San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-11
A FEW LITTLE WONDERS.
THE MECHANICS ART DISPLAYED
IN INfINITEslMALs.

Some of the Wonders of the World Which
Cherry Stone-A Coach Drawn by Fleas.
Other Diminutives.
The Nurembergers have always been IA
nous for their many ingenious mechanical
contrivances, but perhaps the most wonder
full is a cherry stone story.
At the time of the French Crystal Palace
exposition a Nuremberg toymaker exhibited
a cherry stone within the hollow Of which he
had built perfect plan of the city of Sevas-
tapol, showing plainly a railway station and
the famous Messiah of Klopstock.
powerful microscope was used by the ex-
hibtor of this wonder, and it was estimated
by the exhibition authorities that not less
than 5O0, 600 people took peep at the results
of the toymakers toll, each of whom deposited
franc in the hands of the ingenious me-
chanic, making him a snug little fortune.
Machines for weights and measures have
also been brought up almost to perfection.
CHAIN AND COACH FOR FLEAs.
Sir w. Armstrong, the great gun maker,
had on exhibition in 1873 machine for tax
ing measurements that did its work so nicely
that the millionth part Of an inch could be
ascertained with as much precision as an
inch on a foot At the same exhibition one
A NJ Oberlong showed balance soAnioely
adjusted as to weigh accurately the one-thou-
>andth part of grain. Talk about little won
GERS not being wonderful; the person surely has
but little conception of the really marvellous
that would not inspect Mr.. Oberlong's deli
rate balances rather than Howe platform
scale the size of the state Of Missouri
Oswaldus Northingenus, an artist who lived
Turing the reign Of Pope Paul V, about
1910, is said to have made six hundred
plates or dishes Of pewter, which were Of
such diminutiye proportions as to admit of
the whole lot being hidden upon the inside Of
the stone of a common peach.
Mark Scarlost, a blacksmith who lived I'M
der the reign of Queen Elizabeth, made a
chain Of forty-ive links, to which he attached
paddock made Of steel and brass. consisting
of eleven pieces besides the key. The chain
was so small as to freely admit Of being fast
ened about the neck of a common every day
flea, and the apparatus, flea, chain, paddock,
key and all weighed but a grain and half
when exhibited before the wondering royalty
on plate of polished silver.
The reader will no doubt, think these flea
and cherry stone stories worthy to be taken
with the proverbial grain of salt, noting, as
he will, that they nearly all bear the date and
stamp of rye olden times" but what will he
say when informed that within the last five
years San Francisco professor has equaled
Mark Scarlost's ingenuity in every particular.
This Golden Gate grasper after the infini-
tesimal exhibited a perfectly trained team of
feas, drawing miniature tally-ho coach
made of gold, with all four wheels perfect,
each turning on its axle. All the elite Of San
Francisco witnessed the professors wonderful
exhibition of his control over these frisky
little pets, and all were unsparing in their
praises of the queer little team, the professor
and the golden coach.
SMALL WATCHES
The first watch was made in Nuremberg IN
the cherry stone about the year l477. Soon
after its invention curious gold and silver
smiths began to experiment on what they
could do in the way of diminutive time pieces.
One of these, now over 200 years old, is kept
as a wonder in one of the Swiss museums. II
is only three-sixteenthso of an inch in diameter,
but, small as it is, it not only indicates hours
and minutes, but seconds and tenths of sec
Onds, days Of the week, days of the month
and the number Of the year
Another of the old Nuremberg wonders
was in the form Of an acorn, five-sixteenths
of an inch in diameter and half an inch long
1t was perfect in every particular, kept good
time and was used as a charm on a ladys
necklace.
One Of exactly the same pattern, but pro
vided with tiny pistol, which was used as
an alarm, is now to be seen in the South
Kensington museum, London. King George
III. Of ISgz.and. he'd =. ws1ch ROT larger