Keeley’s Motor was set up here a few days previous to the opening of the Exhibition, but somehow the machine got loose and knocked things into splinters.THE UNDERLAND
ROUTE. It dashed through the main entrance, got on the track of the Market Street cars, rushed clean down to the foot of Market Street, destroying everything in its way, and plunged into the Delaware River just eight seconds after leaving Machinery Hall. Workmen were put at dredging for it immediately, and before they gave up hope of recovering it, a telegram was received from Pekin, saying that it had passed through the Emperor’s palace, carrying the roof with it, and vanishing into space. From the hour telegraphed as the time of this occurrence, it was calculated that the machine landed in China just nineteen minutes after it left Elm Avenue. Mr. Keeley ascribed the cause of this freak to one drop of water too much, being in the reservoir.
There was another sort of motor on exhibition, however, which seemed especially attractive and novel to the boys. It consisted of nine strips of leather attached to a wooden handle.
The improved hotel front-tooth-picker was an object of attention in the American department, as was also the automatic hen for laying egg plants.
The patent American awning post rest, a neat pair of extended arms to support a reclining form, was much remarked; and a patent range, “warranted to save half the coal,” was very well spoken of: you buy two of them and you require no fuel at all.
Herring’s Hay Making Machine, for making hay in cloudy weather, and Rollin’s improved Iron Pump, for the use of newspaper reporters, also deserve mention.
In naming this pump to be used by interviewers, we must not forget an ingenious little instrument invented expressly for the protection of the parties interviewed.THE INVENTION
OF THE AGE. It is a silver-plated contrivance, which may be readily fastened to the bottom of any chair. The interviewer is invited to take a seat. At his first impertinent remark, a little knob is touched and a flat implement shaped like a No. 22 foot, begins bouncing up and down at the rate of seventy bumps a minute, and before the reporter knows what has happened, the top of his head is interviewing the ceiling of the room.
When he comes down to see what’s the matter, this implement follows him to the door, accelerates his progress down stairs, and giving him a parting bump on the sidewalk, shuts the front door and hops up stairs again. The papers pooh-poohed this contrivance, but it gained a first prize nevertheless.
A French apparatus for winding silk out of cocoons was also truly wonderful. While the cocoons are serenely enjoying their dinner or dreaming of the pains and pleasures of the world, a huge bobbin is quietly unravelling their interior department. They don’t know what has been going on till they turn around and see the silk dress which has been stolen from them.
We stopped for a moment before a condensed baker, and saw crackers and biscuit baked, buttered, and eaten by steam. This made us think of lunch. We selected the American Restaurant from the many within the inclosure, and entered.