The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1871-03-25
,iubERTS PETROLEUM TORPEDO.
iuBERT g. PETROLEUM TORPEDO.
IORP EDOES.
THE ROBERTS
PETROLEUM TORPEDO C0.
Office sll rlAe
RAD PLANlNG MILL.
Corner OF Pine and Second streets,
Near the laaiirOndO
TITUSVILLE, Pa.

Owing TO the large and intfeasin, demand for the
Roberts Torpedues, and the ialv .ecisou or the
Commissioner Of PaIeut- III relusiis to Vim. Reed
a patent and the decision OF Jujsc Il. T. niicr sus
tanning The k,bsus' p itcnt they have LOW WLiIkD
the price uf their Gorpcuu,s
TWENTY PER CENT.
40 that every Operator can afford ,v try Torpedo
before auaIidobing We'll.
Tlie following Is the decision rendered by Judge
Grier on tue twelty-econo t2.l day of September,
ls6J, III the Uniled states Circuit Cont NJ Phnuei.
ptiu. The case VAS argued three DAYS by Charles
NJ. Keller Of New York, b. 4. i.ucas and ). a FUR.
viance OF Pittsburgh, ior defrnuanis, and George
Harding of pniadell,ha and George H. ,hri.iy, vi
Pittsburgh, for plaintiff.
OPINION OF JUDGE GRIER
As wri'e with difficulty Gun only state the con
illusions o which my mind has co,ne after care;u
examination Of this case.
Inc com .laiutnl uas exhibited u patent dat, d
25th Of April, lS,5 his is pr fcir eyiieucc ui
u good title, anu puts on the respondents the bur
den OF pro # that the patent is void W worthless
not repeat my iei.nrNs in the case oi t,u0I-
year Da, q Wall, q. {. he,; 2al,) bal Now
adopt them nnording rule u decision .ich ai.-
pic. clea iy 10 the ~ essnt case.
AZ the Infringement of the patent Is admin ted 4,
the onl, question will be 10 the validity vi com
plainanis patent 0f April -, ls,S.
at wa. after speculation hau been reduced to
practice" und ailer iepr',eG eXi.crliies, that the
complainant succve,.ed III overcoming he prejudice
and ignorance OF the pcopls ON TIE subject, and
persuading the puDiic tnat his iuvcnton use nj;
after he had established IFS great uBt, and value
ind .when his gehu, anu patient perscN erance, IN
spite OF snccr- aud scoll-,n were completely s1c
s.iul, that leed, who had relorc made expert
ments on the same subject, and was sfl
imagined thai he had the best li;hl tJt"e ia, enio
4 ii after purchasing one .. more Coul l.ainint'stur
pedues he Applied on the list OF November, lShI
Tor patent Tor substantially the same cun,l inn
ton, OF devices and rnchne contained in comp ain.
auts patcut On the 10th oi the same muntll the
Respondents formed themselves into company Or
COZ pOra,iun cancd' lhe Reed Torpedo Company"
for the purpose Of piratng the cumpiainauts in.
venton, ana sllyport,n., the expense litigation,
and thus deirnuu hiin of the rlts. Thcy have pcl
severed. even at,r the preliminary injunction very
properly granted by the Dstrc, Judge
Let decree be entered iJrcomplainant for per.
petua INJUNCTION, aud iAastcr Appointed 10 takc
.n account according TO the prayer OF the bll
Il. L. GIRL kk, Judge.
NorE-The passage referred to nv Judge Grier In
his ior,n,r dpc s'on, 3 Wallace, y. 299 adopted Us
app ic.bic to TIN, was as follows.
81, Is iisuaiiy the case. when any valuable dscov.
cry j. wade, or any new machine OF great witty H.
invented, that attention of the public has been
turned to that subject ev,ously, and that mary
persons have been makug Researches and expert
ments. fh 0snpners ANA mechiniCans may nave
III some III ASSURE anticipated ii their sp ,uatos
.Le possibility Or probability Of such discovery or
invention; many experiments nave been successful
y tiled, comm. Neiy near. yet failing short u the
| desired result. They have produced hing beD..
hcal. I he invention wheu perfected may trry I've
-"Iu W DC tIic punt VI expert
mon - not only by the inventor. but by many 9th.
urs lie may nav. proted indirectly by The iin.uc.
cessful experiments aid failures of Others, but II
give, 'ne.l no right to cam share Of the hcnor of
ttc profit OF the successful inventor II il when
spccu, non has been reduced 20 practice. when cx-
pertinent Ia. resulted in discovery and when trgt
discovery ha- been perfected by p.,ent AMI conln.
ued experiments when some new c"mpodNl, art
manufacture 6. ar machine has been thil- pfudls,L
when is useful to the public, hat the party .,.hiI,g
becomes apublic .neactor and ehti,ledto pa ent
have at length succeeded, in spite Of 81, er. uud
-cOffs, soiue valuable invention or Csco"ery, how
seldom il il followed by reward Envy IGb- linn
of the honor, hiie speculaiors, swiudics and pi.
rates rob him of the profits. Every Unsuccessful
exl,eriinen;er who did Or did or did not come N.ry
near making u discovery now claims il. Every one
who can invent an improvement vary its iurn
claims right to pirate the original discovery. We
need not summons Morse, or blanchard, or Wood.
worth prove tat this Is the usual history of eve
rs great discovery Ur invention.
''The present case Hdds another chapter tn this
long and uniform his,ory."-2 Wallace, Y. Z he
ports p. 292