Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-11-15
Curiosities Of the Patent Office.

Among the thousands of marvellous
inventions which American genius has
produced within the last few years, are
the following, complied in an abstract
from the Patent Office Report:
The report explains the principle Of
the celebrated Hobb Lock. Its ''un-
p;ekability" depends upon second or
false set Of tumb blers, which prevents in
struments used in picking from touch
ing the real ones. Moreover, the lock
is powder proof, and may be loaded
through the key-hole and fired off till
the burglar is tired of his fruitless work
or fears that the explosion will bring to
view his experiments more witnesses
than he desires.
A harpoon is described which makes
the whale kill himself. The more he
pulls the line the deeper goes the har-
poon.
An ice making machine has recently
been pateuted, which is worked by a
steam engine. Inan experimental trial,
it frozc several bottles Of sherry, and
produced blocks Of ice the size of a Gu
bic foot, when the thermometer was up
to eighty degrees. 1t is calculated that
for every ton of coal put into the fur
mace, it will make ton Of ice.
Fren DR.. Dale's examiners report
we gather some idea of the value Of
patents. A man who had made a slight
improvement in straw cutters, took a
model of his machine through the West
ern States, aud after tour Of eight
months. returned with forty thousand
dollars. Another man had machine
to thresh and clean grain, which in if
teen months he sold for sixty thousand
dollars. These are no ordinary cases
while such inventions as the telegraph,
the planning machine, and India rubber
patents are worth millions each.
Examiner Lanes report describes new
electrical inventions. Among these is
an electrical whaling apparatus, by
which the whale is literally "shocked
to death" Another is an electric mag
Hetic alarm, which rings bells and dis
plays signals in case of fire and burglars
Another is an electric clock, which
wakes you up, tells you what time it is,
and lights lamp for you at any hour
you please.
There is "sound gatherer," a sort
of huge ear-trumpet to be placed in
front of locomotive, bringing to the
engineers ears all the noise ahead, pr
fectly distinct, Notwithstanding the
noise of the train.
There is an invention that picks up
pins from confused heap, turns them
around with their heads up, and sticks
them in papers in regular rows.
Another goes through the whole pro
cess of cigar making, taking in leaves
and turning out finished cigars.
On machine cuts cheese; another
scours knives and forks; another rocks
the cradle; and seven or eight take in
washing and ironing.
There is parlor chair patented that
cannot be tipped back on two legs, and
a railway chair that cannot be tipped
back in any position, without any legs
at all.
Another patent is for machine that
counts passengers in an omnibus and
takes their fares. When a very fat
gentleman gets in, it counts two and
charges double.
There are variety of guns patented
that load themselves; fishing line that
adjusts its own bait, and rat trap
that throws away the rat, and then bats
itself, and stands in the corner for an.
other.
There is machine also by which a
man prints, instead of writes his thoughts
1t is played like piano forte. And
speaking of pianos, it is estimated that
nine thousand are made every year in
the United States, giving constant EN-.
ploymsnt to 1000 persons, and costing
over $4,000, 900.