Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-03-28

the way OF diminutive time-pieces.
One OF these. now over 20J years old,
Is kept rs wonder In one OF the Swiss
museums. 1t is only SIG OF an inch in
diameter, but small as 1t is, 1t not only
indicates hours and minutes, but
seconds, days OF the week. days OF the
month and the number OF the year.
|. Another OF the old Nuremberg Won
ders was in tho form OF m acorn, five
sixteenths OF an inch in diameter and
half an inch long. 1t wns perfect in
every particular, Rcpt good time and
was used as charm on lady's neck
lace.
One OF exactly the same pattern, but
provided with tiny pistol, which was
used us an alarm. is now to be seen in
tho South KensinGton Museum, Lon
don. King George III. of England had
a watch not larger than an old-fash-
Toned silver five-cent piece. which had
l20 different parts, the whole not
weighing rs much as a silver dime. 1t
would take column of the Item to
enumerate all the dainty little time
pieces that have been invented during
the past 400 years. They have been
made no larger than peas, ana set in
rings for physicians to facilitate tho
counting Of the pulse. They have also
been fixed in bracelets, brooches, eye
glasses, tops OF pencils and even in
umbrella hands. Finished workman
ship and plenty OF money will provide
almost any thing that can be conjured
up by myriad-minded people.
The enginemakers, like the watch
makers. have also tried TO attain dis
tive. In 1870, John Penn. the eminent
maker OF great steam engines, who ro-
sided at Greenwich, England, came in
possession Of what was then the small
est steam engine in the world. 1t stood
on three-penny piece. 1t really
covered less space, for its base-plate
measured only three-eighths OF an inch
by about three-tenths. From the ex-
lTtIlt VI hibNOA opAhN VI
the details were omitted, but not enough
to interfere in any way with its going.
The screws were only one-eightieth Of
an inch in diameter. and these were
duly furnished with hexagonal nuts,
which could only be loosened by aid OF
tiny wrench made for that purpose.
The weight OF the whole model, with
out the three-penny base, was less than
the weight OF the coin itself.
Six years later time OF our Cepten-
nial exhibition, Penn would have felt
ashamed OF his "three-penny piece"
engine had he had it on exhibition In
Philadelphia. During the progress Of
that great exposition, Levi Taylor OF
lndianola, Ia, placed on exhibition,
''side by side" with the great Corliss
engine, an engine perfect in all its
parts, built on twenty-five cent gold
piece, and with some Of its parts so
small as to only be seen by aid OF a
powerful microscope. The entire en-
gine weighed but three grains. In other
words IL would have taken 146 such
engines to balance an ounce avoirdu-
pois. Three OF the Penn engines would
have weighed more than lac like that
made by Taylor.
The engine made by ID. A. Buck, OF
Waterbury. Conn, is usually given in
lists OF small things as the smallest en-
gine In the world, but this is mistake;
the one mentioned last above, so far,
takes the palm for smallness.
The writer cheerfnlly admits that the
Buck engine is more perfect in its de-
tails than the Iowa wonder, but tho
fact that its base plate is gold dollar
forever kills its claim to being the
smallest, as the Iowa engine, rs mon
toned above, uses twenty-live-cent
gold piece for the purpose Bucks
engine has l48 distinct pieces OF ma
chinery, held together by five screws.
Three drops OF water fills tho boiler to
overaowing. The diameter of its cyl
inder is one-twenty eighth OF an inch.
Tho length oil stroke throo thirty-sec-
onds OF an inch. Its entire weight, four
and half grains.
In the yoar 1882 mechanic by the
name Of Goldie, living at jamestown.
N. r., constructed miniature locomo-
tive, perfect in all its parts. which
weighed but one pound and half. A
circular track ten feet In diameter was
also built BY the inventor, whose time
must have auag heavily on his hands,