Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1838-12-06
Miscellaneous.

a POWERFUL MAGNEr.-An interest
iug uescription was gwen not long since
IN an EngIish scientific periodical of q
natural magnet OF woud. rful power. and
some circumstances Connected with il.
! must nuke II particularly interesting 10
the American reader.
IL seems thai IL early as l772, when
DeuJaiuin Franklin WAS IN GIasspow. ne
haa much conversation win Professor An
detson on the subJec, OI electricity ami ina o
neiis'l', aud promising 10 send the Profess
or from Aherica specimen oi sumo line
i"a"sIones winch were tuuui in abundance
III suine places III Vr ma. traukiiu as
as good as his word and IN l7i6 Pr ofes-
sor Anderson received the promised miner
ai' atd Pu' the most promising portion oi
the mass iutU the hauds Ot MIR. Crichton.
an ingenious mechanic, who " as skllitul
III the manufacture ot >cieulitic apparatus.
IL was armed III the most approved man
ler, hui Its power was III no wa> remark a
6le. Several smaller PORTIONS of The mass
were similarly fitted up; but they, like
the principhl, proving almost valueless. m.
fr"icssor declined making any further
trials, aud hnalIy laid aside all itiouqi,,s ot
tile matter.
several years passed away: but in 1871
or l|o2, Mr.. Criclltun,e Casually rum,na-
g'ng lumber box which stood b.ncn,b
Ills work bench. discovered some s,ualI
fragments OF the almost forgotten load.
STONE, surrounded by iron thugs and OH
er tcrruSlmous dust; aud uUsrrv,no I'm,
one vi these fragments carried "A longer
heard u hlinss than the others, he WAS IN.
duced 10 bcstOw, 1T Ills leisure what IN.
al thai time, considered a lit,Ie bore,..s
labor, III grinding the fragment into a pro-
per shape, with reSard to It's Duies After
winch niininut.On, IRON arms " Gre a,tach-
gu III temporary inanner, by means oi
athreau, "hcn,tO IS great surprise, lis firs,
load, though iustily applied, anu supposed
10 oe IN excess, required CONSIDERABLE iorce
10 effect It's ieiiU,al.
Mr.. Criciilon nov thought that the fras
ment was worthy vi additional Labor. iI.-
ground IT with hreut care iuto It's prou.r
torn, with regard To polarity, aud when
nii>h'd, INC lille stone with its armmo
was enclosed III INN case of gold having
fihS al me top tr suspcndiuy H.
ioau was attached, Consisting OF Il Dyra-
'iiidai'staped pieced oi sOftIron, ,0I a weigh,
Ju6eed 10 Sbe rather 'uuder It's fi,axitI MN,
r1Y eI .lhat Is sereH hundred and eighth
sree sslSfis, NIii,, Itscif q
precisely taoo umd a haij grains, carryIug
therefore, three hundred ana thirteen times
ats opn toeight.
IL Is n"" hl'y-seven years since this lit
tic spar" ii the niiue was first enclosed.
he case was opened about thirty wears
ago to examine the arms, but, the Old ones
appearing inuill.ss, the whole was Iume-
ui"'ely put together III It's original sra,e.-
The same mass oi iron has been used as
ITS load from the beginning. and is placed
"ereiy III rOhtaci with lis arms. The
power OF adhesion appears to be as great
as II has ever been, aud It is supposed that,
oJ careful application, the load could be
Increased 10 considerably more than eight
hundred grams; but lest the lriul minnt
prove injurious. it has never been made
i.nsinn lIEr lane