Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1877-10-02
$4,000 MODELS BURNED.
4 Large Part of the Magnificent
PatCnt-Oflice Destroyed


The Flames Happily Stayed in
Time to Save the Records and
One-lialG the Collection.
Special Despatch to the world1
WASHINGTON, September 24.-Tbe
most disastrous fire in the history of
! this city occurred in the Interior or
Patent.Ofllce building to-day. result
ing in loss alike irreparable to the
capitol ard the country. The upper
! floor, or model hail, fronting 275 feet
on Ninth street and 4l0 feet on G
street, and averaging 90 feet wide and
80 feet high, was burned, with the eX-
ception of the outer marble walls.
which withstoOd to the last the almost
crushing weight of over 700 feet of the
roof, under which the fire was first
discovered, and which fell in on the
marble floor beneath. The portion Of
the hall on the east or Seventh street
side, and on the f street or south side,
was saved from destruction. though
greatly damaged by water. The en-
tire hall, measuring 300 feet. in the
shape of rectangle, and covering two
entire city squares, was filed with two
rows, two stories deep, of iron, glass
and wood cases, in which were de-
posted the mo 'els of all tile patents
issHed since 1856, in which year the
Patent'O Office, then located on the site
of the present Post Office Department
Building, was entirely destroyed bv
fire, together with the models accu
mulated during the thirty-siX years,
in which the Patent Office had been
established-numbering 10, ,30l. From
that date to the present time $4,000
patents have been issued and of this
number 160,0 600 were represented by
models of inventions, for hich pat
ents have been granted. More than
half of this number, or over so 600
models, were destroyed to day. Il il
true that the specifications and draw
inps remain unharmed which describe
these Inventions, and the law required
that one skilled in the particular clase
of invention which these models rep
resent must make, not only model
for the same, hut a working machine
in order to validate its pat ut. but it is
agreed that Congress will never enter
upon so vast an expenditure as would
be required to reproduce copies of
these inventions. The question has
besides been entertained of adopting
the French aud English systems,
where no models are required by the
Government for examination prior to
the Issue of "A patent for new inVen-
tiOn or manufacture.
The Patent-Oiiice building was al
ready cramped for room in which to
exhibit the models of inventions pat
ented, as well as for those for which
patents have been rejected. The lat
ter claes largely exceed those for
which patents are issued. for the re-
jected models are never returned TO
their owners. Although the build
ing, next to the Capitol, is the largest
in Washington. it has not been able,
owing to the eucrOachmeuts of the
Patent-OltiCe, to accommodate the va
rious bureaus of the Interior Depart
ment. The Penson-O Office, Census
Office, Bureau of Education and 9th
ers were long since forced to obtain
accommodation elsewhere. In the
building proper are the Offices of the
Secretary of the Interior and his
cIerka, the PatGnt-OfIice, the General
Laud Office and the Indian Bureau. -
The hall which was partially destroy
ed to-day was the finest museum of
invention in the world, and has been
visited daily by hundreds of visitors
ever since its completion. Among
its curiosities of inventions are the
original Morse telegraph of 1897, side
by side with the printing and quadru-
pick telegraphs of twenty years later
the first reaping machine, with nearly
q thousand patents of the same class
following Il; the original sewing-ma-
chine and it's immense following the
Goodyear patents for making India
rubber (; the Ryder patent contesting
the claim that tgutta-percha was India
rubber firearms almost without
name and number } and so on down
the long list of invention covering
agriculture, its implements and ope-
ration metalIurgy and the manufac-
ture of metals chemical processes
and compounds calOriiies, compris-
ing lamps, stoves and gas steam and
gas engines and other motors navigR-
tion and maritime Implements; nath-
ematical, philosophical and optical
implements civil engineering and
architecture ; hydraulics and pneu-
matics !; the mechanical power of the
lever and screw :; grinding mills ma
chimes for making lumber; household
furniture and domestic implements :
firearms ana implements Of war; ;
surgical and medical instruments
arts polite and fine and Orna amental
and a large class of miscelan eous in
ventions not designated by any par
Oflice examination.
In the east hall the original models
of the telegraph, reaper and sewing
machine and other old and valuable
inventions were deposited and there
fore saved. The original cngrOssed
copy Of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, Franklin's printing press, the
uniform of Gen Washington, which
he wore when he RESIGNED his com
mission, and other valuable relics
from Presidents Jefferson. Jackson.
Madison and Munroe, Lafayette. Ba-
ron DeKalb ard others, were in the
south hail, which was not damaged -
They were removed, however, 10y or
der of Secretary Schur2, TO n place of
safety before it was k nown whether
the fire could be controlled in the
northern and western portions of the
building.