Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-07
Chance I'm Inventions.

he making of khaki. the olive-col-
u ored canvas cloth so widely used
for soldiers uniforms the world over.
came about in a curiously haphazaro
way.
For years there had been furnished
to the British troops in India green
ish- brown cotton material. the CHIEF
defect of which was that 1t faded when
washed with soap. A man IN man
chester, England, on being told OF this
defect set about to remedy 1t. FOR
long time he searched for an olive oye
that would remain impervious to soap
or soda
Months of experiment were required
to solve the problem. The cioth thaI
finally resisted the soap proved 70
have been dyed by a a hao of a Certain
kind 1t was some quality of this metal .l
that had contributed the very quaiieS
needed to insure permanence.
The remainder of the problem was
result, and a most profitable INDUSTRY
sprang up.
Years ago a firm Of printers in Paris
executed an unusually large ofoer 1ol
almanacs Each sheet was puncheo
with a small hole for eyeleting. ana
an immense number of tiny circles OF
colored paper accumulated in the WORK
rooms. One day a workman GRABBED
handful of these and in spirit OF run
threw the bits of paper over a elri
worker who was passing. she retal.
ated; others followed the example OF
the two, and a miniature sno"s.oIm
was in progress when the neao VI ZIG
firm entered.
Being a man of imagination, he saw
Something in it." Confetti was the re-
suit Instead of destroying the punch
ed-out circles of paper, he ordered new
and special forms of machinery Tor
turning out the little papers that form
SO picturesque role in many iestivi,
ties throughout the world. 1t Is said
that this firm alone turns out more
than sixty tons Of confetti week
paper manufacturer holding in his hand
hornets nest. why can't you make
paper like this?" he asked. The manu-
facturer's imagination was appealed to;
he had seen that the hornet began to
make it's nest by first chewing particles
of wood until they were hne pulp.
This little incident led. it Is said, to
the utilization of wood pulp in making
paper.
its name from the fact that 1t was first
made at Bayonne, and it's origin illus
trates the proverb, Necessity is the
mother Of invention"
A Basque regiment was hard pressed
by the enemy on a mountain ridge near
Bayonne. One of the soldiers suggested
that. as their ammunition was ex-
hausted. they should fix their long
knives into the barrels of their mus
kets. The suggestion was acted upon.
The first bayonet charge was made.
and the victory of the Basques led to
the manufacture of the weapon at Bay
onne and its adoption into the armies
of Europe.
Not infrequently an invention has
been suggested by some trivial event
which would have passed unnoticed
had not a man with eyes and brains
seen it.
Argand, poor Swiss, invented lamp
with a wick fitted into a hollow cylin-
der, up which current Of air was al
lowed to pass. thus giving a supply OF
oxygen to the interior as we'll as to the
exterior of the circular frame.
At first Argand used the lamp with
out any chimney. One day he was busy
in his workroom and sitting before the
burning lamp. His little brother was
amusing himself by placing bottom
less oil flask over different articles
Presently he placed it upon the fame
Of the lamp, which instantly shot up
the long, circular neck of the flask
with increased brilliancy. It did more,
for it flashed into Argand's mind the
idea Of the lamp chimney, by which his
invention was perfected.
One day the children Of a Dutch spec
taclemaker were playing with some OF
their fathers glasses before the door
Of his shop. Setting two of the largest
them. and were surprised to see the
weather-cock Of the opposite church
brought close to their eyes. They called
their father to see the strange sight,
He looked through the glasses, and
what he saw suggested to him the DOS
sibility of constructing curious toy.
Calico. hearing of the toy which made