Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-10
EIGHT OVER PHOTOS.
Rival Artists Create Scene at the Patent
Congress-Librarian Spofford on Copy
right-Poor Richards Press and Inter-
esting Relics on Exhibition.

right-Poor Richards Press and Inter
! esting Relics on Exhibition.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH
WASHINGTON, April a-There was scene
at the steps of the Patent Office to-day when ar
attempt was made by two photographers &c
photograph the members of the National Con
| gress of Inventors Secretary Noble and other
officials. together with members of the com.
| mittee and of the congress, assembled on the
steps about l o'clock by appointment with
Photographer Brady. who had arranged with
the Executive Committee for the purpose. Mr..
| Prince, the photographer, also appeared upon
the scene with camera. Witnesses of the
| affair state that Mr.. Brady had succeeded in
| getting one photograph of the big group and
was about to take another, having asked the
| gentlemen to remove their hats. when colored
man, said to have been employed by Mr.. Prince,
took up his stand in front of Mr.. Brady's
camera, and refused to bulge. Mr.. Brady ap-
pealed to the Executive Committee and. after
some talking, one of the committee forcibly
elected the negro from his position.
Meanwhile Secretary Noble had sent a mes
senger to summon the police. The wrangle be-
tween the photographers continued for some
time, ard it is asserted Mr.. Prince showed MIR.
Brady about. Finally the patrol wagon, filled
with policemen, arrived and peace was restored.
The Secretary and others had to stand on the
steps for nearly half an hour, waiting for hos
tllltleS to end much to the amusement OF
great crowd of spectators.
MIR. Brady got his photograph, and then
started to get out a warrant for Prince, charg-
ing him with assault. Subsequently, Mr. Prince
and his colored assistant each left $40 at the
Sixth precinct station for their appearance in
the Police Court tomorrow on charge OF as
sault.
Spofford on Copyright.
The session of the congress was presided over
to-day by Oberlin smith, of BrIdgeton, N. j.,
of 0f
Mechanical Engineers. MIR. Smith, in taking
the chair, stated that Benjamin Butterworth, of
Ohio, whose name appeared first on the pro-
gramme, had found 1t impossible to be present
at to-days meeting. He then introduced Hon.
A; Il: Spotford, the Librarian of Congress.
The theme of MIR. Spotford's paper was "Ihe
Copyright System of the United States; Its
Origin and Its Growth"
After reviewing the history of copyright in
America, Mr.. Spoford considered the princi-
national copyright. what we call copyright" !"
said he, "is an exclusive right to multiply
copies of any publication for sale. If copy
right is justifabie at all; if authors are to be
secured reward for their labors, they claim
that all who use them should contribute
equally to this result. The principle of copy
right once admitted, it cannot logically be con-
lined to State lines or national boundaries"
RMr. Spotford was followed by Prof. Thomas
Gray, Of the Rise Polytechnic Institute, of
Terre Haute, Ind, who spoke on "The In
feuJOTS Ol the 1el0BTapn anu lel6puOne- 1H6
closing address of the day was by Colonel F. A.
Seely, of Pennsylvania, principal examiner of
the Patent Office whose subject was Inter
national ProtectIon of Industrial Property"
Poor Richards Press.
The lecture hall of the National Museum has
been fitted up as a veritabe curiosity shop of
inventions. A great many wonderfully inter-
esting models and machines have been placed
there, and this exhibit will be far from the
feat nj hp ahra.
ton.
Occupying the place of honor in the center
of the hall is the identical press at which DR..
Ben jamin Franklin worked in London. 1t is as
clumsy an affair of heavy pieces of wood and
strap iron and strings rs one could well fancy.
1t is black as ivory, and the handle of the
lever that forces the paper against the type to
make the impression is worn perceptaby where
Poor Richard used to grasp it In the glass
case with the press is circular printed on the
press, containing poem on Paper" by DR.,
Franklin, and his '"rwelve Rules"
Perhaps the oldest portion of the exhibit is
that of timepieces. ancient and modern. One
could scarcely imagine greater extremes than
are represented in the glass case where the
various kinds of clocks are placed The "water
clock" one of the earliest timepleces extant, is
the biggest, clumsiest, and, doubtless, the least
reliable of them ALL
Some Wonderful Mechanism.
A hollow drum, in which there are seven
water-tight compartments, is suspended by
strings that are wound around the axis to
which the drum is fixed from two uprights on
which the II hours are roughly carved. When
the drum is raised to the top of the uprights.
and the strings wound around the axis, the
clock is wouad up. The weight of the dam,
which is partially filled with water, forces 1t
downward. The seven compartments inside
the dam are connected by very small holes
which only allow the water to escape from one
compartment to anotllSr gradually. In this
way the falling of the drum and the passage of
the axis past the figured hours on the uprights
is registered. An ingenious contrivance also
rings an alarm bell when the axis has reached a
certain hour marked on the uprights.
At the other extreme from this anceut time
piece is the chronoscope, which measures time
TO five-hundreths of second. Another object
of interest is the original -life-saving car in
vented by Joseph Francis. This particular car
was the first one made, and it was never used
but once. The ship Ayrshire was wrecked off
the Jersey coast with 200 souls on board, and
every life was saved by this car. II was never
used atterward, but gave way to improved cars.
and was placed on exhibition. IL has been ex.
hibited almost all over the world. having been
carried over 10000 miles. The bits of rusty
chain that it was originally fitted with by Mr..
Francis are Still attached toll
Next this original car that that Mr.. Francis
made himself is an1mproved and enlarged life
saving car, such as is used now. The original
car is accompanied by an autograph letter from
Joseph Francis, explaining the principles of its
construction.
The Weapons of Wa.
In striking contrast TO the life-saving ex-
hibits are the death-dealing weapons of war
fare. The benign face of DR.. Calling in crayon
looks down from the wall over the models
showing the development of the revolving pis-
tol, the Maynard rifle and other implements of
slaughter. The exhibit of the early models of
revolvers invented by William Castle Dodge
are accompanied by Queen Victoria's letters
patent issued to him.
The decoration conferred on DR.. Maynard by
the King of Prussia is exhibited in the same
case with the original rifle made by DR.. May
nard himself. Another case contains the
various forms of knives, from the flint knife of
the Indian to the modern pocket knife that
includes pair of scissors Daniel Boone's clasp
knife is also in the case.
The exhibit of early models of electrical in
ventlons very interesting The early days of
teegraphy are uniquely recalled by piece of
the wire over which the first telegraphic mes
sage was sent 1t is a bit of the copper wire, |
loosely wrapped with insulating threads, three |
miles long, that was stretched about the Speed |
well Iron Works. 1t was an experimental line, |
and Alfred Vail sent over it to Pr Of. Samuel F.
Is. Morse the words, "a patient waiter is no
loser"
Below it in the same case is a model of the
plow used by Prof Morse in laying the frs,
telegraph line IN the United States. from Balti- 1
more to W Washington. and piece of the wire of
this original telegraph line. 1t was over this |
wire that the first message reporting results of |
a Presidential election was sent, and the orig
NAL strip of paper on which The Morse charac- |
ters of the message are Traced, is also exhib- |
tied The message reads: Hampshire CO Va |
maj. for p [Polk] II gain for [Clayl Ill"
Fulton's Steamboat Models.
One of the most interesting of the exhibits is |
sent by the Stevens Institute of Technology.
1t is the working drawings. made by Robert |
Fulton himself, of the engines and machinery
of the primitive steamboats, Clermont and |