New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-06

900 is a metal disk covered when IN useh ID whch
IA slot through which ribbon OF wood Issues ied
through by roller, which, at the same time congresses
the wood 80 that when in the leather it expands and
holds with much greater tenacity than an impressed
neg The anvil makes the hole, the cutter cuts the
neg and the driver drives IT, the whole being done
with such rapidy that one man can peg, with steam
nower 800 pairs OF shoes in day. The screwwire nail
ing machine acts In a similar manner except that the
anvil is dispensed with the screw-wire making its own
hole and being cut of by pair of cutters which leave
the upper end of each nail squared and the lower
ponted To this is attached ingenious form Of clutch,
which acts instantaneously and enables the operator to
drive single nail if desired. The leather comes into
the gallery devoted to this group OF machines in hides,
and goes out Shoes peggng, sewing, eyelettng and
heeling complete.
It's mechanism Of this kind which betrays more than
any great discovery Though these two have been in no
way laclng) the peculiar character Of American nven
tveness-s trait grown general as to be national
characteristic and which becomes, like painting in
France or music in Germany, sChoOl-a state OF deve
opment in which not merely great genius here and
there comes the light, but certain amount of me-
chanca knowledge aud capacity enables the generality
Of Yankee men to invent and carry out those mechanical
appliances which their own business demands
Invention has become habit with larger
number of Americans than with any other
nation, probably, which exists. 1t cannot
have escaped the attention of any American who has
had occasion to have done for himself precise me-
chanca work OF novel character that European work
men apprehend and execute ideas painfully, and
in fact generally incapable of developing new idea in
mechanical contrysnce, while an American workman
generally catches the idea readily and often goes ahead
of the original continuance with some suggestion OF his
own This not due merely to superior general educa
tion still less to the need OF manual labor aud its high
prioe as generally said. Doubtless these causes have
a potent effect but my experience in mechanics at
home and abroad leads to think that the develop
mept of inventiveness the position of a national
superior encouragement and protection given TO inven-
ton and its results by our patent system,
which is OF nature calculated 70 foster this ccntrv
ance Of minor mechanical appliances. which make the
wealth of our workshops they do the attraction Of this
Exhibition. Such inventions profitable in America
they are scarcely so In England and utterly unproa
BILE the Continent. England developed the steam
engine, but the governor which Ofenest here
is Porters AmercaD and the majority Of the engines
at work In the Exhibition have Corliss valves. Mining
pumps of far weighter necessity in England than
America yet the best mining pump now in use in Eng
land 10y the testimony OF English engineers) Amer
lean invention. So might 20 through list OF
useful inventions as long the catalogue of depart
ment here and hnd that almost everywhere this prac
teal sense OF American inventors itself felt
by ready adaptation OF ideas previously either almost
useless or comparatively undeyeoped.