The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-08-24
INVENTION OF CHANCE
6AYoNET DEVISED BY TROOPS
WHO HAD NO AMMUNITION.
How hrgand Invented His Lamp and
Calico the Telescope With Acct
dental Asslstanee-Discovery
Of Llthosraphy.

The bayonet is said to have derived
It's name from the fact that 1t was
flrst made at Bayonne, and its origin
illustrates the proverb, Necessity is
the mother of invention"
A Basque regiment was hard
pressed by the enemy on a mountain
ridge near Bayonne. One OF the
soldiers suggested that as their am
munition was exhausted. they should
Tx their long knives into the barrels
OF their muskets. The suggestion was
acted upon. The first bayonet charge
was made, and the victory of the
Basques led to the manufacture of
the weapon at Bayonne, and it's adop-
ton into the armies OF Europe.
Not infrequently an invention has
been suggested by some trivial event
which would have passed unnoticed
had not man with eyes and brains
seen 1t.
Argand. a poor Swiss. invented a
lamp with wick fitted into hollow
cylinder up which a current OF air
was allowed TO pass, thus giving a
supply of oxygen to the interior as
well as to the exterior of the circular
frame.
At first Argand used the lamp with
out any chimney. One day he was
busy in his workroom and sitting be-
fore the burning lamp. His little
brother was amusing himself by plac-
ing a bottomless oil flask over diff
ferent articles. Presently he placed
1t upon the flame of the lamp. which
Instantly shot up the long, circular
neck OF the flask with increased bril-
liancy. 1t did more, for 1t flashed
into Argand's mind the idea of the |
lamp chimney, by which his inven- |
tion was perfected
One day the children of Dutch |
spectacle maker were playing with
some of their fathers glasses before
the door of his shop. Setting two c. |
the largest glasses together they |
peeped through them and were sur
prised to see the weather cock of |
the opposite church brought close to
their eyes. They called their father
to see the strange sight He looked
through the glasses and what he saw
suggested to him the possibility of
curious toy.
Calico hearing of the toy which
made distant things appear close at
hand, saw at once what a valuable
help 1t would be in studying the
heavens. He set to work. and soon
made the telescope.
An accident helped Senefelder to
invent lithography He was a sort
Of Jack-of-all trades. a writer OF
verses and comedies, an actor, a I'D
Her. painter. an engraver and a
printer.
He worked at etching on copper. but
he coppersmith refused to let him
AVE any more plates unless he paid
ash for them. He then tried to
Utilize the old plates by rubbing of
he etchings with soft limestone.
At last the copper became useless
through many rubbings, and he tried
itching on the stone, a plan that did
lot work very well. One day, while
Ie was polishing off stone which
lie intended to etch, his mother asked
lin to write out list of the linen
which the laundress was waiting to
AIRY of. Not finding a slip OF paper
II a drop Of ink. Senefelder wrote the
LIST on the stone with printing ink
repaired from wax, soap and lamp
lack, intending to copy 1t at his
eisure.
A few days later, when he was
bout to wipe the writing from the
tone. he thought he would learn what
Gould be the effect OF writing with
he prepared ink on the stone, II Il
hould be bitten in with aquafortis. I
lie bit away to about the hundredth /
art OF an inch, charged the lines ;
nth the ink, took several Impressions
I the writing and discovered that
e had invented the art of lithography.
-Harper's Weekly,