The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-17
SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS.
Fin dc Steele Contrivauces Used Every Day
Everywherc-Unuscd Inventions.
1Succinl C'orrospondonco

Fin dc Steele Contrivauces Used Every Day
Everywherc-Unused Inventions.
Especial Correspondence
PITTSBURG, Oct. 10.-"Not day passes.n
said an ingenious inventor of these times
to me today, that you and and almost
every one i'll all this land do not make use
OIL one or more of the contrivances that by
reason OF their recent invention and ingen-
ious nature may be appropriately termed
lin de steele devices. The telephone and
the photograph, electric cars and cable
cars and host of other things that will
occur to your mind come naturally under
this heading, but they are not nearly so in
tcresting to me as are. in their way, the in
genious inventions that for some reason
have never been put into general use.
1t is said that Edison made half dozen
inventions in telegraphy, which were bought
up by the Western Union and buried. and
that in that way the Wizard got much of
the money that enabled him to go ahend
and perfect his electric light and the other
Things that have made him famous and
very rich and have practically changed
methods of life and of doing business the
world over. His telephone was in many re-
spccts better one than Bells, and if it
had not been judicially decided that it was
an infringement on the latter's patent
would perhaps have been the more success
1ul OF the two. Its speaking qualities were
wonderful, and 10 or IL years ago there
were Edison exchanges in many cities all
over the country.
Many newspaper readers have recently
read of the Louisville man who discovered
chemical compound that would remove
every trace of ink from paper without in
any way discoloring the surface of the pa
per and have approved of his course in
-Ot xiTlfy ff-Nt,, .
he found that INSCRIPTIONS persons had
made use of it to alter checks and legal
documents Not every inventor would be
broad minded enough to do this, but every
one must admire the motive that prompted
50 unselfish an action.
Every little while we read of some new
contrivance that seems bound to reyolu-
tionize some feature of business or render
possible some attainment that has long
been sought in vain. For instance, much
has been said about possibilities in the way
OF electrical cooking, and it was predicted
two or three years ago that in short time
food could be prepared more cheaply and
Better by the agency OF the subtle, mysteri-
Gus liuid that has had such great influence
FOR modern life than in any other way.
We'll, it is possible to cook by electrici.
ty, but the process is SO costly that its gen
eGl adoption seems as far of now as it did
when ii WAS first talked OF. \ friend of
mine who is known 10 have money which
he wishes TO invest in something of the sort.
was approached not long ago by an invent
Oh Of an apparatus which, he said. would
overcome every difficulty. Set one up in
my Kitchen said the capitalist. and if it
works satisfactorily will put up the
money to float n company for its manufac-
turc.'
An electrical cooker was put up as re-
questcd, and it did its work perfectly, but
at the end of three days trial il had burned
ont aud was useless. 1t was renewed again
and again, but i could 20! be made to last,
aud 50 the Mf5any IA Nsss never formed, and
,hc invention is not used. Ny capitalistic
friend had a similar experience with new
smoke consumer The man who success
fully solves the problem Of the consump,
ton of soft coal in such way us to do
away with the black sooty smoke now pro.
Guced will speedily become multimillon-
aire, and my friend was very glad to have
an opportunity to test n contrivance for
that purpose which was brought to him.
Put it on the furnaces under the boilers in
my factory he said 10 the inventor, and IL
it stands the test will back YOU
so the apparatus was tried, as the cleo
trical cooker had been and it consumed
the smoke successfully and To the great
delight Of all concerned. BY the end Of
week. however, Il fatal defect manifested
itself The intense heat Of the smoke COM
bustion destroyed the iron Of the apparatus,
and it has not yet been found possible to
change the device so as to overcome the
difficulty. The smoke consumer has there
fore been relegated to the scrap heap of I'M
available inventions. | have no doubt that
both electrical cooking and the consump-
t.on Of the smoke of soft coal will be prac-
tically accomplished by and by, but good
deal of patient study and long and careful
experiments must be gone through with
first.
Notwithstanding the many dishearten-
ing difficulties that inventors are constant
Ny encountering, several great discoveries
in electricity and chemistry are likely soon
10 be made public, and among them will
| undoubtedly be that of sending telegraphic
and telephone communications without
| wires. Already under favorable conditions
| This has been done. There really seems no
good reason to the scientific mind why the
electrical current should not be projected
without metal conductors, and when this
is done the seemingly impossible problem
= solved" NJ. /. DEXTER.