Show 1 I ODD NEW TOPS Amusing Toys That Spin by Means of Springs and Strings BY THEODORE WATERS Some really odd and wonderful spinning spin-ning tops are beingused thissummer In the toy shops and on the sidewalks may be seen strangelooking affairs which to put It broadly I do all manner of things There are tops which draw pictures on paper tons which hum I I tunes like an aeolian harp tops shaped I 1 like ballet girls and pirouette with as much grace tops made to spin up and down a riece of wire like a tlzhtrone walker tops shaped like docs and give i a shrill shriek like a steam whisMe when they spin tops which spin by I means of a spring when you press tn < button tops which are simply hugh teetotums tops which have to be roundly whipped to make them go tops with cords attached which can be lifted II from the ground and spun In the airI and tops if you will believe It which I are over three feet high and reeuirei I two or three men to spin them i The top which draws pictures on paper I pa-per Is little more than a lead pencil run through the center of a disc of lead It is spun between the thumb and forefinger and as It whirls over apiece I a-piece of white paper naturally leaves a track wherever It goes Concentric rings spirals Sshaped figures waving lines there is almost no endto the figures fig-ures it will trace or the amusement it will afford By spinning It i on a piece I of heavy cardboard you may pick up i the latter and by manipulating It j cause the top to trace out original designs de-signs of your own It will be quite easy to make one of these tops out of v IooI > t iI 1 iri an old medal and a lead pencil and then all the fun can be had without cost t S I The top whichVsings like an ae a lan 1 I harp iscomposedof tln and looks very muchas two small l1ells would If their1 mouths were placed tdgether Through the center is I the axle or pivot on which the affair spins ad inside of the top are several reedssuch as are used in a mouth organ As the top spins air rushes through holes in the sides and plays on one or more of the reeds caus I ing it to emit a musical note B strik ing the apex of the top as It spins vmi may chang the key of the music other reeds being thus set in motion The ballet girl top Is shaped like a stage dancer without arms The dancers skirts are made of iron The lower hem of the skirt Is perforated and L through the holes therein the air plays on reeds as In the top just described The dog tops ars somewhat similar Lne air enters notes in the sides but instead of encountering a reed it blows a whistle There Is nothing very strange about a huge teetotum but the top which spins by means of spring Is more ip teresting This top is cut in half The spring is concealed in the upper half A Small DOSt attached to th Inivo Vinlf j fits In a hole in the upper half Br pacing the two halves together anAl I turning the upper part on the post you wind up the spring Then by pressing on the upper end of the post vou suddenly I sud-denly release the spring and the lower half of the top Is made thereby to spin for a considerable time The top which I balances on a slack of tight wire has a I groove in the point of course Its composed of an Inner spinning disc and an outer nonspinning frame work The inner disc is set spinning by means of I a cord The top Is then set up jon a wire the latter fitting In the grove The motion of the spinning disc causes I the whole affair to balance Itself and It can be made to slide up and down bY holding the wire In the direction of an inclined l slane I Chinamen are great kite flyers and top spinners Their mammoth tops are hollow like a barrel and made of very I light wood The lower part near the i point that is is heavy This lowers the j center of gravity and enhances the spinning quality As a matter of fact a top could be made as big as a house if It was desirable The only trouble would be the machinery required to spin it In China it is accomplished by means of a long cord to set It going and a board or stick to hold It stead at the top until it is fairly in motion Once off however these Chinese affairs will spin for a long time and as they are lacquered and painted in various colors they present a sight which wouli cause something of a sensation if it happened on this side of the world |