The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-12-13
LATEST FAIR HAVEN NEWS
ITElIS OF INTEREST FROM BOTH
 SIDES OF THE RIVER.

 Twelfth Annual Ball of Dayton Hook and ladder Company in old Union Armory, Wednesday Night-Valuable Electric Car Appliance Invented by R. c. Hart Other Notes.
 The twelfth annual ball by the Day ton Hook and Ladder company of the annex fire department will be given on Wednesday evening at Old Union ar mory. corner of Chapel and Union streets The music will be furnished by Fitzgerald's orchestra and prompt ing by Coleman. The management will be as follows; Arrangements. J. H. Denton, N. G. Apt, T. A. Halpin, C.. C.. Ryder, G. Potter; floor committee, E. $. Ryan, H. s. Allis, William Bowling, F. Mozealous, w. H. Maybury, M H. Griffin; reception, M. J. Shaw, J. N. Griffin, D. B. Brown, M. F. Fowler, F. l.. Philbrick, H. S. Hughes A. Rowley, H. G. Pond.
 Rev. MT. Cutten of Montowese preached in the Grand avenue Baptist church yesterday morning. Miss Wray of the Church army spoke in the afternoon.
 Ralph T. Downer has been elected collector and Frank Carroll member of the board of trustee of the New Ha- ven Letter Carriers association.
 Rev. Charles w. Shelton of the Home Mission union spoke in the Grand ave- nue Congregational church last evening upon the work of that organization, with illustrations by the stereopticon. c. Stanley Johnson, organist at Grace P. F. church, has resigned, as he is about to remove to New York.
 Dr. J. A. Hutchinson of Grand ave- pue has been elected archon of Yale conclave, I. o. H.
 The fair of St. Ignatius' T. A. B. so- ciety will be held in Old Union armory January to Il inclusive.
 Rev. MT. Lillenthal will deliver the last in the series of sermons in the Ad- vent course at Grace P. E. church on Thursday evening.
 Hon. James M. Townsend of the Four Corners, it is understood, will be reap pointed a member of the New Haven park commission.
 The meeting at the Park chapel, Morris Cove, yesterday afternoon, was addressed by John Mackrille of West Haven.
 Robert c. Hart, the general agent of the Odd Fellows Hutual Aid associa- ton, of All Center street, annex, has invented and patented an electric cal appliance that promises to be very val. uable. It is switch shifter and is op- erated from the car platforms. Al each platform is an upright rod, an swering the same use as the lever used in uncoupling the Miller attachment or steam passenger cars, and by moving the lever to one side the switch ahead of the car is turned as desired, just as the speed of the car is slacked. The mechanism is operated by levers be, tween the controller and the brake. The levers are attached to chains which op- crate plungers under the center of the truck. As the plungers drop down they strike dogs or cogs inside the rails which throw the switch a few feet ahead by means of rod extending along the tracks. Should the switch bt blocked by a stone a set of emergency springs allows the car to pass W1thou damage to the mechanism.
 The new device is patented in the United States, England, Germany France and Canada. MT. Hart has made a working model with a car elev, en inches long and running on track with a two and one-half-inch guage The car is complete, with it's windows plush cushions within, etc. It Is equip. ped with a miniature reproduction ol the complete switch turning mechan ism, and the tracks, placed upon 2 board about four feet in length, art provided with all the attachments. By pushing the car along the tracks ant adjusting the controlling rod the switch is turned as desired, and shifting the car from one track to another. MT Hart has shown much ingenuity in the manufacture of the car and tracks.
 The inventor hopes to give the mech anism a practical test on some road 1T this state before long.