Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-15
by Mr.. Barnum Somethii
Like Perpetual Motion.
bridgeport Cor. New York SUM-

An Invention by Mr.. Barnum Something
Like Perpetual Motion.
bridgeport Cor. New York SUM-
1t will be interesting to many thousands
of people in this pre-eminsntly mechanical
age to read description Of q machine in
vented and constructed by Mr.. P. 7. Bar
mum that is fairly entitled to be called .
perpetual motion machine. This wonderful
little machine ran tirelsssly until most
unfortunately burned with Mr.. Bar
NUNS handsome residence, Iranistan,
twenty years ago. Many Of Mr.. Barnum's
friends and visitors OF these days marvsled
why the machine was never put on exhibt-
ton in his then popular museum In New
York. The reason given at that time was
that the people could mover be made to BE-
believe either that Mr.. Barnum invented or
made the machine, or that it was made to
run with such simple means, furnished by
nature itself. Many inventors had visited
Mr.. Barnum, and many others had written
to him urging him to buy machines that
they claimed could b described in the pub
Ec prints as perpetual motion, and, indeed,
Mr. Barnum purchased moro than ono Of
such machines for his museum, but he could
never bring himself to believe or admit that
a machine could net be made that would
run from its finish until worn out, and with
out trick.
In fact, he urged twenty eight years ago,
when mechanics was in its infancy, and the
papers were constantly discussing the prob
lem of perpetual motion, that such ma
chine could be made, and made to 60 per-
petually. His first idea, - explained to the
writer, was to utilize in . convenient and
simple form tho power OF expansion and
contraction in metals, and he claimed that
the difference in ths natural temperature
between night and day would be sufficient,
if properly applied, to run his contemplated
machine from the moment it was finished
until Its motion had worn itself out
The base of Mr. Barnum's machine was
made of glass, something in the shape OF .
pill box, eight inches in diameter BY three
inches deep. This base was filed with quick
silver. There was an opening in the csnter
and top of the base about half an inch In di-
ameter A glass tube Of the same diameter
as the hole, and six inches long, was In
serted in the middle Of the hole, so that when
the heat of midday caused the quicksilver
to expand, it would rise up through the tubs
and force a piston upward. On the top OF
the piston rod was placed about five pound,
of lead. When the temperature cooled the
metal contracted In the base and tube, and
the piston was made to follow the .quicksil
yer in the tube. That gave the piston 70
ciprocal motion. Gear wheels connected
with the vertical piston rod gave high speed
to the four-inch fly wheel and the machine
was complete. A movement Of 1-1OOO Of
| an inch of the piston rod gave
a motion to the periphery Of thl
| fly wheel of seventeen inches to the minute
which was quite enough to show that thu
machine was in motion. II my recollection
is not at fault, the fly wheel was secured tt
| its shaft by slight friction only, so that al
| the exact time Of change Of motion Of the
l piston rod the wheel would slip on its shafi
and continue its motion until the motion Of
its shaft was reversed, when in due time ths
wheel would stop and instantly reverse it
motion, and SO on. OF course other mechan
ical devices could be applied in this connec
ton which would cause the wheel to rotatt
one way, no matter which way the pistoI
| rod Travelled.
The machine ran constantly from the mo
ment it was discovered until it was de
stroyed by fire, four years after. Mr.
| BaInum thinks that the future clock will b<
SO constructed that the changes in tempera
ture between day and night will wind 1t
and wind it gently, without trouble or ex
| pense.