Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-11-22
REMARKABIE HISTORY.

as follows: .-. .-
In 1858, Mr.. Thomas SheehAn, OF
Dunkirk, New York, foreman in the
1 blacksmith department Of the Erie
railway shops at that place, patented
o submarine grapple, which, though
an ingenious invention, proved to be
/ one for which there was little demand.
This was his first invention; and the
cost of its completion together with
one years struggle to manufacture
and Introduce it, completely exhaust
ed Mr.. Sheehanis means, and reduced
him to the EXTREMIST poverty. He
was, in fact, in pretty nearly the same
condition as Palissy the potter, at the
moment of his greatest distress A
wife and eight children in Sheehan's
family were reduced to the verge Of
destitutioA, and Mrs. Sheehan became
uneommonly bitter. ---.--..
Just at this crisis, Mr.. S. ID. COlwen, q,
General Freight Agent of the Erie
railroad, at Dunkirk, chanced to meet
Mr.. Sheehan in the streets Of the
town and accosted him, with
well, Thomas, how are the Crap
Piles? 1 hear they have used you up-" "
eyes" was the answer, "the grap-
pies have done my business; wish
/ had never seen them"
Throw 'em away" advised Mr..
Colwell. Have you any now finish
ed an -.
II have one almost DONE" said
Thomas. ,.-
"Finish that; I will pay you forty
dollars for it ; and have it used fer
picking coal at the dock. The money
will help you in your present emer-
gency, and you can go back to your
old place in the shop and earn good
living for your family" 80. =.
az will,h said Thomas. 30 -.
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 dependl A tap, the only one our
inventor had Of the size required,
suddenly snapped ssunder, and, as it
was essential to the progress OF the
work, be must have q new one or he
could not go on. s. -.
In this strait he applied to his wife
TO lend him twenty-five cents 10 buy
the necessary steel to form the tap.
But she. having no faith in the Crap
pie, refused for two very good reasons
first, that she believed the money
would be thrown away if she gave 1t
to her husband, and second, that she
had not the money to give him, even
II kso.disposed, The refusal was seas
oned with some very hot spice, that
made IL very unpalatable 10 Thomas.
But he befhought him Of q merchant,
who, in brighter days. had seen. the
color of his money, and who, perhaps,
would now give him credit for the
small modieum Of steel he required for
the tap.
To this merchant to prefer his re-
quest, began beating about the bush
and finally strayed into politics. hot
words passed between them, and our
friend, feeling his manliness would |
suffer too keenly by asking credit for
the steel, came away without 1t.
With no definite purpose he went
home, pOndering upon how he should |
this, now no trit1ing obsta-
Gle Of the broken tap.
He found his wife making lye for 4
soft soap, but her acidity in no way /
by the alkaline reaction. /
Despondent and discouraged, he sat |
DOWN, in no very enviable mood,
when he chanced to spy . piece Of
iran lying near the tubs at which his 4
spouse was working. Meditating
ipon how he could make that piece Of
ron hard enough for tap, he led to
1 rather rude experiment, the results
of which have in ths end made him q
richer man than he ever dreamed OF
being.
1t so happened that from distant
a Roman Catholic priest, in
our friend had inherited
quite library OF works on chemistry;
some Of them rare and valuable be
had read some OF these books to very
yood purpose. There is surely car
BON in that lye,n thought he. "If
1nly could get that into this iron in
he proper proportion, 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
We, and adding, without any porticu-
ar FessOn for so doing, some saltpetre
and common salt, made paste with
his solution and q hard grudged
iaucerful of the little remaining -four
here was in the house. He then
'Orged the tap, put the whole into q
uted iron box and exposed it 70 the
heat for two hours in 3 blacksmith's
ire. To his Joy and surprise when he
.ook il out, il was hard enough to cut
.ast steel. The grapple was finished,
md forty dollars flowed into the treas
Try of Thomas SheehRn. He went
pack to his old work, disgusted with
patents, and resolved never to have
TO do with one again. But
he remembrance OF the tap, hardened
n so unique q manner, still haunted
lin. Having great deal Of case har-
lening to do, he thought one day he
would repeat the experiment upon a
arge scale, which he did with perfect
uecess.
For twelve months he went on to
experiment., purchasing the materials
With his own money, and worked in
ecret by night aud at odd hours. At
he end of twelve months he recon-
idered his sentence OF condemnation
n patents, and applied for one on his
,rocess, which was granted Septem-
ier 4, 1860, the claim being for COM
ination Of damaged flour, potash lye,
r I've, from hardwood ashes, nitre,
ommon salt. and sulphate OF Einc,
DR. ease-hGrdeniDg iron- In 1857 he
stented an improvement on the
bove named process. In 1888 he
Ook out another patent on an entirely
ew process, which consists in the .
Sc Of raw limestone, charcoal, black
xide OF manganese, sal soda, com
non salt, and pulyeFized iron, COM
ined, for converting iron into steel, (
Thich Is now widely used, and from !
'hich he has rsaped quite fortune.
No less than twenty-three Of the
sading railways in America now use
bis process, under license from the {
atentee, for hardening the links, {
uides, pins and nuts Of locomotives,
fecting, We are told, no less q saving
han from five to six hundred dollars i
on each locomotive, in Obvi- I
ting the lost motion consequent upon {
be wear of links, pins and guides {
The inventer has already received ]
Dr. licenses under his patent Of 1865 {
q, $50, and has just sold the remand
T Of his patent in America for $40, !
90. al.a1