Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-18

government projection, This act clothed
the secretary Of statc,th secretary Of war
and the attorney general with plenary
power 10 issle certificates of merit. which
were to be countersigued by the presi.
dent and become letters patent. The flrst
patent issued was to Samuel Hopkins.
July 81, 1880, for making pot or pearl
ashes, and the second invention that
received this exalted favor was hoe
shank, and the inventor was OF that part
CT Yankeedom which has ever since been
most prolific In inventive skill--the state
OF Massachusetts. La 1886 the office of
commissioner Of patents was created, and
the patent bureau made a branch OF the
state department. Up 10 this time the
number OF patents issued yenrly was so
small and the expense Of running the Of
dee so comparatively large that PROPOSE.
\ ton was discussed TO let each state
take care OF its own inventors and
inventions, but the complications fore
| seen as likely TO follow the adoption OF
such plan caused it to be abandoned.
/ For nearly forty years from this perlod
the expenses Of the Office largely ex.
ceeded the receipts from fees, but this,
Ike the mail system, was deemed OF such
! Importance TO The public and to the
progress Of tho country that no thought
was ever entertained of disseminating the
expenditure. In 1875 the Office began to
be self.sustaining, and every year since
that time there has been a large excess Of
revenue over expenses
From 1890 TO 1909 the average number
OF patents per snnum was less than $50,
most of which were for agricultural i'm
plements. From 1910 to 1920 the inventive
mind seems TO have been directed to i'm
provements in the machinery for cotton
manufactures which Arkwright had in
augurated In England. As early as 1897,
however, Amos Whittemore of Cambridge,
Mass, had invented the machine for
making cards for the cardlDg of cotton,
and the first operation OF converting raw
cotton into finished cloth had been com,
menced in 1873 and carried forward under
all the difficulties incident to the old
fashioned processes, until Slater, and
Lowell and Mason had perfected theii
immortal appliances. From 1920 to lS4i
the business of the office grew rapidly
the yearly issue of patents averaging
1850. In 1875, the first year OF excess Of
fees over expenses, 1887 patents wer,
issued, and the increase has continued
until for The year ending June so, 1885
the applications fled, including Reissues
numbered 1885, upon which % ,29s pat
ents were granted, realizing revenue o
$l,074 ,974.35, and involving an expendi
ture In the maintenance of the Office o
1894, l23.1l--a profit OF over $4,000
This surplus is now covered into tn
treasury. AS it represents tax upon th
inventive genius of the country II shout
not exist, but the fees for granting pat
ents should be reduced to figure tina
would wipe 1t out The cost OF procul
ing patent is no trihlng sum TO a poo
inventor, and many are deferred for lac
of it from pushing their discoveries int
public notice and use.
The model room Of the patent Ollie
consists Of four immense nails eytendin
north, south, east and west ia the secon
story Of the building. The space thus o.
cupled is about 1900 feet by 100 wild,
Here on all sides are cases arranged Tic
upon tier, in which are placed on eXhib
tion about 5000 models varying in sl7
from the tiniest tack-nail to a locomotive
and in Importance from mouse-trap
/, telephone transmitter ii Is a verltab
g museum, exceled In variety only by II
IS National museum connected with Il
If Smithsonian institute, to which was +
A. Gently removed some Of the interestlr
(. relies once stored here, including Il
!. identical printing press used
ct Benjamin Franklin, the coat VOL
er by Gen. Jackson at the battle
e. New Orleans and number OF revolution
of airy relics. The first collection of model
ne comprising everything received betwe'
he 1890 and 1886, numbering in all abo
&c 1000, was destroyed by the fire whit
f. burned the old postofilce building, thu