Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-05
PERPETUAL MOTION.

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About six years ago, we published the first
description of machine invented by Mr.. James
G. Hendrickson, Freehold, New Jersey, ssto go
of itself" A model, which Mr., liendrickson
had made after patient whiting for forty years.
was brought into our Office, and we found that
it would go without any impulse from without,
and would not stop unless it was blocked
The power was self-contained and self-ad-
justed, and gave a sufficient force to carry or
binary clock-work without any winding up or
replenishng. In short, We saw no reason why
it would not 20 until il was worn out. Our
announcement of the fact brought out u great
deal of ridcue the increduloiis pointed ut all
of the projects to obtain u perpetual motive
power which had fniled in the past, and pre-
dicled the same disgrace to the new invention.
Many scientific gentlemen visited IL, and AL
though they could not dispute the fact that il
was going" they nearly all attributed the
movement to some hidden spring or ingenious
trickery. The inventor was an old man, who
had spent his whole life in pursuit of tho OBJ
ject he had now attained. He had become SO
much accustomed to ridicule, that he was very
patient under il and the only reply he made
to the cavaliers who pronounced the thing i'm
possible was-"JW II does go" The notice
which we printed attracted the attention Of the
curious, and for the first time in his history,
the inventor found profit in his handiwork.
He was invited TO be present at rarions fairs
and exhibitions of new inventions, and where
ever he went his machine formed one of the
chief attractions. Science, however, turned up
its nose al him, and determined to put him
down. The professors were all against him.
and AS they Ind pronounced the whole thing
humbug they were determined TO prove the
truth of their assertion. Accordingly, Mr..
IT.,,., hi, t.nut Ya1 Fan
practising "iuggcry,h under the Act for
suppressing vice and immortality" At the
trial, several builders, millwrights engineers,
and philosophers were called and testified
positively that no such motive power as that
alleged could drive the machine, and that
there must be some concealed spring within
the wooden cylinder There was no help for
it; and the imposture must be exploded. An
axe was brought and the cylinder splintered
into fragments. Alas for the philosophers,
there was no concealed spring, and the machine
had goae GfHSelft But alas, also, for poor Hen
Erickson, the machine would go no more.
With trembling hands he again resumed his
spectacles and his jack-kniie His model
once more completed he had a new machine
constructed OF brass. hollow throughout, so
that the eye could examine all its parts. This
was brought to our office nearly two years ago,
when we notices, it once more, and gave to our
readers some Of the facts we have now recalled.
The inventor was trying to secure a patent for
this discovery, but the work went on slowly.
The Patent Office required working model to
test the principle, aud one was sent on to Wash
iGgton. The moment the blocks were taken
out, the wheels started of dixie thing of
life" and during ten months that the model
remained in the Patent Office, it never once
stopped to breathe. The inventor had per-
tected two new machines, and made very
comfortable livelihood exhibiting them, pros
ceuting his efforts meanwhile to secure his
patent, intending to apply the power to clock
work, for which it is peculiarly well adapted.
Age crept upon him, however, before this point
was reached his highest art could not make
his hcart-bcatings perpetual and last Satur-
day afternoon he breathed his last, in the old
homestead at Freehold. He had been so much
prosecuted by the incredulous, that he had
provided a secret place beneath the floor of his
shop, where his last two machines were depos-
tied. II was in form of vault, covered BY
trap-door, which was locked, and The floor so
replaced as TO avoid suspicion. After his last
illness commenced, he made known this secret
to his family, who examined the spot carefully,
and found the contents exactly as described.
The night after his death, the shop was broken
open the floor taken UP, the trap-door pried
OH, ana DOtn mOuels stolen. IL IS proDhhle
that the family in their visits had not taken
the same precaution as the inventor, and some
prying eyes had discovered the secret. For
tunately, drawings are preserved, and there is
a little machine, one of the earliest made, now
running in Brooklyn, where it has kept up its
ceasecss ticking for nearly six years. Mr..
Hendrickson leaves family Of four sons and
four daughters, all of them, we believe given
to inventions. Had he died ten years ago,
how emphatically would ithave been said that
his life has been wasted in "hopeless effort to
obtain perpetual motion, ~. J.. Journal Of