The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-09-10
The London Industrial Exhibition.

Geo Potter writing to the Edinburgh
Retoymer, under date of August 18th,
says
In tie Workmcn's International Ex-
hibition here are some objects. Of ex-
traordinar interest, and o which We direct
attention. One Of these is a rejecting
telescope, exhibited by a baker of Noting
ham, named Bush. This son Of toll has
made this wonderful instrument during the
scanty leisure that be has been able to
obtain from his humble calling, and in the
hours he has stolen from the sleep necessary
for biz weary body Tho telescope pre-
sents sc yerl noble features Of construction
II has specula about thirteen inches in
diameter, and is equatOrlally mounted MIR
Bush is a selftaught astronomer, mathe-
matician, and mechanic, and has made
without assistance the whole Of the calcula-
tons necessary for the construction of the
instrument and has constructed the models
for all its parts. The brass aud iron work,
the cutting of the sections, the graduation
Of the circles and vcrniers, the casting,
grinding, and polishing Of the glass
speculum, and even the making Of the tools
and machinery required, have been the
work of his own hands In fact, the whole
telescopc--with the exception of the cast
/ iron main column and the prism-has been
made by this clever laborer, and during the
time he has been doing it he has only had
four hours sleep night. In the section
set apart for machinery is a silk weaving
loom, exhibited by Mr.. Stevens, o.
\ Coventry. The ribbon which it weaves has
upon it a design suggested by a passage
in " Adam Bede'-the subject beidg Dinaf
consoling Hetty in prison, and It is worked
out with great perfection which has never
been equallcd in this particular kind o
manufacture, The condition made by th,
committee, that the names II the artisans
engaged in manufacturing or working the
articles exhibited, brings out the name d
David Gardner as the inventor Of the loon
exhibited by Mr. Stevens, and which il
weaving this elegant ribbon. The loom j;
capable of making ten ribbons at time o
500 thaeads each, and it takes 100O shoot
to make the pattern on the ribbon. A
little distance from this loom il a needle
making machine, invented by Hayes &
I Crossley, Of Alccster, by which needles are
manufactured on a manitestly improved
principle The needles made by this machine
differ from that Of ordinary manufacturers
The usual mode Is TO CT .he wire int
lengths sufficient to make two needles, bu
in this case the wire is cut into length
sufficient to mako four. This extra lengtl
is necessary in order to reduce the size o
the future needle from the centre to th
eye. About II geo Of these lengths Q
wire are enclosed at a time between tw
strong iron rings, parallel with each other
J the whole are then placed in a furnace an'
made red bot. When taken out, the bundl
is placed on a smooth bench, covered wit
a cast-iron plate, which has two groves in
, To receive the projecting circumference Z
! the rings. The Strengthening is performe
by means Of hot iron bar called a rubbing
k knife, which is inserted between the Nv
rings and vigorously worked backward an
, forward, causing the wires to roll over an
over each other, thereby soon bringn
them quite straight In juxtaposition {
this is an instrument which makes th
curvature from the centre to the eye. an
I puts the needle into its proper length
The exhibition is taking pretty well abou
1000 visitors attend it daily but the wa
has sadly distracted the attention Of III
public from it,