The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-20

Mr. Shepard Gives Some Interesting
History Concerning the Inventions
of That Period and the Manner
in which They Were Recorded.
Edward Y Shepard. Chief Clerk of the
Patent Office, IN the matter compiled by
him concerning the work and conduct and
the general affairs of the Patent Office,
says:
Up to July, 1900. the Department OF
State was located in Philadelphia. but at
that time il was removed to Washington
There was no building Immediately ready
to receive II. but in August the depart
ment located temporarily at Pennsylvania
Avenue and Twenty-firsa Street
In May, 1902, President jefferson ap-
pointed William Thornton as a clerk, at
| 81. 800 per year. to have charge of the is
suanCe of patents. The following story
/ concerning Thornton has often been re
| peated:
| AT the capture Of Washington city in
1914 by the British, IN officer had ordered
! a squad of soldiers 70 train cannon on
| the building in which was the Patent Of
| fee Al that moment Thornton rode up,
| rapidly dIsrnounted, and threw himself be-
/ fore the gun. With flashing eyes he de-
handed. are you Engltshmen. or only
! Goths and Vandals? This is the. Patent
! Office. the depository Of the inventive gen
/ JUS of America. in which the whole civil
/ led world is concerned Would you de-
/ stroy it, If so. fire away and let the
| charge pass through my body. The Off
| Ger bowed his head with shame and or
| dered his soldiers away
In 1910 Congress authorized the pur-
! chase of a building for the acccmmoda-
ton of the General Postoffice and the Of
| flee Of the Keeper of Patents. The build
| ing purchased was known as Blodgett
Hotel and stood on the site now occupied
BY the south front Of the General Lane
Of7ce. The east end of this building was
occupied BY the records, models, etc, Of
the Patent Office
February :, 1923. report of the Com
mittee on the Expenditures of the Depart
ment OF State on the Patent Office stat
| ed that during the preceding summer
many Of the models which had been fled
were found to be decayed or otherwise in
Fjured. 50 that it was necessary to employ
an artisan to repair them, and that the
department. had suggested the proPriety
of making provision for the permanent
employment OF such an artisan This was
the entering wedge for the establishment
Of the grade of employees Known as model
tenders who were actively employed in
the receipt and care OF the models and
the shipping back to the inventors Of
those not required by the Office This re-
port further states that since the insti-
tuition Of the office about $500 patents had
been issued, and about 1870 models Of
machines had been deposited in the Pat
ent Office. 1t is evident from this state
ment that more than Cne-half Of all the
patents issued up to that time had been
- g1a
ton of the Patent Office reports cover
ing the period from 1872 to 1886 shows that
VI to 1925 large proportion OF patents
granted were calculated to facilitate the
labors of agriculture. navigation, and
manufacture.
The following Is a list OF the models in
the Patent Office January q. 1923:
''PropeIling boats, IS. cardiRg machines.
s: making carriage wheels 4: plows, 50;
/ threshing machines, -; winnowing ma
chimes. .. bridges, 13; saw mills, 26; wat
CT mills Il: wind mills. :. water wheels,
%; pumps. 66; presses, Sc: looms, %:
stocking looms. 3; spinning machines. p;
fire engines. 10; steam mills. Il: nail cut
ting machines. %: machines sor making
barrels. etc, /; mud machines, I; fax
dressing machines g; file cutting ma
chimes, 9. machines for cutting dye wood,
I 8: cloth shearing machines Is: straw cut
ting machines, 10; boreing machines. ,;
locks, p. guns, 2; for various purposes,
1iS4; total. 1912
From 1870 till 1893 the patents were is
( sued by clerk IN the Department OF
State. At that point, Dr. Thornton was
appointed by Jefferson TO issue the pat
ents. aT.d took upon himself the title OF
superin .eIIdent- He continued 20 act in
that capacity until his death in 1921 As
he believed that the patent laws were
made for the encourag cement OF authors
J and inventors. and not to collect revenue,
/ when mistakes or omissions were made in
issuing patents, whether through the
fault of the inventors or of the Office, a
new patent would be issued without the
payment Of another fee. This practice
continued until 1924
This system Of reissuing without fee
was the cause Of considerable discussion
/ between tne Treasury Department and
the State Department. as the records of
/ the State Department showed much
larger number Of patents issued than the
/ Treasury Department could account for
Beginning in 1924, all the money recefv-
Cd for patents was ordered to be paid in
10 the hands Of the agent Of the Depart
ment Of State, and about the same time
1 it was decided by the Attorney General
of the United States that all issued on de
fectivC specifications. except for clerical
I errors, should not be reissued without
I payment Of a new fee From that time.