The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-10-08
AUTOMATIC CAN COUPLER.
Tallahassee Incubator Man 10 an
InYantiYe Genius.


Invsntive Gcnius.
While Mr.. r. F. Shrewder is An enthu-
siast on the chicken and incubator subject,
and knows and can talk fuently on every
detail of the business, the man that thinks
he cannot talk on any other subject will
get badly left.
The truth of the matter is, Mr. Shrewder
is an inventive genius and is the inventor
of one of the best and most practical auto
matte car-couplers ever placed upon the
market.
Mr. Shrewder has had this invention
patented in the United States, Canada,
France, Germany and Belgium. He has a
model of two box cars with his coupler at
tached on exhibition at Mr.. J. w. Coles
stall at the city market, where it can be
seen by railroad men or anybody interested
in novel inventions.
1t is quite cute lite trick and works to
perfection, being well worth a visit to see
it pick up the cars and hang on to them like
grim death of its own accord, but releasing
them as il by magic by simple twist of
the wrist from either the top Of the car or
at the side-no going between cars to get
mashed into jelly, as many brakesmen
have been.
We will not attempt description of the
coupler, suffice it to say that it is practical
strong and inexpensive
There are ten reasons why this automatic
car-eoupler should be used on every rail
way in the country, namely:
It is absolutely life saving, is labor saw
ing, is time saving, will work in connec-
ton with The ordinary draw heads, can
be used on cars without changing anything
can be adapted gradually and will not in
terfere with traffic. can be uncoupled while
the car is in motion, will save property
and is absolutely simple, durable and
cheap.
The coupler is we'll worthy of general
use, and it will pay railroad men to cores
pond with Mr. Shrewder with view to
adopting them on heir respective roads.
The story of how Mr.. Shrewder came
TO invent this coupler is real interesting
n fact it might be said that it came to him
as an inspiration, a vision sent from that
other land from which We are separated
by but the thin veil of mortality.
Mr. Shrewder was living on little farm
about quarter Of a mile out from Mine
ola, Texas. He knew comparatively no
hing about railroads, railroad trains OF
car-couplers, and was not thinking of any
thing in thc railroad line, but was dill
gently engaged in digging living out Of
the ground.
One warm afternoon, being Jagged on t
with working in his cabbage patch, he went
into the house, lay across the bed and was
soon asleep.
Soon his wife, who had been to town,
returned, and in coming in slammed the
gate. The noise partially aroused Mr..
Shrewder and in that moment vision OF
this car coupler danced before his mental
vision, the slam OF the gate carrying OUT
the illusion of two cars coming together
and being fastened by this-shall we call
it-spirit car coupler.
Mr. Shrewder jumped up and tried to
shake off the vision, but still it danced be-
fore his eyes. He went into his garden
and tried to work it off, but again failed
He returned to the house, got his gun and
tried squirrel shooting, but instead of squir-
res the woods seemed filled with automatic
car couplers. He went into town and tried
to dodge the ghost, but it persistently fol-
lowed him. That night he could not sleep,
and next day the vision of the automatic
car-coupler still haunted him.
A seeming voice kept saying to him
make this, make this, it is intended for
you"
Finally, in desperation, he went to bis
work bench and made model OF il. and
strange TO say, every piece fit exactly, and
when put together worked 10 perfection
just as he had seen in The vision. And the
coupler to-day is JUS the same, without
any change or addition, as the one tina,
haunted him and came with the slam OF
the gate on that, to him, eventful after
noon.
Mr.. Shrewder found no trouble in getting
capital interested to have his invention pat
ented in this and foreign countries, and
he has, without doubt, the best car-coupler
ever used.
The Augusta, Tallahassee and Gulf Rail
way will probably adopt the Shrewdel
coupler.
WANTS HNFORn ATION.