The Portland daily press., 1875-11-19
Washington Letter.
Curiosiiies of the U. 9. Patent Omce-Use-
full and Useless Inventions.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Nov. 18th, 1877;


WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov. 18th, 1875.
An experience, extending through q series
OF years, as amateur cicerone to friends and
acquaiatances, of both sexes and of all classes,
during their stay at the National Capitol, has
satisfied me that the focus of attraction, the
Mecca of sight seers, is not in the ''lilac and
gold' (as Walt Whitman calls them) Halls OF
Congress-; not in the new State Department.;
not in the Smithsonian Insttatiop attractive
as all these undoubtedly are); nor even in the
Washington monument; but in the model
museum at the Patent Office! Whether it is
General Washingtons old othes, Mrs. Wash
Ington's pannIers, or Benjamin. Frank ms
walking stick to which this attraction is due,
shall not here venture to conjecture for
aught know it may be the rumor that GER
tain little hatchet lies hiddan away here, some
where, among the mouldering soupenirs from
Mount Vernon-but certain it is that the sight
seers from all parts Of the country who visit
ur city spend more time inspecting and won-
dering at the Thousands of interesting models
and other curiosities stored at the Patent
Office, than they were ever known to pass in
unique objects of art (?l as Winnie Ream's
Abraham Lincolp," or Powell's painting of
'Perry's Victoryp'
1t to the Patent Office, therefore, that
propose to conduct the reader for half an hours
ramble among the wonders therein, aod IL we
do not use up all the time in actual sight see
ing we can employ it no less prof tably in re-
tiecting briefly upon some of the inventions
which have revolutiOuized the arts aud manu.
factures of the world.
For instance, here we stand before glasscase,
filled from top to bottom with bright aud shiu-
ing models of saws of all kinds; reciprocatiug
saws, hand saws scroll saws, and circular saws.
The latter are represented iugreat numbers, for
there are upward of three hundred patents on
improvements in, and notifications of, this
kind of saw, now 20 universally used; and yet
the m IN who first invented circular saw died
in comparative poverty, simply because he neg
lectcd to take out patent on his invention
Few, even, remember his name, though no in
vention of modern times has poured out great
er influences than his.
Who was he, then? you ask. He was poar
blacksmith, by the name of Baulamin Cum
ninss, who, some sixty years ago, lived at
Burtonville, in the state of New York The
first circular saw ever made was hammered
out by him on his blacksmith's anvil; it was
clumsy affair compared with the saws of the
present day, but it showed the idea, and his in
vention rapidly found its way into public favor.
Cummings could have died a rich man, for he
had wonderful inventive mechanical and en-
giueering genius. The invention of the cir
cular saw was not the only thing by which his
name ought to be remembered 1t was he,
though now almost forgotten, who, In Albany.
n. Y, first undertook to move bodily large
block of brick buildings, After his plan
mile and half of the Erie Canal was blasted
through the solid rock, and he aided materially
in the construction of the first ten miles Of
railroad ever built in the United States, which
was constructed after his plans and surveys.
Well might he rank with Howe, Whitney,
Fulton, Stephenson, and other distinguished
benefactors of mankind in the realm Of in.
vention.
Most interesting, also, is the case, not far
rom here, containing models-many exquisite-
ly and delicately made-of steam engines.
Among the hundreds of models here we find
one that commands our special attention, viz:
that of a high pressure steam engine, invented
by Oliver Evans of Philadelphia, who was the
third person to whom patent was ever
granted by the United States. It was Of his
invention President Jefferson remarked that
lit was too valuable to be covered by patent,
and there should be no patent for q thing no
one could afford to do without after it was
knownr' That was said in December, 1880,
when patents were granted at the rate of
about one every second month; there are now
granted, on an average, one thousand patents
each month (The number for 1874 was
thirteen thousand.
said that Evans was the third person who
obtained patent in the United States; the first
was one Samue! Hopkins, who, on the S0th Of
July, 1870, obtained patent for the imanufac-
ture of spot and pearl ashes.'
Many visitors, especially those of a nautical
or philanthropc turn of mind, seem to take
special interest in the three or four cases con-
tanning models of life-boats, RATS, life pre-
servers, etc. The first life boat ever con-
structed was invented and patented in Euglard
IN 1885, whilst in this country no pat"nt for a
similar invention was granted until 1913 A
very large number of patents has since been
issued, especially for ''rafts'' of various con.
structions, such as the 'Nonpareil," the
''Calker" raft, and great many others Here.
also, one finds models of the liie-saviug suit
worn by Captain Boynton when he crossed the
English Chanael, and on bis passage down
the Rhine in Germany, recently.
Nearly opposite to this case is the case con-
aiming breech-loading firearms, chief among
which is the Colt revolver-now famous all
over the world. Here is the original model,
| heavy and clumsy as compared with the ele-
| CANT workmanship of our armores OF the
| present day; and here also, are the models Of
| the far.famed Sharpe, Henry, Winchester,
| Berdan ard Remington rifles, which never fail
to attract the close attention of large class of
| visitors. On the floor alongside OF this case is
| placed model of the so called "Gatlibg gun,"
| or American mitraieuse-the most formidable
| machine of war invented in modera timesi
1t would take not hours, but days, to examine
cursorily the contents of the many hundred
| cases stored here, every one of which contains
some particularly interesting object. Take for
instance, the case containing models of air
ships, or balloons, designed by their inventors
to supersede steamships and railway trains.
There are several hundred of these, constructed
With all the mnuteress of detail OF full-
sized ship. One or two seem TO become OF
| some practical Importance; for instance,
| Schraeder's air-ship, one OF whion Is now
heino constructed by q wealthy gentleman In