The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-05-09
articles of dress and domestic Q

in corsets and new designs in these
garments get more attention from
the woman inventor than any other
one thing. But the other articles of
dress run a close second, especially
in more recent years, when improved
methods of manufacture have made
possible so many variations in under
wear. Improved and new designs in
underwear, in children's garments,
in hose supporters, in shoes, caps.
hat pins, safety pins, stockings, all
get a great deal of attention from
women inventors, again closely
pressed by her interest in kitchen
and garden utensils and in farming
tools. Occasionally the woman in
ventor takes a drive into more alb
strusive realms and gets patent on
means for desulphurizing ore, or
mounting fluid lenses, or an improv-
ed method of guiding traction en-
gines, but the vast bulk of her in
ventions relate either to her dress
or those things which more immedi-
ately surround her in her household
life
But the fair sex has not confined
it's inventive faculties either to strict
ly feminine matters, nor to science,
art. manufacture or the art of war.
Among the patents granted to women
are many devoted to masculine COM
fort, among which are to be noted a
trouser tree, a mustache guard, a
machine for making cigarettes,
mans necktie clasp and holder,
protector for dress shirts, folding
bath tub for travellers, etc.
There is the patent granted to
Mary Ann Woodward April oath,
1916, for rocking chair fan. Mis-
tress Mary's idea is certainly not
bad-if one is not of a nervous dis
position. You sit in the chair and
rock. The fan above swings to and
fro and keeps the flies off your bald
head and at the same time impels
cooling breeze to keep you from get
ting overheated. Whether she stood
ready with another invention for the
sudden cure of pneumonia or kept
an ambulance on hand for the carry
ing off of those made suddenly in
sane by the fick-aick of the thing
across their heads, her patent does
not state.
Mrs. Sarah Sewell, an Ohio wo-
man, invented a device which cannot
be called impractical, even if at first
blush it does not seem destined to
produce an undue amount of cleanli-
ness. Observing her small children
at play on a see-saw, the while she
worked hard revolving the mechan-
ism of a washing machine, she con-
ceived the idea of making the see
saw do the work, giving her time to
enjoy life. And the United States
of Amer.oa set it's solemn seal of
approval on this idea, giving her
patent for a combined see-saw and
washing machine, the illustration OF
which shows the beauty of possessing
at once several children and an in
ventive brain by which they may be
made to wash their own clothes and
at the same time have good time.
A list of half freakish, half sane
inventions of women would not be
complete without mention of two To-
comotive patents granted to women,
one for destroying vegetation be-
tween the tracks, thus keeping COWS
off and conserving their precious
lives, and the other means by which
cinders and smoke may be kept on
the ground and thus out of the pass
engers's eyes, Louisa B. Simpson,
of Lawrence, Mass, took out the first
mentioned patent, which produces its
vegetable destroying effect by dis
charging waste steam via a tube
straight down between the wheels.
Miss Augusta NJ. Rodgers, of Brook
lyn, n. Y, patented the second rail-
way engine idea, carrying her cinders
and smoke through a tube back over
the engine and down to the ground.
Doubtless if this device worked the
way it was planned to work, and did
not seriously interfere with the
draught of the chimney, it would
have the same effect as that of Miss
Simpsons patent, and not only keep
cinders on the ground but by, them
destroy the vegetation.
For some unknown reason, the
name Of Sarah P Mather has often
been published as the author Of a
freak invention. In 1915 Miss Ma
ther obtained patent number 1895