Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-08-11
List Of Wonders.


Among the wonders of marvellous ia
ventions which American genius has pro-
duced. within the few last years. are the
following, compiled in an abstract from
the Patent Office report. Read them over,
and then say. if you can, that there is
nothing new under the sun:
The report explains the principle of the
celebrated Hobb lock. Its "unpickablity'
depends upon a secondary or false set OF
tumblers, which prevent instruments used
for picking from reaching the real ones.
Moreover. the lock is powder proof, end
may be loaded through the keyhole and
fred off till the burglar is tired of his
frutless work, or fears the explosion will
bring TO view more witnesses than he de.
sires
Doors and shutters have been patented
that cannot be broken through with either
pick or sledge- hammer. The burglar S
occupations gone.
n harpoon is described which makes
the whale kill himself. The more he pulls
the line, the deeper goes the hsrpoon.
tented, which is worked by steam en-
gine. In an experiment trial it frozc
several bottles of sherry, and produced
| blocks of ice the size of cubic foot when
the thermometer was up to eighty de-
grees. 1t is calculated that for every ton
Of coal put into the furnace, it will make a
ton of ice.
From DR.. Brakes examiners report
we gather some idea of the value of pa
tents. A man who had made a sligh
Improvement i'll straw cutters, took a mod.
ell through the Western States, and after
tour cf eight months. returned with for.
ty thousand dollars "A mother man had a ma
chine to thrash and clean wheat, which il
fifteen months. he sold for sixty thousand
dollars. These are ordinary cases-whilt
such inventions as the telegraph, the
planning machine. and India rubber patents
are worth millions of dollars, each.
Examiner Lanes report describes new
electrical inventions. Among them is al
electrical whaling apparatus. by wbicl
the whale is literally shocked to DEATH
Another is an electric magnetic alarm
which rings bells and displays signals it
case of fire or burglars. Another is al
electric clock. which wakes you up. tell:
you what time it is, and lights lamp fo
you if you please.
There is the "sound gatherer," sor
Of huge ear-trumpet. to be placed il
front Of locomotive, bringing to the en-
gineer's ears all the noise ahead, perfect
ly distinct, Notwithstanding the noise o
the train
There is an invention shat picks W
pins from confused heap. turns then
around with their heads up. and stick,
them in papers in regular rows.
Another goes through the whole pro
cess of cigar making, taking in the leave;
and turning out finished cigars.
! One machine cuts cheese; another scours
knives and forks; another rocks the era
die; and seven or eight take in washing
and ironing.
There is parlor chair patented tha
cannot be tipped back on two legs. and :
railway chair that cannot be tipped bacI
in any position. without any legs at all.
Another patent is for machine tina
counts passengers in an omnibus anC
takes their fare. When a very fat gentle
man gets in, it counts two and charge:
double.
There are a variety Of guns patented
that load themselves; fishing line tha
adjusts it's own bait, and a rat trap thai
throws away the rat, and bats itself, and
stands set in the corner for another.
There is a machine, also. by which q
man prints instead Of writing his thoug hts
1t is played like piano forte. And speak
ing of pianos, it is estimated that nine
thousand are made every year in the
United States, giving constant employ
mept to one thousand nine hundred per
sons, and costing over two millions Of dol
| lars.