Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-01-19

60, no has invented useful improve,
' as., s. in the structure Of the several
nsebin.s secured BY his ihatem anu
.econdly, that he sOas the nrst WV ~
,,;ed those machine to their new use !"
mills u,h,y -
The "Conveyor" and "hopPs,o0y
are the only machines in when WI,
vans win now attempt to shew tha' nc
has made any Improvement In the =
levator and Drill he has not msae e'e"
an alteration. The
lst Then. of the Conveyor. me
transverse fights form the 1lteFa.,o"
which he claims TO I'VE made Id .n''
machine. Even if Mr.. vans was 'ne
inventor of this alteration Its atil''y III
the manufacture Of -four is extremely
questionable. Several most ,n'ehsen'
miller, who were examined upon t"'e
subject in the trials at Baltimore' we''
% much at loss to discsVe'
beneficial effect Of this al.erat'"2 maj
hey said they preferred the oP'''
conveyor The great utility oil ''''
Iteration is rendered still more que
.ionable BY the fact, that large Pos 'i:''
,f the millers, even those who have pa''
Oliver Evans for the license OF his p.
ented machines, do not make use o.
the transverse flights Butyonr memo
,ialists are convinced that Mr.. Evans
was no, the author of this alieratlon.-
Thew will be able to show your honora-
BILE BODY that this improvement IKE
most Of the improvements which MI
Evans claims, was discovered ny othef
nersons, from whom he adopted II.
2dly. Of,Ae HopPerboy-Mr. Evans
as has been before stated, was not the
original inventor of this machine. Your
memorialists admit that he was the hTst
who added the ropes, leading the horl'
zontal arms around /; and that this addl'
ton facilitates the operations OF the ma
chine. But, surely, it will not be con-
tended, that, upon this alteration Con-
eres. bottomed their grant. This I'M
provement may have been sufficient to
entirle Mr.. Evans, under the general
law. to a patent for the Improvement
But for nothing else. 1t could not have
entitled him to a patent for other ma
chimes which he never invented, nor
improved much less can it entitle him
to an extension Of his exclusive privilege
beyond the usual term.
Your memeria!ist. come now to the
last eaoun., Of Mr. Evans's pretcnsions,
" Tha; he has the merit OF having hrst
applied those machines to their present
use in mills" This ground was much
narrowed by the trials, before referred
to, in the circuit court at Baltimore.-
II was there shown that the conveyor,
| the hoppsrboy, and the drill, were APP
piled BY their original inventors to all
the purposes for which they are now
used. The elevator is the only machine
about which there can be the least doubt;
and to the minds of your memorialists,
| there are conclusive reasons for believ-
ing that Oliver Evans was not the per-
son who first discovered the application
of this machine to its present office, the
rails. :,e wheat and -four. Oliver Evans
| first exhibited bis elevator, first inform
cd the world that he had invented one,
in the year 1887. Twelve or eighteen
months before this time, James Strobe,
| of the state of Delaware, had erected a
| perfect elevator in his mill
Mr. Strobe, in the circuit court at
Baltimore, related the history of his IN
vent,eD. Standing in his mill contemp'
lating the machinery he then had in 1t,
ne observed that as the leather strap
turning the fan, performed its revolu.
tons, the buckle by which il was fasten
Ell would catch upa few grains of " he"
below, carry them up with it, and emp
| ~ them cut at the top. The thought
Immediately occurred to him that ma
chine revolving like this strap, with
buckets upon it, would completely per
form the Office of raising MS wheat and
| f1our. He constructed it accordingly
and found it perfect. This machine is
what is now called I" Evans's Elevator "
tYour menoriaiits admit that brother
of Oliver Evans declared in the circuit
court at Baltimore, that Oliver Evans
had several years before this period in
vented precisely the same machine ;
and that although he did n.' show it to
the world by using it in his mill, yet he
had it, and the msdel of it was locked
up in chest, ard continued so locked
up for several yesrs. When this testi
mony comes before your honorable be-
dy, it will. no doubt. receive wbateye,
credit, under all its circumstances, i,
may be entitled to. But your memoir.
alists hope they will be Pardoned for be-
lieving that there Was some mistake il,
the matter.
| Your memor;alists have thus cardid
" detailed the testimony relating to Dir,
Eyans's patent. They feel assured thai
your honorable body will discove, l. ii
abundant Cause to take lhls subject a
gain int consideration. Your niemoti