The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1905-04-26
CURIOUS EXPEDIENTS
MAKEsHiFTs THAT SERVED USEFUL
PURPOSES.

Use of Gun BarreIs-A Ship NaVi-
gated by Means of HALLWAY Map.
Dynamite Ised For Driving piles.
Guns have other uses than that Of
killing. We all know that hundreds
of clocks are set from the ] O'Clock gun
fired by electricity from Greenwich
observatory, but not everybody Is
aware that rifles have supplied mOis-
ture in desert countries TO travellers
dying of thirst and thus saved their
lives.
In the great Sahara some time ago,
says Pcarson's Weekly, Il globe trotter,
who wanted water badly, found IL pos
siblc to collect drink out of the mere
dampness of the sand He sunk the
barrel of his gun into the ground and
it collected enough moisture in the
bore to stay his thirst. \ timely sick
at gun muzzlc has saved many lives
in the sun scorched deserts Of the
tropics.
Water ran short on a merchant yes
sci in mid Atlantic not long ago, and
the crew did not know what TO do to
obtain drink The captain, however,
hit upon brilliant idea.
lie had number of sporting guns
In his cabin, and, taking them on deck,
he plugged up the breeeh ends, filed
the bores with sea water and set them
them end up among the Goals of the
galley fire.
AS the steam gathered he ran 1t
through other gun barrels until it cool
ed. The steam collected i'll the shape
of excellent fresh water, and IN this
way the crew were supplied with suf-
ficient moisture until the vessel touch
ed port
If you were 10 drop into the houses
of the French peasants you would be
struck with the fact that practically
every man and woman poked his or her
fire with bayonet.
Some 100000 bayonets -eondemned
stores Of the French army and used In
the Prussian war-hase found
their way into the homes of poor peas
ants, who use them as fire irons.
The bark Ruth, bound from Demera-
ra to Oban with sugar. neglected to
procure chart of the Scottish coast
when setting sail. The captain had
never been to Oban before. and, not
wishing to return TO Demcrara to get
L., Ia. nj fn n
substitute.
lie discovered II Culelonian railway
time table. with the railway map at
tached. This helped him out of his diff
tlculty, for 1t acted splendldly us n sea
guide. The Ruth cut across the ATTAIN
Tic and after sailing up the west coast
of Scotland dropped her anchor safely
In Oban bay.
Without this railway map the cap
tain would never have got his vessel
safely through the intricate channels.
Good steel wasn't obtalnable when
the Germans wished to manufacture
some new rifles for their army, so they
purchased tons Of horseshoe nails
which had been kicked about the roads
The gunmakcrs found them Il perfect
substance for the manufacture of rifle
barrels, for the nails, made originally
of the best metal obtainable, had re
celved from the constant pounding of
the horses feet on hard roads peculs
lar annealing and toughcning.
1t is quite possible that you are wear
lawyers briefs or ancient title deeds,
When kid leather was mt premium
the French glovemakers hunted high
and low for substitute. One firm,
more ingenious than the rest. bought
up old parchments of all descriptions.
They carefully removed the Ink marks
and eventually turned the cleaned
parchment into gloves.
Ever since that particular firm has
supplied Britain with finest French
kid gloves made of parchment. The
vellum clippings left over when the
gloves are made are boiled down and
turned into letter eases ana purses.
The British forces We're about to
cross the Glands river during the late
Boer war when II was discovered that
IT was impossible 10 construct trestle
bridge across It. fov the bed of the
river was nothing but quleksand. Piles
had to be driven hut no pile driver
was handy.
The officers of the engineers. how
ever, overcame the difficulty In way
that startled the general in command
of the troops The sappers waded into
the water, set up the piles and laid iron
plates on each one On these small
charges of dynamite We're placed and
fired.
After the explosion the piles We're AS
firm rs II they had been driven In by II
steam hammer. Dynamite eNplodes
downward with a terrific force, and
anything below It Is pounded deeply
into the earth
MIR. Fosdyke. engineer In charge of
the Asaka dam ON the Nile, scuttled n
ship to save his cherished earthworks
from ruin. The dam partly burst. aud
the great rush OF water was forcing
the banks from below.
Something had to he done to stop the
flow, for terrible disaster was immi-
nent. MIR Fosdyke boarded cargo
steamer tied TO the bank some distance
away and getting up steam. steered
her down the rapid stream.
When she was broadside on the treni-
bling dam the engineer had her scut-
tied and MS She sank In the rushing
waters Mr. Fosdyke and his men cheer
ed themselves hoarse. The seuttled
cargo steamer had saved the dam.
This remarkable makcshft for break
water cost nearly tT,ooo.
They who depend ON the merits OF
ancestors snnrch in the rontS OF the