Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-23
Native of Scotland.

dublin
In his early years he became acauaint-
ed with Robert Owen who called him
This young convert though his interest
in Mr.. Owens views was chiefly with
regard to the establishment of free infant
schools.
In 1s41. when scarcely twenty-one. he
invented the first inter1eaved electric con-
denser. an Improvement on the Leyden
jar. Other inventions of his younger
manhood were pneumatic battery for
igniting explosives used in mining and
blasting: rotary galvanic battery: the
production of soluble leather; safety
lamp to- prevent explosions In coal mines
ETC. 1t is said that the pneumatic battery
was used by the Russian army in the
Crimean war. A mine of this character
was discovered in one Of the forts OF
Cronstad. SO arranged that 1t would ex-
plode upon being trampled upon. 1t was
fitted up with gutta percha cups and
tubing. The Queen of England at once
issued a proclamation prohibiting the ex-
portation of gutta percha or rubber tub
ing.
Forecasted Wireless Telegraphy.
In 1851 DIR. Taylor came to the United
States and that year in series Of ex-
periments across the narrows at New
York city forshadowed the modern In
vention OF wireless telegraphy by demon
strating that an electric current could
be transmitted without wires. These ex-
periments were noted and a number of
them described in the Scientific Ameri-
can Journal Of that year.
Devised Deadly Shell.
Dr. Taylors talents were employed in
the interest of the Union by President
Lincoln's administration during the civil
war. In place of the unreliable Dyer
projectile which caused the Parrot rifle
guns to be a failure he substituted a
projectile that was eminently satisfac-
tory. Col. j. G. Benton, chief Of ord
| nance, wrote to him from the Spring
field armory September II, 1861 the fol-
| lowing:
Il think that the ordnance department
should print, for the information of its
officers at least, the results of your OBJ
servations. | think you have done a
great deal toward explaining the cause
Of the failure of the Parrot guns
IL have never failed to give you credit
its present state of perfection, and i
hope the government will reward you for
DR.. Taylor SO improved the Dyer shell
that 1t was deemed an entire success
even when applied to the larger calibers
Dyer was bestowed upon the result by
the ordnance department in recognition
Of new and valuable modification.
During the war 1t is said the govern
ment had no reliable time fuses for rife
projectiles. DIR. Taylor's experiments re-
suited in an invention that was provision
ally adopted for field and siege ammuni-
ton prepared at the Washington arsenal
While engaged along these lines DR.
Taylor was conducting other experiments
One resulted in the utilization of vast
quantities of valuable material. such as
condemned ordnance. some of which had
been condemned as not only useless. but
dangerous to handle.
Taylor invented a process of reducing
oxide of lead by bringing 1t in the
furnace into contact with scrap iron,
which reduced the oxide OF lead to the
pure metallic state, and by this means
saved a much larger percentage than
was saved by the usual methods.
Studied Diseases of Plants.
In 1871 Mr.. Taylor entered the service
Of the Department OF Agriculture. where
he made successful investigations OF
| fungoid diseases of plants which at
tracted the favorable attention of Profs
Berkeley and NJ. C. Cook, the world.
known mycologists Of London.
At the time Of DR.. Taylor's appojnt-
| ment the Department of Agriculture. It
| is said, possessed but one microscope
and that was unused until he turned ii
to practical account. His first investi-
cation related to the parasitic fungus
vines cultivated in the greenhouses OF
| the department; he found it to be identi-
| cal with that OF the odium mildew. which
| had entirely destroyed the vintage OF
Europe for several seasons The most
| important observation he made in this
/ discovery hiph
| fruit of the fungus. which had not been
| seen previously by any of the mycologists
| of Europe or America. For this discov-
cry the late Rev. j. NJ. Berkeley, the
| distinguished English botanist, to whom
| the specimens of the mature fruit were
sent. gave DR.. Taylor public credit.
| DIR. Taylor, 1t is claimed, was the first
| to discover in this country, although II
was known in Europe, the .'pyphlodrumus
4 pyri," q microscopic mite very destruc-
| tive to the leaves OF the pear tree.
Appointed Microscopic.
| His able employment Of the microscope
| in these and other Investigations led to
| the creation Of the Office OF microscopes,
of the department, to which he was i'm
mediately appointed. He filed the office
with distinction until 1895. preparing re-
| ports OF his work along various lines
amonfg them the food porducts pam
phlets, reports on food authorizations, ed
| ible and poisonous mushrooms, the cram
| berry rot, grapevine diseases and others
which attracted much attention and were
widely circulated.
! 1t was chiefly through DR.. Taylor's in.
vestigations of the authorizations of but
| ter lard and cheese that the oleomar-
| garine bill was passed by Congress.
/ In 1852 Taylor graduated in medicine
from the University Of Georgetown. and