Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-06-18


condition, every transformation Of matter every
ton, and every manifestation of e is the expense of
some motive power which having performed its part, is
forever neutralzed.
Power is always the product Of Nature God has not
youchsafed to the Of its primary creation He
finds il in the moving air and the rapid cataract in the
burning coal, the heaying tide He transfers it from
these TO other bodies and renders 1t the obedent slave of
his wlthe patient drudge which, in thousand ways
administers to his wants his convenience and his luxu
res, and enables him to his energy for the
higher purpose Of the development his mind and the
preston Of his thoughts
The following is list Of all the primary powers which
yet have been used by in accomplishing his varied
purposes in the wide domain of practical life These are
/. Water power.
2. Wind power.
3. Tide power.
A. The power Of combustion and
5. The power of vital action
To this list may hereafter be added the power OF the
volcano and the internal heat Of the earth and besides
these science at the present time gives no indications OF
any other. These are denominated primary powers
though in reality, when critically studied they may ALL
except the two last mentioned be referred to actions
from without the earth and principally to carnations
from the sun.
Gravitation, electricity, galvanism, magnetism and
chemical affinity never be employed original
Of power As the surface of the EARTH they
forces of quescence the normal condition OF which must
be disturbed before they manifest power and then
the work which they capable of performing only the
equivalent of the power which was communicated to
them.
There prevalent and miSchleyouS than
the idea that there is in what called the mpondera
bles principle Of spontaneous activity. Heat is the
product Of chemical action and electricity only man tests
power when its equilibrium is disturbed by extraneous
force and then the effect only proportional to the dis
turbing 1t for this that the existence
Of electricity remained so long unknown Though
electricity is not in itself of power yet from its
extreme mobility and high elasticity it affords the means
of transmitting power with scarcely any loss, and almost
uncomfortable velocity to the greatest distance
Of disturbance starting from the impulse given at the
battery will traverse the circumference Of the earth in
less time than have been occupied in stating the fact
Besides electricity and the principles before mentioned
there other agents employed between the primary
power and the cornamey the elastic force of steam
of air. and of springs ALSO various instruments called
machines But these must not be COMPOUNDED, they
frequently with the Of power 1t is not the
engine which is the of motion of the cars yet
the stea but the repulsve energy impaired to the
banding water from the burning fuel
machine is intermediate instrument to transmit,
to modify and TO apply power and, with the exception
OF the power consumed i'll wearing away the rubbing
parsthat is, in producing ricton-and the small por
ton impaired to the air. the amount Of power transmitted
is just equal to that received.
The human body is itself admirably contriyed
pick machine, furnished with levers pulleys, cords
valves and other appliances for the application and
dfcation of the power derived from the food 1t is in
fact, locomotive engine, impeed by the same power
which, under another form, gives activity and energy to
the iron horse of the railway In both the power de-
rived from combustion Of the carbon and hydrogen of
the organic matter employed for food fuel In both the
direction Of power under the influence Of an inmate
rial, thinking willing principle called the soul But this
must not be confounded as frequently is with the mo-
tive power. The soul Of a moves his body
than the soul of the engineer the locomotive and its
attendant train of In both the soul is the d
recting, controlling principle not the impeling power
Let for example, locomotive engine be placed upon the
track with water in the boiler and fire in the CRATE, in
short with all the potentials of notion and it will still
remain quescent In this state, let the engineer enter
the tender and touch the valve the machine instantly be-
instinct with life and volition it has soul
to govern its power and direct its operatons and in
deed a whole, it may be considered as enormous
animal of which the wheels and other parts additions
to the body Of the engineer.
The facts have given source Of power and its
application rest upon the widest and bestestablished in
auctions of physical science and knowledge Of them is
absolutely essential to every who desires improve
the art Of applying the powers of the elements to useful
purposes And yet if we to judge from the constant
in the papers Of motors Of machines
moved by centrifugal force of engines to do large
amount Of work, with the expenditure Of nnitesmal
quantity Of power OF conryances by which electricity IS
to develop itself and do work by its own force, we shall
be convinced that projects which in opposition to
the besesabshed truths Of science hundreds Of thou
sands odoars squandered and years Of thought and
labor wasted One Of error of this kind is the un
fortunate which originally given to- and is SELL
retained by certain elementary machnesyz the lever
the wheel and axis the inclined plane the pulley and the
These employed, separately as instruments
for the application Of power, or in combination as the
elementary parts Of complex machines. Every tyro IN
science knows that they have power in themselves yet
the name mechanical poHers by which they designa
ted tends perpeuate perncious long after the
falacy is understood.
machine as have before stated is an instrument
to apply and modify power and effect changes in the
form and texture of matter, denominated cork. The
combination Of the elementary parts Of machines to
produce any desired motions has been studied with much
success, and the whole reduced to rules The diffusion
Of general knowledge Of these would much facilitate in
venton and prevent the necessity Of the individual who
devotes his mind to the improvement Of machines begin
ming anew instead Of building what has been done be-
fore him
Every complex machine consists Of parts which may be
classified as follows:
LIST. The receivers Of the power-such the buckets
and other parts Of the water Wheel the Of the wind
mill
3D. The transmtters and modifers Of the notion viz
wheels, pinons, levers, pstons, screws, &C.
Sd. The supporters-such the frames, the friction
rollers, &c.
4th. Regulators to render the motion uniform.
5th. Operators parts applied Immediately to the
matter on which the work is to be done.
The preparation and publication Of charts Of the ele
mentary parts Of machines and their combinations would
do important service to the practical mechanic and is
object among many others worthy Of the attention Of this
Institute.
those we have mentioned and which promises almost to
supersede all Others is that Of burning coal This mate
rial like watch wound up, is matter in state power
in a state Of unstable equilibrium, ready to rush into
combination with the oxygen Of the atmosphere
the initial action is given, and to evolve power in the
form Of heat until the whole is consumed II has been
proved that average four Of coal is sufficient
to draw, a railway, ton mile IL has also been
found by experiment that man working tread mill
continuously for eight hours will elevate one-and- half
million Of pounds foot high Now good Cornish
gnes will perform the work by the expenditure of