The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-18
CITY OF INVENTORS
Everybody in New Britain
Patents Something.
HAS QUEER GENIUSES
This Connecticut Town Is
Banner Patent Office Patron.


Is the gift of invention a product OF
the soil? A strange question. perhaps
but not so foolish as it sounds when read
IN the light Of recently tabulated stats
tics These figures show that an over
wheiming percentage OF the inventive ge-
MUS Of A1nerica-indeed Of the worlds
10 be found within the confines OF the
state of Connecticut, and, what is still
more remarkable, that much Of that
same percentage is restricted 10 the city
limits of New Britain.
Since the United States patent laws
were enacted l,487 inventions have been
patented by 344 New Britainers. Within
a ter year period one patent was granted
a year for every 357 Inhabitants of the
town, nearly three times as many as the
general average for all the rest OF the
state Why is this so?
The Offices Of the New Britain patent
lawyers are an interesting spectacle al
most any cay of the week. Here one
unds many geniuses, queer or otherwise
There is the woman genius with the
combination automatic crib and rocking
chair. It is brilliant idea. and ought to
Eel like hot cakes at s. each. No family
ran possibly get along without one Of
4hem. and the woman sees a fortune in
her grasp. She is but a specimen Of hun
Hreds Of others.
Heading the long list Of successful New
Britain inventors is the name Of Justus
a. Trout with record of III patents.
hIr Trout has made a great fortune out
of his inventions, all apparently insignifi-
cant triies. il is the manufacture OF
these very trifes, however, which con-
vtitutes the financial and commercial
strength Of Connecticut. Indeed. Con-
necticut inventions have been restricted
almost exclusively to mere trifes.
George z. Adams comes next in the
list with sixty-six patents. 1t is scarcely
possible for the modern man or woman
Of any station in life TO attempt to dress
without recourse 10 some one or other Of
air. Adams inventions. Suspender buck
les hose supporters, garter fasteners,
clasps. shirt studs, collar buttons he has
invented galore.
Thomas L. Corscaden comes third. with
nfty-one devices. among them, in all
probability. the handles of the coffin in
which you viii be buried. and similar
grewsome though necessary mechanisms.
Henry G. Voight, with forty-four, oc-
cupies the fourth place. Mr.. Voight has
devoted his yankee ingenuity entirely to
the protection Of life and property. He is
q man Of padlocks and door knobs and
latch keys and window fasteners.
Fortunately for the state, however. all
the inventive genius Of Connecticut is not
confined to New Britain. Hartford, New
Haven. Ansonia, Waterbury. Bridgeport
and Meridian are likewise hotbeds for
the propagation of yankee ingenuity
A typical example of the Connecticut
inventor and ingenios fertility is found
in the case Of Chris Downey of Water
bury. AIr. Downey who is not yet forty
years old, IS the proprietor and manufac-
turer OF twenty-eight patents, all Of his
own invention He likewise is q pro-
life newspaper correspondent, sending
out Waterbury news TO a string Of no less
than twenty-three daily newspapers. In
addition to all Of this he is now engaged
upon the writing of a comic song.
Yes continued the tal, blue-eyed
yankee. i've invented almost everything
and I've been almost everything except
"a song writer. and so I thought Ia try
my hand at that"
loud squawking whistle rent the air.
as the versatile yankee placed what ap-
peared to be the handle Of a small tin
dipper to his lips.
THE combination football squawker
and whisky bibaculator." he announced
between ear-splitting emissions Of noise.
I'm just getting my patent out on this
Eimcraek. now" he explained, handing
Il over for examination. ITS bound 10
be good seller at 10 cents. Every man.
and plenty of women. too. who go to
football games will want one"
What's the idea ?" Why It's as
plain as the nose on your face. Sure. you
know how it is when you're at a football
game. It's always cold and you're ex-
pected 10 make a noise. Maybe you've
got your grandmother along. or your old
aunt. or your mother. and it doesn't look
very genteel 10 drink out Of fash before
them. So far so good bat YOU get thun-
derin' cold after while and thcn YOU
slip your hand into your overcoat pocket
pun out your little Tin squawker and fin
ghe bowl OF it with whisky from the flask
You can DO that hy turning your back on
your folks You pat the whistle into
your mouth and suck ZIP the whisky from
the cup. and nobody is any the wiser but
what You've been sQuawking an the time.
tell you it's a groat invention. and there
ought 10 be millions in II at 10 cents
zach"
1t seems strange that among the almost
nnumerahle line Of inventions of which
Connecticut and particularly New Brit
ain. boasts there are only few isolated
rase OF patents being granted 90 women.
Ia the list OF New Britain pateutees there
are only four women. Sarah Jane Wheel
n patented a clryoomb in 1861. Eliza
beth Miner took out patent for fruit
sar cover fastener tn lS9o Alice NJ Hob
son patented n steam cooker in 1891. and
Frances e. NIaisonhine meat tenderer
in 1887
Al the other devices contrived hy Con-
nccticut women have proved either de-
fective OF absurd when attempts were
made % patent the rights 20 their manu-
facture. why this should DO 50 raises
another question. quite as unanswersble
as that asked the beginning q uds
article