The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1894-03-09
PATENT OFFICE cRANKs.
The Queer Inventions That Are Sent to
he Investigated.

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To fully realize how many cranks live
among US one has oRly 10 visit the Pat
ent Office in Washington, says the New
York Herald, and examine the models
which fill the shelves OF that depart
ment and read the specifications, in
which are set forth in glowing terms
the many benefits which they pro-
pose to donate to mankind. Every inn
aginable scheme is suggested and laid
before the patent examiners. The ques-
ton of utility, Of practicability, does
not enter into the taking out of pat
ent; 1t suffices that the invention has
the feature of novelty and that the ap-
plicant pay the legal fees.
So numerous are the perpetual mo-
tioD" cranks, who think they have
discovered the long and vainly sought
enigma, that the Office has prepared
circular which is mailed to any one
who takes steps to enter an alleged per-
petual motion invention. The circular
informs him shat it is thought proper
to advise him, in order to save him fur
tAlNA "a lNAAaC Ol4'l Aetppls Nlab blAN WINS
of the Patent Office coincide with those
of scientists in general in regard to me-
chanical perpetual motions-that they
are impossibilities. Should your entry
be taken, working model will be re-
quired the Office being aware that it
will be impossible for you to comply
with this requirement" The specidca-
tion and feo are then returned Does
this dampen their ardor? Doubtless
thousands of them are now trying to
compass the working model.
Many of the old models were burned
up in the fire of 1877. and tradition only
tells of some of the queer contrivances
that had been gathered in.
One of the most curious Of these was
hens nest constructed with spring
trap at the bottom of the nest The
weight of an egg was sufficient to press
down the spring and allow the egg to
slip out. The theory Of this thoughtful
inventor was that as soon as the hen laid
an egg it would press down the trap-door
and disappear. The hen. as is her Gus
tom after laying an egg, would rise and
cackle, but finding no egg, would con-
clude that she had made mistake and
would proceed Immediately to lay anoth-
er, and so on dd 6ltia tum On hisprin-
ciple the owner OF hen would have
great monopoly.
A trip through the model rooms re-
vealed many unique and curious inven-
tions, some of the more unusual of
which l venture to describe and illus
trate.
One of the most original is an ordnance
plow, patented by G. NJ. French and W.
H. Fancher, of Waterloo, N. Y, in une,
1862. The object of the invention was
to produce a plow equal in point of
strength and lightness to the one ordi-
narily in use and yet which would com
( bine the elements of a small sized cam
non, SO that it could be utilized by the
frontier settler both for defensive pur-
poses as well as agricultural.
The beam or tongue OF the plow to
which the horses or oxen are yoked is
+ F""+ ~nr barrel or rioco of 1i-ht
orunance CapdOle OF throwing prOleC-
tile of one to three pounds weight with
out rendering it cumbersome as plow,
The plowshare takes the place of a
gun carriage and serves to anchor the
improvised cannon firmly in the ground
and enable it to resist the recoil, while
the handles furnish means Of giving the
plow or gun, as the case may be, direc-
tion or aim. To use the language Of tho
inventors: ''as means of defense in re-
pelling surprises and attacks on thosu
engaged in peaceful avocation It is
unrivaled, as it can be instantly brought
into action by disengaging the team.
and in time of danger may be used
charged with deadly grape. This com
bination enables those in agricultural
pursuits to have at hand an efficient
weapon of defense at slight expense. in
addition to common and indispensable
implement, and one hardly inferior to
expensive light ordnance on wheels. -
With due Difference to the originality of
the conception of the inventors, it does
not appear that the ''plough gun" or
''gun plough" has come into very gen.
anal uca