eam the economic performances of wire rope tugs
compare most favorably with those of either paddle or screw tug boats,
the more rapid the current to be contended against the greater being the
advantage of the wire rope haulage.

* * * * *

IMPROVED HAY-ROPE MACHINE.

Hay-ropes are used for many purposes, their principal use being in the
foundry for core-making; but they also find a large application for
packing ironmongery and furniture. The inventor is James Pollard, of the
Atlas Foundry, Burnley.

[Illustration: HAY ROPE MACHINE.]

The chief part of the mechanism is carried in an open frame, having
journals attached to its two ends, which revolve in bearings. The frame
is driven by the rope pulley. The journal at the left hand is hollow;
the pinion upon it is stationary, being fixed to the bracket of bearing.
The pinion gearing into it is therefore revolved by the revolution of
the frame, and through the medium of bevel wheels actuates a transverse
shaft, parallel to which rollers, and driven by wheels off it, is a
double screw, which traverses a "builder" to and fro across the width of
frame. The builder is merely the eye through which the band passes, and
its office is to lay the band properly on the bobbin. The latter is
turned to coil on the band by a pitch chain from the builder screw, the
motion being given through a friction clutch, to allow for slip as the
bobbin or coil gets larger, for obviously the bobbin as it gets larger
is not required to turn so fast to coil up the band produced as when it
is smaller. If the action is studied, it will be seen that the twist is
put in between the bobbin and the hollow journal, and every revolution
of the frame puts in one turn for the twist. The hay is fed to the
machine through the hollow journal already mentioned. By suitably
proportioning the speed of feed-rollers and the revolutions of the
frame, which is easily accomplished by varying the wheels on the left
hand of frame, bands of any degree of hardness or softness may be
produced. The machine appears to be simple and not liable to get
deranged. It may be after a little practice attended to by a laborer,
and is claimed by its maker to be able to produce 400 yards of band per
hour. The frame makes about 180 revolutions per minute, that is, this is
the number of turns put into the twist in this time. The machine can
make a bundle about 200 yards long, which can be removed of