Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-01-31
Mechanical FaIIacieS.


lief in witcncraft, has died natural
death but this is not the case. It is
as fourishing as ever, but in some
what different form, and the title elm
provements in motive power covers
any number of mechanical fallacies.
The patent records furnish some in
structive information on the subject,
and we will take the year 1861 as an
example. In that year 81 patents were
granted for obtaining motive-power,
and twenty of these depend for their
presumed action upon the simple prin-
ciple that 2x2 is greater that 4. They
are not only self-moving machines, but
they supply power to drive others 1t
is quite unnecessary to mention them
all in detail, but we may speak of few
of them. It is the old, old story. One
Hengineer" has wheel provided at the
extremities of the arms with flexible
bags weighted at one end. The bags
open and fill with air as they arrive at
| the bottom. and the air is forced out as
uppernost. 4 mechanism" patents
ga combination of levers and rods"
fearful to contemplate, whereby a
greater amount of power is rendered
available for use and aiding to over
come the resistance Another invent
or speaks of a "power-creating wheel, F"
which consists of wheel having a tube
of vulcanized india rubber secured on
a portion of its outer periphery.
the ends being connected with the hol-
low axle to which the wheel is attached.
The other wheel has an elasticic tube
on the opposite portion of the periphery
so that one tube may always be under
going compression. By this means a
supply of compressed air is obtained,
which, says the enthusiastic Individual
who proposes the plan, els the power
| use for driving or propelling such
engine, carriage, or apparatus. y One
inventor proposes to gain power by
means of a weight revolving at a high
velocity, whilst another lays down this
principle: "Any body being plunged
in liquid is submitted to two oppo
site forces first, its own weight which
tends to lowerit secondly, the pressure
of the liquid, which tends to raise it
with force equal to the weight Of the
/ liquid displaced by the body. The
difference between these forces is
the motive power which the inventor
proposes to use. On the principle OF
having ones cake and eating it a
weak-minded enthusiast attempts Z" to
produce motivepOwer by the force of
steam acting on a reaction and direct
action wheel, both, however, at the
same time" In other words his ma
chine consists of the toy known as
" Hero's engine, y combined with Bran
cas- engine. Another equally greedy
Individual utilizes the force of the
steam expanded on the bottom and top
Of the cylinder during the up-and-down
strokes of the piston, g which is eff
fected by causing the steam cylinder to
slide in the reverse direction to the
piston What, however, is most anus
| ing is the self-satisfed air of the mo-
1ve-power man when he condescends
to argue. We will take as an instance
the author of a machine, the name of
which perhaps indicates to some extent
the "cloudy" condition of the inven-
tors mind, and which is described in
| the specifications as . an engine manu-
featuring a power, A" and of which 1t is
stated that it g constitutes that desid-
eratum so thoroughly tabooed, in it's
assumed impracticability of attain
ment, that scientific bodies have in in
stances determined to consider no such
question "-and quite right, too The
inventor then proceeds to develop his
theory at length.
Skeptics are disposed of in the follow
ing short and easy manner: "To any
one not educated to the point of inca
pacity for such a consideration, the
demonstration given above would APP
pear amply sufficient. But as rule
the difficulties of surmounting an es-
tablished creed, which has become a
part Of the being of it's professor, are
as insuperable as would be the difficult
ty of making an intelligent Christian
out of an Intelligent Mohamedan."
We will give one more instance of the
electricity of the inyentorial mind. A
patent was granted in 1864 for Elm
provements in developing heat, boiling
water, and generating steam" 1t took
two geniuses to accomplish the inven-
ton, the one surgeon, and the other
g gentleman" They propose to use
a boiler, surrounded by rubbers, worke d
in the first place by an auxiliary engine.
Lie 1rICUlOu Oh blG GuDDcIS dPdlHSJ Ulc
boiler Will, says the inve ntors, generate
sufficient heat to boil the water and get
up steam. So far, SO good As philo
sophical test, such an arrangement
IS by no means an impossibility.
"When the power of the steam in the
boiler before mentioned, the specifca-
ton goes ON to say, els sufficiently de-
veloped, the machinery connected with
it can be set in motion to secure SINH
lar revolution of wheels or motion of
blocks, and the fire in the small engine
first mentioned may be let out, and the
means used to create the primary mo-
tive power discontinued ~ The sur
plus power obtained in this manner is
to be applied to any purpose which may
be desired. -Engyi8h kngineerjng.
improvement of he Danube.
The Hon. VIM. J. Nc Alpine, for
merly State Engineer, returned to Al
bang last week He vas invited bv