Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 February 1911 — Defies Icy Walks With a Sand Brake [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Defies Icy Walks With a Sand Brake

Philadelphia., Pa. —a rubber water bottle filled with sand and strapped around his body, with an attached gas hose leading down through devious channels that terminate under the instep of his shoes, is the ’ strange contrivance used by Thomas Brady, North side fire alarm operator, to sand his'route home on icy mornings. - i “Toot!: Todt!" whistles Brady as he starts for work each morning. Then he pulls a little oord that opens a plug and the sand starts to flow. At first there was a ticklish feeling when the sand ran down the tube, but Brady has got over that The contrivance, notwithstanding its bulk, Is a grand success. Brady lives about six blocks from the old Allegheny city hall. The sand receptacle holds about two quarts and this is just sufficient for the dally trip.

There is a continuous flow of the sand and Icy Bidewalks aye rendered as pleasant as the woodlawns of Vallambrosa. In the two previous winters Brady slipped on the ice on his way home. One time he was laid up seven weeks with a broken kneecap. The other time he hurt his ahkle and was laid jup at home for over a month. At the beginning of thlß winter he began to think of what possible thing he could do to protect himself this winter. For a time he tried "creepers," but these were not satisfactory. Then came the brilliant thought He took possession of the family water bottle and hunted up some old gas hose. One difficulty was in getting the sand to fall at the right spot and also to adjust the flow. Finally he got a little f>lug. This he could open with a string leading up to one pocket that allowed the sand to flow at regulated speed. But the sand would fall by the wayside and not go under his shoes. Brady Is a mechanic and made a little metallic thing he called a “spreader." This caused the sand-to slip under the soles of his shoes. Brady thinks he ought to get a patent out on-the sand "spsedfler."