The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-04-25
An Unnecessary Invention.

the immense number OF Ingenious lhyon-
tiona that are annually patented at Wash.
ington It is creditable 70 tho inventors
that for the most part these Inventions
are intended to serve some really useful
end and 10 meet some obvious want. Nov
thcrc are inventors who appear
to have more desire 70 display their in.
grnui'g than to accomplish any public
benefit Such inseutora are akin in spirit
to those captions persons who deolide to
reut Il room Of m Office unless it possesses
facilities for swinging cat although
they have not the Ienolcst Intention OF
ever performing hat exciting but frivo.
lous experiment The Patent Office coa.
tains numerous models Of machines fran.
ed with the utmost skill, but intended for
purposes for which no man will ever de-
sire to employ them or which are hostile
TO the best interests of the community.
We may admire The ingenuity Of these
machines, but at the same time We must
regret that the inventors have wasted or
perverted their abilities.
Ii i, to this latter elass OF inventions
that the Smith Rolling aud Crushing
Machine" which is to be exhibited at the
Philadelphia exhibition, undoubtedly be-
longs unless, indeed, tho nature and OBJ.
ject Of the invention have been grossly
misrepresented AS its name implies, it
is obviously intended for diminishing the
number Of Smiths. 1t is understood that
it consists Of series of heavy rollers re.
semblng those by which iron plates are
rolled, and also Of pair Of gigantic
grindstones of a novel pattern aud enor.
nous power, the whole being set in motion
by a twclve.horse power engine. Its
method Of operation is at once simple and
effective The operator takes Smith Of
any size, and adjusting the gearing of the
rollers to the exact width to which it is
desired to roll the Smith, gently inserts
his head between the rollers The ma.
chine is then set in motion and in the
brief Opaoc of iiitv.cight seconds the
Smith is rolled 30 any desired degree Of
thinness, If a Smith is to be crusaed, he
is placed in hopper communicating with
the grindstoDcs, and after a rapid tritur-
alton, varying from two to Eve minutes,
according to the size and toughnes5 of the
Smith, he is reduced to fine and evenly
ground powder, in which such foreign
substances as buttons or shirt. studs can be
detected only by the most delicate chem.
al tests, The inventor-so it is said
claims that By very simple mechanical
attachment the machine can DO made to
roll or crush Smythes and Sohmidts with
equal efficiency and he is confident that
the general principle underlying his il
vcnlion can be applied to Brown crushing
or Rcbinson.rollng nach1nes.
Now it must be distinctly understood
that The Times fully appreciates the in.
genuity displayed in the conception Of the
Smith roller and crushcr and tic skill
with which that conception has been en-
boiled in iron ard grindstones A grave
objection, however, can be urged against
the invention and that is that there is no
evidence of any existing demand for such
q machine. That shore is large quan-
tity of Smiths, not to speak Of Sulythes
and Schmidts, IN this country is undeni.
able. There is, however, 40 proof that
the volume Of Smiths Is more than com.
mensurate with the necessities OF business
| may be conceded that n. certain timel
and in certain limited localities, thcrs is
an excess ol Smiths. y plethora o'
Smiths in one Place. however, implies {
corresponding paucity OF Smiths in anoth
or, and the difficulty soon regulates itself
1t may be confidently asserted that The
great law of supply and demand can b,
trusted to preserve the balance Of Smiths
from any serious disturbance. Hence il
is sufficiently plain that there is no neeC
OF O sudden contraction Of the volume o
Smiths, and that the Smith roller ant
crusher is wholly superauous.
There is still another objection to tn,
machine, which is at least, as serious n
that already suggested. No one will de
ny that were it desired to contract III,
volume Of Smiths by certain definite
number every week or month the Smitt
roller and crusher would accomplish tha
end with lhoroughness and success. A
Smith when once rolled to the uuilorn
thinness OF quarter ofan inch, OF crush
ed to the fneness Of ground coffee
would be of 30 further use as
Smith. But why employ costly machiner,
to roll and crush Smiths, when they coul,
be retired with equal efficiency in dozel
different and less expensive ways ? Tn
Inventor has as yet made no suggestion
as to the possible uses to which a role,
Smith might be put; neither has he pro
posed any plan for the utilization o
crushed Smiths. On the other hand, it
perfectly evident that one result of hi
process would be the financial rum o
coiiin makers, who, as is well known, re
gard the Smiths as their most yaluabl
clients. The more closely the inyentio
is studied, the more plainly is it seen tha
it meets no real want. and that it propos
es to do. in an elaborate ard costly way
what might be done more simply an
cheaply. 1t is an unpleasant task to ss
to an ingenious inventor, You hay
wasted your labor ami hsvc produce
what is, at best only curious 7cicntili
toy This, however, must he the uni
ysfsal verdict upon the Smith rolc, an
erusher The rich and idle amateur c
science may occasional amuse himself b
rolling pr crushing Smilhs in his priv =.
laboratory or workshop, but It is f0lly t
u1posc that She machiuc will ever : ..
INTO geue,al use, or that the Inventor Q
tdo public viii ever reap any decide
benefit from il.-N, Y Times.