The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-13


Pacific in this city to asyndicase Of Spokane
Falls and Sc Paul CAPITALISTS was consum-
mated today. The property comprises l4S
NOVELTIES IN SLOT MACHINES.
One to Deliver Hot sausases Propesed.
hut Not Yet Begun.
New York San.
"The slot and nickel business Is yet in its
infancy" remarked . Jerseyman who Is
engaged in manufacturing automatic ma
chinery Of the most persuasive kind to
coax people to part with their nickels
This country Is the greatest field in the
world for this branch Of industry for two
reasons. The main one IL that Americans
are improvident and never stop to think
that twenty nickels make . dollar. The
other one Is that the nickel Il the only coin
In the world which is built in the right way
to encourage genius In this direction. No
other country has . standard coin adapted
to the devices. and one which Is so popular.
SO uniform, and so slightly valued. The
5-cent piece OF this country was made for
automatic machinery. and not the machine
to suit the money. This may sound queer,
but mean that the changes in the size
and weight OF the coin have been 20 slight
since 1t was first put in circulation that it
encouraged inventors to make slots and
other devices to put il in.
The first slot machine I remember Sec
ing was a race course in the barroom of
Southern hotel. A nickel started the
horses. think first saw the machine in
1873. and believe il to be one OF the first
devices of the kind in this country, but
have no doubt that historians can rake up
testimony 70 show that attic drachmas
were dropped into slots by ancient Creek,
who sought to learn their weight or test
their grip, and that In Ce-ar's time the
Romans dropped small coins into slots and
thus procured their confectionery.
at Is only within few years that slot
machines have assumed any prominence.
People are beginning to think now that
the Geld OF ingenuity is about exhausted,
but they are mistaken. II has really Just
begun to open. There will be something
new every few months, for know bali q
dozen like myself who are puzxling their
brains over new devices. I am SO thor.
oroughly identified with the business now
that people stop me and ask what am go-
ing to get ont next, and try to engage ma
chimes in advance without knowing what
they are going to be.
81 recentiv had queer call from q man
who wants to be monopoiisk He asked
me II could devi-e an automatic machine
TO sell hot Frankfurter sausages and told
him that thought could. He wanted a
machine actuased by nickels, which would
deliver q hot sausage encased in split
roll. just as the peddlers do it on the streets.
I said that II could be done. and when he
wanted to talk terms I said $4,000 down to
be put in preliminaries and $4,000 to come
when the machine was a success. He
couldn't figure enough out OF II to talk BUSH
ness. have an application from q man
who wants machine to deliver, consecu-
lively. numbered and dated cards which,
in addition, viii show the exact hour at
which the card Is taken from the box. I
am working on q model. think he wants
To use the machines for accident policy
tickets. ! saw machine q few weeks ago
which. for nickel. sold cheap edition OF
novels A German firm Is making q ma.
chine which delivers a wineglassful OF
liquor for . nickel. and there Is any onan.
tity Of cigar and cigarette machines In use.
Pens. lead pencils, chewing gum. matches.
electric shocks. etc. are 20 commonly dis
pensed by automatic machines that they
cease TO be remarked
Now, am getting up q decided nov.
city; an automatic doctor filed with pure
drugs in capsules. which viii drop ont as
the pennies are dropped In Each ma
chine VIII have from dozen to twenty
compartments. marked With the name OF
the drug. the quantity to take for q dose
and the us that the remedy is supposed to
alleviate. OF course. poisonous drugs
cannot 80 In il, but others can, and be-
lieve IL will be u success. Just think what
al accommodation il would be to be able
To so up TO machine and get your dose OF
qniasne, headache cure. a remedy for the
grip, or a dose OF salts. without having to
disturb the repose OF drug clerk. Then
am thinking over lager fountain which
viii deliver good glass of beer tor q
nsesic. and this can be modified for lemon.
sde, or. in fact, for soda water with as
sorted syrups- There IL really no end TO
the applications that can be made OF auto
ma'ie machines. and no limit TO the Geld
OF operation. They 20 everywhere. from
the church fair down to the saloon. and all
sorts Of people drop their pennies and
nickels into them.
Il krow of weighing machines which
take in from SIS to so rer week. Now.
there is an impression abroad that auto
matte machines are reeertscles for had
eoins. brass checks ard other things which
vii operate the levers In fac. the per-
ceatsrr OF bad rouev /. not one-fenfh OF
Per csni- The machines are not oompli-
Gated. but safeguards lie inside OF TIE slot
20 prevent the introduction of wires.
smaller coins than Gye-cent pieces fail
aside after entering the slots and are
caught N separate receptacle The good
CON TAILS q certain distance and strikes q
lever iasi bard enough to release the ma
shsnery. A Iced nickel ell do this, but
even 50 the loss : nothing in the majority
OF machines None o. tie machines are
sod They are usually pat out upon
SHARES running from 10 10 20 per cent, and
this satisfies tAose who have the machines
IL enarEe."