Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-08-04

Perpetual .Hotion.-Thc following anecdotc
will be Interesting to those of our readers who
recollect how Redheffer succeeding in quilting
the credulous public for time, by base but in
genious deception
ers how long, and SUCCESSFULLY, Redheffer had
deluded the Pennsyvanians by his perpetual mo-
ton. One of these machines was put into ope-
ration i'm New York in 1913. MIR. Fulton was a
perfect unbeever in Redheffer's discovery, and
although hundreds were daily paying their dol
lar to see the WONDER he could not be prevailed
upon to follow the crowd After few days
ever he was induced by some OF his friends 10
visit the machine. 1t was in an isolated house
in the suburbs of the city. In very short time
after Mr. Fulton had entered the room in which
it was exhibited, he exclaimed, why, this is
crank notion His ear enabled him to dis
tinguish that the machine was moved by crank
which always gives an unequal power. ana
therefore an unequal velocity in the course -
each revolution; and a nice and practical O..
NAV perceive that the sound is not uniform
Ii the machine had been kept in motion by what
was its ostensible moving power, it must have
had an equal rotary motion, and the sound
would have been always the same
CATER some little conversation with the show
man, Mr. Fulton did not hesitate to declare that
the machine was an imposition, and to tell the
gentleman that he was an imposter. Notwlth-
standing the anger and buster which these
charges excited, he assured the company that
the thing was a cheat, and that if they would
support him in the attempt, he would detect It
at the risk Of paying any penalty il he failed
Having obtained the assent Of all who were pre-
sent, he began by knocking away some very thin
pieces of lath, which appeared to be no part of
the machinery but 60 from the frame OF the
machine to the wall of the room. merely to keep
the corner posts of the machine steady. twas
| found that catgut rng was led through ore
of these laths and the frame Of the machine, to
the head of the upright shaft of principal
wheel; that the catgut was conducted through
the wall and along the floors of the second sto-
nv to back cock-loft at a distance of num-
Der OF yards from the room which contained
the machine, and there was found the moving
power. This was a poor old wretch with an
immense beard, and all the appearance Of hav-
ing suffered long Imprisonment who, when
they broke in upon him was unconscious OF
what had happened below, and who, while he
was seated on stool, gnawing crust was
with one hand turning crank. The proprie-
tor of the perpetual motion soon disappeared,
the mob demolished his machine, the destruc'
ton of which Immediately put stop to that
which had been, for so long time, and to
so much profit exhibited in Philadelphia
The merits of this exposure will appear more
striking, when we consider that many men OF
ingenuity, learning and science, had seen the
machine. Some had written on the subject; not
few of these were its Jealous advocates, and
Others though they were afraid to admit that
he had made discovery which violated what
were believed to be the established laws of ma
ture, appeared also afraid TO deny what the n
cessant motion of his wheels and weights SEEM
ed TO prOYeo