The New York herald., 1879-08-11
FREAKS OF INVENTION.
CuriOSitles of Device Within the Ken
Of the Patent Office.
THE STIMULUS OF HARD TIMES.
Invasion of the Domains of Re-
ligion and Physiology.

hard times stimulate rather than obstruct American
inventive genius. This remark is verified by the
record of invention and is not speculative. More
applications for patent rights have been fed in the
United States Patent Office at Washington since the
great financial panic of 1873 than received by
the Office during any twenty years OF its previous
existence Since the reorganization OF the Patent
Office. brought about by the great fire of 1886.
than two hundred and eight On thousand patents
have been issued to domestic and foreign inven-
tors. And how many of this great number of "pro-
tectons have produced to the inventors the equiva-
lent to the official fees for examining. printing.
illustrating and granting and Of the time and labor
bestowed i'll maturing the inventions? An intelligent
and experienced principal examiner to whom pro-
posed this told me "Not one in thousand" He
may have spoken lightly. but had he said "Not one
in five hundred he would probably have been in
the neighborhood of the fact.
FAvoRrTE DEVICES.
Let specific class of inventions be considered.
that of car couplings There on the records
of the Patent Office and in the hands OF aspiring in
ventors throughout the country than two
Thousand patents for devices for the coupling
together of railroad cars. the sole object of
very great majority of which is to
provide for the automatic connection of the cars.
and thus obviate the necessity of the brakeman's
going between abutting in the coupling process
and the consequent danger OF his being mashed
through the failure to meet or the giving away OF
drawheads the vehicles mutually exhaust their
momentum upon each other And yet of these two
thousand aud odd inventions only two are in gen.
eral in the United States. and certainly not more
than four have proved to be worth the sheepskin
and paper they written and printed oni Yet
scarcely week passes which does not bring
to the Patent Office two three appli-
Major William II. Appleton, who has charge of the
classes OF textile fabrics, LOOMS spinning and sew
ing machines, &C., in the Patent Office, not long
since made to the HERALD correspondent the sur
prising declaration that the greater the number of
Inventions the greater the field OF invention.
Upon seed planters there are to date more than
four thousand i've hundred patents. or this great
number OF planters not tithe can plant more than
cotton or beans-exc uding, OF course the machines
for the deposting of the smaller cereals, which
classed i'll the Patent Office as "seed-drilling ma
Chimes.
INVENTIONS FOR CHEATING FLAMES.
OF fire escape patents there are fewer number be-
cause, principally deylces OF this kind Of
paratvey date. There is other class Of
ventions so almost wholly due to the excitement and
demand of the hour this one. Every great tire
brings to the Patent Office greater smaller num-
ber inventions the rescue people and prop
erty from burning buildings. The destruction OF
the Brooklyn Theatre and the consequent dreadful
loss of lie short time ago was worth great deal
OF money to the Patent Office. and probably not less
it. The Chicago fire. little farther back, also
great stimulant to inventors OF fire apparatus as
ALSO III u limited degree the burning OF the ST.
Louis Hotel in which the actress Kate Claxton
near losing her life. The dates of these three
distinctly traceabe in the records OF the Office
Many OF the escapes awkward and impractical,
while little short of absurd in their construc
ton and application 1t is safe to say that not more
than a score of the four hundred ana odd devices
TO enable people to climb out OF the windows OF
burning house and safely descend to the ground
as reliable and convenient the old and sensible
style OF tying rope to the bedpost and letting ones
self down hand-over-hand. There said to be at
the present time q considerable number OF applica-
tons pending in this class and is manifest that
the device which strikes the mean between utility
and economy has not yet been placed before the
country.
A case which not in the fre-escape line, but
which may like the in that line be considered
of the spasmodc order. was recently disposed or by
the granting OF patent 1t was to Boston lady.
and was tor a novel mechanism for holding back the
OF children and preventing them from standing
obtrusivey to the prejudice OF good appearance
This device is peculiarly applicable to children with
not specify whether or not the demand for her in
vention IL peculiar to Boston.
HOUSES ON WHEELS
The patentabiiity OF q device is governed princi-
pally by two things. 1t must be either a new de-
vice or combination Of either new or old or new
and old ones. The office exercises its discretion in
deciding upon the practical utility OF inventions.
but 1t Is literally disposed toward applicants in
this respect. and to great extent permits them to
judge OF the practcabilty of their machines and
processes. good illustration OF this idea occurred
with an odd notion that there was great demand
tor new means for preventing the destruction of
houses by fire, and they set about jointly to supply
the demand in u manner that is comical enough.
Their plan is to whichever part OF the building
may he the least affected by the flames by rolling il
away from the other portion of the structure on
wheels. running upon inclined track of
suitable length. The theory is that the
Greater number OF fires originate in the
Kitchen or cooking department of the house.
and statistics made to do duty in subsantation
OF the theory. The entire practcabilty OF the plan
aff
takes re of two ropes employed for holding it
up snugly against the main portion OF the building
will burn in twain ii not sooner cut with knite
hatchet the kitchen will then, by the attraction
of gravitation. roll away TO the lower end OF the
plane. The ropes, u mus, Dc nnders'ooa a are TO DC
burn any part of IL more than hve or ten min
utes without reaching one of them. The invention
is described also applicable. with some necessary
notifications, TO small cotton ginning establish
men;s. A patent allowed. 1t is noticeable
tact that the patents granted to men hailing from
the south of Mason and Dxon's line relate almost
exclusively TO the planting. picking. ginning and
balng or the great Southern staple.
INTREPID INVENTOR.
There is an exception. however, once in while.
in the late of doctor living in the mountains
u composition to cure snake bites. The recipe does
call for tue usual remedy. whskey, although it
may be used with this some other equivalent
spirituous liquid. The composition is simply an
equal part mixture and infusion of parasitic moss
from white oak and hickory trees. The confidence
of the inventor i'll the efficacy of this remedy must
be very strong. according to fugitive paragraph
which recently went the rounds of the press from
Nashville paper
Another but not quite good, illustration OF the
liberaity of the Patent Ofhce toward inventors is
found in the recent allowance of patent to u
living in California for = combination churn aud
bath tub
PSYCHOLOGICAL MACHINE.
But IL sometimes becomes necessary for the patent
officials to assist the inventors in Judging to the
utility OF inventions. case in which this assist
kindly afforded is found in the late appli-
cation OF Philadelphia man for q patent upon
device for separating the spirit or soul from the
body without material injury to either. The in-
ventor calls his apparatus "Ihe Virgin Mary" The
Office gravely commit unicated TO him u statement
that before patent could issue II would be neces-
sary for him to furnish working model which
would demonstrate to the satisfaction of the exam
liner the feasibility of the device
This invasion of the domain Of religion by an in
venor is not by any means an isolated case. Within
the last month q Steubenve ohio man has been
awarded patent tor new and improved pyN for
carrying TO the dying of the Roman Catholic faith
the Host Holy Communion wafer. This new pyx
IL rlaimed To h. a AZ oxnment mpon the oncs