The Washington times., 1901-10-06

John Wilkins, who in 164S wrote
"Mathematicall Magick, or, The Won
ders That May BE Performed by Me-
chanicall Geometery," must have been
a combination of Jules Verne, our own
Edison. Holland, who invented the sub
marine boat, the coming inventor of the
flying machine, and perhaps Frank
Stockton, who can write so interesting
ly of many weird appliances. Besides,
Mr.. Wilkins might easily have been
much heartier opium eater than De
Quincy himself.
MIR. Wilkins has a chapter on per
petual motion, which he thinks is
rather difficult to get. He has, also, an
interesting page or two Concerning the
Infinite Strength of Wheels, Pulleys,
and Screws That il is possible by the
multiplication of these to pull up any
oak by the roots with a hair, lift it up
with a straw, or blow it up with ones
breath" This little experiment which
he describes is illustrated. AT the close
of his exposition on this subject, the
author says: so that power that is
much less than the hundredth part of
pound will be able to move the world.
The Illustration shows a man blowing
away on little paper windmill. When
the paper turns around it moves little
rod below, on which is a bit of cog
which turns wheel. This wheel moves
a little larger cog than The first one,
and that turns a wheel that is slightly
bigger than the preceding one. And
this progression goes on until there is
power enough on the last wheel to pick
up big oak tree by the roots. All this
with a breath.
The authors submarine boat will in
terest everybody, for his invention has
much greater possibilities than any that
this age is likely TO produce.
1t will not be altogether impertinent
unto the discourse of these gradient
Automata,' he says, to mention what
Mersennus doth so largely and pleas
anty descant upon, concerning the
making of a ship wherein men may
safely swim under water.
That such a contrivance is feasible
and may be effected is beyond all ques-
tions, because it hath been already ex-
perimented here in England by Cor
nelius Dreble, but how to improve it
unto public use and advantage so as TO
be services for remote voyages, the car
rying of any considerable men, with
provisions and commodities, would be
of such excellent use as may deserve
some future enquiry"
Then Mr.. Wilkins takes up the diff
culties in the way, but he disposes Of
most OF them in a few words. The first
trouble he explains away is:
The letting out or the receiving in
anything, as there shall be occasion,
without the admission of water. If it
shall not have such a convenience,
these kind of voyages must needs be
very dangerous and uncomfortable,
both by reason of many noisome. often
sive things which should be thrust out
and many needful things which should
be received in. Now, herein will con-
sist the difficulty, how to contrive the
opening of the vessel so that anything
may be put in or out and yet the water
not rush into it with much violence, as
it doth usually in the leak of a ship.
In which case this may be the proper
Let there be certain leather
bags made of several bignesses, which
should be both tractable for the use |
and managing of them and strong TO |
keep out the water. The figure of them |
should be long and open at both ends. |
tCylinders without any tops.) Answer |
able to these let there be divers win
dows OF open places in the frame of the
ship, round the sides of which one end
F,a b.z |
end coming within the ship being to
open and shut as a purse. Now, if we
suppose this bag thus fastened to be
close tied about toward the window,
then anything that is TO be sent out |
may be safely put into that end within
The ship. which, being again close shut.
the other end loosened, the thing may
be safely sent out without the adnis-
zion of any water. So. again, when
anything is to be taken in, ii must be
first received into that part of the bag
toward the window which, being (after
the thing is within) close tied about
the other end may be fairly opened. 1t |
Is easier to conceive how by this means |
anything or person may be sent out, or
received in, as there shall be occasion,
how the water, which will perhaps by |
degrees leak into several parts, may be
emptied out again, with divers the like
Though if there should be
any leak at the bottom OF this vessel
yet very little water would get in, be-
cause no air could get out.
THE second difficulty in such an ark
will be the motion or fixing of it ac-
cording to occasion: the direction of it
to several places, as the voyage shall
be designed, without which IL will be
very useless, il it were to remain only
in one place, or were to remain only
without a certain direction,
and the contrivance of this may seem
very difficult because these submarine |
will want the usual advan-
tages of winds and tides for motion and |
the sight Of the heavens for direction.
But these difficulties may be thus
as for the progressive motion
Of it this may be secured by the help of /
of them shall be like the fins of a fish |
TO contract and dilate. The passage |
where they are admitted to the ship be-
ing tied about with such leather bags |
(as were mentioned before) to keep out |
the water. Ii will not be convenient |
perhaps that the motion in these vcy-
ages should be very swift, because of |
those observations and discoveries to
be made at the bottom of the sea, which
IN little space may abundantly recon-
pense the slowness of its progress.