The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-04-14
CURIOUS EXPEDIENTS
mAKEsHlFTs THAT SERVED USEFUL
PURPOSES.

Guns have other uses than that oi
Of clocks are set from the ! o'clock CUR
fred by electricity from Greenwich
observatory, but not everybody Is
aware that rifles have supplied mols
ture in desert countries 10 travellers
dying OF thirst and thus saved their
lives
In the great Sahara some time ago,
says Pearsons Weekly, a globe trotter,
who wanted water badly, found II pos
siblc 10 collect a drink out Of the mere
dampness OF the sand. lie sunk the
barrel Of his gun into the ground and
10 collected enough moisture In the
bore 10 stay his thirst. 4 timely suck
at q gun m0zzlc has saved many lives
in the sun scorched deserts OF the
tropics.
Water ran short Oh n merchant yes
gel IN mid.Atlantic not long ago, and
he crew did not know what 10 do 10
obtain n drink The captain, however,
hit upon brilliant idea
lie had n number Of sporting guns
in his cabin, and, taking them on deck,
he plugged up the brcech ends, filed
The Dorcs with sea water ana 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
I'd. The steam collected I'm the shape
II excellent fresh water, and In this
way the crew were supplied with SUI
ncicnt moisture until the vessel touch
cd port.
If you were TO drop into the houses
Of the French peasants you would be
struck with the fact that practically
every man and woman pokcd his or her
fire with n bayonet.
Some 100000 bayoncts condemned
stores Of the French army and used In
the Franco Prussian war have found
their way into the homes Of poor peas
ants, who use them as fire irons.
The bark Ruth. bound from Dcmera-
ra to Oban with sugar, neglected TO
procure a chart of the Scottish coast
when setting sail. The captain Ind
never been TO Ohan before, and. not
wishing TO return TO Demcrara TO get
chart. ne looked about the vessel for
substitute
He discovered a Calcdoninn railway
time table. with the railway map at-
tachcd This helped him out OF his diff
6culty, for It acted splcndidly as n sen
guide. The Ruth cut across the Allan
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 obtainable when
the Germans wished to manufacture
some new rifles for their army, 40 they
purchased tons of horseshoe nails
which had been kicked about the roads
Of the world 10y horses innumerable.
The gunmakcrs found them perfect
substance for the manufacture OF rife
barrels, for the nails made originally
OF the best metal obtninablc, had re
reivcd from the constant pounding OF
the horses feet on hard roads u pccul-
lar anncaliug and toughcning.
It is quite possible thnt you are wear
ing on your hands today drawn up
lawyers briefs or ancient title deeds.
When kid leather was at n premium
the French gloyemakcrs hunted high
and low for n 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
ycllum clippings left over when the
gloves are made are boiled down and
turned into letter cases and purses.
The British forces were about to
cross the Glands river during the late
Bocr war when IL was discovered that
II was impossible Ia construct trcstle
bridge across it, for the bed OF the
river was nothing but qucksand. Piles
had TO be driven, but no pile driver
WAS handy.
The officers OF the engineers, how
ever. ovcrcame the difficulty In n way
that startled the general in command
OF the troops The snppers wadcd into
the water set UP the piles and laid iron
plates ON each one ON these small
charges OF dynamite were placed and
fired
After tho explosion the piles were as
firm as II hey had been driven in hy
steam hammer. Dynamite cXplodes
downward with terrific force. and
puythlng below Y Is pounded deeply
Into the earth.
Mr.. Fosdykc. engineer IN charge ~
The Asaka dam on the Nile, scuttlcd a
ship to save his cherished carthworkS
from ruin The dam partly burst, and
the great rush Of water was forcing
the banks from below.
Something had 10 be done 10 stop the
How. for terrible disaster was immi-
ueut. MIR. FoSdykp boarded cargo
steamer tied Ia the bank some distance
away and getting mp steam, steered
her down the rapid stream.
when she was hroadsidc on the trem-
siug dam tho engineer had her Scut
uol and ms she sank I'm the rushing
waters Mr. Fosdykc and his men cheer
rl themselves hoarSc. The Scuttled
cargo steamer had saved the dam.
This remarkable makcshift for a break