The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-17
Two SORTS Of CRANKS.
Flying Machine Lunatics and Per-
petual Motion Maniacs in
Washington.
How They Make Life Burden
to the Patent Office
People.
they Would Infringe on the Prerogative
Of tho Creator-SOme of Their
Devices.

1hey Would Infringe on the Prerogative
of tho Creator-Some of Their
Devices.
WASHINGTON, July 16.-The last inventor
of flying machine was found dead IN MS
bed one day recently, at fourth-rate hotel
on PENNSYLVANIA avenue. He died OF
broken heart. All the little savings with
which he came to Washington few months
ago had been spent in the construction OF
models that somehow would never quite
work. His notion was not that of the ordl-
nary experimenter in aeronautics, whose
ambition is to fly high. On the contrary,
he considered that for all useful purposes
it was simply desirable to elevate and con-
troll his apparatus at height OF not more
than ten feet above the ground, and thus to
swim along over peoples heads at such
rate Of speed as his propelling equipment
VAS able to give. Given vacuum inclosed
IN an exhausted receiver, and it is bound
to float in the air, if only the receiver itself
is at once strong enough to resist the at
mospheric pressure and not so heavy as 10
overcome the element of buoyancy. IN alu-
little as So pound by the ton, the inventor
thought that material light enough and
strong enough was to be found; no metal
SURPRISES it in resisting power, and It's spe.
cific gravity is a trife less than that OF
common chalk. A cigar-shaped tank OF
aluminium, thirty feet in length and
strongly ribbed, ought, when exhausted OF
air. to sustain itself and 400 pounds in ad-
dition, thus being capable of upholdinR q
compact electric engine to work the fans OF
the propeller and at least one passenger.
Such, at all events, was the inventor idea,
and one of the best-known patent lawyers
in this city said yesterday that he was con.
WINGED it was practicable. The only doubt
he had was as to the matter of speed; but,
the problem of buoyancy once solved, that
would soon follow. Certainly it was n
mistake, he thought, to relegate flying, by
artifce to the same category of impossible
ties with perpetual motion and like alb
surdities. No less an authority than the
great Edison has declared that the thing
will one day be accomplished, though not
by ordinary balloons or imitation wings.
OF all the cranks that make life misery
for the model makers around the Paten
Office here, the perpetual motion manlacs
are the worst. They are the ones who are
most apt to be afraid lest their inventions
be stolen, and sometimes they go SO far al
to insist upon the mechanics agreeing tina
their models shall be worked upon onl.
when no other customers are about, pre-
cautions being taken to hide them at ono
if anybody comes into the shop. Even o
the patent LAWYERS, whom they are obliged
to consult, they are afraid, lest their ideas
representing as they do Gigantic fortunes,
tempt the professional men to approprlat
them. Occasionally they will not give tn
model-makers any clear description o
what they want by reason of the sam
dread. One of them tried to make bar
gain recently for the construction of
model, but could not be induced t
say anything more about it than th'
there was pretty nigh as much wor
upon it as there would be on a mowin
machine The model maker, TO who'
this man applied, says that in many yen
of experience of such perpetual motto
fends he has never known one of Them
own up that his continuance was 1aliur
The machine invariably wants only Il LIT
Improvement to make 1t work.
Perhaps the most extraordinary of tt
devices for perpetual motion turned out l.
this model maker WAS the invention of
crank, who walked all the way from Georgl
to Washington to procure his patent. III
contrivance.consistedo of tall frame worI
with four uprights, in which was to !
swung back and forth the entire trunk of
large tree. When the butt end of the Tire
in swinging struck a spring on one sic
the spring was set loose and threw the tlt
back toward the other side, where it struc
another sdring, which in turn flung it BAG
to the first spring, and SO on. The onl
trouble with the thing, the inventor sail
was that it would go SO fast and was
difficult to stop when once started. I
course, the perpetual motion once obtalne
in this way, it was an easy matter to trans
form it into power for running mills or f'
any other purpose. The model made Il,
cording to his instructions would not wor
but that was the model-maker's fault.
Another machine for the same purpos
was composed of 200 long sticks, each pr
oted at the middle and an equal numb'
of rubber bands connecting them togethe
1t was simply necessary to start one site
revolving on its pivot. the result being sue
multiplication of energy by the action
this original force through the other rubbt
bands and sticks, which were supposed
act as levers, that the inventor was afrai
lest some terrific accident might occur an
SO refrained from putting in as many stick
and levers as he might otherwise have don,
Still another perpetual motion machine wa
wheel, from equi-distant points on tn
periphery of which hung heavy balls on tn
ends of rods. The wheel, being started, ri
volving to the right, carried the balls dams
ling on the ends of the hanging rods u
point of its circumference, when a
automatic catch threw the rods on
horizontally to the right, the heav
ball being thus cast over far out c
the center OF gravity OF the wheel, Whlc
their weight pulled down on the right side
when each ball got to the bottom of til
wheel it fell into the wheels center c
gravity once more and was carried up an
around again. Given succession of ball
throwing themselves one after another on
of the center of gravity of the wheel, an
you ought to have perpetual motion. Th
reason you don't is the same that prevent
you from lifting yourself up by your boot
straps. Yet another interesting perpetu,
motion model that he had made, the mode
maker said, was pivoted board on whie
a little car ran back and forth. When
reached one end of the board it looseneQ
spring, which tilted the board the 9th
way, SO that the car ran back to the eI
from which it had started, where it touch
another spring, tilted the board the 9th
way, was sent back again, and 80 on {
ininitum. One spring that winds anoth
up while it runs down itself, and vice yer
reciprocally, without ceasing, is q
other form of perpetual motion contrivan
offered in many editions. Also an inclin
plane, down which three cars run VIII
three are hoisted up to their starting poi
on an endless belt principle. Six cars ru
ming down ought certainly to be able
lift three others up, though thew don't sop