The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-09-24
A List of Wonders.

Among the thousands of marvellous in
ventions which American genius has pro-
duced within the last few years, are the fol-
lowing, compiled in an abstract from the
Patent Office Report:
! The report explains the principle of the
celebrated Hobb lock- It's s.unpickability"
depends upon secondary or false set Of
tumbiers, 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
bred off till the burglar is tired of his fruit
less work, or fears that the explosions will
bring to view his experiments more witness
es than he desires.
A harPeon is described which makes the
whale kill himself. The more he pulls the
line, the deeper goes the Larpoon.
An ice making machine has been patent
ed, which is worked by steam engine In
an experimental trial, it froze several bot
ties of sherry, and produced blocks of ice
the size of cubic foot. when the thesmom-
eter was up to eighty degrees. Il is calcu-
lated that for every ton of coal put into the
furnace. it will make ton of ice.
From DR.. Dale's examiners report, we
gather some idea of the value of patents.-
A man who had made slight improvement
In straw cutters. took model of his ma
chine through the Western States, and, af.
ter tour of eight months, returned with
forty thousand collars. Another man had
a machine to thrash and clean grain, which
IN fifteen months, he sold for sixty thous-
and 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
electrical inventions. Among these is an
electrical whaling apparatus by which the
whale is literally shocked to DEATH" An
other is an electromagnetic alarm which
rings bells and displays signals in case of
FIRE and burglars. Another is an electric
clock which wakes you up. tells you what
time it is, and lights lamp for you at any
hour you please.
There is a ''sound gatherer''-a sort Of
huge ear trumpet, to be placed in front of
locomotive, bringing to the engineers
ears all the noise ahead perfectly distinct.
Notwithstanding the noise of the train.
There is an invention which picks up
pins from confused heap, turns them a.
round with their heads up, and sticks them
in papers in regular rows.
Another goes through the whole process
VI cigar HiahIuS' Caklhg I'D leaFeS ana turn
ing out finished cigars.
One machine cuts cheese; another scours
knives and forks; another rocks the cradle;
and seven or eight take in washing and iron
ing.
There is parlor chair patented that can
not be tipped back on TWO legs, and rail-
way chair that can be tipped back in any
position, without any legs at all.
e
counts passengers in an omnibus and takes
their fares. When fat gentleman gets in,
it counts two and charges double.
There are a variety of guns patented,
that load themselves; fishing line that adj
justs its own bait; and rat trap that
throws away the rat and then bats itself,
and stands in the corner for another
There is a machine also, by which a man
prints instead of writes, his thoughts. It
is played like pianoforte. And speaking
of pianos, it is estimated that nine thous-
and are made every year in the United
States. giving constant employment to 1900
persons, an l costing over $2.OOO.OoO.