The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-01-18
A "Perpetual-Motion" Machine,

A "Perpetual-MotiOn" Machine.
WILLIAM classy of Detroit,
claims to have invented a perpetual
motion machine, the operations of
whit h are thus described by the Free
Press of that city:
Saturday afternoon q private exhl-
bition was given at No. 125 Jefferson
avenue, by William Classy, of his
so-called experimentation machine.
The machine is about five feet long, |
six feet high and three feet wide, is
encased in black walnut frame and
consists of balance-wheel, innumer-
able small ratchets and springs, steel
bolts and elbow ointed cranks. At
the end of four large cranks are leaden
pendulums, each weighing sixty-five
pounds, which swing alternately, and
at each swing of every pendulum the
fy-wheel makes eight revolutions, the
force thus obtained being, it is
claimed, equal to one and one-half
horsepower. The machine. is very
complicated and is made in very fine
style, the castings being admirable.
Upon the walnut frame are carved
the words: Eureka! Feni, Vidi.
Vici."
Beside the inventor and his part
ner, Augustus Miller, only four per-
sons were present, one of them being
a representative of this paper.
The machine stood in the middle of
the room, just where it was put to-
gether, and entirely open to inspec-
ton. That operation was thoroughly
performed before the exhibit was
made, Mr.. Classy, meanwhile, walk
ing and putting his pipe nervously and
repeatedly saying to himself: "Look
carefully, gentlemen, and it's there.
If you find it you will say lie; if you
don't find it, but see it, you'll say l
don't lie."
At last everything was ready, the
three spectators stood aside with GU
rious countenances, little Mr.. Miller
stood pale and awe-stricken on the Sp-
posite SIDE of the room, while the
great Classy walked up to his work
confidently and with genuine dignity.
"This," said he, pointing to a small
iron fork, whose prongs clasped the
side of the fly-wheel, sis the agent.
Is, may say, DEATH" Placing his
thumb upon the handle of the fork he
lifted it from the fy-wheel, the sixty
FIVE pound pendulums below began to
vibrate, the semi-circular pulleys above
rocked to and fro, the snap came in,
the balance-wheel clicked with regu-
larity, the cog-wheels rolled around
each other, the elbow cranks keeled
back and forth, and the machine was
at work.
There had been no push, not even a
screw had been turned, no spring had
heen touched and no lever had been
pulled, and still the thing was in oper-
alton by the simple lifting of a piece
of iron about eight inches long, with
two prongs about one-eighth of anincf
thick. After the machine had been
moving about five minutes, no one
yenturing to say anything, Mr.. Classy
said: 30
"As I remarked, this is death, y
again pointing to the fork. Gas mar
lives so my machine lives. Deatl
touches man and he stops. Deatl
touches my machine and it stops Al
this he lowered the fork and the
wheels stopped moving in about thirty
seconds. Again he lifted the fork ant
again the machine worked and as il
| worked Classy discoursed about as
follows:
sit is said perpetual motion is
eouGrrot. +i-o f'--.Aa-'> n.,+"1 '>',;rni,,,nr ~
"Who says 500"
"Man." g
Glow does man know ?"
He investigates" -.
"Good" ,,a ....-....
elias man carried Investigation as
far as possible?" ...a. .-
mo"
"Goodr"
Hence, I say, and my work proves
that so far as man has investigated,
the fundamental principles of science,
CT in other words Euclid, ferbids the
construction of self-acting power.
Euclid lived centuries ago and Classy
still lives. What is to forbid in
vestigation by Classy to disprove
Euclid?'' $500
The reporter asked if equal power
applied by PERSONS hand to any part
of the balance wheel would not stop
the machine, at which Mr.. Classy
said: "Not quite, my boy, you're
wrong" To prove his assertion the
inventor asked any of the spectators to
| try to stop the machine.
A gentleman fully six feet high and
weighing about 200 pounds accepted
the invitation, and putting Oh pair
of gloves handed him by Mr.. Miller,
placed his hands upon the wheel.
Gradually he closed his fingers un-
til he suddenly put forth all his
strength, and although he stopped the
machine he did not do so until he had
been nearly lifted from his feet, and
was fairly purple with exertion. As
soon as he loosened his hold the wheel
again began its revolutions, and the
audience looked on in amazement.
ooh, yes, it can be stopped" said
Mr.. Classy. $50 can you, 10y ma
chine which has more strength than
you. And when you are released
your brains will start you again. So
with my machine. 1t can be stopped,
and when released its brains-pointing
to. the semi-circular pulleys- start
it again.
The exhibition continued for an hour
or more, and, before dismissing his
friends, Mr.. Classy said he should
invite a committee of. scientists and
mechanics to examine the machine,
after which it should be allowed to
start itself, and that the committee
could time with watches andif it lost
a second of time during its movement
of one week, he would acknowledge
that it was wrongly constructed, and
would begin over again in the hope
of remedying the defect.