The Winslow mail., 1898-11-05
INGENIOUS THEORY.
Explains Why the Earth Keeps
Going Round.
An Indiana Scientist Thinks 1t Is the
Suns Heat - Some of His
Interesting Expert
me2ts.

Tie venerable Mr.. NJ. Burton, of In
dianapolis, a student, has for many
: ears been striving to demonstrate the
,heory "a to the worlds revolution and
the power of the expansion and con-
traction Of atmosphere, and along the
Inc of his experiments has construct
cd a clock which has been running for
,nree years and six months, keeping
good time and winding itself. He does
not claim perpetual motion for the in
yention, leaving the experiment TO
speak for itself. The clock may be said
10 be wound by the solar system, the
axiom of heat expanding and cold con-
tracing being the basis. In other
words the clock is wound by changes
in temperature, the principal force be-
ing day and night differences.
He found, after experimenting, there
is an average difference of 20 degrees
n temperature between day and night,
he day, of course. being the warmer.
1t follows that the heat of the day eX-
pandS, while the lower temperature of
the night contracts. Mr.. Burton took
an ordinary old style clock, using
weight. Outside of his house is tin
tank, ten feet high and nine inches in
diameter, which is alright. From it
tube runs into the cellar. leading to a
cylindrical reservoir, which receives
The air from the tank. In this reser-
Dir there is piston, the rod Of which
moves with ratchet between the
hahn on which the piston depends.
The heat of the sun expands the at
inosphere in the exterior tank. thus
forcing any excess into the reservoir
near the clock. During expansion the
piston rises. In the night time the
contraction of the air in the exterior
tank reduces the air in the reservoir
and the piston lowers itself. The
ratchet arrangement winds the clock.
Mr.. Burton regards this ingenious ar
rangement as simply IA scientific nov
city to demonstrate the power Of the
atmosphere under different tempera-
lures.
However, he has carried the expert
ment into lines showing that atmOs-
pheric pressure evidently has some
thing 10 do with the movement Of the
earth's orbit. Mr.. Burton procured
copper globe, which he divided into a
number Of alright compartments.
During exposure to the sun this globe
revolves, because, as explained by Mr..
Burton. OF the expansion of the heated
air in the chambers facing the sun and
the contra elton in the chambers not so
exposed From this he argues that the
revolutions of the earth are regulated
by the expansion and contraction of
the atmosphere.
To illustrate, he says: Suppose a
belt of the earth's surface 5000 miles
wide $4,000 north and south from the
equator) and extending east and west
around the world $4,000 miles, making
on area of 1872 900, 900 square miles of
surface, end the mean pressure about
five pounds to every square inch. But
as one-half of this area is continually
exposed to he suns rays. and the other
half is constantly in the shadow of the
earth. there is a mean difference in the
temperature of the atmosphere of the
hemisnheres of say, ten degrees; the
air contracting on one side and eX-
panding on the other, as the sun rays
leave or fall upon the earth's surface.
The weight would be equal to 4,OC0.0O0
square miles of water 33 feet deep. cal
culated on the atmospheric pressure OF
Is pounds to the square inch. This
would approximate the weight of the
OK on this great treadwheel and he
would stand on the earth s surface just
back of the dawn of day and travel
westward on the earth's surface just
at the same speed that the earth rolls
eastward. causing the earth to revolve
on the same principle that the OK on
the :readwheel causes it to revolve.'
Mr.. Burton has perfected number
of curious things, of which the two
mentioned are among the most Pc
cuiar. He claims no special usefulness
for his clock invention, nor is it ap-
parent that he is seeking to profit by
any of mis- Observation-Disclosures
Ero,,irar