The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-06-17
IDEAS LOST TO THE WORLD.
Marvellous Inventions that Seem 10
Have Been Forgotten.

"A recent Issue OF the mOSC pTOul-
nent exponent Of the steam engineer
ing industry, Power, reviews num-
ber CT interesting instances which can
not do otherwise than convince even
the most doubtful that engineering is
to-day very, very far from having
reached a pinnacle of perfection.
Among other notes it states that it is
hardly twenty years siuce John Way
mouth, the Wolverhempton engineer
and designer, discovered the motive
power of heat, exhibited it IN one of
the simplest, cheapest and most USE
full engines imaginable and then de-
prived the world Of its benefit.
He had produced beforehand round
dozen of excellent inventions, which
still bear his name, including the
modern revolving chimney cowi and,
having made large fortune, he de-
voted himself to Harvesting the ordi
nary heat of fire and making new
power Of it. The idea was laughed at
by oil his friends, but after four years
Of study and experimenting he pro-
duced stationary engine that gave
double the power Of any steam driven
mechanism at about third of the
cost and also a small model heat loco
motive large enough to draw truck
with man in it.
KEPT TIE SECRET TILL DEATH.
Ho invited committee Of scientists
and engineers, including Prois, Hux-
ley and Forbes Brown, and showed
them that his two machines worked to
perfection. The affair made great
stir and it was proved that a great
power Of unlimited scope had been
discovered. Weymouth was flooded
with offers Of huge sums for his in
vention but, for no apparent reason,
except perhaps the alleged madness
Of genius, be absolutely refused to
either to bring it out himself or sell the
secret. He announced himself salts
fed with the triumph Of the invention
and before his death, year later, he
destroyed all tho papers and plans ex-
planning the system and removed tho
essential parts Of the two engines.
These engines are still possessed by
his heirs, but nobody has been able to
make anything Of them.
Still stranger was the famous loss
Of the recipe for the manufacture Of
diamonds, some tlfteap years ago.
Herbert Warner, who aiopo discover.
ed and held the secret of diamond
making, did not live to wreck tho dia
fnond Industry, as people thought he
would, and the circumstances of the
Joss were mysterious aud tragic. In,
ferior diamonds can still bo produced
s:tiAoially, but only 1t d cost OF about
ten times their valve. Warner, after
years OF experimenting, was able to
turn out genuine diamond of large
size and Of che first water at the cost
OF smaller fraction Of the complete
stones worth. He, like Weymouth
Of heat power fame, manufactured his
diamonds before an audience OF soien,
.sists and produced three fne stones,
which were tested and pronounced
zauitless. Two Of them are still in
existence and are the greatest curiosi-
ties the jewel world has ever seen.
but within fortnight of his triumph,
before any new stones were put on the
market, Warner utterly disappeared
from his house on Harley street, Lon
don, leaving no trace whatever. So
complete was his disappearance that
from chat day to this not the smallest
explanation he's been hit upon.
THE BECRET Of rAtIuM.
Then there is the lost secret Of the
wonderful new metal called "talium,"
which would certainly have been worth
many millions to the nation and the
inventor. Grantley Adams discover
ed it just eight years ago and during
its short life it was one Of the greatest
wonders Of the "science Of commerce"
world. ''Talium' is an alley Of met
ais, electrically treated, nearly IS per
cent lighter than steel, both stronger
and tougher and costing 80 per cent
less to produce. 1t was the fruit OF
four years hard work and study and
eventually Adams completed it and
publicly exposed it to every kind of
test.
Trains or any other vehicles, as it
was proved, would be able TO travel 40
nearly double their present speed il
q constructed of 'talium." and there
was no kind Of edged tool that would