Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-02-03
FReoUENTs CHURCH CONVENTIONS.
An Aged Man with an Invention at the
GovernmsBt's Disposal.

An Aged Man with an Invention at the
Governments Disposal.
At nearly all the big church conven
tons held in this city for some time
now, and they have been numerous
enough, doubtless many persons have
noticed an aged Irishman with a rail
road contrivance which he has always
been intent on exhibiting and explain
ing to the gathering or dispensing at
PENDANTS on the convention. IT ever
any n was entitled to the appellaticn
Of crank this old maj undoubtedly is.
His appearance is largely enough re-
spOnsible for this, but il is not one
tenth as much as his talk concerning
the machine he exhibits. This machine
consists of a wooden representation Of
a railroad car on a railroad track at q
steep decline. IL is meant 10 show the
working Of a safety brake. fine mar
has been in this country four years.
The contrivance in which he is so thor
oughly wrapped up, he told the writer,
is the invention of a Londonderry car
penter.
He purchased il Of him and patented
it in England, France. Belgium. Aus
tria and America In all Of these coun
tries he has tried to sell il 10 the gov
eminent, but, perversely enough. They
have not seen il in the same light thai
he does. lie would not sell il to Jas
Gould, Vanderbilt or anybody. in fact.
but the government otherwise. he said,
ne could long ago have disposed Of IL
When he brought il 10 this country he
wrote 20 President Cleveland about il.
telling him what "a good thing the gov
eminent over whfah he was presiding
could get for $50. 900. but. strange t.
say, he got no reply. lie offered Har
rison the same opportunity 10 pOpu
larize his administration and immortal
ize his name. but C~leveland's s-uccessuf
is apparently Influenced by no such
high motives. for nary "a line has he
written in answer.
The terms Of purchase included. be
sides the $50, 600 already mentioned, ia,
interest. at something like a pawn
brokers rate. on all Tie money he ha,
had 10 eXpend hitherto on the invention
and the management of all the rail
roads in the country that lac might
equip them with his contrivance. and
thus give il "a good show. IL j. for this
reason that he will not sell it TO any
private corporation. for. while they
might be able To pay what he asks for
it, still they cannot give him the right
to compel its use throughout the entire
country. Such a good thing as thai
should be unlimited in application
Moreover, only thus could it be carried,
If at all. TO a greater degree of perfec-
ton. He was asked if he ever showed
it 10 a railroad corporation or private
individual. Never did he descend to
such a course. Jay Gould, however.
came TO him once in person and offered
him $50, 900 for il, but he imperiously
told him that he could not get il for
$50, coo, 900.
Asked as Il what evidence he had
that this enterprising mOneyed man
was Jay Gould, he said that he i'm
mediately recognized him from descrip
tons he had had of the little wizard OF
Wall street. To sell it TO one nan OF
corporation would be to limit its use
~unreasonably. The government would
have authority to compel railroad ON
panies 70 put their lines under this sys
TEN, and furnish the materials for the
manufacture and improvement Of the
Continuance as he would direct. But
IN all this the writer saw absolutely no