Page:Scientific American - Series 1 - Volume 001 - Issue 04.pdf/1



VOLUME I.

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'1' H E A D V 0 CAT E 0 FIN n IT S 'I' R Y AND EN'!' ER PR I S E) AND J 0 URNA L ..

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ME C HAN I CAL AND

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NEW-YORK, T HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1845.

VOLUME J.

u�. THE

SPRUCE STRJillT, NEW YORK, NO. STREET, BOSTON, AND NO.

PHILADELPHIA,

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STATE

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THE

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, PUBLISHED EVERY TJIURSDA� MORNINU, AT 1).

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THERIM PRO V E MEN T S.

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principles of the sciences of Me·clumics, Chemi�try and Architecture; Ilseful information and

insiruction in various Arts and Trades j Curi­ ous Philosophical Experiments j Miscellaneous Intelligence, Music a n d Poctry.

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I mprovem ent In gra te -bars of f urnaces-J ohn Ky­ mer, Caermarthen, South Wales, Eng., July 19th. Fu rnaces for heating b uild ings-G e orge Walker, New Haven, Ct., June 10th. Porta�e furnaces-George E. Varing, Stamford, Ct. , March 1 6th. Lamp -Henr y B. Fernald, Bos to n, Mass. , May 17th. Alc oh ol lall lp for �edi c ated va our baths GiJes p -: . L. F. Gnswold, assignee of L. E. HICks, Middle­ town, Ct" March 16th. Lamp -caps -Francis Draper, Esq., Cambridge, Mass " Nov. 20th. Lamp-caps-D. Jarvis and Now England Glass Co., assigne es of R. M. Eddy, Boston, Mass ., !fay 10th. Impro vement in the conslruction of lamps -Chris. topher Vest, Baltimol'e, Md., Oct. 7th. Lard-lam p-John Tobin, Bloomfield,N.J., March

parntus is estimated at 3,000 Ibs.

versal joint.

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moored at about 100 fc-.;t distant from the earth, WIICB within a few feet of tIle g-rolllld, aud

velocity of IOO miles pCI' houi': but if it were otherwise, there is sufficient buoyancy to

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B ot

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Thi� l 1 a ll oo l l beillg once inflated, is intended to be liP-pi constantly aflnat, being usc. Whe n passengers are to be received or landed, the. balloon will descend to

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light-seated car will desecnd with passengers, to receive them.

corresponding weight of stone blocks will be deposited, and 1,ice

"Then passengers are received,

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Jan, 6th. S elf-reg u l a t lug :lir-tie;ht stoves- H arned &. Elli­ ott, a:>signees uf Sa�';; .Hld Elliott, Philadelphia, Oct. 30th. A ppuatus for regul ating thu heat of 9toVf�s-Sam­ uel D. T illman, Seneca Falls, N. Y., April 171h. I m prove m e nt in cook ing -stoves-James Young amI Eimon Parker, Philadelphia, F e b. 12th. Improvement in cookinl!-stove�-J o rd o ll L, Mott, New York, Feb. 12th--S i mon Pelt!"., Schenect�dy. N� Y., Feb. l�2th-S. S. J ones, Phi!"d�lphia. Feb. 20th-ABhley Hotchkin, M aryland. N. J" Feb. 20th -S a nll1c l Belltz. BOOtlSbnru·. Md., March 9th­ Roswell Bush, }tr;;;:l('stcr, N. ¥., April 4th-Abuer Leland, Milton, 1'a., Apr il 4th-Frederic Kessel­ m ei r, Wooster, Ohio, April 13th-Peter Mills, Bing­ hampton, New York, April 30th-Isaac Straub, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jllne 5th-W. & R. P. Resor, ass ignees of Thomas Bent, Cincinnati, 0., June 5th -James White, M ilton, Pa., Juna 10 t h- Calvin Fulton,Rochester, N. Y., .Tune 1 0th-J ohn C. He r· m ance, Schenect a dy N. Y., J llne 13t h-Hen ry W. Camp, Osweg o, N. Y., ,julie 24th-James Wager, Troy, N. Y., July Jth-Lewis James, Amsterdam, N. Y., Sept. 2d-John W. Riggs, Fort Plain, N. Y., Oct. 30th-James H. Lyon, Sc hene ctady , N. Y., Nov. 1 8th-Adam Ketler, Phil:!delphia, Pa., Dec. 7th-Archibald W ie tin g, 1 iddlp-t o wn, Pa., Dec. 16th-William L. Potter. Clifton Park, N.Y"

TIt(' �aloon will be furnished with an apparatu8 for tho production of hydrogen, sufficient to supply whatevcr quantity ilia), e�capn hy leakage. The intC'l"iol' of the balloon will contain an nrrungement of linea versa.

and pulleys, by which the circumference llI:!y 11(' cOlltracted �llniciellt t cause the halloon ttl d escend whel1ev!lr oceasion requires. These lines, which are attached to thc rods, alld b} wllieh the rod� urI' drawlI towa rd s the centre, nre operated by a �l11all iron rod or wire, which passes from the interior, dowll through U slIlall stulliug' Lox, to the saloon. By means of this rod a n d system, the vertical movement of the balloon will be principally governed.

·�Vith regard to the safety of this Illode of travclIing, we think it can be readily made to appear that vess el s, thall tlw.re now IIrrlillflrily exists in traveiiillg by either sailing vessels or steam­

there will he less danger in ua vellin g over land in rerial

In the first place, the balloon will be less liable to HC('it/cnt, thun either steam vo ssels or railroad cars, on account of being less exposed j boats. re�ting on the elastic atmosphere, and floatin:; with the currellt, except what !(ll'ward motion is given it by the propelling machinery, it cannot

be effected by gales or squalls, lilw a stationary object, and it� m o t i ou � mllst he comparatively gentle. In the second place, the balloon will never soar so high hut that ill cuse of accident, or any derangcment of tIll' machinery, it may safely descend to the earth, in ten minutes: a n idea much more consolatory t o the passengers, than that of being live hUild)'(�d miles ii'om land, and surrounded b y a viole(ltly raging element, to which, in case of either fire or leakage, the marine passenger lIlu:;t eotlunit hilllselt: A third consideration is, that the balloon will be fur.

nished with an improvcd parachute for each passenger, and of whicll each may avail himself in less thun olle minute, in case of any e)tra­ ordinary emergency, and thus descend safely to terra firma, much easier th an he could paddle himself to shore, on a cotton bale, even from the middle of Long Island Sonnd.

of small copper tubes, there can be

The steam engine hy which the balloon is propelled, will he very small, and the boiler being constructed possihility of da,nage by ex pl �ion : and no accident ean possibly happen to the balloon, that would

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cause a sudden dcscent, so as to prevent the passengr'r� from having �uflieient time to avail themselves of the parachutes.

Moreover, their We shall give further and more minute particulars on thi� subj ect, with sectional illustrations, and mathematical demonstrations; but these must be deferred for future numbers.

bug gage woulJ all come to land in dne time.

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MECHANICAl. TAs'n:.-Vc are often surprised that mechanics do not pay more attention to th e art of design-Indeed, II nowledge of every kind is valu­ Olble to them. Sir Richard Arkwrig ht was, we be­ lieve, a barber, but having turned his attention to machinery, aml gelting hold of a hint invent('d the sp inning jen ny and amass ed a fort une. Vedgwood's pottery came first into notic'e in conseqncncp. of th e elegant shapes and des igns of his vases, !;UPS, &c . A p oor German mechanic roge to weal t h ill New York city, by being the first to introduce iron railings of beautiful p:ltterns in place of the plain, old­ tashioned strai ght rail poin ted at the top. There is a yankee n o w making his fortune by a cheap pr ocess of map colouring which a little chemical kno,"; ledge sugg e s ted to him. We k now a man who h;,s im­ p roved the ordinary macbine for platin g whip-lashes, and ap pli Eld it to the ma;ing stay laces, so tha t he can manufacture these articles for a price indefi n itely below any rival. So, too, in common ho u se-build­ ing, the c;>.rpenter, in a newly settled district, who understands how to erect a graceful dwelling, will soon carry off the business of those who are content­ ed with the old clumsy style. Who would not pre­ fer a window screen prettily pain ted to ,111 old fash­ ioned Chinese blind! Yet the one is not dearer thlln the other. In a word, taste and knowledge, when brought to beal' on the mechanic arts, will always carry off the palm from stupidity and ig no ­

rance.-Neal's Saturday Gazette.

wrigtlt

A rudder consisting of

bal l and socket, or �ni­

rour arms project in opposite directions from the rudder near its connecting joint; anlllj'o/ll Ihc 1:l)rI.<; of these, small lines extend

admit of engines capable of prodllcinl� 30 hor se powers•

The watch on deck, would now and then Run down and wake him with the lead, He'd up, and taste, !lnd tell t he m en How many miles they 'fent ahead.

If wright you would write right, You should not write it rite, Nor write, nor right: but write it .t.ndJrou will write it right;

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With regard to the velocity of this �rial ship, it is susceptible of demonstration, and will be shown ill a future number, that ten horse-powers

Snug in his berth, at. eight o'clock, This aneient skipper might be foun d ; No m atter how his craft would rock­ He slept,-and sk ipper slept profound.

To show that he is not a man.

One 01' two spiral fan-wheels, of 16 feet diameter, togethlilr with the requisite machinery for communicating

is sufficient to balance tIle atmospheric r('�istance at

A �kipler gray, whos'! eyes were dim, Could tell, by tasting, just the spot, And so below he'd 'dowse the glim ,­ After, of co urs e, his' something hot.'

€hitp that would Be a young lady if he c ou ld , £ut as he can't, dees all he can

Light-house lamp-Winslow Lewis, Boston, and Benj amin Hemmenway, Roxbury, Mass., Aug. 7th. S e lf-supplying lamp-Edwin B. Horn, Bostoll, Mass., Sept. 1 1th. La m p f or burning vola ti l e ingredients-Isaiah Jen­ n ings, New York, Oct. 12th. Mode "f raising larnp-wicks-Samuel Rust, New York, March 9th. Irnprovelnent in oil feeders-J oseph Beniion, Bos­ ton, Mass., Feb. 28th. Coolcing-rallges-H�rbert H, Stimpson, BOBtoll, Mass., May 17th. Kit(hcn-ranges-.·A, W, ThcJ m ps on, P hiladelpbia, April 10th. Metalic reflectors-Alonzo Farrar, Boston, Mass.; April 4th. Air-herltinjl; <:nd coolling stoves-John Woll ey, Sprin gfield , M95S., March j 6t h. Air-tight stoves- J oh n Cline, Norwalk, Ohio.

to the interior of the �illoOJl: and hy means of wllicll the direction of the balloon is complcttJly guverned, bot.h horizontally and vertically.

by soundin!J through the night, Knowing tke soil th:1.t stuck, so well, They always guesSed the reclwning right.

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26th.

We have already constructed and put in operation a steam engine and hoi IeI' capable of working two horse­

prised within the weight of 1000 Ib3.: thus leaving a balance of buoyancy of 5,000 lbs. for passeugers, bn!2"g"<lg'c, &.e.

Anti th en

A dandy is

An cliptic or

It is covered with cloth,

The weight of this part of the ap,

two broad funs, intersecting' eaeh other at right angles in the centre, is attached to the 'stern end of tlw ballooll, hy

The custom was to grea�e the lead,

A Dandy.

2,200 yards of

the power of the engine to the fan-wheel; and the requisite ropes and rigging connecting tbe salooll to tIll' h all oon, &c., mar all be com­

la ny a long year ago, Nantucket skippers had a plan Of findillg out, thro1.; g h 'hying Low,' How near New York their s ch oon ers ran.

Right ovej' old Mann Hackett's garrl�n."

it is plain that a

powei's, but weighing only 200 lbs., fi'om which it is estimated that an engine and hoiler, of a si ze to w ork two hor�,�-powers, may be made

within the weight of 1000 Ills.

an ancirnl lIw�·inCT.'t

The skipper stormed llnd tor e his hair, Thrust on his bo ots and rlJ(red to M arden, • Nantucket's ..tn/c, a.nd here we aTe

liS

It will require in itR cOllsn'ucion 16 long' rods, extending the entire length, and estimated to weigh 1000 pounds.

excepting about 100 feet of the central part, which has a permanent flOor and jii ceiled with thin boards.

Ballad of the Alarmed Skipper.

The skipper yawned, p u t out his tong ue, 'fhen opened his eyes in wondrous haste, And. then upon tbe floor he sprung.

This. sufficiently illustrates the first principles of ballooning; but

re'oloidal spindle-shaped saloon is attached to the balloon, being suspended iqlmediately under it by cords or wires.

lFrom. tho Boston Courier.]

, Where are we now, sir 1 p lease to taste;'

A hollow globe,

strong linen cloth which, when varnished, will weigh 1000 pounds, thu8 leaving a balance of buoyancy of 10,000 pounds.

will no" command double the original cost. Tr.n�.o:;.-Th('� .. ::::'t'lt'lltitie 'm�riClUI�' will l}c furni::;hed to subscriberfol nt $:J,OO per <JHIlUnl,-Onc dollar in advance, nnd the bahlncc in six montlJ�. Five copies will be scnt to one address six months, for four dl1nr� in ad'ance. Any pl�r;;on prot.Hl'ill�· two VI' m.ore sulnc!'iere, will be Cn� 'itJed to a COfOlllL.;:"iun of 25 c(mts each.

And so he took the well.greased lead, And rubbed it o'er a box of earth That stood on deck, (a parsnip betl,) And t h en he sought the ski pp er berth.

c ubic foot of this gas beiug encloslltl, ha s a buoyant power of one ounce ill ntm08pheric air.

A balloon of this fignre, 350 feet in length and 35 in diameter, being inflated with hydrogen, will have acquired a buoyancy equal to 12,000

pounds.

times its cost in school i n struction. Anothcr important argument in favour of this paper, is" that it will be worth t.wo do l lars at the end of the year when the 'Ohlllie is complete, and will probably command thllt price in cash, if we may judge from the circumstance that old volumes of the New York Mcehullic, hy the same editor,

'We're all a set of stupid fools, To think the ski p per knows by tasling, What ground he's on,-Nantucket sc hools Dlm't teach such stuU; with all th ei i' basting.

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form, which will encounter-as will be proved in our next number,-Iess than 1-200th part as much resistance as a globe of equal diameter.

llewspnpel', it will couvey more useful intelli­ gence to children and yOllng p<!ople, than five

One n igh t 'twas Jothum Ma rden 's watch; A wag was Jo,-the pedlar's son,­ And so he mused, (the wan{on wretch.) ' To-night I'll have", grain of filn.'

The specific gravity of hydrogen gas is less than that of atmospheric a ir, by something more than one ounce per

buoyancy in atmospheric air of more than four pounds.

instruct them in various mechanical trades, and guard them against impositions. As a fumily

was

already thus established.

cubic loot; and consequently

spherical balloon cannot be propelled with any considerable veloeity on account of atmospheric resistance, we have adopted the eliptic spindle

ful to farmers, as it will not only apprIse them of imprcvements in agricultural implements, hut

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.£RIAL NAVIGA'l'lON.-The practicability of trave]}ing rapidly and safely through the air, has been ulreatly established, as far as theory

can establish a point without actual experiment; und the most important principles 011 which success in this mainly depends, have been

five feet in diameter, may be made of oiled silk of less thall one pound weight; yet this globe, being tilled with hydrogen gas, will possess a

This paper is especially entitled to the pa­ tronage of Mechanics and Munufacturers, being the ouly paper in America devoted to the in­ terests of those clas�es; but is p!lrticularly use­

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gress of Mechanical Ilnd othcr Scientific Im­

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NUMBE R 4.

Improvement in the draught of chimn eys-Arehi ­ bald Vietin g. Midd let o wn, Pa., Dec. 16th. Methoel of break ing coal-Joseph Batten Phila.' del phia, Pa., Feb. 12th. Fire-fenders-M. Morgan, Jr., New York, Julv 22 n d. Fire- places-Daniel Hemingway, Leesbu rg, Ky., Nov. 9th. Hot-air furnaces-Jeptha Bradley, St. Albans, Vt. June 2 4 th.

By RUFUS PORTER.

provements; Americl!Il and Foreign Improve- , ments and Inventions; Catalogues of American Patents j S c ientific Essays, illustrative of the

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ISSUED IN 1844. CLASS V-Calol'�(ic, compj'ising lamps, jireplfl.ca, grates, furnaGes for healin� lntildini!s. ooQkinp" Q",."> • " paratus, preparation oJfuel, <tc, (Continu"d.j

(THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEING IN NEW YORK,)

of passing events, general notices of thc pro­

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CATALOGUE OF AMERICAN PATENTS

AR C A DE,

Each number will be furnished with from two to five original engravings, many of them ele­ glint, and illustrati'c.of lVcro Inventions, Sl:ien­ tific Pl·inciple.f, and CW'-ious lViJrks; and will contain, in addition to the most interesting news

s - ····-,.., _ _

BOTHERING A WI'l'NESS.-!. Little Rock paper tells a story of a youth put upon the witnes s 's stand, who was bothered by the counsel on the opposite s ides�one complaining that he could not underst,H�d the witness, and the other claimi ng the protection of the court against slIch interruptions. Losing all patience, at last, the witness addressed himself to the court-" If yo u'll just stop 'em both, I'll tell my story so that the biggest fool in the house will un­

deutand

it all."

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A BEAUTIFUl. FHi umc.-Lit'c is b e a u tifully comDec. 19th. COM�IERCE OF THE UNl'rED STATEs.--The follow­ pared to a fo untain fod by;i. thousanrl stre ams that Cooking and heatir:;g stov,:s-Laommi Baily, Bos­ ing sta tem ent of the commerce of the United States, peri �h if one be elried. Tt is a silver ('ord twisted · for the yeill' ending J une 30th, 1845, is from the ton, Mass" ilareh 26th. with a t h ous and strings that part asunder if one be Railway cooking swves-Chollar, Jones & Low, Washi ngton correspond ent of the New York Cour­ bro ken. Frail and tho u ghtless mortal;; are sur­ assignees of ChoH al" alld Parmelee, West 'l'roy, N. ier. It will be seen from it that the bala n ce of trade ronndell by inn umerable �dangcrs, which malle it I is against us (0 a sJrI"lI :tllIOllnt. Y., July 11th. much more strange that they escape so long, tha II The total value of import s for the lleating apparalu�-J Ohll Smart, Philadelphia, We that they almos t all perish suddenly al last. th year, ending June 20, 1845, is Pa., M arch 25 . $119512606 " are encompassed with accid �nts e"Gry day to cr ush Apparatus for warming bUildings-Benjamin Bhl,' The to tal value of exports for the the moulderi n g tenements that we inhabit. The ney, Boston, 1ass., Sept. 7th. year, ending June 30, 184.5, is 107,891,622 seeds of dise ase are planted in our constitutions by $ CLASS VI-Slmm and Gas Engin�s, -inclu din BOll, nature. The earth and the atmosphere ",hence we .Excess of imports, $11,620,984 e-rs and Furnaces therifor, and parts ther�oJ; draw the br eath of our life are imp re gnated with The total exports of sp ecie for the Stearn-boiler or generating 3pparatus-Gabrilll H, death-health is made to operate its own uestruc­ year, ending June 30, 1845, is $8,477,651 Moreau, Fral�ce, Jan. 26. tion! 'l'he food that nourishe;; the body contaiu� The total imports of specie fo), the Heater of steam-boiler, &c.-Zenas C, Robbins, the el e me nts of its "'ecay; the soul that ani mates it ! y�ar, ending June 3q"1845, is 3,952,233 S t. Louis, Mo., Oct. 16. by a vivif:ling fire teuds to W(/ilr it Ollt by i ts own RegU lating the snpply of water to $team-boileraction ; death lurks in ambush along our paths. Excess of exports of specie, , 5418 I .._.__._._____, _____�____..:. � ! Daniel Bal'llum, Bridgeport, Conn., J.,�ly 24. $4 5'>, Notw ithstandin g this is the truth, so palp ably con­ Furnace of steam · boilers-Leman Bradljjy, S ha· P APF.RIl'IG C H unc H E s.-This is a new fashion, firmed by the daily examples before our ey es, how ron, Conn" Dec. 12th. which has grown np lately in Pittsbu rg, and one little do we lay It to hea rt ! Ve see our friends anel G'a s-l ight apparatm-James Crutchett, Gl'eut that adds m uch to the interior neatne ss and beauty neighbol.lr� perish among us, but how seldom does B ritain, (now in Cincin nati, Ohio)-Eng. July 12th , of el llm� he s . The Fifth P resbyter ian church in it occur in our thoughts that om knell sh:Jll, per­ 1842; U. S. A. May Gth, 1844. Pittsburg has been papered with plain ha ps, give the next fruitless warn lug to the wodel ! Inflammable Gas or vapor engine-Stuart Perl'Y. and a handsome figure paper on the ceiling. The .. }IAl'I OF MUCH EXPEHlEC':CE.-A Glasgow pa­ Di�ciples' Church, in A lleghe ny , is papered Wilh �ewport, �. Y., May 23d . pel' tells of one Robert Arkless, aged 73, who has Mode of construet-ing and governi ng st.eam engine, gran i te paper on the walls, with marble columns,­ been wedd<ld to five wives, and has been the fath e r, The South Carolina Methodist. Church, in Alleghe­ fOI' th e purpose of sn pplying a steam boil er, aux ­ up to this time, of 33 children, He has been O ll e l iary-Henry R. Worthington, New York, July ny, is covered with marbl e paper on the wall s, with of �he Church's bes t customers. Of his children, marble columlls supp o rting cornice. The ceihng 24th-reissued Sep t. 7th. 29 have died, and of his wiv es toUI'. Thi� gives 33 Condenser and boilers of steam engine---Benja­ is covered with white watered paper. The Gazette min Crawford, Alleghen y city, Pa" Sep t. 7th. f u ne rals . A� all his wives are churc hed for each says pap er combines neatnp-ss and �heapness, and Conical balan c e valves, steam eng i ne--- Thomas birth, he has p aid for 33 churchiugs. As all his can be renewed at small expense-not nore than McDonough, Middletown, Ct., Feb. 12th. children up to this time, have been christened, this do u ble that of whitewashing. -���--'--��--�-""-''- '- - --.... ' - ._..... g ives 33 ch ristenin g s. Having been five li mes mar­ Conical seat and steam valves, steam engine--­ Sprague Barber, New York. A pril 20th. ried, he has paid for five weddings ? This is a p retty GOOD ADVlcE.-Somebody says: The best cure . Locomotive steam en gil1ll--- Edwin F. Johnson, for hard times is to cheat the doctor by being tem­ account. A century ago he would have been taken to Court and rewarded as a p rai seworthy subject. , p erat e : the lawyer by keeping out of debt : the dem­ New York, Dec. 31st. Open ing and closing the valves of steam engine-� agogue by voting for honest men; and poverty by He is now working for one shilling a day, and his Frederick E. Sickles, New York, Oct. 19th, being ind ustrious: but pay th e printer if you wish w if e for 8d, his master allowing him house and gar­ to be happy, and don't want til have the nightmare. den, IlTo bo continutd.j :

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© 1845 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC.

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