The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1870-10-10
ROBERTS PETROLEUM TORPEDO.

TORPEDOES.
THE ROBERTS
PETROLEUM TeRpED0 co.
Office at the
RED PLANNING MILL.
Corner of Pine and second streets.
Near the RaiirOadO
TITUsVILLE, PA.
Owing to the large and Increasing demand for the
Roberts Torpcdoes, and the late decision of the
Commissioner of Patents in refusing to VIM. Reed
patent, and the decision of judge II. e. Grier sus-
tanning the Roberts patent they have LOW WEkED
the price Of their Torpedoes
TWENTY. PER CENT.
SO that every Operator can afford 10 try Torpedo
before abandoning q Well.
Ihe following is the decision rendered by Judge
Grier on the twentysecond (e2) day of September
1S in the United States Circuit Court ut Phladel.
phia: The case was argued three days by Charles
NJ. Keller Of New York, b. 4. Lucas and s. A. Pur-
VANCE of Pittsburgh, for defendants, and George
5darLing OF Philadclphia and George L. Chrisy, OF
As write with difficulty can only state the con
clusions TO which my mind has come after a caret,l.
examination of this case.
-l The 9, com2lainaat has exhibited patcn. dated
good title, and puts on the respondents the bur.
den of proof that the patent Is void or worthless.
need not repsat my remarks the case of Good
year W; Day Il Wall, c. c. Rep; 229,) but now
adopt them as aiording rule o decision which an.
pics clearly to the present case.
As the Infringement of the patent is admit ted,
lv fiprx xy-il 1Na tot
plainants patent of April 25, 1865.
ut was after speculation Ind been reduced to
practice" aud after repeated experiments that the
complainant succeeded in overcoming he prciudice
and Ignorance OF the people on the subject, and
persuading the pubic that his invention was usefl:
after he had established its great utility and value
spite of sncers and scOifs," were completely suc
ces.ful, that Reed, who had before made cxperi.
ments on the same subject, and was unsuccessful,
imagined that he had the best right to the invention
and after purchasing one more Complainants i tor
pedOes. he applied on the 1st of November 1851,
for patent for substantially tho same colnbina
tions of devices and machine contained in complain.
ants patent On the 10Th OF the same month the
respondents formed themselves into a company or
corporation called "'rhe Reed Torpedo Company"
for the purpose of pirating the complainant's In.
vention, and supporting the expense of litigation,
md thus defraud him of the fruits. They have pec
severed. even after the preliminary Injunction very
properly granted by the District Judge
Let dscrec be entered for complainant for a per.
petual injunction. and Master appointed 10 take
an account according to the prayer Of the Bill.
H. Z. GItIER, Judge.
NOrE.-The passage referred to bv Judge Crier in
his former DECISION, . Wallace, p. 300 adopted as
applicable to this case was rs follows
"N Is usually the case when any valuable discoy.
cry Ii wade, or any new machine of great uiity il
invented that the attention of the public has been
turned to that subject previously and that many
parsons have been making researches and expcri.
1nents. philosophers and mechancians NAV have
III some measure anticipated in their sprcula.iou,
tine possibility or probability of such discovery or
invcntioI many experiments have been successful
ly tIied coming very near. yet falling short of the
desired result They have produced nothing bonr.
fetal. The invention when perfected may truly be
said to be the eliminating point OF many cxieri-
mon g, not only by the inventor, hut by many 9th.
ora. lie may hav. proited Indirectly by The iInsuc.
ce'sful experiments and failures of Others but 1t
gives them right to claim share of the he nor of
tne profit of the successful inventor II is when
speculation has been reduced to practice, when ex
pertinent Ess resulted In discovery. and when that
discovery, been perfect, by patient ana cOntn
t'st experiments, when some new compound. art
manufacture, or machine has been thu. produced
which Is useful to the public that the party nakipyit
becomes apublic benefaetOr and cI,tiii,dip g.. o..
sand yet when genius and patient Perseverance,
have at length succeeded, In sp o of ant era md
sUOffS, some valuable invention or disco"ery. how
seldom is il followed by reward Envy robs him
OF the honor, while spectators, swindlers, and nj
Rates rob him of the prOftsI Every un,ucccssiu
expsrinenter who did or did or did not come very
near nLAksng dscOvery now claims It. Every one
who can invent All Improvement or vary it's iurm
claims right TO pirate the original discovery We
r,ed not summons Morse or Blanchard, Ur Wood.
worth to prove that this Is tho usual history OF eve
ry great discovery Or invention.
"The present case ADDS another chapter to this
long and uniform hislory.'-2 Wallace, G. i. Kc.
ports p. 202.