Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-20

Lhc struggles OF an AhNchtOra
In the Scientific American we find story of
the struggles and triumphs Of an inventor,
which is worth preservation. The substance of
Il ia as Iollowss
In 1858. Mr.. Thomas Shcchdn of Dunkirk
| NY. foreman in the blacksmith department of
the Erie railroad shops at that place, patented a
submarine grapplc, which, though an ingenious
invention proved so be one for which there was
very little demand, This was his first invention /
and the cost of its completion, together with one
years struggle TO Manufacture and introduce it,,
completely exhausted Mr.. Shcchau's means, aud
reduced him to the EXTREMIST poverty He was,
In fact in pretty nearly the same condition as
Passy the Potter, at tho moment ofhis greatest
dislresS--a vile and eight children. Sheehan's
family were reduced TO the verge Of restitution,
and Mrs. Shechan became unconsciously bitter.
just at this crisis Mr., S. d, Cowcll, general
freight agent of the Erie railroad at Dunkirk,
CHANGED to meet Mr. Sheehau IN the streets Of
that town, and accostcd him withi
well, Thomas, how are the grapples9 | hear
they have used you up"
Eyes, was the answer, "the grapples have
done my business; | wish had never seen
them"
Throw 'em away" advised Mr.. Cowcll
"Haye you now any finished"
81 have now one most done, said Thomas.
Finish that, will pay you $40 for it, and
have it used for picking up coal at the dock
The money will help you in the present emer
gency, and you can 20 back TO your old place in
the shop and earn good living fer your lani
ly."
81 WILL" said Thomas,
Back TO his humble home went the inventor,
with new hope in his breast, and set himself to
finish the grapple with all due speed, But,
upon what slender threads do the fortunes of
men hangl A tap, the only one our inventor
had of the size required, suddenly snapped
asunder, and, as il was essential to the progress
Of the work. he must have a 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
trst that she believed the money would be
thrown away if she gave it TO her husband; and
second that she had not tue money to give him.
even if so disposed. The refusal was seasoned
with some very hot word-spice that made it
very unpalatable to Thomas. But he bethought
him of merchant who in brighter days had
seen the color of his money, and who, perhaps,
would now give him credit for the small modi.
cum of steel he required Tor the tap.
To this merchant he hired, and somewhat re-
luctant TO prefer his request, began beating
| about the bush. and finally strayng into poll
tics, hot words passed between them, and our
| friend, feeling his manliness would suffer too
keenly by asking credit for the steel, came with.
| ont it,
With no definite purpose he went home, pom
dering upon how he should surmount this, now
no tritiing obstacle of the broken tap.
He found his wife making lyc for soft soap
but her acidity in no way neutrazcd by the
alkaline. Despondent and discouraged, he sat
down in no very enviable mood, when he
CHANGED TO spy piece Of iron lying near the
tubs at which his spouse was working. Medi-
tating how he could make that piece of iron hard
enough for a tap, he was led TO a rather rude
experiment, the results of which have in the end
made him a richer man than he ever dreamed of
being.
1t so happened that from a distant relative, a
Roman Catholic priest in Ireland, our friend had
inherited quite a library of works on chemistry,
some of them rare and valuable. He had read
some of these boo 5 TO very good purpose.
"There is surely carbon in that I've, thought he.
'If only could get that into this iron in the
proper proportion should have steel, and from
that my tap, and so finish my glapple"
With little faith or hope that he should sue
coed, he took some of the I've, and adding, with
out any particular reason tor so doing some
Saltpetre and common salt, made a paste with
this solution and a hard-grudgcd saucCrful of
the little remaining flour there was in the house.
He then forged the tap, and enveloping il in the
paste put the whole into luted iron box and
exposed it 10 heat for two hours in black
smiths fire. To his joy and surprise, when he
| took it ont, it was hard enough to cut steel.
| The grappe was finished and $40 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 so unique manner, slim
| ullted him. Having a great deal of case hard
| ening to do, he thought he would repeat the eX-
pertinent upon a large scale, which he did with
perfect success.
For twelve months he went on to experiment,
purchasing the materials with his own money
and working IN secret by night and at odd hours.
AT the end OF twelve months he recunsidered his
sentence of condemnation on patents, and APP
piled for one on his process, which was granted
September 4, 1860, the claim being for a comb-
nation of damaged -four, potash I've, or I've from
hard wood ashes, nitro, common salt, and sui
phate OF zinc, for case hardening iron. In 1867
he patented an improvement on the above named
process. In 1868 he took out another patent for
an entirely new process, which consists in the
use OF raw limestone, charcoal, black oxide of
manganese, sal soda, common salt, and pulver-
lied resin, combined, for converting iron into
steel, which is now widely used, and from which
he reaped quite fortune
No less than twcntv-thrce of the leading rail
ways in America now use this process, under
license from the patentee, for hardening the
links, guides, pins and nuts of locomotives,
efecting, we are told, no less a saving than from
i've to six hundred thousand dollars annually
on locomotives, in obviating the lost motion
consequent upon the wear OF links, guides and
pins.
The inventor has already received for licenses
under his patent OF 1868, S29, $50, and has Just
sold the remainder oil his patent in America for
$4,000.