Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-01
THE MODERN WOMAN.
XXXI-WOMAN INVENTORS.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| Women are sometimes accused OF being
deficient in initiative. and the fact that SO
| many articles used by women have been
patented by men is cited as proof that
they are lacking in inventive power. A
patent attorney who has over quarter
| of a century's experience in procuring
patents recently said:
Il have taken out hundreds of appli-
| cations for patents from men for things
| that women need and believe that more
| than half of them had really been in
vented by women and the idea turned
| over to men who took the credit for it.
| remember a couple of years ago a broth
er and sister came down from Penn
| sylvania with a model of fine jelly
strainer and fruit press. | knew that the
sister got 1t up. and they both admitted
it, but she wanted to have the patent
| taken out in her brothers name because
| she was sure that it would be more
likely to be stolen from a woman than a
| man. Nothing l could say would con-
vince her to the contrary. so a good-for-
nothing lazy loafer, who from every in
| dication has always existed largely upon
his sisters bounty, is taking credit for
an invention he never would have
| thought of himself
Notwithstanding this tendency. the
| United States government has been issu-
| ing patents to women for more than a
century. The first on record was award
ed to Mary kfes, in 1909. for a process
| of combining silk and cotton thread with
| straw in the weaving of straw braids for
| making hats 1t was six years before
another woman secured patent, this
| time for an improved corset. Patents
were first granted by the Secretary of
| State and the United States patent office
was not established until the year 1896
Eighteen patents had been granted to
women before this time. No feminine ap-
plicant was granted a patent for three
years after the establishment of the
| patent Office and the first patent issued
| to woman from that institution was
number LOTS, awarded to Eliza Ann r.
Judkins for a new device for building
sheds. Between that date and June Is.
| 1856. nearly 1900 patents had been grant
| ed to women according to a report issued
| by the patent Office that year. AS the
| last patent included in this list was No.
1O,9S9 the report would indicate that
nearly third of the patents granted had
been issued to women.
Following this first report upon the pat
| ents granted to the woman inventors Of
| the country the
Shows Broad Scope patent office is
in Her Inventions. Tevd "1 carry-
ing the list down to February Is. 1888,
| when patent No. 534 go was awarded to
| Sarah J. Root of New Haven, Conn.,, for
a locking device for fastening corsets.
Since that date the Office evidently has
| assumed that there is no sex in invention,
and has not kept separate lists Of the
! woman inventors. While fewer than 10
per cent of patents now taken out are
| in womens names. the wide diversity OF
| their subjects indicate that there is no
| Limitation to the channels followed by
! the woman inventor. Her parents cover
everything from pin to an automobile,
| a corset fastening to a steam shovel.
Until the centennial exposition held in
been taken of womens inventions. Dur
| ing that year and the year preceding.
| however. nearly go patents had been
| awarded to women, the subjects ranging
| from hair crimping pins to steam gen.
! orators and including many unique house
| hold cOnyeniences, as well as appliances
for factories, farm implements and cloth
/ ing. When all these inventions were
the results Of feminine ingenuity the in
| terest in womens patents immedia tely
went up several degrees.
/ 1t was noted then. as the patent at
torney observes is still the case, that
| many inventions made by women are pat
| ented by men. In the early sixties a
| large foundry in the city of Troy began
| to manufacture horse shoes by ma
chinery. turning out one in about three
| seconds an unheard of speed before that
| period. 1t was found that the machine
| which accomplished this was invented by
a woman, although the patent was held
| in a mans name. The first moving ma
chine having an attachment by which
the knives are thrown out of gear when
| ever the driver leaves his seat was in
vented by woman who did not patent
1t, SO she receive no credit. although the
inventors of modern machines have
danger of accidents. One of the best OF
the early heating stoves. carrying out
Benjamin Franklins discovery of an iron
lined fireplace, was invented by wom-
an, although a man patented her idea.
When women became the heads of in
dustrial concerns. or began to hold i'm
portant positions
Important Patent in which needs
of Miss Blanchard. man,s nras psohs1
themselves in a practical manner, their
| inventive genius began to assert itself.
| One Of the most important Of the patents
granted during the centennial year was
| an overseaming machine which has be-
/ come invaluable to manufacturers OF
knitted fabrics and of various articles OF
ready-made clothing. 1t was invented by
| Miss Helen Augusta Blanchard. who es-
| tablished a large company in Philadel-
phia. It has formed the basis of numer-
Gus other patents which have brought
about the marvellous mechanism found in
all the great modern factories for this
| class of work.
| The entrance of women into the pro-
fession of trained nursing has been re-
! sponsible for the invention of large
number of hospital helIs and surgical
appliances which have greatly added to
the efficiency of the equipment of the av-
| erage hospital Invalid chairs, bed tables,
electrical appliances, surgeons instru-
| ments sterilizing machines, inhalers, ex-
| hoe Of