“Following the date of his conception--of the invention--Janin made drawings, and in 1909 attempted to build a full-sized device himself. He, however, was a poor man, evidently struggling to meet his current living expenses. “From what his witnesses testify it is apparent that he was continually striving to raise funds to develop his ideas, which were regarded by many as illusionary.” Without the help of any one, and with no encouragement except the sympathy of his wife, Janin persisted in completing his invention. The value of the aid given him by Mrs. Janin can only be guessed from the few words he said of her. “Everybody laughed at me except the family. They were game. My wife was a sticker, even when there was sickness in the family, and a lot of troubles that I won’t tell about. She believed in me all the way.” Finally, in January, 1911, Janin made application for a patent on his design for the flying boat. August 22d of the same year Glenn H. Curtiss applied for a patent on the same “counts.” The examiner in the patent office gave the patent to Curtiss. Now that Janin has won on his appeal to the examiners in chief, he will get a royalty on the flying boats which will make him rich. Warns of Boiler Danger. There are over 500 boiler explosions in North America every year. The records show that many of them are accompanied by fatalities. A little invention which promises to do much toward preventing such accidents has just been completed and patented by two Canadian engineers, John J. Oglivie and Fred F. Dier, of Ottawa. It is called an “electric-signal water column.” As the name implies, the invention is a column to be attached to the boiler, answering the purpose of a water glass. By an ingenious electric apparatus, the height of the water is recorded by means of small glow lamps. As the water rises or falls, so the lamps at a corresponding position are lighted or extinguished. Should the water fall below the safety level, the next lamp below is a red one, and as soon as the water reaches the level of this, the red globe shines forth and an electrical alarm rings. The tube in which the water rises and falls is cast iron, three inches in diameter, which eliminates any possibility of it becoming clogged and thus registering a false level of water, which has happened in ordinary gauges. A useful attachment to the water gauge on the boiler is an indication board, a duplicate of the one on the boiler, which may be installed in any part of the building where a steam boiler is run. Thus a superintendent is constantly aware of the state of a boiler, as the same lamps, globes, and alarm are used. The water column is made for use on locomotives, ships, water tanks, or any mechanism where water levels have to be registered. “The device is a fuel and labor saver as well as a life saver. It has met with the approval of many of our boiler inspectors,” writes Oglivie, who is chief engineer of the department of mines at Ottawa.