The morning call., 1892-11-05

out difficulty. as its weight was not more
than five or six pounds. My guide pressed
al electric button.
Now lift it." said he.
The pressing of the button had turned a
current into the wires by which the handle
was connected with the dynamos, and !
might as we'll have tried to tear the driving
wheel from locomotive. The steel block
was irreslstibly attracted to it. After much
tugging / lifted the whole apparatus, but
there was no parting the blocks.
Turn the handle around" said my guide.
Although the two blocks seemed to be
welded together, the handles could be re-
volved as readily as though they swung on
pivot
''There is tremendous force in magnet
ism that must soon be developed" said INV
guide. ",1he couplers If a railway trai3
could easily be maguetized and the cars
held together without any apparatus. That
is only one of thousand uses it Will some
day be put 10.
One of the instruments looked Ike per.
fectly smooth disk of brass, mounted so that
it.couid be reyolved. Near one edge of IL
was small microscope. The guido aeroJ
me to read some figures that he said wers
traced upon the disk, but / could make ont
nothing upon it whatever.
He invited me to examine IL tbronoh tba
microscope, and | found that the entire disk
was covered with figures that through the
glass looked half an inch long, and that the
Drass was divided into many sections with
hair-like lines
On another of the brick piers was what IL
sad 10 oe one of the most delicate sets of
scales ever made They are not delicate in
appearance for they are soidly made of
btass; Dut the mounting and adjustment
are so perfect that the weight of hair will
move them.
They were inclOsed in glass case. and in
one corner of the case was a tumblpr nf
sulphuric acid and in another corner a
tumDler or prepared lime to absorb all the
moisture. These scales are used in sncb
delicate work that the moisture that mtght
otherwise collect in the air in the case cO1Id
easily spoil troublesome and expensive
experiment.
The most curious thiag about these scales
was that they had no weights. tiny sill.
yer chain ran down through the top of the
case, its end hanging a hairs breadth above
the pan OF the scales in which weights
would ordinarily be put. 1t was lowered or
raised by turning a tiny ratchet
A turn of one notch and enough of si
yer chain descended into the pan to weiph
one grain; two nOtches two grains. and a.
on. One could almost weigh an opinion on
such set Of scales, and some of them. no
doubt, would be light enough.
In the last of the several long low build.
ngs we went through. half dozen endless
rows OF small machines were at work. soma
automatically and some with attendants
some as big as blacksmith's anvil and
SOui6 no IdIRcI ludu al INK DOttie. ManV
OF them were so delicate that the belts with
which they were operated were no bigger
than strings.
There were too many of these small
machines to examine, but one that stopped
in front Of was polishing tiny Jewel for
use in phonograph. This machine had
no attendant-it was working away, but fts
work was purely automatic.
1t held the jewel, the size of large pin
head, between Its fingers, and turned is
about in every direction, and occasionally
felt of it to learn whether it was smooth
enough, and all the time tiny side arms or
fingers came up to the front, polishing
wherever they touched.