Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-19
Still Seeking an ImpOssibility.


Man has "sought out many inven-
tons and is likely to discover many
more things that Are important. The
present century has been more fruitful
than any of its predecessors in discov-
cries and inventions of practical import
ance. The mechanic and farmer can
perform vastly more labor, and with
greater ease by the improved machinery
and implements of labor, than they could
fifty years ago. But there are impossi-
bilities. There are some things that
scientific skill and mechanical ingenuity
cannot accomplish. One of the lmpossi-
b1llties Is the discovery of mechanical
perpetual motion, or the construction OF
machine which, when set in motion,
will continue to move without the aid OF
external force and without the loss OF
momentum until its parts become de-
ranged or worn out Thousands, and in
all parts of the civilized world, have
sought this impossibility. Some men
have spent a lifetime on a perpetual
motion project, and thereby beggared
themselves and their families. A great
many work at the idea i'll secret, know
ing that the demonstrations of mechanics
are all against them, and they would
avoid ridicule others, feeling sure they
are just on the verge of successful
demonstration of their theory, are secret
il all their movements, fearing some one
may steal their invention. Perpetual
motion having never been stolen from
any one thus far, their fears are quite
premature, though they do not see it.
If the census taker could have known
oil tho ,lary,afuo1 motion ipuaOfo xyhar
he went his rounds in 1880, the returns
numbers. One of the most persistent of
these pursuers of the delusion has re-
Gently come to light, and is one Charles
Brown, of Cory, Pennsylvania. He is
q German, and first conceived the idea
of perpetual motion while working as a
machinist in Karlsruhe, Baden, in 1862.
Since that date he has worked at his idea
almost constantly, save barely earning
his bread. He came to this country in
1867, and is now working upon ma
chine which he says will weigh about
thirty-fve pounds-and is sure, in his
Judgment, to succeed He has built and
abandoned several machines as failures
in his labor of twenty years. This last
construction he expects to complete
soon.
A history of the more important at
tempts at finding perpetual motion,
written by Henry Dircks, was printed
in London, in 1870. 1t is stated that
Wilars de Honecourt, an architect of the
fifteenth century, made the first attempt
so far as is known, to master the ques-
ton by a mechanical contrivance.
Capra, in 1878 undertook the problem
and failed. The Marquis of Wooster
made labored attempt to accomplish
the motion, and his machine has con-
siderable historical prominence on ac-
count of the rank of the inventor. Prob
ably he exhibited no more skill than
hundreds of others of less note, of whom
the public have never heard.
It is fact, doubtless, that some i'm
portant inventions have resulted from
the endeavor to solve the problem of
perpetual motion. The mechanic who
stopped when he found something prac-
tical-and left the impractical-the i'm
possible, alone, for a real invention, was
wise. The great majority of workers Of
the problem have, however, followed the
one idea, and their machines have died
with them. The endless chains, the
balls, the pulleys, ali fail In producing
the result desired. The doctrine of the
conservation of forces seems to demon
strate completely the impossibility Of
mechanical perpetual motion; but it is
likely the world will hear of the enthu-
siastic workers at the problem for long
time to come It is not probable that
all the known laws of motion will be
proved fallacy though enthusiasts con-
tinue to discuss the theme-and me-
chanics continue towork at the problem.
Rochester Democrat.