Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-05-11
EricssOn's Boyhood.

Before he was eleven years old, during
the winter of 1918, John had produced a
saw-mill Of ingenious construction, and
had planned pumping engine designed
to clear the mines Of water. The frame
of the saw mill was of wood; the saw
blade was made from watch-spring, and
the crank which actuated it was cast from
broken tin spoon. A file, borrowed
from neighboring blacksmith to cut the
saw-teeth, gimlet and the ubiqui-
tious jack-knife, were the only tools avail
ible for this work
A much more ambitious undertaking
was the pumping engine. The year be-
fore, when only nine years of age, young
Ericsson had made the acquaintance Of
drawing instruments in one of the draft
Offices Of the Grand Ship Canal of Swe-
den, and learned how these instruments
were used to lay out the work of con-
struction in advance. Meanwhile, his ia
ther had removed to the depths of pine
forest, where he selected the timber for
the lock gates Of the canal. In this will
derness quill and pencil were the boys
utmost resources in the way Of drawing
tools. Like Crusoe on his island, he had
to begin at the beginning. He made
compasses Of brentwood with needles in
serted in the ends Of the legs. A pair Of
steel tweezers, obtained from his mothers
dressing case, was converted into draw
ing pen, and the same good mother was
persuaded, after much cntreaty, to allow
her sable cloak to be robbed Of hair
enough to provide material for two small
brushes with which to apply the coloring
l l. la &:o1 oil
chanical drawings.
! The ump-engine was to be operated
by windmill, and here the youthful in
ventor was at fault. He had heard much
about windmill, but had never seen
one. Following, as we'll as he could, the
description of those who had had the
happiness to view this wonderful ma
chine, he succeeded in constructing on
paper the mechanism connecting the
crank of the windmill shaft with the
pump levers, but how to turn the mill to the
changing wind he could not divine. For
tunately, Johns father made visit to the
windmill and, in describing what he
had seen, spoke Of "ball-and-socket
ljoint.' The hint was sufficient; the boy
rushed to his drawing-table, and soon
added a ball-and- socket Joint where the
connecting rod for the driving crank join
ed the pump lever.
With the execution Of this drawing be-
gan John Ericsson's mechanical career.
The plan conceived and executed under
such discouraging circumstances, by a
mere child, attracted the attention Of Adj
miral Count Platen, the President Of the
Gotha Ship Canal, on which Ericson's
father was employed, and one of Sweden's
great men. s'Continue as you have be-
gun, and you will one day produce some
thing extraordinary" prophesied the
, Count of his young protege. Richly has
; the prophecy been fulfilled.
Ericsson was appointed cadet in the
Swedish corps of mechanical engineers
when he was twelve years old, was soor
after promoted to nipelleur ''leveller", anC
/ at the age Of thirteen was put in charge O
( a section Of the ship canal over which bis
t friend, the Count, presided. Six hundred
of the royal troops, at work upon this sec
}. ton, looked for directions in their dali,
e work to this child among whose necessa
e nv attendants was one who followed afte
him with the stool upon which he stoot
o to raise himself to the height of his level
Y ling instruments.
y The amusements of this boy-enginee
t are indicated by his possession, at the ag
e of fifteen, of portfolio of drawings, mad
u in his leisure moments, giving maps o
$ the most important parts of the grand ca
il nal, three hundred miles in length, ant
+ showing all the machinery and imple
It ments used in its construction. Man
;. important works upon this canal, whic
l. opens an inland channel across Swede
e from the Baltic to the North Sea, wer
o constructed from drawings made b
a Ericsson at an age when he might rathe
$. have been expected to be found playin
k foot ball-Seribner' Monthly.