Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-25
CHEMISTS Give Valuable Patents to the Publ

trouble and anxiety. The weight of grain
was found to vary anywhere from TO 70
per cent, due to the amount OF moisture
which ii contained.
The importance Of this is apparent from
the fact that grain grown in moist eli
mate would naturally have an advantage.
in weight, of some 20 per cent over the
same grain grown in a dry atmosphere.
The problem of standardizing this crop
was one which was apparently impossible
Of solution. all processes for remov-
ing moisture were found to be either inn
practicable on account Of the huge masses
to be handled or because they injured the
grain in eliminating the moisture.
But J. w. T. Duvel, a three-thousand-
two-hundred- and forty-dol chemist con-
nected with the bureau of grain STAN
dardization, finally solved the problem by
inventing a moisture tester. by which the
percentage of humidity in grain can be
found in a very few minutes. This in
vention is now in use in practically every
grain elevator in the United States. and
the estimates Of the amount which it
saves the government and the grain
handlers of the nations run up into the
hundreds OF thousands Of dollars year.
But DR.. Duvel receives no royalty upon
his apparatus. because he preferred TO
take out a public service patent upon It
and thereby give the people OF the nation
the benefit of his discovery. DR.. Duvel
also has to his credit an important dis
covery. analogous to the moisture tester
for grain, which indicates with a very
little effort the percentage OF water in
butter.
All persons connected with large
printing esta blishments. particularly
those which turn out stocks. bonds or
other valuable paper, have at one time
or another met with the difficulty of
keeping an accurate count of the sheets
of paper used or of the work turned
out by the valuable plates. The in
vention by Joseph L. Harley, "a gov
eminent employe. of a press register
which records every impression made
by the 500 presses of the bureau of
engraving and printing. is now In use
by a large number of private printing
establishments which turn out valuable
paper, but no one has to pay anything
for its use because a public service
patent has been granted upon HarleyS
invention.
Another device, which saves the gov
eminent about $4,000 a year, is the
machine for filing the 100000 packets
of seeds which Uncle Sam annually dis
tributes all over the country. Formerly
it cost the government about $1.32 q
thousand to fill these packets, but
]. E. w. Tracy of the bureau OF plant
industry devised an apparatus which
would cut the cost of this work about
eminent saves about five times Mr..
Tracy's salary-which is $2,760 year
through the use of this device. upon
which a public service patent has been
issued, the machine being. therefore.
free for any one who desires to make
use of it. ,.
But it is not alone in the devices OF
peace that the government employees
have been foremost in dedicating their
discoveries to the people. The officers
of the army and navy have also been
extremely generous in this respect, the
invention by Brig. Gen. Crozier and
Brig. Gen. Burlington of the twelve
inch disappearing coast defense guns.
now in general use along our entire
coast lines, being only one of the many
valuable public service patents taken
out by philosophical officers of tho
military services.
Indeed, there is hardly department
of the government that is not repre-
sented in the roster of public service
patents. the total value of which can
hardly be estimated, but from their
royalties the inventors derive only
fame and no pecuniary recompense.