The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-05-04

There" he SAID "lct the circle IA A rep.
resent Il section of the cylinder, and 'B b b b
one of the arms set into the cylinder and pro.
jccting from it, These arms were hollow, and
in each one was little ball. Now, you see
that when the arm is inclined ever so little
downward the ball will roll to the point {, and
as the cylinder turns, propelled by the weight
of the ball, the ball will roll down to the point
Il before the arm comes up and reaches horl-
Zontal position on the other side. Thence II
will presently roll to and then to +. So you
see with six of these arms in position, the
balls (Which represent the weight were con
tinually about an inch further out on the right
side than on the left, and when at and !
balanced the weight of the arms themselves.
The whole machine was therefore, always a
little heavier on one side than 1t was on the
other, and consequently the cylindc would
always rcvolvc. | should say that the arms
were not rigidly fixed to the cylinder but were
so attached that they had little-a very little
play up and down, and to each arm was ap
piled IA spring that was so adjusted that it
helped the motion of the ball trifle, just at
the right point. am sorry, but | do not lie
collect the machine well enough to describe
the adjustment of these springs exactly.
THE whole thing" continued Mr. Stone,
twas connected by some ratchet work with Il
llldl SN uHH SLOW ~ anu served 10 ICHN-
late the movement and if | rCcolleCt Alright,
the swing of the pendulum was also of some
assistance in the motion of the cylinder itself
by carrying it past the center. Wei, | looked
at ii closely and at first thought, of course,
that there must be a spring concealed i'll it
somewhere, but after had looked Il long time,
and had by talking with the old man cOnvnC
ed myself that he was sincere | got him to
leave the machine with me- and | locked it up
in Il room, and still it went An account of il
was published, and great many people came
to see it, and the papers all over the country
took it up, and believe the J0VyuW If Com-
DtercC was never so rdiCulcd for anything else
as 1t was for that. Everybody was interested
Of course and there was Il great amount of
talk about it, Hardly anybody believed il.
but in the meantime the machine kept run
ming kept it locked up for considerable
time-two or three weeks, or perhaps four--to
satisfy myself that no one had chance to
wind up any spring that might be concealed
IN it.
There was a curious thing about the way it
ran, which, As much us anything else, Convinc-
cd me that there was no spring in it. II you
disconnected the pendulum gearing, and stop.
ped the machine, and then let it alone, it would
begin to move very slowly indeed, and 90 on
faster and faster until ii lost its power. BY
looking at the sketch again you will sec that
when it went rapidly the centrifugal force
would keep the balls at the points {, so that
there would he no difference in the weight of
the arms. Then it would run merely by the
force of its own momentum, going slower and
slower until it would almost stop. (Once it
did stop and started it again with my tingcr)
Then it would begin to work properly again
and 30 on for a time with increasing speed,
and then slackcn up as before. and so ON. That
was proof to me that it was not moved by al
spring"
Then" suggested the reporter lit was cx-
hbited in public, was it not:"
YES. After it had been in the office of the
,JOHrt0L If COH,morcC long enough for us to be
satisfied the old man took it again. There
was IA county fair going on at some place in
New Jersey, Monmouth county believe The
old man lived somewhere around there, and he
took the machine to the fair 10 exhibit it, after
irving To get some scientific gentlemen IN the
ncighborhoOd interested in it, One was a gen
tlcman living in the same town with him,
think and the other | think was Il Princeton
College professor, though ii may have been
some other college. These gentlemen declared
positively that there was spring inside the
wheel OF course il was an assumption on
heir part, for they had not seen any spring
but they decided that there must be, and -
ihcv said there was. One of the local papers
took the thing up, and saying the machine
which had 50 imposed upon the astute editor
If the ,JoWrUdi II Commerce was about 10 be |
exhibited, called ON the authorities TO interfere |
and not Ia allow the exhibition. The old man |
lid. however, exhibit il in a little booth or
room for his own benefit at 10 cents a head. or
p cents, or some small sum, and as this was
construed to he an OtlenSe against the laws of
New Jersey, he was arrested on the afiidavits
IF the two scientific gentlemen, and was brought
into the court room with his machine
Tile scene was described In me by an eve
witness n a most dramatic one. The old man .
,iood there silently confronting his accuscrS
icCarc the judge, and listening To the charges
against him. He was man of very few words
md when the charge had been made and the
Judge had Sternly asked him what he had TO
49, in reply, he answered slowly, while big
ears ran down his checks:
May it please the Court, the only thing
nave TO say i, il does GO round
THE judge was much displeased AZ this per
istency, and spoke very severely To the old