What was called ‘the smallest steam engine in the world’
was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by
Levi Taylor of Indianola, Iowa.
A publication of the time said the engine was so small that a
magnifying glass was needed to see some of its parts. It was
displayed on the platform of the giant Corliss engine which powered
all the displays in Machinery Hall. It rested on a gold 25-cent
piece.
Metals in this tiny engine were gold, steel and platinum. The
engine alone weighed only four grains. The stroke of the piston rod
was one twenty-fourth of an inch and the cut-off one
sixty-fourth.
We wonder?? Is that engine preserved today?? If you know, please
send us a letter.
