Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-07-25
he Gives Some Hitherto Unpublished Facts About
the Eccentric Old Italian Crank-Hs
Remarkable Inventions and Dis
cOysrisS-HiS Youth, etc.
Chicago Nclcs.

of the great musicians OF his day. They
came and heard him play few selections,
and then they went home cOntented with
their own music. Calico played for seve-
raj wears in the band at Pisa, and the peo-
ple who heard him said that his manner OF
Gazing out over the Pisian hills with n tar
away look in hiseye after playing y selec-
ton, while he gently upended his alto
horn and worked the mud-valve rs he
poured out about pint OF moist melody
that had accumulated i'll the tiues OF the
instrument, was simply grand.
At the age of twenty Calico began to
discover. His first discoveries were, OF
course. clumsy and poorly made, but very
soon he began to turn ont neat and du-
rable discovery that would stand for years,
1t was at this time that Calico noticed
the swinging of lamp in church, and;
observing that the oscillations were OF equal
duration, he inferred that this principle
might be utilized in the exact measurement
of time. From this little accident, years
after. came the clock, one OF the most use
full of mans dumb friends. And yet there
are people who will read this little incident
and still
HESITATE ABOUT GOING To CHURCH.
Calico also invented the thermometer,
the microscope and the proportional com
pass, He seemed to invent things, not for.
the money te be obtained i'll that way, but
solely for the Joy of being first on the
ground He was man OF INFINITE genius
and perseverance. He was also very fair
in his treatment of other inventors. Though
he did not personally invent the rotary
motion of the earth, he heartily indorScd
it and said it was good thing. He also
came out in a card in which he said he be-
licyed it to he a good thing, and that he
hoped some day TO see it applied to the
other planets.
He was also the inventor Of 4 telescope
that had magnitying power OF thirty
times. He presented this to the Venetian
Senate, and it was used in making appro-
priations for river and harbOr improve
mcntS.
Bv telescope Investigations Calico dis
covered the presence of microbes OH the
moon. but was unable to do anything for
it,
have spoken of Mr. Calico all the way
through this article informally, calling him
| by his first name; but | feel so thoroughly
acquainted with him, though there was
such striking difference i'll our ages, that
am almost justified i'll using his gwen
name when talking of him.
Calico also sat up nights and visited
with Venus through long telescope which
he had made himself from IN old bamboo
iishing-rOd.
But astronomy is very cncrvating
! 1 r 4 Al; Ia
down to breakfast with red, heavy eyes
eyes that were swollen full Of unshcd tears.
Still he persevercd. Day after day
lie WORKED AND T0ILED.
Year after year he went on with his task
till he had worked out in his own mind
the satellites of Jupiter and placed small
tin tag on each one, 50 that he would know
it readily when he saw it again. Then he
began to look up Saturn's rings and nves-
tigate the freckles on the sun. He did not
stop at trihes, but went bravcly on till
everybody came for miles to look at him
and get him to write something funny IN
their albums 1t was not an unusual thing
for Calico to get up in the morning, after
Il wcarSOmc night with frcttul newborn
star to find his front yard full Of autO-
graph albums. Some of them were little
red albums with'iloral decorations on them,
while others were the large plush and ALI
gator albums of the allucnt. Some were
new and had the price mark still on them,
while others were old, foundercd albums,
with droOp in the back and little tlecks
Of egg and gravy on the titlc-pagc. All
came with 4 request for Calico 'tO write
Il little witty characteristic sentiment in
them"
Calico was the author of thehydrOStatic
paradox and other sketches He was a
great reader and fluent penman. One
time he was absent from home, featuring
in Venice for the benefit of the United Ag-
gregltion of Mutual Admirers, and did not
return for two weeks, so that when he got
back he found the front room full of auto
graph albums 1t is said that he here de-
mOnstrated his great fluency and readiness
as thinker and writer. He waded through
the entire lot in two days with only two
men from West Pisa to assist him. Calico
came out of it fresh and youthful, and the
following night he was clOseted all night
with another inventor, wicker-covercd
microscope, and bologna sausage. The
investigations were carried on for two weeks.
after which Calico went out TO the inebri-
ate asylum and discovered
SOME NEW STYLES OF REPTILES.
Calico was the author of little work
called Il Dscarsiee Dimas-Trazioni Mate
matichc IntOrus n Due MuOve Science. {"
1t was neat little book, OF about the me-
dunn height, and sold well on the trains,
for the Pisan newsboys on the cars were
very affablc, as they are now, and when they
came and leaned an armful of these books
on a passengers leg and poured a long tale
into his ear about the wonderful work. and
then pulled in the name of the book from
rear of the last car where it had been
hanging on. behind, the passenger would
most always buy it and enough of the
name TO wrap it up in.
He also discovered the isochrOnism of
the pendulum. He saw that the pcndu-
lum at certain seasons of the year looked
yellow under the eyes, and that it dropped
and did not enter into its work with the
old zcst. He began 10 study the case with
the aid of his new bamboo telescope and
wicker-covered microscope. As result,
in ten days he had the pendulum on its
feet again.
Calico was inclined to be liberal in his
religious views, and more especially in the
matter of the Scriptures, claiming that
there were passages in the Bible which did
not literally mean what the translator said
they did. This was where Calico missed
it. So long as he discovered stars and iso-
chronisms and such things as that he sue
ceeded, but when he began to fool with
other peoples religious beliefs he got into
trouble. He was forced to fly from Pisa,
we are told by the historian, and we are
assured at the same time that Calico. who
had always been far ahead of all. competi-
tors in other things, was equally successful
as fieer.
Calico received but sixty scudi per year