The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-10-21
The Patcnt Oncc Building. !.


During the past two or three months
great changes have been taking place. both
IN this building itself and its contents. The
eaat wing Is steadily progressing, being
now up to the third story, and built In a
most substantial manner. The exterior
wall on G. street il of marble, while the rear
one is granite. The west wing is occu-
pied, in the first and second stories, BY the
clerks Of the General Land Office; and
there not being accommodations sufficient ior
them, the rooms heretofore occupied by the
rejected models belonging to the Patent VI.
fice have been empted Of their contents and
are now being cleaned up and fitted for the
use Of the Land Ofice. These rejected
models have been carried up stairs and plac.
ed in the cases which were formerly filled
with curiosities brought home BY the explor.
ing expedition, &c.-the latter having been
removed to the Smithsonian Institute. But
these cases are inadequate to contain this
vast multitude of rejected models; and be-
sides being filed to repletiOn, q large num-
Der are piled in heaps on the tops of the cas-
es, and still the number increases. The in.
ventive genius of our countrymen grows
more and more prolific, and in spite Of the
large number Of patents which are Issued
weekly, great mGny applications are week
" rejected. The hall in the west wing IL
now in course of preparation to receive re.
jected models. There are nearly hundred
cases erected, of large size, and capable Oi
holding many thousand models, and this hall
which extends the whole length Of the wing,
will be exclusively devoted to the proper
arrangement and exhibition Of these models.
While they were in the basement they could
only be seen with great difficulty, as it was
dark, and they were piled together indscrim'
inately, and the d1mpness of the place was
also unfavorable to their preservation; but
now they may be seen TO better advantage
and an hour or two may be pleasantly and
profitbably spent in this manner. Among
these models are patterns of all sorts Of ma.
chiaery; bee hives OF great variety Of shapes;
churns, cider mills and cheese presses; rat
traps, by which the examiners were not to
be caught; pistols, pumps and paddle wheels;
stoves, steam boilers and steering apparatus
of every description; improvement in house.
hold furniture and in cothns, in bridges, fen
ces and gates, in steam engines and water
filters. In one case may be seen all the va
rieties of lamps and lanterns that would seem
capable OF being devised by ingenuity; end
in another are ga:vanic batteries and mag.
netic telegraphs, calculating machines, and
instruments Tor indicating the depth OF WI.
ter, self adjusting climatometer, and d
sell adjusting quadrunt 1t is almost painful
to think OF the many weary hours OF toll and
Sleepless nights Ut study to which this mass
Of inventions owed its parentase; and oil ior
naught. They were weighed and found
wanting; they would not stand the test, and
were thrown amuug tha rubbish in the b se.
ment Of this building, to be at this late day
brought to light and to iu. nish food for re.
| Election to tnlnklng meu. Some VI these
models, which we observed bore the date o
1888, having ueen IN the office tor twenty
years; but the greater part have been col
lected within the last four or five years.
Among other curosities in this gallery i:
a case OF Chinese models from Hong X ong
consisting Of mills, water wheels, plows
and harrows, and was presented by Lieut.
Giliis, OF the United States navy. There i,
an appropriateness in placing them here, fol
we don't believe patent could be obtained
Tor any OF them, and they therefore belong
among the rejected models.
Another case contains town clock, made
by the late VIM. worse, of W ashington.--
This is beautiful piece OF machinery, ant
can be placed upon any tower or building
intended for such purpose, and made I,
strike the hours or quartsr hours Git desired
on bell SO US to be heard oil over the city
The nature oil tbs works vi; admit of from
one to two d.als, and will show the hour up
on a III OF ;nem. The prIee OF this clock i
eight bLndrcd dollars. We have often hear
the cJ'AplanL that there is no town clock il
Washington. Let thls b. said 10 lOn!er
to2 there is one, aud it is to be found anon,
the rejected models. There it stands, mu''
aud motionless, yet how suggestive. An
other model, the first one which strikes th
eye Of the visitor on entering the hall, /
thut of The Washington monument. Thi
slso suggests train oi thoughts, which W.
will leave our readers To !o.low OUT Wash
sngtoR GlJbe. -... ..........
-----NseSA-------