The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-18
MONEY IN LITTLE THINGS.
SMALL INVENTIONS THAT HAVE
BROUGHT FORTUNES.

Value of the Lamp Chimney Fast
ener-The Pigs in CIoyer-There's
Money in Toys and Puzzles.
From the New York Sun.
Washington-No better examples OF the
importance of small things can be found
than among the records at the United
States patent office in Washington. There
are to be seen certain small objects which,
by lucky turn of affairs or perhaps by
the ingenuity of the inventors. have be-
come known throughout the United
States and even throughout the world,
and have been the means of filling the
pockets both of the inventors and their
representatives. In fact, it would seem
as if inventors of small objects have been
far better paid than skilled mechanics
and engineers who have spent months
and years in perfectlng elaborate mecha-
nisms. Certainly. in proportion TO the
amount of work done, the lot of the IN
ventor of small objects is more to be
desired than that of the man who spends
the best part of his life over an elaborate
machine, the merits of which are tardily
recognized, not perhaps until the inventor,
through worry and sickness, is in no con-
dition to enjoy the fruits of his toll. 1t
would seem also as IL the inventors of
small objects which have paid, have NOT,
as rule, been inventors by profession.
They have been for the most part persons
who by sheer luck have stumbled upon an
idea which somebody else has suggested
as a good one. Without the suggestion
Of this somebody else" who is usually
the one who profits, the great idea, though
born, would rarely grow to maturity.
A story current at the patent Office is
told of an old farmer up in Maine. The
children Of the old fellow, like many other
children before and since, had a way Of
kicking the toes out of their shoes. The
farmer was of an ingenious turn of mind,
and he cut out a couple of copper strips
for each pair of shoes, which were fas-
tened over the toes and between the sole
and the upper. The plan proved so sue
cessful that the farmer found where he
had been buying three pairs of shoes one
pair would suffice. There happened along
about this time a man from the city with
an eye to business. He prevailed on the
old man to have the idea patented. This
was done, and between $4,000 and $780,
600 was made out of it, How much Of this
the old man got is not known, but it Is
presumed that the promter got the larger
part. The record at the patent office
shows only the drawing of the invention
as patented on Jan. 5, 1853 by George
A. Mitchell of Turner, Me.
Another similar invention which made
a great deal of money was the metal but
ton fastener for shoes. invented and ~
troduced by Heaton of Providence, r. II
AT the time 1t was considered a fine in
vention, and the old sewed button was
continually coming off. 1t had gradually
grown in popularity since its introduce
ton in l6G9, until now very few shoes VITA
buttons are manufactured without the
Heaton appliance.
BY a comparatively simple Arrangement
the shipping tags in use all over the coun-
try to-day were made a possibility. The
chief trouble with a paper tag was the
almost unavoidable tearing out of the
tying hole before the package arrived at
its destination. cardboard re-enforce-
ment round in shape, on each side OF the
tying hole was all that was necessary 10
make the shipping tag a success This
was the invention of a Mr.. Dennlon of
Philadelphia, who has made fortune out
of lucky five minutes of thought
The division of the Patent Office which
examines applications for patents on toys
and puzzles receives more communica-
tons in regard to worthless objects, per-
haps, than any other, except some of the
divisions on mechanics, whose officials
have TO deal with crank inventors The
chief examiner of the division of toys cites
many instances where fortunes have
been made on puzzles and similar OBJ
jects, The pigs in the clover puzzle had
a curious history. The inventor Gram
dali, put II on the market before the pat
ent had been granted, or, in fact, even
applied for. Other people recognizing the
value of the invention from a money point
of view, formed companies and began
manufacturing the puzzles in even larger
I quantities than 4 iT9nd9ll'g
turn them out. Crandall, of course, con-
tested for his rights and prayed for an
injunction. The claim was put into inter-
ference. which is long process, and one
which tries both the patience of the de-
partment and that of the attorneys The
unfortunate part of it for Crandall was
that the craze for the puzzle was over
before the Interference was settleds This
is the same Crandall who invented the
children's famous building blocks. with
dovetailed edges, which had such a run
and are popular even to-day. The fifteen
puzzle was never patented, and tine de-
partment has no information in regard to
its inventor Several people claim it. For
tunes were made by 1t for half dozen
concerns, and most of the profits were
pocketed by the manufacturers.
The return ball, a wooden ball fastened
to thin strip of rubber, with a wooden
ring at the other end, which was patented
popularity which netted its inventor $50. :
900, and IL is sold widely to-day. The pat
ent has now expired. The flying top, a
round tin affair with wings wound with
string and shot up in the air made
fortune for its inventor. Several years
ago a puzzle appeared which attracted
considerable attention. 1t consisted of
two double painters hooks, which, when
fastened together in a certain way, could
not be taken apart, except by one who
had seen it done 1t is said that this in
vention came about by the merest chance
A painter was standing on his ladder
scaffold across the front of a house He
had occasion to use a pair of hooks. and
picking them up hurriedly entangled them
In such manner that it was several
| hours before he could get them apart. He
forthwith had drawings made, and filed
an application for a patent, which was
granted. No figures are known at the nat
ent office, but it Is supposed that he made
a large sum of money. for the puzzle was
sold for 25 cents in all parts of the east
and it cost much less than cent to manu-
faeture
A discovery which has been the means
of bringing forth number of inventions
both great and small, was that of Good
year, the rubber vulcanizer. 1t was not