The union Democrat., 1871-11-18

In the ScteRfIfc ABsertc0H we md story
of the struggles and triumphs Of an inventor,
which is worth preservation. The substance
of it is rs follows.
In 1858, Thomas Sheehsn, Dunkirk, N. Y,
foreman in tbs blacksmith department on the
Erie railway shops ut that place, patented a
submarine grapple, which, though an inge-
NOUS invented, proved to be one for which
there was little demand. This was his first
invention and the cost of its completion. to-
gather with one years struggle to manufac-
ture and introduce it, completely exhausted
Mr.. Sheehan's means, End reduced bin, to
the EXTREMIST poverty. He was, in fact, IN
pretty nearly the same condition as Pslissy
the potter, at the moment of his greatest dis
tress. A wife and eight children In Shee-
hans family were reduced to the verge of
restitution. and Mrs. Sheehan became I'M
commonly bitter.
just at this crisis, 8. d. Colwell, general
agent of the Erie Railroad at Dunkirk,
CHANGED to meet Mr.. Sheehan in the street Of
that town, and accosted him with
'Well, Thomas, how are the grapples
hear they have used you up"
YES was the answer, "the grapples
have done my business / wish l had never
seen them"
"Throw EN- away" advised Mr.. Colweil.
'Have you any now finished 81
81 have one almost DONE" said Thomas.
Finish that /; will pay you forty dollars
for it, and have it used for picking up coal at
the dock. The money will help you in your
present emergency, and you can 60 back to
your old place in the shop and earn good
living for your family"
81 willn said Thomas.
Back to the humble home went the invent
or with new hope in his breast, and set him
self to finish the grapple with all due speed.
But upon what slender threads do the for
tunes of men hang A tap, the only one our
inventor had of the size required, suddenly
snapped asunder, and as it was essential to
the progress of the work. he must have new
one or he could not go on.
In this strait he applied to his wife to lend
him twenty-five cents to buy the necessary
steel to forge the tap. But she having no
faith in the grapple, refused, for two very
good reasons-fr first, that she believed the
money would he thrown away if she gave it
to her husband and the second, that she
had not the money to give him, even if so die
posed The refusal was seasoned with come
very hot word-spice that made it very un-
pleasant to Thomas. But he be thoughthim Of
merchant who, in brighter days, had seen
the color of his money, and who, perhaps,
would now give him credit for the small mod
icum of steel required for the top.
To this merchant he hied, and, somewhat
reluctant to prefer his request, began beating
about the bush and finally straying into
politics, hot words passed between them, and
our friend, feeling his manlness would suffer
too keenly By asking credit for the steel,
came away without it.
With no definite purpose he went home
pondering uuon how be should surmount this,
now no trifing obstacle, of the broken tap.
He found his wife making lye for soft soap,
but her acidity in no way neutralized by the
alkaline reaction. Despondent and discour-
aged, he sat down, in no very enviabe mood,
when he CHANGED to spy piece of iron lying
near the tubs at which his spouse was work
ing. Meditating how he could make that
piece of iron hard enough for tap, he was
led to try a rather curious experiment, the
results of which in the end made him a richer
man than he ever dreamed Of being.
1t so happened that from distant relative,
Roman Catholic priest in Ireland, our
friend had inherited quite library of works
on chemistry, some of them rare and valua-
BILE. He had read some of these books to
in that lye," thought he. "If | could only
get that into this iron in the proper proper
ton, should have steel, and from that my
tap and so finish my grapple."
With little hope or faith that he should
succeed, he took some of the lye. and adding,
without any particular reason for so doing,
some saltpeter and COMMON salt, made
paste with thi. solution and a hard grudged
saucerfull of the little remaining -four there
was in the house. He then forged the tap,
and enveloping it in the paste, put the whole
into luted iron box and exposed it to heat for
two hours in blacksmith's fire. To his JOY
and surprise, when he took it out, it was
hard enough to cut cast steel. The grapple
was flushed, and forty dollars flowed into
the family treasury of Thomas Sheehan. He
went back to his old work, disguised with
patents. and resolved never to have anything
to do with one again. But the remembrance
of the tap. hardened in 30 unique manner,
still haunted him. Having a great deal of
casehardening to do, he thought one day be
would repeat the experiment upon large
scale, which be did with perfect success.
For twelve months he went on with the ex-
pertinent, purchasing the materials with his
own money, aud working in secret by night,
and at odd hours. At the end of twelve
months he reconsidercd bis condemnation on
patents, and applied for one on his process
which was granted September 4, 1860, the
claim heing for combination of damaged
-four, potash lye, or I've from hardwood ASH
es, nitre, common salt, and sulphate of zinc,
for casehardening iron. In 1867, he patent
ed an improvement on the above named pro-
cess. In 1868 he took out another patent for
an entire new process, which consists in the
use of raw limestone, charcoal, black oxide
of magnese, sal soda, common salt and pull
verified rosin, combined, for converting iron
into STEEL which is now widely used, and
for which be has reaped quite fortune.
No less than twenty-three of the leading
railways in America now use this process,
under license from the patehtee, for harden
ing the links, guides, pins and nuts of loco
motives, etfecting, we are told, no less saw
ing than from $500 to 5000 annually on each
locomotive, in obviating the lost motion con-
sequent upon the wear OF links, guides and
pins.
The inventor has already received. for H.
censes under bis patent of 1868, S29. $50. and