The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-06-22
A VERSATILE FELLOW.
He Makes Divers Inventions But
None Ever Becomes Profitab BILE.
r=. Errop, tha C,-obo fAynA \ Dan

4 None Ever Becomes Proftab BILE.
~ From the Omaha CNeb) Bee.
The appointment two weeks ago by
Judge Dickinson OF a receiver for the
Omaha Gas Engine and Motor Company
has brought to light a new Don Quixo,e
In mechanics and a modern Baron Null
chausen in nearly everything else.
Howard K. Clover is his name, or as
| he delights to sign himself, Lieut.. How
ard K. Glover L. S. N" He is a char
acter 80 picturesque that his traits might
| inspire the pen of the novelist as well as
| the vigilance OF the consta bulary. Start
ing out as a circus rider, he fell from a
horse and so injured himself that he was
compelled to choose more sedentary &C.
| cupation. Since then he has invented a
gas engine. an air mattress, a motor for
| bicycles, an automobile a system of gas
| illumination, duplex typewriter, an en-
CINE for an airship and a process for
making liquid air.
| It will be observed that most of his in
yenttons pertain to air or gas, and have
gone up in wind. which many or may not
| be significant. He was blind for a year
| and had to be led about the streets by a
| boy. He resigned an imaginary commits
| sion IN the United States navy in order
to accept another under the Spanish gov
| eminent to superintend the construction OF
| battleships.
| This. In brief, is the history of the man
who furnished the brains for the organ
| ization of the Omaha Gas Engine and
| Motor Company, now defunct He could
always ind financial backing for his
schemes, and stranger still, it is said on
| competent authority that many of his
schemes were feasible. His gas engine is
| reported by some to be of wonderful eff
| cheney. His motor for bicycles. also. is
| said by those interested in ii to be prac-
! tics bic, though hardly filing a long-felt
want. However this may be. none of his
ventures has prospered from a counting
room point OF view. He is unlucky evil
IDENTIFY not being four-leaved clover.
| physically considered, Clover is a mag
niacent specimen of manhood-a broad
shooldered six-footer. Weighing more than
20 pounds. He is plump. round-faced.
smooth-shaven, and has withal sort of
clerical bearing It is this latter fact,
perhaps. which he has to thank for his
remarka BILE success in interesting capital
IN his erratic projects.
The Lieutenant made his first appear
ance In Omaha some twelve years ago. at
which time he was employed in the Union
Pacific headquarters. He remained there
only about year, when he was COMPEL
ed to retire, becoming totally blind from
an affection Of the optic nerves. This af-
| hiction did not enjoin idleness however
On the contrary. it stimulated his inven-
| tive genius and encouraged him to go
| upon the market with the first product
| of his ingenuity--a so-ca'led duplex
! typewriter. He was abe to get some
meney frcm several Omaha business men
| on the strength Of this. The persons
whom he interested went to the pains of
employing patent expert TO prepare the
/ case, but for three months the EXPERT
was unable 90 get glimpse of the inven-
ton. Clover finally admitted that he
| could not produce a working model. AS
| the amounts collected had been small
| the parties interested dropped the mat
| ter.
! In the meantime Glover having recov-
cred his sight. set about the invention of
gas engine. He Interested two Iowa
men and they organized the firm of Jack
| ron, Clover & Grady, designated as ina
| rine engine builders Council Bluffs. la.
They put In the money and he the ex-
perience and at the end of three months
! Il was the old story repeafed-he had L
money and they the experience. Finally,
the firm being threatened with immsdi-
ate di.rupfion. he took a sledge hammer
and destr yed such Of the completei en-
| gines as were in stock, thereby reducing
the assets of the concern 70 nothing. Just
| why he should have done this is a maj
/ ter for conjecture To all appearances
there was madness in his method, but
perhaps 1t was only the eccentricity OF
genius.
His next plunge mo the commercial
and manufacturing world was as the
head Of the Clover Air Mattress Man
ufacturing Company" whose headquar-
tiers were also in Council Bluffs. AS
| in the former instance, he interested an
| Iowa capitalist. They bought several
sewing machines and set a few girls 10
work making air mattresses. but the VEN
! ture was CT brief duration. The ar mat
tress's would not hold air. The cap
! tan.t lost heavily, and Clover crossed TO
! this side of the river.
| One day shortly after Clover's mattress
scheme had gone up in the air, he, in
company with another man. entered the
| Office of a local patent attorney, and said
| he had invented a new system of gas IL
| Elimination for palace sleeping cars. The
| Pullman Palace Car Company, he said,
! had caused a car to be backed upon
| siding in Council Bluffs for him to expert
| ment on.
II was requested to go to Council
| Bluffs" eeid the attorney, Ito satisfy my
self that everything was on the square
| and there sure enough, was a palace car
on the siding. 1t was locked, however
20 we did not go IN. l have since discov-
cred that all cars are backed upon that
siding to be cleaned. so Clover simply
pointed out a car that happened to be
stadlng there, claiming IT was there
for his purpose. At that time his inven-
ton was supposed to be an Improvement
on the Pintsch gas system. but it never
materialized, and after he had pinched
a few dollars out of his new hackers 1t
was dropped and heard OF 1t no more
A motor for bicycles next engaged the
attention OF the genius. In this enterprise
he interested Prof. Ong of the Nebraska
Business and Shorthand College. but the
disciple OF Pitmsn refused TO be duped by
the inventor and their association was
OF short duration. The device was pat
ented, however, and 1t is claimed, the
patent is now held by persons in the
East.
While experimenting with this motor
three years ago Glover was arrested on the
complaint Of an associate, who charged
some irregularity in business matters. and
the inventor was lodged In Jail. II was
his first and doubtless his only experience
OF this kind, but, as in other emergencies,
he was equal to It. He worked the "insan-
ity racket" Scarcely had the door clang-
ed behind him when. to all appearances,
he became harmless put pitiful lunatic.
gibbering incoherent sentences and leer-
ing al his attendants with vacant stare