Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-04-04

.r,,. ua,e Invented Corsets, Mus
,scne Cups aud Even Iron Ciads.
yov, ApriI the Patent Office will be
- hundred years old. 1t is an inter
,,r Mace to every American, for
XIII IFS walls is represented a century
n wonderful progress.
The honor of founding the Patent Of
:. ho,opped to Thomas jefferson, who
| ., the protector of the patent system
. the country, and to the day Of his
,.,b took a personal interest in it's
o,tinos. He was an inventor himself,
l,bourh he never applied for patent.
f. visitor to Monticello is shown an
!, chair which Jefferson made him
IN and a door fastening, the principle
| which is used to this day. For sew
n wears after the act establishing the
enartment went into effect jefferson
joOe had the power of granting pat
n, as he was Secretary of State, and
bat was one of his many prerogatives
Ee President and Acknowledgement
,ee also obliged to aflix their sig
Sstures to the document to make it of
ry use After Jefferson became Presi-
ent he did not have so much time at
|, Disposal and his successor did not
bprest himself in the matter, so the
uties Of the office were assigned to
Ingle clerk.
IN those early days this clerk was not
ppt very busy. The first year there
|ere but three patents granted out OF
re application g, so the clerk, DR..
hornton. had plenty of time for diver
Hon. He had desk in the old State
apartment and many day when the
stor had nothing to do he used to get
b his fishing tackle and take a turn
lib the black bass and perch in the
lper Potomac. for he was a disciple of
aak Walton. A queer character the
bod old doctor must have been. and for
Ter quarter of century he ruled the
yentors of the country with almost
i@ratic power. His superior officers
ID the most implicit confidence in him
ID would sign every paper which he
United without question. SO h,
tancd patents to whom he pleased
Fdkept back those that did not please
m From some he took fees and from
herS not and when he died his &C
UNITS were found to be in an extreme
unsatisfactory condition, but no one
smcd the good doctor or suspected
n of wrong-doing. for he died as poor
be had lived He had lacked prac-
S business knowledge. like many
fother man of science that was all.
loved his patents like children. and
Old clerk in the Office likes to
good story of 1872, when the
irwin Great Britain was going on
the English had captured and were
NSseSslon OF the city. They had set
Vaptol on fire as we'll as the Whit
use and the cannon were turning on
Fatent Office and other buildings.
" guns were just in front of the build
80 the story runs. and firing was
PUG to commence when the doctor
Fned out In IA frenzy, shouting: Are
hhgllshmen or only Goths and van
Ihls is the Patent Office. de-
"ory OF the ingenuity of the Ameri-
nation in which the whole civilized
M Is Interested Would you DESTROY
So hire away and let the charge
through my ho6N."
nether or NOT the single eccentric
u me Patent Office really did use
lahguage is not known, but the Of
was not destroyed
Heh Inc Office was removed from the
apartment occupied "A building
~ N'e OF the general 20 st-otfice for
Y years This was lust before the
incident. Even at that time the
was OIL small prctensions and up to
'"' Ioi' patents had been issued. "A
majority of which were for apri-
implements. In these DAYS
",' ISSUED every month than were
.n rU''hg the first forty years of the
p'Ollc'
memorable wear in the history of
Office wa, that Of lSst ' fnn n'' ,,shia y,
the real Organization Of tho hmrean
"'lore that time it was in en-
IN this year that the first commits.
was appointed and thonnh w.
au remained under tho snnar''; s; ;n
~ State d -plrtmant it wa moro in.
naent In those davs ,irawir,,.
seldom used-at nrnsent thaw no
almost entirely-and models were
'led with every annie .tion fan
IT. This wa, the casa fon , ~,
afteward, but when invontnr.,
~ 10 Increase it was found that th;s
was impracticabIc. and :" ' tho S SnlS
Working drawings now in Hsn
alces where a better knowlodre ~
NVrklnpS ,f III = - "