Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-19
INGENUITY

TT is probably civilizations grimmest irony
i that for every step up in constructive
thought and ingenuity there must stalk i'm
plaCably alongside a proportionate advance in
destructive energy, in the facility of tearing
down and destroying. 1t is ferocious and
destructive array of machinery and inven-
tion that frowns at you from the magazine
pages in these days, but it is only natural
that the stimulus of should set all the
little demoniac sprites OF destruction to work
with new enthusiasm
Cathedrals that it took centuries of patient
and loving labor to build up can be battered
and shelled down with the new siege guns
in as many hours-whch suggests the ele
ment of time-saving in these modern inven-
tons.
There are still some peaceful inventors at
work, no doubt, trying to make life easier
and more convenient for the ordinary in
dividual. In fact Worlds Work records the
latest achievements of several such, and be-
cause of their rarity they shall be set down
first %:
Air Towels-The air towel is a device for
drying the hands. 1t is a rectangular casing
that has an opening in the top for the hands.
At the base is foot pedal which closes a
quick acting switch, thereby putting into
operation a blower that distributes warmed
air to all parts of the hands at the same time.
The hands are thoroughly dried in 30 sec
onds.
Heating Houses With Gas.--Each radiator
Is an independent and self-sustainng unit.
The temperature of each room is governed
by its own thermostat All that is necessary
to bring the atmosphere up to a certain de-
gree is to set the thermostat to that degree.
The radiator does the rest, the gas being
turned off automatically when the tempera-
ture OF the room is half degree higher than
that desired and turned on again auto
matcally when the heat falls half degree
below that desired. Changes of temperature
for different hours may be obtained by clock
thermostats. The thermostat may be set so
that the temperature will remain at so de-
grees all through the night and a few min
utes before 8, 1t will automatically turn the
regulator to 70 degrees.
Electric Dish washer.-Designed for fam
lily use, 1t washes, rinses and dries Its load
in three minutes. The machine consists OF
a small high speed, one-inch centrifugal
pump directly connected to one-fourth
horsepower motor. The dishes are placed in
a circular rack. Water, forced Into a per-
forated cylinder in the centre of the rack. is
sprayed on the dishes under sufficient press
ure to cleanse them thoroughly. Hot, clean,
rnsing water is then run in. When this Is
drained off, the heat that is retained in the
covered washing chamber rapidly dries the
dishes.
Destruction VS.. Construction
There is a brief and comprehensive sum
mary OF facts about the submarine in the Re
view of Reviews 20:
Certain eminent authorites-llSe Admiral
Sir Percy Scott of England-are of opinion
that the submarine has sounded the death
knell of the dreadnoughts, and that to build
more of these costly battleships is sheer
waste OF money.
The modern automobile torpedo is cigar
shaped object, 22 feet long, 2l inches in
diameter and weighs 1000 pounds. With its
wonderful mechanism OF almost human In
telligence, the projectile in action seems al
most to throb with life. 1t dives like a por-
poise, steers itself and plows inyisibly
through the water at a speed of 40 miles an
hour. 1t can travel six miles, and at the end
OF the run be capable of destroying great
battleship. The brain Of the weapon Is in
the tail end. 1t Is little gyroscope that one
could hold In the hand, and II is as delicately
adjusted a chronometer. This marvellous
piece of mechanism, automatically controls,
steers and keeps the torpedo In position dur
ing its line of flight. IL the torpedo runs
afoul OF its course, and is detected either
to the right or left the gyroscope-an almost
human pilot-automatically operates lever,
throws the rudders up or down, and TO the
right or left, bringing the torpedo back I'm
its proper path. 1t takes almost thousand
pieces of steel, brass and bronze to make up
all the delicate adjustments OF the modern
torpedo. II requires over one year to build
and costs $4,000
More uncertainty and terror have been an
tlclpated from the zeppelins than from any
other one source, and until the war is over
and me treaty of peace signed ne one viii