The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-03-29
&ichmlunn 8.spatrb.

]. ...MARCH 20 ian.


A List II Wonders.
Among The thoueands of marvellous inven
tons which American csatus has produced
within the last few years. are the following
COMPILED In an abstract from the Patent ONO
Report Read them over, and then say, IL yos
can, that there 10 nothing new under the sun
The report explains the principle Of the cele
brAted Hobb lock. It's sunptckabiiity', de
ponds upon secondary or false set OF tum
biers, which prevent Instruments used in pick
ing from reaching the real ones. Moreover
the lock 10 powder proof, and may be loaded
through the key hole and fired on ill the bur
glar 10 tired Of has fruitless work, or fear tina
the explosions will bring TO view his expert.
mentQmore witnesses than he desires.
Doors and shuttera have been patented that
cannot De broken through with either pick or
siedge.hammer. The burglars ''occupation's
A harpoon is described which makes the
whale kan himself The more he pulls tho line,
the deeper goes the harpoon.
An ice-making machlHe has been patented
which is worked by u steam .engine. In an ex-
perimeatsl trial, 1t froze several bottles oi
sherry, and produced blocks oil ice the size Oh
cubic loot wnea the Thermometer was UP 10
eighty degrees Ii Is calculated that for every
tom OF coal put into the furnace IL viii make
ton Of ice.
er so,ne idea OF The value vi patents. A man
who had made slight improvement in straw
enters. took model OF his machine through
hA u u
months. returned with forty thousand dollars.
Another man had q machine to thrash and
clean grain, which in fifteen months he sold
for sixty thousand dollars. These are ordina-
ry cs-es-while snch inventions the teie-
graph, the planning machine, the India rubber
patents, are worth millions each.
Examiner Lanes report describes new cleo
tricyl Inventions. Among these Is an electri-
cal whaling apparatus, by which the whale is
literally shocked to death" Another is an
electromagnetic alarm. which rings bells and
displays signals in case OF fire and burglars.
Another is an electric clock, which wakes
YOU up, tells you what time ii is, and lights q
lamp tor you Mt any hour you please
There is q Sound gatherer.'a sort of huge
ear-trumpet 10 BE- placed in front OF a locomo.
tive, bringing to the engineers ears all the
noise ahead perfectly distinct, notwithstand-
ing the noise OF the train.
There is invention that picks up pins
from q confused heap, turns them around with
their heads up, and sticks them il papers IL
regular rows.
Another goes through the whole process of
cigar making, taking III leaves and turning out
finished cigars.
One machine cuts cheese; another scours
knives and forks; another rocks the cradle:
and seven or eight take III washing and iron |
ing.
There is = parlor chair patented that cannot |
be tipped back on two legs, and a railway chair |
that can be tipped back in any position, with |
cut any legs at all.
Another patent is for a machine that counts
passengers in an omnibus and takes their fares. |
When s very fat gentleman gets in, it counts
two, and charges double.
There are a variety Of guns patented that
load themselves; a fishing line that adjusts
It's own bait, and rat trap that throws away
the rat and then bats itself and stands in the
corner for another.
There is machine, also, by which a man
prints. instead of writes, his thoughts. II is
played like piano-torie. And speaking of
pianos, it is estimated that nine thousand are
made every year 10 the United States, giving
constant employment to one thousand nine
hundred persons, and costing over two mil
lions Of dOIlars.-Battimoye Exchange.