A DARNING- MACHINE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 726, 17 March 1876, Page 3

A DARNING- MACHINE.

—o —■ Imagine ye mothers of large families, who ruefully contemplate dilapidated socks by the dozen, after the week’s washing, with visions of strained eyes and tired backs floating across your minds; imagine a little apparatus in finitely more simple than the sewing machine, which repairs the lamest darn in ranch less time than we (Scientific American) can describe the operation, and far more neatly than you can do it with all your years of practice. This is what it is. Two small plates, one stationary and the other movable, are placed one above the other. The faces are corrugated, and between them the £ holy’ portion of the stocking is laid. Twelve long eye pointed needles arranged side by side in a frame, which last is carried forward so that the needles penetrate opposite edges of the hole, passing in the corrugations between the plates. 1 Einged just in front of the plate is an upright bar, and on this is a crosspiece carrying twelve knobs. The yarn is secured to an cud nob, and then, with a bit of flat wire, pushed through the needle eyes. Then the loop between each needle is caught by the hand and hooked over the opposite nob, so that each needle carries really two threads. Now the needles are carried back to their first position, and in doing so, they draw the threads, which slip off the knobs through the edges of the fabric. A little push forward again brings the sharp rear edges of the needle eye against the threads, cutting all at once. This is repeated until the darn is finished, and beautifully finished it is. The inventor is Mr O. S. llosmer, of Boston, and we predict for him the blessings of the entire feminine community. The cost of the machine is but ten dollars.

The following is “Snyder’s” account of how Blondiu learnt to walk the tight-rope, the information being gained from a private interview:— “Ho (Blondin) states that when only six years of age he walked along his mother’s clothes’ lino one end of which was fastened to an apple tree. This enabled him to steal the apples. Ho balanced himself with a clothes prop. His father witnessing the exploit made him practice for some months. He was in the habit occasionally on warm summer nights of sleeping on a lino. He always, ho says, felt it more refreshing than by lying on a mattress. Blondin relates how once he waited on the Archbishop of Canterbury and offered to carry him across a rope a hundred feet high, the proocods to bo given towards the formation of a homo for decayed acrobats. The Archbishop would not accept the offer, hut appointed a poor curate in his place. Blondin, however, declined to have anything to do with anyone below the degree of a Bishop, and then he was to ho carried over in full canonicals. There is only one man of whom Blondin is afraid, this is an agent of the great American Showman, Barman, who follows him to whatever part of the world he may travel. This agent attends every performance. Should Blondin happen to fall and smash himself, Barnum has commissioned his agent to buy up the mutilated corpse, the balancing pole he fell with, and the rope.

Barmun’s intention is to have Blnmlin stuffed and exhibited, liy which he reckons ho will make an immense fortune. Blondin states that he knows this event will happen him at sometime, but to disappoint Barnnm and his agent he has by will disposed of his final remains for the benefit of his children. Blondin has tried to get his life, insured at several large offices, hut the risk has upon every occasion heen declined, which he thinks is coming it very hard on him. An Old Maid.—A. woman that has hcon “made” a long time. A venora'de snuff-taker estimates that ho has taken, during the past forty years, two tons of the dust, valued at over LCOO.