Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-06-04

AMERIcAs PERSEVERANCE, AND EATERPRIsE..
we were never more strsekRith the go-dheadstave-
,aess 81. the American character than on perusing
the proceedings of trial last week in Pittsburgh,
Pennsy lvania, for Infringement OF patent for
fire proof safe
1t appeared from the evidence Of the plaintiffs,
Messrs Rich & Co., of New York, that in the year
$50 man named Fitzgerald was engaged in
making plaster images and was in the habit OF.
washing his hands in an iron pan after finishing
work.
One day he thought he would warm the water,
and placed the pan on the fire but found to his sur
prise that no great change took place in its empera-
ture therefore he applied the bellows to his fire,
but still failed 70 boil or even warnl the water. He
then examined the pan and found that a sediment
of plaster of Paris, the accumulation of numerous
washings, had adhered to the bottom of the pan,
and was thus preventing the heat of the fire from
communicating to the water. He again placed it
on the fire and put fresh coal on then used the
bellows so freely that he melted the legs off the
iron pan, but still failed to warm the water The
thought Immediately struck him that if suitable
thickness of plaster could be secured to the wallis
ceilings, and floors of rooms, house might be
made fire proof From houses his thoughts wan
dered to banks and bank vaults then to iron safes
aud depositories of various kinds-fnally they
settled upon iron safes of the old school, made of
wood steeped in potassium, and with an inner and
outer covering of iron. He thought that if the
iron box was made first, then fill the space between
the inner and outer lining with mixture of plas-
ter Of Paris, that anything placed therein must be
safe from fire, Judging by the trouble he had with
his iron pan. lie now commenced a series OF ex-
pcriments, of such satisfactory character that he
repaired forthwith to Washington with model of
a safe, and an application for patent. This was
refused, owing to some opposition, as it afterwards
appeared, from manufacturer of safes, who was
intimate with one of the officials in the Patent
Office. Fitzgerald, however, persevered until the
year 1886 then finding his personal applications
and his correspondence of no avail, he abandoned
the invention for time, until he met with one
Enos Wilder who, being an ingenious mechanic,
took up the idea struck bargain with Fitzgerald,
purchased the invention and repaired to Washing
ton. There he found the same difficulties which
met his Predecessors determined opposition
seemed to he set against him-the article was not
patentable After several years, and the loss of
all his money, he got into difficulties, and assigned
his interest in the patent to his brother, who had
advanced him money from time to time in the
hope that it would ultimately pass through the
Patent Office. The death of Enos Wilder shortly
after took place, and the invention was laid by for
a short time; but the fire of 1885, in New York,
had proved that the old-asoned safe was perfectly
worthless, and fresh application for a patent, with
offers of testing its efficiency before the public,
caused little more attention to be paid by the
Commissioner of Patents and finally, on the 1st
June, l843, patent was granted, being twelve
years after the disc 1very.
During the period between the great fire of 1885
and the granting of the patent citizen of New
York, named Crandall Rich, associated with him
self two others named Rolf AMI Stearns, and COM
menced the manufacture of these safes, making an
arrangement with Wilder that if he obtained the
tbov tn him for tho 81
which was afterwards done. These parties, Rich
& Co., soon discovered that the composition as in
vented by Fitzgerald dampened the books and pa
pers; therefore an improvement was made, and
patented by Rich & Co., without any difficulty
the result of which has been that in the great fire
of New York in 1915, ten years after the first great
fire, property to the amount of hundreds Of thons-
ands of dollars was preserved in these safes; while
safes of every other description were totally de-
stroyed.
1t was stated in court that in period of twelve
to fifteen years no failure has ever taken place :;
and they are in such general use that scarcely
fire happens without of these safes being tested.
When we made an investment three weeks ago
in a salamander safe, we knew that they had OBJ
tanned such enviable notoriety, and now we feel
doubly satisfied that the hooks and papers of the
Westchester Gazette are perfectly safe from that
common enemy-fre! Westchester Gazette.
A PEEP AT GUANo-WHERE GATHERED. Hay
ing anchored between the North and middle island,
at the latter of which to load, we will Dor
row the boat, and have closer look at the huge
muck heap. Going half around the island, to the
landing place, we step ashore on narrow strip of
sandy beach, which appears to be cleared from
the surrounding rocks for especial convenience.
Our appearance disturbs thousands of the webfoot-
ed natives; these thousands count with the old
hands nothing, for they tell that the shipping
has driven all the birds away. Sailing above us
in flock of pelicans lowering over the clear water
like hawks, which they resemble in their mode of
darting down or STOPPING on their prey. One of
these every instant drops from the flock as though
a ball had whistled through his brains, but, after
plunge he is soon seen rising to the surface, with
fish struggling in his capacious pouch.
Nearer to us, whirng around our heads, are
gannets news, canton-bird, divers gulls, guano
birds, and host of others, whose names are un-
known to the vulgar. On the detached rocks, and
the lower end of the island-member of pretty
numerous convocation-stands the penguin, the
parson bird of the sailor, whose name is fairly
earned by his cut-away black coat white tie, and
solemn demeanor. His short legs planted far
back, and his long body, do not fit him for walk
ashore; but he will sit for hours on little rock
just washed by the waves, apparently in such deep
absence of mind, the passers-by are tempted 10 APP
proach in the hope of catching him. Just as the
boat nears him, and hand already out to grasp his
nack awav he oroes head over heels i'm q most