The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-01-17
Queer Devices That Have Been Patented

picious that King Solomon was none
the wisest Of men. and certainly it is
that the author Of the famous pro.
verbs, 9Th ere's nothing new under
the sun. If he were to return to the
earth today would need to revise his
outlawed philosophy. For every
day here in the Patent Office brings
something new to light, ard stroll
about among the archives of the
Patent Office Museum is like wan
tering in world of oddities, many
Of which have been called into being
by the fertile minds of self.appoint-
ed geniuscs, who have considered
themselves ordained by nature to do
away with the old and to introduce
the new. At any rate, even q cur
sorry examination of exhibits will
suggest that whatever may hayc
been the accomplishments of really
great inventors no small number Of
individuals have been impelled by
the most remarkable views as to the
needs of this eXacting age. and not
4 few have concluded that their for
tune would be made were they able
to produce something which differed 4
from everything else.
For instance. from time immemor.
.al the human heart has followed in
sympathy the souls of the departed.
and the human mind has coutriyed
70 favor the dead should they pass
JL to new and mystical cxistcn co
or choose To return to life upon tl e
earth. Old as the hills are the GUS
toms of the yenorating Chinese. who
heap high beside the graves their
delicate yiands of chicken aud ri ce.
The North American Indians. too.
were found TO strew the mounds of
their dead with food and hunting
implements These ancient customs
were the outcome of II deeper faith
IL certain theories than can prevail
among enlightened people today.
and yet, from experience purely in
the natural realm. preparation for
the welfare of those supposed to be
dead, should they revive to stay
among the living, may even now he
Witnessed in our country every day.
The ingenious inventor, appreciat-
ing the possibility Of premature
burial, and knowing full well the
horror with which the subject is re-
garded by afflicted mortals, has
come to the scratch at once with the
most elaborate devices by which the
reyiSaS person may communicate
fr0m his coffin to the outside world.
. FranzVester of Newark, y. j., styles
BIS inventio" " new e.,,1 osv,, i'm.
pIOpenien'aUu7 .. I0l cases or collins
for the deol, ana prop. ses to at
tach chimney 10 the coffin. extend
ing from over the face of the body
UP above the surface OF the ground.
Within this chimney he would place
a lander aud cord leading out a
bell, so that the buried person,
should he revive, may climb TO the
world without or communicate with
his mourning friends.
The machinery Of The invention
tor simple purpose by Adelbert
kwiatkowski of Posen-Wilda, Germ
any, Is much more intricate. He
declares that he has invented ceY-
tain new and useful improvements
in safety collins, and proposes to ar-
range his apparatus SO that "an
alarm will be given to the outer
world by the slightest movement Of
the apparently dead body" To this
end, Herr Kwiatkowski proposes to
connect the coffin with the surface
above the ground by pipe or chin
ney, to be hermetically sealed and
10 contain near the top n bright
cOlored sicual-tuft. He would then
surround the supposed deceased
body within by cords, and place Il
bride lightly upon both the fore
head and chest, Thus equipped,
the slightest movement of the body
would release the springs on rod
in the pipe above and the bright.
colored tuft would be shot out as a
signal to warn the living. The
breaking of the cap above would al
so introduce more air into under
ground prison.
That the spirit of Ethan Allen and
General Putnam still fingers to in
spire the patriot may seem to be evi-
dences in the curious invention of
C. VI. French and w. II. Francger
OF Waterloo, n. Y. 1t is none other