The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 14, 1897, Page 27

8 — A L e L AU SRS A e TR 4 | HIS HOUSE-OWNER LAUGHS AT ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANIES. : )wnrd bringing the craft to the surface. THE AN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1897 27 A SUBMARINE /New Idea for Raisi Their Positions A the Hold Pum N ingeniou ken wrecks, which has just \ invented by Fellx Gaillard,a man of Bordeaux, is beginning to considerable attention in the 1d as well as among wreckers vice is so very simple and at the e constructed upon principles have 8o long been thoroughly hoolboy that the only was not appled long same ti Which familiar to eve: wonder is why a practical m his exper: diver, Mons. Gaillard early in bis ca knew and appreciated the numerous difficulties encountered in raising wrecks by the slow and laborious method of sink- ing caissons, bin them to the hull and slow!y raising it to the ce where the water cou!d be pumped outof the hull and the work of repair done. Often, when thisd { task was nearly completed and : was almost at the suriace, a slight leak in one of the ¢aissons would allo ull to sink back | 10 the bottom ana the work would have to nce as a be done all over again. At such times Gailiard wished most de- voutly that some other means of wreck- | taising could be devised. but as no one appeared to be able to produce the mu onged-tor inventior he set about devising | cne himself. As a boy he had been familiar with the by which when an inverted cud forced beneath tne surface of the watef e air pressure within the vessel keeps it prevents the water from filling it. This was the first idea of the French in- ventor, and 1t is the fundamental prin ple of the perfected Gaillard system of wrecs-raising. Simple as is the method as applied by e inventor, it took long months to make e theory vracticable. Both time and money were required, and while he had almost too much of the former, there was a lamentable scarc: of funds until a number of financially solid wrecking companies became interested in the mat- ter and furnished Gaillard with the neces- sary capital with which to carry on his wor e resuls of this work is simply a num- ge cylinders or pipes, long tubes ch connect these bags with a powerful mp and some stout pieces of canvas ains. d cl That is the entire invention, complete and ready for service, yet it represents long hours of thought as well as days and weeks of work w were necessary be- the persistent inventor could go to nose who had furnished him the money h to carry on the work and say I have completed and plans and machine for rais- d in this wrecking ma- chine are much more powerful than the ordinary kind, and are carried in thestern stanch ocean. capable of thstanding any d of weather, and rnished with engines of the ul construction. s In these tugs are so ar- ed that whenever it is desired they 1 be connected with the air pumps and sed to force air through them, while the tug remains stationary. The air is s into a huge nt made of steel, and re-enforce of W which are § most The eng owe rst through draught- ellows-like arrange- wood, at eve y possible e thickness of each ma- cular in torm and held in between two horizontal steel- which are connected by powerful screws. | When the s forced into the drum it | liy expands and forces the two | J n which it is held, | After it has been completely fiiled | h air the huge screws which connect on e , and by screwing the two steel | plates together a powerful pressure is| brought to bear and tbe air within the | drum is forced out through the pipes |there was noair movement to facilitate, | this lawy invention for raising | the hull in the se of waterproof bags made in the shape | SUMMERSAULT [ l ng Sunken Vessels.| re Reversed and \I ped Full of Air | est possible manner | the numerous gylindrical bags. Theseare sent down to the diver, who, with chain binds them along the keel on either side. These bags are connected by stout pipes air pump above, and when all are | powerful machinery of the | pecting with the pump is set 'm‘ motion. [ | | | | with As the bags gradually fill with air uncer the influence of the powerful pressure | from above, they exert a lifting power on null which is not to be resisted. Gradually the huge frame is completely turned over and eventually rests ou the bottom of the sea upside down, the air in | the bags being of sufficient buoyancy to | keep 1t in position. Meantime, the,large main pipes which | were first made fast inside the hull have not been idle, and as the jowerful and steady current of air is forced through | them into the hull, the water 1s gradually | forced out, and light buoyant air takes the | place of the heavier water. the As the air pressure increases the hull | becomes lighter and rises toward the sur- face. Air being constantly forced into the | huil and the bags strapped along the Kkeel, | the pressure is maintained and the water | kent out on exactly the same principle that it is kep: from filling the mverted cup held under water. | In addition to turning the hull upside | own before it is emptied of water, the | bags ranged along the keel also serve the | purpose of keeping the craft in the proper | position while it is being raised through tne water. | Strange as it may appear, the proper | position for the cralt during the process is keel up. Were this position not main- tained the ship would naturally right ber- | self and again fill and sink, thus undoing ‘ all the work of the wreckers. | Once the ship is at the surfaceitisa | comparatively easy matter to maintuin | ibe air pressure while the hull is toweu to the nearest drydock. | s long as the air pressure is maintained within the hull the ship cannot sink, and once in the drydock it is easy to right her and pluce her in a position to make the necessary repairs. By the use of the Gaillard system, as it | is called, of wreck-raising almost all the disadvantages under whic heretofore lsbored are cbviated. All of the hard and laborious work is done by the air bags and the air within the hull. re are no ponderous cranes or derricks to be moved about, and the very simplicity | of the whole arrangement is what recom- mends it most forcibly to wreckers and divers. Spiders in the Air. In a communication to Knowledge on Spiders,” Rev. Samuel Barber discusses atsome length the phenomenon of tbe flotation line and 1ts method of attach- ment, which is the foundation of tuie spider’s web. Isitnot evident, asks the rend gentleman, that air—and prob- ably at a high temperature—must be in- closed within the meshes of the substance | forming the line when it passes from the spinnerots the atmosphere? The | creature with this substance lifts it into the air. It has been usual to explain ihe ascent by the kite principle, namely, the mechanical force of the contiguous atmos- | phere, but air movements, especially on a small scale, are so capricious ani uncon- | trollable that without a directive force the | phenomena seem quite inexplicab! to In support of this th ory of a direct pro- | g force, Mr. Barber gives some o own observations. Writing one day | with two sheets of quarto b-fora him he saw a small spider on the paper, and in order to tést its vower of passing through | the air he held one of the sheets of paper | about a foot from that on which the crea- ture was running. It ascended to the ¥ aof the plates are turned by the |ed e asd vanished, but in a moment it | plished by J. J. Feely, a wel landed upon the other sheet through mid- air, in a horizontal direction, and picked | up the thread asit advanced. In thiscase | wreckers have | CYLINDRICAL AIR CAISSONS CAPSIZING THE WRECK. Then You Gan Harness Old Boreas to Electra, Brilliantly [lllumi- nate Your Home and Laugh in Your Sleeve at Electric Light Gompanies HE fir practic: by a wi ccessiul attempt to put to i use an electric plant run imill has just been accom- | nown law- | with a penchant | £ \ ver of Walpole, Mass., for mechanics. With wind as the fundamental factor, | r-mechanic-inventor operates a | which lead to the cylinder-like bags and | nor any time to throw a line upward, | private light plant, forces water all over | the large main pipe which forces the | which, indeed, woula not have solved the | his est water from the sunken hull, v Automatic | through the pump. When a wreck is to be raised by this | seen to be strung from the tip of one of | himself out to accomplish whea he under- | method, the cargo, if there is any, 1s first removed and a tug supplied with air pumps, bags and the rest of the equip- ment_is sent to the place where the ship | went down and anchored a little to Onal difficulty. On another occasion, at a din- | lighted on the table, when a thread was | the lighted candies and attached to an- | other about a yard off, and all the four lichts were connected in this way, “dl that by a web drawn quite tight. The only explanation which Mr. Barber e, so as not to be directly over the spot ere the hull lies. On the tug is carried a complete diver's outfit, and when the boat comes to an- 1or the diver is sent down to the bottom 1o make the preliminary arrangements for raising the wreck. When the disaster has been occasioned by & collision or by striking a submerged reef and tie ship has siid back into deep water, there are holes in the hull to be re- Daired before anything can be doue to- Itis here that the large pieces of canvas Wwhich are a portion of the outfit are in- dispensable. With them the diver patches as tightly as pussible the holesin the huil, and at the same time opensall the haiches of the sunken ship and makes fast within the hull the larce main pipes which con- | nect with ti e huge air drum on the tug. That much being accomplished, the next step toward tLe raising 1s to make fast to can suggest for thisremarkable occurrence is that the spinner was suspended at first by a vertical line from above, and 1hus swayed itsell to and fro, from tip to tip of the candles. It was certain the spider could not have ascended from the tabie, and it was equally ceriain that aerial flora- tion of the line from a fixed point wasim- possible, as it involved floating in four op- posite directions. The rapidity with which the initial movements in forming a web are made cannot be reconciled with any theory of a simple aimospheric convec- tion and propulsion appears the only ex- planation.—New York Mail and Express. B The palace of the King of Siam isip. closed in hign white walls which are a mile in eircumference. Within them are contained temples, public offices, seraglios, stables for the sacred elephant, accommo- dation for 1000 troops, cavalry, artillery, war elephants, an arsenal and a theater, | erratic fluctuations of the electric pre e, operates farm machinery, cuts | wood, turns lathes and fills storage bat- alves prevent the air being forced back | ner party in Kent, four canales were | teriestor use in horseless carriages. It was no easy task which Mr. Feely set | took to develop this “windmill electric | plant” for his own use on his ample | vrivate estate. | From an electrician’s point of view the | greatest obstacle, and one which it was | claimed could not be overcome, was the | variability of the wind and the consequent sures which rendered their utilization im- possible by subjecting the ordinary mechanical connections to excessive and fatal strains. Early in bis experiments, Mr. Feely found that one of the first problems to be solved was to determine accurately the wind velocities and efliciencies during the various months of the year. This was determined by the use of an anemometer made especially for that particular purpose and very similar to those in use by the United States Weather Bureau, with the exception that while the Government instruments record the mile rate of wind the one made for Mr. Tee.y | recorded the wind st each fiftieth of a | mile. After some months of hara thinking, and harder work, the machinery with all its improvements was finally set in place. and when al connections were made Mr. Feely anxiously awaited the first trial, which should demonstrate the failure or success of his pains and labor. The windmill proper is the ordinary kind, common in all out-of-town and country places where there is no public water supply. The frame, or supports, extend fiity feet above the second story of the stables, as shown in tae picture. At the top of this frame are the wheel and fan, which are operated by the wind. As the wheel revolves under the influence of the slightest breeze it operates a series of cogwheels which work upon a long vertical shaft running from the head of the machine to the basement or cellar of the stable, where it communicates with a secona shaftleading directly to the dynamo of the plant. From thisdynamo lead two sete of wires, One set carry the current to the various parts of the estate, where it is utilized (or power purposes and for lighting, while the other set of wires receive the surplus current and store it in storage batteries, for use when the fickle wind is not suffi- ciently strong to give power enough to supply the necessary voltage. When there is a high wind there is naturaily a much stronger current than is necessary, and in order that it may not be wasted or play havoc with the lights tbe surplus energy is led into these storage batteries and there kept until needed. A feature of this dynamo is that the same one whic' generates the current wien there is a breeze aiso acts as a motor duringa caim and can be used with the energy always on batteries. This double servica by a dy- namo has never before been accomplished. In the comparatively light breeze which was bowing when the first trial was made the wheel of the windmill began to slowly revolve, then faster and faster it went until it looked like one solid piece of | circular wood spinning about in the air. A number of electric lights had been put upin the stable as a test, and when these were turned on after the windmill had been workin: some ume they showed a brilliant, steady light, the equal of that supplied by any electric-light company in | the country. The experiment was a success, and a combination of windmill and motor had been found at such a comparatively slight cost that the mutter of expense was hardly worth considering. Once the practicability of the machinery was assured Mr. Feely lost no time in putting electric lights throughout his house and stables and about his private s and utilizing the new agency for ious housenold and farm purposes. The whole secret of the success of his work is in the dynamo, which in a num- ber of ways is different from the. usual electric dynamo. In an ordinary dvnamo the voltage depends upon the speed with which its armature is driven, and it was found that owing to the various speeds at which the windmill was driven an ordi- nary dynamo would be entirely useless for such purnoses as Mr. Feely intended; hence it was necessary to construct the special one. In devising such a dynamo three things were essential. It must be self-regulating, free from eall mechanical contrivances, | and above all it must be efficient. The seli-regulating part of the requi- sites was accomplished by a peculiar and somewhat complicated arrangement of its integral parts and not by any mechanical addition. It requirea no little thought and many trials to eventually accomplish this end, but it was finally done and, moreover, it was done without adding to or taking anything trom the machine. When the dynamo was tried it was found to work perfectly. By keeping the voltage constant 1t was found that sub- stantially all the power of the windmill, however erratic, could be uilized by simply increasing the current in propor- tion to the increase of the speed of the windmill During his experiments in ascertaining the varying changes in the velocity of the wind Mr. Feely found that there is not as great a difference as is generally supposed between winter and summer winds. Dnring the midsummer months he found that the wind averaged eight miles an hour, while during the winter months the average was about nine miles an hour. One of the most important features of this new contrivance is what is called a hand in the storage | JUST PUT A WINDMILL ON YOUR HOUSETOP| | tery it was therefore necessary to devise speed equalizer of special construction by which the surplus energy generated by nigh winds is machanically stored and de- | livered to the batteries in a comparatively uniform manner. Asitis necessary that a dynamo must attain a sufficent velocity to give an | electro-motive force sufficient to overcome the back electro-motive forca of the bat- some means of preventing the curreat ! from the storage battery passing back to the dynamo when not needed. Th was accomplished by a devic: which, when the electro-motive force of the dynawmo rose to a given point, would connect with the circuit, thereby sending | itinto the storage battery and again open- | ing the circuit, when, owing to decreasing | speed of the dynamo, the electro-motive | force falls below that of the storage bat- | tery. | In every way this windmill electric plant has proved itself a success even under the most varying conditions. The lights in the house, stable and those scat- tered about in different parts of the es- tate burn as steadily as any electric lights, maintaining an unvarying uniformity, no matter whether there isa gale blowing or | a dead calm. | The entire plant is as nearly self-acting | as it is possible to make machinery, abso- | | ltely no attention being necessary except | once in two weeks, when it is cleaned and oiled. The first cost is practically all the ex- pense, and following this example the | time is not far distant when private elec- | tric light plants operated by wind will be | the property of every owner of a country | estate when a large number of lights are | desirable. When the Tide Is Low. Some time ateve when the tide is low I shell slip my muoring and sail away With no response 10 the frierdly hail Of kindred crait in the busy bay. In the silent hush of the twilight pale, When the night stoops down to embrace the day, And the voices call in the waters' flow— Some time at eve when the tide is low I shall slip my mooring and sail awa; Through purple shadows that darkly trail O'er the ebbing tide of the Unknown Ses, Ishall fere me away with & dip of sail And s ripple of waters to tell the tale Of a lonely voyager, sailing away To Mystic Isles, where at anchor lay The crait of those who have sailed before O'er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore. A few who have waiched me sail away Will miss my craft from the busy bay; Some friendly barks that were anchored near— Some loving souls that my heart held dear In silent sorrow will drop a tear. But I shall have peacefully {urled my sail In moorings sneltered from storm or gale, And greeted the friends who have sailed before O’er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore. Lizz1E CLARK HAXDY, in Midlana Monthly. The smalle<t sized scissors bave blades a little less than one inch in length; the largest hand shears exceed two feet. THE JAPANESE LUNCHEON FAD Latest Unique Func Masculine Guests Effects by D fl NEW fad has seized on society. It % is a Japanese luncicon. A invitation affair at which the er- ra.ic pictures on the time-honored bambtoo and silk paper f; and chat of the latest scandal, but a bona- tide Jap lunch where meals fit to et before the Empress of Japan are served and the ladies appear in genuine suso-moyos im- vorted for the occasion from the reaim of the Mikado. These odd luncheons have in some mys- terious way, and for no apparent reason, sprung into popularity with the younger sei of the Four Hundred, but unlike many of the recent popular fads they are actu- ally interesting. In arranging for one of these entertain- ments the opportunity offered for pictur esque effect is utilized by the hostess to the utmost, many striking decorations be- ing used. The rooms are made to represent as nearly as possible a typical Japanese inte- rior. The angular and formal Western furniture is hidden benind tall screens reac.ing from the floor almost to the ceil~ ing, and these, with the ex rcise of a little skill and tact in arrangement, can be made to resemble the gayly pictured sliding wall of a Japanese room. . | Silk paper umbrellas are opened and hune about the ceiling, very effectually concealing ail traces of the calciminer’s handiwork and such incongruous features as the elaborate hanging chandelier and electric Lights. Bamboo hangings are arranged before the doors and are placed over all the win- dows, while about the floors are scattered { Oriental rugs, worked in designs which coula not possibly be evolved from any but a true and patriotic Japanese mind. To make the luncheon a success the most minute details are followed, even to the extent of removing all chairsand seats, their places being taken by tiny stools and an abunaance of soft, downy cushions upon which the ladies find ac- commodations in true Japanese style, sitting a la Turk or reclining in a com- fortable but decidedly negliges fashion. 1t is perhaps needless to say right here that the masculine element of society is as strictly barred from participation in these unique luncheons as from the harem ofa good Mohammedan, hence the absolute freedom which the fair imitators of the women of the island kingdom enjoy. The curio shops are thoroughly ran- sacked for odds and ends of Japanese art, and if no other purpose is accomplished by the fad it has at least the effect of dis- seminating among the ladies of the swell set a more thorough and exact knowledge of Japaness methods, manners and cus- toms than they ever knew before. Tables, as understood by the more push- | ing and practical American mind, are as strictly tabooed as are chairs. The picta esque substitutes, which are dainty little lacquered stands about ten inches bigh, are inily s convenient for the uses in- | tended, and. somebow, a dainty meal of urrknown foreign delicacies, with all sorts of peculiar but not unpleasant flavors, served from these tiny stands, tastes much better than if placed before one on a prac- tical, coldly dignified mahogany. One of the most delighiful and pictur- esque eff cts at these luncheonsis ob- tained by the varied colors and costumes worn by the ladies. For the information of ck training in those who the mysteries of the | language of the Mikado's subjects it may be said that the suso-moyo, in which all the ludies appear, means dinner dress, or, as it is literally translated, suso-edge, moyo-patiern. The suso-moyo 1s a long dress of silk crepe, reaching from the neck to the feet and trailing at the back. Around the waist is worn the obi or satin sash, which is one of the most im- | portant portions of the feminine raiment. It is wound several times around the body and in a Japanese lady’s costume it takes the place—pardon the word—of the corset of her Western sister. It is tied at the Not an | are reiigiously fol- | | lowed and t e Iadies sit around on chairs | spread. ion of Society—No Wanted—Brilliant ainty Dames as the taste'of the wearer may T her rank in life wa: Over all is worn the ha-o-ri or coat with large flowing sleeves, which is as much the pride of a Japanese lady as is the bon- net to o Fifth-avenue dame of colonial de- scent. For matrons the only permissible color of ‘the ha-o-ri is sedate black, but unmarried ladies take delight in arraying themselves in three and sometimes four or'five ha-o-ris of different colors, and the combination is always pleasing. The ha-o-ri slso serves the purpose of sbowing the rank of the wearer. On each shoulder and at a point directly between in the back of the garment three circular holes are cut out in the fabric, and upon a backgronnd of different colored material from that of the cloak the heraldic device of the lady’s family is worked in colored silks, The most difficult part of the costume for the American imitator to wear ard to accustom Lerself to are the curious dals, which are nothing but thick felt soles raised from contact with the floor by small blocks of wood fastened to the lower side, but even this difficulty has in many instances been overcome, and more than one Fifth-avenue belie can, if the truth were known, move about as gracefully upon the little Jap sandals as she can in the daintiest ball slippers. Above all is the curious little round zayly colored skull eap with a single feather stuck in the very center for no ap- parent reason except to look ludicrous. Not a“single detail is omitted and the transformation of the society woman into a lady of the Mikado’s realm is perfect. Thus arrayed and lounging at ease about the Japanese room, the ladies who are in- tent upon foilowing the dictates of Dame Fashion are prepared for what is the crowning feature of theaffair. That is the luncheon. And such a Sui-mo-no is followed by yaki- zakana and o’sashimi, or if not a very ex- tensive lunch by chawanmori and then comes kuchitorl-mono, which being ren- |dered into English means sweets, while all throughout the meal o’cha or ‘‘the | very best tea” is served ad libitum. The sui-mo-no is the soup, preferably of chicken and vegetables, chopped very fine and served in dainty china bowls colored in fanciful designs. The boiled fish or ni- zakana is not quite so popular as some of the lighter dishes such as o'sashimi,which is very delicate and palatable, but the dis- creet hostess does not, as a rule, tell her iriends that it is high!y spiced and flavored | fish, cut in very thin slices, freed from all bone and served raw. The only English equivalent for chawan- mori is patties, the dish itself being a baked combination of eggs and the meat of shellfish such as crabs or lobsters, minced and served as a side dish. For the more elaborate Japanese lunch- | eons tha wise hostess secures the services of a Japanese cook for the occasion, but many a quiet lunch of this kind is served by ladies to a select few, where the cook- ing is done by “my lady” herself, who takes pride in serving the dishes in true Japanese style. ach guest has one of the tiny four- legged stands—more like a doil’s table than anything else—placed before her, and on this the meal is served, the lady sitting on a mat or cushion, as the indi- vidual may fancy. These Japaneso luncheons are decidedly popular with society ladies who have wearied of the monotony of afternoon teas and matinee lunches. It is a novel experience and & new sensation to step from the hurly-burly of every-day met- ropolitan life into the quiet and freedom of a Japanese reception-room, where for- { mality is banished together with chairs and tables and picturesque simplicity takes the place, for the time being, of the everlasting and ever-varying diplomacy of society. Two Wonderful Books. The largest book in the world famous Kath Daw of Burmah, the It is pre- SOCIETY GIRLS INDULGING IN THEIR NEWEST ARTISTIC FAD. back with a huge flaring bow, while that portion which is displayed in front is elaborately embroidered in gold and sil- ver tracery and colored silks. It takes | the average society: young woman some time to master the intricate manner of wearing the costume, but it is essential to the success of t..e Japan lunch. The trailing edge of the suso-moyo is also gay with ingrain patterns and gold and silver tracery, which heips to give the garment its name, moyo, meaning, as we bave said, pattern or tracery. About the neck of the properly dressed lady is worn the han-yeri, or collar. Itis a very elaborate affair of silk or satin, heavy with embroidery and delicate pat- terns worked in many colors or gold and served in a temple near Mandalay. It consists of 720 parts, in the shape of white marble plates. It is written (in Pali, and contains 275,250 stanzas, forming the re- ligious code of the Buddhists. Each plate is protected by a temple of bricks. 'T'he smallest book is a konversationslexicon published in Berlin. Itisless than halfa cubic inch in buik, aithough it contains 175,000 words. A microscope especially prepared for the purpose is necessary to enable a reader to peruse this midget of a book. ————— The human eye is from one to one and three-eigths inches wide, and, in a per- fectly proportioned face, the distance be- tween the eyes is equal to the width of one,