Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-11-09
QUITE SURE OF 1T.
One Who Thinks He Has Cor
nered Perpetual Motion.
Aa Ohio Man InVsnts an Electrical Ma
chine which Ho Claims VIII Run
Until II Wears Itself Out
Mystery OF Force.

TUT lhlt u CcululN ~ W. OOuh uNd
been u familiar figure In Richland
County. and has been marked for hii
singular inventive genius. In 1850.
when young man. he became i'm.
pressed with the wonders Of electrical
science. and then became enamorel Of
It's study. He began to delye into the
unknown Of this hidden force, and for
thirty-six years in alternately brilliant
and adverse circumstances has trodden
over this field till there is no nook or
corner with which he is unacquainted.
lie commenced his studies at II timo
when little was known of electricity.
and by pursuit Of knowledge in that
direction with unboundcd zeal. he has
not only kept apace with the wizards
of the day, but has so far gotten in adj
vance Of them that his assertions are
almost accepted as altogether incredu-
lous.
But no matter whether his claims
seem wonderful and almost beyond
belief. they are worthy of crcdencc, for
hu must bu placed in the list of success
ful inventors. In 1852 he conceived an d
constructed device that revolutionized
tho manufacture Of sorghum sirup.
The device was called an evaporator,
md was used TO make sirup from sor-
ghum. His principle was to run the juice
Rcro's heated surface in zig.zag rows
till the juice would run out AS a pure
sirup ready for the table. the water
being evaporated in its passage, aud
the impurities being thrown to one
side, On this he received letters patent
IN 1858. and in 1859 II company began
the manufacture Of tho same. Thou
sands and thousands were disposed Of,
varying in price from s25 TO $35, over
400, 900 being realized. on which the
inventor got handsome royalty.
Through this he derived quito fortune.
although portion Of It he spent in inn
proving and introducing the device.
Even to this day firm in Cincinnati is
engaged in the manufacture Of this
came evaporator. from which the men,
bers Of the firm made themselves rich.
Cook. however, several years ago lost
his right to II royalty by some means or
other, and has not been drawing any
thing from that source since.
Save for this slight diversion, Mr..
Cook has not experimental in any field
outside OF electricity since thirty-six
years ago to any considerable extent,
but in in this direction he can be said
to have spent the greater part OF his
life. For while he sought to solve
the question otcheap power Light, etc.,
by producing the proper current by
means Of battery. He invented a
battery Of peculiar value for telegraph
purposes, which was in use for long
timc at Crestlipe, on the Western
Union, and until tho discovery Of tho
cheap gravity battery that is now in
use. But Mr.. Cook long ago concluded
in his own mind that in dynamic elec-
tricity lay future success. According
| ly he cast aside the battery as q secon-
Diary affair, and set about to expert
ment with dynamos OF novel and
peculiar construction.
For several years past he would oc-
casionally meet me and speak Of his
discoveries in the electrical field, but
would say that he had not yet secured
the results he was after. He would
tell me: "When l got my experiments
completed l want to show you what
will revolutionizc the world. / propose
to make perpetual electric generator
or motor which will propel itself by it:
own current, the resistance of the
generator proper being only about ter
per cent, Of tho rotary power of the
electric engine upon which the current
Of the generator acts"
This assertion was sufficient to shock
an ordinary person S nerves, but &c.
oepted the statement with much al
} lowanoe. However, | became inter
ested and kept watching reaults.
Last November Mr.. Cock came Il
me and said: 'I have at last met with
success. | have found the principle
that / have been hunting for so long
l can now start dynamo to going
and it will never stop except by th,
wearing away of its own parts. No
only will itrnn itself by its own current
but also produce power enough. 40
cording to the size of the engine, t,
run any machine in the world, "55l
Perpetual motion l suggested.
"AIore than that" he replied. .a.sI
"a perpetual motion with only ten pc
cent. of the force used, leaving ninetl
yer cent. for power, to be utilized n
isdosired. Not only that, but moro
one helix of my dynamo will produc'
light In proportion to its size while tn
other is making the current that run
the engine. II will serve to heat you
house, so that instead of having stove
and CRATES, little wires will run througI
your rooms, and on your parlor tabl
will be u highly FURNISHED apparatu
containing wires. etc, which will keel
the temperature of the house at what
ever point you wish" og
what will be the cost to run itP"
nI ''Nothingy As ] said, start it, and
will 90. Heat, mower, and light prC