Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-06-09
MANY INVENTIONS.
RHODE ISLAND HAS PRODUCED MEN
wno HAVE DONE MUCH.

tentors Of Rhode Island have contributed
largely 10 the present perfection Of the
machinery used in modern shops and mills
Some OF them have more than state or a
national reputation. and the value OF their
inventions has been recognized wherever
power has been applied TO machinery, both
st home AMI abroad The inventor Of the
slide lathe. Daniel Wilkinson, was Rhode
/ island man. who having made nothing
, ont OF his universally used device, was
paid si0.0n0 by congress n few years before
his death because the government had
adopted the mechanism for its shops The
inventor Of the braiding machine was n
native OF this state. and like Wilkinson
he lived TO see others accumulate fortunes
by manufacturing the machine Of his In
vention.
The builder OF the first successful power
loom introduced into Rhode Island mills
was paid 81 200 for the machine that was
invaluable to cotton manufacturers, and
enabled them TO increase production to an
incalculabie extent. There are others
whose names are not familiar TO the pub
lie, although their inventions without ma
terial alterations have been universally
employed upward Of seventy years. One
OF these In Ana Arnold. pioneer manufac-
turer OF Rhode Island and an inventor
whose name WAS perhaps more prominent
than that OF any other man interested in
cotton mills fifty years ago
Aza Arnold WAS the son of Benjamin
Arnold, one Of the Providence county PEG
pie OF that name. and Isabella, daughter OF
Paul Greene. OF Potowomut Neck. He was
born Mt Pawtueket IN 1850, and learned the
carpenters trade with John Smith. OF
Wexford, but afterwarf was a machinist.
and In Isl2 operated the Butterfly factory
in company with George Smith. who was
his uncle by marriage. Their business
was making wooden blankets. At this
time he invented the endless rowing" for
carding machines. Previous to this all
rowing was made by the cariing machines
in short rolls. which had to be pieced to-
gether in spinning. Fifty or sixty years
ago there were scattered over the coun-
try. wherever there was a l-horse water
power. carding machines that worked up
the farmers wool into these short rolls Of
rowing TO he spun into yarn on the farm
er's hand spinning machine
Al this date, 1872, owing to the war with
England, IL WAS impossible TO import files.
and he invented a machine for cutting
them, upon which HES were made for their
own use and for sale; bat It was dropped
ut the close Of the war, when II became
possible To import them again. In 1878 he
invented the compound motion" or, as
be called IL. the ''diifferential motion"
mechanism for compromising two different
motions or rates OF speed to produce
third rate that should be the constant diff
| ferential OF the two. however much they
might change or differ.
| This was. ns Zerah Coiburn, the great
arithmetician. expressed IL, solving by
mechanism an arithmetical problem that
could not be solved by figures, because OF
their running into series OF circulating
decimals. This motion he applied to the
speeder. machine used 10 prepare cotton
rowing for spinning. and patented IL In
lSs3. Its value was quickly appreciated,
as II enabled the manufacturer to turn of
| three skeins where he formerly had two,
and the quality OF the products was Inn
proved almost In the same ratio. IL was
testified 10 court by prominent manu-
facturers that IL was worth 10 them five
dollars per spindle per annum II was
quickly adopted, and some Rhode Island
manufacturers paid royalty, but the
Lowell and the Fall River companies re
| fused. and suits were brought against
them. After years Of delay to send agents
abroad TO find II the invention was not
previously known there the eases came 10
trial. The objection OF the opposition was
that a negative expression in one part Of
the specification was not repeated In an.
other part. and Judge Story said TO the
counsel for defense. III that Ii your only
objection Mr. Arnold can surrender his
| patent and have that corrected, and come
back here In two weeks ready to go on
with the trial"
Accordingly he surrendered his patent.
but instead of receiving Il back Ia two
weeks IL was held In the patent Office for
months. and In the meantime the whole
code OF patent laws known as the code of
l7p3 was repealed. and the new code OF
1895 was passed, 20 that when his patent
was returned it was under the new law,
and having no patent under the old law,
lie was cut of from entering suits for In
Engagements under that law He did not
know the cause OF this fatal detention Of
his patent In ths Office until the latter part
Of his life. When he WAS a solicitor Of
patents In Washington he fonnd In the
archives OF the patent office a letter from
the leading counsel for the defense la his
case TO the commissioner Of patents say
ing. Hold on TO that patent till you bear
from me-" referring TO his surrendered
patent This. which he had never sus-
pected. fully explained TO him how he had
been defeated In h = suit by the chicanery
Of the lawyers
Benjamin Arnold. OF Fast Greenwich.
one Of the Sous Of Mr.. Ana Arnold, is one OF
the best known Of living Rhode Island In.
ventors.
Among his many inventions Is new
system Of gearing-which Is in extensive
use in many different forms-for gaining
power at the expense OF speed. This con
hists OF an external gearwbeel having
an internal gearwheel having q great
er number of teeth. the inner wheel
being placed ON an eccentric on the shaft
20 as TO engage its teeth with those of the
butter gear nc one side, when the shaft and
eccentric revolved, one Of the gearwheels
being held fast and the motion taken from
the other. The gain In power and rednc-
ton In speed h IN inverse ratio 10 the diff.
ference In the number Of teeth In the two
wheels.
Among the machines invented By Mr..
Arnold are a loom for weaving cloth on a
bias, machines for making twill drills and
mending stockings. a mariners signal com.
pass, a circular loom, and a machine for
the manufacture Of interlocked cordage
AL OF these were practical. but his most
successful invention was n machine for
making seineS and nets for hshiag These
were built In number OF ways, aud the
first patents were sold 20 baltimore firm
In 1854 Since the expiration OF the patents
Mr.. Arnold has built these machines for
American and foreign manufactures. ship
ments having been made 20 Baltimore,
Chicago. Richmond, North Carolina, GIss-
gov. Scotland. aud Barcelona. Spain. The
ideas EN- bodied In the netting machine are
entirely original with Mr. Arnold, and 4
single machine with a girl 10 attend IL
will produce more netting 10 day than