The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-09-26
THE WONDERFUL YANKEE.
An English Estimate of American Invon-
tions Shown in Paris.
From, the London Times.

An English Estimate of American Invon-
tions Shown in Paris.
From the London Times.
Though the American collection at
Paris is not large compared with those Of
other manufacturing nations there are
present so many of the contriyances
which illustrate the subtle mechanical
genius so we'll recognized already that
"Yankee" is almost synonym of inven-
tor, that it becomes to amateurs in me-
chanism a most fascinating stroll, that
among the little railed-off spaces Of the
American section-for few of these con-
tributions occupy more than few square
feet. Many of them are already widely
known-the writing machine, by which
the operator, touching a series of keys
like those of an accordion, prints his
thoughts or text more rapidly than they
can be written legibly with pen; the
sewing machine, whose name is legion,
and which here are illustrated by new
variations for special work, little at
tachment to one making it an embroider-
ing machine of curious efficiency, and
another plating machine. The tele-
phone and phonograph are there, and
besides them an electric pen by the in
ventor of the phonograph-a pen, which
carrying a tiny electro moter at the top,
drives needle through the paper 10000
times minute, forming stencil sheet
through which, with an ink roller, copies
may be produced more rapidly than with
photographic press, and of an excellence
which must be seen to be appreciated.
A FLEXIBLE AUGUR.
Finest type of the 'Yankee" contriv-
ance is the Stow flexible" shaft for
transferring power round corners and out
of the way places. One sees the opera
tor holding what seems at first sight to
be a small garden hose, but furnished
with an augur at its extremity, with
which he thrusts and bores in every di-
rection-over his head, under his feet,
to the right, to the lett-it upsets all ones
ideas of rigidity. Pharaoh could not
have been more surprised at seeing
Moses rod turn to serpent than we
were to see this rope-like affair eating
into the planks set on all sides for it to
work on. 1t is as good as piece of leg
erdemain. 1t is really "hexible shaft"
"a cable of steele wires wound coat over
coat, each successive coating in the re-
verse direction from the preceding, until
the required strength is attained, and in
which longitudinal fcxibility is combined
with circumferential rigidity.
FOR DRAWING CoRKs.
Close by it stauds Clough & William
sons "wire corkscrew machine" which
catches straight piece of steele wire and
throws it out a cork-screw of such tenn
per that it may be driven through an
inch deal plank and not yield q hairs
breadth. The deftest waiter will take as
long to pull cork as this machine to
make half dozen corkscrews of an ex-
ceptionally good quality. Here is a
screw-cutting machine, which takes
rod of iron, steel or brass, and by an au-
tomato series of operations drops screws
at the other end Of the machine, One
tool cuts the point of the rod down to the
dimensions of the screw, another cuts it
off, leaving the head the full size of the
rod, another takes j, from the last and
passes it on to have the thresd cut. q
cutter passes by and leaves it slotted,
another with four iron fingers takes it
and transfers it to q fifth cutter, where
the head is finished, when still another
tool comes to push it into the pan placed
to receive it. No Intervention is needed
until another rod is wanted.
A set of shoemakiDg apparatus in an
other enclosure takes the leather in the
hide and turns out, with slight manual
application, pair of shoes sewed, pegged
or screwed in about fifteen minutes
These machines, with the exception of
one for sewing on the welt, were at the
Vienna Exhibition, and were better ar
ranged aud displayed than here.
A novel planning machine shows re-
volving cutter fixed in disk, which is,
by means of an elbow arrangement of
bands and pulleys, moved in any direc-
ton over the board to be planed, giving
very remarkable finish to the surface.
In general, however, the wood working
apparatus is not so interesting as at vi
emma.
AMERICAN GOLD PENS.
They who have learned to use the
American gold pens will appreciate the
excellence of the only better substitute
for the gray goose quill, but the nice
processes by which its perfection is at
tanned will be less easily understood.
The process by which it is produced is
not one of scientific elaboration or bril-
liant invention, but of laborious expert
ment and thoroughness and conscien-
tiousness of manufacture which we are
not generally disposed to credit Ameri-
can manufacturers with. First, an alloy
is formed which can be hammered to
degree of hardness which makes it al
most incapable of further impression
from the hammer. The pen reduced to
its general form by the die then receives
point by alloying with iridium of ada
mantine hardness, which is then cut into
two and the slit produced, when the pen
is hammered to the highest point of
elasticity, the peculiar alloy used being,
it is said, one which will condense under
the hammer without spreading, until it
has received the maximum of density
alluded to, ant, the pen is then FURNISHED
lQGO SudpG uuuSE UuluIouCl SifihS @
pressure of about hundred pounds
weight, the effect of which is to secure
the Shape finally given against any usage
by equalizing the density Of the metal
throughout. Alter q use of these pens
of various manufacturers running over
period OF more than twenty years Of
literary occupation, am able to say
that not one has ever failed except from
gross i'll treatment. The exhibits of gold
pens are an indispensable and character
istic part of any collection of the impor-
tant American industries.
TINE KEEPERS.
Perhaps, however, the most important
displays in this department, all things
considered, is that of the Waltham
Watch Company, their first in the Euro
pean exhibitions. The readers of the
Times reports of the Philadelphia exhi.