Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1898 — RECENT INVENTIONS. [ARTICLE]

RECENT INVENTIONS.

A Texas vVoman has patented a new toy for children, consisting of a jack-in-the-box, to be released from the box by striking the spring catch with a ball attached to an elastic cord. A handy device for hanging clothes Is formed of a ring to be screwed to the top of a post to support a number of arms, which are dropped into a hole in the end of the post -when not in use. A Missouri woman has designed an Ice creeper to slip on the sole of the shoe, a steel plate, with curved ends, to grip the edges of the sole having teeth to engage the Ice as the wearer walks. Housekeepers will appreciate a new kitched utensil which has the bottom formed of a perforated receptacle w’hich strains the vegetables after cooking and mashes potatoes, etc., without removing them. Instead of reshoeing horses w’ith sharper shoes when the ground freezes, an Ohio man has invented a device which screws on the under side of the shoe and can be removed easily when the ground thaws. Flies are prevented from entering the house wnen the screen doors are opened by a new attachment, which has several rows of brushes on the outside of the door to scrape the flies off every time the door opens. In order to facilitate the production of higher notes on a cornet the ordinary mouthpiece is inclosed in a spring-con-trolled sleeve, which is pressed in by the lips on the high notes to form a smaller opening in the rubber mouthring. For heating water where no tank is connected with the stove a new tank is designed to replace the first section of stovepipe, and is formed of a double section of sheetiron, with a compartment for the water and inlet and outlet pipes. The lead in a new pencil is screwthreaded and is brought forward through the screwed tip by turning the exposed end with the fingers, the tip being partly cut away if the lead gets broken or wears down too short to reach. In a newly designed coffee pot the fluid is not poured from a spout, but Is distilled by means of a funnel-shaped device suspended in the top of the pot, which opens into a slanting tube above, to condense the steam and discharge it into a recptacle below. Life-saving buoys on shipboard can always be depended upon in an emergency if provided with a new attachment, consisting of reels containing lines, to be fastened to the sides of the ship, with a hook to carry the buoy, which disengages itself and rises to the top of the water when the boat sinks.