The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-06-13
THE FELINE MOTOR.
The Marvellous Invention of "A Western
Genius, and Its Mo,Ie of Operation.

Genius, and Its Node OF Operation.
Stoughton, Dane County, Wis, May
10 Prof. Richard de Long, the in
ventor of the new feline motor. is tall,
pale faced man, with a three story bay
window forehead overhanging a PAIR of
deep-set, skyblue eyes, set on each
SIDE of large, thin, hooked nose. He
is not beauty; but he is genius.
His feline motor, which at present
IS creating such a sensation In scientific
circles in S!oughton, is a marvellous
machine, unique in appearance and
wonderful in operation. 1t may be
described as a curious combination of
large and small fly wheels, great Bal
ance- wheels, bright steel rods, and
an almost innumerable number of coils
of copper wire, all joined to brightly
polished cylinder OF brass, one end of
which projects into wire cage f. ed
with ordinary cats. Its operation is
very simple, but surprising in its results.
A slight pull on a small nickel plated
lever starts the machine Then like
lightning from out the end of the
cylinder projecting into the cage there
shoots long steel arm and hand, grab
bing one of the cats by the nape Of the
neck and yanking it into the cylinder,
where it disappears with a yowl OF
more than feline terror. In moment
the aywheels, the great balance wheels
and all of the complicated machinery
begin to move, at first slowly, but soon
with startling rapidity. At the proper
moment, which is indicated by small
clock like attachment, the operator
pulls another lever, when from out of
the other end Of the cylinder, with hair
and tail erect, scintillatng eyes and
caterwaul dlslocating to ones spinal
column, the cat is projected into tub
OF cold water prepared for its recep
ton.
This operation, surprising as 1t may
seem, extracts from the cat electricity
equivalent 10 the power represented by
ten horses working for one hour, and
this power can be stored in the cylin-
der until needed. As a cat can be
run through the motor every three
minutes, and all the accumulating cleo
triclty stored, the power OF the machine
is practically limitless. The same cat
can be used once every ten hours
without in the least impairlng its health
and general usefulness.
The professor is jubllant over the
success of his invention. He is satisfi
ed that he has overcome every diff
Guilty, and intends soon TO put the
machines upon the market. In speak
ing OF the origin of the invention and
the probable results of its use, he says:
81 have long believed that the cat is
natures Leyden jar, charged with an
enormous amount of electricity, but in
such a manner as to require peculiar
process to extract it. This process 1t
has been my good fortune to discover.
The discovery will be of ,ncalcuiable
benefit to mankind. 1t will revolution
ize the mechanical world, and be felt in
every department. By its means every
family, no matter how poor, can have
its home brilliantly lighted with elsc-
tricity at less cost than to have 1t
poorly lighted with kerosene. BY
simply running the now practically use
less house cat through the machine
twice each day a safficient amount of
electricity can be en2endered TO lllum
nate brilliantly anv medium-slzed
house. Think how advantageous it
would be to large city. Take New
York, Tor example. Carefully COM
piled statistics show that there are at
present within the city limits about g.,
9oS,347 cats. This represents very
nearly 2o,ooo,ooo continuous horse
power, or enough to light the entire
city and furnish all the motive power
needed to do its work. The feline
motor will do away with steam. Ten
years from now, l venture to saw, there
will not be a steam engine in active
operation in the United States"