Page F our

Freshman Builds
fine Flea Power
Miniature Engine

.lohn Catlin’s Model Praised
by Faculty Members

 

By R. W.

From the modest workshop of John
Catlin comes this masterpiece in
miniature, a midget marvel of me-
chanics, one of the smallest work-
ing model engines in the world de-
signed to run on steam or compress—
ed air.

“It’s hardly nothing,” claimed
“Tiny" when he was interviewed,
“at a distance of thirty—one yards it
resembles nothing: more closely than
a spot on wall."

Required 250 Hours

“Tiny”, or John, as his mother
calls him, is a freshman at Armour,
and intends to be a mechanical engia
neer. He has spent two hundred and
fifty hours over a period of a year
on this model, constructing it entire-r
ly out of scrap material, at a total
cost of fifteen cents and a few frayed
nerves. His only tools were a twelve
inch lathe and a jeweler’s drill. His
model is named “Gloriana",, and
stands an inch and a quarter high. A
feminine name was chosen because
she makes as many revolutions in a
minute as the average woman
changes her mind—«four thousand, or
sometimes four and a half thousand
when under pressure. “Tiny” tells
us that the displacement is .012 cu.
in. According to that, if we assume
a pressure of twenty—five pounds, and
a four thousand r. p. m. we should
get about 0.0000211 horse-power.
The bore is one-quarter inch. The
stroke too.

Engine ls Practical

When asked if the model was of
any practical use, Catlin replied,
“You're darn right. This engine can
devolop enough power to lift a bal~
loon full of hydrogen to an altitude
of five thousand feet. I’ve refused
numerous offers of twenty-five and
even a few of the fifty cents made by
Armour students for Floriana. But
I’m holding out for six bits.”

John Catlin the genius of the ma.
chine shop was out of school four
years before he came to Armour, but
has apparently forgotten nothing. He
excels in scholarship, and rarely gets
less than ninety—nine on his math

- exams. He is still heart broken how-
ever because of the fact that he only
got ninety—eight on his first math
exam. As an entertainer, he is worth
his sale in any man’s salt mine.
“Tiny" can wrap his right arm
around his neck, reach in front of
his face and grab his right ear. These
abilities John says he acquired while
in the process of making his mite~y
engn'ne.

Also a Contortionisl

“You’d be surprised at some of
the contortions I had to go through
in order to get that darn thing to-
gether," bragged the virtuoso of vi~
bratory engines. John is somewhat
of a humorist, however, and we are
inclined to believe that he is spoofing
us. While we’re gossiping about
John, we might let you in on a secret.
There’s a charming young girl who
passed high school physics entirely
through his efforts. And he claims he
is a woman hater! John’s kid broth-
er, six and a half feet tail, is a sail-

John Catlin, freshman student, dis-
plays the tiny engine which he corn-
ploted recently.

l
all about it.

“The greatest difficulty in making
this minute machine was the fact that
so many of the parts got under my

Alumnus Writes 1
from Flood Area ‘

Ed. Nate: This letter was sent
from O. P. Frcilingcr, F.P.E. ’35, tel
C. I. Carlson, ME. ’19, and appeared
in the publication of the Aurora, Ill.’

 

group of Armour alumni.
Dear C. 1.:

 

Concerning the flood in Louisville,
you probably know as much from
newspapers of the happenings here
as I do. I live in the Highlands, one
of the two unflooded sections here,
but having worked for the Red Cross
during the (load I may be able to con-
vey my impressions of it. The flood
certainly reduced man to infancy
again because during it he registered
probably every emotion human beings
are capable of producing, from fear
to laughter.

Fear first became really prevalent
when the power plant and pumping
stations went under water. There is
a certain gripping chill that clutches
at one when he tries to combat some—
thing new to him with a pitch black
inkiness about him.

Everybody Optimistic

The radio, while the power was still
available, come near to driving peo-
ple to an unbalanced frame of mind.
Boats, boats, always the call for
boats! Always the demand, but
never a sufficient supply! Such calls
drove people from their homes to
help the less fortunate ones, quite a
number keeping at it until they found
that during their employment as res-
cuers the water had raised to such
an extent that they had unwittingly
been thrust into a new rule, from‘
rescuer to refugee.

 

Some Profiteering

However, even during a crisis like
this one, man’s lust for money cropped
out, not to a great extent but notice-
able enough. Some people are inl
“seventh heaven” when chasing and
catching the “Almighty Donarrl
There were rescuers in boats that
went from one flooded place to

 

 

 

or, and we suppose that he is very
proficient in the art of making ship
models in a bottle.
Frame of Monel Metal

John drew a set of original plans
which he followed. All working parts
on the model are machined to an ac—
curacy of plus or minus .0002." The
engine frame is made out of one
piece of Mono] metal and is mounted
on a brass base. The fly-wheel,
which is also of Monel metal, is one
inch in diameter, with six hollow
spokes .06 inches in diameter. The
tiny piston is made of Carpenter
stainless steel and carries a hardened
toolusieel wristpin 0.040 inches in
diameter and three-sixteenths of an
inch long. The main crankshaft bear-
ings and connecting rods are of
phosphor bronze. The tiny piston
valve has a movement of 0.09 inches
and is 0.103 inches in diameter The
crankshaft is machined from a single
piece of bigh~speed tool steel and is
.090 inches in diameter. There are
a lot of other specifications, but they
are so small we didn’t think they’d
matter anyhow, but if you are curiv
ous, “Tiny” will be glad to tell you

another getting bids from the inmates
as to what they would offer to be re-
moved from their flooded homes.
Needless to say, the $5 bidder received
preference over the $2 one and the
one who had nothing to offer, regard-
less of the relative imminent danger
they were in. Rubber boots, knee
boots and hip boots were at a
premium. Although most merchants
sold at the regular prices, some
profiteered at the opportunity before
them.
Passes Were Useless

During the first few days disor-
ganization reigned but through efforts
of cooperation, chaos was turned to
order. There were times when passes
issued for admittance to the flooded
areas to the workers were no good,
from day to day, as one person would:
supersede another in signing the“
passes. I found that my best
pass was my voice. As a Red Cross
worker getting supplies to temporary
bases set up at congested points, I
traveled from one section to another
quite often, from the City Hall to the
Highlands. From experience, I find
that one can talk himself into places

ARMOUR TECH NEWS

 

finger nails and consequently were
lost,” mourned Catlin. At this we be-
came cognizant of a slight tugging

“ in our left leg, and de-
parted, leavin Catlin to' look for his
engine which was blown oil‘ the table
by the draft caused when we opened
the door.

where scraps of paper passes were
worthless.

Until the flood reached an individ~
ual’s home he was absolutely positive
that he was going to be “high and
dry." He wasn’t convinced until the
water was on his porch. That was
the average Louisvillan. He was op-
timistic to the last. He swore he was
“on high ground," that the river
wouldn't raise enough and convinced
himself until he was rowed away with
the few belongings he could get to-
gether in a hurry.

Use Bridge of Whisky Barrels

When the Highlands were cut oil.
from the West End and the business
section of town a pontoon bridge
about one~fourth of a mile long was
built with whiskey barrels to link the
sections. Hauling supplies, I had am—
ple opportunity of seeing evicted
people. Everybody seemed to he go-
ing to the Highlands, at least tem-
porarily. They went across the pon-
toon bridge in masses, all sizes, young
and old carrying anything they could
put their hands on; dogs, blankets,
some girls carrying cosmetic cases
and nothing else. That alone was a
necessity to them. One negro crossed
the bridge leading 12 young negro
children, all tied together and look-
ing like a miniature chain gang.
When asked if they all belonged to
him, he retorted, “Lawsy me! I
should say not. I just found them
around the neighborhood and brought
them with me.”

Views Extreme Suffering

Very old people, the bed‘ridden, and
the dead went to the Highlands by
boat. You’ve never seen anything
really heartrending until you’ve
seen what I did. Aged pcoyle; one
old lady about 80 gathering every
ounce of strength in her body to
leave the boat and continue by auto.
Helped on either Side by men, she
exerted herself so much she trembled
from head to foot. she balf- cried with
the pain it caused her. I haltlcried
from the sight of it myself. The bed-
ridden were moved by stretchers.
Most of them looked as if nothing
mattered any more. They lay slumped

on the stretchcrs, motionleSs, the only ‘

indication of their being alive being
an occasional turning of the head to
see where they were going to be
moved next. The dead, they were
probably the most fortunate of the
lots—they felt nothing, saw nothing
of the tragedy all around them.
Commissary Raided

It surprises me that more people
haven‘t gone crazy from it all. In
the process of evacuation, families he—
came separated, mothers lost their
children. I remember one mother
who had lost her daughter, a small
child. She was wild-eyed, eyes swollen,
sobbed continually. I can’t think of
any pain greater than this. Great
pain is mental, not physical. The
small children that were lost and
moved to refugee camps, too small to
know what it was all about, were hap-
py as a lark. Every attention was
showered on them, everyone wanted
them in their homes until they could
locate the paren.s

The negroes that were marooned in
the downtown section were in their
glory. Food was doled out at a cen-
tral commissary and they waited in
line at first with burlap bags to get
as much as they could. Finally the

l Fraternity Notes
PHI KAPPA SlGlVilA

Last Sunday afternoon a dinner
was served at the house for members
and their guests. After dinner the
party adjourned to a theater, after
which they returned to the house,
where sandwiches and coffee were
served. The evening was spent in
dancing.

Last Week the house was honored
by a visit from Brother Roy Hen-
derson, Class of 1902, and Brother
Myron NaNilling, Class of 1920 at
Vanderbilt University. Brother Hem
derson, u. graduate of Armour, is at
present the head of the United Em
gineering Corporation.

 

Pl KAPPA PHI

x We take great pleasure in an«
nouncing the pledging of Edwin
Bucks '41, Edwin Biederman ‘41 and
Robert Maxwell '40, and wish the new
men the best of luck in all their fu—
ture undertakings.

Congratulations to Harry Pei-let on
his pledging to Salamander and to
Brother Thomas to Sphinx.

‘ The Dad's Night Banquet, which
had followed :1 Mother's Club tea two

 

weeks ago, reached a high point in
the social events of the chapter. With
nearly a hundred per cent attend-

Lonely Lost Articles
Cry @ut for Owners

About ten scar-f5, several good
hats. some textbooks, and a collec—
tion of various other articles in us»
able shape await the appearance of
their owners in the Registrar's office.
These articles are the result of a
semester of collection.

If the owners of the “missing”
goods do not call soon, the Regis-
trar's office will dispose of them as
it sees fit. No, there will not be
an auction scale.

Also missing or lost are seventy
registration cards that haven’t ar-
rived at the oll’ice. The cards have
been missing for six weeeks—(they
are slightly overdue). Rumors have
it, that the cards weren’t turned in
at all.

 

queue became so long and by sheer
mass of numbers they stormed the

comminsary and wrought havoc
galore. They carried off everything
they could get their hands on, stepped
on cases of eggs, spilled milk all over
the place, broke open cases of canned
goods and before the National
Guardsmen and police could restore
order, the commissary looked like a
shambles. and smelled so nauseating
that even an aeration could not dispel
the stench. However, the negroes
were happy. They now had probably
more in the way of food and property
than they ever before had in their
lives.

 

 

Floors Become Warped

I could write for hours on all I've
seen but that would take too much
time and also take too mucl: space.
I’d like to give one more picture
though. After the water had receded
I had an opportunity to visit one of
the homes that had had water on the
first floor, as most of them did in the
West End. There just wasn’t anything
that could be salvaged outside of the
sink, the bath tub, and the steel bed
springs. The furniture had fallen
apart, veneering torn off, piano
turned over and deposited in another
room by the water, the rugs so soggy

and mud caked as to render them un- _ ,

recognizable. The floors had buckled
every two feet, doors were swollen
and warped and plastering cracked.
Just think what it will mean to the
older people who have probably their
life savings invested in a submerged
house and furnishings. The younger
people can start all over, but 7 can’t
help but think despairingly of the
older ones.

The letter, I know, is sketchy.
However, it will give the high lights
of the flood because they are pic-
tures I can’t eradicate from my mem—
ory. Incidentally, I have another
picture that I could write and de-
scribe and praise at great length.
Oh the joys of taking a bath after
nine days of perspiring‘ and drying
of perspiration on the body. How-
ever, if I get started on that I won’t

 

once, the dads had a grand time in
the game room and in seeing the mo—
tion pictures donated by John Dodge.

Our co-ops, Schmidt, Small and
Olinger, are doing a rushing business
selling candy to the house members.
In fact, so many nickels are being
donated that we’re wondering if the

surplus tax law on corporations
wouldn’t apply.
Tll—lllETA Xi

 

Our bowling team is in training and
we hope to do quite well in the com—
ing tournament. Brother Eugene
Norris in Niagara Falls, N. Y.,
dropped us a letter and let us know
how he was getting along.

The Alpha Gamma Chapter of
Theta Xi wishes to announce the
formal initiation of Anthony C. Gio—
van, M. E. ’39, and George M. Ives,
E E. ’38.

summing

 

Formally initiated at a banquet held
last Friday night at the Allerton
Hotel were the following men:

Irving Ml. Footlilt ’39.

Frank Miller '40.

Robert Pincus '40.

Harvey Rothenberg '39.

Sidney S. Silvernnnn ’40.

Bernard Sternfeld '40.

Rho Delta Rho takes great pleas-
ure in formally welcoming these men
into the fraternity.

 

Wednesday, March 24, l937

(Io-Cpl {lode

A strange paradox—the co-ops are
looking forward to work! Seven
weeks have passed and soon they will
be able to retire at night without fear
of an exam on the marrow.

Green Capo

But they will miss the necessity of
wearing green caps. On St. Pitt’s am-
iriversm'y the fellows banded together
to defy the sophomores to deprmts
“Wm. About, seventeen walked from
the “L" station minus that main fac-
tor of mainly dignity. Anyway, it
wasn’t: cold.

Pictures

Last Tuesday morning the fellows
posed for the photographer in the
gym. The pictures will be used for
the Cycle and Professor Lease’s cam-
paign to interest more industries in
the co-operative plan.

Basketball

Winning by a score of 31-11, the
Fresh retaliated against the Sopho-
more Co—ops in a cage game in the
gym. High point man for the fresh-
men was B. Booth, who earned 14
points. Reinrich scored two baskets
to lead the sophs.

The freshman co-ops will play the
Phi Pi Phis in the gym tomorrow
morning at 9:30.

Any organization wishing a game
should see G. Henry, co—captain.

 

 
 

:, Como/res
Old Man Opportunity beating a
rupg and the class has begun.

as try to force the locked door.

“We’ll have an exam during our
professor not long ago.

of the revenge-seekers had turned the
Ignoring the pounding, students
later they all went home.
' #4
Counting sheep has loop; been a
loyal method of confirmed insomni~
asts for dropping ofl’ to sleep. Now
law students at Ohio State Univer-
sity count words of lecturers for the
opposite reason—to stay awake.
:14

Because they make bets on the
number of times the professor will
use certain common words such as
“the," “or,” and “however,” lecture-
attenders listen closely to the driest
of discourses.

1“ *

“Sup, manager, can I got another
pair of shoes?” came the query from
a timid-looking rookie when track
equipment wan being issued at Orc~
you State Caller/c.

What's wrong with the pair you
have?” asked the manager, busy with
his job of passing out suits to varsity
(and rookie tram/t men. “Didn’t you
try them on? What did you take them
for if they didn’t fit?”

“Oh, they fit all right as for as
size goes," answered the freshic, but

in

‘But what!” bar/ted the manager.
“I’m too busy to bother with you
dumb moles. What’s wrong with your
shoes anyway?”

The jolcster fidgeted uneasily and
his face rcddc’ned, but he managed to
blurt:

“They fit all right, but they both
fit on. the same foot.”

With no kingdom to offer for a
horse, the tentative Riding Club at
Alfred University has disbanded be
cause of its iiaglessness.

A smashing victory in its final
game of the basketball season gave
John Tarleton College its 78th com
secutive win and its fourth undev
feated year of competition.

=(= $

 

be able to stop.
Otto Fmilinger, ’35.

 

Plans for building an aeronautical
wind tunnel capable of developing}

  

“n... . l

knock-knock tatob couldn’t even get a

certain University of Texas professor to open the door once the bell has
Likewise, all late students are barred. They might just as well go home

Annoyed at his unusual procedure, members of the class burned in-
wardly and waited for a chance to get back at him.

next lecture meeting," announced the

On the day of the test, all the students were in their seats long before
the ten o’clock bell rang. But no professor. Two minutes passed. Hurtied
footsteps sounded in the corridor, but before they stopped at the door, one

lock.

stayed in their seats. Five minutes

 

 

 

 

winds up to 400 miles an hour and

simulating variations in atmospheric

pressure to an altitude of 35,000

feet, are announced by the Massa-

chusetts Institute of Technology’s

President Compton.
' 3i:

Because heavy snows have choked
off the food supplies of pheasants
and deer in the neighboring game
refuge, St. John's University has
provided feed and grit at several dis-
tributing stations in the woods.

e

To improve the flavor of your
canned gratefruit, aerate it. That is,
pour it from one glass to another a
few times, say scientists at the Uni-
versity of Illinois.

1% 1

By betting on horses, a professor
at an English university is trying to
show his students concretely the fol—
ly of gambling.

I“ 30‘

Speaking statistically, a Pennsyl»
vania State College reporter has
found that his institution's 690 resi-
dent faculty received their degrees at
162 different colleges and universi-
ties in the United States and Europe.

it a:

What a columnist of the Minnesota
Daily heard at the Miners' shindig:
“Here, John, put my purse in your
pocket. It won’t hurt your figure
any!”

$1 ’3 ‘4‘

“Mistake and be charitable,” is the
motto of Midland College typists. In
recent accuracy tests, the click-clack~
ers had to donate an egg or a can of
tomatoes to the Salvation Army for
each error made.

=3 9.1 IF

Since a careless bird caused a
$2,500 fire at the Delta house of
W’estern Reserve University by build—
ing its nest too near the chimney.
members have been \vaitirg with
shotguns for its return.

 

l