The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-08-24

Paris street. Lamps Made 90 Take
the Place or the Family Kettle.
Kew York Herald.

the Place or the Family Kettle.
Kew York Herald.
A novel penny-in-the-siot machine.
after n triumphai debut In Paris.
r. touring through England M earning
enthusiastic encomlums wherever IL
makes It's appearance. IL viii doubtless
ere long. as IL In the custom OF success
ful ~debutantes TO DO. cross the blllowy
Atlantic and meet with NJ equally
hearty reception here.
The Invention I'm question is a hot wa
ter street lamp slot machine. that Ii 80
practical. 80 infallible. hat ere long
the ordinary street lamps now In use
will become quaint relics OF n a 4 past.
n VIII be collected by the a%ntlquary.
along with brass candicsticks and nlnt
n finder boxes. In their place there
will be at the street corners big orna-
mental columns. with improved and
magnifed lights at the top. the heat
from which. Instead Of being allowed 10
20 to waste In the atmosphere. will be
used to boil water. At the base will be
placed a machine. into the slot OF which
an eager public viii drop n cent and
get a gallon OF boiling water In eS-
change at any hour OF the day or night.
A Frenchman IL credited with having
originated the idea OF utilizing In this
way the heat generated In the street
lamps OF cities. However this may he.
~ Is certain that these public boilers
were first set up In Paris. where their
success was Instantaneous and unqual-
fled.
Every morning gossiping janitor,.
cabmen and maids may be seen clus-
tered around the lamp post fountains.
awaiting their turns with pals me pen
MES. delighted at being able TO obtain
n boun;iful supply OF hot water 80 eco
nOmlcally M with such little trouble.
for the ordinary houses OF the French
capital are not fitted with the same
c~onveniences as the houses Of New York
and coal costs 60 cents a hundred
weight.
The machine has now been tried In
London and several other large cities In
h United Kingdom. where IL has come
to be regarded In the light OF an lndis-
pensable adjunct TO civilization, with
out which life would be no longer worth
living.
The possibilities Of the scheme are, In
fact. llmitless. Each machine supplies
fifteen gallons OF boiling water an hour.
or "A gallon every four minutes. What
this means can be easily imagined when
II is reflected that at least n half million
dollars worth Of heating power must be
annually wasted In he gas lamps OF the
streets Of New York alone. The estab-
lishment OF one OF these machines az
each street corner or In the yards OF our
tenement houses would largely help To-
solve the problem OF comfortable living.
especially In summer. when the added
warmth thrown out by even a single
gas burner. without reckoning a fire. In
insupportable.
IL would supply water for all needs Of
cleaning, and almost all OF cooking.
much more cheaply than the people
could get IL by the use OF fires. and
would. moreover. do away with the heat
and dirt OF the latter. Then. In winter.
when the water pipes In the house are
frozen. what a convenience to be able TO
get a pail of hot water at any time for
little more than the trouble OF fetch
Ing Il!
THAI II would supply a real want In
proved by the fact that there are a con
siderable number OF people who make
a snug income In the OF Lon
don-and possibly In those OF New York
for all I know-by selling hot water In
the summer. and even In winter. at :
cents a kettleful. One woman IL said
TO have made a tidy fortune by starting
such a bushes In an east end tenement
district and then selling IL put when IL
had reached good paying proportions.
Another advantage OF the machine IN
that In seaboard towns IL could supply
sea water just as easily as fresh water.
so that poo families could. for a few
cents, enjoy the luxury OF a bath or hot
sea water obtained on tap at their very
doors.
No wonder. then. that II has caught
on" In England, where. for that matter.
the practicability OF the slot machine
idea was long ago recognized and turned
10 profitable account.
One enterprising gas company sup
plies houses with a slot meter. The oc-
cupant OF the house drops in an English
penny, or 2-cent piece. when he wants a
light. and a certain number OF cubic feet
OF gas Is furnished by the meter. When
the gas goes out he drops another penny
in.thc slot and the supply IL renewed. by
his means he company Is never put 10
any trouble In collecting Its
and never has any unpaid bills 10 worry
about and deduct from Its profits. while
on the other hand, the householder has
the satisfaction OF knowing thar he
doesn't owe a red cent TO the company,
that the latter cannot overcharge him
and that he has paid for the lighting OF
his house In such Insignificant Install
ments that NJ hasn't missed the money.
The same system has been put In oper-
alton on the railroads. II you are read
ing and desire a better light. you drop
n penny in a slot and a little electric
reading lamp. just above your head. i'm
mediately throws its e~fulgence upon
the eye firing pages and renders your
reading Easy and agreeable.