Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-11-18

" UNDERS OF THE l Alt.NI VI + IOi-'-- S"'9o'I
examination of the Patent Office Report for
1852 reveals some surprising inventions;
Examiners Report explains the principles Of
the celebrated Hobbs lock. It's 'unpickabiity'
depends upon a secondary or false set of tum-
blers, which prevent the instruments used IN
picking from reaching the real ones. Moreover,
the lock is powder-9roof, and may be loaded
through the kevhole and fired-off until the burg
lar is tired OF his fruies5 work. or fears that the
report of his explosions will bring TO view his
experiments more witnesses than he desires.
Doors and. shutters have also been patented,
that cannot be broken with either pick or sledge
hammer The burglars occupations gone"
A harpoon is described which makes the
whale Kill himself The more he pulls the line
The deeper goes the harpOon.
Am ;ee making machine has been -natentea.
which goes by o steam engine. la an expert
mental trial, it lroze several bottles OF sherry
and produced blocks Of ice Of the size OF a Gu
bic foot, when the thermometer was standing at
so degrees. 1t is calculated that for every ton
of coal put into the furnace II viii make q ton
of ice.
From Dr. Gales Examiners Report we gath
err some idea of the value of patents.
A man who had made slight improvement
in straw-cutterS, took a model Of his machine
through the Western States, and after a tour of
s months returned with $4,000. Another had
machine to thresh and clean grain, which in
fifteen months he sold for $60,000. A third OBJ
tained patent for a printers ink, refused $780,
OOO for it and finally sold it for 100000. These
are ordinary cases; while such inventions as the
telegraph, the planning machine, and the India
rubber patents are worth millions each.
Examiner Lanes report describes various
new electrical inventions. Among these is an
electric whaling apparatus, BY which the whale
is literally Shocked to DEATH" Another IS an
electromagnetic alarm which rings bells and dis
plavs signals in case of fire, or burglars. An
other is an electric clock, which wakes you up,
tells You what time it is, and lights lamp tor
YOU, at any hour you please.
There is "sound gatherer, o sort of huge
ear trumpet to be placed in front of locomo-
tive. brnr ring to the engineers ear all the noises
ahead. perfectly distinct, notwiths tan ding the
rattle of the train.
There is an invention that picks mp pins from
confused heap, turns them all around with
their heads up, and sticks them in papers, in
regular rows. Another goes through the whole
process of cigar making, taking in tobacco
leaves and turning out the perfect article.
One machine cuts cheese; another scours
knives and forks; another blacks boots; another
rocks the cradle; and seven or eight take in
washing and ironing.
There is a parlor chair patented that cannot
be tipped back on two legs, and railway chair
that can be tipped back into any position, with
out any legs at all.
Another patent is for machine that counts
the passengers in an omnibus and takes their
fares When very fat man gets in, it counts
two, and charges double.
There are a variety of guns patented that
load themselves; fish line that adjusts its own
bait; and a rattrap that throws away the rat,
and then bats and sets ITSELF and stands in the
corner for another
The truths of the patent Office are stranger
than fiction.
There is a machine also by which man prints
instead of wrighting, his thoughts. 1t is play
ed on like piano. And speaking of pianos
it is estimated that nine thousand are made eve
ry year in the United States giving constant en-
ployment to one thousand nine hundred HANDS
and costing over two millions of dollars.