Science: Inventive Priest

The Reverend Johann Julius Braun, German priest with parish near Fulda, arrived in Manhattan last week to patent an explosive and a parachute substitute.

One invention is for aviators flying in difficulty. The aviator presses a button which releases compressed air which blows him from his plane. Clear of the plane, the aviator presses another button, which releases another can of compressed gas, which inflates his suit. By spreading his arms he can float to land.

The other invention is an explosive which consists of finely divided carbonaceous material (coal, root, etc.) which liquid air, under cautious control, ignites. It is “cheaper and more volatile than dynamite.”