The record-union., 1897-03-25
A FEW FAMOUS INVENTORS.
Some Of the Secrets Of Their
Success.
Likewise Several Reasons Why Men
Fail-Geniuses and CrankS-lhe
Teachings of History.


as s'inyentors'' Elias Howe, Cyrus II.
Mccormick. Graham Bell, Thomas A
Edison. Sir Henry Bessemer and others
that might be named achieved both
fame and fortune from their work.
James Watt Jared equally well SO far
as reuoWn is concerned, but secured
rather less peeuniary advantage; less,
for instance than George Henry Cor
liss did from his valve gear for steam
engines. Samuel f. 3. Morse, who per-
hans contributed as much to the prog
ress of civilization as any OF these men,
could hardly have been called rich after
he sold out his rights to the magnetic
telegraph; while Charles Goodyear, dy-
ing in a pitiable state of poverty. IS
only one of many inventors who nave
won fame without any fortune at all.
Still another class there is who obtain
ed the latter and not the former. And
there is a host, an appalling host, who
have enjoyed neither of these rewards.
although animated with much the same
commendable ambition and true hero
ism as their more prosperous contem-
poraries. The great majority of them
have been doubly unlucky. Not only
tave they failed to derive any benefit
have been pitied or despised as being
impractieable drsamers, improvident
and unbalanced, and even nuiSances to
their friends. Indeed, the man who
wants to tell people about the novel
device or scheme which he has con-
trived, to revolutionize some important
industry, or else create an entirely new
one. is likely to be voted a great bore.
And yet there was a stage, an early
stage, in the career of the inventors
who afterward attained to opulence and
glory, when they were hooked upon with
almost the same Indifference, suspicion
and contempt. What, then, are the
secrets of success? How can one tell
the difference between ''craalk" and
a genius, a Keely and an Ericsson?
1t ought to be observed, in the first
place that man who invents an arti-
Gle which in the nature of things, could
have orly limited uses, like an I'M
proved safety valve for balloon, is
not going to coin shekels out of his
happy thought. A new device, to prove
highly remunerative, should be some
thing that a large number of people
are going to use, as, for instance,
steel pen or a bicycle tire. In the
next place. it ought to be remembered
that mechanical ingenuity and SIKH
and scientific attachments are not often
found in combination with the sagacl-
ty and mana cement requisite to COM
mercial success. Most inventors Sc
cure the cooperation of trained bust
ness man before they begin to get on
in the world This is generally true
even where financial assistance is not
essential to the development of the
idea; and in making terms with
manufacturer or promoter it is just as
we'll not to be too eXacting.
IGNORANT INVENTORS.
Perhaps the most serious blunder of
most inventors is their failure TO find
out what has already been attempted
in their special line. Some one OBJ
serves the defects in a single trolley
car fender, and goes off and invents
another. which he ignorantly imagines
to be entirely new. whereas a little in
quiry would have revealed the fact
that he had merely repeated an old and
discarded design. A farmer fancies
that, by o simple change in the con-
struction of a mower, he is about TO
close up all the mower factories in the
country except the lucky one where
his precious idea is introduced. But if
he had only consulted some reputable
maker of farm machinery before he
squandered anything on patterns, he
would doubtless have discovered that
his idea had occurred to dozens of other
people and had been found Utterly inn
practicable. The chief reason why rail-
road superintendents refuse to see the
man with a new car coupler is that he
seems not to be aware Of the decision
of the Master Car Builders Association
to use only couplers of the Janney
type as far as possible. An enormous
number OF things are patented every
year which cannot possibly be sold, be-
cause there is already in service some
thing of the kind which is really much
superior. a patent attorney may per-
haps be aware of the fact when he
puts a case of this kind through, but
he does not feel under any obligation
10 reveal it to his client. Having con-
fided his idea to one or two truSty
friends. who can subsequently testify
10 the time and nature of the disclosure
it is a good thing for the inventor TO
consult various authorities about the
novelty and excellence of his scheme
There is little danger of collecting too
much information on these points. One
may not he able TO collect whole libra
ries of patents and histories of inven-
1ions. or take all the current periodicals
which treat of mechanics. electricity
chemistry and other sciences, or sustain
intimate relations with leading manu-
facturers. chemists and railroad man
ayers: yet it is possible for the humblest
mechanic TO collect clippings and mem
oranda, TO pump his friends and neigh
bors. ard 10 obtain the addresses Of
experts WHO can be consulted by letter
If a person writes a good hand de-
scribes his plan clearly and simply, in
closes postage TO cover reply, and re
spectfully asks the favor Of an opinion
he can almost always get useful hints
and advice The danger of having
ones idea stolen is greatly exagger-
ated by most inventors. IL they have
taken the precaution, already sug-
rested. of intrusting their ideas TO some
friend. who can bear witness 10 the
fact. they are almost as well protected
legally as II they had obtained a pat-
ent
LACK OF THOROUGH TESTS.
Another grave error lies in the fail
ure to make thorough tests of an in
vention before trying TO interest CAPT
taHsts in it. The first inspiration
comes like a flash. For the moment
the scheme seems to have been born.
rs Minerva sprang from the aching
head OF Jupiter, full grown and fully
equipped for war. But as soon as an
attempt is made 70 put it into practice