2o6 HEROES OF INVENTION AND DISCO VER Y. 



he went to select timber for lock gates on the canal, the minia- 

 ture draughtsman set himself to construct a pair of compasses of 

 birch wood, with needles stuck in the ends of the legs; his 

 good-natured mother allowing him to convert a pair of steel 

 tweezers, taken from her dressing-case, into a drawing pen, also 

 to take hair from her sable-cloak for paint brushes. 



It may be mentioned that Ericsson's grandfather by the 

 mother's side was a man of property ; which, however, was lost 

 in some mining speculations, so that young Ericsson began 

 life in poverty, which was perhaps fortunate for the development 

 of his genius. 



Before he was eleven Ericsson had constructed a sawmill and 

 planned a pumping-engine for the purpose of clearing the mines 

 of water. He had much difficulty in perfecting this plan, as it 

 was intended to be operated by a windmill, which he had never 

 seen; at last his father visited one, and after hearing his 

 description he was able to finish it. 



This may be said to be the turning-point in his career. The 

 plan was shown to Admiral Count Platen, President of the 

 Gotha Ship Canal, on which Ericsson's father was then em- 

 ployed. The Count, amazed at the genius displayed by such a 

 mere child, uttered the encouraging and prophetic words, " Go 

 on as you have begun, and you will one day produce something 

 extraordinary." He was appointed a cadet in the Swedish 

 corps of mechanical engineers at the age of twelve, and at 

 thirteen was appointed a nevelleur (leveller) on the part of the 

 canal over which Count Platen presided. Six hundred troops 

 working on this canal were directed by this boy, and it is amus- 

 ing to note that one of his attendants carried a stool to enable 

 the small engineer to reach his levelling instruments. 



Many important works on the canal were constructed from 



