Omaha daily bee., 1888-02-24

iuNOIdUiC iuOd hWttu lnNCHtVis vi ttst
heaters has been to put n reservoir Of
water above the stove and empty IL by q.
valve arranged to work only when
the turned over. The trouble
with these inventors is, they did not
seems to think OF the scalding steam
which would be generated. One OF the
novel ideas Is large door in the side OF
the car where the stove stands. When
the accident occurs the door is expected
to fly open and the, stove to tumble out.
This. however. works only in case OF
the car turning over on one side. There
have been numerous patents taken out
on the idea Of having the heating APP
paratus IN a small car by itself, with
pipe connections through the train.
One original idea is To have two pipes
with funnel mouths extending out in
front OF the engine on either side. AS the
engine moves along the cold air rushes
into the pipes, is carried along through
the boiler and heated. and thence trans
ferred TO pipes running through the
cars.
But the big round vessel OF oil to be
carried on top Of the car is on eman's
purely original motion. His idea is to
heat the stove with oil instead of coal,
and the supply is to be carried in the
spherical reservoir on the roof. This
car topples over it unfastens ITSELF and
goes rolling off across the field out of
the way. The supply of oil being thus
cut off, the stove goes out. A part of
this plan is contrivance which, as the
car turns over, sends u puff of COM
pressed mir through pipe and blows
out all of the lights.
Numerous patents have been taken
out for inclosing the car stove in a
tire-proof compartment. There is one
arrangement which, when the crash
comes, lets heavy casting in the form
of huge cap fall over the stove and
cOntine the fire.
The general objection which rail-
road men make to these car-heating pa
tents is that they call for too much out
lay.
Within q week there have come from
the Pacific coasts reports of discovery
which is to revolutionize the principles
of rainfall and make the barometer
hide its face in shame. The idea is to
set forces, which will Outwit nature, at
work among the clouds and thus make
the rain fall whether or no. The princi-
pal agency is u balloon, which is to be
anchored to the ground. The Pacific
coast genius may have an improvement,
but the main feature of his plan is al
HOSU tto oiu uo puUCHO oIHSCs i HS
idea of an anchored balloon with cleo
trio connections to fire charges of pow
der and produce concussiOn among the
clouds has been long patented.
Entirely original ideas are very scarce
now, as would-be inventors discover
weekly. There came to the Office some
time ago, as the story is told, one of the
most eminent of the able clergymen OF
Washington. He had the Inevitable
package under hislarm and putting it
upon the table in front of the commits
sioner he drew outf his pocket book to
pay the advance fee. The official
looked at the machine and then at the
clergyman. Then he went to his library
and brought out Il book and kindly sug-
gested that the good man should read it
before he ventured any money on his
machine. The book was a history of the
attempt to produce perpetual motion.
The clergyman ran over the pages
rapidly. Suddenly ne stopped and read
with care. Thenhe closed the book,
handed it back with word of thanks,
wrapped up his machine and went away
More than 100 years ago that same ma
chine had been invented to secure per-
petual motion and had scored the usual
failure. 4....-.
The clergyman was honest in the be-
lief that he had solved the secret and
that nobody that had ever hit upon that
particular idea before.
Patent Office officials say that in the
great throng of inventors more depends
upon the man himself than upon the in
vention. The story of the wise inventor
and the foolish inventor is oft repeated.
The foolish inventor obtains a patent
upon an idea really valuable. His head
is in the clouds. He refuses offer after
g., 60, H. &c..
always demanding more than somebody
the idea is still unproductive. Some
day the wise inventor comes along, sees
the idea of the foolish inventor and
claps upon it an Improvement" which
is perhaps no improvement, but only
such modification as enables the wise
inventor to get another patent on the
idea. Immediately the wise inventor
skips away from Washington, and a
couple OF weeks later he and his smooth
tOngued agents are selling county and
state rights.
yer one day with machine which was
covered with patents. snake some
change" he said, II don't care what, so
that you can get me patent on the
machine. All l want is the patent" ;"
So the lawyer set to work and suggested
a change which was anything but an i'm
provement; it was really damage to
the original machine, But being a diff
ference it passed for an Improve
ment." The inventor got his patent,
and as he paid the fee he said to- his
lawyer: "Now, III show you what I
wanted 1t for" He started out, and
when the lawyer heard from him again
he had cleared 81 900 from the sale of
county rights on his Improvement"
But the above represents an unworthy
feature Of the patent business. There
are often slight changes which are real
improvements and which yield the pat
entees handsome returns. A man in
San Francisco thought of a new form
for a saw-toOth, aud has made over
500, 900 out OF his patent on it. Pat
ents on toys are illustrations Of the lit
tie things that pay. One OF the most
interesting cases in the great model
room is that which contains the toy
money safes. There is the representa-
tion OF cormorant with slit in the
head. When the coin is dropped in,
the back opens for moment and tan
talizing figure appears. Then there is
the representation of cashier who
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