The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-29
Pearsons' Weekly.

Before Watts, the Bristol workman dreamt
the dream which has since become historical,
the making of shot was slow, laborious,
and, consequently, costly process. Watts
himself was SHOEMAKER, and he knew. He
mad hrst to take great bars Of lead and pound
them out into sheets of a thickness nearly
equal ito the diameter Of the shots he de-
sired to make He then had to cut these
sheets into little cubes, place the cubes
in revolving barrel, and roll the barrel
round and round until, by the constant, fric-
ton, the edges wore off from the little cubes
and they became epheroids.
Watts had often racked his brain trying to
discover some better and less costly scheme,
but in vain. Finally after spending an even
Ing with some boon companions at an ale
house, he went home and to bed. He soon
fell into profound slumber, but the stimu-
lants he had imbibed apparently disagreed
with him, for his sleep was disturbed by un-
welcome dreams. He imagined he was out
again with the boys and that, as they were
stumbling homeward in the dark, 1t began to
rain shot. Beautiful globules Of lead, polished
and shining, fell in a torrent, and compelled
him and his bibulous companions to drag their
heavy limbs to place of shelter.
Nightmare Gave Us the sewing-Nda-
X *. chine Needle. ..<.
In the morning when Watts arose, he re-
membered his dream. He turned 1t over in
his mind all day. and wondered what shape
molten lead would assume in falling through
the air. These thoughts tormented him so
persstently that at last, to set his mind at
rest, he carried ladleful Of molten lead to
the top Of the tower of the Church of St.
Mary, Redcliffe, and dropped it into the moat
below. Descending, he took from the bottom
Of the shallow pool several handfuls OF the
most perfect shot he had ever seen. His
o. IN Por ho- nod fSyo6t t1a
idea of the shottower, which ever since has
been the only means employed in the manu-
facture Of the little missiles SO important in
sport. @a" ... r
Even more weirdly romantic is the story of
the invention Of the sewing nachine-or,
svthi III made The machine working pos iM. til
The unhappy inventor had practically beg
CARED himself before he discovered where the
eye Of the needle Of a sewing machine should
be placed. Naturally, in constructing his ex-
permental working models, he followed the
plan adopted for the ordinary needle, and
drilled the eye in the heel. Never for an in
I,stant did it occur to him that it should be
placed near the point, and. although he ex-
! pended thousands OF pounds and years OF
! labor, he would probably have failed alto
gether in realizing his ideal II be had not
one evening, after tolsome and disappoint-
ing day In his workshop, visited variety
|
popular in Its day, entitled 1.-The King of the
Cannibal Islands On returning to his home
he was haunted by the refrain. His unfin-
| ished model also troubled him. Small Won
der therefore, that on retiring to rest ne
dreamt that he was building sewing ma
chine for the king Of the Cannibal Islands.
| Also he was perplexed about the position Of
the needles eye. just as in his actual waking
| experience He tried, and tried, but the
machine would not sew. At length the King
I got Wild and gave the inventor twenty four
hours in which to complete his work. II the
machine were not finished by then. death
was to be the penalty.
! He failed, and as result was ordered out
| for execution AS he walked between a ME
Of soldiers he noticed that they carried spears
that were pierced near the points, and IN
| stantly. like flash, came to him the soiu-
/ ton OF the problem. While he was begging
| for an extension Of time he awoke 1t was
o'clock on a bitter cold winters morning,
hut he Jumped out of bed, few to his work
shop clad only in his nightshtrt, and by 3
1 O'Clock the first needle that bad ever been
forged with eye eye ct the point was lying
4 before him. After that the rest was easy.
1 4 Laundress who Will Make $50, 600
! There ia q woman in North London who