Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-01-10
From the Boston Chronotype.
THE NEW DISCOVERY.

1t may be true mechanical law that what is
gained in power is lost in time, that man cannot
hoist himself by his waistband, make a clock
which will wind itself up or cause a mill-stream
to run round bill back into its own pond And
it may be good chemical law that the power of
decomposition is not greater than that required
for decomposition. In ordinary chemistry, thus
far, we have not been able to get much without
havngit cost something. We fell pine tree
and burn tin q boiler and it carries US to New
York much quicker than horse would. And
taking into view the saving Of aSSociati0nisn in
Travelling, it is much cheaper But we use up
a result of vegetable life in one case as well as
of animal life in the other. This result of We
getable life we may conceive to be the effect of
electricity, operating according to a certain law
Well what II, instead of waiting for electricity
! to decompose the water and other clements of
| the soil and air and elevate them into tree we
could employ it to decompose water and then
use the force Of the elements OF the water in
| their decomposition to propel us just as we use
the combustion Of the pine tree Does there
seem any need. when can command the force
of electricity, to wait for its slow operation ac
cording 10 the laws of vegetable life! Now it
may be very true, that it will take just as much
| force to separate the oxygen and by 4rogen in
| drop of water as they Will afterwards exert in
/
ployed to separate them is a great power of the
universe which cannot be employed directly to
our purpose and which it costs no force or ex-
| pcnSe only compliance with certain conditions,
TO employ, there may be great gain.
Now a certain combination of the Magnet and
the Helix of insulated wire is known to be
| CONDITION upon which a permanent current of
electricity may be kept in flowing. The effect
of this current has hitherto not been great, moth
! ing to lead any one to suppose it could exceed
| the Slight force necessary to give the revolving
motion to the helix. But when Mr.. Paine dis
! covers that the strength of the current depends
| upon the mode of constructing the helix, and
that without increasing its motion or its friction
one atom, the force of its electric current may
! be increased hundred, thousand or perhaps a
million times, then of course he discovers the
means Of decompOsing water without expense
| If mechanical force A, acting on magnetized
! helices viii produce an electric current b which
will decompose drop of water c, and we sup
| pole the accomplishing or conclusive force of the
| elements of C. Just equal to the force excrted by
| B, and Just equivalent TO the mechanical force
! A, then it without increasing the mechanical
! force A we can so arrange the helices as TO dou-
/ BE the electric current or make it B Is, IT Will
dccompose two drops &C. Then we may use
! half this power to keep up the mechanical mo-
/ ton A and have the other half clear. That is
to say, the mechanical force requisite TO produce
electricity by the magnetized helices is con-
slant quantity while the current developed is va
riable, depending upon the strength of the mag
netlsm and the composition of the helix 1t may
be less than an equivalent 10 the constant me-
chanical force or it may be more. In the case
CT Mr.. Paine's construction of the helix it is
more, almost infinitely more.
To any enc acquainted with electrical manip-
ulations We might illustrate the above principle
practically by the well-known different results
of heliceS made of different sorts of wire, or re-
volved between magnets of different degrees OF
strength, the force required for the revolution
remaining the same
We have therefore no hesitation in saying
that Mr.. Paine, by setting in motion magneiZed
heices of his peculiar construction evolves cleo
trio currents which exert thousand times more
/ decOmposino force than that which is equivalent
TO keep up the mechanical force for moving the
helces. tie can therefore apply one part Of his
resultant force to keep up his productive force,
and have nine hundred and ninety-nine parts left
c!ear-so much that has cost him nothing
Here is perpetual motion with witness-per-
petual motion to all intents and purposes-per-
petual motion beyond the most sancnine dreams
ofits crazest pursuer. Here the great element
of lite is chained, tanned and subjected to the do
! minion of man as completely as the wind or the
water ever were. The consequences of this
/ discovery are enough to upset the soundest in
tellect. Ii must make q revolution in science
and in society. Ii puts society under new con-
/ ditions by virtue Of which hundred things may
easily happen which we now think impossible
t Wealth may lose its influence and tyranny its
motive. Emancipated from physical labor in so
great a measure and ensured a so much higher
degree of physical comfort, the race may adj
var ce in neral culture and development more in
one generation than it otherwise would in a
thousand years Given light, heat and power,
free as the water, and we are armed against all
other wants, and fortified against all enemies.
These consequences are so overwhelming
that it seems impossible 10 believe them. Yet
they all result irresistibly from facts which the
testimony of our senses obliges us to believe
We saw, examined and handled the secrets of
Mr.. Paine's heliceS and the peculiar eIectrode ne
cessary to give full effect to so potent current.
We saw, as no one could help seeing, how. if
the common helices would do anything, these
would do infinitely more. We could now east
" ~