Inventions

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 August 1915, Page 2

Inventions

(Written lor the Chronicle.)

Most people if asked to uame tho greatest mechanical invention (mem ar« other inventions besides mechanical ones), will mention probably either the telegraph, the -locomotive, the aeroplane, the internal combustion engine, the phonograph, or "wireless,"" None oi these inventions, however, are as important as the invention of thu wheel. When and how it took place, no one knows it may be that like a lot more inventions it was accidental. The prehistoric inventor may 'have got the idea lrom seeing a stone roll down a hill, or from seeing one ol his friends rolling home to his cave after a bancjuet where liquid refreshments were served freely. * Whatever it was that gave him the clue he must have been an intelligent observer; one capable ot | working out an idea without assistance, i because at that tune the chance of I finding anyone able to advise or help, <■ war- remote. Situated thus, individin':.- with the inventive tacuity Highly C dtVcMjped. have i-i.iiia<vd i" evolvo I s>.n> r,iiaiiit .i!id <;"igitiai contrivances. 1 i\ikC one o! Hi'.. , kind many years ago. Ifi> nrme was Peter Joolibob, and he lived *ul< his parents on a farm alongside the one whereon 1 spent all the daylight hours working tor half of what I could eat and .six shillings per week. When 1 iirst became acquainted with Peter, he was 23 years ol age, and already had drawn out plans lor several minor inventions though none had eonio to fruition, because, like nearly all inventors, he had no money for development purposes, but he had plenty ol enthusiasm, his own and his parents, to encourage him. One (Sunday a traveller came along the road, and called at the Joolibobs' lurni. Being sociable and hospitable lolk, living miles back irom "the nearest, town, they were glad of a chance to converse with one from the outside world, and bade the traveller stay. Gifted with remarkable conversational powers, he cnjun ingratiated hinisejlf with the taniih, especially with Peter. I o tne latter he conlideu the information that he also was an inventor. The significance of the remarii mas lost on Peter. Ol the many wonderlul things that the traveller had .invented, he told them that he considered that his electric running shoes were the most lamous. Thoso were worued by springs charged with electricty, and enabled a runner to attain such speed, that at the official lest, the sprinter who carlied it out, when coming roiiiM one end ol the course catiglit a glimpse ol hiii own back disappearing round the olhei cud. Before tho traveller leli on Monday morning he promised to send Peter a pair of these shoes. All this .spurred Peter on to Iresh ellorts, but it was some time before he was given the chance oi putting any oi his ideas to a practical test. It came about owing to -hio lather ptiiciiasing a horse that persisted in jumping leiiccs, to prevent winch l'eler designed a wooden frame with transverse wires to lit over the horse's head, inese wires would always be in the line ol tiio horse'b vision no matter lion high he might lilt his head; and to make it appear more real, Peter lilted .small imitation barbs on tho wires. \\ hen it was complete, Joohbtib Held the horse while Peter slipped tie lianie into position. -Now that horse at one time had been caught by the lip on barbed wire, therelure he had a dread ot it, and when he saw the imitation in trout of him, lie reared up suddenly and cariic down on Joolibob's toes; lin." iaii back and sat heavily on a chicken <'ni.;< Before any iurther damage win* ti- ■>. Peter had the Irame oh tile alir.. .fit animal's head, Out out ol eleven chickens (from a silting of eggs that cost Mrs Jooiibob ten shillings) oiuy one cscap- ' ed. Mrs Joolibob's enthusiasm regarding Peter's inventions cooleu* perceptibly, but Joolibob, ior the next ■ Liirco weeks, was grateful to Peter for the crutch fashioned out of a shovel handle. Peter had to do all the u'oiik on tho larm during this tune by himself, and in consequence had little chance to think ot his inventions, tho-utgh h« waited anxiously lor every mail in tho hope that the electric shoes would turn up. As they did not arrive alter several weeks of .waiting, Peter determined to make a pair lor himself, but he iiilormed me that he iutendI ed to send away for a lull set of ohms, amperes, volts, and watts-things which the traveller had mentioned often when describing the construction of ihu shoes. Xiiis involved expense, and as Peter was as poor as ever, the problem ol finding the necessary money at oncu presented itself. At that time rabbit skins were bringing a good price, and so he thought to . catch rabbits on a wholesale scale. To do this he devised a patent trap by litting a wooden frame over a pit in the ground. Inside this frame, working on two lateral pivots, was a cover opening inwards. Whenever bunny hopped on to this, it shot him into the pit and the counter ■weight brought it back ready to gather in any of bunny's friends or relations that happened along. He set this trap not far from a large warren one of narrow paths through some high tussocks that the rabbits followed when going to dim: , on Joolibob's young corn. On the day the trap was set, Joolibob, while splitting posts in the bush, had discovered a hive of bees, and placed them / in a Masting powder keg that he had taken out with powder, lu,se, etc. He. . was returning home at dusk, with the keg of bees under bis arm, through the. tussocks. There were scores of paths without a trap but Joolibob did not take one of them, and he stepped squarely on the treacherous cover. The pit took one leg to tho thigh, and then the cover came back and jammed, and Nature's sw««>c faco ie decked, with jewels rare, She weaves glad garlands in her eunny hair. She is a ladp, fair beyond compare, Hut a man is subject to nor darker moods, So to the rescue comes the cure of "Woods," flio Peppermint. Cure is realty "just the goods.", \ ■.'•; .;.:,-.' ■:■■:'.'/.. ' ■'. ■ ',■■.

held the victim fast. His efforts to get free wero a failure, but the been - were more (successful, though fortunately lor Jooiibob only one at a time could get out oi the Keg. The lirst bee to appear tacided that Jooiibob was the oatise of the troublo and every bee that followed camo to tho sa-iiie decision. By the tiino tho seventeenth had got out and recorded its protest against being bumped violently on tiie ground, Joolibob's roars had brought Mrs Jooiibob and Peter to the rescue, ami Jooiibob was released and tlio angry bees shut in. That night at tea, tho details of Peter's new scheme for watering the cows at, the well, other than by means of hauling the water up with buckets, wero received coldly,. and Peter felt like a man holding a match to an iceberg. At the conclusion, Jooiibob curtly told him that ho intended to erect a windmill. In this instance Peter wished to enlarge the well. divide it Unto two compartments, (suspend a wnall pulley above each, run a ropeoyer these pulleys, and to each .^MHttkMa|Mp i Jug platform so would be at the top tile other platform the level of the water in compartment. Tho lirst cow was to be driven on to the platform at the surface and lowered to the water. This would bring the otner platform to the top, and the next cow would ue driven on to it, bringing the lirst cow up again; this proceeding to go 011 until all the cows were wiueieu, me last one being brought up Oy using a low sacks of clay on the empty platform as a counterpoise. Peter said he had great hopes concerning this plan; they may nave been connected with a wish 1. olten heard him . express: "That ther blighted cows would break ther necks." With the windmill, came a bicycle for Peter, for ill spite oi the rah bite that he failed to catch, doolibob's narvest was a good one. hi tho first few weeks oi his posseosiou ol the bicycle Peter rode a great number ol miles, and lotiiid that pushing a bicycle meant worK, to avoid which he was as keen as anyone. To overcome tnis delect in the machine was Peter's next endeavour .and Jie spent many hours at it, tliat otherwise he would have spent in sleep. Just when lie was about to give the problem best, the Avorkhig ol the windmill gave him an idea. if the wind., through its agency would pump water, would not the- wind be the same means drive a bicycle He at once put the idea into ellect. To the irout ol the machine he uolled two arms projecting out over the front .wheel about three feetj these . aims supported the wind wheel carrying the vanes, and to it was clamped , the sprocket wheel that transmitted the iorce to the driving wheel by a chain. When it wa» complete, Peter sent word to me to be present at the trial ol his "Great Wind-driven Bicycle.' , 1 He considered that even in calm wea- < ther it would prove of much help, as j the air resistance encountered would be sulh'cieiit to work the wind wheel on t the lroiit. following tins theory, that ' the faster the machine travelled the greater the driving power he whispered t to me before the trial that it would 1 eclipse even tne wonder!ul electric 6hoes. , The day oi the trial was a perfect ; one for such an event; the wind swept across the plain, a howling gale—the kind of gale that blows the paint oil a ience. Peter mourned the machine and slowly brought it round to the gale, the c vanes felt the pressure and it moved forward for a lew yards, gathering 11 epeed; then a gust caught it fairly and ;i .the machine drove with terrific speed 1. into the gale and in a few .minutes \ was out of sight. It wacs dark when i'eter returned with his clothe* in ribbons, a black eye, a broken linger and the oadly damaged machine on his shoulder. Asked his opinion of the machine, he replied: e 'Twould be awl right it wire fences was a done away with. J U -Next day, he sent to the newspapers, 0 an advertisement that he did not want d any electric shoes-walking was quick enough for him, and he had not the S slightest desire to see his own back. tJ He said the traveller might see the advertisement. w In the three week that followed the triainheie was no wind; the tanks at tho wind mill wore empty, and Peter was experimenting with a view to driving the null by means of an air blast set up by a fan, the fan to be worked by a shaft from the wind wheel. Ho was proceeding to dilate on tho economy of power effected by this arragement, but 1 bolted; 1" remembered , that before the trial 01 his "Great . •Wind-Driven-Bicycle," he had sold me the patent rights for k>t. / The O. L.