Wichita eagle., 1889-06-28
A FEW LITTLE WONDERS.
THE MECHANICS ART DISPLAYED
IN iNFINITESiMALS.
Some Of the Wonders of the World Which
Seem Almost Inpcssible-A City in a
Other Niypirufiyas

Seem Almost lr1pcSSlEIe-A City IN q
Cherry Stone-A Coach Drawn by F1eas.
Other Diminutiyes.
The Nurembergers have always been IA
nous for their many ingenious mechanical
contrivances, but perhaps the most wonder
ful is 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 q perfect plan OF the city of Sevas-
tapOl, showing plainly railway station and
the famous Messiah" Of Kopstock.
a powerful microscope was used by the ex-
hlbitor of this wonder, and it was estimated
by the exhibition authorities that not less
than 5000 people took a peep at the results
of the toymaker's 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 ELEAS.
Sir w. Armstrong, the great gun maker,
had on exhibition in 1873 machine for talk.
ing measurements that did its work so nicely
that the millionth part of an inch could be
ascertained With as much precision as an
A NJ Oberlong showed balance so nicely
adjusted as to weigh accurately the one-thou-
sandth part Of grain. Talk about little won
ders not being wonderful; the person surely.has
but little conception Of the really marvellous
thet would not inspect Mr.. Oberlong's deli
cate balances rather than Howe platform
scale the size Of the state of Missouri
Oswaldus Northingenus, an artist who lived
during the reign Of Pope Paul Y, about
1910, is said to have made six hundred
plates or dishes Of pewter, which were of
such diminutive proportions as to admit Of
the whole lot being hidden upon the inside of
the stone OF a common peach.
Mark Scarlost, blacksmith who lived un-
der the reign of Queen Elizabeth, made a
chain OF forty-fve links, to which he attached
a paddock made of steel and brass, consisting
of eleven pieces besides the key The chain
was SO small as 70 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 grain and half
when exhibited before the wondering royalty
on a 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 genuity in every particular.
This Golden Gate grasper after the infni-
tesimal exhibited a perfectly trained team of
feas, drawing a 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 1477 Soon
after its invention curious gold and silver
smiths began 60 experiment ON what they
could do in the way of dininutive time pieces.
One of these, now over 200 years old, is kept
as a wonder in one of the Swiss museums 1t
is only three-sixteenths of ali inch in diameter,
but, small 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
Ii,
of en- inch in diameter and half an inch long
1t was perfect in every particular, kept good
time and was used as charm on lady's
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
Ill, of England, had a watch not larger
than an old fashioned silver five cent piece,
which had 120 different parts, the whole
not weighing as much as silver dime 1t
would take a column of The Republic to
enumerate ali the dainty little time pieces
that have been invented during the past 400
years They have been made not larger
than peas and set in rings for physicians to
facilitate the counting Of the pulse. They
have also been fixed in bracelets, brooches,
eye glasses, tops of pencils and even in UNI
brella handles. Finished workmanship and
plenty Of money will provide almost anything
that can be coniured up by a myriad minded
people
INFTNITESIMAL ENGINES
The enginemakers, like the watchmakers.
have also tried to attain distinction in the
matter of the dtninutive. In 1870 John
Penn, the eminent maker of great steam en-
gines, who resided at Greenwich, England,
came In possession Of what was then the
smallest steam engine in the world. 1t stood
on three penny piece. ltreally covered less
space, for its base plate measured only three
eighths Of an inch by about three-tenths.
From the extreme snallness of the model
some of the details were omitted, but not
enough TO interfere III any way with its
going. The screws were only the one-eigh-
tieth Of an inch in diameter, and these were
duly furnished with hexagunal nuts, which
could only be loosened by aid of tiny wrench
,nado for that purpose. The weight of the
whole model, without the three penny base,
was ls~s than the weight Of the coin itself.
Six years later, time of our centennial ex-
hibition, Penn would have felt ashamed Of
bis three penny piece engine" had he had on
exhibition at Philadelphia During the prog
gress Of that great exposition. Levi Taylor,
Of tndianola, Ia, placed on exhibition, side by
side" with the great Cor!iss engine. an engine
perfect In all its parts, built on a twenty-five
cent gold piece. and with some OF its parts so
mail as to only be seen by aid of powerful
microscope. The entire engine weighed but
,hres grains In other words, it would have
aiken l4o such engines TO balance an ounce |
avoirdupois Three of tbs Penn engines !
would have weighed more than LAG Ike that