The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-21


The money. with the except on of about
$500, was identified and returned to him
in fresh new bank notes, to his infinite
satisfaction.
Another conspicuous example OF
ability, and also in quite new line, is
that of a woman employed in the Law
Division of this bureau, and who pre-
pares the briefs for the Solicitor of In
ternal Revenue in the various cases
arising out of violation of internal reve-
nue. laws. She is considered one of the
best law clerks in the bureau, and is
engaged upon the most difficult and
compiled d compromise cases. Her
remarkable power of grasping impor-
tant points of case and presenting
them in clear and concise language is
shown by the fact that she prepares her
briefs from first notice; that is, the first
abstract is the one submitted to the So
licitor, no other copy being made. In
order to do this she thoroughly studies
the case before putting her pen to pa
per. In an important case five days
are often spent in careful, laborious
study of it, The result is clearness of
statement and logical presentment of
the evidence which is justly considered
remarkable. The briefs in the case of
the whisky frauds in Grants time were
prepared by her, and it is satisfaction
to add that she receives the same salary
as men doing the same work.
The Interior Department employs 61S
women as examiners of applications for
patents, clerks, stenOgraphers, type
writer's, accountants, tracers of draw
ings, cOpyists. pastors, etc. The work
of women as examiners of applications
for patents deserves the highest COM
edge of physics, mathematics, chemistry
and machinery-branches of study with
which at present women have only
limited opportunities to become thor
oughly acquainted, the smattering of
science taught at the average girls school
being of little value for any practical
uses. Consequently, the women who
have qualified themselves to fill posi-
tons in this department of the Govern
ment service have done so by persever-
ing private study, under the disadvan-
tage of lack of proper direction, and
often after a hard days work at the
desk. The work of an examiner in the
Patent Office can best be shown by Civ
an filling the place of assistant examiner
to the electric division, and whose de-
partment is that of electric lighting.
The number of applications for patents
in this section is enormous, which great
ly increases the difficulty of discriminate
ing new claims and those which have
been met in some patent previously
granted. The inventor gives at least
half dozen specific claims to novelty
possessed by his invention. 1t is then
necessary for the examiner to look up
all patents of this class. This involves
not only a careful research through all
the files of the Patent Office, but also in
all scientific books and periodicals re-
lating to the class of inventions under
consideration.
The following are few of the ques-
tons taken from a special examination
OF the civil-Service for third assistant ex-
aminer in the Patent Office:
]. State briefly how may be produced glass,
sugar, salt, iron, steel, brass, coal OIL coal
gas.
.. Name the o-calIed mechanical powers;
state briefly how you calculate the power of
each; why are they enormously called
3. Describe "Barker's mill" Give the the
Dry of it's operation.
4. Briefly define the mechanical terms
centric, cam, journal, spine, idle wheel, bolt,
piston, nut
5. What are letters patent? What are let
terS patent for inventions? For what mr.
pose are they granted? Upon what is the
authority of Congress to legislate thereon
based! what, in your opinion has been the
effect of their grant in this country?
6. Given lever with a long arm of 20 feet
anu short arm of 'eet; to the latter is at
tached the rope from wheel feet in diam
eter, on whose axle, foot in diameter. winds
arope leading to weight lying upon an in
clined plane having face of 3 feet and alti-
tude of foot To the long arm of the lever
is applied power of 10 pounds. What weight
will it counterbalance on the inclined plane?
Ihe long arm OF the lever is moved through
space of 10 feet Through what space Will
the weight be moved
Z. State the law as to reissues
3. Under the provisions of the law who
may receive patent? What does the law
require an inventor to do before he can OBJ
tain a patent?
Miss Ada Sweet, the former pension
agent of the Eighteenth District at Chi
cago, was universally acknowled by her
superiors to be one of the best agents
OF the Interior Department. She sue
ceeded her father in this office in 1874.
having previously acted as his clerk.
She is the first woman who has filled
this position, and with the exception of
her successor the only one.
The POst-office Department EMPLOYS
124 women, principally in clerical work.
but some branches of this work are of a
difficult nature and require peculiar
fitness and class OF qualifications. A
knowledge OF the modern languages
and complete and Ininute familiary
with localities are requisite in many Of
the departments. A lady in the dead
letter division is the most skilled ex-
pert in deciphering misdirected and
illegible letters in this country, and as
illustrating her peculiar powers in this
field she is called in the department
''the blind reader" Letters in all
languages. and the perversion of al,
languages, addresses in dialect, mis-
spelled, misdirected, partly omitted.
through carelessness or ignorance, are
sent to her every day by the score to be
deciphercd, redirected and sent to their
destination. Four women in the for
elgn department of the Dead Letter
Otfice return all fOraion letters To the
countries from which they have been
sent. The woman who has charge of
this branch is German, and eminently
qualified for her duties by her linguistic
attainments and her remarkable knowl-
edge of geography. She is perfectly
familiar with every country, CITY and
town in the world, and it was stated nv
the chief clerk of the post-office that he
had no doubt that she would be able to
distribute the mail in London as well rs
in Washington.
The State, War, and Navy Depart
ments have fewer women in their en-
pioy than any of the others. A few
women are employeda as translators. but
in this work which aooordino 70 49,.