The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-02

make the statue reyolve, and the Common
Council has set about putting the idea into
execution. The statue is to be removed
from It's fastenlngs on permanent plane
and boited to revolving plane, so that it
viii turn completely around once in
twenty-four hours. The power is to be
supplied by a central shaft, driven by
electrical machinery. The revolution of
the statue will be so slow that its move
ment will not be perceptible. 1t is also
proposed to place permanent marks on the
base OF the north. east, south and west
points, and on the revolving base, to indi-
cate the time OF day. These marks are TO
represent II o'clock midnight, A. NJ, 3
and P. NJ. For the further convenience
OF the public 1t is contemplated to illumi-
nate the statue at night by electric light
so that the time of day may be discerned
at all times.
An EFFECTIVE GUARD WIRE.-Captain
Fell is a militiaman who lives within a
block of the terminus of New Jersey
trolley road. The quiet of his Sunday
morning was constantly disturbed by a
crowd of excursionists, who waited for the
cars by the fence at the corner of his lawn.
They would sit on the fence sometimes
fifty in row until the structure would
threaten 10 collapse, and the intrusion be-
gallant captain. AS protection he ran a
strong guard wire along the whole length
of the fence, relying, however, not SO much
upon its strength as upon its unattractive-
ness for seating purposes for immunity
from further intrusion. But the loungers
seemed as comfortable on the wire as they
had been on the fence, and they sat there
just the same. Captain Fell is something
OF an electrician, and noticing one day that
a heavy wire that held up trolley pole
outside the lawn had become charged with
electricity, he thought it might be turned
to good account, especially as itpassed to a
tree within yard of his fence. Fastening
a conductor to the trolley pole wire. he ad-
lusted switch by means of which he
could turn the current into his guard wire
and arranged to work the switch from his
parlor. With the next Sunday morning
came crowd OF picnickers, and thirteen
OF them were soon installed on their fav-
orlte perch, some seated and others lean
ing back on the wire with their feet on the
ground. Captain Fell turned on the
switch and there was a loud yelling and a
general sprawling on the grass. The ex-
cursionists threatened to mob the house,
and there was much heated debate, the
sequel to which is to be heard in the Jer-
sey courts.
AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR CLOSING AIR
TIGHT CoMPAaTMENTs.-It will be remem-
bered that the cause of the disaster to the
British battle-ship Victoria was the failure
to secure the speedy closing of the air
tight compartments from which the flood
of water should have been excluded. The
sad lesson has not been lost and the naval
authorities at Washington are now testing
device to be worked by electricity, by
means of which the officer of the deck or
the man in the coming tower of the vessel
pulling lever in case of threatened ram
ming or collision. The sounding of a
whistle or bell for specified number of
seconds warns the men below to escape to
the deck or get out of the way of the doors.