The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-01-19
MADE IN MINIATURE.
CURIOUS MICROSCOPIC MARVeGs
ACHIEVED BY INGENIOUS MEN.

ACHIEVED BY INGENIOUS MEN
Peter Ramus Tells some Very Tishy sto-
ries About John Muller The Ever Grow.
Ing Squad of Cherry Stone workers-A
Wonderful Knife.
Perhaps the most prevalent mania of
men gifted with mechanical ingenuity
takes the shape of accomplishing or ut
tempting to accomplish III miniature
the mightiost feats of engineering TINT
human hands have ever set up. The Ell.
thusiast i'll miniature regards the Forth
bridge, for example, not us utilitarian
masterpiece, but as model To be fol
lowed and copied i'll all the materials
supplied by II threepenny bit, and tho
9S5 feet of Eiffel tower neither fills his
breast with awe nor horror, but is re-
garded as choice subject to be con-
struoted in miniature out of bent pen
and the she'll of walnut
OF the medieval mechnnicians John
Muller, better known i'll tho trade az
Rcgiomoutanus, which one must admit
sounds we'll for one of his craft, who
lived i'll the fifteenth century, WAS with
out doubt tho Maskelyne and Cook of
the period, or ut all events he had MS u
biographer writer of greater imagina.
ton than the other less fortunate genii
of that era. Peter Ramus, the writer in
question. not only credits John Muller
with fashioning wooden eagle, which
ON tho occasion of the Emperor Max
imilian visiting Nuremberg flew out to
meet him, saluted him i'll due form
however that may have been-nnd then
turned round and accompanied tho pro.
cession to tho city gates, but further ms
serts that tho same individual turned
out an iron fly
Which, hnvinR flown perfect roundabout,
With weary wings returned unto her master.
We are inclined to think, all things
considered. that Potter Ramus had tho
markings of II very fine creator of excit-
ing fiction in him and that it was II sad
pity he allowed his gift To be wasted in
compiling "A biography Of Il 100 years
deceased automatic artiiieer i'll place of
forestalling the friend of our youth, NJ
Jules Verne.
Tho cherry stone has hon Il favoritc
subject for tho worker III miniature
since IIadrianus .lunius saw ut Meehlin
"a cherry stone cut into tho form of
basket, i'll which were II pairs of dice
distinct, the spots and numbers Of which
were easily to be diseerned with good
eye. 4 museum i'll Massachusetts Inns
among its other possessions 1t cherry
stone containing dozen silver spoons.
AS the Stone il Of the ordinary ei2e the
spoons are SO small that their shape can
only be admired by the aid of "A micro
scope. Other remarkable cherry stones
aro the ones carved all over with 1874
heads, mostly of popes and potontates,
and the ono fashioned by topmalor at
Nuremberg, which contains II plan Of
Sevastopol, railway station and tho
"Messiah" of Klopstock, is indeed mnl.
tum in parvo.
A tiny vessel has been made of late
years by an Italian jeweler who camu
into possession of pearl that nature
had caused to take upon itself the shape
and contour of boat A sail Of beaten
gold studded with diamonds, "a biunaclc
light of ruby and emerald. and rud-
der of ivory complete the structure,
which weighs less than an ounce all
told. We recently saw 1t stated that the
smallest steam engine in the world is
one Of an upright pattern, made Of sill
Yer and gold and resting on a - cont
goldpiecc. The diameter Of the cylinder
is one forty-eighth part Of an inch;
stroke, one thirty second Of an inch;
weight, ono eighth of grain, bore of
cylinder, 3l25 Of II square inch The
engine can be worked either hy steam
or compressed air, and-oh, shade Of
Peter Kamus-thc balance wheel of
ono-third of an inch diameter is said to
mako $50 revolutions per minute.
In 1916 II knife was nude Mt Mcssrs.
Travis 81 Son Is Manchester containing
three blades, bnttonhools, saw, punch,
screwdriycr, box, curkscruw, hook and
gimlet. two phlemens, species Of Ian
cot picker and two more laueets with II
ring at the head. The knife. we learn,
was only eleven sixteenths Of an inch
grains. At this end of the century
Sheffield can boast Of dozen pairs of
shears. each so minute that they alto
gether weigh less than half grain, II
report speaks true.
OF examples of microscope writing
there il no end, but ons Of the most IA
nous is mentioned by Pliny. who said
that Cicero had once seen IIomor's
"'Iliadn in n nutshell In order to prove
the truth Of this IA French writer named
Huct experimental in the presence Of
the dauphin, whose tutor he was IN
1870 lilo first showed that a piece Of
sheepskin 10 by s inches can be folded
up to fit the shell Of walnut. and then
proceeded to prove that he could get 250
stanzas of 80 verses to stanza on each
side Of the paper, or 7, 300 verses ON
each side OF the paintings III minia-
ture Carel van Mander, the sixteenth
century painter and historian, quotes
the landscape painted by Lucas van
Here's wife. This work Of art repre-
sontcd n mill with sails bent this mil
Ter appearing as if mounting the stairs
loaded with eack. \ cart and horse
were seen upon the terrace upon which
the mill was fixed, and on the road sew
eral peasants were discerncd. The whole
was perfectly distinct and accurately
finished, and vet So minute that ii could
be covered with one grain Of corn.
Surely that most microscopic artist, NJ.
Jan van Beers, must be descended from
the fair painter Of that extraordinary
work Of art. London STANDARD.
Her Explanation.
"This EuildinR, said the little city