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


A "Perpetual-MOtiOn" Machine.
WILLIAM classy. Of Detroit,
claims to have invented perpetual
motion machine, the operations of
whit h are thus described by the Free
Press of that city,:
Saturday afternoon q private exhi-i
bition was given at No. 175 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-jointed 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
Ay-wheel makes eight revolutions, the
| force thus obtained being, it is
claimed, equal to one and one-half
horse power. 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! Veni, 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 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 flywheel, the sixty
J fve-p 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
I screw had been turned, no spring had
! heen touched and no lever had been
Y pulled, and still the thing was in oper-
alton by the simple lifting of piece
e of iron about eight inches long, with
Y two prongs about one-eighth of aninch
s thick. After the machine had been
/. moving about five minutes, no one
g venturing to say anything, MI. Classy
said: 2sf
s Gas 1 remarked, this is death, "
again pointing to the fork. GAS man
8 lives so my machine lives. Death
i touches man and he stops. Death
a touches my machine and it stops" AT
!. this he lowered the fork and the
e wheels stopped moving in about thirty
s seconds. Again he lifted the fork and
/ again the machine worked and as it
: worked Classy discoursed about as
e follows:
, at is said perpetual motion is
,e1ysrs,t. 4l,o o,,+n1 .,,;.,n,>lor of
"Who says sop
g "Man."
sc How does man know ?" s.
| "He investigates. 's3ss F.
"GoodW ta..-. ...-
"Has man carried investigation as
far as possible?'
mo"
"Good"'
Hence, l say, and my work proves
, that so far as man has Investigated,
the fundamental principles of science,
CT in other words Euclid, forbids 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 2"
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 on 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 nearl. 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.
"Oh, yes, it can be stopped, said
Mr.. classy. $50 can you, by 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-will 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
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.
T,,n;IAn% nc