The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-10-21
DISCOVERIES MADE BY ACCT
DENT.


the veriest accidents.
An alchemist, while seeking to discov-
er mixture of earths that would make
the most durable crucibles, one day found
that he had made porcelain.
The power of lenses, as applied to the
telescope, was discovered by watch
makers apprentice. While holding spec
tacle glasses between his thumb and
finger, he was startled at the suddenly
enlarged appearance of a neighboring
church spire.
The art of etching upon glass was
discovered by Nuremberg glass cutter.
By accident, q few drops of aqua forts
fell upon his spectacles. He noticed that
the glass became corroded and softened
where the acid had touched it. That
was hint enough. He drew figures upon
glass with varnish, applied the corroding
fluid, then cut away the glass around the
drawing. When the varnlsh was remov-
ed, the figures appeared raised upon
dark ground.
Mezzotinto owed its invention to the
simple accident of the gun barrel of a
sentry becoming rusted with dew.
The swaying to and fro OF chandelier
in cathedral suggested to Calico the
application of the pendulum.
Tho art of lithographing was perfected
through suggestions made by accident.
A poor musician was curious to know
whether music could not be etched upon
stone as well as upon copper.
After he had prepared his slab, his
mother asked him to make memoran-
dun of such clothes as she proposed to
send away to be washed Not having
I pen, ink and paper convenient, he wrote
| the list on the stone with the etching
preparation, intending to make copy
of it at leisure.
A few days later, when about to clean
| the stone, he wondered what effect aqua
| FORTS would have upon it. He applied
the acid, and in few minutes saw the
writing standing out in relief. TIE next
step necessary was simply to ink the
stone and take off an impression.
The composition of which printing
rollers are made was discovered by a
Salopian printer. Not being able to find
the pelt ball, he linked the type with a
piece of soft glue which had fallen out of
a glue pot. 1t was such an excellent
substitute that after mixing molasses
with the glue, to give the mass proper
consistency, the old pelt bail was entirely
discarded.
The shop of Dublin tobacconist, by
the name of Lundyfoot, was destroyed
by fire. While he was gazing doIefully
into the smouldering ruins, he noticed
that his poorer neighbors were gathering
the snuff from the canisters. He tested
the snuff for himself, and discovered that
the fire had largely improved it's pun
gency and aroma.
1t was hint worth profiting by. He
secured another shop, built lot of
ovens, subjected the snuff to heating
process, gave the brand a particular
name. and in a few years became rich
through an accident which he at first
thought had completely ruined him.
The process of whitening sugar was
discovered in a curious way. A hen that
had gone through clay puddle went
with her muddy feet into sugar house.
She left her tracks on pile of sugar. 1t
WIS noticed that wherever her tracks
were the sugar was whitened. Expert
ments were instituted, and the result was
that wet clay came to be used in refining
sugar.
The origin of blue tinted paper came
about by a mere slip of the hand.
The wife of William East. an English
paper maker, accidently let bIue-bag
fall into one of the VAT, of pulp. The
workmen were astonished when they saw
the peculiar color of the paper, while Mr.
East was highly incensed over what he
considered a grave pecuniary loss. His
wife was SO much frightened that she
would not confess her agency in the mat
| ter.
After storing the damaged paper for
four years, MIR. East sent it to his agent
at London, with instructions to sell it
for what it would bring. The paper was
accepted as ''purposed novelty" and
was disposed Of at quite an advance over
market price.
Mr. East was astonished at receiving
an order from his agent for another large
invoice of the paper. He was without
the secret, and found himself in dilem-
ma. Upon mentioning it TO his wife, she
told him about the accident. He kept
the secret, and the demand for the novel
tint far exceeded his ability to supply it.
A Brighton stationer took fancy for
dressing his show-window with piles of
writing paper, rising gradually from the
largest to the smallest size in use; and,
to finish his pyramids off nicely, he cut
cards to bring them to point.
Taking these cards for diminutive
note-paper, lady customers were continu-
ally wanting some of that lovely little
paper" aud the stationer found it advan-
tageous to cut paper to the desired pat
tern.
As there was no space for addressing
the notelets after they were folded, ne.
after much thought, invented the envel-
ope, which he cut by the aid of metal
plates made for the purpose.
The sale increased so rapidly that he