274 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. (Vo. “VIII. 
To a watchmaker that seems quite a lift, yet in this age of giant 
engine construction, both steam and electric, it no longer surprises us to 
read of engines capable of exerting thousands of horse power. 
This evening we go to the other extreme, and consider the construc- 
tion of a steam engine so small, that its power would seem to be better 
designated by the name of ‘‘flea-power’’ than ‘‘horse power.’’ 
I am not an engineer but a watchmaker, and these two engines are 
the only ones I have ever made; and if you think after you have seen 
them that they are small enough, then perhaps, I won’t have to make 
another. 
My first engine, (which we will call the large one), is one inch in 
height, made of brass, polished and laquered. It is an upright, with 
oscillating cylinder and stands easily. on a five cent coin, bore of cylinder 
is % inch; stroke, 1% inch; and it weighs 4% dwts., about the weight 
of a wedding ring. 
This engine was designed for a show window attraction and answered 
the purpose well as it was probably the smallest ever shown in Toronto. 
When running it makes a hum similar to that made by a bee. When 
I began this engine I thought it would be small enough, but compared 
with every day watch-work, it seemed when finished to be very large. 
I decided to make a smaller one, something more worthy of a watch- 
maker’s skill. About this time I was looking over some old numbers 
of The Keystone, (a jeweler’s trade fournal), and came across an account 
of two small engines made by two watchmakers, from which it seemed 
that small engine making appeared to be a watchmaker’s disease, of 
which I was just beginning to feel the first symptoms. 
Like other diseases it must runits course. It’s dangerous; but 
there is one chance of a neat recovery—that is,if you can make the smallest 
engine. Be thankful you have not this disease, for the size is going down. 
Entomologists tell us: 
“Big bugs have little bugs upon their backs to bite ’em; 
‘“‘And little ones have lesser ones; and so on ad infinitum.” 
This may be true in Bugology, but there can be no ad infinitum in 
mechanics. 
There must be some limit to the working size of an engine. It may 
be we have reached that limit in the tiny engine I will show to-night. 
I do not show it as the smallest I can make because I have only tried 
oe ster 
