The native American., 1837-09-02
THE NATIVE AMERICAN.
DAVENPORT, THE AMERICAN BLACK
SMITH.
THE ELEcTRo-MAeNEIIc DISCOVERY.

years experiments IN elpctToIna8netlSn, procured
for the first time known, rotary motion with that
power the machinery of (which is being exhibited
gratulousy in this cit, and exciting the asonishment
of every individual who has seen it in cparation
OF the origin of This wonderful discovery, which
threatens to make as entire revolution the mechan-
ica world as that of Fulton in steam navigation,
which it may possibly entirely superseJe, the public
naturally curious to learn some particulars. We
communicate them in more authentic and detached
shape than they have hitherto appeared.
In the fist place il is necessary to PREMISE that
neither the works Of Farraday and Sturgeon Of Eng
land, who have made many advances in electrical Sci
ence noI those of Oersted Of Copenhagen nor MoIle
OF Sweden, Of Hare and Henry of America, nor
of Ampere Of France can convey any notion OF the
extraordinary development and application Of electro
magnetic power discovered by our native American
mechanic. Davenport. His name probably in a few
years will stand out upon the annals OF history as
much more prominent than Watt, Arkwright, or Full
ton, they do now above the most ordinary lnven-
tors
Nor let us add even the interesting and well
written descriptions in Silimans Journal, and else.
where in newspapers, possibly make Ineligible
the of Mr. Davenports discovery. In tact, the
technical language OF science requires entire
glossary to furnish words to express the thoughts
which have sprung up in this new world, whose door
has been burst open by the genius of one of our ct
zens
Up to the age of thirty, Mr.. y. steadily followed
his profession Of blacksmith, In the summer of 1888,
he happened to 90, as was his CUSTOM from Brandon
To forge Crown Point on Lake Champlain, where
he was in the habit of purchasing his iron. He there
saw revolving cylinder with magnetized points, for
the purpose Of separating the particles of iron from the
puverized ore. !" How is this magnetlzed! " said MI
d. to the owner. "By professor Henry's horse shoe
magnet, which you see there, was the reply 1t was
one Of very small description. weighing about three
pounds, and had been purchased OF professor Henry
himself at Albany. On an exhibition of its powers,
in connexon with the gaSanc battery, (Hare's), MI.
y. was struck with this, to hin, entirely novel
agent that he immediately demanded the price Of the
whole apparatus, and purchased the same, going home
absorbed with the useful pu poses to which he imne-
dateIy conectured il might be applied and too much
engrossed with this dominant thoughto remember the
load of lion he had come in pursuit Of II is proper
to saw that previous to this MIR. ID. had become ac-
ananied with the of the permanent magnet, In
his excursions with that and the compass among the
iron regions fhis native state. On his RETURN he
planed to friend his conviction that the magnet could
be made to procure rotary motion. This friend en-
gagged with him in series OF experiments which
proved abortive, and Mr. d. was shortly after abandon
ed as a visionary The same results precisely then
soon followed, with two other persons. He was then
finally and fortunately thrown upon his resources
and himself was the sole dscoverer of this great in
vpn,on, and the architect of his own reputation.
While prosecuting his researches he read nothing
hui onward boldly, Under the strong impulses
Of his own native genius, till he struck out the light
which as we believe, will etelnalize his name and
that of his country.
In ausion to his want Of all preliminary education
and book knowledge, we are convinced with him. ina
had his thoughts been entangled and entrammelled
with the ideas of other men, his mind never would
have been emancpated into the regions of bonndless
discovery, where it has now reached.
The discovery took place in July, 1884. lie first
went to Middebury college, Vermont, and exhibited
his production, where il met general appreciation
Thence he to Troy and exhibited II TO professor
Easton, Princeton and showed it 10 professor Hen
ry, who had himself without Mr.. Davenpoll's knowl
edge, procured short time before vbratory motion
up and down with his horse shoe magnet. MIR. Daven-
port now made some marked improvements in the
construction Of his machne-principaiiy IN changing
the pole of the magnets. He then came to EXHIBIT u
at Saratoga during the summer Of 1886 There he
met with Mr.. Ransom Cooke, native of New Haven
county, Connecticut, who taking deep interest III
the magnitude Of the discovery, immediately became
associated with Mr. Davenport in advancing it to pei
fection, and obtaining for it the appreciation of the
public.
In concurrence unanimously we believe with all who
have witnessed the operations OF this extraordinary
and simple apparatus, and listened to the lucid and
eloquent explanations of Mr. Cooke, we confess on'
utter amazement at the prodgous changes which u
manifestly oreells in the application OF an entire ne"
and Immeasurable agent Of mechanical powers; and a
the same time, while we see and admire acknowledge
ourselves for want of language to sustain us, utterly
incompetent to impat any correct conception OF tins
marvellous invention TO our readers. All we can sa,
is, "go and be convinced. !"
Description. IL we TO attempt to give on
readers faint notion Of this machine, we wonl
say that it consists of wheel composed Of two ro
semicrcular cut across, to interrupt thei
formation into complete circle That within thes
are iron bars shafts, crossing at right angles
bearing smaller segmenis of circles on their extre
mites. nearly touching, they revolve, the abov
outer circle, which is fixed The whole of thes
are horizontal and covered with silk, and then woun
round closely and spiraly with iron wire; the wire it
self covered with cotton and vanished. On the up
right shaft below two small corresponding semi
circular arcs, cut as above Now these al con
neced by two fiat copper wires. which lead to Hare
galvanic battery Of concenrc copper and zine plates
in solution of suphate of copper. These generate
the electric stream like fuel to fire engine, and 1t 4
by the two upright wires that touch the circle below
as their ends alternately rub in the rotary motor
against the inside Of the two semicircular arcs mt
which that fixed circle is divided, that the extreml
ties of the semiccular pieces above are alternately
made to change their positive and negative poles oI
the ascending current Of gavansm-and Thus th
principle of repulsion and attraction made to act II
concert the four segments Of the shafts above de
scribod-keeping up by the magnetization produces