The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-12-28
Il Hermit who Has Becn Struggling
with q Mighty Mechnntcal Pro.

with Mighty Mechnntcaa Proc
bfem.
Especial correspondence ofthe Baltimore Americau.1
WAsHISGToN, November 13. - man
searching for hermit would not he likely
TO look for him in this city. where ,egions
live In the keen sunlight o: publicity"
Nevertheless, such q being exists, and to
| him The war OF the rebellion is but rumor,
and the proposed Washington monument
but n vague fable. He has been buried alive,
SO to speak, during the past twenty years,
for, though living in the very heart Of the
city, he never crossed the threshold OF his
own door, and Presidents have come and
gone without causing the slightest break IN
the weird monotony of jeff. Bnrch's life.
or his former history nothing is known.
BE appeared in Washington about twenty
five years ago, aud soon became known as
very skilfnl maker and repairer OF musical
instruments, and as sanguine searcher
after the secret OF perpetual motion. More
than score OF years ago be thought be had
solved the problem. His machine proved a
failure, and public ridicule made him a re-
cuse, and 20, no doubt, he would have
died, but that the rapid growth OF the city
literally threw down his house upon him,
forcing him again to minele with his fellow
men; at least. while he is fighting in the
\
on T street near Tenth street north, where,
until recently, his shapty stood, and where
he yet lives in the ruins Of that cradle OF his
dreams.
VISIT TO JEFFERSON BURCH. ....
With some difficulty the writer obtained
access to the remarkable abiding-place OF
this remarkable man, and it remains to be
said that bis is case of perverted genius
rather than Of genius run mad. jeff. Burch
is fifty years of age. and nearly half his life
has been spent in a single room OF the little
house, amid the wreck OF which he still
continues to patch tiddles and dream Of un-
discovered powers. His personal appear-
unce was in keeping with ms surroundings.
His shoes were broken and m!snlated; his
pants were torn at the bottoms, irayed at
the knees, and OF antique pattern; and,
though the morning was raw and chilly,
he defcd the cold in 4 l@ht undershirt.
a heavy black beard, slightly tinSed with
gray, trailed down over his breast;
his mouth was entirely concealed by
huge moustache, and from between sharp,
suspicious gray eyes, Roman nose The
most prominent feature of his countc-
nance-stood out boldly. In space OF less
than twenty feet square were piled the
broken timbers that were once his house;
but he was shut off from the street by q
close board fence ten feet in height.
With portions Of the Debris lie has con-
trived to build himself an apartment about
six feet by three, which shelters him from
the rain, but through which the wind whis
ties at will. Odd jobs at repairing musical
instruments bring enough 10 keep body and
soul together. AS he says himself, he can
fix any instrument from a iewsharp to
piano, and he has patrons who frequently
purchase broken instruments for the sole
purpose OF giving him Job, as he will not
knowingly accept charity.
THE IGNUs FATUUs OF INVENTORS.
Reticcnt to the last degree about himself,
he will talk about bis inventions as long rs
Well-seaSoned listener can stand it, and
whatever his reserve force may be, the
writer was not equal to the task of deter
mining it,; Will perpetual motion ever
be discovered?" he repeated after the re-
porter, in contemptuous tones. "Wiil it
ever be-? Why it has been for more than
twenty years, and in more than twenty diff
ferent ways. When told the world twenty
years ago that had fathomed the secret, 1t
laughed at me, and since then it has been
cropping in ignorance, and so it will remain
until some oneis found, after NY death, who
can apply the principle OF my discoveries as
I can"
s.Will l show you 4 model illustrating the
principle? Certainly, hut will have to dig
into the old shop" The old shop proved to
be buried in one corner of the ruins. Burch
burrowed into this through gap made by
the displacement of a couple of planks, and
presently returned with a globe-ike appa-
ratus. which had bearings upon lateral, up
right poles, aud which rcyolvcd in the cen
tre Of a ring OF wooden cogs, each cog in
turn fitting one Of three hundred and sixty
notches, with which the globe was intended
to represent the three hundred and sixty
degrees OF the earth's circumference.
..There is an illustration OF perpetual mo-
tion," said Burch. "Itis the earth in min
iature. Its motive principle is the same
and its equilibrium is so nicely adjusted to
that of this planet that when this world
moves it moves; and as the one never stops
neither will the other"
i "NoT NOW ADJusTED.'
. TIE writer remarked that the Illustration
, failed 10 illustrate, nasmuch rs the per
, ve:ual motor did not move.
Certainly not" said Burch. "1t is not
!, now adjusted to the earth's motion, nor vii
. it ever be in these ruins. J. am in CORE
. spondence now with scientific men in Eng
. land, New York, Boston, and ether places
: and they are getting things ready for an eX
hibition of this principle in such way
that all the world may know that the secret
, OF perpetual motion is secret no longer
: It will be free exhibition, too, you can hc
on that. I want no mans money for tht
privilege Of letting him see my work, ant
spectators shall have none, be assured o.
! that " ...
, Burch had never heard Of Edison, but ht
! expressed no surprise when informed or bi
wonderful inventions. On the contrary, III
9 asserted that the telephone and the phono
e graph had been familiar to him for years
c and when told that Edison proposed Il
. procure light from electricity, he said
! "Of course he can; and II men were no
, fools gas companies would have been for
gotten many year ago."
t Burch says that another Of his invention
0 is motive power more powerful thai
h steam, by which engines Of all kinds can b
, driven. Water is no element OF this power
but electricity is, and at the proper tim
this, too, will be made known. Burch vii
: not take patent upon any OF his discove
o ries; he will give them to the world gratis
> His original intention was to die withou
/: disclosing his power, but taunting remarl
), made by the contractor whose enterpris
), caused the demolition of bis house serves
v to change the whole current Of bis inten
: tions. The contractor called him Is a Graz
cobbler," and said he ought to be sent to a
asylum. ITO show the world that hay
h not devoted the best twenty years @
e my life in solitude and privation to th
! pursuit OF idle fancies and physical i'm
!, possibilities. and so that ] may. not
+ remembered as merely "a crazy cot
y hlor3 hoyn determined to make nv dis