The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-01

WOMEN HAVE SHOWN MUCH INvEN-
TIVE TALENT, AS PATENTS SHOW.
Fashions in Dress That Pass and
Come Agafn-The Baby in Win
ter-From Here and There.
In 1870 the United States Patent Office

In 1870 the United States Patent Office
was established. In the same year. accord
ing to tradition, says the New York Sun,
woman took out the first patent ever grant
ed to one Of the fair sex. Since then, and
up to 1892, just exactly BASS patents were
taken out by women, and since 1892 more
than five hundred additional patents have
been granted to women of inventive incli-
nations.
The first woman of whose patent there is
any authenticated record was Miss Mary
Kies, who in 1909 perfected a device for
weaving straw with silk and thread, which
was quite successful. In 1872 Miss Mary
Brush designed a new corset calculated TO
preserve the contour and shape of womans
form divine. Altogether the feminine in
ventive faculty has run much in the direc-
ton of conserving and improving beauty
and form.
For that reason probably the most IA
nous and successful of American women
inventors is Mrs. Batchelder, who conceived
number of valuable devices for the i'm
provement of certain facial features that
have been distorted. One of her inventions
was the so-called lear straightener," which
ears Another invention. intended for the
restoration of facial symmetry. consists of
spring that is attached to the teeth in
such manner las to relieve of their
verify misshapen and irregular features,
especially the mouth lines"
Not all of the women inventors however
nave confined their scientific efforts to the
identifying of their sex. and some have
achieved really notable inventions. Per-
haps the most important of these was the
Coston signal lights. They were the inven-
ton Of Mrs. Martha j. Coston who, how
ever, received the basic inspiration for the
idea from her husband
The COSton lights consist of n combina tion
or three colored lights-white red and
green-lndicating the numerals, and by
tnelr use great number of messages may
De conveyed. The invention was used with
great success during the civil war and has
since been adopted by other powers. 1t is
or great use at sea as a means of signal
e e,.er1 ; and is one of the fixtures of
every well-regulated life-saying station.
A contemporary woman journalist and
author, Mrs. Cynthia Westover Alden, is
the inventor of an improved dump cart.
ana Brooklyn society woman, Mrs. Lena
Slttig some years ago devised a water
proof garment known to the trade as a
duck back. That famous political docu-
ment, the full or the empty dinner pail.
was the brain product of Michigan wom-
an.
The ruled slate was invented by Mrs.
Louise Dyer, of Yazoo City, No. and a
New York bankers wife one day, while
engaged in twisting worsted yarn, received
the germinal idea for an invention of how
10 twlst wire rope; which Melted her $4,000.
An important attachment to the sewing
machine was invented by Miss Helen
Blanchard, and the hand refrigerator and
lunch tox is the work of Miss Philips, of
Dorchester, Mass. A patent on an i'm
provement on a typewriter was devised by
Miss Emma ID. Mills, of this city, some
time ago. The invention necessitated the
construction of special tools, and these she
made herself, too.
An ingenious invention was devised by
Mrs Kate Eubank. of Oakland Cal. 1t is
known as a combined trunk and bureau
and when closed resembles an ordinary
Saratoga trunk. When, however, the lid
Is raised a handsome dressing case and
bureau is seen, fully equipped, with mir
ror, toilet case and drawers.
AS far as can be ascertained there is ONLY
one professional woman inventor in Amer
lea. She is Miss Montgomery, of this city
As far back as 1864 she obtained patent on
an Improvement on locomotive wheels
and subsequently she secured another pat
ent on an improved war vessel. She has
also taken out a number of other patents
that have been very successful