The St. Johns herald., 1891-11-05
4 FELINE MOTOR.
The Marvellous Machine Invented
 by a Western Genius.
Cats Utilized to Furnish Electricity for Illuminating and Other Purposes Steam Engines NO-
 where.

! Prof. Richard DeLong, the inventor of the new feline motor. says a StOugh- ton (Wis.) correspondent of the New York Sun, is tall, pale-faced man with threc-story, bay-window fore head Overhanging pair of deep-set, slzy-bIue eyes, set on each side of a large, thin, hooked nose. He is not beauty, but he is a genius.
 His feline motor, which is at present creating such a sensation in scientific circles in Stoughton, is a marvellous ma chine, unique in appearance and won- dcrful in operation. It may be de- scribed as a curious combination of large and small 1y-whcels, great bal ance-wheels, bright steel rods, and an almost innumcrable number of coils of copper wire, all joined to brightly polished cylinder of brass, one end of which projects into wire cage filled with ordinary cats. Its operation is very simple, but surprising in its re- suits. A slight pull on a small nickel plated lever starts the machine. Then like lightning from out the end of the cylinder projecting into tho cage therc shoots a long steel arm and hand, grab ping one of the cats by the napc of the neck and yanking it into the cylinder, where it disappears with yell of more than feline terror. In a moment the fy-wheefs, the great balance-wheels. and all of tle complicated machinery begin to move, at first slowly, but soon with startling rapidity. At the proper hi ol, ic o1 1DryS. II clock-likc attachment, the operator pulls another lever, when from out Of the other end of the cylinder with hair and tail erect, scintillating eyes, and caterwaul dislocating to onc's spinal column, the cat is projected into a tub of cold water prepared for it's reception.
 This operation, surprising as it may seem, extracts from the cat electricity equivalent to the power represented by ten horses, working for one hour, and this power can be stored into the cylinder until needed. As cat can be run through the motor every three minutes, and all the accommodating electricity be stored, the power of the machine is practically liInitless. The same cat can be used every ten hours without the least impairing its health and general usefulness.
 The professor is iubilant over the success of his invention. He is satisfied that he has overcome every diIsi:ulty. and intends soon to put the machines upon the market. In speaking of the origin of the invention and the probable results of its use, he says:
 ''I have long believed that the cat is natures Leydcn jar, charged with an enormous amount of electricity, but in such a manner as to require q peculiar process to extract it. This process it has been my good fortune to discover. The discovery will be of incalculablc benefit to mankind: It will revolution izc the mechanical world, and will be felt in every department of life. By its means every family, no matter how poor, can have it's home brilliantly lighted with electricity at Q less cost than to have it poorly lighted with kerosene. By simply running the now practically useless house cat through the machine twice each day Q sufficient amount of electricity can be cngendered to illuminate brilliantly any medium sized house. Think how advantageous it would be to large city. Take New York for example. Carefully compiled statistics show that there are at present within the city limits 9,99S,347 cats. This represents very nearly 2O,0OO,O0O 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 I venture to say there will not be steam engine in active operation in tho United States"