The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-16
TRICKS TO BEAT THE MACHINES
All Sorts of Stuff Goes Into tn,

All Sorts of Stuff Goes Into the
Penny-i
If any one wants to see a curious collec-
zion just ask some druggist who has q
penny-in-the-slot chewing gum slot ma
chine in front of his place if any one ever
tries to beat the machine. Then ask him
to show his collection of relics which he
has accumulated as a result of these
efforts on the part of the public to do
him.
A druggist showed a MORNING News
reporter yesterday cigar box full of the
oldest collection of miscellany to be
found in days journey. The box was
filled with tobacco tags, pieces of lead,
copper, iron, brass pasteboard, cop
per coins Of half a dozen differ
ent nations and mutilated silver coins
of several denominations. Everything
that could be gotten into the narrow slit
intended for the copper cent seemed to
have been put there. There were sew
eral hundred of the various articles
named, each one representing a separate
attempt to defraud the machine or it's
owner Of cent The tin tobacco tags pre-
dominated.
The urchins who loaded the machine
up with these were under the impression
probably, that all that was necessary to
. thing about the size and shape of penny
and press the button. The machine was too
delicately adjusted to be worked by any
such fraud as this, however. The little
tin tags were merely thrown one side and
no gum rewarded the pains OF the
chaps that dropped them in. But
tons of every sort had also been tried, but
with no more success than the tags.
Numerous coins of foreign nations had
been dropped in, in the hope, doubtless,
that the machine would not know the
difference, but it did know the difference
except in cases where the coin was the
exact size Of the American copper cent.
There were copper coins of Hungary,
Belgium, Sweden, Germany and Great
Britain and several silver Canadian coins
as we'll as numerous mutilated American
coins. With the silver coins the would be
purchasers did not get their
moneys worth, BECAUSE while
the intrinsic value OF the coins
cent, they were in most instances too
light to produce the desired result. The
only device which was able to beat
the machine consisted of small
disks of copper the exact size
of the copper cent. Being the same
size and weight as the cent, they
had the same effect upon the machinery,
and when the button was pressed
the little package of gum or candy
dropped out. The manufacturers of these
copper disks must have required consid-
cradle time and labor, enough, in fact, 10
have returned several times the number
of coppers produced in good, honest
money, if expended in the right direc-
ton.
The druggist unlocked the machine and
exhibited the machinery by which it
is operated This is so ingeniously ar
ranged that nothing but copper cent or
something of exactly the same size and
weight will operate 1t. Anything
smaller than cent rolls out to one side.
If any rough or jagged coin or imita-
ton coin is pushed in it chokes up the
machine The result is that the next
person who comes along and drops in
good coin with honest intention fails to
get his gum. He naturally complains to
the proprietor of the store and an investi-
cation reveals the fact that another effort
has been made TO beat the machine and
failed
This article may be Of some informa-
tion to those who have been so industri-
ously TRYING to get ahead of the machines
and NAV serve to show then how futile
are,their efforts unless they are willing
to go to work counterfeiting coppers,
which is neither safe nor profitable.