Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-11

/ NO mLneT nulNIAuA IN Nne A0flu MNAENa ~
many strange and peculiar IDEAS ~ the
/ big Doric-eolumned building In washing
ton. which takes its name from a single
bureau Il shelters rather than from the
/ department which has its headquarters
| there-ihe patent office. The reason is
obvious. Yankee ingenuity is the most In
I genious and the people OF the United
States take out more patents than are
| granted In any other country. More than
million separate and distinct ideas have
/ been patented there and the records OF
them all are carefully preserved. The
| successful ones are far less than 10 per
cent OF the whole and the eminenuy sue
I cessful are even fewer.
! one Of the favorlte themes OF the inven-
I tive mind from the beginning has been the
problem OF how TO 60 somewhere. Man
| always has sought 10 overcome as much
as possible the restraints OF nature in lin
iting him 10 one place at q time. He al
ways has been seeking some better means
Of getting elsewhere than by riding
"shank's mare" One OF the peculiar ideas
in this connection was a steam carriage
which would simulate a man pulling a
hand-cart. The sutomaton is shown to be
a fair likeness OF a human being with a
high silk hat for an oil tank and a to-
is the boiler and his legs are operated by
a pair OF eccentric rods. A steering wheel
such as one sees on an automobile, serves
the purpose OF guiding the automaton TO
the right or the left
Another carriage is intended to be run
by dog power. II Is a three-wheeled affair,
| the front wheel being q large, drum-like
arrangement. with a door in the end eorre-
spending 20 the head OF a drum. A dog
is placed in this and made 20 imagine he
ia chasing q fox up the inside OF the rim
/ OF the wheel This carries the passenger
forward with only the necessity Of keep
ing the brake and the steering apparatus
In operation. Another invention offers a
windmill on a boat as being more efficient
4 than sails. 1t is hitched 10 propeller
and with It the inventor thought he could
sail into the wind even better than with
IL. He thought that the faster the boat
would go into the wind the faster the
windmill would have TO turn and that
therefore IL would be necessary 10 attach
q brake that might check the speed when
II became too swift for comfort. Another
inventor bitches a series OF kites TO his
boat or his wagon, and so long as the
wind is going his way he is sure of a
fine variety Of rapid transit. Still another
inventor has turned out q three-wheel b.
/ cycle for riding on the top Of plank
fences, thus Stimulating the versatile and
acrobate goat It offers no advantage,
however, when one comes TO q barbed-wire
barrier or a stake-and-ridered fence.
Safety in travel ever has been a favorite
study Of the inventor, and some remark
able things have been turned out. One that
was pledged to overcome every danger OF
collision except the side-wipe deserves first
place among the unique. There is an need
OF block signals. or any other kind for
that matter. Each train is to be equipped
with q railroad on its back and a long
nosed prov for and aft, allowing the train
roof railway to form a connection with
the main line. These prows are 90 ar
ranged that when two trains meet the one
is down and the other up. just as one switch
may be open and the other shut. The
train with the up" PROV Immediately
takes the switch that leads It up and over
the roof OF the other train and then on
down to the main line again. The Inter
state Commerce Commission has not yet
investigated this proffered solution Of the
accident problem.
Another invention Tor the prevention OF
collisions consists OF a long truck and
ladder affair running ahead Of the engine
some iifty feet anoo slowly collapsing IN
der tremendous pressure. This has several
little buggy-top cabs on IL, and in fine
weather a passenger may. by releasing the
railroad from liability IN case Of accident,
enjoy all the delights Of a cow-catcher
ride with none OF its inconYeniences of
smoke and CRIME. Still another invention
is a mud shooter placed below the head
light OF an engine. When a horse or a
COW gets on the track ahead Of a moving
train the engineer simply pulls the trigger
OF the mud cannon and the resultant
stream Of mud is supposed 10 drive any
animal off the track in time 10 get odt Of
harms way.
In these prohibition times the man who
likes his toddy often Is put to 1t for a
method OF carrying refreshments in a man
ner not as conspicuous as the ordinary
flask. A gun has been patented having a
hollow stock. with a two-quart capacity,
and the hunter may be sure he has enough
I with him to satisfy any reasonable thirst
during a days tramp. In another case a
combination clothes and shoe brush has
J added TO It a flask and a drinking cup,