New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-31
Ancient Use of Modern De,Oices

Onquestionably the most useful OF all modern
machines is the steam engine Of which the tIr-
pine Is the latest development A rotary engine
was devised fully two thousand years ago. how
ever ana greatly anticipated the reciprocatin.
engine OF Newcomer and Watt Hero. Of Alex
andria, secured a rotary motion by different
means than those employed By Parsons and
Curtis. BY admitting steam through a hollow
axle conducting It thence through radiaI arms,
and bending the tips OF these backward. he set
In operation the same principle which Is en-
bodied In a Fourth OF July pInwheeL The re-
sistance OF the air to the Issuing tets compelled
the Jets themselves TO receds rapidly, and to
carry with them the mechanism on which they
were mounted With turbine the let and
wheel are separate. and. as the former Is sta
uonary its impact on the periphere Of the latter
forces the buckets there to recede It Is easy to
see now that Hero's engine could never have
performed heavy work. and It is important only
from historical point Of view. STILL 1t Illus
tTates by its ingenuity and simplicity true
genius.
Another idea, ecclesiastical and architectural
rather than mechanical which was In vogue In
ancient Egypt, and has found a wide applica-
ton In later times. was embodied in the con-
struction OF heather and Christian temples II
was long the practice In Europe to arrange the
axis Of such edifces so as to point to the spot
the eastern horizon where the sun would rise on
the festival OF the saints to which they were
devoted Within the last few months that prin-
ciple has been used as the key to a complicated
puzzle. AntiQuarans were anxious to determine
70 which OF four saints named Begsa, a church
in Oakley Town. Ireland was dedicated In pa
per read by Professor Joseph P. O'Relly before
the Royal Irish Academy not long ago. the au-
thor showed how the mystery was solved TAX
ing aim between objects that correspondent to
the sights on 4 gun at each end OF the structure.
he found that the sun would have been IN range
between April II and Is. and again between
August - and September . He therefore con
cluded that the church was erected IN honor OF
the particular St. Begga whose festival falls on
September S.
In many other Instances the coincidence was
much more precise. at least at the time Of the
erection OF the sacred edifce- Afterward. owing
to the influence with which astronomers are Ia
nIiar there would eventually be a slight shift
ing Of the position on the horizon where the sun.
or some other star that was employed instead
as a celestial landmark, would appear. Lock
yer. by ascertaining the degree OF variation that
has since occurred has thus been able to com
pute the age OF certain ruined temples IN Egypt
That at Karnak for instance. he believes to
have been founded about 500 B c. OF $500
years ago. Inasmuch as the ChaIdeans were
also famous astronomers. It may be discovered
some day that they, too. orientated their temples
In the same way. II no other indication OF the
antiquity OF those structures can be discovered.
probably the mystery can be penetrated by Like
methods