Evening star., 1896-12-26
FINEST WRITING KNOWN.
The Remarkable Possibilities In Writ.
ing ON Glass With q Diamond.

ing ON Glass With n Diamond.
From the New York Herald.
The widest dream of fine postal card
writing fails to be of interest when COM
pared with what has been written on glass
with diamond point. So marvelously fine
are the marks that have been traced on
glass that when, by means Of a powerful
microscope. We clearly read the words
covered by speck when seen with the
naked eye 1t is difficult to realize the full
ness of the fact presented.
Think of legible writing so fine that
twenty copies OF the entire Bible can be
written in the narrow space OF one square
inch! Particular attention was called to
this strange fact by Stephen Helm, a mem-
Der Of the New York Microscopical Soci-
ETY. and fellow Of the Royal Society Of
London.
THE account of the wonderfully fine
nier on a postal card Is very interesting"
said Mr.. Helm, as he sat by his micro
scope, with a bit Of glass in his hand that
show ed a black ring in its center about the
size of silver three-cent piece. His ac-
comrlishment is quite wonderful, but it is
nothing compared with what is on this
glass.
''Ttat is the Lords prayer" said Mr.
Helm. 1T contains 227 letters and is
written within the five hundredth part Of a
square inch. In other words, the pace IT
covers is one-twentieth by one twenty-fifth
of an inch, and five hundred OF sue! spaces
are contaiped within the bounds )f a sin
gle square incn, which at the same rate.
would contain 1850 letters. Look at it
and read the words.
The bit of glass was adjusted under the
microscope, and there, in coed, plain writ
ing. was the Lords prayer. AS / read the
lines single speck of dust that floated
upobserved before our eyes settled on the
glass side and obscured the entire prayer.
yTff S1cY &c v,af rIaI Ixyv ,{.r~
scopists familiar with minute forms as
anything wonderful" said Mr.. Helm, but
the postal card story makes 1t of general
public interest Now, look at this slide''
The glass slide referred to was similar
to the other, and within the little black
circle marked on 1t there was no mark to
be seen with the naked eye or with the
stror gest hand magnifying glass.
You can see nothing there" continued
Mr. Helm, neither can you under an or
dinary microscope. but the same prayer is
written there AS on the other glass, only,
as compared with the other. the space is as
Dutchess county farm. Look at IT under
the strongest power my microscope is cap
able Of"
There 1t was. the Lords prayer. in the
done by Prof. Webb, of the Royal Micro
scoptcal Society-but ever so much smaller
The larger writing, as l have told you,"
said Mr.. Helm, covers a space measured
ny SHt-tWSHtielu al lHCu one way ana
one-twenty-fifth the other. This one covers
space measured by one-fve-hundredth
part of an inch in one direction and one
six-hundred and fifty-third part of an inch
in the other direction. In other words. it
means that with writing Of that size a.
115500 letters can be placed in a single
square inch. The force of this is easier
comprehended when We remember that the
Efble contains 1885, 4SO letters which
means that the entire Christian Scripture
can be written legibly, twenty times re-
peated, within the space of a single square
inch, and have considerable vacant space
left.
This wonderfully minute writing, which
requires a microscope magnifying GOO di-
ameters to make II readable. is produced
by moving the hand and forming the let
ters as Ia ordinary very fine writing. The
pen that is used is connected with a series
Of levers that reach a distance of six feet,
where is placed the glass slide to be writ
ten on. These levers are so adjusted that
the amount of motion is lessened as it
travels along the successive levers until,
when Ii reaches the delicate end armed with
a minute diamond that rests On the glass
surface. 1t is reduced TO the required fine
ness.