Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-10-12
AMERICAN INVENTION

Jacob Perkins, the most inventive of all oul
countrymen, and one who ought to be among the
most eminent in reputation. has not received the
remembrance due to his great genius and large
services to his country and mankind
He died in London July Both. l849 He was
entirely seli-eduCaed in science and the grca
powers Of his mind expanded by their innate force
For half century from the hour of lis birth he
lived in the town of Newburyport, Here he grew
up, acquired bis knowledge, applied his genius to
action, perfected his inventive POWERS and cain
ed all his early reputation. lie was descended
from enc of the oldest families of that ancient
portion of the state of Massachusetts, the county
of Essex, a region of stubborn soil bat rich in
Its production of men. He received such edu-
cation as the common schools of bis early dav
furnished, and nothing more. At the age of II
he was put an apprentice to goldsmith of New
buryport, Of the name of Davis. His master
died three years afterwards, and Perkins, at tif-
teen, was left with the management of the bust
ness.
The young goldsmith gained great reputation
Tor the skill and honesty with which he transfor-
med the old Portuguese joes, then in circulation
into those snowy ornaments for the female bosom.
Shoe buckles were another article in great vogue,
and Perkins, whose inventive powers had begun
to expand during his apprenticeship, turned his
attention to the manufacturing of them. He dis
covered a new method Of plating by which he
could undersell the imported buckles This was
aproftable branch OF business till the revolutions
OF fashion drove the shoe buckle out of the mar
ket. Nothing could be done with strings, and
Perkins put his head work on other matters.
The Boston Courier records many of his la
bors and inventions, and from it we gather the
above and the following facts:
4. :. 4 IA
rude state and clever artisan was scarcely to be
found, it was regarded as great achieven ent TO
effect rude copy of some important machine.
Under the old confederation, Massachusetts esta-
bllshed a mint for striking copper coin; but it
was not easy to find mechanic equal to the task
of making a die. Perkins was about twenty-one
years of age when he was employed by the 60
vernment for this purpose, and the old Massachu-
sets cents. stamped with the Indian and the Ea-
gle, now 10 be seen only in collections of curios-
tiles. are the work of his skill He sxt display
ed his ingenuityin nail machinery, and at the age
OF twenty-iOur he invented machine which cut
and headed nails at one operation.
One of the most important of his inventions
was in the engraving of bank bills. Forty years
ago counterfeitng was carried on with an auda-
city and success which would seem incredible at
the present time. The ease with which the clum-
~ engravings Of tina bank bills OF that day were
initiated, was a temptation to every knave who
could scratch copper, and counterieits flooded the
country to the serious detriment of trade. Per-
kins invented the stereotype check plate; and a
security was thus given TO bank paper which it
had never before known.
During the war of 1912 his ingenuity was en-
ployed in constructing machinery for boring out
old honey-combed cannon, and in pertecting the
science of gunnery. He was skiful pyro-
technist. and the Newburyport fireworks of that
day were thought TO be unriyaled in the United
Safes.
When person named Redhefftr. made prct IN
sioas TO discovery Of the perpetual mo ion and
was traversing the United States with machine
exhibiting his discovery, the experiment seemed