The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-08-16
Happy Happenings.

u Efcat uisrottftcc nave hute upoh
single thread, almost yet not quite per
fected, when one little chance. an event
in itself most trivial has given to US the
invention which might otherwise have
been delayed for centuries. Many inven-
tions sre the slow growth Of ages, while
others have sprung instantly from the To-
veutor's brain, the result Of some happy
accident.
Among the accidental improvers OF the
steam engine was fun loving boy by the
name OF Humphrey Potter, whose duty it
was to open the valves for the admission
OF steam. This youthful genius soon dis
covered that by uniting the valve by a
string to another part OF the machinery
the work would be better done and he
would have more time for birdnesting.
This arrangement, rude as il was. con-
tinued for some time until Henry Brish-
ton constructed an engine in which the
valves were worked by q rod connected
with the beam. OF poor Humphrey Pot
ter, whose genius for fun vas combined
With 30 much observation, We hear moth
ing further. No doubt he became dis
gusted with inventing as it brought him
neither fame or pelf and robbed him OF
his occupation.
One day an honest man named Joshua
Heilman sat in his cottage in A!sace, with
bic head upon his hand. thinking over
bis troubles, the greatest OF which was
poverty. His daughters were many and
his dollars few and hard TO get. Upon
this particular day he sat modify watch-
ing his lovely daughters. as they dressed
their long golden tresses, their only
wealth. As they combed their yellow
locks he noticed thai they drew the curl
ing locks through their fingers. An idea
flashed upon the lucky man. Why could
not this process be initiated in dressing
long staple (the long thread OF cotton.
wool and fax. which had hitherto baf-
fed all machinery? He acted upon the
happy thought and soon constructed $
machine with double setiou. BY one
the long fibres were eombed ont smooth
ly, by the other the comb was reversed
and drew back the short threads. Tire
machine was an entire success, and made
the fortune Of both father and daughters.
Once there lived in the city Of Hsarlem
an old gentleman by the name Of Law
renee Coster, who kept the keys Of the
cathedral OF that city. One day more
than four hundred and fifty years ago he
went out to take an after-cinner corstitz-
fionsl, when be CHANGED 70 notice wing
near very soooih piece Of hsseh bark.
Though the cd man ~as Dutch Be pos
sessed al q Yankees fancy sa~ whIitling
and upon the memorable walk he III II
70 the so0d several letters BE cgs them
70 well thss he YES rxshs- proud Cd then
He foot the Flsoe b1zst, s1xu ped TIE ies-
tsrs upon psE.s-. and gave them 70 lis
son iar 8 csqy AE.e-s1r3 be thO1ghs
g056 dezl OF this is.tBs circumstance.
he c1s uore Letters ont OF wood asi eov-
e-lDg them with ink, stamped them npon
paper and hnaIiy after aueh work and
thinking stamped whole pages OF letters
and 30 printing Sas invented. But poor
old Lawrence Coster had little pleasure
from his discovery. One of bis appren-
tees tsome people think it was John
Gutenberg ran of with most Of his wood.
en- type and the entire pages OF a book he
Was about 10 print and 80 got the glory Of
being the first printer.
Tinted paper was the result OF the acct
dental dropping Of bluing bag into one
OF the watts where the paper was being
made. The manufacturer supposing the
stationery ruined slowed it in the ware
house for five years, and then sent it to
London to be sold for whatever it would
bring. Greatly 10 his surprise it sold ex-
eeedingly well. More OF the same kind
was ordered and tinted paper became the
fashion.
The invention OF envelopes is within
the memory OF middle aged persons and
was the result of Brighton stationer's
endeavor to make his store look attractive
He took fancy for ornamenting h is store
windows with high piles OF paper gradual
ed from the largest to the smallest size in
use. To bring his pyramid to point he
cut cardboard into very minute squares.
Ladies took these cards to be small-sized
notepaper and voted it perfectly lovely"
So great was the demand that the station
er found it desirable to cut paper the size
80 much admired. but there was one diff
ticulty. The little notes were SO small
that when folded there was no SPACE for
the address, so after SOM thought the
idea OF an enrs,ope pierced the station
er's h-ain. He had them cut by metal
.,iAte and 500 SO great was the demand
that he commissioned a dozen houses to
manufacture them for him. From such
small beginnings came this important
branch OF the stationery business. And
yet who says there is no such thing as
luck7
Contempt Men Free.