The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1870-10-26
Perpetual Motion.

It is announced that perpetual
| motion has at last been attained,
aud that the machine will b3 on
exhibition in Chicago i'll about a
fortnight. The inventor is Ar.
Horace Wickham. Jr., a native OF
Orange County, Now York, who
ha, resided in Chicago from early
childhood, aud wko is therefore
altogether the proper man for an
enterprise SO extraordinary. The
Times Of that city dcvotcs three
columns to it, but no one is asked
to believe, now, as it is said every.
body will eventually be convinced,
it not enthusiastic. a party re-.
cent y visited the residence Of Mr..
Wickham to see the thing, aud
were ushercd into his bcd-chambCr.
Beside tho couch was au ordinary
table, and upon that rested a thick
marble slab, Which formed the
foundation Of his device. -Four
iron legs held the marble above
the table, and tho slab, with its
accompanying machinery, could
be lifted clear from the boards
and carried into tho adjoining
apartment.
''Thc boy turning tho crank"
was summarily dropped from the
minds and tongues Of the visitors.
1t was much palmer than the
noses upon their respective faces
that the impelling force all laid
above, and not below the marble.
Several upright standards were
firmly screwed upon the slab, and
these sustained the something
that was perplexing the wits Of
the party. A lever, some two
feet in length, delicatoly hung be-
tween two OF the standards, was
oscillating steadily up and down,
like the walking beam of a minia-
ture steamboat. In fact it was to
all appearances more like a tiny
walking beam than anything else.
A thin shaft hung from Que end,
the lower extremity of which was
attached to q main wheel, and
this. to a few plain cogs, surmouut-
ed by an infnitesimal governor"
such as is used for regulating the
speed Of all steam engines. The
diminutive beam soemod to drive
the main wheel, the wheel seem
ed to turn the cogs, the cogs
forced the governor" to spin
about. All this was simple
enough, but what worked the
beam q? 49,.
The young enthusiast (Which
was Wickham) was ready, at the
enquirers' elbows, with the a.
swer. He showed how the walk
ing-bcam was hollow, and its in
terror formed an unbroken cir
cult, in which little balls, partially
filled with mercury, were chasing
each other in an eternal pursuit;
how the air was exhausted from
the chanuel in the beam so that
the spheres Of quicksilver might
play in a vacuum how, when a
ball reached the end Of the beam
furthest from the wheels, a valve
was driven open and the sphere
was forced up into the top of the
course to be again hurried on ir
it's unbroken route how the main
wheel had quicksilver in some OF
it's spokes, ready at the proper in
stant to overcome the weight of
the balls at the further end Of the
beam-in short, exactly how this
very simple and yet altogether
beautiful device was operated.
For seven long months has tina,
little beam moved steadily up anC
down, and the main wheel has
ground out its fifty regular rcvo.
lutions 4 minute, and the minor
cogs have been driven faster still
and the tiny brake has controlled
the motions Of the whole, the di
minutive "governor" regulating
all. The report concludes with
the comprehensive remark thai
"the most astute logic under hcav-
en- .annot prove that two and two
arc not four, and all the reasoning
upon the face Of the earth. cannd
do away with the fact that Mr
Wickham's invention has thus ia:
done what is claimed for it,"