CHAPTER I. 

 THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA. 



It is always a matter of no little interest to trace 

 the development of an idea in an inventor's mind 

 from its inception to its conclusion. Many 

 valuable ideas have their birth, but, unfortunately, 

 for one reason or another, they die a premature 

 death. The idea is probably found to be im- 

 practicable, or it may prove to have no com- 

 mercial value; and sometimes lack of knowledge 

 or finance prevents an inventor from carrying 

 his idea out to a practical and satisfactory con- 

 clusion. 



Many of our greatest and most marvellous 

 inventions and discoveries have originated from 

 simple beginnings. James Watt, for example, was 

 led, from merely watching the movement of the 

 lid of a kettle of boiling water, to develop certain 

 ideas with regard to the application of steam 

 power to driving a stationary engine. Isaac 

 Newton, one of our most eminent scientists, one 

 day saw an apple drop from the tree to the 

 ground -an occurrence that had been witnessed by 

 thousands and thousands, but no one ever seems 



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