The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-09-28

A List of Wonders.

| Among the thousands ot marvellous III
ventions which American genius has pro-
duced within the last few years, are the
following, compiled in an abstract from the
the Patent Office Reports -
The report explains the principle of the
celebrated IIobb lock. It, "unpickabili-
ty'' depends upon d secondary or false set
of tumblers, which prevent instruments
used in picking from touching the real
ones. Moreover, the lock is powder proof,
and may be loaded through the key-hole
and fired off till the burglar is tired of his
iruitess worlS,o tears that the explosions
will bring TO view his experiment more
witnesses than he desires
A harpoon is described which makes
the whale kill himself. The more he pulls
the line, the deeper goes the harpoon.
An ice making machine has been pat
ented, which is worked by a steam engine.
In an experimental trial, it frozo several
bottles Of sherry, and produced blocks of
ice the size of a cubic foot, when the ther-
mometer was up to eighty degrees 1t is
calculated that for every ton of coal put
into the furnace, it will make ton of ice.
From ID. Dales examiners report, we
gather some idea of the value of patents.
A man who had a slight improvement in
straw cutters took a model of his machine
through the Western States, and after
tour of eight months, returned with forty
thousand dollars. Another man had a
machine to thrash and clean grain, which
in fifteen months, he sold for sixty thou.
sand dollars. These are ordinary cases
while such inventions as the telegraph,
the planning machine, and India rubber
patents are worth millions each.
Examiner Lanes report describes new
electrica inventions. Among these is an
electrical whaling apparatus by which the
whale is literally shocked to death"
Another is an electromagnetic alarm
which rings bells and displays signals in
case Of fine and burglars, Another is an
electric clock, which wakes you up, tells
you what time it is, aud lights lamp for
you at any hour you please
There is &" "sound gatherer"-a sort of
huge ear-trumpet, 10 be placed in front of
a locomotive, bringing D engineers ears
all the noise ahead perl5cuy distinct, not
witbstanding the noise of the train,
The is an invention which picks up pins
from confused heap, turns them arou.d
with their heads up, and sticks thom IN
papers in regular rows.
Another goes through the whole pro-
cess of cigar making, taking in leaves and
turning out finished cigars.
One machine cuts cheese another
scOurs knives and forks another rocks
the cradle and seven or eight take in
washing and ironing.
There is parlor chair patented that
cannot be tipped back on two legs, and a
railway chair that can be tipped back in
any position, without any legs at all.
Another patent is for machine that
counts passengers in nm omnibus and takes
their fares.-When fat gentleman gets
in, it counts two and charges double.
There are variety of guns patented,
that load themselves a fishing line that
adjusts its own bait and rat trap that
throws away the rat and then bats itself
and stands in tho corner and waits for an.
other.
There is "A machine also, by which a
man prints instead of writes, his thoughts.
1t is played like pianoforte. A speak
ing of pianos, it is estimated that nine
thousand are made every year in the Uni
ted States, giving employment to 1900
persons and costing over S2,000,000.