As may be conceived, the tractive stress
is, as a consequence, considerably diminished.
There are two side wheels which are connected by a flexible axle to
the seat of the carriage, but these have no other purpose than that of
preventing the affair from turning to one side or the other.
The "swallow," for so it is named, is made entirely of steel and
wrought iron. It is very easily kept clean; the horse can be harnessed
to it in three minutes; and, aside from its uses for pleasure, it is
capable of being utilized in numerous ways.--_La Nature_.
[Our excellent contemporary, _La Nature_, is mistaken in its account
of the above vehicle. It is an American invention and was first
published, with engraving, in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, December 16,
1882.]
* * * * *
BORING AN OIL WELL.
HOW THE HOLE WAS MADE AND THE OIL BROUGHT UP.
A letter from Bradford, Pa., says: The machinery used in boring one of
these deep oil wells, while simple enough in itself, requires nice
adjustment and skill in operating. First comes the derrick, sixty feet
high, crowned by a massive pulley.
The derrick is a most essential part of the mechanism, and its shape
and height are needed in handling the long rods, piping, casting, and
other fittings which have to be inserted perpendicularly. The borer or
drill used is not much different from the ordinary hand arm of the
stone cutters, and the blade is exactly the same, but is of massive
size, three or four inches across, about four feet long, and weighing
100 or 200 pounds.
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