The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-19
GOLDEN ROMANCE OF POOR INVENTOR
Andrew Carnegie's Millions Said TO
Have Been Nearly Doubled
by Mechanical Feeder a
Workman COntrived.

from a outage 70 "A palace has been the
romance OF steel in P~ittsburs for many
years. Jchn Brishn now lives In a cottage
IN thar city. but his Lec.uiag wears may
] b. spent in a paIac- u ke - desires An
/ dr,w Caruegies millions were newly
7 co-aled by an idea worked on; IS IA :
asri man IGW n,a-ly blind and leaf. il is
/ claimed. Vet Tor seven years 3 fsHl has
! been battling wiki tile great steel manu-
: f~actUTsr ard phi'anthrOpiSt for a portion OF
thos- millions.
Nj. Brls 90. with Antonio Ninnac. invent
81 the mechanical roll feeder. with which
four men can lie the work Of twenty in
the production Of STEEL rails. beams and
other structural steel. In 1896 the patents
wee granted on the machine. but & has
beea used by all tse steel manufacturers
in the country since then without tn rr-
mai;ty - paving a royalty.
The patents were contested. and Judge
Bufhrrt0n Of the United States District
Court has just declared them valid This
awards the inventors mi lions - dollars.
and every steel company IN America must
pay its share % triuIt- 20 the genius OF
the Inventors
SITTING on his doorstep. the old man tofI
the story ~ his one idea that has proved
20 be worth millions TIER e. no rauc0r in
his soul against the men who have ussd the
product 81 hia genius-whO have lived in
mansions while hr has tniled daily with his
hands 10 earn tho rent u his humble home.
I have no need frr millions" he said. JUST
a little or al ms invention has earned Will
keep me in comfort Tor IN. few years I
have 10 Ev-. once. when I vas Younger. I
had great ideas % what I would 10 with
the money that was to come from my In
vention. but thai is past ! have become
something Of a philosopher in these years
- working and waiting. and the dreams
have faded
The history Of John BrisIin and his part
ner in the invention is a page from that o:
steel manufacturing during the last half
century. Associated with iheir humble
NAMES are those 81 men who are to-day
worth millions OF dollars. all made from the
production Of steel
WORKED IN BEDROOM
"Ninnac had the first idea Of the inven-
ton = the mechanical steel rolls" said Mr..
Bris'in They rolled only one length when
we first went into the mills. and later they
rolled TWO. NinnIc came TO me one day and
S1id. These beams are getting too large for
hand work: IL must be done by machinery.
I have an idea. and Il you xiii help me we
will go halves
That was IN December. 1890. vinnac was
boarding with me. We started 70 work that
day. and the model was built in my bed
room. No one but Vinnac and I saw Il IN
I'll the Decoration Day following. May 30.
lsA. when We took Il 10 our lawyer and a
patent was applied for. That old model has
been used all through the patent case and
- ~ NH ~ ~ IS go
lawyers once.
The only time that John BrisIIn ever be-
came really excited was when he was rout-
ed out Of a sound sleep 10 be told that
Judge Burlington had decided the case m
his favor. The old mans hands trembled
50 that he had 20 be helped by his son 10
dress. lie Is unusually vigorous for a man
Of 81 years who has lived a life OF toll. but
he was completely unnerved by the news
that he had At last won his great fight.
- - - - . =. ~.
ton % the value Of his victory. and talks
Of a. as though II were an everyday mat
ter. with only a few dollars involved
I have no idea OF the amount OF money
due for the use Of the machine" he said
Every steel company in the country uses
u. and only an audit % their books would
develop the fun amount"
Mr.. Brislin's lawyer. James Negley Cooke. |
counts up millions as glibly as the farmer J
counts ht~ egEA He figures that the Car
negie mills alone should owe oO0o.O for
the use % the invention He says even
that amount + n low estimate. and when
the case Is finally decided In the highest
courts. new suits for an accounting Will
follow. /
Mr. BrisIin Is not alone In this stupen-
dous fortune. seven others will share It.
The morey FOR the legal battle has been FUR
nlshed b. four friends: then there are two
uen who improved on the machine after
Brisin left the mills. Finally. the executor
Of Antonio Ninnac will lock after the share
that should have come 10 him. and some
Nirnac may some day profit by his inven-
tiOu. Who tnu-v ne-rS ale no one here
knows.
UNKNOWN HEIRS To SHARE
''Vinusc came 10 America in 1885, said
Brislin. II told ne he left three elder
sisters In France. but where they live. II
they are still alive. I don't know. All I III
know about his home e that he told me Il
forty miles from the Mediterranean.
that they hauled the product OF the
mill In which he worked 10 the sea In
Vinnsc came 10 America at the instance
Of Andrew KlOOman. who put Andrew Car
nesie into the Steel business. After his
trouble with Carnegie. IN which he was
and frozen out. Klooman went 70
he Lake Superior ore region. believing that
The steel mills should be located close to
he ore. There ne lost the money he had
in Pittsburg.
KIooman, a native OF France. was visit
his old home when he met Vinnac. eand
advised him TO come 10 America. Vinnac
HIS advice. and In 1855 rolled the
beams ever rolled IN Pittsburg. This
vas In HiOomaa's-now Csrnegie'sEThirty-
bird street mill.
''Vinrac made lots OF money. but was i'm
,rOyidcnt.' said Mr.. Blslin. talking about
lis Cd friend. His greatest wish was 10
set enough money out OF ne nFcHltu ~ I
,ay his debts. and IL now looks as though
lis executor would Go that for him. He I
.ad long Intended To- make a will in my IA Z
or. but Re died suddenly In 1899 OF paraly-
n. and his body Is buried IN my lot In ,
'aIvary Cemetery. He id not even have
nough money TO bury him. but l could not
How the city To do that. 80 1 gave him q {
resting-piace- T
What an I eoing 20 do with the morey o
he victory Will bring: Oh. I'd better wsit q
m l have Il safely lodged In the bank
aaIiy haven't thought much shout 4. lately
Il am glad those who helped me win the
ase are to receive their share Without
aid 1 could have done nothing They -
ic Eood friends because they have been =
when I needed them. That Is the .
,nst p.easing thing about the whole cas- Z
has shown ne how strong friendship cal o
/. The promise Of profit was no- all ttat ] a
and out frsm the inside part a piece g
Z embroidered linen with which she Gov II
ed Il. From one Of the ~p.geonholes she
-o!ucrd p small sugar bowl. which she j
led from a tin box on the underneath .
,e.f. From the inside part Of the desk u
-. 40. 81 81 tea Hfzrftff which i III