Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-12-13
"rcrpCtual Motion, "

There are numerous advocates of. and
believers in, perpetual motion still IN
| existence, not only in this country but IN
others, and among them are found not u
few enthusiastic and ambitious inventors
who sincerity believe themselves to hc the
inventors or diScoycrers of self motors,
self running motive power, and various
devices, ChrlStened under different names.
vet all come under the one head of per
petual motion. In the standard work of
reference ON mechanics. knight Mechau-
lcal Dictionary, We find perpetual motion
! lucidly defined as follows: An INNS tufIHf~.
which has led astray some persons of Im-
tied scientific knowledge IN all ages and
religions. As the knowledge of scientific
truth advances We arrive at some aNiOmS.
and we know that motion involves an eN-
penditure of force. and that even a balance
beam. poised by steel edges on agate plates
and started pulSatiug, meets with the re-
resistance OF the air and generates some
friction between the coutactiug surfaces,
and must come to stop. Mr. knight
gives further expression in his views in
these words: 1T is impossible to make a
motor. or which shall maintain the motion
originally impaired To 1t mimpaired for
an indefinite length of time, without re-
Ceiving an accession OF power.
Many learned and scientific men who
have given perpetual motion and the prlu-
CIpes involved therein careful Investigation
and study. fully concur in the views above
expressed. And yet, upon the other hand,
individuals apparently we'll up IN mechanics
and mechanical laws hold views directly the
opposite As far back as the year 1900 and
even earlier. and down to the present time,
,,f
trivances that have been evolved for obtain
ing perpetual motion. And, in view of
what has already been invented, ! would
suggest to some of the perpetual motion
"discoverers of the present day that not
only in the likelihood of their contriy-
ances proving fallacies, something they
will in all probability not beheve-but,
furthermore, that the chances are they can
not even be novel
At frequent intervals applications for
patents on perpetual motion are received at
the Patent Office, and there appears to be
little or no encouragement on the part OF
those who are struggling to solve the great
problem Once let a man be lnOculated
with perpetual motion ideas and he will
usually hold fast to them until he 'shuitlcs
off this mortal coil And should he fail
to inOculate in turn somebody else, the idea
may be trusted to spreal spontaneously, SO
the ranks of the expCrim1nters are kept
full
After our perpetual motion friend has
reached a certain stage in the disease he
proceeds to see about fling u caveat or
securing patent, There are a number of
persons who labor under the deuslOn that
not only our government, but also certain
foreign powers, offer astanding reward for
the inventor of a successful perpetual mo-
tion machine. while the truth is that there
is none offered whatsoever. To such APP
pIicants the Patent Office forwards letter
worded substantially as follows
This office has no knowledge of any re-
ward offered by the Government for the
discovery OF perpetual motion. Many ap-
plications for'patents for such an alleged IN
vention or discovery has been received at
this Office, but they has been found IN
operative and opposed TO well-known phys
ica laws. A working model Is always re-
quired to be filed with an application for a
patent on perpetual motion, in order that
the device may be fully demonstrated.
1t will be observed from the foregoing
tnat an applicant for perpetual motion
patent is pointcdly advised Of the futlllty
cf prosecuting further experiments in that
direction: also that the Patent Office does
not consider applications Of that class; and,
moreover. that if an application is insisted
upon, working model will he in order,
a requirement which the office thinks I'M
possible for an applicant 10 meet. Ray
monds Curiosities Of the L. S. Patent
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