Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-16
JEFFETSON'S INVENTIONS.

Thomas Jefferson was himself an inventor, but. consistent ill his belief in the natural rights of all mankind to share useful improvements without re- straint, he never applied for q patent. His first original device was q folding chair, which he used to carry to church in early days, when services were held in the court house at Charlottesville, and the seating cQnveniences were ln- sufficient His grandson tells us how he would mount his horse early in the morning, during the latter years of his life, canter down the mountain and across the country to the site or the university, and spend a long day there, directing the work, carrying with him a walking stick of his own invention, now familiar to all, com posed of three sticks, which being spread out and covered with 8 piece of cloth made a tolerable seat. MT Bacon, his overseer, in his reminis- censes says His servants came with him and brought seat, a kind of camp stool of his own invention. After MT Jefferson got old and feeble a servant used to go with him and carry that stool so that he could sit down while he was waiting for any body, or attending to any work that was going on''
 He invented the revolving chair, now familiar and necessary article of furniture in all offices and counting rooms. The federalist newspapers used to call it sMr Jefferson's whirl-i- gig" and declared that he had de- vised it.. "so as to look all ways a. once"
 He also designed a light wagon or sulky with comfortable seat and two wheels. with which he frequently drove around the country when he was too feeble to ride on horseback.
 Mir Jefferson invented the copying press. He writes to MT Madison i'll 17S7: Having a great desire to have portable copying machine, and hay. ing studied over some experiments with the principle of large machines made to apply in the smaller ones, planned one in England and had it made. It answers perfectly. have set workman to making them, and they are of such demand that he has his hands full. I bend you one. You must expect to make many essays be- fore you succeed perfectly. A soft brush like shaving brush, is more successful than sponge He also sent a copying press to the Marquis de Lafayette as a present.
 Another of his inventions was a hemp break, which he says "has long been wanted by the cultivators of hemp, and as soon as can speak of it's effectiw with certainty I shal l de- scribe it anonymously in the public papers in order to forestall the pre- vention of it's use by some interloping patentee."
 He invented pedometer to measure the distances he walked. He sent one to James Madison, with the following explanatory letter: .eTo the loop at bottom of it you must sew a tape, and at the other end of the tape a small hook. Cut a little hole i'll the bottom of your left watch pocket, pass the hook and tape through it. and down between the brooches and drawers, and fix the hook on the edge or your knee band, an inch from the knee buckle; then hook the instrument itself by it's swivel hook, on the upper edge of your watch pocket. Your tape being ad- justed in length, your steps will be ex- actly measured by the instrument"
 His most important invention was blow. MT Bacon, his oyerseer, says: He was very Ingenious. Heinvented blow that was considered a great improvement on any that had ever been used He got great many premiums and medals for 1t. He planned his own carriage, buildings, garden and fences and a good many other things. He was nearly always busy upon some plan or model.
 Jefferson's blow received a gold medal in France in 179O. During his European tours he had been struck with the waste of power called the common use. The part of the blow called the mold board" which is above the share and turns over the earth seem ed to him the chief seat of error, and he spent many of the-leisure hours of his last two years in France in evolv- ing mold board which should offer the minimum of resistance He sent the original design to the Royal Agri- cultural society of the Seine. The medal which they awarded for it fol lowed the inventor to New York, and eighteen years afterward the society sent him superb blow containing his improvements E. Curtis in Chicago Record Herald.
 A LOVELY QUEEN.