The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-11
MADE IN MINIATURE.
CURIOUS MICROSCOPIC MARVEL
ACHIEVED BY INGENIOUS MEN.

Peter IsHmus Tells Some Very FisIy Sto
RIGS About John Mullcr-Thc Ever Grow
ing Squad Of Cherry Stone Workers-A
Wonderful Knife.
Perhaps tho most prevalent mania of
men gifted with mechanical ingenuity
takes tho shape of accomplishing or at
tempting to accomplish i'll miniature
the mightiest feats of engineering that
human hands have ever set up. The ell
thusiast i'll miniature regards the Forth
bridge, for example, not as utilitarian
masterpiece, but us II model to be fol-
lowed and copied i'll all tho materials
supplied by Il thrccpcnny bit, and the
$50 feet of Eiffel tower neither fills his
breast with awe nor horror, but is re-
garded as choice subject to be con-
structcd III miniature out of bent pen
and the shell of II walnut
OF the mcdinval mechancians John
Muller, better known i'll the trade as
Regiomontanus, which one must admit
sounds well for one of his craft who
lived i'll the fifteenth century, was with
out doubt tho Maskclyno and Cook of
the period, or at all events he had as il
blographer writer of greater imagina-
ton than the other less fortunate genii
of that era. Peter Ramus, the writer i'll
question, not only credits John Muller
with fashioning wooden eagle, which
on tho occasion of the Emperor Max
lmilian visiting Nuremberg flew out to
meet him, saluted him i'll due form
however that may have bcen-and then
turned round and accompanied the pro-
cesslon to the city gates, but further as
scrtS that the same individual turned
out an iron fly
Which,, having flown 81 perfect roundabout,
with weary wings returned unto her master.
We are inclined to think, all things
considered, that Peter Ranlus had tho
nhkinss Of Il very fine creator of excit-
ing fiction i'll him and that it was Il sad
pity he allowed his gift to be wasted in
compiling biography of Il 100 years
deceased automatic artifcer i'll place of
forcstalling the friend of our youth, NJ.
Jules Verne
Tho cherry stone has been :: favorite
subject for the worker i'll miniature
since liadrianus ,lunius saw ut Mechlin
"a cherry stone cut into the form of Il
basket, i'll which were II pairs of dice
distinct, the spots and numbers Of which
Were easily to be discerned with a good
eye. ~ museum i'll Massachusetts has
among its other possessions II cherry
stone containing ~ dozen silver spoons.
AS the stone is of the ordinary size the
spoons are so small that their shape can
only 10 admired by the aid of il micro
scope. Other remarkable cherry stones
are the ones carved all over with I24
heads, mostly of popcs and potcntatcs,
and the one fashioned by /. topmaker at
Nuremberg, which contains plan of
Sevastopol. Il railway station and the
Messiah" Of Klopstock, is indeed null
tum III parvo
y tiny vessel has been made of late
years by an Italian jcweler who came
into possession of pearl that nature
had caused to take upon itself the shape
and contour of Il boat. \ sail of beaten
gold studded with diamonds, Il binnaclo
light of ruby and emerald, and il rud-
der of ivory complete the structure,
which weighs less than an ounce all
told. We recently saw it stated that the
smallest steam engine in the world is
one OF an upright pattern, made Of sill
Yer and gold and resting on Il % cent
goldpiecc. The diameter of the cylinder
IS one fcrty-eighth part of an inch;
stroke, one thirty second Of an inch;
weight, one eighth of Il grain; bore of
cylinder, .3l25 of ~ square inch. Tho
engine can be worked either by steam
or compressed air, and-oh, shade of
Peter Ramus-the balance wheel of
third of an inch diameter is said TO
mako 1,760 revolutions per minute.
In 1916 knife was made ut Mcssrs.
Travis & Sons, Manchester, containing
three blades, buttonhooll, saw, punch,
screwdrivcr, box corkscrew, hook and
glmlet, two phlemens, Il species of Ian
Get, picker and two more lancets with
ring ut the head. The knife. we learn,
was only eleven sixteenths of an inch
long and weighed l pennywcight II
grains. At this end of the century
Sheffield can boast of dozen pairs of
shears. each so minute that they alto
gcthcr weigh less than half "a grain, if
report speaks true.
OF examples of microscope writing
there is no end, but ono of the most "a
nous is mentioned by plinv who saih