People's voice., 1894-11-22

nad 6UU men at work turning out the
banks, and even then he could not
keep up with his orders. He was
soon making I clear profit of 81 900 a
WeeI then $1,000, then almost that
much a day. During the time the
craze lasted, and you know it was not
OF short duration, he made a large
fortune"
And what became of the man, l
asked?"
On, they put him in the insane
asylum. He couldn't stand prosper
ity. He lost great deal of money
almost as rapidly as he made it, al
though, fortunately, he had put a
couple of hundred thousand or so in
real estate, which his wife now has"
But that's an exceptional case,"I
said.
Not by any MEANS" said another
patent attorney who had heard this
story, Listen to this:
"A few years ago New England
patent attorney was on his way from
his home to Washington on legal bus
lneSs before the patent office. En-
route another patent attorney came
into the Car, and the first one-Smi h
we'll call him, for short-tOld his
friend that he was going to Washing
ton. This good friend. who asked him
to execute a commission for him
tHere. He prOceeued to explain that
man in Washington of the name of
Bell, but about whom he knew very
llttle, had some kind Of a patent by
which persons at a distance could
talk to one another.
III isn't perpetual motion ma
chine is it?' asked Smith iokinply.
who, like all men having TO do with
patents, was rather Skeptical of new
tangled devices
His friend went on to tell him
that the invention had something Co
90 with electricity, the science of
winch was not very familiar To him.
but he knew that Smith had devoted
good deal of tim. tn that subject
ana therefore he was the right man
to investigate the matter. He told
hlm, as he understood il, Bell had a
working model Of his device, that
S0me very successful experiments had
been made, but that he wanted capi-
tal To back his idea. Bell, he said. |
offered To sell half interest in the
p Itent for very little money, and
tnlS man Vas so much impressed with
what ne had heard that he agreed to
supply harf the money for the interest
If smith W. uld do the same.
But Smith was not impressed. |
Tie dea of talking over wire seemed
50 widely improbable that he did not
believe it was worth while TO make
cursory examination even, and he did
not 60 near Bell. Think of it," said
Chls man in conclusion, Smith could
nave obtained quarter interest in
the Bell telephone patents for few
hundred dollars, and because the idea
dld NOT just strike him righ', he al
lowed this colossal fortune to slip
through his fingers"
These two stories reminded me of a
little incident in the life Oh Commo
dore Vanderbilt, and as it had to deal
with a patent thought it would in.
terest my friends. When Westing-
house first obtained his patent ON the
air brake, like most inventors, he was
poor and friendless. and he found con-
siderable difficulty in inducing the
railroads to apply it to their cars.
lie managed to secure an introduc.
tlon to Commodore Vanderbilt, who
WAS never noted for his gentle man.
ners Westinghouse found him en-
crossed in his correspondence. and
ne did not deign t., stop reading his
Letters while the inventor extolled the
merits OF his invention. When he
mad spoken his little piece Vanderbilt
for the first time seemed to t,ke any
notice OF Linn, and, looking up sud.
denly, said 10 his gruffe,t tones:
What's that you say?"
So Westinghouse commenced all
over again aud explained how by on
air pressure o. thirty pounds to the
square foot tie brake was applied BY
the engineer, and when he finished he
waited patiently for the verdict.
Once more the old Commodore
raised his head long enough to jerk
out. Whats that you say about
air?"
4 Westinghouse told him.
Looking him STEADILY in the face,
the old man replied in freezing tones
That will do; | have no time to
waste on a id fool"
Discouraged, but not disheartened
. Westinghouse left, only later 10 bring
the great invention to the knowledge
OF the Pennsylvania railroad author
titles. AT that time Tom Scott wa:
the president Of the corporation, and
he at once saw the practicabilitv o.
the invention, and. allowed some OI
, his cars to be equipped with it. With