The suburban citizen., 1902-11-22
Some Of Their Clever Devices Are other
Than Domestic.


Some Of Their Clever Devices Are other
Than Domestic.
Just before Lord Roberts left for
South Africa 1t will be remembered
that he received a curious present in
the shape of a bullet proof shield of
aluminium.
This was sent to him by its inventor,
a woman. She who patented this very
much the reverse of domestic imple-
ment is Miss Helen S. Murphy, one Of
our few women inventors. Her in
vention is so far a success that it at
tracted the attention Of foreign gov
ernment, who has lately been making
inquiries as to the supply of large
quantity of these soldiers chest pro-
tectors for their entire army.
AS might be expected, the larger
number Of patents taken out by
women are for domestic inventions of
one kind or another. Some, however,
like Miss Murphy, have turned their
attention to very different subjects.
A Mrs. Westham has recently pat
ented new kind Of solder for use by
metal workers. a woman from Black
pool has devised a novel tent, which
is said to be very light, and easily
folded and carried.
Metal working is not the sort Of oc-
cupation one would imagine congenial
to women. Mrs. Florence Harrison
has shown that the fair sex can excel
in such a branch Of industry by pat
enting a process for desulphurizing
certain ores
Mrs. Ames Lynde Is another we'll
known instance of a woman iron
worker. At her extensive works at
Thornham, in Norfolk, were made the
beautiful drive gates Of Sandringham,
and the King has for years taken the
keenest interest in her work. Mrs.
Ames Lynde not only superintends the
work which she has started, but pre-
pares all the designs herself. She has
invented many new and unique de-
signs as well as several methods for
welding together the separate portions
which go to form the elaborate pieces
of work turned out at her works. So
far has the fame Of this novel village
industry extended that it's head re-
ceived an order for the royal pavilion
at the Paris Exhibition Of 1900.
Lady Colebrook is another woman
inventor. She Is well known as a
sculptor, and has turned her attention
to a branch of work hitherto almost
exclusively confined to men--that of
carDentering. she holds every week a
large class Of women and girls from
the district around her home at Abb
ington, and teaches them needlework
and carpentering The latest achieve
ment is a pillar box on a new plan,
which is in use in the hall at Abing-
| ton.
Doctors nowadays are all agreed that
the ordinary cradle with rockers is
very bad for children. The rocking
and jolting quiet a crying baby merely
by stupefying it, and the result is In
jury to the childs health.
A woman living at Twickenham has
set herself to work to remedy this, and
at the patent Office may be found a
description of her new baby car ham
mock. This is a combination between
cradle and a perambulator, which
takes up very little room, obviates all
jarrlng and jolting, and at the same
time is so made that a child lying on 1t
is completely protected from cold air
and draughts.
Another domestic device which GER
tainly fills a long.felt want, and for
which we are indebted to a woman, is
called the baby-jumper. Judging by
the drawings of this device, the Mrs.
Wilson, who patented 1t, has conferred
an enormous boon on mothers who
cannot afford nurses. The invention
is sort of frame in which the child
can be comfortably placed, either sit
ting or standing, and fixed beyond
reach of harm with straps. 1t is sus
pended to the ceiling by a rope and
spiral wire spring, which when weight
is thrown upon it dances the baby au
tomatlcally.
1t was woman who invented the
tack-puller, which Is now so widely
used in this country. The tack-pullel
is simply a lever-like arrangement by
means Of which the tacks holding 6
carpet TO the floor can be easily ant
speedily pulled out.-London Answers