The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-04-04
NO. IA
IDEAS WORTH FORTUNES.

Ideas are the most lucrative COM
modtes in the world, provided you
carry them to the right market.
If your brain has worked out
scheme that is of a practical benefit
somebody will want it and will pay
money for it. There are plenty OF
cases where manufacturers have hon
estly paid inventors not for anything
so tangible as patent or model, but
just for a suggestion that could be ma
terialized.
All the soda water and other 'fizzes'
in the world had their origin this way.
To Harvey Browne, an Englishman,
as he was knocking his pipe one day,
occurred the notion of making aerated
water by forcing carbonic acid gas
through it under pressure.
He never made any diagrams or
bothered about any patent. He SIM
ply took himself and his idea TO big
beer bottling firm. They questioned
him little and then offered him $685.
900 for it, He told them they would
have to pay $4,000 or he would pat
ent it and sell it elsewhere. They
could not afford to let him do that, so
they signed the check for $5O,OO0.
The idea for the perforated postage
stamp edges netted the man to whom
it came s25 1000 And he realized the
sum without any patent. He went to
the Government officials, and with
just a needle and an ordinary slip of
paper showed them what he meant, at
the same time suggesting simple de-
vice for pertorating machine that
should do the work of the needle.
1t was discovery worth while, for
previously all the sheets Of stamps had
to be laboriously cut with scissors.
Norman Miles was the mans name,
and for his idea, without so much as
drawing a plan or making a model, he
got $4,000.
The modern gum on the back of the
postage stamp brought its inventor
$4,000. Jacob Morris, was Spit
field Jew, who used a paste of cold
starch and water to stick his hand
bills on his store windows.
The English Government had been
offering a reward of $4,000 for gum
that could be allowed to dry so that
the stamps could be later stuck on
"with lick" Morris bit on the idea
of drying his starch paste to give it
drying power. He told the Govern
ment officials that he had the discov-
cry for which they were offering $lO,-
900, but he didn't propose to sell it for
less than $4,000. He finally COM
promised, however, on $4,000.
John Ruthin's safety valve for To-
comotives was offered as an idea to an
engine making firm. They might
with the greatest ease have stolen it,
but instead they paid him SIS, 900.
Five years later the same inventor got
5000 just for the suggestion of how
to make a new sausage machine which
has since proved marvel.
Henry Stephens, the inventor OF
churn now used in every part of the
world, sold the idea of the machine to
firm of agricultural implement ma
kers, who paid him SIC, 900.
When the idea for the wonderful
"Facile" electric motor came to Hunt
ley Webb he stopped only to dash
down few pencil notes and then rush
off to sell the idea Immediately to
Hickman & Rouse. They paid $45,-
900 for it.
Many of these men might have be-
come millionaires if they had held on
to their ideas, patented them and them
selves placed the goods on the market.
But they preferred instead the cash in
hand at once, for they were dreamers
of dreams and lacked the executive
ability and the hard hustle and push
| to make their dreams realities.