down, but trampled.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

You would be very much surprised to see a man leading lion about the streets of New York like dog. says the New York World, but if you had happened to live in Rome two thou sand years ago you would have seen 1t done there.
 The mans name was Androclus. He had been a slave in some place in Africa. His master was so cruel to him that he ran otf into the desert, prefering to starve or die of thirst rather than to live with him any long, or. He wandered on aud on. till at last he came to q cave. The cave was cool and dark, and Androclus was glad enough to get out of the heat and glare of the desert. Lying down on the sandy floor he soon fell asleep.
 When he woke up he saw to his hor- TOT an enormous lion at the mouth of the cave. Androclus thought his last hour had come. He was too much frightened to move, and even if he had hot been there was no place to which
 
 ing to be eaten; with the precipitation pouring off him and his hair standing up on end with fright.
 The lion came in and Androclus saw that he walked on three legs, holding tip his other paw as If it hurt him. His big, fierce face wore very sad and tired expression. He limped nearer and did not seem to be angry at all; and so Androclus began to take breath and to wonder what was going to hap pen. The lion sat down by him and held out his lame paw, looking up in bis face very pleadingly. Androclus took the great paw in his hand. 1t was all swollen and infamed, so that at first he could not see what was the tnatter. but presently he discovered the end of an immense thorn sticking out. Very carefully, so as not to break it off, he drew it out from the flesh.
 Then how glad the lion was to be rid of what had made him miserable for days! He lay down at Androclus's feet and licked them with his rough tongue, and fawned upon him and
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
Electric shot-Firing in Mines.

EleCtr1c ShOt-F1F1ng In mines.
 Some very serious accidents have been caused in mines through the use of in ferior detonators, and an English min ing inspector has suggested that gal vanometer be used for testing each de- tonator before it is sent into the mine. Another mining authority goes still fur ther, and advocates that as defective fuses are the most abundant sources of misfires, the fuse should be done away with altogether, and the electric battery should take it's place. The suggestion is so entirely revolutionary that it is not likely to be readily ac- cepted by conservative mining proprie tSsFs. but there is no question of its ad- vlsa ability. The change would never be regretted, ,and it is believed that it would lead to the disappearance of many ef the evils arising from the pres ent syst;'m of shot firing. The move that has been made in this direction in America may be the means of inducing English mining owners to take similar steps for the protection of their work men. On this head an amusing pro- posaI has just been submitted to the French Academy of Sciences by an enthusiastic, if misguided, electrician. He suggests, III order to escape the dan- ger of explosion in coal mines, that electricity should be employed for ig- hitting fire-61amp before the miners de scend the shaft. This is one of those cases in which the remedy is almost as bad as the disease.
 Te1ephonfng Through Sea Water.
 The success that has attended the re cent attempts fin England to establish a practical system of telephonic com nunication without wires between ships at distance from each other, serves to recall the fact that about two years ago an American inventor, Dr. Ernest Huber, secured the assist ance of the United States government in the project of a series of experi- mentS in deep-Sea telephOning. For some reason the experiments were not made, but the device promised we'll. The sound waves passing through the water caused metal strips to vibrate, and the vibrations were transmitted by wires to micrOphoneS, which greatly intensified them. An indicator showed the intensity of the sound, and gave an idea of the distance of the object causing them. The direction whence the sound came could also be- determin- ed. The sounds within the ship were eliminated, and only eXtraneous noises were recorded. Sound waves could be thrown out in all directions by the ringing of an electric bell. and being reflected indicated icebergs, submerged wrecks or other Instructions even ten miles away.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
An Ample Fund of Pleasure and Health

An Ample Fund of Pleasure and Hea1th May be derived from an ocean voyage and for e1gn travel. But before one gets one's "sea- legs" on, as the sailor says, the abominable qualms, begotten of sea sickness, have usually 10 be gotten over. Delicate people suffer, of course, more than the robust from this ailment but few sea travellers escape it. Against the frightful nausea it produces, Hostetter's Stom- ach Bltters is a reliable defense, and is so esteemed by tourists, commercial travellers, yachtsmen and mariners. An ailrnent akin to sea sickness often afhicts land travellers with weak stomachs. This is often brought on by the jarring of railway train. Disquietude in the gastric region from this cause is always remed1ed by the Bitters, which also prevents and cures chills and fever, rheumatism nerv- ous and kidney trouble, constipation and bil- iousneSS.
 LII a dafo rlfino Sh ko
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
The Electric FlOor-PIaner

things less clean. Ordinary floor plan ing, however, can obviously be done by the machine with fully as good results so that it is not necessarily restricted to shipyard use.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
A Lack.

"Why," demanded Satan, Is there so little weeping and gnashing of teeth on the part of those newcomers?"
 Well" rejoined Lucifer, tits pretty hard to phase people nowadays with out humidity.''
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
An Electric FIoor-P1aner.


 Applying t,,e 1awn-mower principle to the making of blaming tool, a Scotch engineer, N-aEcom Sutherland, of Dumbarton, has designed the rather unique piece of apparatus shown in the annexed sketch, and consisting, in brief, of an electrically driven revolv- ing cutter, mounted in a frame on roll CTS, which by means of handles, can be moved about in exactly the same way and quite as easily, it is claimed, as the garden tool mentioned. The lawn mower resemblance, in fact, is perfect, The frame, or rather base plate, is of steel, and carries the cutter on it's un- der side, while the motor is placed on top and drives the cutter through inter- vening gear wheels giving it a speed of 5000 revolutions per minute. The hind roller of the base plate, which follows in the cut, is fitted with eccentric jour- nals, so that, by moving a lever, they can be raised or lowered, and the depth of cut nicely adjusted. The principal field of the machine-the one, in fact, for which it was specially designed is the blaming of ship decks, taking off of deck plank after being laid and calk- ed. The work has usually to be done in circumstances of considerable in convenience and dfsag agreeableness, the carpenter having to go down on his knees, driving Jaek-plane before him, together with wood shavings and other
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

steam hOao wagon.
 Mass, on four bicycle wheels with rub Der tires are placed the body and ma chinery of the wagon. The machinery consists of a steam boiler of the porcu- pine eype, built to carry 100 pounds of steam to the square inch. Small as it is, it has 2S feet of heating surface. A two-cylinder vertical engine works the main shaft, the two cranks of which are set at an angle of 90 with each oth- CT. so that there shall be no dead point.
 The main shaft carries sprocket wheel which is connected by chain with a sprocket wheel on the left-hand rear wheel of the wagon. As the engine runs at high speed, the sprocket on the wheel is of much larger size than the other, as to reduce the speed. The total weight of the vehicle is 437 pounds. The front wheels are 36 inches in diameter, the rear ones AS inches. They are rubber-tired. Two pumps are employed; one feeds the boiler, the other drives the air blast through the naphtha. Under the boiler are five burners, arranged so that they can be used singly if desired. Five gallons of naphtha, enough to carry the wagon 100 miles, are enough. Steam can be made in five minutes. A steer ing wheel is provided in front of the seat. The exhaust steam is then pass ed through feed water heater, and is then delivered to the naphtha flame, where it's presence destroys noise. No skl is needed in the management of the vagon, and it can make ten miles an he r. and climb hills with two pas sengers. Scientific American.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS.
NEW WRINKLES SIN THE USEFUL
 ARTS.

The New Steam Road Wagou-An Electric F1oor-P1aner-A Brush That Saves Lives-EIectric Shot Firing in Mines.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

On account of electric and cable trac- ton, not to mention the more humble bicycle, the tendency of the present day is that the horse must go, must go metaphorically, for his days of labor seem nearly passed. In the further ance of this view, we illustrate a steam road wagon, in which steam Is to do his work on country roads and city streets, something which has been for many years one of the foremost aims of the inventor.
 The wagon was invented and patent ed by MT. c. l.. Simonds, of Lynn,
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
INTERESTING READING FOR THE
 YOUNG PEOPLE.

The Story of Androclus and the Lion-The Dog Knew the "ay-A Very Genteel Little Mistake-The Railroad Dog.
Hartford labor., 1894-10-20

All defaulting cashier wants to enable him to get along is good start.