Omaha daily bee., 1914-01-04
ACCIDENTS THATWERE LUCKY
Humble Origin of ideas DeveI-
oped IntO world
wonders.


Valuable discoveries have been made
and valuable inventions suggested by the
veriest accidents. An alchemist, while
| seeking to discover a mixture of earths
! that would make the most durable cruel
bles, one day found that he had made
porcelain.
The power Of lenses. as applied to the
telescope. was discovered by a watch
makers apprentice. While holding spec
tacle glasses between his thumb and fin
ger he was startled at the suddenly en-
larged appearance OF neighboring church
spire.
The art os etching upon glass was dis
covered by Nuremberg glass cutter
BY accident a few drops OF aqua fortls
fell upon his spectacles. He noticed that
, the glass became corroded and softened
i where the acid had touched n. That was
hint enough. He drew figures on glass
with farnish. applied the corroding fluid,
/, then cut away the glass around the draw
ing. When the varnish was removed the
figures appeared raised upon a dark
ground.
Mezzqtint owed it's invention to the
simple accident of the gun barrel OF a
sentry becoming rusted. with dew.
in a cathedral suggested TO Calico the
application OF the pendulum.
The artlof lithographing was perfected
through suggestions made by accident.
A poor musician was curious to know
whether music could not be etched upon
stone as we'll as upon copper. After he
had prepared his slab his mother asked
him to make memorandum Of such
clothes as she proposed to send away to
be washed. Not having pen. ink and pa
per convenient he wrote the list on the
stone with the etching preparation. In
tending to make a copy OF It at leisure
few days later. when about to clean
the stone. he wondered what effect aqua
fortis would have upon 1t. He applied
the acid. and in few minutes saw the
writing standing out in relief The next
step necessary was simply to ink the
stone and take Oft an impression.
The composition of which printing
rollers are made was discovered by a
Salonian printer. Not being able to find
the pelt ball. he linked the type with a
piece OF soft glue which had fallen out
, Of glue pot. It was such an excellent
substitute, that after mixing molasses
with the glue to give the mass proper
, consistency. the old pelt ball was entirely
discarded.
The shop of a Dublin tobacconist by
the name of Lundyfoot was destroyed by
fire. While he was gazing dolefully into
the smoldertng ruins he noticed that his
, poorer neighbors were gathering the snuff
, from the canisters He tested the snuff
himself and discovered that the fire had
. largely improved its pungency and aroma.
II was a hint worth profiting by. He Sc.
cured another shop. built a lot of ovens,
subjected the snuff TO a heating process,
save the brand a peculiar name, and in
q few years became-rich through an ac-
'eident which he at first thought had COM
pletoiy ruined him.
The process OF whitening sugar was dis
covered in curious way. A hen that
had gone through a clay puddle went
with her muddy feet into a sugar house
She left her tracks on 9 pile OF sugar
II was noticed that wherever her tracks
were the sugar was whitened. Expert
ments were instituted. and the result was
that wet clay came to be used in refining
sugar
The origin OF blue tinted paper came
about by a mere slip OF the hand. The
, wife OF William East. an English paper
maker. accidentally let a blue bag fall
into one OF the watts OF pulp. The work
men were astonished when they saw the
. peculiar color OF the paper. while Mr..
East was highly incensed over what he
considered a grave pecuniary loss. His
wife Was so much frightened that she
, would not confess her part In Il. After
storing the damaged paper for four
years. Mr.. East sent II to his agent at
London. with instructions TO sell II for
y what Il would bring. The paper was ae-
= cepted as a ''purposed novelty and was
Z disposed OF at big price. Mr. East was
Astonished at receiving an order from his
4, agent for another large invoice Of the
paper He was without the secret and
! found himself In dilemma. Upon men
I tioning It ia his wife. she told him about
" the accident He kept the secret. and the
!. demand for the novel tint far exceeded
J his ability 10 supply it-New York Press.
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