It is small, neat,
compact, and at the same time does its work admirably, as we have reason
to know, having had it tested. The illustration shows quite clearly how
it is constructed. To the ordinary observer, when it is attached to a
bicycle it appears to be an common seat-post; the spring, however,
prevents the constant vibration which is so trying to the rider and so
hard on the machine, especially in riding over cobblestones.
Riding a machine with this spring-post, as compared with one without it,
is very much like riding in a spring carriage as compared with the
ordinary springless cart.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Buoy with light]
A clever invention, which originated in France, is a life-saving buoy
that has been used on the River Seine in Paris. Persons falling into the
water at night often lose their lives because it is impossible to
ascertain their whereabouts; or, if a life-saving apparatus of any kind
is thrown to them in the darkness, they frequently drown before they can
find it. This small apparatus consists of a combination of a buoy with
an electric light; when the buoy is thrown into the water the light is
lighted automatically. In connection with this invention the life-savers
in Paris use a grappling-hook which we illustrate. This has an electric
light near the end in the oval space; this light makes it possible to
grapple for persons who may have gone down beneath the water.
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