Read Ebook: Historic Inventions by Holland Rupert Sargent

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Ebook has 578 lines and 80908 words, and 12 pages

Galileo's Telescope " " 58

Watt First Tests the Power of Steam " " 72

Sir Richard Arkwright " " 88

The Inventor of the Cotton Gin " " 104

The Davy Safety Lamp " " 136

One of the First Locomotives " " 156

Morse and the First Telegraph " " 180

The Earliest Reaper " " 194

Elias Howe's Sewing-Machine " " 210

The First Telephone " " 222

Edison and the Early Phonograph " " 258

Wireless Station in New York City Showing the Antenna " " 268

The Wright Brothers' Airship " " 281

About 1400-1468

"Nay, Anna," he answered thoughtfully, "but didst thou ever consider how the picture on this card was made?"

"I suppose it was drawn in outline, and then painted, as other pictures are."

Anna took the playing-card from her husband's hand. It represented a figure that was known as the Knave of Bells. "It's an unsightly creature," she said, studying it, "and not to be compared with our picture of good St. Christopher on the wall yonder. Surely that was made with a pen?"

"Nay, it was made from an engraved block, just like this card," said the young lapidary.

"St. Christopher made in that way!" exclaimed his wife. "Then what a splendid art it must be, if it keeps the pictures of the blessed saints for us!"

The picture of the saint was a curious colored woodcut, showing St. Christopher carrying the child Jesus across the water. Under it was an inscription in Latin, and the date 1423.

"That is truly wonderful, John! And what are they about?"

"The 'Biblia Pauperum' means 'Bible for the Poor,' and is a series of scenes from the Old and New Testaments."

"I think I've heard of it; but I wish you'd tell me more about it."

John leaned forward, his keen face showing unusual interest. "The forty pictures in it were made by pressing engraved blocks of wood on paper, just like the St. Christopher, or this playing-card. The lines are all brown, and the pictures are placed opposite each other, with their blank backs pasted together, so they form one strong leaf."

"And how big are the pictures?"

"They are ten inches high and seven or eight inches wide, and each is made up of three small pictures, separated by lines. More than that, there are four half-length figures of prophets, two above and two below the larger pictures. Then there are Latin legends and rhymes at the bottom of each page."

"And all that is cut on wood first?" said Anna, doubtfully. "It sounds almost like a miracle."

"Aye. I looked very closely, and the whole book is made from blocks, like the playing-card."

"Art thou sure it's not the pencraft of some skilful scribe?"

"Assuredly I am. Dost thou see, Anna, how much better these blocks are than the slower way of copying by hand? When they're once cut many books can be printed as easily as one."

"Aye," answered his wife, "and they will be cheaper than the works written out by the scribes, and still be so costly that whoever can make them ought to grow rich from the sale. If thou canst do it, it will make thy fortune. Thou art so ingenious. Canst thou not make a 'Bible for the Poor'?"

"But couldst thou not?" Anna persisted. "Thou art so good at inventing better ways of doing things."

Nothing more was said on the subject that night, but Anna could see, as day followed day, that her husband was planning something, and she felt very certain that he was thinking out a way of making books more quickly than by the old process of copying them word for word by hand.

A few weeks later the young lapidary surprised his wife by showing her a pile of playing-cards. "See my handicraft," said he. "Aren't these as good as the Knave of Bells I gave thee?"

She looked at them, delight in her eyes. "They are very much better, John. The lines are much clearer, and the color brighter."

"Still, that is only a step. It is of little use unless I can cut letters, and press them on vellum as I did these cards. I shall try thy name, Anna, and see if I cannot engrave it here on wood."

He took a small wooden tablet from the work-table in his shop, and marking certain lines upon it, cut away the wood so that it left a stamp of his wife's name. Brushing ink over the raised letters he pressed the wood upon a sheet of paper, and then, lifting it carefully, showed her her own name printed upon the paper.

"Wonderful!" she cried. "The letters have the very likeness of writing!"

"Well," said Anna, "it would surely be a pious act to multiply pictures of the holy St. Christopher."

At his first attempt he made the picture and the inscription that went with it on the same block, but as soon as he had finished it a better idea occurred to him. The second time he drew the picture and the inscription on separate blocks. "That's an improvement," he said to his wife, "for I can draw the picture and the letters better separately, and if I want I can use different colored inks for printing the two parts." Then he cut the wood away from the drawings, and inking them, pressed them upon the paper. The result was a much clearer picture than the old "St. Christopher" had been.

He studied his work with care. "So far so good," said he, "but it's not yet perfect. The picture can't be properly printed without thicker ink. This flows too easily, and even using the greatest care I can hardly keep from blotting it."

He had to make a great many experiments to solve this difficulty of the ink. At last he found that a preparation of oil was best. He could vary the color according to the substances he used with this. Umber gave him lines of a darkish brown color, lampblack and oil gave him black ink. At first he used the umber chiefly, in imitation of the old drawings that he was copying.

When his ink was ready he turned again to his interested wife. "Now thou canst help me," said he. "Stuff and sew this piece of sheepskin for me, while I get the paper ready for the printing."

He had ground the ink upon a slab. Now he dipped his printer's dabber in it, and spread the ink over the wood. Then he laid the paper on it, and pressed it down with the polished handle of one of his new graving tools. He lifted it carefully. The picture was a great improvement over his first attempt. "This ink works splendidly!" he exclaimed in delight.

"Now I shall want a picture of St. Christopher in every room in the house," said Anna.

"And canst thou not do that?"

"I know of no way at present; but I will hang them on the wall of the shop, and perhaps some of my customers will see them and ask about them."

"But may it not be that the printing will pay thee better than the sale of jewels, if thou wilt keep on with it?" suggested the hopeful wife. "How soon shalt thou go to the Cathedral with the Abbot's jewels?"

"As soon as I have finished the polishing. Engraving these blocks has kept me back even in that."

"When thou dost go take some of thy prints with thee," begged Anna, "and see what the Father has to say about them."

"Whose handiwork is this?" asked the Father.

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