The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-01-08
Perpetual Motion.

shingle machine at a saw mill located at
.Blniner, then VanYille, Wisconsin. At
odd times during the stoppage OF the
mill, he traced upon the smooth surface
OF the shingles a machine which his im-
.agination suggested. With one of these
drafts he felt he had secured the plan he
sought and hid 1t in the saw dust pile
until the working hours were over.
This boy and man is found in the
name p. G.. Mattox, OF Piedmont, who
has been announced by the press
Of the Hills as The discoverer OF perpet-
ual motion. 1t was our fortune to meet
Mr.. Mattox at the late district Alliance
and we were pleased to receive an invi-
tation from him to inspect his stlrtlirg
discovery. Mr.. Mattox removed to the
Black Hills in June 'S5 with his wife and
three children and located two miles
south OF Piedmont. Later he took a
ranch on Elk creek three miles east OF
Cottel's store. OF late he has resided in
Piedmont and during the past year has
labored to resurrect the machine buried
in his brain15 years ago.
For twelve years, as opportunities
offered, the boy and young man labored
to produce a working model from
the draft. He labored under many diff
%culties as the practical father or vigilant
employee would not c~ountenance his
hobby. Fifteen years ago when IL man
grown with a family depending on him
for support, the grasshopper scourge
drove him out Of Kansas and he re-
moved to Council Bluffs where he hoped
to find work for the winter. Here his
faith IN his project is shown by the pur-
chase with his last remaining change OF
lumber for further experiment and the
borrowing OF a bowling ball for further
experiments. Here during the hours lie
could spare from work he continued to
build and rebuild until finally he pro-
duced a working model but only to find
an elephant Oh his hands with no &C.
q%uaintance and not even the small
amount of means to secure q patent.
He dare show the result OF his labors to
no one and to preserve his secret he
chopped up the result OF all these years
OF labor depending upon his head to res.
urrect it at some future year.
1t looks as though Mr.. Mattox had
succeeded, improbable as it may seem.
We are not enough OF a mechanic to
give a plain description OF the machine
or power, but will give the outlines add
wishing all our readers who a to see
it for themselves. 1t seems very simple
i'll it's construction and derives all it's
power from that greatest OF powers, the
lever. There is q walking beam thirteen
feet long provided with a double track
on which runs a ball weighing 1OOpounds
are levers carrying weights OF about 25
pounds, on the opposite side are levers
with weights Of 1Opounds. The weighted
levers are so constructed as to be in
strain as the ball passes from one track
to the other and thus their weightraises
the beam the grade OF the tracks on the
two sides being such that a slight raising
Of the beam starts the ball on thereturn
track, MS the ball passes or drops from
one track to the other at the end for a
second it is suspended does not touch
either track and here is where the lever
appears to get in it's work. Won't 1T
stop-is the question every, o..e asks.
1t has run continuously for fifty hours.
and was then stopped. A company OF
professors from Hot Springs watched it
Tor twelve hours when the early hours
OF the sabbath forced them to adjourn
Before seeing it we were inclined tc
donbt it's power, but it seems to be
limited only by the length OF beam anC
weight OF ball thlt can be used. In thi:
model with a beam OF thirteen feet anc
, a hundred pound ball a weight OF sixty
: pounds was attached to the beam six
teen inches from the fulcrum and it die
not impede the speed Of the machine !;
, particular. Mr.. Mattox is a practica
hard working farmer and his search lol
this long sought power did not effect hi
brain nor has his apparent success
turned his head. He states that h,
does not expect a fortune out OF his dis
covery but Mill dispose OF it at a reason
/ able figure. The price he named to u.
I seems in fact rediculously low. HI
| already has many offers for exhibition
rights. 1t surely looks to a casual OBJ
! server that a valuable power had bee1
} discovered, but if used as q curiosity
only it is a fortune to any man who
properly manages it.
Sentenced by Judge Gardner.
Before jadourning court Tuesday eve
ming Judge Gardner passed sentence OF
{ tLo three ~nrisopers ropvirta6 of +b,,