The daily critic., 1890-06-24
PATENT OFFICE CRANKS.
The Queer Inventions That Are Sent
to lie Investigated,

From NE No0 YORK Hlr9'd
To fully realize how many cranks
live among us one has only TO visit the
Patent Office in Washington and OK.
anime the models which fill the shelves
Of that Department and read the specif
cations, In which are set forth In glow.
ing terms the many benefits which they
propose TO donate 10 mankind. Every
imaginable scheme Is suggested and
laid before the patent examiners. The
question Of utility, Of practicabillty,
does not enter into the taking out of a
patent Il suillees that the invention has
the feature Of novelty and that the ap.
plicant pay the legal fees.
So numerous are the perpetual
motion" eTanks, who think they have
discovered the long and vainly sought
enigma. thar the office has prepared a
circular which Is mailed 10 any one
who takes steps 10 enter an alleged per
petual motion invention. The circular
informs him THAT IL Is thought proper
TO advise him, in order TO save him fur
ther expense aud labor, that the views
Of the Patent Office coincide with those
Of scientists In general In regard to me
Chanical perpetual mOtions-that they
are impossibililies. Should your entry
be taken, a working model will be re-
QuiTed, the Office being aware that II
will be impossible for you 20 comply
with this requirement. The specihca-
tiOn and fee are then returned. Does
this dampen their ardOrg Doubtless
thousands Of them are now trying 10
compass the working model.
Many Of the old models were burned
up In the fire Of 1871, and tradition only
tells Of some or the queer eOntHYances
that had been gathered IN,
One Of the most curious Of these was
a hens nest, constructed with a spring
trap az the bottom Of the nest. The
weight Of an egg was sufficient 10 press
down the spring and allow the egg 10
slip out The theory Of this thoughtful
inventor was that as soon as the hen
laid an egg il would press down the
lrep door and disappear The hen, as
IS her custom after laying an egg, would
Use and cackle, but, finding no egg.
would conclude that she had made a
mistake and would proceed Immediately
20 lay another and so on ad iHfaitum.
On this principle the owner of a hen
would have had great monopoly.
A nip through the model rooms re-
yealed many unique and curious inyen-
iiOns, some of the more unusual of
which ! venture TO describe and illus
iTaie
One Of the most original is an ori-
nance plough patented by q. M. French
and w, ii. FanCheT, Of Waterloo. n.
T., IN june 1862 The object Of the
invention was 10 produce a plough equal
In point of strength aud ligltness 10 the
one ordinarily in use and vet which
would combine the elements Of q small
sized cannon, SO that il could beutliZed
hy The frontier settler both for defensive
purposes as well ss agricultural
The beam OF tongue of the plough 10
which the horses or oxen ars yoked IS
I'm fact a gun barrel OF piece of light
ordnance capable Of thrOwiua "A prOiec-
tile Of one % three pounds weight Win
out rendering il cumbersome as
plough
The pl0ughsLaIe takes the place Of a
gun carriage and serves 10 anchor lie
impTuyised cannon firmly iu he ground
and enable ID 30 resist the rlc1il. while
he handles furnish means Of giving the
plough or gun, as the ease NAV be. di-
rlgii0n or aim. To use the language of
the inventors. as a means OF tefeuse fn
Icpelling surprises aud attacks On those
engaged IN peaceful lFoCau1I I'd Is un-
iyaled as Il can be instantly br0uaLt
into action hy disenglgiug the team.
and in time Of danger may he used
charged sinh deadly grape Itis COM
Liuali0u enables those il agricultural
pursuits % have al hand an efficient
WrapCn of defense M slight expense. En-
addition % o common aud Indispensable
expensive .iEh; ordnance ID wheels.
With due Difference t0 the Originality II .
tLe conception Of Tic inventors, Il does
not appear that The plough gun 9r
gun plough las come into yeg gen
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