Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-10-06
NO. 236.
miscellaneous.
DISCOVERIES MADE By ACCIDENT.
BY F. IL. STAUFfER.


and valuable inventions suggested. by the
veriest accidents.
An alchemist, while seeking to discov-
er mixture OF earths that would make
the most durable crucibles, one day dis
covered that he had made porcelain.
The power of lenses, rs applied 10 the
telescope, was discovered by watchmak-
er's apprentice. While holding specta-
Eyeglasses between his thumb and finger,
he was startled at the suddcnly-enlarged
appearance of a neighboring church.
spre.
The art of etching upon glass was dis
covered by Nuremberg glsss-cutter. BY
accident a few drops of aqua fortis fell
upon his spectacles. lie noticed that the
glass became corroded and soficned 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 draw
ing. When the varnish was removed.
the figures appeared raised upon dark
ground.
Mezzotinto owned its invention TO the
simple accident of the gun-barrel of n
sentry becoming rusty with dew.
The swaying TO and fro of chandelier
in cathedral suggested to Galileo the
application of the pendulum.
The 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 rs copper.
Alter he had prepared his slab, his
mother asked him 10 make n memoran-
dun of such clothes rs she proposed to
send away TO be washed. Not having
pen, ink and paper convenient, he wrote
the list on the stone with the etching
preparation, intending to make Il copy of
il at leisure.
A few days later. when about to clean
the stone he wondered what effect aqua
iortis would have upon it. lie applied
the acid and in few minutes saw the
writing standing out in relief. The 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 u
Salopian printer Not being able to dis
cover the pelt-ball. he linked the type
with piece of soft glue which had fallen
out of the gluc-pot. IL was such an ex-
cellent substitute that. after mixing mo-
lasses with the glue. to give the mass
proper consistency, the old pelt-ball was
entirely discarded.
The shop of Dublin tobacconist. by
the name OF Lundyioot. was destroyed bv
fire. While he was gazing dolefully into
the smouldcring ruins, he noticed that his
poorer neighbors were gathering the snuff
from the canlsters. He tested the snuff
for himself, and discovered that the fire
had largely improved its pungency and
aroma.
1t was a hint worth profting by. lie
secured another shop, built lot of ovens,
subjected the snuff to a heating process,
gave the brand particular name. and in
a few years became rich through an acci-
dent which he at first thought had COM
pletely ruined him.
The process ofwhitening sugar was dis
covered in 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 was no.
ticed that wherever her tracks were the
sugar was whitencd. Experiments were
instituted, and the result was that wet
clay come TO be used in refining sugar.
The origin of blue-tinted paper came
about by the mere slip of the hand
The wife of William East, an English
paper-maker accidently let bluc-bag
fall into one of the watts of pulp. The
workmen were astonishcd when they saw
the peculiar color of the paper, while Mr..
East was highly incensed over what he
considered 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, Mr.. East sent it to his agent
\ 4. Al ~. q
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 in
voice of the paper. He was without the
secret, and found himself in dilemma.
Upon mentioning it to his wife, she told
him about the accident. He Kept the Sc
cret and the demand for the novel tint
far exceeded his ability to supply it.
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 continually
wanting some of '.that lovely little pa
per- and the stationer found it advan-
tageous TO cut paper to the desired pat
| tern.
| As there was no space for addres sing
the dotelets after they were folded, he,
after much thought, invented the envel-
| ope, which he cut by the aid of metal
plates made for the purpose.
| Tho sate ,ucreasod sn rapidly that ho
was unable to produce the envelopes fast
euough, so he commissioned dozen
houses To make them for him, and thus