The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-03
Notice Of Latest Inventions.
NOW ELECTRIC scRUBR1Ne.

large Office building is taken into con-
sideration. A scrtbbing machine has
been invented by a Cleveland man, which
he claims will cut down the scrubbing
expense OF large buildings by 20 per
cent The machine has, it is said, dem
onstrated this by actual experience in
building in that city where there were
disposed Of, eight floors in two and
one-half hours, as against ten and one
half hours hand labor formerly required.
This,-it is said, has resulted in a saving
Of S15 each month in this onebuilding
alone.
The machine is operated by an electric
motor, which receives its current through
lamp cord, which may be attached to
any convenient incandescent lamp socket.
The reel at the top of the trolley pole has
spring tension an dtakes up the slack
cord. The frame carries three scrubbing
brushes, which are held against the floor
by means of spring pressure, and are
geared with the motor so as to revolve al
about 400 revolutions per minute. The
wheels on which the machine rolls are
rubber tired, and the whole apparatus can
be very easily pushed along the floor some
what like lawn mower. 1t is found that
the action of Nh brushes in rotating
tends to draw the machine along, so that
the operator has really little more TO do
than to guide il. Water is thrown on the
floor and the scrubbing machine guided
over it by the operator and the work is
done.
n al -in1 fHa inc virIS af
the machine are protected by a zinc box
which is about thirty inches square. Its
operation is regulated by rheostat, and
the motor is fully protected from damage
by fuses. The brushes are set in such
a way that the machine works along,
cleaving directly up to the line Of the
base board. Although the machine weighs
three hundred pounds, it is moved around
with but little effort on it's ball bearing
wheels supplied with rubber tires.
The gearing between the motor and
scrubbing brushes is accomplished by
means of a sprocket chain leading from
the motor to the axle on which the larger
wheels ordinarily loosely revolve, and
from the axle by a second sprocket
chain to shaft connected by bevel
gears with vertical shafts operating the
brushes. This allows the machine to
be easily converted into a hand machine
if so desired. In place of the scrubbing
brushes, sandpaper blocks or blocks of
stone may be used, and thus the machine
may be utilized to dress down wood
floors, the decks Of vessels, or mosaic
thing.
LIKE JULES VERNE'S DREAM.
The Holland torpedo boat. which was
constructed at the Nixon shipyards, at
Elizabethporti n. Y, is being hurried to
completion at Perth Amboyr but the in
terested PARTIES will give no explanation
of their movements or intentions. It is
rumored that theboat will go to Wash
ingto immediately for inspection and
trial in the presence of government
officials. The trail runs of the strange
craft have already demonstrated its
ability to travel under water.
The Holland vessel is of cigtr shape,
pounds to the foot. Her outside plating
is one-half inch thick. tapering to three
eighths inch at the extreme ends of the
vessel; for a portion of her length she is
double skinned. She is propelled by triple
expansion engines actuating triple screws
as long as the smoke stack is above the
surface: and for her diving operations,
when the smoke stack has to be compile
tely housed, the residual pressureof the
steam will be used for her propulsion.
water heated under pressure evolving
steam for long time. Then. when this
Ia
and electric motors to operate the propel-
lers. --- al ..z sl --5---+
Three stages of hotation are provided
for; in her light condition with the hull
well above water she is to make 1919
knots per hour; her next stage is that
termed the ''awash'' condition. For this
the body of hull is submerged, an armor-
ed superstructure, including coming
tower with inch Harveyized steel
plates, projecting above the surface,
while concentrically placed, the air tube
and the smoke stack rise above the whole.
The superstructure is carried forward
and aft, and pointed at both ends to give
a clean entrance and run, so as TO inter-
fere as little as possible with the speen.
Her speed under these conditions is to be
1911 knots an hour. Her third stage is
the submerged condition. For this the
smoke stack and air tube are housed, the
opening through which they projected
is Theoretically closed, and the vessel lis
in condition to be sunk to a depth not
exceeding IS feet, her strength of con-
struction being sufficient to enable her
to resist the pressure of water at this
he
ing a margin OF 375 pounds of buoyancy
in her favor, the submersion being OBJ
tanned by special devices. Submerged
she is TO make 81 knots per hour.
The submersion is to be effected in
two ways. AT her stern she carries hor-
izontal rudders. II the vessel is moving
by inclining these rudders the bow is
caused 70 pitch downward and the yes
sci runs down an inclined plane de-
termined by her axis, the inclined plane
really representing the resultant OF her
buoyancy as a vertical upward compon-
ent and her inclination Of axis as a
downward acting component. But the
vessel is also to be able TO dive from
state Of rest. To secure this power she
carries al her bow and stern two screws
with vertical axes actUated by electric
motors By working these screws in one
or theother direction, a. varying rapid
ity. the vessel can be sunk rapidly
cand be maintained at any desired
level, can be rapidly drawn upward 70
the surface. or its approach 10 the sur
face cna be made as slow as desired
A tube is provided 10 be raised above
the surface when the vessel IS su6mer-
81 uyhscb .uha ,S ~ carry AZ inclined