The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-06-13
HAD RIDDLE SOLVED
CAD FATE OF INVENTOR OF PER.
PETuAL NOTION.
Fifty Years ago toe Ijea Was Shown
TO &c Feasibls. tui the Wise Men OF
the Gay sGofied--And Humsnitys
Beitsfaeter Died.

II there be any ono negative r-opo
sition in mechanics that is held To be
undeniablc by the entire scientific
world. II Is that II II not possible 10
construct n perpetual motion machine.
And by perpetual motion machine.
taking II In its simplest form. II meant
. piece OF mechanism which will TO
main indefinitely in continual motion
solely by the action OF the attraction
Of gravitation.
Nevertheless no less a person than
Mr.. David NJ. Stone. who was for
many years the editor Of the Journal
Of Commerce. and whose personal
character has always been above sus.
picion. Is the authority for the posi-
five statement that he had IN his pos
session for several weeks, about nfty
years ago. a machine OF precisely that
sort. lie declared that the files %
the Journal Of Commerce Of about
1859 contained n full account Of the
machine. but these files were dc
stroyod by FIRE. and he told the story
from memory. However" he do
clared. Il remember the facts perfect.
ly.
"Abou, 1859 an old man. perhaps so
years old, brought the machine 10 M
offlco 10 show 20 me. II WAS con-
structcd about like this. th.sK there
were six OF the hollow arms. In each
one was a little bali. The arms were
not rigidly fixed. but had n little play.
As the cylinder revolyed the balls
rolled. Thus, the balls In the arms
on the right were always IN inch OF
30 further from the center than those
ON the left and they counterbalancod
the weight OF the arms themselves.
the whole machine was always, there
fore, heavier on the right than on the
left. and SO II always revolved. I
think there was also a spring IN each
arm that helped the reaction u the
ball. but | cannot rscolloct the ar.
rangement OF the springs.
Then there was a pendulum that
was geared 20 regulate the speed. II
that was disconnected tho machine
went faster and faster TIL the centri.
fugal forcs kept all tse little balls az
one spot. and then IL would 40 slower
and slower TIL II stopped. I tried that
once. and started IL again with my
Finger.
well. ! kept that machine In my
otice for several weeks, under my
own private lock. 10 make sure that
there was no trick about Il. and ~
went right along. The Journal OF
Commerce printed an account OF II.
and was ridiculed numerically in con
sequence. but the machine kept right
on going.
Then the old man exhibited Il at a
fair In New Jersey. charging a small
entrance fee, and some local scien-
tific men-I think one Of them was .
Princeton professor-had him arrest
ed for taking money under false pre-
lenses. He was arraiyned and the
Justice Of the peace asked him what
defense he had. and the old pan said
his only defense was tina: the ma
chine dfd what he claimed. The jus
tice was angry and asked him how
he dared say that when these eminent
gentlemen swore there must be o
spring in II OF 1t wouldn't go.
"And the old man said: I have
worked at It for forty years, and
there is no spring In II. and 1t does
go
so they got on Ak and chopped II
up. and there was a great silence. for
there was no spring. And the DID man
picked up the fragments AMI went
away with the tears rolling down his
face. And he died soon after.--Nsw
Ynrk HERALD.