Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-08-13
Observation-Disclosures
SMALL INVENTIONS THAT HAVE MADE
LARGE FORTUNES
The Value Of an dsa-NOtawOrthy Instances
Of Lucky His-Ths Valuabls Invention is
One that Supplies Widespread Want
CHARACTERISTICS Of Modern Inventors

are sometimes WOItu lOIbuuCS. AhS
patent Office records are full OF trifing
suggestions that have won riches for
lucky thinkers. More than half of
them have been hit upon by accident.
Most thoughts are blanks ia the lottery
of the human mind, but now ard then
out pops a prize. Catch it on the lily
and you needn't do any more work.
For example, take q little metal
paper fastener, used to keep the
pages Of documents or manuscripts
together. Though but a trifle it
made wealth for J. w. McGill. who in
vented it In 1867. The rubber pencil
tip was devised by Philadelphia man,
Lyman L. Lipman, in 1858. 1t earned
sloO, 900 for him. 1t was in the same
year that George A. Mitchell got pat
ent for the metallic shoe tip. His ap-
plication for exclusive rights covered
shoe tips Of silver and all other metals,
but copper was preferred. From that
time on every bootmaker who sold
shoes with copper toes had to pay
royalty, which enriched the originator
of the idea. An immense amount OF
money was made by William D. Ewart
out of an improved attachment for ma
chine harvesters, called a drive
chain"
An improved pattern OF thumb latch
was produced by Phlos. Eli and John
A. Blake of New Haven. Thirty
thousand were sold during the first
year, and the brothers reaped a small
fortune. 1t is reckoned that $1,000, 600
has been made out OF the simple device
OF metal plates for protecting the heels
and soles of shoes and boots. No less
than 143, 600. 600 OF them were
manufactured In 1887. The notion
of utilizing the feathers Of chickens,
turkeys, geese and other domestic
fowls, as substitute for whalebone in
wonen's corsetS, has been worth more
than a fairly-prod uctive silver mine TO
the inventor. The quilts are woven
into strips of what is called Feather
bone" A man named Garfield first
conceived the notion OF making arm
pit dress shields seamless, with q sheet
of cloth-eovered rubber. 1t brought
him an income of many thousands
year.
Heaton, who hit upon the notion Of
a metal fastening for buttons, doing
away with sewing, got fortune by it.
A wooden screw proved q mint for
Thomas J. Sloan in 1886. The man
who invented wooden pegs for shoes
was b. f. Stnrtevant. The idea
brought him millions OF dollars. he
lived near Boston and went crazy later
on. The barb-wire fence was worth
more than 81, 900, 600 in royalties to its
originator.
Formerly many eggs got broken on
their way TO market by rail, A coun-
tryman conceived the plan OF packing
them in trays Of pasteboard, with
separate compartment in which each
egg might stand upright. The happy
thong hit was worth a fortune, and such
trays are now universally used. An in
genious Chinaman of San Francisco
named Chang Quan-Wo, made quite
pile of money out Of a gusset for rein
forcing the pockets OF overals. A min
er was equally lucky with an eyelet to
be sewn at the mouth OF the coat or
trousers pocket, so as to resist the
strain caused by carrying heavy tools
or pieces OF ore.
There was a fortune In the inverted
glass bell hung over gas-jet to pre-
vent the ceiling from being backened.
Big money has heen made out OF q pen
for shading in different coOrs and a
charming weaver" for repairing stock
ings has likewise been immensely prof
table. The ball-and-socket glove
fastener was patented In this country
by a Frenchman named Raymond,
whose idea has proved golden. Rogers
got an independence out OF the screw
wire nail. A common needle-threader
has brought an income OF $4,000
year TO its inventor. Patents for
gold, silver and copper tinsel yarns for
upholstery have fetched a profit of
1915, 900. Paul E. Wirt's fountain-pen
has made him rich. A peculiar crook
in the wire Of a recently patented hook
and-eye is producing hundreds OF dol
lars a day. The roller-skate earned
cool million for the person who caught
the idea as it foated in his brain and
put it into tangible shape.
A self-made millionaire was quoted
while ago as saying that one Of the best
ways for a young man TO make money
quickly was TO rack his brains until he
found something the public wanted,
and TO supply it. Common sense may
be more useful to the inventor than
mechanical education. In using bath
bricks for cleaning knives,
housewives formerly found that
the most troublesome part Of
the Job was scraping the powder from
the brick. One day 1t occurred TO some
body to sell the brick ready-powdered
10 neat packages. aad he got fortue by
it. Everybody knows how troublesome
it is to pick coins of smooth counter.
A way to get over this difficulty sug-
gested itselfto thoughtful person who
promptly devised rubber mat, with
rubber bristles staining up all over IL.
From this the coins can be picked up
as easily as II they stood on edge.
Henceforth this thoughtful person will
not be compelled to toll for his liveli-
hood.