Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-12-23
Mcrl,nuicnI EnIIncic..

1t is very generally supposed that the belief
in perpetual motion, like the belief in witch
craft, has died a tptGral death, hut this is not
the case. 1t i, as tlourishing rs ever but in a
somewhat different form, and the titiC Fin
prOvemCntS in motive power" covers any num-
Der of mechanical fallacicS. The patent records
furnish SCpe distinctive information on the
subject, and we will take tile year 1866 as al eN.
ample. In that year "a patents were granted
for obtaining nOve-p0wer, and twenty of these
depend iOr their lirespnled action upon the sim
pie principle thar 2X2 is greater tnau :. They
are not only Seli-moying machues, but they
supply power to drive others. 1t is quite un-
necessary to mention them all in detail, but we
may speak Vi few UF tlstnii II is the old old
| story. One engineer" has a wheel provided
at the cXtremties OF the arms, with flexible
| bags weighted nj one eud. The bags open
and ill with air as they arrive ut the
bottom, and the airs forced out rs the wheel
| brings the weighted end upIermoSt 4 "mcFhs
anician" patents "a combination of levers aud
rods" fearful to contemplate, whereby great
er amount Of power is rendered available for
use and aiding TO overcome the resistance
Another inventor speaks OF "poNcfCicating
wheel, which consists of awhecl having tube
of yncanizcd nda.ruhbcr secured on portion
of outer periphery, the cnlS being connected
with the hollow axle TO which the wheel is at
ached. lie other wheel las All elastic tube OH
the opposite portion of the periphery, so that
one tube may always be undergoing compress
sion. BY this means supply of compressed
air is obtained, which, saws the enthusiastic in
dividua who proposes the plan, us the power
use for driving or propellidg such engine, car
rla9e, or apparatus" Ono inventor proposes
to gam power by means of a weight revolving
at a high velocity, while another lays down this
principle: Anybody being plunged in Il liquid
is submitted to two opposite forces first its own
weight which tends TO lower it; secondly, the
pressure Of the liquid, which tends to raise it
with force equal 10 the weight OF the liquid
displaced by the body. The difference between
these two forces is the motive power which the
inventor proposes to use. On the principle OF
"having ones cake and eating it, weak
minded enthusiast attempts "tO produce motive
power by the force of steam, aching oil n reac-
ton and direct action Wheel both, however, at
the same time" In other words, his machine
consists of the TOW known as "Hero's steam en-
@ine combined with Brdnch's engine. Anoth +
equally greedy individual utllizeS the force OF
the steam expanded on the bottom and top Of
the cylinder during the up auddowu strokes Of
the piston, which is effected by causing the
steam cylinder TO slide in the reverse direction
to the piston What, however, is most anus.
ing is the sel-satsied air of the motiye.poWer
man When he condescendS TO argue. We will
take, as an instance, the author Of Il machine,
the nam. of which perhaps indicates to some
extent tile cloudy condition of the inventor
mind, and which Is described in the SpCCihCa-
ton as IAN engine manufacturing Il power,
and OF Whlth 1t Is stated that it Constitutes
that desideratum so thoroughly 'tabooed.' in its
assumed impraGtcablity of attainment, that
scientific bodies have in instances determined TO
consider no such question and quite right
too. The inventor teen proceeds TO develop his
theory at length.
Skeptics are disposed Of in the following short
aud easy manner = "Io any one not educated to
the point of ncapacity for such consideration
the demonstration given above would appear
amply sufficient. But us a rule the Difficult les
81 surrounding an established creed, which has
become part of the being Of its professor, arc
as insuperable as would be the difficulty of maxi
ing an intelligent Christian out OF an intelligent
MOhammedan"
We will give one more Instance Of the ecceu-
| tricity OF the nventorial mind, A patent was
| granted in 1861 for Improvements in develop
| inc heat, boiling water, and generating steam,
| 1t took two genuses to accomplish the inveu-
| ton, the one q surgeon and the other gentle
man. They propose to use boiler surrounded
| auxiliary engine. The friction of the rubbers
against the boiler will, say the inventors, gene
| rate sufficient TO boil the water and get up
steam. So far, good. As a philosophical es-
| pertinent, such an arrangement is by no means
AT impOssIbility "Whcn the power OF the steam
| in the boiler before mentioned" the speciGCa-
| ton goes on to say, sis sufficiently developed,
| the machinery connected with ii can be set 10
| motion to secure similar revolution of wheels
Or motion Of blocks, aud the fire in the small en-
| CINE first mentioned may be let out and the
| means used to create the primary motive power
| discontinued" The surplus power obtained in
| this manner is to be applied to any purpose
which NAV be desired EnqIiSh Euqjneering