THERE is no end to the toys and useful articles that can be made from ordinary cigar boxes of various sizes, the number and variety being limited only by the ingenuity of the maker. One of the simplest is a model of a crane such as is used for loading ships.

Along the English docks one sees many of these perched on top of a towerlike arrangement on wheels, the track on which the wheels run stretching the length of the dock edge.

Along this track the towers move, driven by water power mostly, until they come to the part of the ship where they are to work, and there they stop by the hatchway.

A man in the crane house on top of the tower works the levers, and the big steel boom swings out over the ship's hatch, drops a rope down into the hold, then at a signal hauls up until there comes into view the load of trunks, or boxes, or freight of some kind at the other end of the rope.

Stopping the pull on the rope, the driver pulls another lever, and the house on top of the tower begins to turn, the boom turning with it, so that the load on the end of the rope swings over and away from the ship, till it is stopped over the dock.

Then the driver lets the rope slip and down goes the load onto the dock, to be loosed by a "navvy" below.

To set the load further away, the boom is dropped lower; by hauling it in nearer and straighter up and down, the load can be brought closer to the tower, so that the crane can set it down or pick it up anywhere within the range of the length of the boom B and for the entire length of the track on which the tower runs.

Instead of a wheeled car, the one I show slides on tracks, but wheels can be easily made from half spools, if you prefer that kind.

Our toy will be worked by hand, of course, but if you have a toy motor or engine, I have no doubt many boys are ingenious enough to make one to work with power.

The box part A, Figure 2, is made with a space x cut out forward, as I shall explain later, and in this space the boom B made of two sticks with a pulley at the top is fixed.

Back in the box are two spool windlasses on which the " ropes" or strings wind up. These are turned by cranks, as at C outside, and the string from each has its own work.

One string fastens to the boom, as shown, so that when its spool is turned by the crank, thus winding up the cord, the boom is lifted, or lowered by turning the crank in the opposite direction. The other string goes over the pulley, so that turning this crank raises or lowers the weight on the end of the main rope.

The turning of the whole apparatus is done by hand, though it might be done by turning a third crank near by.

For the "cab" part, select a good-sized cigar box, shaped as shown, and out of the corner saw the part x shown in the detail of Figure 2.

In doing this watch out for nails, or you will dull your saw. This done, smooth off the edges, and with a sharp knife cut the windows and door.

Having selected the spools for the windlasses, fit their axles tightly in place, leaving one end m long. Make the holes in the cigar box and fit the axles by driving them through the spool inside the box.

The way of making the crank is shown in Figure 2, using cigar-box wood, shaped as shown; one can also make it of wire. Another way is shown in the larger drawing of the complete machine.

Make the boom as at B in Figure 2, the block b fitting up at the top and the small pulley p fitted between the outer ends. The sketches show how to make the pulley from a piece of curtain pole or round wood.

Have the boom about twice as long as the cigar box, and pivot it at the open end of the "cab" part as shown, the stick a being the pivot for its turning. The car is a block of inch wood, and to this the "cab" is pivoted, as in the detailed drawing in Figure 2. Here

A is the cigar-box bottom, N the pivoting nail, W a thick wooden or pasteboard washer, and D the board "car."

By fitting the pasteboard washer, and smearing it generously with lard, you will have a crane turning easily so you can swing your loads quickly. Lard may also be used on the track if you want the "car" to slide smoothly.

The making of the track is simple; the lath T is merely nailed up against the square stick t. The whole arrangement can be built along the edge of your workbench.

Before calling the toy done, test the bearing of the pulley to see that it runs easily and that the nails n which drive into the ends of the wooden axle p to form the pivots are centered right. Also see that the cranks are not so long as to hit each other in turning.

If the holes happen to come too near, you can fix one crank on one side of the box and one on the other. For the "rope" use ordinary hemp cord.