The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-25
CURIOSITIES OF INVENTION.
SCHEMES FOR FLYING IN AIR OR ON
THE WAVES OF THE SEA.

SCHEMES FOR FLYING IN AYR OR on
THE WAVES OF THE SEA.
They Arc Plenty. and the Chief Fault with
Them Is that They Won't work-OtheI
queer Products of Yankee Ingenuity.
From the Globe Democrat
WASHINGTON. May 16.-All that has been
written about that wonderful museum OF orig
i INA laeas the collection 81 models In the rat
genuity therein displayed. II might be appr9,
p ,,, REGARDED as chamber Of horrors Y
one could know what tragedies OF disappointed
hopes; productive OF unaCy and suicide are
represented by these contrivances.
tiyinE machines and devices for securing
he ne motion are turned out on ney plans
with every maginable sort Of Product Of m oT
or e, disordered Inventive faculties SO lar
rs me nayigntion Of tho air is concerned it
been proved insolube; but unfortunately The
inventors do not seem to advance u particle
this line, only few weeEs old Is for an eGuip
i mgnt as nearly nearly iks birds as possible with
feathers o. tin nu and I'D silk. But the gems
tleman who suggested this, apparatus for
same tine with eapb BALLOON n bis enough tie ne
SUPPORT his weight while he. tiops along and
Steers as WITH his tail feathers. And those WOULD
/ De myers who do not expect to avail them
selves OF balloons are in no case able to devise
an, any other nethod of eleyating Themselves IN
revolving. These ought TO raise Thorn, OF
course. but in practice they don't. somehow.
One e man after he has once got up in the air by
nj way in any desired direction with propel-
AnQtner thinks to utilize Kite Of vast area,
Etnis Mash sails ovoySe The 6a1k9t
cylnd.ical balloons. between which and be-
meath hangs boat !; tho latter has two large
propeller in the rear besides; A curiosity in
this way Is an air tricycle. with paddles worked
Dy the leet and u balloon to neutralfIe gravity.
Not less curious than the devices for sailing
N the air are those for navigating tho water
of BE- there h moIe OF Rft that Is
as big as the vessel Itself. OF course, in a calm
the windmill would not GO but that difficulty
which is worked BY horse when catepaws are
lacking Another e. ait has steam engine on
the bow and shoots it out at the stern through
sort of water wheel. which In this way IS
made to levolvc and forces the boat ahead
hy the action OF its paddles. This latter notion.
by the way, is engaging the attention of capital
nm an ha nyehnm n talent eve even cora now h one one
I to be found the ideal shape Tor propeller,
mn Ms model il made on the pat
III has never been adopted by navigator. now
ever ever Imagine TWO enormous revolving cyln-
Ing below the water line on each side Of
vessel from one end OF the craft to the other.
ana y9n have anothsr queer c9ntrlyance ior
signed TO act unon the water and drive the ship
onward. one Of the funniest OF all the devices
OF this sort is in the shane of an enormous
weight hanging like a pendulum from an in
cllned mast into the hold OF the vessel; The
forth. and the enersy thus produced is Utilized
by an elaborate mechanical arrangement 10
run the Ter at, the stern When there
are no waves the ship comes to a stADdStil- !
But It can afford to do this now and then. mas
much As the power It uses costs nothing
the motion OF the waves, not less interesting. |
one Is vessel with its back broken In the !
pnI linz 80 ta waves nsr r td WORT anp doTn'
II is not explained how the people on board are
to keep their feet under these peculiar circum-
stances one would thiuk that they would he
afflicted with variety OF seasickness I'M 4
usually intense. seeming Improvement on
which a framework is stretched end wise Wave
motion Is supposed topropel this. also, though, [
as mater OF tact It doesn I. Perhaps the
entire bow eud Of which, comprising about
one sixth Of the vessels length. is made 10 re-
the water, AMI it, revolution operates tho ,
propeller at the stern. The inventor does
ed. Small boats o tut on the ieet for the pur-
pose If walk upon the water. wa ter tricycles
and water bicycles have already become pub
made Of two cylindrical shells one inside Of the
other. and NO matter how often the outer shell
shell. which Is hung like penduium. must al
ways remg'n right side up. The great trouble
I" turn bottom inward or get swamped In be-
Ing launched. but this trouble is gotten over
by a. craft OF the sort that has two air-tight
ter how it tails into the water, which automati-
caily SETS the boat into shape to receive its pas
tened in their places for rowing. This wonder
tui con'ryIanee is rapidly coming into use.
fl He'd with attempted improvements in sail de-
vices. The, most extraordinary OF them all Is
represented BY miniature ship. with one
i've deg eos from the middle deck toward the
bow ms III INA mat Is eIunped with vast
hal dozen great sails III the shane Of para
soils and umbrellas 10 be raised in the same
way way: Two biz fhdesSc9rneTef salt and huge
Ike Chinese Junk. Close by is Abraham Lin
CONS patent for getting vessels OF shoa places
accOrdeOn-shaped air bags Of enormous size,
which we're to 10 but into The hull OF the craft
and inflated TO buoy her on.
But these are only few Of the queer and
els III the Patent on! ce. There is an entire iG
copper two-thIds Of an inch wide and six
inches long. one end OF the strip ia sharpeued
affair is worked very much IN the same pr!ncl-
re 3e, as an ordinary sewing machine. with one
The beam ufa plough patented many years
ago is gun as well. which was very convent
NOR could so readily turn his horses one side
,,nd shoot with his agricultural instrument.
many CuTlOSltleS III INC hIlhUe OF guns are
LheIe. such IA canes and umbrellas that one
can shoot with If thera Is OCCASION AIso
rifle. the entire skeleton stock Of which IL q
tube filed with hundreds OF cartridges. In
luckily. 1t VIII MOI, work fast enough to mako
il servceable. Then thore is u revolver that
will fire biz bullets or little ones. lust as may
lappen to be requisite.
Sneaking OF killing people reminds one Of
'ohips One sort Of patent cas ket Tor prevent
ng burial alive IL big enough to permit the
ate lamented. upon revving below ground. to
limb out Of his grave by means OF a ladder left
Il,nf al
4 ventilator hole with the upper world. In case
10 should not lie strong enough TO climb. "a bell
: provided and attached to his wrist, to sum
non assistance. Another coffin IL 30 arranged
hat. II the corpse moves It's forehead tho lid |
springs onen.
The very newest patont In the electrical line
5 one that has lust boon introduced In WASH
ngton, and will shortly be brought out in the
\ ostern cities, 1t Is the backing Of boots on
lists to begin with q an ordinary b9ot-bIaSk /
customer puts his foot is an electric motor. to
Thlch IS attached a long revolving, arm en-
'losed in leather. All that IL visible to the
asual customer Is about six ieet OF what looks