The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-02-08
FAME AS INVENTOR
Robert Dusing Of Salem Invents
a Cleaning Machine for Use
in Chicago Theatres
PROMISES TO BRING FORTUNE

Robert Dusiug a young man who
formerly resided in Kenosha county
at the village of Wi1mot, is gaining
some fame as the inventor of new
nachine for dry cleaning which
promises to make the Kenosha boy a
fortune in few years. Dusing is
one of the managers for Harry J..
Powers, the we'll known Chicago
theatre owner, and it was through
the demands Of the theatre that this
ma chine was first brought to light.
When the disastrous Iriquois the
alter fire occurred, many schemes
were thrust before the Chicago the
aters for preventing recurrence of
the accident. Some of the schemes
were preposterous and all required
large expenditures of money on the
part of the owners of theaters. One
Of the schemes was the overhead
sprinkler system and as the pipes
overhead which fed this apparatus
was liable to freeze and burst In the
winter, compressed air was brought
into play in a device that kept the
pipes empty, yet filled them auto
matically in time of need. A plant
was necessary to supply the COM
pressed air and such plant was in
stalled in the Powers ,theater.
With the compressed air plant in
stalled Owner Powers looked around
to see if there was not some other
way in which it could be Of additional
use. A bright idea struck him and
Robert Dusing to have the theater
connected with pipes, through which
the air could be used to operate a
machine for cleaning the carpets and
seats of the theater by means of the
compressed air. When the con-
nections we're all made it was dis
covered that such a carpet cleaning
machine could not be bought. There
were two kinds on the market, and
they could only be leased for certain
periods for a consideration of a
thousand dollars or more. Besides
which there were certain defects in
their construction which did not
render them wholly satisfactory.
The connections had already been
made at big expense and in the
dilemma Mr.. Dusing set to work to
invent a machine. After several
weeks of experimenting he hit upon
a device that the government author
tiles thought was patentable. Then
he set to work to make the model.
Different machine shops made
different parts, and despite their
curiosity none of the mechanics who
helped in the constructions had the
least idea of what the whole should
be.
When after many discourag ements
the machine was made to work it
proved more successful than was
anticipated. A strong current of air
passes through a long narrow open
ing, scarcely wider than the sharp
edge of a knife blade and blows
against the carpet below. Filled with
dust it makes it's escape back along
the sidesinto the machine, there being
no other exit, and finally energies
through cloth covered dome on top.
A cap beneath the dome stops the
momentum of the dust and causes it
to collect beneath. Coming through
the knife blade opening the force of
air is 100 lbs. to the inch, but through
the cloth dome, the space being so
much larger, the rate at which the
air escapes is moderate. The work
ing model of the machine was success
full and accomplished at an outlay of
So. work that formerly cost 500. The
machines are to sell at $125 and while
the demand is limited, the profit on
each is several hundred per cent and
Mr.. Duesing has already sold enough
of them to cause him to hunt for
means Of investing surplus capital.