Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-01-25
AN OHIO MAN
DISCOVERS THE WAY TO MAKE
GOOD SUGAR OF SORGHUM.
And lie Carries the News to Chester In
Washington, Who Treats Him
Like n Prince.

| CINCINNATI, Jan. lO.-The Enquirer
has special from Waynesville. o., tellins
how Daniel Davis, a small farmer. dis
covered, after twenty years of study, the
secret OF making sugar from sor
ghum. MF. Davis theory is that hereto.
fore the granulating element in the cane
has not been extracted--the cones. the
prisms and what not-but by the imper.
feet means to express the juice the i'm
portant element has been undisturbed and
cast away with the macerated cane. His
invention extracts all this, and not only
renders the production of sorghum sugar
possible but increases the product of the
cane about 80 per cent.
His confident hopes realized, the next
movement Mr.. Davis was impressed as
absolutely necessary for him to make was
to carry the news to Chester. He must
60 at once to headquarters, to Washing.
ton city, to the White House, to the
president. Such assurance could only be
inspired by his faith in his invention and
his unlimited confidence in the reception
it would receive by those capable ofap.
preciating il To Washington? WHY, he
hadn't the price of ticket. How was
he to get there, and how was he to get
back if he get there? But, step, by step,
what seems at first impossible becomes
to the brave and daring spirit not only
possible, but probable, aud an accom-
plished realization. Skirmishing around
Mr.. Davis succeeded in gathering to.
gether sufficient means to buy a ticket
from here to Washington. His good wife
packed luncheon for the pilgrimage in
his knapsack, and bidding her and the
children adieu, he boarded the cars for
Washington.
Arriving fhere, he inquired for and
found boarding house at 81 per day.
He had jnst $40 in his pocket at the
time, Fivesof this he was obliged to
spend for some preliminary necessities
for his machine. This left $5, counting
which,the inventor could easily calculate
how long he could live in Washington.
and then,if worst came to worst, he could
walk back TO his home in Ohio.
There was no time to be lost under
these circumstances. Deniel went to a
couple of congres smen. He interested
them in his behalf. and they went al
once with him to the White House; and
were not long kept waiting before they
were ushed into the august and real pres
ence of President Arthur.
What do you wantF" said the presi.
dent, after Mr.. Davis had briefly ex-
planned his mlssion-"money."
Il want, Mr.. President" replied the
modest inventor, ''the opportunity to in.
troduce and explain my invention to
men who will understand and appreci-
ate it,and for that purpose l am here"
President Arthur at once dispatched
messenger to bring the United States
chemist. That functionary promptly ap.
peared on the scene, and before long Mr..
Davis was izxile midst of an audience of
forty gentlemen, scientists, members of
congress and others, he the central fig
ure, explaining the merits of his discov.
cry. Ordinarily. he says. he is not giftei
with ready flow of language. His
words come not always at his bidding,
aud he halts and hesitates, at a loss for
the proper words to express his idea. But
here on this the great occasion of his life,
surrounded by men of learning, intellect
and the very highest position, he was
gifted with fluent speech beyond any
thing he would have thought possible in
his case.
Before he had finished his explana.
tion, Mr.. Loring, of st. Louis, gentle
man actively interested in such matters.
and with whom Mr.. Davis had some
previous correspondence, entered the
room as if by coincidence, and at the
close of the talk remarked to the inven-
tor:
You ought to have come to st. LOUIS,
by all MEANS"
Excuse me for differing from you.
sir" replied Davis, ''but thinkI came to
the very place in coming here. My in.
vention is only just horn, and 1 brought
it here to be clothed"
hight, my old friend,' said the presi-
dent, and, patting him on the head las
bald as baby's), he added: IL think
there is a good deal in there"
The chemist expressed himself as being
favorobly impressed, ,as did all the Others
and some one suggested an appropriation
by congress of $25, 900 or $4,000 to de-
velop the thing. But Davis became
alarmed at the bare thought of having
to manage SO much capital, and told them
ne should not know what to do with it if
it was granted.
am not sure that at this interview any
definite action was taken as to how the
old gentlemen's case should be disposed
Of. But Mr.. Davis frankly told the pres
Ident his situation, and before the inter-
view ended that evidently kind hearted
gentlman gave orders that his humble
guest should be supplied with everything
he needed in food, lodging and transpor-
bation about the city of magnificent dis
tances, and told the old gentleman not to
be in hurry to leave Washington. The
orders were obeyed to the let
5er. The unpretending citizen of Warren
county, Ohio, ate and lodged in the
White House. with servants galore to an
Sicipate and execute his desires. A
coach and driver were always at his CON-
mand; and if he did not live in royal
state. he lived at least in ease and luxury,
with the leading gentlemen
of the land, and being entertained in the
republics palace, where no Warren coun-
~ man save Tom Corwin, Bob Schenck
and perhaps few other distinguished
statesmen had preceded him. It seems
ike the fairiest kind of a tale indeed, yet
il is all absolutely true.
Now for the sequel. Two weeks Mr..
Davis spent in the Nations capital.
Where he went or what he did in that |
lime matters little. No doubt there
we're repeated interviews with the par
lies whose business 1t was to interest |
themselves in the invention. The result |
If all was that the United States govern
nent at once set about having the in
vention patented in this country and in
wenty-nine other cane-growing coun.
ries, which have offered large premiums
or any discovery which will increase
be per cent. of sugar produced. and a
printed list of which is in Mr.. D. pos
ession. The United States alone have