Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-01
MARVELS OF MECHANISM
HE MECHANICS ART DISPLAYED
IN INFINITEsIMAIs. al
Some Of the Wonders OF the World
Which Seem Almost impossible
Marvels Of Human Ingenuity.

Which Seem Almost Impossible
Marvels Of Human Ingenuity.
The Nurembergers have always been
famous for their many ingenious mechan-
ical contrivances, but perhaps the most |
wonderful is cherry-stone story. AT
the time of the French Crystal Palace
Exposition Nuremberg toymaker ex-
hibited q cherry stone, within the hol-
low of which he had built perfect plan
of the city of Sevastopal, showing plain
" a railway station and the famous
''Messiah" of Klopstock. A powerful
microscope was used by the exhibitor of
this wonder, and it was estimated by the
exhibition authorities that not less than
500, 600 people took peep at the results
Of the toymaker's toll, each of whom de-
posted franc in the handSof the ingen.
ious mechanic, making hima snug little
fortune.
Machines for weight and measures
have also been brought up almost to per-
fection. Sir W. Armstrong, the great
gunmaker, had on exhibition in 1878 a
machine for taking measurements that
did its work SO nicely that the milliontb
part of an inch could be ascertained
with as much precision as an inch or a
foot.
At the same exhibition one A. M,
Oberlong showed balance so nicely adj
justed as to weigh accurately the one.
thousandth part of a grain. Talk about
little wonders not being wonderful.
Oswaldus Northingenus, an artist, who
lived during the reign of Pope Paul ",
about 1910, is said to have made SOC
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 common peach.
Mark Scarlost, a blacksmith who iveG
!. under the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
made a chain of forty-fve links, to which
he attached paddock made of steel and
! brass, consisting of eleven pieces besides
the key. The chain was so small as tt
e freely admit of being fastened about thu
neck of common everyday flea, anc
n the apparatus. flea, chain, paddock, Ike!
l. and all weighed but a grain and hal
n when exhibited before the wondering
royalty on plate of polished silver.
W The reader will, no doubt, think thes
le stories worthy to be taken with the pro
II verbal grain of salt, noting, as he will
that they nearly all bear the date ant
! stamp of Eye olden times;" but wha
y, will he say when informed that with
=, the last five years San Francisco pre-
= fessor has equaled Mark Scarlost's il
II, genuity in every particular. This Golde
Gate grasper after the infnitessimal el
- hibited perfectly trained team of fea'
u, drawings a miniature tally coach, mad
10 of gold, with all four wheels perfec
each turning on its axle. All the eli
o1 of San Francisco witnessed the professor
on wonderful exhibition of his control ov
ne these trisky little pets, and all were u
OF sparing in their praises of the queer lit
team, the professor and the golden coac
tel The first watch was made in Nurer
ed berg in the cherry stone about the ye
il 1477. Soon after its invention curio
D.. gold and silver smiths began to expel
ment on what they could do in the WI
de of diminutive time pieces. One of thes
ire now over 200 years old, is kept as wo
do der in one of the Swiss museums. 1t
~ only three-sixteenths of an inch in dial
he eter, but, small as it is, it not only inc
Gates hours and minutes, but seconds al
!, tenths of seconds, days of the week, da
nu of the month and the number of t
af. year.
- - Another of the old Nuremberg wondt
~, ad was in the form of an acorn, 6ve-si
W. teenths of an inch in diameter, and HI
&, an inch long. It was perfect in eve
Ioe particular, kept good time, and was us
Inc as charm on lady's necklace.
er One of exactly the same pattern, l
IN provided with tiny pistol, which "
Ire used as an alarm, is now to be seen
the South Kensington Museum, Londc
mis- King George III, Of England, had
of watch not larger than an old-fashion
mes silver five-cen piece, which had 12O d
lirt ferent parts, the whole not weighing
ais, much as silver dime.
The enginemakers, like the watt
tly makers, have also tried to attain distil
ge- ton in the matter Of the diminutive.
sty 1870 John Penn, the eminent maker
the great steam engines, who resided
of Greenwich, England, came in possess
lost of what was then the smallest steam
gine in the world. It stood on a thr
,tpr penny piece. 1t really covered less spa
g;rl for its base plate measured only thr
: Of eighths of an inch by about three-tent
+bo From the extreme smallness of the mo
ooh some of the details were omitted, but
psts enough to interfere in any way with
~ going. The screws were only o
eightieth of an inch in diameter, {
.ea these were duly furnished with hexago
~ I,u' nuts, which only could be loosened by
oie' 9 of tiny wrench made for that purpc
@ .ne The weight of the whole model, with
Ivy Ivy the three-penny base, was less than
WV weight of the coin itself.
Six years later, time of our Centenl
OF Exhibition, Penn would have felt asian
tate of his 'sthree-penny piece engine" had
'ade had it on exhibition at Philadelpl
OUT During the progress of that great exp
'sed ton, Levi Taylor, of Indiapola,
Es- placed on exhibition, ''side by side" v
her the great Corliss engine, an engine !
feet in all its parts, built on a twel
lace five-cent gold piece, and with some O
ex- parts so small as to only be seen by ali
ling a powerful microscope. The entire
per- CINE weighed but three grains. In o.