Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04
AN1NBELTs TALENTED BIZ GEN. NnLs.


days, likewise. q dollar would provision
a good-sized household for day. Yet
even in those days OF small fortunes and
high value Of money this Lipman cashed
in his patent for S1o00oo. Since then all
the world has had an added convenience
because he lived and got rich.
There was man named Heaton. who
lived in Providence. r.. L., who should
have a place in the heart of every mother
of children. for Heaton made il possible
to SO fasten on shoe button that IL
would not come off. He .nvenfed the
fasteners with which the buttans are
punched onto all the shoes OF the present
generation, but the one that preceded
this must needs sew its buttons on by
hand.
There is also the sewing machine,
which is one of the inventions that has
been the greatest of boons to mankind.
The development Of the sewing machine
depended very largely upon one very
small idea-that of putting an eye near
the point Of the needle Elias Howe was
the man with the idea He patented 1t
and built a sewing machine around il.
Gradually that machine was perfected by
Howe and others. When Howe's patent
rights were expiring ne asked Congress to
had received sl.Is5o00 in royalties but
maintained that his service to mankind
had been so great that he deserved more
money. Congress agreed with him.
The brass tips that were wont to pro-
tect the toes OF those red-top boots that
were the pride of the youth OF a genera
ton ago were invented by a man named
Silverthorn, and he made much money
as a result of his invention. Another
genius of the name of Dennison figured
out the advisability OF manufacturing a
baggage tag that @as reinforced by
greater thicknesses pasted about the eye
through which the string that attached IL
passed. All the tags in the world are now
made that way, yet IL has been but
short time since they were constantly
tearing off at the point of attachment.
Chewing gum was inventeu and patented
in 1871, and the name of Adams thus be-
came associated with that fayorite lux
ury of the shopgirl Adams Is likewise
among the men who live on the Palisades
surrounded by landscape gardens, and
who take vacations in private yachts.
Bath towels We're accidentally discov-
cred by a towel manufacturer whose ma
chinery got out of order and tangled the
threads intended for smooth product. The
manufacturer. after readjusting his ma
chine, wiped his hands on the rejected
cloth 1t was more effective than the
smooth, so he patented it and made
machine that would normally tangle the
thread. The man who invented tin cans
made it necessary for somebody to invent
an opener. This was done. and additional
money corralled in the process. Yet there
was still room for Improvement on this
method of getting at what is on the inside
of these containers. A second inventor
made can with a strip soldered on ana
a kew with which to unwind this strip
and thus open the can. Another fortune.
Just recently still another inventor has
produced a can that may be opened by
blow near the top. and single packer In
Chicago ordered TO- 10000 of them, thus
starting another fortune to snowballing.
The men about the patent office relate
these stories without end. Each one has
been the examiner in the case of some
one of these little things that has after
ward come to be an article of general
use Each one has seen the inventor who
appeared in frayed coat and soleless
shoes return in a touring car. Each has
taken note of the progress OF the age,
because men have labored that the labor
OF Others mig be saved and that wealth
might be attained in tie saving.
Copyright, 1912. by W. A. Du Puy)