Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-01-03
IN THE PATENT OFFICE
TIE GATHERING GROUND OF THE
CoUNTRY'S INVENTORS.
Queer Characters Met There = Tho
Library and Model Koom-WomoH
Who Invent-A Busy Scene

w no InvGnt-A Busy Scene.
The wide, well-lighted corridors of the
| United States Patent Office in WashingI
ton, says the Star of that city, form d
| rich field for the study of human nature
of tho most remarkable kind and day
spent in wandering about them taking
uoto of the visitors is not by any means a
profitless one. Many of these inventors
are rather tattcrcd specimens. They
como to the Capital from every section Of
the country and nearly every one of them
has scheme in his head which is to re;
volutionize the world. They are all ami.
mated with the spirit that perIncated tho
| body of Colonel Sellers. "Therc's mil
lions in it" They say that theirs is the
greatest invention of the age, but if you
question them closely they will tell you
confidcntially that it needs money to push
| it. Their eyes flash when they
! talk about their inventions, and
| they are the most sanguinc class OF
men imaginable, never doubling for
moment that their efforts will be
crowned with success. A great rendezvous
for these frequcntcrs of the building is
the scientific library. Here they can sit
from nine until four every day in the big,
comfortable chairs and read what has
been written of their hobby, hatch new
plans and think out the problems that
are buzzing in their brains. The library is
one of the largest collections of books re-
lating to applied science in this country.
1t comprises nearly so, 900 volumes, and
| besides all Of the standard books, in
cludes many of the periodicals devoted
to the industries of the country. They
are bound regularly every year. But by
far the most valuable part of the collcc-
ton consists of the volumes Of foreign
patents that fill dozens of shelves. Here
arc the publications of England, France,
Germany, Italy, Sweden, Holland, aud i
number of other countries. These books
arc constantly consulted by inventors,
patent attorneys and students. Tho
rooms of the library arc on the third
floor of the building and are commodi-
Gus, wcll-lightcd apartments.
The model room is 4 large hall or Sc
rcs of corridors filled with neat glass
cases in which are placed over 1907 600
models, including both the most impor-
tant and the most unimportant kind.
| Like the library it is also rendezvous
for inventors who come to town.
"bIany II man has been cured by a
look into this hail." said an cmployc.
she has reached the city with what he
| considers great and original idea. and
drops i'll here only to discover that no
has been forestalled by some earlier and
lucllicr inventor. Then after he has
looked around awhile he comes to the
conclusion that everything worth while
has been invented and goes away COM
plctcly cured of the inventive fever
From the topmost floor to the base.
ment is long jump, but it takes only
half Il minute to drop down there in one
of the swift moving elevators that glide
! up and down all day long. In the base
| mcnt are a number of lunch stands,
great attraction for the hungry clerk
about lunch time. 1t is down here that
attorneys dclvc the life long day ameud-
ing specifications.
The part played by woman rs inventors
is not inconsidcrablc, and she is respon-
siblc for many things that add much to
the comfort of life. From the year tho
office was established up to the preseat
time $500 patents have been granted to
females. The first woman patcntcc was
Mary Kccs, who obtained letters patent
on machine for weaving mixture Of
silk and thread She was followed in
1915 by Il Mary Brush with corset of an
improved kind. Miss Montgomery owns
! the patent to a war ship, aud woman in
Iowa has made an Improvement in
machinery for the manufacture of cinars.
The novelist Blanche Willis Howard has
patented bath shoe and a music rack,
! and Miss Helen Blanchard gets Il good ia
come from the royalty she receives on n
sewing machine attachment Miss
Phelps, lady from England, is repre-
sented by II lunch box which has zinc
lined compartment for ice A mustachc
cup is rather peculiar invention for Il
woman, but patent for such has been
taken out by woman, and there is also
an apparatus for killing mosquitoes,
patented by woman. Mrs. Maria Bcas
ley made a small fortune out of Il machine
for the manufacture of barrels, and Dr..
Mary Walker of this city has several
patents for educational furniture.
All over the building You can find
patent attorneys, for most of their work
is done on the premises. Having n
thorough Knowledge of the workings of
the Office they know every step toward
getting patent.
In the draftsmans room the visitor
will come upon busy scene. At long
table stretching the entire length of the
room sit half hundred diligent at.or'
neys busily examining patents which
have come under the same head with
those inventions whose novelty they are
cndeavoring to establish. This is what
is called the preliminary examination,
and all careful attorneys make this search
before applying for a patent. In this
room may be obtained copies of every
patent that has been issueds and by com.
pairing the device sought to be patented
with them its patcntable novelty can be
determined. Messengers wait upon the
attorneys, bringing them the various
classes aud subclasscs of inventions from