Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-11-22
Curious Inventions.

Fashions do not change so easily as
most people suppose. The fashion for
tombstones, for instance, has been much
the same for many years, yet It appears
from models in the patent office that
various attempts have been made by
enterprising gentlemen to change the
form and style of these gruesome re.
minders of mortality. Monuments are
still made of marble and granite, al
though an inventor patented a hollow
glass column, filled with white powder.
Another man devised a glass pyramid
to be placed on stone pedestal, the
pyramid to be filled with artificial flow
ers. Several people have made plans
for preserving the picture Of the occu.
pant of the grave in a conspicuous place
upon the tombstone. In 1851 the lead
ing style of picture was a daguerreotype.
| There is one of them fastened to the
| model of 4 tombstone which was pat
ented that year. 1t is probable the
counterfeit presentment" of the gen.
tleman who patented the continuance.
1t has ghostly look. There are 4 large
number of models for tOmbs and mon
uments in one great stone grave, to be
placed above ground. On these mod.
els, as well as upon those of the many
contrivanceS for grave guards, it APP
pears to have been the custom to en-.
grave names as they would appear upor
the genuine article. The taste of the
inventor appears in the names chosen.
One tomb bears the name of John
Smith," and hurts nobody's sensitive
feelings, but upon others the irrevereni
inventors have put George Washing
tom and abraham Lincoln" The
queerest model in the collection is
labeled: Improvement in grave
mounds" 1t was patented in 1868, and
appears to be a pyramid of little
tie yellow cones. There is nothing tc
show what the little cones are to be
made of, or why they are an improve
ment upon ordinary earth and turf.
A strong effort has also been made tc
change the fashion of opening oysters.
There are numerous models of machines
for that purpose. One of them appears
to have wise to hold the oyster while
powerful battering ram comes up from
behind and hits him unawares. 1t is
understood that after the battering ram
hits him once the oyster will give up
and let go of himself. Several of the
models are called machines for "shuck-
ing" oysters. One of them seems to be
nothing but big iron hook. In spite
of all these excellent arrangements, the
colored man still stands behind the
counter with a knife, prizes the shell
open, cuts his own finger with the knife,
and bedews the oyster with human
blood as he passes him out to be swal-
lowed.
There are several ingenious device:
for sealing fish. One of them is shaped
like box car, has twenty wheels, and
a dozen leather belts. One of the leath-
er belts has row of sharp tacks along
it. There is place for the fish to be
put in whole, and another place for it
to come out dressed. The machine APP
pears to be intended to run by steam
power.
Housewives have received their fair
share of attention from inventive genius.
There are more models of washing-ma-
chimes than of any other one thing.
Much mind labor has been bestowed
upon potato-mashers and egg-beaters.
Some of the results are surprising.
There is a model of an egg beaten which
is exactly like an old-fashioned "four-
poster" bedstead. Instead of cords OF
springs there is a combination of wheels
and bands, by which several egg-beaters
are whirled around with great rapidity
underneath. The eggs are deposited in
cups under the bed. Some thousands
of animal-traps, insect-traps, fy-traps,
rat-traps and mouse-traps have been
invented to make life more pleasant for
the housewife, and to relieve her of her
tormentors. Some of them appear to
be so constructed that the rat, mouse,
fly or insect must have previous course
of training to enable it to get into the
trap. One rat-trap has loaded pistol
just outside of it, which is intended to
shoot the wretch while he is trying to
get in. 1t was patented in 1859. Sew
eral of the traps consist of inOfrensive-
looking cylinders, out of which sprung
harpoons, barbed hooks, spears and
other deadly implements to pierce the
animal when he accommOdatingly
touches the trigger. There is one fly
trap, of the size and general appearance
of a corn-sheller. It is probably in
tended to be run by horse power. The
farmer is remembered by small spears
concealed in the hills of freshly planted
corn. When the crow comes the spring.
ing spear flies upward and impales
him.
There are no shapes into which wir,
can be twisted which are not to be seen
in the models for spring beds. The first
one was patented forty-one years ago.
1t consists simply of thin and narrow
strips of metal running lengthwise and
crosswise of the bed, and riveted at the
intersections. For a few years there
after the rage seemed to be for canvas
substructures for bedsteads, then came
the wire and the wood strips. Some
bed frames were composed largely of
rubber, and these must have been de-
lightfully elastic. Humanity went
through long course of experiments,
however, before it found the easiest
way to rest its weary bones, and the
Sybarite who bitterly complained be-
cause one of the rose leaves which COM
posed his bed had become crumpled,
would have found some of the contriv-
ances invented for his comfort quite
unbearable. The oldest model for
bedstead is dated June II, 1929. Only
one post and one side bar appear in the
model, and the invention must have
been either of a new way of putting
them together, or of q reversible post
which would stand upon either end
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