The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-02-27
auN BY CHANGE OF TEMPERATURE
An Invention by sIr Barnum Something
Like Perpetual Motion

An Invention by s1r Bafnum Something
Like Perpetual Motion.
bridgeport Cor. New York SUM-
II win be interesting to many thousands
OF people in this pre-eminently mechanical
age to rea description of machine in
vented and constructed by Mr.. z. T. Bar
mum that IS fairly entitled to be called a
perpetual motion III gchine This wonderful
little machine ran tirelessly until most
unfortunately burned with Mr.. Bar
NUNS handsome residence, Iranistan
twenty years ago. Many of Mr. Barnum',
friends and visitors Of those days marvelei
why The machine was never put on exhibi
ton in his then popular museum in New
York. The reason given at that time was
That the people could never be made to be
loiieye either that Mr.. Barnum invented or
made the machine or that it was mazda r.
run with such simple means, furnished hy
nature itself. Many inventors had visited
Mr., Barnum, and many others had written
10 him urging him to buy machines tina,
they claimed could be described in tha NH
lie prints as perpetual motion, aud, ipdeef
Mr. Barnum purchased more than one OF
such machines for his museum, but he couIl
mover bring himself to believe or admit that
machine could not be made that would
run from its finish until worn cut, and with.
out trick
In fact, he urged twenty eight years ago
when mechanics was in its infancy, and tht
papers were constantly discussing the prob.
lem Of perpetual motion, that such a ma.
chine could be made, and made TO 90 per
petually. His first idea, as explained to the
writer, was to utilize III convenient and
simple form the power of expansion an
contraction in metals, and he claimed that
the difference IN the natural temperature
between night and day would be sufficient
Ii 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 wa,
made Of glass, something in the shape of a
pill box, eight inches in diameter by three
inches deep. This base was filled with quick
silver. There was an opening in the center
and top of the base about half an inch in di
ameter A glass tube of the same diameter
as tie hole, and six inches long, was in
serted in the middle of the hole, SO that whel
the heat Of midday caused the quicksilver
to expand, it would rise up through the tub,
and force a piston upward On the top Of
the piston rod was placed about five pound,
Of lead. When the temperature cooled tbs
metal contracted in the base and tube, anc
the piston was made to follow the quicksil
Yer i'll the tube. That gave the piston a re
eiprocal motion. Gear wheels connected
with the vertical piston rod gave high speed
to the foU;-inch fly wheel aud the machin,
was complete. 4 movement of 1900 d
al inca Of the piston rod gave
motion to the periphery of th,
fly wheel Of seventeen inches to the minute
which was quite enough to show that tn,
machine was in motion If my rccoilectio.
is not at fault, the fly wheel was secured t,
its -Gatt by slight friction Only, 50 that n
the exact time of change OF motion Of tn,
pisto:, rod the wheel would slip on its shat
AMI continue its motion until the motion Of
its shaft WIS reversed, when in due time tAt
Hhoa would stop anu Instantly reverse it
III zion. and SO on. Of course other mechan
tcal devices could be applied in this come,
Dion which would cause rae wbocI to rotate
one way, no matter which way the piston
rod Travelled
The machine ran constantly from the no
men. 1t WAS discovered until it was de
strryol by fire, four years after. Nj
Ba!nuIu thinks that the future clock viii +,
| So constructed that the chan yes in temper.
ture between Gay and night viii wind il
| and wind it gently, without trouble or ex
ponS3.