Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-03
BIG PRIZES FOR INVENTORS
'Tsrtuns Awaits TAsm II They Can supply
the Worlds DImaldL
WONDERS UP The SLEEVE OF FuTuHt
Greatest rOmis in the DOmnin OF
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Devices
May Bring wealth to
Their Makers.


of phrewd business men paid TO Prof. M. j.
Pupin OF Columbia university a fortune
amounting 10 several thousand dollars Tor
his invention Of ocean telephony" a deal
based merely on theory backed by prelim-
inary experiment. for there was no con-
elusive evidence that the Pupin invention
wcald result in a single syllable ever being
whispered from America to Europe. The
transaction typihes the new condition In
the world Of invention. The great Invent
ors Of past years have enriched innumerable
other men. but have amassed for them
selves little except fsme-and that mostly
posthumous. Henceforth the inventors
pront will be great and sure and not he.
but the capitalist will assume the chances
cf failure.
II IL very significant that the greatest
uutimists as TO the future Of inventions are
10 be found among the men who have the
hest opportunities OF judging the future
along this line-the ~of1cials Of the United
States patent ONCE. In discussing the
subject the other day Frederick Allen, the
United States commissioner OF patents.
said:
81 certainly do not agree with those per-
IONS who consider that we are approaching
the end Of invention. / believe that the
whole creative realm will so on developing
,snd expanding In proportion to the growth
of the nation. The business Of this ONCE
shows Il. During the past quarter OF a
century there has been issued in this coun-
try more than 500, 900 patents or over three
times as many as have been issued In the
lthree-quarters Of a century preceding II. 1t
IS dificult to predict along what lines in
,yentive genius will be most actlTe. Certain
1t is that the evolution of new things will
10 on In constantly increasing proportions"
Possibilities of the Future.
The imaginative mind naturally foresees
the greatest possibilities Of the future in
the fields OF electricity. aerial navigation
and the Harvesting Of the great power
forces in nature. Il is interesting to note
that this popular view has the support OF
Hon. Charles II. Duell, who but recently
retired from the position of United States
commissioner of patents, and who stands
as one Of the leading authorities in Amer
ica on the subject OF inventions. In dis
GUESSING the matter Mr.. Duell said:
I'm my opinion all previous advances in
thu various lines Of invention will appear
totally Insignificant when compared with
those which the present century will wit
ness. almost wish that l might live my
life over again to see the new wonders
which are at the threshold. II Will be but
q few years until the residents Of all our
larger cities will be consulting the tins
tables of aerial bee lines to New York,
allured by such advantages as no smoke,
no dust, no heat Each private residence
will be provided with its wi plant Of
cooling room and cooling devices for houses
will make bcarable any climate under the
stars and stripes. The sun and the wind
will be completely harnessed, and possibly
A. 49,. - ali b. A.,kAuaAhllaa aull ha In
universal use and quadruplex apparatus
should bring the cost OF telephone service
down to about 10 cents a month"
Probably the field which will give forth
the most wonderful inventions during the
next quarter Of a century is that OF cleo
trical science. Within the past few months
devices have been patented which will en-
able Americans TO talk with their cousins
across the sea: which permit telephone
messages ar signals OF various kinds to
be transmitted through the earth or below
or above the surface Of the ocean without
wires; which cause telephone messages to
be recorded automatically and repeated me-
chemically hundreds Of times; make It pos
sible to transmit colored pictures by wire
between distant points and enable the dis
patch of sixteen telegraph messages over a
single wire.
The Storage Battery.
The future Of electricity and Of the whole
transportation world waits upon tho dis
eovery OF some means to harness the magic
current and house It In light and compact
form. For nearly a third OF a century In
ventors have been seeking 70 dAvise a stor-
ago battery that will answer ell require
ments, and the specialist In novelties who
arst produces It has assuredly captured the
grand prize in the lottery Of Inventions
winning that will bring him the fame OF
. Solomon and wealth beyond the dreams
Of avarics. Lately It was announced that
Edison had solved the problem. and II his
invention proves all that is claimed for II
all the other marvels which have been
brought forth from the wizards cabinet at
Menlo Park will pale In comparison.
A cheap. compact and durable storage
battery will make possible electric airships,
steamless locomotives and horseiess car
Einges of a character more perfect than has
heretofore been dreamed OF. Automobiles
the popular vehicle OF the dawning cen.
tury. have within q few months sustained
q decline OF hundreds Of dollars In price
owing 70 the perfection OF equipments, bui
the discovery Of the sorely needed storage
battery would eventually make them within
universal reach as any vehicle may be. Tn,
discovery OF q practical storage battery will
open q new era for the electric railway
and hasten the day OF electric propulsion
for long distance express trains for mai
and passengers.
Even the subject OF electric lighting hal
not been exhausted by any means. Create
b~rilliAncy and the saving Of the e~lectrica
energy now wasted so wantonly in present
day lighting systems are the goals to b
resehed and the beginning has been mad
BY tbs recent introduction Of a modincatiol
OF the old kaolin light. whereby the mix
ture OF oxides as a light-emitting elsmen
has served to produce a glow which
more brilliant than a incandescent ligh
and yet not so daEsling as an arc. Sup
piemsatary to electrical inventions prope
will be thel discovery which may be ex
peetsd In the field OF electro-chemistry-
the new science. Already this me-
sphere has pointed a way to nlch gold froI
ores which no other process could induce
release II and the newcomer among III
sciences has awaiting It limitless pcssibil
tiles for usefulness in the publication
water.
Photography and PrintinE.
For photography and printing. the gre'
twin educational factors. 4 h nj