A fan worked by the feet, a substitute for the Indian punka.

The result of the continuous motion of this colossal fan is a coolness that is highly appreciated in a country where the temperature is at times incredibly high, and where, without the factitious breeze created by the punka, living would not be endurable.

1.TENT OR TABLE FAN OR PUNKA.

Looking around you, you find the punka immovable.

A vigorous exclamation brings him to his feet all standing, and he begins to pull the punka with all his might, and you have a feeling of ease and coolness.

So the punka is seen everywherein the temple and court room and other public places, as well as in private dwellings.

The function of a punka is to cause a current of air to pass the human body so that the animal heat may escape more rapidly.

This has nothing to do with ventilation; for if the punka were used in a closed room, it would still produce a cooling effect on the skin.

Well, to keep the skin at an agreeable temperature in India we generally wear a minimum of clothing, and when there is no breeze, we try to produce one with the punka.

The escape of animal heat from the body forms a subject which is much more complicated, and much more important, than the one we have met to consider, but it is impossible within the limits of our time to refer to it, except in the measure that is strictly necessary to elucidate the principles that should control the construction of the punka.

It has often been said that every engineer on his arrival in India sets about improving this useful apparatus; but if we may judge from the endless variety of forms which may be seen in shops and offices, in public and in private buildings, no general principle of construction has been recognized, and the punka, as we see it, seems to depend, for its form, more upon the taste of the workman who makes it than on anything else.

We shall begin by directing our attention to the suspended punka, which is usually hung from the ceiling, and put in movement by a cord.

The object of this class of punka is to produce a downward current of air by swinging to and fro, and the best punka is the one which throws downward the greatest quantity of air with the smallest applied force.

The swinging punka is one of the simplest forms of mechanism; it can be fitted up with the most primitive materials, and however badly made, it will always have some effect.

There are some very important natural laws which are illustrated in the punka.

You cannot, therefore, alter the natural rate of movement of a punka unless you pull it at both sides.

This in simple language means that it is useless to expect a good downward current of air from a slow moving and heavy punka, with long suspending cords which keep it nearly always in a vertical position to its plane of movement.

To obtain the greatest result from the power expended in driving it, the punka should be placed as near as possible to the person to be cooled, as the loss of effect, due to distance, increases not in direct ratio, but in proportion to the square of the distance between punka and person.

To obtain the greatest result from the power expended in driving it, the punka should be placed as near as possible to the person to be cooled, as the loss of effect, due to distance, increases not in direct ratio, but in proportion to the square of the distance between punka and person.

We shall now proceed to examine several forms of punka, all made to the same size, and, for purposes of comparison, we shall drive them all at the same speed.

Exp. 2.Here is a panel punka which we shall try to use without the customary swing bar.

The length of the suspending cords is usually a matter of accident in the construction of a punka, but a little attention to the subject will soon convince us that it is one of the most important considerations.

The limit of movement of a punka is to be found in the man who pulls it.

Twenty-four pulls a minute of a length of 36 inches give in practice a speed of 168 linear feet to the punka curtain.

"Kitmudgar, remove that scorpion from the punka, before it drops into the Sahib's plate.