The native American., 1838-10-27

The New York Commercial Advertiser de-
scribes the inventions of American genius, ex-
hbted at late annual meeting OF the American
Institute. We select the following, which we
suppose will be most interesting TO our readers.
First on our list we place the model OF an in
venton, which, if successful, will open new
era in the history of travelling by railroads. 1t
is plan for an improvement in any locomotive
now in use, which will enable it to travel with
equal facility an inclined plane or dead level.
The method by which this is effected has at least
simplicity TO recommend it. The axle of the
rear wheels of the locomotive is made long enough
to hold two smaller wheels at its extremes. These
small wheels run upon a railway, built for the
purpose, at the point at which it is necessary to
overcome an elevation, and the larger wheels are
lifted by the smaller from the road. The weight
of the locomotive is thus rested upon the fore
wheels and the two supernumerary wheels. The
same power which is necessary to draw three
hundred pounds along the dead level with the
ordinary wheels of the model in question, will,
when the small wheels begin to act, draw six
hundred pounds up an elevation graduated on the
scale of six hundred and five feet to the mile.
The invention, we understand, has been submit
ted to the inspection of several mechanics of
in their prognostica,ions of its complete success.
One of the engineers of the New York and Erie
Railroad gave it as his opinion that $500, 1000
would be saved on the line of that road by adopt
ing locomotive built on this plan, for surmount-
ing the Shawangunk mountain. The inventor is
William F. Ketchum, of Buffalo
Webb's patent burner exemplifes how much
light can be obtained at very little expense. A
chandelier, Of six branches, which illuminates all
that part of the room in which it is placed, costs
but six cents per hour to keep it burning.
The self-loading rife is the name of one of the
destructive engines of war which modern inge-
nuity has invented to aid in killing off the human
species. 1t can be loaded and fred with ease,
sixteen times in minute. The inventor is Silas
Day, of New York.
The selfplaying organ, by this same manu-
facturer, seems we'll adapted for country churches,
where it is difficult to obtain the services of an
organist. The instrument is played on by turn
ing crank An unlimited number of tunes can
be produced.
Beach grass paper, and specimen of the ma
terial from which it is manufactured, exhibited by
]. Sanderson.
Among the articles, our attention was strongly
attracted by a new species of cloth. There are
several pieces in the exhibition, of different tex
lures and thicknesses, and other patterns, we un-
derstand, are to be added to-day. 1t is from the
Union Manufacturing Company's mills, at Nor
walk, Connecticut, and is made, strange as il
may appear, without either spinning or weaving,
by process similar to that employed in manu-
featuring hat bodies. 1t is without threads, and
finished on the surface, leaving the body of the
cloth perfect and entirely unimpaired by the pro-
cess of finishing. In manufacturing, the wool is
put together at right angles, in webb, by very
ingenius patented machinery, with great rapidity,
and at an incredibly small expense. 1t can be
made of any desired thickness. The advantages
claimed for this over cloth manufactured in the
ordinary way are, that it is much less expensive,
that it is warmer, and that it will last longer.
We should Judge from the specimen before us
that this cloth would be an excellent article for
overcoats. One thing is certain about it, he who
wears it can never have threadbare coat.
The propretors of this invention feel very SAN
guine that it is calculated to effect entire revo-
luton in the woollen manufacture, and raise that
branch Of our domestic industry to an efTectual
competition with the foreign market
In one of the side rooms are two machines
which attract great deal of notice from the
visiters One of these is machine for reeling
silk; the other is silk spinner and twister, for
making sewing silk. The latter is in operation
and it is matter of some curiosity to those un.
acquainted with the method of manufacturing silk
to see the manner in which it is done. The ma
chine appears to be simple, and we'll calculated tc
perform the labor it was intended for. The in
ventor is Jonathan Dennis, Jr., Of Portsmouth
Rhode Island"