Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-05-10
A Puzzling Phenomenon.

A Philadelphia dispatch says: The
citizens of the borough of West Chester
are much excited over what appears to
be phenomenon that has presented it.
self in that town, and all of the talent
of the place is engaged in trying to solve
the problem. The mystery, which looks
like the accomplishment of perpetual
motion, is to be seen at the tobacco store
of Mr.. Thomas L. Smith, on East Gay
street. and the medium is nothing more
nor less than the weight attachment of a
small pair of scales. A special dispatch
to the Times says: Last Monday even
ing, while Mr.. Smiths employees were
making changes in the arrangement
of goods in stock, it became necessary
to lift from the floor these scales, which
were given temporary place on pile
of tobacco-boXes. About an hour after
ward a clerk noticed that the rod at
tached to the end of the beam for hang
ing the weights ON was oscillating with
regular momentum, and, after keeping
his eyes upon it for several minutes, was
not little surprised at discovering tina
the pendulum-like motion was kept up
with precision, and that it manifested
no disposition to stop. Thus. during the
entire evening this phenomenal action
led hundreds of people to witness the
strange performance, and when the
time for closing arrived the doors were
locked, leaving it to itself, Mr. Smith
and others believing that it would run
down long before morning. Tuesday
morning came, and upon opening the
store, backward and forward swung the
rod and balance-plate, with the same
Ir To- h, ~,
it's movements on the preceding even
ing, ancfa thus it has uninterruptedly
kept its motion up since to the wonder
of the entire town. Up to this time it
has kept swinging during sixty-eight
ly to continue for an indefinite period
and as it holds out in its unaccountable
performances the wonder and interest
continues to increase. The rod which
serves as a pendulum is about a foot
in length and its bearings at The end of
the beam are very complete, the adj
justment being of the most delicate
!, character. The motion of the rod is due
north and south, and its oscillations
are eighty-four per minute, with no de-
Walton whatever. they having been
tested a score of times by interested
lOOhcIS-Oh. 1HC SCtblcS nave DcCu Ill
use in Mr.. Smiths store for several
years, their former position being a lit
tie northwest of their present one and
upon the floor. During the first day of
the movement the public rejected the
statements of Mr.. Smith and his clerks
as to their being no hidden power, but
since then continuous throng of peo-
pie have carefully and intelligently ex-
amined into the causes, but no positive
solution has been reached. 1t is be-
lieved by some that the pendulum is
operated by some broken electrical
current. and this theory is strengthened
by the fact that the Western Union Tel
egraph Company has an office in one
of the upper stories of the building, the
wires to which pass into the building
over the door leading to MIR. Smiths
store. A large number of scientific gen.
tlemen watched the movements this
morning for hours, but, after compar-
ing their notes of investigation, were
unable to reach any solution of the per-
picking problem. Prof. Sharpless, State
Assaycr of Massachusetts, is in town
to-day, and will give the matter thor
OF oh Investigation.