davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
PN1FN1 VAMpIpES Prey ON HELPLESS INVENTORS

You talk to your friends and try
to induce them to help you raise
considerable sum of money TO fight
the big concern. whose head man
has made you proposition to take
over your rights in your invention
and at the same time find a place
for you on the payroll at a living
salary, the stipulation being that
you will turn over TO the company
all future inventions which may
spring from your brain.
You are hungry and your friends
arc backward. You cannot blame
YOUR friends. They have been read
ing the papers. They know that the
Wright brothers unquestlonably
first demonstrated the possibility of
mechanical flight. Whatever rights.
powers and privileges were earned
by them should, of course, have
been theirs. safe from all attack as
soon as they had complied with legal
requirements in taking out patents
ON their machine.
What they did get on complying
with those requirements. experts point
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
THE WORLDS DEBT TO GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE

I'm his early life he became a pro-
Tossing Christian. That faith and the
influences Of his early home under
strong Christian truths were never
lost. He was pure i'm life, chaste in
speech. reverent toward women, cour-
teous and kindly toward all"
one day during a thunderstorm.
before the telephone had been per-
fected. Mr.. Westinghouse asked the
office boy in the Allegheny works To
call up somebody for him on the wire.
The boy hestated, just a trifle, be-
cause he knew that a fellow was
liable to be shocked if he used the
telephone.in such weather.
What's the natter" Mr.. Westing-
house asked the boy. Are you afraid
To use the telephone?" Mr.. Westing-
house said it kindly. His mind was
on something important and he was
very anxious to get in touch with
certain man at once. The boy put the
receiver to his ear and received
distinct shock. IL didn't amount TO
anything. just enough TO make him
jump little. Mr.. Westinghouse was
upset about il, and twenty-four hours
later called up the Allegheny works
from the Pittsburgh office 10 inquire
if the boy was all right.
That boy is one OF the big business
men I'm the country to-day. He thinks
he knows u thing or two about why
everybody admires George Westins-
house
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
WARD EONARO SYSTEM OF
MOTOR CONTROL.

Mr.. Leonard is the inventor.
among other things, Of the Ward
Leonard system OF motor control.
Ask the men i'm the navy what they
think Of IL for doing the heavy but
delicately exact work Of turning the
gun turrets on the mcn-of- The
Otis company paid him $4,000 for
q license 10 use the Ward Leonard
system in starting and stopping the
motors on its elevators. These facts
are mentioned 80 the layman may
understand that whatever Mr.
Leonard chooses 10 say on the sub
lcct Of revision Of our patent laws
~ based on experience. not all OF
which has been sad.
There h probably not an ex-
perienced inventor in the United
States" says Mr. Leonard, who
would not prefer one Of the foreign
patent systems 10 our system. un-
less he h really a representative al
one 81 the large corporate Interests.
yet practically all patent lawyers
viii tell you that the American pat
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
THE MELANCHOLY END OF
SOME FINE AMBITIONS.

Your friends are wise, perhaps, in
advising you to get on the payroll
At least, they are careful not to
spend thousands of dollars of their
money, from which they would get
nothing except an opportunity to sit
i'm various courtroOms in different
states of the Union, watching high
priced attorneys wear froWns OF
deep abstraction while remarking
heretofore, to wit" and quoting
Shakespeare, Blackstone, Chitty,
Archbold, Joaquin Miller, Kent.
Upper and Christy Mathewson, and
so on for forty-six hypothesis.
You end by taking the job on the
terms mentioned. and you live TO see
the company make hundreds of
thousands of dollars by reason Of
your invention. This is true story.
1t has actually happened TO one in
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

ent system is the best in the world.
And so it is. for lawyers"
Mr.. Leonard had TO pass through
twelve interferences before he sue
ceeded in establishing his rights to
his system of motor control lie
spent not less than $1,000 of ms
own money in this pleasant indoor
sport of lighting interference pro-
ceedngs in the Patent Office IN
every one of which he was the ilrst
man to file his application.
An interference is judicial IN
quiry by the Patent Office between
two rival inventors Of the same
thing for the purpose of ascertain
ing who is the original inventor
for under our patent law. as IT
stands to-day. the patent must issue
TO the first inventor. The entertain
ment may last for weeks. and the
lawyers who represent the conflict
ing inventors charge from so 10
500 a DAY for their services. Not
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
CERTAIN PATENT ATTORNEYS
DISGRACE CALLING.

Because of our odd patent pro-
cedure class of patent attorneys
has arisen who may be regarded as
legalized swindlers, and with whom
the Commissioner of Patents de-
spite his best efforts, is powerless to
cope. These men write glittering
accounts of the prizes won by Amer
lean inventors, and succeed in in
fuencing great hordes of fellow citi-
zens to believe that the initial fee of
SO will result in making an Archi-
medes of each one of them. This is
misleading.
over one million patents have been
granted in this country (and this is
more than double the number issued
by any other nation, but of that i'm
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

Pittsburgh home. and Mr.. Westing
house began experimenting with a
well in the back yard. Gas was
struck. and as a result of his expert
mcnts he perfected a scheme TO bring
gas 10 the Dig manufacturing cen
tres in small pipes at high pressure
and distribute it in large pipes, in
that way reducing the pressure TO the
safety point He put an end TO the
disastrous explosions. leaks and
"blowons."
The inventor next turned his atten-
ZION to electricity. one day he read
of the experiments being made by the
English electricians, Goulard and
Gibbs. with the alternating current
BY which electrical energy could be
sent great distances. Westinghouse
at once sent Franklin Pope 10 Eng
land To buy the American rights To
the invention. This done, he seized
on the idea. developed it, and from
that time date the great strides
made i'm the use of electrical energy.
lie had acquired the control of
some important electrical patents,
and there were fireworks at the time
OF the Worlds Fair In Chicago. i'm
1899. in consequence. He took the
contract for lighting the fair at
Price si,0000o0 less than had been
offered by other companies. They.
In order to crush him, cndeavored To-
persuade the exposition authorities
tina; he could not secure the bonds
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

one. He knows that your idea is a
good one. that if you have solved the
problem and he can get you 10 sell
out at a reasonable figure his COM
pany will make hundreds of thou
sands of dollars out of it-perhaps
more.
He says your invention is very in
teresting. and adds that his company
has been experimenting along sim
liar lines. with the result that IT has
about perfected a machine to do
practically everything you claim for
your own invention. although in a
somewhat different way, perhaps
He asks what sum YOU will take for
your patent You inform him you
do not intend TO sell outright. that
YOU will do business only on a roy
atty basis. The big man asks you to
think il over. and invites you to call
again.
As YOU are arranging your per
turbed thoughts in the elevator on
the way to a luncheon of crackers
and milk the man you have just
seen is talking with a bright young
chap who has entered in response to
the buZzer from the main Office. The
Young man has been out of school
perhaps a year, perhaps six months.
The boss tells him he wants model
made at once Of machine TO do
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

FOR performance of the contract. He
furnished three separate bonds equal
to the amount of the contract. After
the contract was taken, injunctions
we're obtained to prevent his using
the Edison patents in the manufact-
IRE of the lamps, as we'll as the air
pumps for eXhausting the bulbs.
which were at that time supposed to
be the best.
50 Mr.. Westinghouse himself in
vented another form Of lamp. known
as the stopper pattern" and invent
ed and built machines for the grind
ing of the shoppers and the necks Of
the bulbs. And the s1,000,000 left
over and distributed To the stock
holders when the fair was closed was
just the amount that Mr.. Westing
house saved those stockholders by
taking the contract for the lighting.
The contests through which he has
passed since 1907" says Arthur War
rem. who has been closely associated
with the inventor for the last seven
teen years have been bitter, and the
shafts have pierced deep into his
soul. but they have not embittered
him. they have on the other hand
added to the stature of his superb
integrity and have brought to him
tributes of admiration from men of
all classes and callngs."
Speaking of ms personal life and
qualities, the Rev. Dr Fisher said of
Mr. Westinghouse:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
THE VALUE OF THE INVEN
TON is PROVED.

Upon it's first run after the APP
paratus was attached to the train,
said Mr.. Westinghouse in telling the
STORY To the American Society of
Electrical Engineers "A short while
ago, the engineer, Daniel Tate. on
emerging from the tunnel near the
Union Station i'm Pittsburgh saw
horse and wagon standing upon the
track. The instantaneous application
of the airbrakcs prevented what
might have been a serious accident,
and the value of this invention was
thus quickly proved and the airbrake
started upon IA most useful and sue
ccssful career
His next big project was that of
piping natural gas into Pittsburgh.
and ne gave the credit 10 Mrs. West
inghousc. She wanted gas IN her
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

the first airbrake as it was after
ward applied"
Mr.. Baggaley, in Pittsburgh, under
took to defray the cost of construct
ing the apparatus needed to make
demonstration. Railroad officials
of the Pennsylvania and what was
then known as the Panhandle rail
roads were invited to inspect the
apparatus and witness its operation.
The Steubenville accommodation
train. consisting of a locomotive and
four cars. was placed at the disposal
of Mr.. Westinghouse.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

only is the inventor called upon 10 in
cur an expenditure which may bank
rupt him. but the interference may
by no means conclusiyely establish
his priority
Time and again inventors have
urged that these expensive recrea-
tions be abolished; that patents shall
he granted to those who are first in
the Patent Office This would mean
a radical change in the law, but a
change that would prevent many
Wilful abuse. >-
Crandall. who obtained fame
through his toy building blocks.
owned large glass ball which
seemed possessed of life always
rolling where it was not wanted.
This was the small circumstance
which led TO his invention of Pigs
in Clover" by which he cleaned up
over $4,000. There were no inter
ference proceedings in this case. The
inventor of the roller skate made
nearly 81. 100000. although only dur
ing the last few years Of his patent.
The door of adversely is less ajar if
YOU invent something on this order,
or a lead pencil with rubber tip. or
a dancing Jim crow, or a system
to expedite the tedious operation of
milking a COW
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
THE MELTING INFLUENCE OF
LITIGATION COSTS.

Their share Of the postponed re-
ward will be materially lessened by
the fact that in order to meet the
costs of litigation the inventor was
forced to assign a large share of his
interest to others. 1t is hard for
either Of these patient women TO re-
alize that the high hopes of the big
hearted minister who used TO tell
them so frequently that they would
all be rich some day, nave at last
.ome true Which brings us TO an
important thing.
President Wilson has given warn
ne TO the people of the United
ltateS of the importance of these
uestions in the following language:
do you know, have you had occa-
sion to learn, that there is no hospi-
. tally for invention nowadays?
/ am not saying that all invention
has been stopped by the growth of
trusts, but | think it perfectly clear
that invention in many fields has
been discouraged, that inventors
have been prevented from reaping
the fun fruits of their ingenuity and
industry, and that mankind has been
deprived of many comforts and con-
vcniences, as well as the opportunity
of buying at lower prices.
zone Of the reforms waiting TO be
undertaken is a revision of our
patent laws"
H. Ward Leonard, president OF the
Inventors Guild, a very distin-
guished organization. of which Mr..
Edison is a member, said TO the
writer a few days ago: "Under eX-
isting methods Of trying patent
causes an inventor-p atentee of aV-
crage means could not at his own
expense carry to a conclusion an
average litigation against wealthy
opponent. Therefore, a few wealthy
concerns usually acquire nearly all
important patents in their field.
This works great damage 10 the
nation. Competition by invention is
the only efficient form Of competi-
ton. Our present laws result in
q restraint of competition and pro-
duce a tendency in inventors 10 seek
protection for their inventions by
trade secrets or else 10 cease in
Ncntivc work
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

prcssive total not 10 per cent have
ever nettcd the patentec the fees
that he paid to the Patent Office or
to the attorney.
Assuming that YOU are Of the in
telligent minority, that you have
been assailcd by an idea worth mill
ions of dollars and that you are in
arrears for your last weeks dancing
lessons, if your idea brings YOU IN
contact with one or more tremen-
dously large and domineering manu-
featuring institutions the proceed
ings will probably be something as
follows:
You will tell the head man of the
concern what it Is that YOU can do
with the machine for which you have
asked the United states government
To grant "A patent. The head man
will ask you if YOU smoke, and you
may he sure the cigar will be a good
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
RECOGNITION THE lNVtN'on'
FIRST THOUGHT.

Mr. Ieonard saws the first thing
real ventor thinks of is recognl'lOn
for his contribution 10 the "eildi' y
the world. And then, of cculse
money. which is OF secondary III,
portance. because good ln'e''''
must be Independent.
IF we find that corporations a''
better able" said Mr.. Leonard "
cause of their vast resources u
what not to make improvements su'"
as the incandescent electric "s"'
then let us abandon the patent "a
TEN. which only recognizes wv.
viduals. If these large corpoi ""0'
rovor can be able to make the Az
yances in the arts that individual ~
ventors. properly protected "a" -
then let us 20 back TO what was
tended by the Constitution anu 'Ss
tect them from eNterminauo" -
power of money am =,
Mr. Leonard has written o''
the suggestion Of Thomas Twins ~.
Commissioner of Patents. II w..
hill had been in effect the Rev %
Goodwin and lis family Wou'' I'm
received ) per cent on ar sa,eS I'm
tho moment the minister displaye'
The court his patent for the .',,
lion. in 1898. until the present ''
This would have made hi'i'o ~,
IF the Goodwin family early !"
game. .,notspi
when dealing with great co'r ,s,oe
lions. the .inventor-we are N
If the real inventor. a type no' ,.R
I,,e the one the stage has ',,a
popular. but a person VINO Sp
sncceod in ANYTHING he under'ooa Id
reason of divine fire and pe'en ~.
pe'sp'' Of the ; per cent would n' ~
,no money with which to carry #
the very litigation of which Inc .
cornorations are now so fond ..s
And a Judge would no io"su .,rd,
~ was done m;one Of Mr.. Les,dl
suits: who Is this Mr. i IL.
IL he a Nan of means u
ventor"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

dizzy. In vague kind of way you
realize what you are up against.
You are up against the need FOR
100000. and maybe another on top
of il. and YOU are not at all sure
but that the great corporation, with
it's fathomless resources, will be able
To throw you on the scrap heap
after the long legal fight is finished.
The man has limited at interference
proceedings. And you are also ia
miliar with what you may expect
in the matter of delay between the
filing of an application for patent
and the granting of patent. This
is not always To be charged TO the
attorney i'm the case. The highly
complex and involved procedure OF
the Patent Office is responsible, for
many of them
1t is not long until you begin To
learn that the more patents YOU have
that are infringed by these great
corporations the less chance you
have to deal with them on any
royalty basis. You remember that
there are only few inventors who
have been able to paddle their own
canoes. Most Of the good ones have
against their will. been gobbled up.
and are now working on salary for
xtrhn Ii IN ip,n
that salary out of their inventions.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

ventor. All the facts are known to
the writer.
This is detrimental TO progress in
the United States. No country ca,
compete with the rest of the world
except by invention.
If you invent something for use nm
railroads and you live east of tho
Mississippi River YOU are referred
To a Mr.. Fisher. i'm Washington "a.
represents the Eastern Railroad As.
ISOLATION, made up of some 30 cor.
porations, each chipping in a small
contribution to sweeten the kitty So
IA to protect all of it's members
against unjust claims made for
patented inventions"
Ninety-one automobile companies
have adopted the same methods
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

OHE is eighty-six years old now,
and. of course, the money Will
he acceptable. But what she
said 10 all who called to congratu-
late her upon the decision of the
court. after years of litigation TO as
sert her husbands patent rights TO
the common types Of films, which
have been manufactured by the
Eastman Kodak Company, was:
Tell my friends that | am not anX-
ious about the money, except as
inst rccognition of my husbands
genius"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
THE HARD MAN AND THE
QUESTION OF ROYALTY.

The conversation turns to the price
at which you will turn over all rights
in this invention and all future in
ventions. You stick TO your deter
mination to arrange for its disposal
on the basis of royalty. The bust
ness man is very kind and cour-
teous He compliments you on your
wonderful ability To study the need
of the public learn the difficulties
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

of having your invention come into
commercial use. and the revenge is
going TO he nearly as sweet as the
money with which YOU intend To buy
your wife a dozen silk dresses TO
make up for the years in which she
has turned her cotton ones inside
ont
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

out. was what every inventor gets
under our outrageously imperfect
patent laws-"a paper which per
mitted them to defend their inven-
ton if they could in maddenlngly
protracted and enormously expen-
sive litigation against anybody who
chose to infringe or copy it,
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
HE AIRBRAkE IDEA TAKES
DEFINITE FORM.

Mr.. Westinghouse was always
generous and good natured. Quite
naturally, therefore, he took it, alb
stractedIy, never dreaming OF the
tremendous results that were To flow
from this slight kindness. The little
girl thanked him and disappeared
She never entered his life again. Even
her name Is forgotten and the name
Of the magazine.
"The magazine came along in due
course Of time. and MIR. Westinghouse
was idly turning it's leaves one sep
TENDER evening. when his attention
WAS riveted by small item that de-
scrlbed the building Of the Mont
Cents tunnel. IT told Of the opera
ton OF the drilling apparatus IN mat
tunnel AT a distance Of 1000 feet
from the air compressor. tn" pos
siblo employment Of compressed air
In the operation Of the brake flashed
across his mind
"1 have IT,. nc exclaimed, and,
throwing down the magazine. he be-
gan 10 sketch roughly the plane Of
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

He was the Rev. Hannibal Good
win. When he invented the sensi-
tized film, while looking for sub
stitute for the breakable glass plate
he was rector of the House of
Prayer. i'm Newark. His laboratory
was in the attic of the old brick
rectory near the church. He made
his first application for a patent IN
May, 1881 The patent was not
granted until September, 1898. In
the mean time the Eastman COM
pany used the films and refused to
recognize that the pastor-patentee
had any rights in the matter. And
then Mr.. Goodwin died on December
81, 1900-died in poverty.
Mrs. Goodwin lives with her
daughter in a frame house in New
ark. The decision of the United
States Court Of Appeals may, after
all these years of modest outlook,
mean several million dollars to them
The daughter is sixty-one years old
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22

practically Where does the indl.
vidual inventor get of?
No body of men. says Mr.. Leon
ard. is more difficult to get into
unanimity of thought than inventors
Also. no group is less grcgarious
The public should, he says, diiferen-
tiate between intellectual and ma
terial monopoly An invention Is the
personal. intellectual property # the
inventor. it is his. ne created II
4 monopoly is exclusive right TO a
thing that some one else las ere
ated. In other days. he points out
highways were frequently controlled
by corporations, which reaped toll
from every traveller This was mo-
nopoly. The man who invented the
macadam system or the cant.le'er
was not a monopolist.
Edison has succeeded rot because
of but in spite Of our patent system
His greatest invention was the In
candescent electric light. Mr. Leon
ard says he received only a part o.
the money from DO TO which he was
entitled. owing 20 the deprivation Of
his rights By the courts. IN OH
man. Of whom You may never nave
beard-it is a 10 To- shot you never
did-namod GocbeI from Western
PENNSYLVANIA. was brought into cour'
IN St. Louis and declared by clever
attorneys 10 be the inventor Of '"'
incaudescent electric light, when nSS
given greater impetus TO clvillza'l0n
than kerosene and golf comDlhea
He was an itincraut astronomer WIZ"
a rickety wagon and decreplt noIse
The Judge in St. Louis was 50 j"
pressed by the lawyers that ne &c
fused to grant an injunction Tor hu''
son. although th.rty-odd courts IL
the East had done so.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-22
Continued from first page.

said: 'they'-pointing TO the clerks
don't want it
Take what he asked only half
recalled from his plans.
This magazine. I'm putting in
nv vacation getting subscriptions