The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-09-15
Whose Inventive
Brains Enriched
Others
Their Names Even Forgotten
and others get not Only
the Coin buttheC Credit
as Well

before the minds eye; speak of wire
less t%elegraphy and one Immediately
thinks Of Marconi. The names of
Santos-D umont is as closely connected
with the flying machine as that of
Robert Stephenson with the locomo-
tive. Yet there are dozens of things,
little and big. which are a part OF u
daily life, Of the origin of which we
never think; or IL we do, fail to m
meet them with the names Of the in
ventors-men as worthy Of praise as
any Of the worlds benefactors.
When our grandmathers were
young. pin money was a necessity, in
a figure Of speech. Pins were sold at
four for a penny. II is TO the forgotten
Samuel slocum. an Englishman. that
we owe the cheap pins Of today. In
1880 the idea came TO him that pins,
which were then made by winding a
fine wire on the head and fastening II
to the post Of the pin, might be made
at a single operation. But, strive as
he would, he could not perfect his
idea. At last he shut himself up in
n room in his house In the Isle OF
Wight and remained there eight days,
seeing no one and having his meals
passed In TO him. At the end OF that
time he had every detail perfectly
worked out, and in 1881 the manufac.
ture Of the modern pin commenced.
A few years ago, comparatively
speaking. every one laboriously laced
his booto from the lowest hole to the
top. There was none OF that lightning
crossing OF the laces into the neat
little hooks with which the modern
lace boot is provided. The inventor
OF the boot hook, II. A. Ship. who was
born In London more than 20 years
ago, is at present ending his days in
an almshouse. He sold his patent
outright for the sum Of $3.50. and the
purchasers are said TO have made
81, $50 900 out OF the idea.
Il is less than a century ago that al
most OF the worlds cooking was done
over the open fire. Joints we're roast
ed on a spit. Bread was baked in n
brick oven, tediously heated with
wood. For buildings and cakes the
portable Dutch oven was the only con.
~trivance known. In great houses elab-
orately built up ranges OF brick. with
iron tops, were just beginning to be
used. The small compact range or
cooking stove seen today In every
kitchen was unknown. There is prob
ably not one person in 10000 who
could say, II asked. who invented
the cooking range. His name was
Josiah Reed. and he died only four or
Ave a Ggo at the age OF 92. His
great invention which revolutionlzed
domestic life brought him neither
fame nor fortune.
Thomas Fitzpatrick died about a
year ago. He worked a reform in
modern city life second TO none among
the inventions Of the past half cen
tury. He was the builder Of the first
modern fats. II was about 35 years
ago that the idea came TO Fitzpatrick,
who was a builder by trade. OF erect
ing an edlhce, each separate floor OF
which should constitute a separate
dwelling. The idea caught OF at once.
and now there are large areas in most
great modern cities where 80 20 rs
per cent Of the inhabitants are fiat
dwellers.
In all the worlds history there Is no
more startling instance Of lngraiitude
and forgetfulness than the history OF
Henry Cort. He expended the whole
OF his private fortune OF 100000 in
~perfecting his inventions for pudding
iron and rolling IL into bars and plates
Then he was robbed Of the fruits OF
his toll by the y~illainy Of certain Eng
lish government officials. and In the
end left to starye. This was in 1884
Since that late Cort's inventions
have conferred upon England alone
an amount OF wealth equivalent to S.
500. 600 900 and given constant m
ployment TO about 100000 workmen
for the past -four generations.
The name Of Macintosh Is com
memorated forever in the waterproof
garments which have. in the country
at least. almost superseded the UNI
brella- Yet an article in the Annals
OF Philosophy dated 1918. proves
that IL is another man we ought 70
thank instead OF Macintosh for the
blessing OF the waterproof In the
article referred TO Professor syme an
ounce his discovery Of the powers