The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-03-04
fReduENTs CHURCH CONVENTIONS.
An Aged s1an with an Invention az the
Coxernment,s Disposal


An Aged Nan with an Invention az the
GOVERNMENTS Disposal
Atlne.riy all the big church conven
tions held in this city for some time
now, and they have been numerous
enough, doubtless many persons have
noticed an aged Is;shinan with rail
road contrivance which he has always
been intent ON exhibiting and explain
ing to the gathering or dispensing at
tendants on the convention. II ever
any pne was entitled TO the appeIlation
of crank this old man undoubtedly is
Lis appearance is largely enough re-
sponsibie for this but it is not one
tcnsn as much as his talk concerning
the machine he exhibits This machine
consists of a wooden representation of
q railroad car ON railroad track at
steep decline 1t is meant to show the
working of a safety brake. The man
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
lie purchased 1t of him and patented
it in England, France, Belgium, Aus
tria and America. In all of these coun-
tries he has tried to sell it to the gov
crnment, but, perversely enough, they
have not seen it in the same Light that
lac does. He would not sell it to Jay
Gould. Vanderbilt or anybody, in fact,
bat the government; otherwise, he said,
he could long ago lave disposed of it.
When lie brought it to this country he
wrote to President Cleveland about it,
telling him what good thing the gov
ernment over which he was presiding
could get for $4,000, but, strange to
say, he got no reply. He offered Har-
rison the same opportunity to popu.
larize his administration and immortal.
ize his name, but Cleveland's successor
is apparently influenced by no such
high motives. for nary line has he
written in answer.
The terms of purchase included, be-
sides the $50, 900 already mentioned, the
interest, at something like a pawn
brokers' rate, on all the money he has
had to expend hitherto on the invention
and the management of all the rail-
roads in the country that he might
equip them with his contrivance. and
thus give it a good show. 1t is 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 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. lie was asked If he ever showed
it to a railroad corporation or private
individual. Never did he descend to
such course. Jay Gould, however.
came to hiIn once in person and offered
him ESQ, GOO for it, but he inperiously
told him that he could not get it for
$50, 0,o00, 600.
Asked as to what evidence he had
that this cnterprising moneyed man
-wsas-1~yT Gouiu, ne ssIIu UInt5 he I'M
mcdiately recognized him from descrio-
tions he had had of the little wizard of
Wall street. To sell it to one man or
corporation would be to limit its use
unreasonably. The government would
have authority to compel railroad COM
panies to put their lines under this sys-
tenn, and furnish the materials for the
manufacture and improvement of the
contrivance as he would direct. But
in all this tho writer saw absolutely no
reason why he should be exhibiting this
safety brake business so persistently at
religious conventions. In reply to a
query to this effect the old man pointed
to an inscription on the machine read
ing s'Senrcll the ScrinfIii,cs 7 bad
to promise to do so. The old man ap-
pears to be 60 years of age or over. He
speaks with n broguc which virtually
makes a different language of the En-
glish. Ills diction though, is exceeding
ly good, and therefore seems queer in
the company CT such a rich brogue.-
Brooklyn Eagle.