The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-10-13
ACCIDENTS THAT
were FORTUNATE

Valuable discoveries have been
uade and valuable inventions sug-
ested by the veriest accidents. An
Nchemist, while seeking to discover a
mixture of earths that would make
The most durable crucible, n day
found that he had made porcelain.
The power of lenses, as applied to
the telescope, was discovered by a
watchmaker's apprentice. While hold
ms spectacle glasses between his
thumb and finger he was startled at
The suddenly enlarged appearance of
neighboring church spire.
The art of etching upon glass was
discovered by a Nuremberg glass cut
ter. BY accident a few drops Of aqua
tortis fell upon his spcctacles. He no.
ticed that the glass became corroded
and .softened where the acid had
touched it. That was hint enough.
He drew figures on glass with varnisn,
applied the c%orroding fluid, then cut
way the glass around tho drawing.
When the varnish was removed the
agures appeared raised upon a dark
ground.
Mezzotint owed it's invention TO the
Iimple accident of the gun barrel OF
4 sentry becoming rustcd with dew.
The swaying to and fro of a chan
delier in a cathedral suggested to Gall
tleo the application Of the pendulum.
The art of lithographing was per-
fected through suggestions made by
accident. A poor musician was curi-
gu to know whether music could not
be etched upon tor as we'll as upon
copper. After he had prepared his
slab his mother asked him to make a
memorandum of such clothes as she
proposed to send away to be washed.
Not. having pen. ink and, paper con-
venient. he wrote the list on the stone
with the etching preparation. intend
ing to make a copy of it at leisure. A
few days later, when about to clean
the stone. he wondered what effect
saua FORTS would have upon it. He
applied the acid. and in a few minutes
ow the writing standing out in re-
lief. The next step necessary wal
simply to ink the stone and take off
an impression.
The composition of which printing
rollers are made was discovered by a
Salopian printer. Not being able to
find the pelt ball. he linked the type
with a piece of soft glue which had
fallen out of a glue pot. 1t was sucn
an excellent substitute that, after mix
ing molasses with the glue. to give the
mass proper consistency. the old pelt
ball was entirely discarded.
The shop Of a Dublin to~bacconist by
the name of Lundyfoot was destroyed
BY fire. While he was gazing dole
FULLY into the snloldering ruins he no.
iced that his poorer neighbors were
gathering the snuff from the canisters.
He tested the snuff for himself, and
discovered that the fire had largely
improved its pungency and aroma. It
was a hint worth profiting by, He
secured another shop. built a lot OF
ovens. subjected the snuff to a heat
ing process, CAV the brand a peculiar
name. and in a few years became rich
through an accident which he at first
hough ha completely ruined him.
The process Of whitening sugar was
discovered in a curious way. A hen
That had gone through a clay puddle
went with her muddy feet into a SUI
gar house. She left her tracks on a
pile of sugar. 1t was noticed that
wherever her tracks were the sugar
vas whitehead. Experiments were in
stituted. and the result was that wet
clay came to be used in refining su.
gar.
The origin of blue tinted paper
came about by a mere slip Of the
nand. The wife Of William East, an
English paper maker. accidentally let
blue bag fall into n Of the watts OF
when they saw the peculiar color of
the paper. while Mr.. East was highly
lncensed over what he considered a
grave pecunlary loss. His. wife was so
much frightened that she would not
CONFESS her part in it. After storing
Inc damaged paper for four years. Mr..
East sent it to his agent at London,
With instructions to sell it for what
1t would bring. The paper was ac-