The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-03-04
INVENTIVE MINDS.
Peculiar Inventions from all Parts
Of the Country.

Eyes. sir" said prominent patent
attorney of this city to Star reporter,
"patent soliciting is an interesting as
well as a lucrative business. Some
time ago. received from q man at
Grand Rapids, Mich, box carefully
packe with what appeared to be a doll
baby house, and which for time
puzzled me. In the course of week, l
received letter explaining the device
and supplemental part of the inven-
ton in the shape of miniature coffin.
The device was intended and especially
designed for those who were unfortu-
nate enough to be buried alive, and was
what he termed grave escape The
miniature house was provided with up
rights secured at its four corners, and
the coffin, which was, as the inventor
termed it, only a supplemental part of
the great invention, proved to be the
principal part. 1t consisted Of an
ordinary coffin, provided Oh each Of its
sides with elongated air receptacles
secured thereto, and having commuDi-
cation with the interior of the coffin
by means of rubber tubes. His idea"
continued the attorney, was, that after
the tour uprights had been planted IL
the grave already dug, until the floor
OF the house came on level with the
surface of the ground, the coffin con-
tanning the body was To- cred, and the
door OF the hut loce 70 the Key
dropped through an a, are IN the
door. Well" continued I attorney,
when the unfortunate inm1te should
discover he was alive, he was to seize
either of the tubes, consume as much
air as he wished from the receptacIes
heretofore described, lift the lid, which
vas only held in place by It's own
weight, and climb up q ladder which
connected the grave with the nut, and
finding a suit of clothes previously
placed there, don them, open the door,
and go home to give his family sur
prise party.
When L wrote and told him that his
device didn't possess patentable novelty
in fact, WASH t practicable became
indignant, and voted US snides.
ANOTHER GRAVE ESCAPE.
But I had another case" continued
the attorney. lin which a man con-
nected the head of the coffin with the
air, by means of a metallic tube, and
had a bell connee ted with the tube
which was operated by rope passing
through the tube"
Can you recall anv inventions whose
racticability and unjqueness are sub
jects of comment?" asked the reporter.
Well, should gay So" said the at
torney; for instance, there's the COM
pined bedstead and alarm clock, by
which the dropping of a bolt as the
hour hand teaches the appointed hour
lets loose q set of bars holding the mat
tress in place, which, IN turn, swings
on its centre pivots and throws the
he wishes to be awakened. There again
is the
SPRINKLER AWAKENER,'
as the inventor termed it. a flower
pot is upset on the sleeper by bolt
worked by clock.
Il suppose you've heard of the Pho
neer PloW,'" said the attorney, and
upon being informed that the Stdq man
had not, he proceeded: well, sir, this
strange contrivance was first thought
out by an eastern man, and was adapted
especially for the western farmer. The
beam of the plow was a small cannon,
ana when attacked by the Indians, all
be had to do was to cut the horses loose
and slaughter the Indians right and
left.
TO FURNISH MILK.
Ibid you ever hear of that man who
had scheme for supplying districts
with milk? You didn't2 Well, his
idea was to build large reservoir and
have service pipes connected Herewith.
| which ran into peoples houses, and
| supplied them with milk at their COM
| mand. The inventor said it was a
grand scheme, and it only needed a
sort of contriyance TO measure the milk
drawn to make it a complete success
Then again, there was the refrigerator
hat, having water proof receptacle in
| the top, which was hlled with ice to
| keep the Wearer's head COOL"
How about Experimentation de-
! vices2" asked the reporter; do you re-,
ceive many?"
Not now" answered the attorney,
but some years ago, applications for
| patents on devices of that sort were
| numerous. | remember two in par
| ticular. The inventor of the first was a
Pennsylvanian by birth, and resided liz
q small town not far from Pittsburg."
Il WONDERFUL PUMP.
ellis device was pump, which, when
once sec going, would continue 10 pump
ad infnitun1, The model was simple in
its construction, so he said, but the
mechanism employed to produce the re-
suit he wished was wonderful. He pro-
vided the spout of the pump with an
overshot wheel having crank secured
thereto which in turn connected with
numerous other arms, employing Sc
joints to move upon, until it reached
the sucker rod, which it lifted and low
cred as the wheel operated by the water
from the spout turned. This man
couldn't be convinced that his device
was worthless, and after several inter
views with the examiner in the Patent
OHSoo having in rhorOa tho IF cIouo oR ~,