The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-09-26

Office exercises its discretion in deciding
upon the practical utility of inventions,
but it is literally disposed toward appli-
cants in this respect, and to a great eX-
tent permits them to Judge of the prac-
ticability of their machines and pro-
cesses. A good illustration of this idea
occurred not long ago. Two Mississip-
plans became imbued with an odd notion
that there was a great demand for new
means to prevent the destruction of
houses by fire, and they set about Jointly
to supply the demand in manner that
is cOmical enough. Their plan is to save
whichever part of the building may be
least affected by flames by rolling it
away from the other portion of the build
ing on wheels, running upon an inclined
track of suitable length. TIE theory is
that the greater number of fires origi-
nate in the kitchen or cooking depart
ment of the house, and statistics are
made to do duty in subst sanitation of the
/ theory. The entire practIcability of the
plan is shown by the fact that very soon
after the kitchen takes fire one of two
ropes employed for holding it up snugly
against the main portion OF the building
I Will burn in twain if not cut with
knife or hatchet. and the kitchen VIII
then, by the attraction of gravitation,
roll away to the other end of the plane.
The ropes, it must be understood. are to
be so disposed about the kitchen that
fire cannot burn in any part of it more
than five or ten minutes without reach
ing one of them. The invention is de-
/ scribed as also applicable. with some
necessary notifications, 10 small cotton
ginning establishments. 4 patent was
! allowed. 1t is a noticeable fact that the
patents granted to men hailing from the
( south of Mason and Dixon's line relate
+ almost exclusively to the planting, pick
/ ing, ginning and baling OF the great
/ southern staple.
There is an exception. however. once
! IN while, as in the late case of a doctor
( living in the mountains of southern
. Tennessee. who obtained protection for
/ a composition to cure snake bites The
recipe does not call for the usual remedy.
whisky, although it may be used with
this or some Oth-r equivalent spirituous
liquid. The composition is simply an
/ equal part mixture and infusion of par
/ asJIc moss from white-Odk and hickory
trees. The confidence of the inventor in
the efficacy Of this resedy must be very
. strong, according to fugitive para
. graph that recently went the rounds of
the press from a Nashville paper.
Another, but not quite as good. Illus
tIatiOn of the iibeTality of the patent Of
flee toward inventors is found in the re-
cent allowance OF patent TO a man liv-
ing IN California for a combination
churn and bath tub.
But it sometimes becomes necessary for
the patent officials to assist the inventors
in Judging as TO the utility Of inventions.
A case in which this assistance was
kindly afforded is found in the late APP
plication of Philadelphia man for d
patent upon device for separating the
spirit or soul from the body without ma
terIal injury TO either. The inventor
calls his apparatus The Virgin Mary =
The office gTaVely communicated to him
statement that before a patent could
issue it would be necessary for him to
furnish a working model which would
demonstrate TO the satisfaction of the
examiner the feasibility of the advice.
Among the remarkable inventions that
have been patented within the last month
are a pocket umbrella. devised by New
Englander, and so constructed that it
can be folded and placed in an ordinary
pocket without serious Inconvenience
an autograph music machine invented
by two Boston men, which IS designed
to wholly supplant the orchestra at balls,
and automatically call all of the square
dances, such as qUadrilleS and ianceTS
a device for binding a runaway horse
with spring curtains and thus bringing
him TO a stand, planned 10y a New y oTk
man an exceedingly elaborate meteor
OlIgical instrument, conceived and per
fected by Gen. Albert J. NyeT. the chief
of the government signal service. which
it is thought Will materially expedite the
work of forecasting the weather: q
process of making ornamental buttons
principally from blood and puiVeriZed
horn. united by a suitable adhesive sub
stance, the result of an experiment of q
Jersey City genius; an electric light ap
paTatuS, designed to solve the great
problem of the practical subdivision OF
the electric current, by a New \ Orker-
Mr.. y Wilford Hall ; an educationa
appliance for use by classes in rhetoric
and grammar, by which sentences art
mechanically separated and analyzed
the different parts of speech being illu
minated in varying colOrs-aS nouns il
black. verbs orange, adjectives yellow
. adverbS blue. etc, and q Steam-Operatln&
, machine for shearing sheep and clipping
horses, by Bay City, Mich, inventor
Other inventions of a comparatively re
cent date are a wire fence barb, by
man who came or sent all the way from
far off New Zealand to have it patented
in the United States coffee hulle
and roaster, by citizen of the Argen
, tine Confederation. South America, ant
a novel but rather clumsy clothes wash
) ing machine, by resident of SwitZer
, land, while Mr.. EIelge PalmcrantZ come
: from StOckho I'm, Sweden, to obtain let
, ters OF protection for piece OF machln
, cry of his imprOvising.
As before noted, there are now in eX
9 istepce more than 2lS, 600 United state
patents. There are but a little over SO,
. 600 English patents, 30, 200 French an
, 10000 Belgian and German patents upo
: inventions. IN IS4S there were owe
f 1000 more English than American pat
: ents, there being at that time 1000
o English and something less than 6,0U
American. These figures show how il
y yentors of this country are progressin
r as compared with those of other cou
: tries in Whichthe patent system prevails
a The regular routine work of the Unite
a States patent office requires in the e
: amining corps alone from 122 TO Il
. men. who, as is we'll known. must be e,
II perts in the classes in which they labO
4 -NetC YORK Herald.
is 4 BALTIMORE inventor has a pateI
e for suit OF flying clothes. BY work.
y the arms the man in the clothes noun
d heavenward. Waterproof pantalool
and jackets are IN one piece. To this
'e fastened Il reservoir made of oiled sill
I'M and stretching from shoulders 70 vVais