The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-05-03
FORTUNES IN PATENTS.


Saturday Erening Post, it is not sur
prising to find that many Of the most
valuable patents have been granted to
mechanics and other persons obliged to
work for days wages and in not few
instances the ideas evolved from their
brains have produced veritable showers
of gold. Some of the inventions, in
deed, have brought millions of dollars,
while in numerous other instances they
have made their originators independ-
ent.
w. NJ Jenne, of Ilion, n. Y, was a
mechanic working by the day when he
began oproduce typewriter inventions.
His ideas in this line have brought him
wealth, and he is now superintendent
of a typewriter manufacturing CON-
pany. TO Jenne and G. L. Sholes-
two men whose names are almost un-
known to the general public chiefly
due the development of the writing
machines of today. Sholes, who died
rich, began as mechanic, and a uni
versally known typewriter was to a
great extent his creation.
Mergenthaler, who received millions
from the linotype machine, was origi-
nally an expert mechanic, engaged in
making telescopes and other scientific
apparatus. His contrivance is now in
use all over the world, the mechanical
compositor having taken the place Of
the human typesetter in nearly every
great newspaper office.
L. c. Crowell was likewise toiler at
days wages when he began 70 invent
improvements in printing machines.
His contrivance for folding, which
brought him large fortune, made pos
sible the present enormous editions of
many-paged newspapers. Up to that
time the lack of a folding device had
set limit on the ostput OF the print
ing press, but now the Crowell folder
takes the sheets as they receive the
impressions, packs them into neat
shape and stacks them up all ready for
distribution.
Frank A. johnson was mechanic
in Minneapolis when he took out his
first patent for typesetting machine.
His inventions in this line have brought
him wealth, and he owns large blocks
of stock in the companies that manu-
facture mechanical typesetters.
The process of welding metals under
water by means of the electric arc was
not recognized at first as great dis
covery. Its inventor, George D. Bur
ton, was a mechanic, and every cent
he could get hold of he spent on his
idea, until just as he had begun to de-
SPAR, he sold part interest in his
patent for 100000
Alexander p. Morrow was 4 me-
chanic employed by a bicycle company
when he invented the coaster-brake
which bears his name Two hundred
and fifty thousand Of these brakes have
been sold, and the royalty has made
Mr.. Morrow rich.
+. \. Fianegin had little jewelry
shop in Washington, but at length he
devised method of cleaning oil wells
by dropping an electric stove down
into them. Formerly, when such wells
became choked with parafin they were
cleaned by exploding nitroglycerine
cartridges, which was costly method
and risky. The electric stove process,
which is cheap and can do no damage,
has made the inventor a rich man.
William Painter, of Baltimore, was a
poor man. The notion of crimping a
piece Of tin metal around the neck of a
bottle, to take the place of cork,
struck him, and he became we'll off
Many bottles nowadays have such caps.
Augustus Schultz, of New York, in
vented the modern method of tanning,
which has reduced the process of max
ing leather from an affair of year or
two to one of 4 few weeks, thus revolu-
tionizing the business. All OF the thin,
tough leather manufactured nowadaya
is made in this way. When Schultz
began his experiments he was so poor
that, it is said, he Lad to prepare his
solutions in tumblers. His invention
made him rich.
Charles NJ. Hall was a student at
Oberln College when he discovered
solvent by which aluminium could be
separated from it's ore Though the
metal is very plentiful in nature, every
clay bank being a mine of i, the diff
Guilty was to part it economically from
other Substances with which it is CON-
monty found combined Hall solved
this problem, and it made fortune for
him.
Charles j. Van Depoele, inventor of
the undermining trolley, was me-
chanic. Now, thanks to this and other
ideas in regard to electric railroading,
he is rich man.
Emile Berliner was clerk, and he
paid mechanic fifty cents night to
teach him something about electricity.
The teacher was very ignorant of the
subject, and that was one reason why
Berliner was led off the beaten track.
He began to make discoveries, and
fino l1y hn nyo1ya1 i1oac which mo,1a