The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-12-01
MACAUlAY'S PROPELLER ON q
NEW ATLANTIC STEAMSHIP
Pilot Inventor Finds Hawaiian Patent Records
Buried in Capitol Basement--To
Investigate Status.

lieve such rights will become invalid
just because the United states has as
sumed Jurisdiction in Hawaii. Suppose
for instance, a patent was issued In
1896 for the term of five years. That
patent in my opinion will run out its
term until 1901 and will then expire by
limitation. The principle involved is
the same if a patent is worth to the
inventor $40 or so, 000.0 900. If he has
been granted a patent here which prob
ably would not have been granted at
Washington, I do not see any valid
reason why his patent be declared void.
Leases of public lands granted by the
governments of Hawaii in the past
have not been declared invalid by the
United States government. They will
run on until their term expires. l am
speaking of the matter off-hand. I have
not looked up the law involved. It is
natural to presume, however, that II
an inventor who has been granted a
patent in the United States, feels that
a Hawaiian patent infringes on his
rights he will have recourse to the
courts to settle the question of owner
Ship
1t was the opinion of Mr.. Cooper
that all patents granted under the old
governments were operative.
Captain Macaulay on June II, 1900.
just two days before the islands be-
came a territory, perfected a patent
termed AN Improvement in Propellers,
Oars and Paddles" The patent was
No TIA and was issued by President
Sanford B. Dole. The patent was sign
ed also by Alexander Young, as Min
lister of the Interior, and c. B. Ripley,
Commissioner of Patents.
Patent No. 173 was also issued to
Captain Macaulay the same day. That
was an Improvement called a Hoist
ing and Dumping Tub" for use in hoist
ing large loads from a ships hold, for
instance.
The propeller blade invented by Cap
tain Macaulay is designed to prevent
the suction which follows the stroke of
the blade. Captain Macaulay invented
a blade which he declares in his let
tiers of patent to do away entirely with
suction. Each blade is -provided with
a slot running along the center. The
slot is narrow SO as to give the least
structural weakness to the blade. He
holds that when the blade moves
through the water the slot provides
for water to pass through it and there
by destroy the suction, winch would
ordinarily form on the rear side of the
blade, il the slot was not there.
He stated to the Governor yesterday
that this style of blade is being in
stalled in steamship now being built
at a shipyard near New York. He has
ascertained that there is an English
patent on a. blade similar to his fnven-
ton, and that was what sent him post |
haste to the Capitol. He wanted to
ascertain the fate Of his patent record. |
He sought Manuel Cook of the Public !,
Works Department who had been |
clerk in the old Interior Department. |
Mr.. Cook remembered there were cer-I
tain documents of the Patent Office in 4,
a safe in the basement. They visited |
the safe and there found all the pa
tent records slowed out of sight Of
man, together with numerous models
Of inventions.
Captain Macaulay is of the opinion
that these records and models should /
have been forwarded to Washington
and filed in the Patent Office. In that
way Hawaiian inventors possessing let
tiers of patent from the old govern
ments of Hawaii could have their
rights safeguarded