New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-20
EUROPE IN INVENTION
Why She Is in Advance of the
Proverbially Clever Yankee.

Everybody Is familiar with the claim
that American inventors. engineers and
manufacturers lead the world" says En-
cheering News" "a vast amount of boast
ing has been done about American ingenu-
ity and originality and enterprise. If this
claim were well founded, it would be in
deed matter for national pride and a quar-
ter century or more ago such a claim had
good deal TO justify it. There are a num-
Der Of fields OF invention and manufacture
In which the pioneer work was done by
Americans and I'm which the statistics or
exports still testify to our high standing
But continues the News" when one
views the whole field Of engineering and
industry and particularly the progress or
the last twenty-five years IL Is rather hui
initiating TO confess that, instead OF being
I'm the lead. the United States are tagging
far I'm the rear.
Take for example, the advances made
In iron and steel metallurgy during the last
twenty-five years. Some original contribu-
tons have been made TO the art by Ameri-
can inventors in that time, OF course but
the great advances which have been made
have almost all originated abroad. We are
to-day something like hye years behind
Germany In iron and steel metallurgy, and
such innovations ds are being introduced by
our iron and steel manufacturers are most
OF them merely following the lead set by
foreigners years ago.
lean engineers are any less ingenious or
original than those of Europe, though they
may indeed be deficient in training and
scientific education compared with those or
Germany We believe the main cause Is
the wholesale consolidation which has
taken place in American industry. A huge
organization Is too clumsy 10 take up the
Development Of an original idea. With the
market CLOSELY controlled and pronts as
sured by following standard methods.
those who control our trusts do not want
the bother OF developing anything new
''The News" instances metallurgy only
by way OF illustration. There are plenty
OF other fields OF industry where exactly
the same condition exists. Americans are
building the same machines and using the
same methods az a dozen years ago, and
the real advances in the art are being
made by European inventors and manu-
facturers.
'"rhose 'effete nations Of Europe actu-
ally appear TO take certain pride In doing
new things that are worth while. original
work BY engineers and designers is en-
couraged and rewarded. In some cases
American manufacturers take up these for
eign inventions after they have been de-
veloped. on the other side or the water.
and after four or five years the new i'm
proveinent begins TO be introduced here.
In other cases dozen years or moro
elapse before any American has enterprise
enough to introduce here what has been
the ocean.
dred important inventions OF the last quar-
ter century which have originated in Eu-
, ope.
"a noticeable illustration Of the lack OF
originality in present day American indus
try f. the development OF the internal com
bustlon engine. There is no doubt that the
application OF this type OF prime mover to
a wide range OF uses has been the most
important development in mechanical en-
gineering OF the last twenty-five years; but
the original work In this field has almost
all been done abroad We have merely
copied the European inventions. or course.
there are some few meritorous details Of
design WITCH have been worked out by
Americans. but nearly ali the really notable
advances in the field OF gas and oil engines
from the beginning have been made In Eu-
rope."