The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-14
OUR BIG PATENT OFFICE.
FACTS OF INTEREST ABOUT A NOTED
BUILDING.

A Structure which Covers Two Squares
Origin of tie Patent Omce--IIow II Was
Once saved Fl ON Destruction.
The history of the patent Office
building, says a Washington CORE
spondent, is quite an inter esting one,
though somewhat difficult to procure.
Perhaps there is not more than one
out of every thousand inventors of the
country who know very much about it,
and the general public nothing at all.
To look at it one would think it was
one of the most perfect specimens of
architecture of all the public buildings.
1t covers two squares, with an immense
court in the middle. The principal
front is on the south of + street, al
though there are four commanding
facades of the pure Gothic style of ar
chitecture. 1t is, of course, two
storie, in height from the outward APP
pearance. In reality, however, there
Is a basement taking a. much space as
any OF the other floors, and beneath
this is a endorsement which is util-
lied for the archives of the Office. The
principal floor is of double height, and
forms a double line of cases for models,
one above the other, the same as if it
were two complete stories. This gives
the same space altogether as if it were
five stories in height.
When | first came to Washington, in
1867, the north wing was not yet COM
pleted and was only partially occupied.
Since that they have hal Il very de-
structive fire, which burned out the
roofs and model rooms of two of the
wings, the north and west, which were
replaced only after two or three years
labor and large expenditure OF money.
The patent Office itself originated in
1890, and from that date to 1902 a
single clerk in the state department
performed the entire work, and a
dozen pigeon holes contained the en-
tire records. For twenty-six years
one DR.. Thornton, then a noted scien-
tile gentleman, was superintendent.
The idea of Thornton was that the
patent office was solely for the en-
enlargement Of authors and inventors,
and not for the purpose of collecting
revenue, and on this basis was his
management. He appears to have
regulated the Office with the dictates
OF his own n ence, unre trained by
anything save his own sweet will. A
good many interesting storie; have
been told of DR.. Thornton. 1t is said
that in 1912, whea the British cap
tured the city of Washington and de-
stroyed the national capitol, a loaded
cannon was turned upon the patent
office. The eXcitable and heroic doc
tor rushed from the building and
placed himself before the gun as it was
about to be fired. He cried out to the
gunners /:
Are you Englishmen, or are YOU
Cloths and Vandals? This is the
patent Office, a depository of the in
genuity and inventions of the Ameri-
can nation, in which the whole civ
iii; ed world is interested. Would you
destroy it? If so, fire away and let
the charge pass through my body"
The effect is sal to have been such
rs to ave the patent office from de-
struction. 1 have my doubts about
the truth of this story, but it is a very
pretty one, and so it is interjectel
h re. One Jones, of whom You have
no uouoI licdru, Succeeueu III. InoIH-
ton from 1928 to 1880, and in turn
was succeeded by DIR. Craig. At this
time several clerks were added, and
the government began to think about
a building which was to be devoted to
the business of patents. Craig was in
Office until 1889, when the foundation
Of the patent dice was laid.